Posted by Bryce on March 11, 1999 at 21:48:31:
In Reply to: Recommendations and a question posted by Carlos on March 11, 1999 at 15:34:03:
Carlos:
: Although not really bored, I did take a look at your page, particularly your list of books (always interesting to see other people's lists).
Bryce:
Another hit!!! Wahoo!!!! It's been so long! :) Seriously, my site doesn't get much traffic.
Carlos:
: For your sci-fi/fantasy list, I have a couple recommendations that I would consider essential to any fan of the genre: The two "Thomas Covenant" trilogies by Stephen Donaldson, and the "Hyperion" series by Dan Simmons.
Bryce:
I'll keep them in mind, but I plan on re-reading some of Raymond Feist's stuff first.
Carlos:
: And a question: I note that you've read "Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge" by Wilson. I'm about 2/3 of the way through that book, although I haven't picked it up for a couple weeks - obviously I haven't exactly found it riveting. My objections are two-fold: first, that consilience is patently obvious in many contexts (so why the need to write a book about it); second, in those instances where it's not obvious Wilson seems to be over-reaching to try and prove his point. As a biologist, Wilson time and again seems to define "consilience" in terms of the application of biology to other fields - a necessarily limiting perspective.
Bryce:
I enjoyed it. There were some places where he specifically tackles the difficulties between science and religion. I thought they were really well done, though I can't remember if they really fit in with the rest of the book. I was also greatly intrigued by the sections where he touched on anthropology (color naming among different cultures is probably the most memorable part of my reading). I'd probably agree with your critique if I read it again, but it's been a while since I read it.
I think my list is about ten books behind. Time to update it. I'm proud to say I even got around to reading VanWagoner's book on polygamy (on this site's recommendation).