Earth Afire

This book continues where “Earth Unaware” left off. The Formics arrive at Earth and start decimating China. China of course wants no outside help dealing with the Formics, which parallels how China tends to deal with natural disasters today.

Victor (Vico) continues to be a hot head at times but is also putting his frustration to better uses and has matured some. I am starting to wonder if there will be a romantic interest for him, like there was Bean. An interesting note as compared to the Ender line of books as opposed to the Shadow line and the prequels is that there are a lot more loving and human relationships than were present in the Ender books.

Mazer Rackham is fantastic. The continued exploration of his character and motives are wonderful. It is really filling out the man in the short stories and in Ender’s Game.

And, generally speaking, if you’re a fan of the Enderverse I do not think you’d be disappointed. The book is fast paced and carries on well. It’s not necessarily chocked full of action but it is a compelling read. I look forward to the next installment.

Also, if Orson Scott Card is grooming Aaron Johnston to take over, this will probably go over pretty well.

And, another note, having read a fair amount of William Gibson and especially how he likes to character and story hop in the Sprawl Trilogy, I see a lot of similarities in the Formic Wars. At the same time though I prefer Gibson’s ability to so intricately weave the different stories. In the Formic Wars stories merge, in the Sprawl Trilogy the stories make a tapestry weaving before your eyes. I like the latter more.

Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars

“Engines of Change” is a book that goes through cars that either helped shape the United States when they were released, or were the start of changes still felt today. It also goes through cars that were shaped by the national mood, cars that were a strong expression of the United States at the time.

Generally the author goes through the inception of the vehicle and discusses the people (engineers, marketers, and designers) involved. It is also mentioned how the cars changed the United States, what the cars stood for, and who, demographically speaking, usually bought them. In many chapters the individuals involved often have an abbreviated biography told about them and the car. These biographies are sometimes about people at the highest executive levels and other times about assembly line workers who climb up the company ladder as time goes on.

The book is written in good humor. There is a fair amount of history between its covers. I think my favorite car discussed, and perhaps the one with the most profound impact on society had to be the Chevrolet Corvair and how it gave rise to a lot of the products liability and consumer protections that are ever present in the current political and legal fabric of the United States today.

The cars discussed are the:

1. Ford Model T and LaSalle’s (GM)
2. Chevrolet Corvette
3. 1959 Cadillac’s (tail fins)
4. VW Beetle and Microbus
5. Chevy Corvair
6. Ford Mustang
7. Pontiac GTO
8. Honda Accord
9. Chrysler / Dodge Caravan
10. BMW 3 Series (a lot to do with yuppies)
11. Jeep
12. Ford F-Series 
13. Toyota Prius 

My friend Sonny gave me the book knowing I’m a car enthusiast. It made for a solid read. I’d suggest it for anyone who likes cars and history, and the two being well blended together.