Randy

The lesson of the Korean War

The lesson of the Korean War was that it happened. What surprises me is we let it happen again in Vietnam, and Iraq.

To not fight a war all out with the muscle and might of our great nation means more brushfire wars (police actions) will take place. Precious blood and treasure will be spent and nothing will be gained.

To read about the different battles for hill tops, and frozen reservoirs was riveting in detail. To read how backward we were just 55 years ago is a bit troubling. We didn't have good radio communication, ect.

To hear about the mountains of artillery shells we fired was a bit of a shock. How we sent tanks that were almost impossible to off load the transport ships, showed how going to war is very hard to plan.

If you buy this book it is a good history lesson, and you won't be disappointed if you buy it for the history and the storytelling will keep you entertained.

The author admits he was swayed by the book Alas Babylon. Books about how America can be brought to her knees are always worthy of a read.

This book was scary because we so depend on our electrical grid and electronics so much that any disruption can lead to anarchy.

The description of life as the days ticked by were scary. I would think how I would I handle that. The predatory nature of man is shown and in a way that is totally believable.

The weight loss of an overweight society is explored. There is a dog scene in this book that may make the squeamish not want to listen but it is handled not with words but situations. However, the pictures in your mind can be a bit troublesome.

I do believe if you get this book you will think about being more prepared for such an event.

I admit it, I’ve watch Top Gun the movie over and over. I love it. So when I had to a chance to read how it was put together I jumped at it. I had no reviews to help me (I really depend on reviews) so I felt a need to write a this review.

Bio (his call sign and it is in the credits I checked) our author tells us about how he learned to be a REO. A reo is the weapons officer in the back seat. Bio tells us about having to eject on a failed landing attempt. Bio relates how they study and study and study to fly those jets with such safety and menace.

Top Gun the school according to Bio didn’t have a trophy given to the winner of the class. Tony Scott took some liberties with that one.

I think the preparation for the flights, the preparation for the teaching of the classes our author lets us know that being in a fighter jet is for in shape young men and women that are well trained and dedicated.

When I listen to a book some go by real fast, and that usually means to me it was riveting. This book flew supersonic by me and of course, I did stream the movie this weekend to check the credits and see exactly what Bio was talking about.

If you liked the movie this book is for you.

Books about time always seem to have a paradox to them. This book avoids this problem nicely. This is the end of a four book series and you should start with Hyperion. Rise of Endymion is the glorious climax to this series. I would not have missed this sci-fi tour de force for nothing. It is on of those audio books that you think you might listen too again.

There are 4 books in this series and if your read Hyperion you will be hooked. Our author Dan Simmons just didn't write a masterpiece of SciFi, he wove an entire universe. He took known things like Catholic religion and created a future of what Christianity might be. Hyperion introduces us to warriors, monsters, and an illness that makes one 26 year-old girl become a baby again. The entropic tides of the time tombs becomes an enigma that keeps you glued to the pages. The descriptions of the world, wars (both ancient and futuristic) are so vivid you feel like you are there. The excitement builds to a crescendo that makes you scrabble for the next book Fall of Hyperion. Good luck stopping at just one.

Is a tiny island in the South Pacific and when I mentioned I was reading this book at lunch one of my co-workers said; "oh that is the island they clear cut the trees so they could farm." I said the authors have another theory and that theory makes more sense than man kills his environment on purpose.

I was surprised at the theory about the cost of war. I was interested in how the different explorers went about their expeditions hundreds of years ago. I was shocked to learn the islanders where thief's stealing any thing and everything including the hat off your head.

It was insightful to learn how the South Pacific people viewed what we would consider normal morality. Meaning that happily traded sex much to the delight of the earlier explorers. Of course one of the trades we made was VD.

Learning about the different ways the Islanders farmed by breaking up rocks to fertilize the ground and prevent erosion from the trade winds was another tidbit that adds to the whole.

Last but not least the architecture of the statues and how they moved the really big ones (some up to and over 75 tons) is still got people scratching their heads. The walked part is a catchy title for a book that encompasses much more than statues and the enigma they hold.

This story wrapped me up but what really made me think was Cullen's description of psychopaths.

To know that psychopaths walk among us and go to school with our children is very scary. To know psychopaths are rarely successfully treated for their mental illness is humbling.

I pray me or a member of my family never encounters a psychopath.

This book also cleared up a bunch of misconceptions about how the police responded. I remember people telling me SWAT waited hours, I now know that isn't true. If you have distrust of police because of this incident this book is for you.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The descriptions of how soldiers die, and the hardships they faced was presented in a way that wasn't stomach turning but enlightening.

The description of Henry the 5th's victory of Agincourt showed how long range (archery) changed the face of battle. The tactics used, the way the archers rallied makes this portion of the 100 years war come to life.

Wellington's victory of Waterloo brought us into the artillery age. His description of one soldier's death from starvation two years after his injury was shocking. This man had his tongue and jaw blown off and it still took him years to die.

The WWI battle of The Somme showed how far the artillery age moved and how it was defeated by the introduction of the machine gun. Keegan made me feel the dust and shaking ground in his description of the artillery barrage that lasted 3 days!

If you are a history buff, or specifically war history buff you will be glad you bought this book.

Why we don't have White Cities on the moon! Larson shows us a people who once were capable of doing anything. A people that could do anything with tools we would think impossible to the task. A people capable of going to the moon, or building a skyscraper on ground that could not support it, yet does to this day. In our day and age red tape would kill such fantastic efforts and dreams.

To weave a mass murderer around 1900th century Chicago World's Fair was brilliant! The descriptions of life in Chicago makes you understand how clean our environment is today vs. yesteryear.

This book made me look up some of the designs of old Chicago buildings, especially the Rookery.

The A-list performances are simply outstanding. The environmental messages are glaring but not in your face.

A book of stories of one possible future was worth the time.

It didn't make me feel like I grew when I listened. It didn't make me feel bad, it simply left me...how do you say...

Maybe leave it like that.