Morris writes a very convincing rejoinder to the late great Stephen Jay Gould. Whereas Gould argued that nothing was determined, and if you wind the clock back you'll get a totally different path for evolution, Morris makes a convincing case that there are certain predictabilities in evolution, and certain paths that animals and plants and all organisms regularly follow, from the development of intelligence and culture to farming and animal husbandry to sensory systems and methods of locomot... (show more)

Morris writes a very convincing rejoinder to the late great Stephen Jay Gould. Whereas Gould argued that nothing was determined, and if you wind the clock back you'll get a totally different path for evolution, Morris makes a convincing case that there are certain predictabilities in evolution, and certain paths that animals and plants and all organisms regularly follow, from the development of intelligence and culture to farming and animal husbandry to sensory systems and methods of locomotion.

At times Morris' book reads like a list of all the many ways that animals follow the same paths, though from widely divergent lineages which no one would argue have anything in common (such as ants and humans). But Morris' argument is more nuanced. He also believes that the science indicates that the possibility of life on other planets is rather remote- we may well be alone in the universe, contrary to the common rather unsupported assertions of people like Carl Sagan. But if life is established on other planets, the very limited sample of one that we have on Earth would indicate that the life there would be surprisingly similar. Life may well "find a way", but its way will be the same everywhere, for organisms repeatedly choose the same paths. Evolution does not go for the best (in this Morris and Gould agree), but only what works with the materials available. The simplest path is easiest.

This only makes sense, for evolution is an incredible theory, with more support from more disciplines than nearly any other theory in science, and the core of a theory is predictability. If a theory is sound, it can predict, not the future, but likely courses of events. With Morris' book, we take one more step to seeing the immense complexity and soundness of the beauty of this theory. (show less)

A novel full of whimsy and delight, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a must-read for every fisheries biologist who also happens to be an Arabist. Paul Torday fills his book with intriguing information, both on the nature of salmon recruitment and ideal oxygen levels, and daily cultural life in the Yemen, like references to the untouchable Yemeni class of the Akhdam. (And it is a very rare book indeed that even acknowledges that they exist.) I read this book while I was traveling through Yemen, ... (show more)

A novel full of whimsy and delight, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a must-read for every fisheries biologist who also happens to be an Arabist. Paul Torday fills his book with intriguing information, both on the nature of salmon recruitment and ideal oxygen levels, and daily cultural life in the Yemen, like references to the untouchable Yemeni class of the Akhdam. (And it is a very rare book indeed that even acknowledges that they exist.) I read this book while I was traveling through Yemen, and was enthralled with the accurate references to life I saw around me.

But the novel is engaging purely on the story level. Torday has an ingenious method of getting the reader's attention through a serious of progressively revealing emails, and then you are full bore into the lives of the protagonists, anxious to find out what happens next to Dr. Alfred Jones. Torday continues the correspondence method, but you don't feel like you're reading letters, press releases, and inquisitions; you forget as you listen to the play-by-play conversations and developing emotions. And though there is romance here, it doesn't develop at all as one might expect- nor, at the end, is the true romance with whom you expected.

And for those who are interested, Torday has something to teach as well- in a purely non-overbearing manner. There is religion, and there is spirituality, and not always are the two divided. There is a knowledge of God, and the knowledge of one's Lord that comes from intimacy. And contrary to what we often here in stereotypes of the world's religions, that intimacy can show up in some of the most surprising places.

I have no reservations in declaring this the finest Yemen fish novel I've ever read. (And that actually says something- I found it slightly better than the other great Yemeni marine biology work, Pirates, Bats, And Dragons: A Science Adventure (Science Adventures).) If you love the Middle East and you love fishes, you will love this book. (show less)