Finally taking a bit of a break from Michael Sandel and excursions into Philip Pettit, and began reading MacLeod’s “Engines of Light” trilogy over the weekend. “Cosmonaut Keep (The Engines of Light, Book 1)” turned out to be an excellent read, fast-paced and fascinating. I’d shied away from it after buying it at an airport bookstore when I read the synopsis, which seemed to include a more fantastic element than I typically like — in this case, the notion of a “second sphere” where an intelligence had long ago sampled life on earth and seeded a new set of worlds. I was hooked by the end of the first few chapters, however, and enjoyed the novel immensely. I’ve embarked on the second book during spare moments, and will have that to report on soon.
I also reread Richard K. Morgan’s “Broken Angels” recently, mostly because I needed a break and didn’t feel up to tackling Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle yet. Since it’s a relatively recent re-read (albeit a fun one), I’m not counting it towards the 50 book challenge.
