7.24.2006

10. Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick


Solar Lottery
Originally uploaded by buzby.
I thought that I was reading this on Mount Benson's recomendation but as it turns out he's never heard of it. As with other PKD books this was an excellent story which begins with the protagonist getting fired from his job. In the 23rd century the world works on pure chance and is run by machines called the Bottles. Most people have P-Cards which are the same as lottery tickets so that when the Bottles twitch and call a person's P-Card then he becomes the leader of the world. The leader is know as the Quizmaster and even he is not immune from the twitches of the Bottles.

The story follows a guy called Bentley as he leaves his job, moves to the capital of the inter-planetary system and gets a job with the Quizmaster. Excellent book, as I said, well worth the read.

9. Glorious Revolution by Edward Vallance


Glorious Revolution
Originally uploaded by buzby.
This one was tough to get through.

Historians and Britains make much of the country's so called "Glorious Revolution" when comparing it to the revolutions of their European counterparts. They say that the revolution was peculiar in its lack of blood shed and in its failure to overthrow the establishment regime - not that it was trying to do so.

James II was a Catholic king who succeeded his brother in the midst of a lot of anti-Catholic hysteria. At first he cooled his heals and didn't do anything to upset the Anglicans but slowly he began to ask parliament to pass religious toleration bills, he appointed Catholics into the army and as his advisors and stacked the committees that picked the candidates to run in each riding with Catholics. These measures gripped the country in fear that the French would invade England or the King would somehow pledge allegiance to the Vatican. So, a bunch of noblemen went to William of Orange, the King of Holland who was married to James' daughter, and asked him to invade Britain, which he successfully did. Thus began the rein of William and Mary.

This was an interesting book I would recommend it but you need to be in the right frame of mind to read it.