Books

It is of big importance to know the time frame in which this book was written. It was published in 1908. That is 6 years before the first world war started. The story commences in a fictional 1910’s Great Britain. Main protagonist is Bert Smallways, a keen mechanic who runs a shop with his brother. The story portrays the rapid scientific advancements in all aspects of society. High rise mono railways have entirely replaced the old horse based modes of transport. In the wake of these events their business loses its relevance, and they finally decide to move into the entertainment business. In parallel the world’s powers have been individually preparing flying machines outside the public’s eye. Occasionally the citizens bear witness to airships taking flight, but the kind of newer airplanes are kept secret. The eccentric inventor Butteridge has created a working flying machine but tries his best to keep it under closure. ...

Slaughterhouse V is a black comedy, science-fiction novel about Billy Pilgrim, a US army Veteran having served in World War 2 being thrown around in time. Vonnegut’s writing style is second to none when it comes to convincingly mixing historical and purely fictional events and the occasional humor not palatable by everyone. Vonnegut often plays with death in his novel, which thematically fits the setting of the Aliens called Tralfamadorians. They are capable of perceiving four dimensions and for them past, present and future are one and the same. Logically death bears no weight to them. What struck me as particularly interesting was the extraterrestrial’s view on the biblical story of Christ: ...

As with most H. G. Well’s titles this book establishes the another stable of the science fiction genre. The book itself is a short read and presents the concept of time travel in an interesting way. The main character travels to a futuristic place and despite common expectations ends up in a less than utopian society. Humanity has split into two different species that now exist subterranean and above ground with vastly different physiological and cultural characteristics. The protagonist being trapped in a time line which he himself hasn’t anticipated scurries in distress to secure his return to the present while becoming acquainted with the rather naive surface dwelling folk. ...

A great overview of national socialist economics from a standpoint of someone who lived through the regime. The book was published shortly after the second world war had started and therefore includes remarkable predictions about the war effort being hampered by the lack of forethought on the party leaders’ end. The national socialist economy was marked by price controls, import and export restrictions, one-sided foreign trade, violation of the sanctity of private property and so-called “Ersatz” (replacement materials). The interactions between these different interventions is explained in minute detail. ...