"Collapse"

Sigh. I always *mean* to like Jared Diamond.

But he writes like an academic/sociologist (sorry Dr. Butler).

For a writer, the first lesson is "show, don't tell."

Sample sentence picked from a random page: "Still another solution was to occupy an area for only a few decades, until the area's soil and game became exhausted, then move on to another area." And it doesn't get livelier than the passive voice.

I know, I know. He's talking about vanquished societies. He's presenting a thesis. But it's more than 500 pages of this stuff. John McPhee would have been able to take the same sources, the same information, and wring something magnificent out of it all. Diamond can't.

I really wanted to like the "Germs" book. I really wanted to like "Collapse." But it's missing a little oomph.

If you want information in a rational, empirical way that wants to make a point, fine. If you want a great read, or maybe a story to latch into that info, go somewhere else.