The Squares of the City. John Brunner.

The Squares of the City
by John Brunner.
Ballantine: 1980s.

Packaged as a science fiction novel, and of course Brunner is well-known as such, this was not what I had hoped. Rather a boring read, as nothing of any real interest happens.

South American dictator builds new city and uses subliminal messages and other means to control citizens. He and his main political rival chose 15 people to be "chessmen" -- these two guys influence their chessmen to make "moves" in a giant game of chess to see which one of the two leaders will win the game. A vaguely interesting idea, but not well carried out.

The only thing that keeps the book readable is Brunner's skill as a writer - if this had been written by a run-of-the-mill pulp author, I would probably not have been willng to finish. But the writing is good, and he throws in a few interesting philosophical conversations along the way.

Montezuma, the Serf. Joseph Holt Ingraham.

Montezuma, the Serf
by Joseph Holt Ingraham.
H. L. Williams: 1845.

Interesting book. A historical romance revolving around a one-week period in which Montezuma I rises from serf to King. I got this book online, knowing only the title and date, hoping it was some cool history. As it turns out, the author must have known very little about the Aztecs, as historical inaccuracies fill every page.

I would like to read more 'chivalric romances' from the era to see how stylistic this book is. Obviously, 19-century readers had fewer demands for historical research for their fiction. The ending is very Shakespearean, complete with people in disguise, everything coming to a climax at once, and even a fool.

Ingraham, who was a Reverend, makes the Aztec religion something like Christianity, complete with a Noah's ark legend. What's interesting, though, are the parallels he draws between Montezuma and Jesus: he even gives Montezuma a 1000-year reign, until the white man comes -- perhaps suggesting that whites are to bring the Aztecs to heaven?

Of course, 1845 was a time of much speculation about the pre-columbian mesoamericans, and many professionals had proclaimed dramatic parallels between Christianity and the Aztec religion, as well as the possible Hebrew origin of the Mesoamericans. Also of interest, given the novel's year of writing, are the constant tirades against slavery, and for equal rights & representation.... probably not a popular novel in the southern U.S.

The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy. Terry Pratchett

The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy
by Terry Pratchett.
Doubleday: 1992, 1993, 1996

Humorous trilogy, geared for teens:

Only You Can Save Mankind. Johnny is sucked into a video game world, while the country is bombing Iraq. What is war and why are there rules? What does it mean to kill someone? Do fighter pilots feel like they're playing a game?

Johnny and the Dead. Johnny tries to save the local graveyeard from being built upon by a mega-corporation. The spirits become "free" because of Johnny and eventually don't care about the graveyard, because they're ready to leave. Johnny still wants them there because their history is important.

Johhny and the Bomb. Local bag lady has shopping-cart time machine, which Johnny must use to save the town from being bombed during WWII. The lesson here is that all of your actions have consequences.

The whole triology has great side-kicks, and are well-told stories. Thought-provoking yet humorous.

The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich. William L. Shirer

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
by William L. Shirer.
Simon & Schuster 1959.

A huge book of equal significance. Shirer was a journalist who spent much time in Nazi and pre-Nazi Germany, and his personal insights add to the wealth of information contained in the book.

Beyond doubt, this is one of the best books I've ever read; yes, partly due to the inherently fascinating topic, but also due to Shirer's ability to explain complex situations in a comprehensible way.

Interestingly enough, even Shirer admits Hitler's genius, and it is phenomenal to watch him rise from a nobody to arguably the most powerful man in the world. It almost becomes tragic to watch his personal, military, and political collapse. This sense is partly due to Shirer's objectivity; during the whole "Rise" book, Hitler seems to be merely a radical politician.

The "Fall" book becomes a bit tedious - even though Shirer stays away from a lot of the military history, some is of course necessary. However, his continual focus on the political history of this period really makes the long book a relatively fast read.

Hitler was undoubtedly a madman, and his physical deterioration assuredly indicates mental deterioration, yet at the same time, he was amazingly successful in most of his endeavours. What really stands out are the few bad military decisions he made - if not for those . . . ? Would we be living in a world of daily terror, and would our innate capacity for evil be nutured by the state?