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LIFE SIGNS

Name: LIFE SIGNS
Author: Robert Jenkins
ISBN: 0-06-019154-6

THE BIOLOGY OF STAR TREK

by Robert Jenkins & Susan Jenkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1998

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Here’s another—probably not the last—in the recent batch of books explaining modern science by referring to popular sci-fi shows. After a foreword by Lawrence M. Krauss, author of The Physics of Star Trek, the authors begin by examining a point evident to the most casual viewer of Star Trek: the presence in the cast of large numbers of “alien” creatures. Yet most of these creatures are basically human in form—a fact explained in the universe of Star Trek by a variant of the panspermia hypothesis, which postulates that life on Earth was seeded (accidentally or deliberately) from some other world where it began. The authors (both M.D.s; he is affiliated with the Mayo Clinic) then examine the factors that determine evolutionary divergence of similar organisms, focusing on a human embryo’s development of facial features. Research on chimpanzees and other apes sheds light on the limited range of facial expressions in Vulcans, or the total lack of expression of the android Data. Facial morphology also affects our judgment of an alien race’s character—as a rule, the closer to the human norm its members’ faces, the more likely a race is to be “good guys” in the Trek universe. They suggest variants that the show’s writers might profitably explore—sense organs that detect infrared light (common among snakes) or magnetic fields (used by birds for navigation). All these points are made by reference to specific episodes and characters, showing a detailed familiarity with the show. The authors go on to examine the factors influencing life aboard a spaceship (including the manufacture of food by a replicator), exotic life forms discovered by the Enterprise (rocklike intelligences), cloning, life extension, and other biological issues. All this is done clearly and good-naturedly (the authors are obviously fans), and, most importantly, without dumbing down the subject. Entertaining and informative, worth reading even by non-Trekkies. (For another look at Star Trek, see Jeff Greenwald, Future Perfect, p. 712.)

Pub Date: June 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-06-019154-6

Page Count: 204

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1998

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.