Jeremy Phillips

I frequently wonder what life would be like after a global socioeconomic collapse, so I read whatever books I can find on the subject. Yesterday evening I picked up World Made By Hand last night at the library and can safely say it’s one of the better books I’ve ever read. It’s a poignant look at a world that has run out of oil that caught my attention on the first page and didn’t let go of me until I had finished the book around 2:30 AM. The summary from the book’s website follows;

A novel about the post-peak oil near future when cars and electric devices are useless reminders of an industrial-consumerist past that relied on machines for mobility and labor of all sorts. World Made By Hand” shows how a town found the fortitude to hold fast against the overlapping failures of technology, the plagues of disease and lawlessness, fear of foreigners, and a lack of hope in their own abilities. Little by little, the folks of Union Grove rediscover potential that seemed lost. See how they reclaimed their community life and pride in their own work to shape the world they know–because no one else could do it for them.

If you are at all interested in post apocalyptic fiction I would highly recommend you obtain a copy. [Amazon Link] [Book's Web Site]

Always a Clive Cussler fan, I picked up a copy of the latest Dirk Pitt novel Arctic Drift on a recent trip to Costco. I finished it up in three evenings of reading and while I was pleased with the story in general I was somewhat put off by the fact that the plot focused around an ‘evil capitalist’ bent on destroying the environment for fun and profit. Being that I am an anarcho-capitalist who believes global warming is nothing but part of a natural cycle I had a hard time wrapping my head around this plot but managed to enjoy the story by the end. Ultimately if you’re a fan of Dirk Pitt and NUMA, it’s worth the read.

Here is the description from Amazon, where it currently has 4/5 stars: “As with all Clive Cussler’s dazzling Dirk Pitt novels, critics said Treasure of Khan “amazes, informs and entertains” (Publishers Weekly), “the action zipping along until a final powerhouse showdown” (Entertainment Weekly). “What’s not to like?” proclaimed the Los Angeles Times—and hundreds of thousands of readers agreed.

In his new novel, however—the twentieth Dirk Pitt adventure— Cussler may have topped even himself.

A potential breakthrough discovery to reverse global warming . . . a series of unexplained sudden deaths in British Columbia . . . a rash of international incidents between the United States and one of its closest allies that threatens to erupt into an actual shooting war . . . NUMA director Dirk Pitt and his children, Dirk. Jr. and Summer, have reason to believe there’s a connection here somewhere, but they also know they have very little time to find it before events escalate out of control. Their only real clue might just be a mysterious silvery mineral traced to a long-ago expedition in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. But no one survived from that doomed mission, captain and crew perished to a man—and if Pitt and his colleague Al Giordino aren’t careful, the very same fate may await them.

Filled with the breathtaking suspense and audacious imagination that have become his hallmarks, this is a tour de force— further proof that when it comes to adventure writing, nobody beats Clive Cussler.”