Negative Positive
Title: Just a story without explanation of the mechanisms
Review: It's more of a book about history than science and engineering. The author never even explained how longitude is calculated using the chronometer. Do you need a sextant? What happens if you don't see the sun for a week? I am not satisfied with mere facts. I'd like to know how and why it is so. The book offers none.I really enjoyed Atul Gawande's books on medicine. He's a surgeon and epidemiologist who also writes very well. Simon Singh is another scientist (PhD in physics) and a great writer. He can make a lay reader feel they understand difficult mathematical problems such as the Fermat's last theorem. They write great books on science because they understand the scientific issues at hand.The other way round, a writer, who has no training in science or engineering, hardly understands the science, much less being able to offer explanation. Such is the case of this book, a book of anecdotes.
Is the review positive or negative? 