# new sun (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 3 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover new sun. Page: Feed: --- ## [Thoughts on Iran](https://vincecollura.substack.com/p/thought-on-iran) _2026-03-02 · Vince Collura · Vince Collura_ The horseshoe keeps horseshoeing ## [Review: The Russo-Ukrainian War by Serhii Plokhy](https://tachy.org/posts/the-russo-ukrainian-war/) _2025-10-18 · Tachy_ The Russo-Ukrainian War by Serhii Plokhy Fascinating, readable take on the historical and current driving forces behind Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and its rippling effects on the rest of the world. The second half does devolve a bit into a list of military engagements, and the portrayal of the Ukrainian army feels uncomfortably close to hagiography—granted, it is impossible to sympathise with… ## [Review: Imperial Spain by J.H. Elliot](https://tachy.org/posts/imperial-spain/) _2025-10-18 · Tachy_ Imperial Spain by J.H. Elliot It's surprisingly difficult to find an introductory book on early Modern Spain intended for a general audience. This one is the go-to recommendation on r/AskHistorians . I found the opening chapters interesting and easy to follow, taking me through the union of Castile and Aragon, the Reconquista, and Columbus and the New World. After this, though, I really struggled… ## [Review: Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey](https://tachy.org/posts/calibans-war/) _2025-10-18 · Tachy_ Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey So far this still hews closely to the TV adaptation (okay, other way round). Avasarala's perspective is fun to read, and Bobby is much less annoying than she was during early Season 2. The climax was a bit of a let-down, though. Overall decent brain candy, but I don't feel compelled to pick up the next entry right away. ## [Ceasefire in Gaza - was it a genocide?](https://vincecollura.substack.com/p/ceasefire-in-gaza-was-it-a-genocide) _2025-10-11 · Vince Collura · Vince Collura_ Is it over? Are you over it? Also, political assassination. ## [Review: The Middle Kingdoms by Martyn Rady](https://tachy.org/posts/the-middle-kingdoms/) _2025-09-22 · Tachy_ The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe by Martyn Rady A mostly chronological overview of Central European history, starting from the fall of the Roman Empire to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Some parts I found particularly enlightening, such as the postulated origins of the various ethnic groups, the transition from the Roman Empire in the West to the Holy Roman Empire, the partition… ## [Review: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey](https://tachy.org/posts/leviathan-wakes/) _2025-09-13 · Tachy_ Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey Good pulpy scifi fun. I'd avoided this for the longest time, as I wasn't sure if the 9-book investment was worth it after finishing the TV adaptation (which I thoroughly enjoyed). I think watching the show first helped me get into this book—the excellent production design brought the story to life in my mind's eye while reading, and I clearly pictured Wes… ## [Review: Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe](https://tachy.org/posts/say-nothing/) _2025-09-11 · Tachy_ Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe This is an all-timer. The Troubles is messy from start to finish, full of internecine conflicts with far reaching consequences in the present day. This book manages to capture a large slice of it with incredible clarity and nuance. You can feel the weight not just of this awful history, but also of the staggering amount of effort that went into producing this… ## [Review: House of Lilies by Justine Firnhaber-Baker](https://tachy.org/posts/house-of-lilies/) _2025-09-11 · Tachy_ House of Lilies: The Dynasty That Made Medieval France by Justine Firnhaber-Baker Superb guided tour of a consanguineous maze of Philips, Louises and Joans. When learning about the Norman Conquest, the Anarchy and the early Plantagenet kings, I'd encountered the Capetians mostly from the perspective of their English contemporaries. This concise volume filled in the gaps wonderfully, sketching an… ## [Designer Science Is Published](https://www.cwhowell.com/designer-science-is-published/) _2025-09-09 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ A quick announcement--my book Designer Science has been published today. It's been a long and winding road (as the Beatles famously said). What started 8 years ago as a potential dissertation project morphed into the dissertation itself. And now it has been expanded and revised into a ## [Trade Smarter With IBKR (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/ff2NaWYfhI4M) _2025-09-09 · **Sponsored**_ Join Interactive Brokers through a referral and access low-cost global trading. ## [Review: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry](https://tachy.org/posts/lonesome-dove/) _2025-08-31 · Tachy_ I very nearly gave up on this doorstopper, even though I'd started it with ample warning from numerous reviews about its slow pace and character-driven narrative. I'm so glad I didn't. This was a profound literary experience, on the order of Shogun and LOTR . McMurtry's prose is effortless and beautiful, but the first half of the book felt like wading through treacle. Cowboys doing cowboy things?