Steampunkalypse: A review of 'The Clockwork Dynasty'

While doing field research and trying to unlock a mystery from her childhood, anthropologist June Stefanov makes a startling discovery: For millennia automatons have lived among us, hiding their presence while trying to understand the nature of their own existence. But their time is drawing to an end and Stefanov may be a key, if unlikely, ally in their survival.

Review of new August fiction: 'Mrs. Fletcher' and 'See What I Have Done'

Mrs. Fletcher

Daily miscellanny: We've never had it so good

1. Megan McArdle says that from cooking to woodworking, rising levels of skill and effort have become barriers to entry.
2. Enable HTTPS for free on you website with Let’s Encrypt.
3. Kevin Rose talks with Ryan Holiday about Stoic philosophy.
4. An increasingly influential group of thinkers insists that humankind has never had it so good – and only...

'Rescued from ISIS' a disappointing telling of a compelling story

In 2013 former soldier Dimitri Bontinck’s 18-year-old son, Joe, fell under the sway of a radical Islamic mosque and traveled to Syria from Belgium to take part in that country’s civil war. Rescued from ISIS (St. Martin’s Press, digital galley) recounts his many harrowing trips into Syria to find and ultimately bring his...

An assortment of links for Friday

1. Tumbling battery prices mean that EVs will not just have lower lifetime costs, but will also be cheaper to buy than internal combustion engine cars in most countries by 2025-29.
2. Cellphone notifications are a tragedy of the digital commons.
3. We now spend 30 minutes a day watching videos on our phones.
4. Throughout our planet’s history, massive...

Review: 'The Late Show' introduces a fierce detective

Michael Connelly introduces a new detective in The Late Show (Little, Brown and Company, digital galley), a fast moving police procedural that is hard to put down. Renée Ballard works the LAPD overnight shift, responding to everything from burglaries to homicides. Because she has to hand off all of her cases at...

An assortment of links for Sunday

1. Zume pizzas are made by robots, and they’re cooked in ovens inside delivery trucks on their way to delivery.
2. While dental X-rays account for less than 3 percent of all the radiation that Americans get through medical imaging, every effort should be made to minimize their use.
3. Let’s clear up some of the most common myths and misunderstandings...

Review: In 'Amatka' words can literally destroy

In Karin Tidbeck’s dystopian fantasy Amatka (Knopf Doubleday, digital galley), words have the power to build, heal and destroy. Literally.

Short reviews of summer 2017 book releases

Here is a roundup of reviews for five summer of 2017 releases. All, but for The Windfall, are recommended.