Review: Graphic Science - Seven Journeys of Discovery

Graphic Science - Seven Journeys of Discovery by Darryl Cunningham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is a quote on the front of the book that says: "It can take other authors whole books to say what Darryl can say in a single illustration". This is not entirely fair. The illustrations are simple and the chapters give brief snippets from the lives of seven scientists. I say that not to condemn the book but to praise it. I think it does an outstanding job of giving just enough information to pique interest and it certainly made me interested enough to hit the internet after each chapter and do a bit more research on the people in Graphic Science. Darryl Cunningham gave just enough, in an engaging and interesting manner, to make me want to find out more. Job done!

My only criticism would be the author's confusion over science and religious belief. In the chapter on Mary Anning he states, "...this was to be the last era in which religious belief and science would be compatible.". Clearly this is nonsense or "scientist" and "atheist" would be synonyms. Interestingly, I read this book shortly after reading Galileo's Daughter which argued that, contrary to modern expectations, Galileo was a good Catholic and quotes one of his letters where he says, "...I think in the first place that it is very pious to say and prudent to affirm that the holy Bible can never speak untruth - whenever its true meaning is understood.". He ends the same letter with this summary: "That the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes.". Despite the popular understanding of what happened to Galileo, it can be argued that he was more than able to reconcile his religious belief and his scientific discoveries.

That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it as an introduction to some lesser known but important characters in science.

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Review: Galileo's Daughter

Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a while to finish this book but not because I wasn't enjoying it and not because it was a heavy read... It just seemed to take a long time and I'm not sure why.

It was really enjoyable. All the time I was reading it, I would talk to people and find my self starting sentences with, "I'm reading this book about Galileo...". I suspect most people only know the headline: religion versus science. This book makes it clear it that is a horrendous over-simplification. For instance, Galileo's Daughter suggests that Galileo was a good Catholic who worked hard to make sure his book did not fall foul of church doctrine. It also made me aware that science, as we know it now didn't exist: Galileo was inventing it in the face of opposition from his peers (e.g. most people know about the famous experiment where he dropped two balls off the Leaning Tower of Pisa but I didn't realise that many of his contemporaries refused to accept the evidence, preferring instead to cling to the wisdom of the ancients). But is also hinted that for all his brilliance he was not always wise: for example, he seemed to enjoy humiliating his rivals and perhaps it was not wise to put the words of the pope in the mouth of a character called "Simplicio" (which, in Italian suggests "simpleton").

The reason for the book's title is that it prominently features letters sent to him from his daughter. While the insight into covent life was interesting, I must admit I would have been quiet happy to have missed that aspect of the book.

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Review: iZombie, Vol. 1: Dead to the World

iZombie, Vol. 1: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story was OK but I felt it was just beginning when this collection came to an end. There were some good ideas (e.g. cute zombie, ghost that's stuck in the past, a not werewolf, ...) but at times it felt a bit derivative (was anybody else reminded of the TV show "Being Human"?).

The artwork is similarly uneven. Mike Allred is clearly talented (some great covers, artwork overlapping interestingly placed panels, the sketches at the end of the book, ...) but often his work looks strangely flat. For example, there is a section where two characters walk across the bottom of the screen while stuff happens in the panels above: an opportunity to inject something dynamic which is squandered by the cookie cutter nature of the walking people.

In summary, interesting but not interesting enough.

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