… ## [Review: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy](https://tachy.org/posts/wild-dark-shore/) _2025-07-06 · Tachy_ Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Climate fiction with a heavy dash of gothic salt (eh?). Surreal, mysterious, alluring, eerie, isolating - I was fully immersed in the setting. The beginning also gave me real Annihilation vibes. The botany factoids that peppered the story were charming. Sadly, there were a few things that soured my experience. The reveal was a letdown. The character dynamics… ## [Review: Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout](https://tachy.org/posts/anything_is_possible/) _2025-07-02 · Tachy_ Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout It was fun to see Amgash fleshed out, and I think Strout nails the theme of "life is messy". But I enjoyed My Name Is Lucy Barton quite a bit more, with its tighter writing. I know it's apples and oranges, but there you are. ## [The Overlook](https://vincecollura.substack.com/p/the-overlook) _2025-06-23 · Vince Collura · Vince Collura_ Hindsight is 2020, (or) There is Nothing New Under the Sun ## [Review: The Illegals by Shaun Walker](https://tachy.org/posts/the-illegals/) _2025-06-20 · Tachy_ The Illegals by Shaun Walker Fresh off the Karla trilogy , I blazed right through this epic account of Russia's spy program. The focus is on a series of KGB "illegals", whose exploits and struggles brought The Americans back into my mind with every other turn of the page. Like, this kind of stuff actually did happen, complete with betrayals and assassinations and tumultuous family drama. There's… ## [Review: Smiley's People by John Le Carré](https://tachy.org/posts/smileys-people/) _2025-06-10 · Tachy_ Smiley's People by John Le Carré A fitting end to the Karla trilogy. The plot is convoluted, the pacing languid, but these were never the things that got me hooked on Le Carré when I first picked up Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy . Even the authentic and grimy Cold War period detail—which I adore—plays second fiddle to the magnificent characterisation, dialogue and themes. Le Carré is a master of… ## [Review: All the Sinners Bleed](https://tachy.org/posts/all-the-sinners-bleed/) _2025-06-04 · Tachy_ All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby This started promisingly. After an appropriately foreboding prologue steeped in Southern Gothic flavour, the stakes are set with reasonable swiftness. About a quarter of the way in, though, the book turned progressively sour for me. Make no mistake—Cosby can write a poetic turn of phrase, but he overdoes it to the point of parody. Every other sentence is a… ## [Review: The Honourable Schoolboy](https://tachy.org/posts/the-honourable-schoolboy/) _2025-06-01 · Tachy_ Bloated, bogged down in places, but still loved it, albeit less than Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy . The opening scene with the journalists in Hong Kong was especially painful, evoking unpleasant flashbacks of Thady Boy Ballagh's court antics . But the strength of le Carré's character work kept me going, as did the crackling and atmospheric prose. Loved hopping around colonial Hong Kong and… ## [AI, the Death of 'Humanity,' the Birth of Opportunity](https://www.cwhowell.com/ai-the-death-of-humanity-the-birth-of-opportunity/) _2025-05-13 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ Thoughts occasioned by AI's destruction of the college classroom. What is education for? And can religion offer any help? ## [An Announcement and a Guest Post](https://www.cwhowell.com/an-announcement-and-a-guest-post/) _2025-04-22 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ My book on intelligent design is up on NYU's website. And an article I wrote for Paul Pastor's substack The Rose Fire has been published. ## [Fast, secure international transfers (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/uYeDMZUJoBvx) _2025-04-22 · **Sponsored**_ Bank transfer, cash pickup, mobile wallet — low fees and real-time tracking ## [It Should Be Difficult to Be a Christian: A Review of Stanley Hauerwas's Jesus Changes Everything](https://www.cwhowell.com/it-should-be-difficult-to-be-a-christian-a-review-of-stanley-hauerwass-jesus-changes-everything/) _2025-03-27 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ Stanley Hauerwas challenges American Christians in his latest book Jesus Changes Everything ## [Year-End List: Favorite Books During Another Solar Cycle](https://www.cwhowell.com/year-end-list-favorite-books-during-another-solar-cycle/) _2024-12-28 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ A few of my favorite reads from this year (excluding re-reads) ## [Why Cyberpunk Matters](https://www.cwhowell.com/why-cyberpunk-matters/) _2024-12-13 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ Though the genre is sometimes thought dated, cyberpunk books, movies, and video games are still relevant. They form a last-ditch effort at humanism in the face of machine dominance. ## [My Book on Intelligent Design](https://www.cwhowell.com/my-book-on-intelligent-design/) _2024-10-18 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ My book on intelligent design has been completed and will be published in 2025 by NYU Press. ## [A Review of David Bentley Hart's new book All Things Are Full of Gods](https://www.cwhowell.com/a-review-of-david-bentley-harts-new-book-all-things-are-full-of-gods/) _2024-10-03 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ My review of David Bentley Hart's new book All Things Are Full of Gods (Yale 2024). On mind, God, evolution, and machines. ## [A Theology of The Book of the New Sun: Sacrifice and Time](https://www.cwhowell.com/a-theology-of-the-book-of-the-new-sun-shadow-and-sacrifice/) _2024-08-22 · C.W. Howell · C.W. Howell_ Part two of a theological investigation of Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun, focusing on sacrifice, time, and storytelling.