There’s quite a lot about ancient Egypt in this book, especially pharao Akhenaten and his Aten temples, and how they are related to Moses and the Essenes. There’s no need to know anything about these things beforehand, rather, I found it an intriguing historical period that I will follow up on.

Daniel Knox, an archaeologist of some fame (in the world of the book!) is the book’s  protagonist. He’s somewhere between Indiana Jones and Robert Langdon [of the 'da Vinci Code'], and the book is full of action, car chases, excavations and lots of historical facts – the ones I have checked up on seem to hold water.

The evil villain is the preacher Ernest Peterson, some kind of deranged Old Testament prophet-like fundamentalist.

The core of the story is that Peterson and his team have found something in the desert that fills in a number of blank spots in both the Exodus story and in linking the Essenes to the early christian church. And of course to Egypt. While perhaps a controversial theory, it was proposed by Sigmund Freud in 1939 in Moses and Monoteism. Anyway, Knox and his friend from the ministry of Archaelogical Affairs head out due to a hunch Knox has, and despite being told the excavation is just practice for students Knox soon finds out they’ve struck gold. And the hunt is on…

There are also corrupt policemen, good friends and lots of suspense in there. It’d make for a nice action/adventure movie, and the book is written in a fast paced tempo, making it a page turner.

A good story peppered with historical facts. Go get it!

The book is about what is known as Peak Oil, i.e. the point in time when we have extracted 50% of the world’s oil supply. According to the experts interviewed in the book that point is here or very near. Actually, the date varies from “just passed it” to “within 10 years”. I’d say that is rather irrelevant. I firmly believe that the amount of oil is finite (if for nothing else the volume of the planet is finite) and it seems reasonable to believe the experts that the half-way point is near. Thus the time for action is close.

In the book mr Lindstedt not only explains details about oil extraction ond consumption, he also parallells this with backdrops from a “middle earth” era. His youth and his grand parents youth. So much has changed in the last 100 years it’s almost unbelievable, and not only in terms og technology.

Mr Lindstedt suggests that the curve of the western world’s improved efficiency in production is virtually identical to the curve of oil import. That idea took me by surprise, and after pondering it it does make sense.

Way back when a man and his horse would till a field in a day or two (or whatever). Now, a man and his tractor does it significantly faster, and things look more efficient on the surface. However, that doesn’t take into account the hidden addition of a few hundred litres of diesel.

So, thinking about it, have we made significant improvements in terms of process, or are all our increases in efficientcy by shortening the time and adding energy? Somewhere in the back of my mind a page from a physics book lurks, mumbling something about efficiency as work x time. As long as we only count human power as “work” and forget about the work fossil fuel does we look a lot more efficient, but that seems like a small white lie…

Scanning the net I found a link to http://www.eia.doe.gov/ipm/supply.html with the oil production of various countries  and summaries.

It seems the world is indeed reducing its production and it s worth noting that the current economic slump/crisis/depression is not in these numbers, as they only include up to 2007.

Interesting read and lots of food for thought. For further reading, google for peak oil.

–Jesper Hogstrom

The book is about growing up in a northern Swedish town named Pajjala. “Northern” means very long, dark and cold winters and short summers with nidnight sun…

While the book is absurd in some ways, with an almost dream-like quality that in a way reminded me of “Den Store Blondino“, it is a loving description of a time and age long gone; both the society of the 1960s as well as the formative years are now irrevocably passed.

The protagonist and his best friend meet in the first chapter at age five or six. The take off on a haphazard tour to China, but only get as far as Germany before they are discovered and sent back. Together they learn about friendship, growing up, girls, alcohol and growing up. I did mention growing up twice, and that’s because so much of the book is about just that; observing the world changing while being part of the world. How relations and responsibilities take on new meanings as we get older.

They take part in the Pajala drinking competition, play in a band, fight with other youth gangs in town and all the sort of half-innocent, half-serious things that kids do. Or did. No computer games, no ultra-violence, no gangsta’ suburbs and stuff that might meet the youth of today.

I highly recommend the book, as I believe it portrays something that most people can relate to and it does give some food for thought between the smiles and laughs.

–Jesper Högström