Tag: Political

Isaac Asimov – The Stars Like Dust | Review

Title: The Stars Like Dust

Author: Isaac Asimov

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 192

Rating: 4/5

This book is pretty cool because it’s home to an interesting little mix of genres. It’s basically a cross between a science fiction novel and a political thriller, but with little bits of a detective novel thrown in. Asimov’s at his best like that, because he’s really good at using technology as a worldbuilding device and to ask questions about the worlds that he creates.

It was a pretty short but sweet read and I’m glad that I picked it up, but it also has a hell of a lot to offer considering how short it is. I read it over the space of a couple of days, but many of the ideas are going to weigh on my mind for the weeks and months to come. That’s the sign of a good book, and it seems to happen a lot when I read Asimov.

This one’s far from his most famous book and so perhaps you’ll want to start somewhere else, but definitely get to it if you can.

Learn more about The Stars Like Dust.


Agatha Christie – The Secret Adversary | Review

Title: The Secret Adversary

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 224

Rating: 3.75/5

This book was a lot of fun for me because it’s the first of Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence books and so it was nice to go back to the very start when they first met each other. True, I don’t think that Christie’s necessarily at her best when she’s writing these sorts of political thrillers, but I also think that she’s pretty far ahead of her time with it too.

I also liked some of the stuff that Christie wrote here about the differences between the genders, and indeed she showed it both through the narration and through the dialogue that some of the characters had. For example, Tommy tells Tuppence that he’ll protect her, and she turns around and tells him that she’ll protect him too. Pretty interesting for 1922, which is when this was first published.

All in all then, I can see why it might not be your cup of tea if you’re a casual Christie fan, but if you’ve already read a little Marple and Poirot then this is a decent place to turn for more. Personally, I like Tommy and Tuppence, and while I know that a lot of others don’t, I’m still happy enough to be reading them.

Learn more about The Secret Adversary.