More on Morris, Star Trek junk


Making my way through the Morris convergence book. Must admit I skimmed the whole chapter on the origin of life. Biochemistry makes my eyes glaze over. Much more interesting was the chapter on earth and the conditions on earth that make life possible (size not too big and not too small, not too much of an axis, not too far and not too close to the sun, just the right-sized moon, Jupiter just where you need it). Morris seems to think that the correct combination of all the factors necessary for life is pretty rare, so earth may be a "cosmic fluke". I'm not entirely convinced, but I'll keep my mind open at least through the rest of the book. I guess my doubt arises because I'm not sure that some type of life can't exist in conditions that we think are fatal. Unfortunately I don't feel I have the expertise to make a judgement.

I will admit, however, that before going back to Morris I read Star Trek TOS: The Brave and the Bold. How's that for a trashy title. Sometimes I feel almost as embarrased reading a Trek paperback on the subway as I would if I had a bodice-ripper (especially since they fulfill the same escapist function!). Then again, the convergence book has a picture of a small human on an empty, flat beach, and since the title is Life's Solution, people must guess I'm reading a self-help/spiritual book. And that's even more embarassing!

Anyway, Keith deCandido's latest is actually not too bad as Trek books go, but nowhere near the level of Diane Duane or the Reeves-Stevenses. The story is hokey, about four superpowerful boxes from a civilization 90K years ago (why am I even summarizing this?), and there's a little too much strained humor about Spock, but I enjoyed seeing Matt Decker's character developed. Hmph, and it's only part 1 of 2, so I get to read The Brave and the Bold Book Two as soon my library hold comes through!