Review: Ransom: A Novel

Ransom: A Novel by Daniel Silva
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Considered on its own terms, Ransom is an excellent spy thriller. Exotic locations, financial and political intrigue, last minute heroics, and daring escapes. Some of the plot elements are a bit over the top, but that’s all part of the genre. Silva’s story-telling chops are impeccable. I would love to give it 5 star review but I cannot.

It is shameful and cowardly that Silva completely ignores October 7, the rise worldwide of antisemitism, and the reality that faces an Israeli in Europe. There is not a single mention or hint of anything remotely connected to any of this. Early in the book Allon is feted at a swanky art event in England – and yet there is not a single protester outside or near the event. Gal Gadot can’t film a movie in London without protests and attacks, but a well-known former Israeli spy can be featured and celebrated in art circles? That detail is far more unbelievable than the book’s preposterous climax.

The word ‘Israeli’ is used maybe twice in the novel, and I don’t think ‘Jewish’ is used once. None of the recurring Israeli characters from the first dozen or more of the Allon books remain. Silva has totally jettisoned any connection in these books to Israel or the Jewish people more broadly. This move away started a few books before October 7 but its absence is just too obvious now. It is not necessary that the plot revolve around October 7 or the war that follows; but it is beyond believability that none of this would ever be mentioned or cross the mind of Allon. He was the avenging angel of Israel and now couldn't care less?

Silva should just stop writing Gabriel Allon and instead just spin off a character like Christopher Keller and write about his exploits. That he continues to write books with an Israeli as the central character and not at all engage with that fact of the character is moral blindness or worse.



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Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I remember reading the The Deathly Hallows on a trip to Italy, finishing it in the hall of the hotel in Venice so I wouldn't spoil it for my wife. I was riveted by it: how was Rowling going to end it? I was satisfied at the time, and now relistening, I am even more impressed and satisfied. Though seeming to just be McGuffins at first, the hallows end up playing such important roles: without them Harry would not have been able to defeat Voldemort. I've always liked how the horcruxes help tie together the books in the series. The courage of the main characters from Harry, Ron, and Hermione to Neville and Ginny is impressive and heroic. The revelations from Dumbledore and Snape are heartbreaking; and there are death scenes that left in me tears. (however, I never cared for the epilogue. It's sweet and it's fun, but also felt unnecessary)

I have thoroughly and completely loved the Full-Cast Editions of Harry Potter. It was wonderful to revisit the books after so many years; and the voice acting and audio scene setting helped to bring the books to life. I'm sad to be done! I might just have to start over!


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Review: The Psychology of Sports Fans

The Psychology of Sports Fans by Aaron C.T. Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A very short introduction to key ideas in the psychology of sports fans. I found it a bit too thin and repetitive. It provides a good overview and summary of the ideas relevant for sports fan psychology, but there is not much in the way of argument for these claims. The author doesn't go into any great depth of explanation-- after all the book is only about hundred pages long. There are some good references and recommended readings. However, I didn't care for the way the citations were used in the text. The author makes a claim and provides a footnote to a citation. But these are too loose/generic: the citation could be to a book but there is no page number. It is often not clear how the cited work connects to the claim in the text insofar as the title of the article or book doesn't necessarily connect in an obvious way. I would have liked some more context and specific page numbers to see if the work is worth checking out myself.

I think this book is a nice quick overview of ideas relevant for a discussion of the psychology of sports fans, but I think for any one looking for something more substantial, there are other books better suited to that task.

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Review: Last Argument of Kings

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Abercrombie doesn't pull any punches in this last book of the trilogy. It's gritty and violent -- a bit too violent for my taste. It is surprising but in that great way that is obvious once it happens but that you don't really see coming. The characterization and story telling are top-notch. The last third of the book or so is mostly mopping up, tying up ends and that can get a bit tedious at times. The specific ending, the circularity of it, was near perfect. It wouldn't not have made sense to have a fairy tale ending of any kind, and this is not. And it would have been too much for it be a complete wipe out. There is an edge to nihilism here, though, that bothers me: nothing really changes, no one matters, so just get as much power as you can and survive. There are some glimmers of hope and a few of the main characters try to better and do seem to genuinely care; but in the end this hope and caring mostly don't play enough of a role.

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Review: The Philosophy of Football

The Philosophy of Football by Steffen Borge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book engages with interesting and important philosophical questions about sport. Borge uses football (soccer) as the stand-in and best exemplar of sport, but much of what he discusses is relevant more broadly. Borge chews deeply into the arguments and brings to bear philosophical discussion beyond sport: from epistemology, theories of social kinds, aesthetics and much more. He brings in real-life examples and illustrations from football that both enliven the text and provide important context. Conceptually, it is a challenging and rigorous book: some amount of serious acquaintance with philosophy is expected and necessary.

