The Fall of Troy by Peter Ackroyd

The only Ackroyd I'd read prior to this was his first entry in the series of brief biographies he's doing, on Chaucer. I liked it quite a bit, and made a note to read some of his fiction at a later date.

This book was in the NYT Book Review a little while back, and I kept it in mind for future reference. I saw it on the shelf on a random book hunt, and figured it was time to read some Ackroyd.

I am very glad I did. Ackroy's prose in this book is engaging, sharp, and compelling. While I admit that the subject matter was not only of interest but of recent memory (I just finished a documentary on Troy), I do not think you have to be a fan of Homer to like this book.

Ackroyd sets up a fictional archaeologist with the same desires and complexities as his real life model. In real life, the finder of Troy was a relic-hunting thug who did almost anything to make the facts fit his theory--eventually destroying the real Troy in the process. Ackroyd uses that temple perfectly, adding his own sinister touches. Our protagonist is a man with many secrets, which he keeps from our other main character, his wife. She is basically sold to him in exchange for her parents to deal in the antiquities found at Troy. The more she realizes that something is wrong with her life, the more interesting the book becomes.

This is almost a mystery as Ackroyd allows the secrets of his characters to seep out into the pages like the secrets of Troy seeped out into the shovels, trowels, and sifters of the archaeological teams. We have to puzzle together the truth of these people with the myths of Homer echoing in the background. Ackroyd flavors the book with constant references to Homer, which I must tell you is a lit geek's dream. As the pages flew past (this was a very quick read for me) I was happily entertained by the combination of historical and literary references.

Within that framework, Ackroyd makes wonderful supporting characters. There is the mysterious assistant, willing to do anything for the archaeologist. A gossipy vicar is one of several visitors, including an American skeptic and a British linguist. A blind specialist in pottery uses his hands to feel the ages, while the Turkish supervisor lurks on. (This may be the best part of Ackroyd's crafting in this novel--the supervisor is given a harsh look on first blush, but as the story plays out, you begin to see that all is not as it appears. Like the reader, the supervisor must keep pushing for answers. It is, I think, a brilliant device.) I am again reminded of a good mystery--the supporting cast brings the main characters into sharp relief, but are more than just props.

It's hard to cover the plot of this one without giving too much away. The best I can tell you is that our "hero" is so driven to find his Troy that he will stop at nothing to get what he wants, leading to some rather suspicious circumstances and peril for those who disagree-even his wife. He will find Troy no matter what the cost. The other half of this coin is the wife, who, like the reader, must decide if she wishes to buy into his obsession-based logic or risk being crushed by its weight. The answer lies within the pages, which I strongly urge you to read!

Where's My Jetpack by Daniel H. Wilson

I don't remember whether I saw this randomly in the catalog or had it recommended to me, but the whole concept just seemed amazing. A book about stuff we've been reading about since H.G. Wells? I'm totally there.

The results didn't disappoint.

Written by a CMU alumni in a style that's both entertaining and factual (think Mythbusters, for instance), Wilson takes us down the road of all the things we've ever wanted: Flying cars, X-ray glasses, food pills, living on the moon, and, of course, jet packs. Where are we at in terms of their development? How much might it cost? Is there even a prayer of such a thing existing?

Written as a straight book, this would have been interesting. I had no idea, for instance, that we could theoretically have a space elevator, but that the cost (about a billion) combined with the danger (one small rock could send you on the stairway to heaven) are still too high. But what makes this one work so well is the fact that Wilson writes with a sarcastic flair worthy of a good parody film. Take this section on Zeppelins:

"Blimpin' ain't easy, but the ostentatious airship of yesteryear was one sweet ride."

Or perhaps this, from the X-Ray glasses: "gawking at naked people is always good fun, but what about using your abilities for the forces of good?"

One more, so you can feel the tone of the text: "Why transport when you can teleport? In the classic Star Trek television series teleportation was commonplace from the deck of the USS Enterprise. The only danger was to nonessential actors, who were fated to be torn limb from limb by a paper-mache moon beast upon being 'beamed' to the surface. Now, brace yourself for a total brain meltdown: Teleportation is a real area of research and scientists are making solid progress with microscopic, inanimate objects."

Yes folks, you, too, can soon be getting to work much faster--so long as you don't wear a red shirt on your daily commute.

Now lest you think this book is a big joke, I would note that Wilson goes into great layman-style detail of things. The teleportation article noted above is a particularly good example, as he tries to explain how the matter is moved. Turns out, by the way, that it can be done. Just not for humans---yet.

The book itself is divided into five sections: Advanced Transportation, Future-tainment, Superhuman Abilities, The Home of the Future, and Humans...In Space! The entries themselves are short, generally running about five pages each. They start with a brief and witty remark about where we got the idea, then move into the attempts to bring the dream into reality. The verdict seems to be about 50% fairly practical, 50% not likely, depending on how you look at things. Some are already here but not in the way we'd hoped, such as (not quite) universal translators or the titular jet pack.

One thing I found particularly interesting was just how much of the items were being developed or are being worked on by the US Military, from jet packs to diet pills to being able to imitate Susan Richards. I tend to think of the Armed Forces as being anything but cutting edge or imaginative, but apparently they're reading Analog in the Pentagon or something, because it seems a fair piece of the defense budget over the years has gone to some really wacky ideas. (Think about that next time you protest military spending, huh? Maybe you're keeping us from living on the moon, ya damned hippie!)

As times change and the economy gets worse, one wonders how long it will be before someone out there decides that the time is ripe to create a few thousand jobs trying to make Philip K. Dick look like Benjamin Franklin. If they do, this book would serve as a good reference point on what can be done, and what likely can't. (Sorry, but we won't be seeing any space-age Bart Simpsons on hoverboards anytime soon, possibly anytime ever.) As Wilson notes, "Wherever a dangerous new technology exists, there is a guy with cool goggles and streaky blonde hair waiting to shatter his fibula. Totally." In the meantime, totally read this book. You'll be glad you did.