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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Mysterious Receding Seas

The Mysterious Receding Seas
by Richard Guy
266 pages

It was the premise of this non-fiction book that caught my attention; according to the author, the world’s seas are receding because the earth is actually expanding. Fascinating, no? I was very intrigued by this theory and hoped that I’d learn something from the book whether I eventually agreed with the theory or not.

I wish I could summarize the science behind this theory, but I can’t. I wish I could tell you all the facts that Guy based his theory on, but I can’t. I wish I could tell you that this book was well written, but I can’t.

In point of fact, it was the poor writing (or maybe poor editing?) that ultimately forced me to put down this book after struggling through 81 pages. The author is not a scientist. He makes that clear, over and over and over and over. And over. Despite this fact, he’s convinced that he has some very important information to convey. And he could very well have some excellent points to make, all of which may be completely scientific, but if had to read the phrase “what I’m trying to tell you is …” one more time, I’d have thrown the book across the room.

Let me make myself clear; I’m not knocking Guy’s research or his theory. In fact, I find the theory fascinating and I'd love to understand the reasoning behind it. Having not read the book completely, I can’t judge whether his theory about an expanding earth is plausible or not. I can’t say if his evidence is over- or underwhelming. He might very well be the most brilliant mind of the century … who can tell?! All I can say is that in spite of the fact that I REALLY wanted to understand Guy’s theory, I just could not continue reading this book.* Extensive and thorough editing is only way to make this readable.


* Just so you know, I started this book back in early autumn '08. I’ve picked it up several times since then, but I’ve finally had enough – I just can’t give it any more effort. Also, for those who like to know, I received a free review copy of this book by my own request.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Strange. We read so much about the sea levels rising due to polar icecaps melting (due to global warming) ... it would be interesting to understand (even if you don't agree with) a theory of the seas receding.

Too bad it was incomprehensible; you gave it several good tries!

Amy said...

I'm always amazed at what manages to get published. What are the publishing houses thinking when they put out works that are clearly NOT in a finished state?

You tried valiantly, and I don't think less of you for putting it aside. May it rest in peace.

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