Customer Reviews

Axemaker's Gift

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I love Burke's books, especially Connections and The Day The Universe Changed. Combined with the author's great presentation, they are some of the finest non-fiction audio books in existence.

Unfortunately, this one really loses its way about half way through its course. What starts out as an excellent outline of prehistoric human development devolves into a meandering, unrealistic plea for changing human behavior.

Of course, you could just ditch the second tape in the set and listen to the first cassette several times. It's quite good on its own.

July 16, 1999

I first became aware of James Burke work through the Discovery/TLC channels and when I stumbled across his audio novel Connections I had to try it out. Connections was great and so I was encouraged to try out his other audio novels which were just as ingenious and entertaining.

The quality of James Burke's work set the stage for what has become a new age in bedtime stories. My new born son then 3 months was quickly introduced to the art of the audio novel as his new bedtime stories.

Its been well over a year now after several dozen audio novels the little guy has now turned 18 months old. The very creative story of The AxeMaker's Gift still gets a replay every few months and he enjoys it every time.

The only sad part about the James Burke audio novels is that I haven't seen a new one in a very long time.

I highly recommend this creative story about history and the connections which brought us to where we are!

Arnold D Veness

An important, timely & vital point is being made by these authors. I listened intently to their ideas, mostly while jogging. I loved the prehistoric stuff, but after that it all became pretty familiar. I agreed with their thoughts on controlling our technology instead of it controlling us, but there's not much we can do about it when, in so many ways, we *are* our technology. Still, it is good & inspiring & true. Everyone should read it. I just gave it three stars because in the middle sections my running pace slowed considerably, indicating non-involvement.

Axemakers Gift is the world's best kept open secret. Very enjoyable sound on only two cassettes is multiply distilled encyclopedic overview of the most significant and interesting things that have happened in the entire history of the world. Each world-changing phenomenon leads naturally to the next and shows their possibly hopeful implications for the future If I had my life to live over I would wish very early to hear Axemakers Gift to become instilled with its attitudes of confidence, cheerfulness, fearlessness, compassion, good will, hopefulness and unpretentious incredible erudition. It would give me a sound foundation for facing life instead of trying to think there was something wrong with me because I couldn't see things the way people told me to. I always knew somehow that when I was dying I would figure out what things had been all about but young people who hear this tape can start out from the first with a grounding that will give them enthusiasm for looking for new ideas and, even if they go down the tubes, I guess at least they'll have a sublime understanding of their real part in the great scheme of things. I listen to it again every few weeks to get my fix of sanity and truth and good will in the seeming hopeless of a "gotcha" world. All my thanks for Axemakers Gift, The Day the Universe Changed, and Connections.

For someone who is supposed to be an historian, Burke makes
some surprising blunders. He makes constant and poetic references such as ". . . scattered islands of light in a sea of darkness. . ." p 95 or ". . . papal mind control . . ." p104 and talks about the "dark ages" p93.
The "dark ages" as well as the *Fall* of the Roman Empire. Both the "Dark Ages" and the *Fall* are discredited terms, not used by serious historians. The so called "Dark Ages" were actually quite active in terms of science, technology and philosophy, while the Roman Empire never actually fell, but rather transmuted in the West and flourished in the East.

Burke and Ornstein both seem to ignore the fact that there was another world besides the Greek and Roman one. There is brief mention (*very* brief) of other civilizations, Chinese, Indian, etc. but the general thrust of the book seems to imply that the entire world began and ended with the Roman West.

NONSENSE! During the periods he is talking about, trade flourished, technology and pure science were vigorous and innovative and the arts were respected and supported. Certainly there were times and places dominated by poverty, intolerance and ignorance. Even without the "Axemaker's Gift" there are still periods of famine, drought and disease. Populations crash quite nicely without any human intervention.

Then there is the nonsensical theme that technology (the "axemaker's gift") is bad or detrimental. This is something that could only have been written by someone who has never had to work, really work, in their life. Certainly technology
can be abused. Nor can it be disputed that individuals have been exploited and abused by ruling elites. But these same large technological civilizations have also provided the wealth and leisure time to support philosophers and artists. If not for
the "axemaker's gift" Burke and Ornstein wouldn't have had the ability to even think about the *problem* of the "Axemaker's Gift", let alone been able to write it. They would have been too busy trying to gather and store enough food to last through the winter. Or would have died of old age at 40, never having had the time and leisure to accrue the knowledge and experience to even worry about the ills of technology.

This book is worth a $1 from the `Bargain Bin'. Otherwise, don't waste your money.

If you want to get an idea of what the "Axemaker's Gift" was
really like during the "Dark" ages:

1) Cathedral, Forge and Waterwheel
by Joseph Gies

2) The Medieval Siege by Jim Bradbury

3) Technology in World Civilization by Arnold Pacey
4) The Medieval Machine by Jean Gimpel

5) Engineering in History by R. S. Kirby et al

6) The Ancient Engineers
by Lyon Sprague De Camp

First let me say I like James Burke. Currently I am watching his series "The Day the Universe Changed" It's excellent. The problem with this tape is his premise with evolution, It's only a theory, but Mr Burke goes on for the whole of side one about evolution as if it were fact. Then with side four it's nothing but doom & gloom. Mr Burke stick with history. Science & telling the future is not your forte.

First let me say I like James Burke. Currently I am watching his series "The Day the Universe Changed" It's excellent. The problem with this tape is his premise with evolution, It's only a theory, but Mr Burke goes on for the whole of side one about evolution as if it were fact. Then with side four it's nothing but doom & gloom. Mr Burke stick with history. Science & telling the future is not your foray.