Erik

Really enjoyed this one - engaging all the way through!!

This is a pretty fun little read - doesn't take long. I love Bradbury's descriptions of the scenes and characters - wonderful metaphors. I would have liked to see more of the breakdown/reconstruction after the ending, but overall a good read.

This was a good (but long) read. I liked Dostoevsky's Brother's Karamazov better, but this one had its own twists and turns that made for a fun adventure. You don't really know until the very end what's going to happen, so it keeps you reading. I don't want to ruin any of it, but if you're up for a bit of a read in Dostoevsky's style, go for it.

The only things that really bother me about this style are the names, and the lack of place names throughout the text (X. prospect? V. Prospect? Come on!). Everyone has 2 names that are used interchangeably - for instance, the main character is Rodion Romanovich and Raskolnikov. All the names are similar too - there's an Ilya Petrovich and a Pyotr Petrovich in the book. This is just how Russia was, though, so it's OK. Just make sure to pay attention to who is who.

I enjoyed the pre-communist political discourse that's sprinkled throughout the book - particularly the first interview with Porfiry. I'll have to find a non-fiction source that elaborates the different political factions of the time and place someday.

This was a very interesting read about Ayn Rand. Basically biographical, Jennifer Burns does a nice job of remaining extremely unbiased and non-judgmental throughout the book. I found the book to be rather readable. I hadn't before realized how intriguing and turbulent her life was, and though I heard she had become a bit crazy towards the end of her life, I didn't realize the extent, and the book filled in the details nicely.

This book, necessarily, also details the birth of the libertarian/anarchist movement of the 1960's, which I found more interesting than Rand herself. The interactions between the Conservative movement and the libertarian “hippies” were quite enjoyable - especially the draft card burning.

Her behavior towards the end of her life makes me want to read her works concerning intellectual property, which seemed to be a major difference between her and many anarchists of the time, who she accused of stealing her ideas. Since most of her work is derivative of previous philosophers, I wonder what her criteria were for using their ideas in her own dogma. Does an author have to be dead in order to use their works freely, or at least offer their ideas up to the public domain specifically?

I also enjoyed learning about Rand's personal political beliefs, like her pro-choice stance, opposition to the feminist movement, and opposition to the draft. The beliefs that clearly distinguished her from the conservative right were at many times stark.

Overall, a great book for anyone wanting to investigate the roots of Objectivism and Ayn Rand.

First of all, I wouldn't recommend this to the average person. It's a very long read (I'm only half-way through it), and it has a lot to do with Alan Turing and the revolutionary work he was doing with the Enigma machine during WWII. It also has about 4 subplots which, as far as I have gotten, haven't really crossed paths completely yet. The jumping around between the plots made me lose some interest, but I have a feeling this complexity will be rewarding in the end. It's also a very long read. But, if you're interested in the subject matter, the first few pages will hook you.