There are four main chapters, each focusing on a different thematic issue. The first deals with the question of sport fictionalism. The second with sport as social kind and what that means for analyzing sport. The third is Borge’s critique of Bernard Suits’ classic argument about the nature of games (and sport). The last is a discussion of sport and aesthetics.

For the rest of my review: https://sportsethicist.com/2026/06/25...

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Review: Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life

Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life by Harold S. Kushner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A short book that touches on many of the themes of Rabbi Kushner’s work. It’s a balance of stories, theology, and religion. Mixing life advice with biblical and Talmudic commentary, Rabbi Kushner covers topics from his conception of God, the problem of evil, morality, forgiveness, and meaning in life.

It is interesting and touching with generally good (if not a bit anodyne) advice about living a more meaningful and satisfying life. But it is also too familiar—that is, having read Rabbi Kushner’s work, there were few surprises or innovations. It was still good to reiterate and refamiliarize myself with these ideas and Kushner’s approach, but I think I was hoping for something a bit different or new.

What I found most engaging was when Kushner would explain his interpretations of different biblical stories. From the Garden of Eden to the binding of Isaac, Kushner’s approach is enlightening and compelling; providing a context to understand these stories in ways that are more interesting (and less concerning) than many traditional interpretations. As a linguistic nerd, I also enjoyed how he rooted his approach in the original meanings of the Hebrew texts.

Though this book is very much rooted in a theistic framework, I think nontheists and agnostics will find value in many (though not all) of Kushner’s discussions.


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Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of all the Full Cast Editions I've listened to, I remembered the least from my original reading of HBP. I guess much of this book just didn't stick with me the way earlier books did. In some ways, it is one of the weaker books. It doesn't stand that well on its own; it is more of a bridge from OoP to DH, setting up the final act. There is also a bit too much snogging! But the last third of the book is also some of the best. If you don't shed a few tears by the end, I am not sure you're human.

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Review: The Gift of Fire / On the Head of a Pin: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion

The Gift of Fire / On the Head of a Pin: Two Short Novels from Crosstown to Oblivion by Walter Mosley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Walter Mosley is best known as a mystery writer, but these two short speculative fiction novellas demonstrate his incredible range as a writer. The Gift of Fire is a continuation/update of the Prometheus myth, and it is written in the style of a classical myth/epic poem. On the Head of the Pin is more squarely in the science-fiction genre. Both stories wrestle with what it is to be human, the connection to the divine (broadly construed), and with nature of good and evil/love and hatred. These are very different stories with very different styles, but pair well together. They explore these themes in their own parallel ways and though there is tragedy in each, they end on notes of hope and optimism about humanity.

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Review: Moscow X: A Novel

Moscow X: A Novel by David McCloskey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three stars feels a bit harsh to me, but four stars also seemed too generous. Like in his first novel, Damascus Station, McCloskey does a great job describing the spycraft as well as creating the ever-present sense of dread and doom to life in Russia. However, I never really connected to the characters. Hard to put my finger on why, but they felt a bit flat to me. The characters in Damascus Station felt that way as well; so maybe that's McCloskey's style. It's far more about the spycraft and the action; in that way it feels more like any interchangeable, indistinguishable spy thriller out there: you watch/read it, enjoy it, but move on and forget about it.

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Review: Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned by Walter Mosley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this collection of stories, Mosley introduces the readers to Socrates Fortlow. He’s an ex-con now living in LA. The stories fit together and are told in sequence, more like chapters in a novel than stand-alone stories – but also not quite a novel.

Socrates is not out there seeking redemption for his past so much; he is trying to live by a code and be a better person than he had been. This is not to say that he does not feel guilty: he acknowledges his crimes, knows he was wrong, but he’s not trying to undo the past or make up for this crime. In the stories, he helps out people in the neighborhood: not from a place of seeking redemption for his past wrongs, but to do right by the present. The stories depict his struggles with the difficulties of being poor, black, and an ex-con in LA. The stories are compelling; some are smaller, day in the life kind of stories; others hit hard: both emotionally and intellectually. The themes range from basic human respect and dignity to racial injustice to religion and dying.

As a collection of short stories and not Mosley’s more typical mystery-detective fair, there is something smaller and more intimate about the book. But at the same time, it dives deep into tough questions. If you enjoy Mosley’s writing, you should read this.


