Book post.

[presentiment]

Okay. I have to say it.

Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of the Modern World by David Keys has been a letdown. A (wait for it!) catastrophic letdown. It was promoted (and started out) as a book about how a massive eruption of Krakatoa c. 500AD caused climate change worldwide and influenced the direction of existing civilizations and

Comments

[bond_323]

LOL! I hate when things "blow the fuck up!" ;-)

[presentiment]

But even you have to admit, most 'splosions are just friggin' cool. :D

[bond_323]

Dude, even after I got blowed the fuck up, I was all, "Ooh rah!!!" Thank goodness for morphine, adrenaline, and leadership responsibilities! And, I'm a boy, so anything exploding is awesome, even if body parts are dangling!

[bond_323]

Hmm. I dislike it when books are promoted falsely. Or, if not falsely, misleading in their synopses.

If the book were being advertised as a text on how the ancient world was formed and changed (politically, economically, or otherwise) due to several catastrophic events, good times. But to advertise otherwise is definately The Suck.

That being said, due to my background, I am always interested in world politics, especially in the ancient world (yep, history geek!). I might need to investigate this book.

[presentiment]

I'd definitely recommend it, but it's not doing it for me right now. My interests currently lie elsewhere. As I was telling nyvera on AIM: fire and brimstone, not "bring out your dead!"

[bond_323]

Speaking of which, History Channel has a show on RIGHT NOW concerning what you were looking for in that book. ;-)

[presentiment]

Why do I never hear about these until they're over?!

On the other hand, I watched a really neat program about the scientific basis of some of the Greek myths yesterday. :D