Book Review: Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
A dark, intense character study of a man who offsets many personal acts of valor and selflessness with a few acts of horrifying cruelty. Literal warfare as a metaphor for the main character’s inner turmoil. Big Philosophical Questions about good and evil, the ethics of interfering with less advanced civilizations, finding purpose in a post-scarcity [...]
RIP Michael Crichton
The high spirits I felt at the election of Barack Obama were tempered upon hearing of the death of Michael Crichton, one of my all-time favorite authors. Though Crichton is best known for Jurassic Park and the television show ER, I personally enjoyed Travels, his nonfiction memoirs, more than any of his fiction. What a [...]
The End of the Easy Rawlins Series
I recently finished reading Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley, the 11th and final novel in the acclaimed Easy Rawlins mystery series (the one that President Clinton made famous when he declared it his all-time favorite). Like the 10 installments before it, it was excellent. Instead of reviewing this particular book, I want to commemorate the [...]
Cato's Life of the Mind is the personal site of Jamel Cato, a writer and database developer who can usually be found between the pages of a good book when he's not laughing with his kids. | 