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Review: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade

Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Inquisitor: The Rise of the Red Blade sets for itself a difficult task: portraying the fall to the dark side of the protagonist: the author must keep us connected to the main character, Iskat, as she turns from a Jedi into an Inquisitor. On the whole, Delilah Dawson accomplishes this: though the Iskat’s rationalizations for her evil become more twisted and disconnected from reality as she descends into the dark side, there is a sympathy that remains(and possibly a spark of light). She does not start out as an evil monster, she is misguided, confused, and insecure. She is tempted by the power and façade of agency/freedom that dark side offers her. The reader knows she is wrong and has become evil; but Iskat rationalizes it all to herself: the Jedi are the ones, she tells herself, who lied and betrayed her and the Republic. But that’s all a cover for her own revenge and her growing sadistic pleasure she takes in torturing and killing Jedi.

The exploration of the psychology of the Jedi who fall to the dark side is fascinating: the complex ways we make small choices that lead us down paths of wrongdoing and evil. Iskat is not fully honest with herself; and the Jedi, in well-meaning ways, are not completely honest with her either. She doesn’t take responsibility for her own situation and shortcomings; and the Jedi, again in well-meaning ways, facilitate this. All together these small evasions of reality lead her down her path. It is not inevitable not her destiny; it is her choices. She has many opportunities to avoid this fate; but she chooses to stay on the course she is on. She grows to accept and own this path; she comes to relish it.

That said, the epilogue undoes a lot of this. The book would have been better and far more interesting if it had just stopped before the epilogue. It was largely unnecessary and gives the character some small bit of a redemption that she has not really earned. The mutual love and connection between Iskat and Tualon provides some basis for this, but it is just not developed enough to make it earned.

On the whole, it’s an interesting and engaging read. The narrator is good and the sound effects and music add context and color without being overbearing.


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Review: A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age

A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age by Steven Nadler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Steven Nadler is one of the foremost Spinoza scholars – certainly in terms of presenting Spinoza to an audience beyond academia. I’ve gained much by reading Nadler’s expositions, interpretations, and analyses of Spinoza’s work. In A Book Forged in Hell, Nadler takes us into the Theological-Political Treatise. One of things Nadler does so well is situate Spinoza in his own time and the history of philosophy: and here we see how Spinoza’s radical treatise on religion, the state, and freedom of thought fits within the social, religious, political, and philosophical milieu of his own time. While in many ways the most radical, Nadler shows us that Spinoza is not an isolated thinker in terms of the kind of critique and philosophy he is putting out there. What makes Spinoza unique was his bringing together the threads that others were pulling on into a single, integrated work that would resound through the ages.

Nadler is more focused on the intellectual and cultural history of the moment (and how that moment responded to Spinoza), but he does discuss the ideas of the work and how Spinoza’s discussion in the TPT fit within his broader philosophical project. That said, do not expect a chapter-by-chapter breakdown or a fully worked out extraction of the arguments.

A worthwhile read for those interested in Spinoza or the Enlightenment roots of political and intellectual liberty.


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Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The full cast performances of the Harry Potter series just gets better and better. OoP takes the series to the next level; and hearing it play out with the full cast gives it a deeper emotional resonance than I even remember from when I first read it.

The voice actors are all great. No one can replace the Alan Rickman, but even the actor for Snape has grown on me.

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Review: Suspect

Suspect by Robert Crais
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the Cole/Pike novel, The Promise, prior to this and was introduced to Scott and Maggie there. Getting their backstories here was great fun.

Maggie is amazing, and the parts from her POV help make her a real and substantial character. I am not sure how a whole novel that way would go for a dog's POV, but it'd be an interesting attempt!

Scott is a kind of a dope at times. He makes some bad decisions and things could have gone much worse for everyone. The plot itself is a bit far-fetched, and never really engaged me. But Scott's relationship with and rehabilitation through and with Maggie was what made the story. The moments between them were the best parts of the book.

The Cole/Pike novels are better; but I would read more Scott and Maggie -- if only for Maggie!

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Review: Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets

Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets by Christopher Farnsworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Farnsworth takes the helm on the Jesse Stone series. He does a very good job; much better than Lupica. Hard to pin point why; but the story just flows better. It feels less like someone doing a Parker imitation; I think Lupica was always reaching for trying to sound just like Parker and to emulate(unsuccessfully) his wit. Farnsworth doesn't try to do that and so it feels more authentic.

The plot is fairly straightforward but engaging. Some of the set up for the plot points could have been a little better, but they end up working well enough. The main focus here -- unlike the last few books -- is on Stone and the bad guys. Molly and Suit are there but the story doesn't go through them. James Naughton continues to be the perfect narrator for the Stone series.

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