[continued from previous message]   
      
   computer scientist but she has savant-level mathematical skills   
   and can track precise time in her head, and Hilda, although the   
   only one without multiple doctorates, has social skills to rival   
   anyone you could think of on top of an eidetic memory.  So, the   
   main characters are not just heroes, but low-level superheroes in   
   a sense.   
      
   Jacob has invented a device that allows them to travel between and   
   through universes, and when things go south at home (Earth-Zero),   
   they flee to Mars.  It's not the Mars from our universe, though -   
   it's E.R. Burroughs' Barsoom.  After some adventures there, the   
   quartet travel and find themselves in Oz and get help from Glinda   
   the Good Witch, and then proceed to a universe populated from   
   characters out of E.E. Smith's LENSMEN series.  After some side   
   jaunts, the book ends with a cliffhanger and our heroes, with   
   help, attempt to deal with the problem that caused them to flee   
   Earth-Zero in the first place.   
      
   I rate this book a B-.  It was clearly Heinlein indulging himself,   
   tipping his hat to some of the favorite literature of his youth,   
   and playing with the old idea "what if {fictional setting} was   
   real?".  Harmless, pleasant in spots, but nothing you can't live   
   without.   
      
   PANKERA clearly shares a lot of DNA with BEAST.  The first 150-odd   
   pages are identical, then the plots diverge significantly, with a   
   couple of minor sections where PANKERA is again duplicated in   
   BEAST.  Looking at the differences between the two books, I'm   
   convinced the reason PANKERA didn't get published was because   
   Heinlein extensively used characters from Burroughs and Smith,   
   with pages and pages of action, dialogue, and "background" that   
   were not in the original stories.  I assume the respective estates   
   for those authors didn't approve of how their property was used.   
   In BEAST, the Barsoom storyline was replaced by an alternate   
   history where Britain still had the American colonies, was using   
   Mars as a prison planet, and had problems with the Russians who   
   also claimed Mars.  The Oz bit was almost word-for-word the same,   
   and in BEAST the only mention of the LENSMEN was a few pages   
   involving brief contact with a character not found in Smith's   
   books.  The extensive material from PANKERA that dealt with the   
   Lensmen universe was mostly replaced by having our main characters   
   dealing with Lazarus Long, a very different "Slipstick" Libby, and   
   others from those and other Heinlein stories.  In addition,   
   layered through the stories our heroes had lots of issues with   
   each other, with who's-in-charge shifting four times.  Much more   
   talking, and less action, in BEAST than in PANKERA.   
      
   Of the two, I recommend PANKERA more than BEAST, although neither   
   are prime Heinlein.  Although I've not read Burroughs, Baum, or   
   Smith's Lensmen, I recognize the archetypes and character   
   concepts, and could enjoy and respect Heinlein's homage in   
   PANKERA.  PANKERA's plot also seemed more plausible to me, with   
   the emphasis on working to a way to alleviate the problem on   
   Earth-Zero.  BEAST had none of that, but instead had lots of   
   bickering and self-indulgent bringing together of various Heinlein   
   characters who didn't do anything but talk, and who really aren't   
   that different from each other.  I'd give BEAST a C, and don't   
   recommend it other than for completists.  [-rlm]   
      
   ===================================================================   
      
   TOPIC: THE BIGGEST IDEAS IN THE UNIVERSE: QUANTA AND FIELDS by   
   Sean Carroll (book review by Gregory Frederick)   
      
   This book is a part of the "Biggest Ideas in the Universe" series,   
   which aims to explain complex scientific concepts in accessible   
   and engaging ways. The two parts, Quanta and Fields, focus on   
   different aspects of modern physics, specifically quantum   
   mechanics and field theory.   
      
   Part 1: Quanta   
      
        -- Overview: The Quanta section covers the strange, counter   
   intuitive world of quantum mechanics. Carroll takes readers   
   through the key ideas of quantum theory, from the early 20th   
   century discoveries by pioneers like Planck and Einstein to the   
   more recent developments like quantum entanglement and quantum   
   field theory.   
      
        -- What It Covers:   
      
           --Quantum Superposition and the idea that particles can   
   exist in multiple states at once.   
      
           --Wave-Particle Duality--the nature of light and particles   
   that can behave like both waves and particles.   
      
           --Quantum Entanglement and non-locality--how particles can   
   be "linked" across vast distances.   
      
           --The Uncertainty Principle--Heisenberg's famous principle   
   that limits how precisely we can know certain pairs of properties,   
   like position and momentum, simultaneously.   
      
        -- Strengths:   
      
           --Accessibility: Carroll has a gift for making complex   
   concepts accessible to a general audience. He breaks down the   
   complicated ideas of quantum mechanics in a way that doesn't   
   require a background in physics to understand.   
      
           --Engaging Explanation: Carroll introduces real-world   
   experiments and thought experiments (like Schroedinger's cat and   
   the double-slit experiment) to illustrate these concepts.   
      
           --Thought-Provoking: He does not shy away from discussing   
   the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics, such as the   
   observer effect, and what it means for our understanding of   
   reality.   
      
        -- Weaknesses:   
      
           --Density of Information: For someone unfamiliar with   
   physics, the concepts can feel dense. While it's accessible for   
   the most part, it's still a lot to digest.   
      
           --Not Much Detail: While the explanations are clear, some   
   readers may feel they don't go deep enough into the more intricate   
   mathematical aspects of quantum theory, though this is   
   understandable given the target audience is general readers.   
      
   Part 2: Fields (Field Theory)   
      
        -- Overview: The Fields section shifts focus to field theory,   
   which describes how forces and particles interact in the universe.   
   This is where Carroll explains the four fundamental forces   
   (gravity, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear   
   force) through the lens of fields-something that revolutionized   
   our understanding of the physical world.   
      
        -- What It Covers:   
      
           --The Higgs Field and how it gives particles mass.   
      
           --Electromagnetic Fields and how charged particles interact   
   with one another.   
      
           --Quantum Field Theory (QFT)--the unification of quantum   
   mechanics and special relativity that provides a framework for   
   understanding how fundamental particles interact.   
      
           --General Relativity and how it describes gravity as the   
   curvature of spacetime (though this gets less focus compared to   
   the quantum fields).   
      
        -- Strengths:   
      
           --Clear Introduction to Fields: Carroll does a great job   
   introducing the notion of fields (which can be tricky to   
   visualize) and explaining why they are fundamental to   
   understanding the forces in nature.   
      
           --Relatable Examples: He ties abstract concepts back to   
   real-world phenomena and experimental evidence, which makes the   
   theoretical ideas more tangible.   
      
           --Unified Framework: For readers looking for an   
   understanding of how quantum mechanics and general relativity   
   might fit together (at least at the conceptual level), the Fields   
   section provides a great start.   
      
        -- Weaknesses:   
      
           --Technical Detail: For those who are completely new to   
   these concepts, Carroll's explanation of quantum field theory can   
   feel like it skims over some of the more complex details.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)