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Well I just about have this one finished up so I’ll write about it now. William Safire, in addition to having been for many years the conservative political columnist for the New York Times, is also the author of the “On Language” column that ran in that paper on Sundays for many years. In “On Language”, Mr. Safire explored the origin of words and phrases, discusses usage and spelling, and generally addressed any other language-related topic that piqued his interest. No Uncertain Terms is a recent (perhaps the latest… I’m not quite certain) collection of those “On Language” columns, one of at least a dozen. I know I own at least one more of the set: In Love With Norma Loquendi.

Being a lover of words and turns of phrase, Safire’s columns fascinate me. ALmost better than the columns, though, are the responses he chooses to print. Many of his readers choose to write in, enough that he has given the various groups titles. There’s the “Gotcha! Gang”, which nails him on factual errors. (I was actually a member of this gang once several years ago.) Then there’s the “Squad Squad”, nailing redundancy at every turn. Safire often corresponds with professors of English, editors of dictionaries, and historians, which means that the level of learnedness is very high. Still, the writing is snappy, so the book stays fun, and rarely gets dull.

I doubt I’ll find and add all of Safire’s collections to my personal library, but I’ll be on the lookout for another volume or two. They are fun reading, the topics won’t get old, and they improve my grammar and usage.

Powersat is one of the latest titles by long-time sci-fi author Ben Bova. Bova is a prolific author. His numerous tomes are full of futuristic technology, but the technology never takes the forefront; rather, it just provides the setting for classic themes of exploration, ambition, love, and revenge. Powersat is no exception.

Powersat is set in the near future, and features an inventor who is trying to set up a geosynchronous satellite that will collect solar energy and transmit it to Earth via “widely dispersed” microwaves. The worldwide oil syndicates, worried that the demand for oil might be decreased, sabotage his efforts, and the conflict ensues. The hero, trying to identify the villians and stop them; the villians, trying to continue to stay under the radar while continuing their sabotage.

There aren’t a lot of suprises in Powersat. The characters do about what you’d expect, and the hero is successful as you would expect. Mr. Bova is pushing his favorable views of space exploration and invention here, with a story that, if not superb, is certainly at least sufficient to carry the message. Still, it was a distracting, lightweight read, another enjoyable book from Ben Bova.