Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Science & Technology Book Reviews Available Now (page 8)


Showing

Cover art for A MAN OF MISCONCEPTIONS
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 8, 2012

"A competently written but nonessential biography."
Biography of 17th-century Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher. Read full book review >
Cover art for HALLUCINATIONS
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 6, 2012

"A riveting look inside the human brain and its quirks."
Acclaimed British neurologist Sacks (Neurology and Psychiatry/Columbia Univ.; The Mind's Eye, 2010, etc.) delves into the many different sorts of hallucinations that can be generated by the human mind. Read full book review >
Cover art for SUPER BRAIN
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 6, 2012

"For Chopra fans only--as such, likely to become a best-seller."
A mixture of recent research in the neurosciences and spiritual wisdom passed down through generations. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE ANNOTATED AND ILLUSTRATED DOUBLE HELIX
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 6, 2012

"Readers old or new are in for a fine treat; there really has been nothing in the history of science writing comparable to Watson's tell-all memoir."
The classic Double Helix (1968) is here again, this time annotated and illustrated and told in all the bold, brash, bumptious style that has become Watson's (Avoid Boring People and Other Lessons from a Life in Science, 2007, etc.) trademark in the intervening years. Read full book review >
Cover art for LOUDER THAN WORDS
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 1, 2012

"An intriguing look at the brain mechanisms involved in the complexities of human communication."
How we extract meaning from language. Read full book review >
Cover art for NUCLEAR ROULETTE
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 1, 2012

"A penetrating argument against today's nuclear age."
An impassioned case against the use of nuclear power. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FRACTALIST
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 30, 2012

"Charmingly written, but readers interested in the nature of the work that won him his accolades will have to look elsewhere."
Memoir of a brilliant mathematician who never thought of himself as a mathematician. Read full book review >
Cover art for LIFE'S RATCHET
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 30, 2012

"A fascinating mix of cutting-edge science with philosophy and theology."
A biophysicist examines the relationship between chance and necessity at the boundary between life and inanimate objects. Read full book review >
Cover art for PROOF OF HEAVEN
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 23, 2012

"Alexander uses his medical credentials to substantiate the belief that his reconstructed memories offer conclusive proof of his current religious beliefs; readers who don't share these beliefs will find his account less convincing."
A remarkable account of miraculous recovery from bacterial meningitis and a transformative "Near-Death Experience." Read full book review >
Cover art for PARADOX
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 23, 2012

"An often-entertaining introduction to basic principles of science and philosophy."
A British physicist looks at some of the enigmatic propositions created by his colleagues over the ages. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE MILLION DEATH QUAKE
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 16, 2012

"An authoritative and accessible investigation of one of nature's most destructive forces."
A British seismologist explains earthquakes. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE WINNER EFFECT
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 16, 2012

"An unfocused analysis of what lies behind the desire to win."
Robertson (Psychology/Trinity College Dublin; Opening the Mind's Eye: How Images and Language Teach Us to See, 2003, etc.) looks at how success and power affect human behavior. Read full book review >