The other day, I bought a book. I mentioned this at the ERPS
meeting. Even though it may be old news (the book was published in
1999), I think it's worth disseminating my recommendation to a wider
audience.
The book in question is not Elizabeth Weil's; we all know about that
one. No, this one is by a science writer with 15 books (eleven non-fiction,
four novels) and some computer software titles on his resume. Also, it
carries praise from several reviewers, including such luminaries as
Patrick Moore and Reginald Turnill.
IMNSHO, the book stinks. My recommendation: Avoid buying this
book at all costs!
So what is this marvel? It is _The Giant Leap: Mankind Heads for the
Stars_. The author is Adrian Berry. The publisher is Tor (Tom Doherty
Associates).
The book is full of technical errors and omissions. For example,
writing about an expedition to an earthlike planet of a nearby star, Berry
asserts that since there will be no roads, taking along cars, trucks or
gasoline is useless. He never heard of off-road vehicles? Tractors? Earth-
moving equipment? He also assumes that any such vehicles, if present,
would soon break down since there would be no room for spare parts.
Berry's sentences often say the opposite of what he means. Thus, we
learn that "Petrol drives a car along a road by turning the mass of its fluid
into energy." Describing the mission of an antimatter-fueled starship of
the Pellegrino-Powell configuration (engine module ahead of crew
compartment, towing it on a perhaps 10-km tether), he declares that the
width of the shadow shield behind the engine "need be only a hundredth
of the 'shadow' -- the source -- of the gamma radiation..." Later, instead
of turning the ship around so the engine faces in the direction of travel, he
advocates complicated methods of deceleration that require extra
equipment.
In fairness, I must say that I did not read the entire book. I only got
through chapter 11 (of 20); then I got disgusted. Those chapters include
a fairly decent layman's explanation of the Special Theory of Relativity.
But they also include two chapters of diatribe against taxation,
politicians, and government in general -- rather pointlessly, since Berry
asserts that nation-states will substantially fade away within 50 years.
I'd prefer to give this book a positive review. Alas, I must reiterate: Give
this one a miss.
Chris
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