Tag: Thinking

Aesop – The Complete Fables | Review

Title: The Complete Fables

Author: Aesop

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 262

Rating: 3.54/5

I’m finding it quite difficult to decide whether fables count as fiction or non-fiction, and I guess that’s kind of the point of them. The idea is that you can read them and learn from them, taking the ideas from the story and applying them to your life. Aesop’s pretty good at that, and there’s a reason for it, as I learned during the introduction.

It turns out that he was probably a slave, albeit one who was held in high esteem, and he was known for arguing in the courts and using his fables as ways to direct people’s thinking. Many of the fables have even been categorised in such a way that they can be divided based upon their use cases, such as whether they’re good for showing the virtues of patience or whether they show that those who accuse people are often themselves also at fault.

All in all, it was a pretty good little read that provided some food for thought, and I’m definitely glad that I picked it up. At the same time, I’m also glad that I used it as a bedtime read, because it’s one of those where it’s best if you read it a little bit at a time instead of binging on it. One fable probably isn’t enough, but a half dozen or so each night is a good way to do it. However you read it, it’s definitely worth picking it up sometime.

Learn more about The Complete Fables.

 


Isaac Asimov – The Science Fictional Solar System | Review

Title: The Science Fictional Solar System

Author: Isaac Asimov

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 324

Rating: 3.75/5

This book made me feel kind of old, purely due to the nature of it. It’s essentially a short story collection that’s themed around the solar system, with a short story for each of the planets as well as the sun. The reason I feel old is that it was published when Pluto was still a full planet, and I remember those days. I’m literally so old that the planets have changed.

I’ve got used to enjoying Asimov’s little introductory essays, and they’re just as fascinating here as they are elsewhere. He also prefaces each story with a few notes on how scientific research has changed since the stories were written and to analyse whether the short stories still held up with the latest scientific thinking.

There are some cracking authors here too, including a piece by Arthur C. Clarke. Asimov has a story in there himself, too. All of the stories had something different to offer, and in fact what was quite interesting was that they covered such a wide variety of topics while still retaining an overall cohesive feel. It’s difficult to do that, and Asimov was pretty harsh on himself when it came to his abilities as an editor, but I think he did a pretty solid job.

It’s also kind of cool because this was published in 1982, and a bunch of the stories were 30+ years old. That meant that the introductory essays were written pretty much in between when the stories were written and the modern day, making them a nice little bridge.

So overall then, I’d definitely recommend giving this book a go, especially if you’re into science fiction and you want to read a bunch of new authors. I certainly enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to reading more of Asimov’s stuff.

Learn  more about The Science Fictional Solar System.