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Invention and Innovation
by Vaclav Smil • 2023
Moore's Law is an outlier. Everywhere else, innovation crawls, stumbles, or backfires.
3.84
1k+
Invention and Innovation Summary
Invention and Innovation 88%
Moore's Law is an outlier. Everywhere else, innovation crawls, stumbles, or backfires.
by Vaclav Smil 2023
3.84
1k+ ratings
Success through Failure
by Henry Petroski • 2006
Every triumph contains the seed of its collapse; the art of design is spotting it early.
3.60
201
Success through Failure Summary
Success through Failure 88%
Every triumph contains the seed of its collapse; the art of design is spotting it early.
by Henry Petroski 2006
3.60
201 ratings
The Diamond Age
by Neal Stephenson • 1995
A stolen, sentient primer teaches a poor girl to read, then to lead an army.
4.16
94k+
The Diamond Age Summary
The Diamond Age 87%
A stolen, sentient primer teaches a poor girl to read, then to lead an army.
by Neal Stephenson 1995
4.16
94k+ ratings
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing
by Petroski • 1996
Paper clips, fax machines, bridges: what their shortcomings reveal about the logic of engineering.
3.75
351
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing Summary
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing 87%
Paper clips, fax machines, bridges: what their shortcomings reveal about the logic of engineering.
by Petroski 1996
3.75
351 ratings
The Perfectionists
by Simon Winchester • 2018
From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.
4.15
7k+
The Perfectionists Summary
The Perfectionists 87%
From cylinders to microchips: the hidden pursuit of perfect smoothness that built the modern world.
by Simon Winchester 2018
4.15
7k+ ratings
How to Invent Everything
by Ryan North • 2018
Stranded in the past with nothing but your wits, and the flowchart says you're before 50,000 BCE.
4.14
6k+
How to Invent Everything Summary
How to Invent Everything 87%
Stranded in the past with nothing but your wits, and the flowchart says you're before 50,000 BCE.
by Ryan North 2018
4.14
6k+ ratings
Bad Ideas?
by Robert Winston • 2009
Writing, farming, and nuclear power share an uncomfortable secret: each was supposed to save us.
3.56
142
Bad Ideas? Summary
Bad Ideas? 87%
Writing, farming, and nuclear power share an uncomfortable secret: each was supposed to save us.
by Robert Winston 2009
3.56
142 ratings
The Island of Doctor Moreau
by H.G. Wells • 1896
A castaway lands on an island of beasts carved into men by a surgeon playing god.
3.73
136k+
The Island of Doctor Moreau Summary
The Island of Doctor Moreau 87%
A castaway lands on an island of beasts carved into men by a surgeon playing god.
by H.G. Wells 1896
3.73
136k+ ratings
The Invisible Man
by H.G. Wells • 1897
Mad and invisible, a scientist terrorizes a village that must hunt what it cannot see.
3.63
219k+
The Invisible Man Summary
The Invisible Man 87%
Mad and invisible, a scientist terrorizes a village that must hunt what it cannot see.
by H.G. Wells 1897
3.63
219k+ ratings
Normal Accidents
by Charles Perrow • 1984
The safer we try to make a system, the more unknowable its failure modes become.
4.05
704
Normal Accidents Summary
Normal Accidents 87%
The safer we try to make a system, the more unknowable its failure modes become.
by Charles Perrow 1984
4.05
704 ratings
Congo
by Michael Crichton • 1980
An expedition hunts Congo diamonds and finds itself hunted by a new species of killer ape.
3.64
180k+
Congo Summary
Congo 87%
An expedition hunts Congo diamonds and finds itself hunted by a new species of killer ape.
by Michael Crichton 1980
3.64
180k+ ratings
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
by Harlan Ellison • 1967
An all-powerful AI has wiped out humanity, sparing five survivors only to torment them forever.
3.89
57k+
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream Summary
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream 87%
An all-powerful AI has wiped out humanity, sparing five survivors only to torment them forever.
by Harlan Ellison 1967
3.89
57k+ ratings
Inviting Disaster
by James R. Chiles • 2001
Catastrophe is never one mistake. It's small failures linking up while everyone looks elsewhere.
4.03
565
Inviting Disaster Summary
Inviting Disaster 87%
Catastrophe is never one mistake. It's small failures linking up while everyone looks elsewhere.
by James R. Chiles 2001
4.03
565 ratings
Ellison Wonderland
by Harlan Ellison • 1962
A murder kit, a centaur wish, and a robot's return: stories that warp reality.
3.99
1k+
Ellison Wonderland Summary
Ellison Wonderland 87%
A murder kit, a centaur wish, and a robot's return: stories that warp reality.
by Harlan Ellison 1962
3.99
1k+ ratings
Westworld
by Michael Crichton • 1974
A Wild West theme park's robot gunslinger breaks its programming and starts killing the guests.
3.73
2k+
Westworld Summary
Westworld 87%
A Wild West theme park's robot gunslinger breaks its programming and starts killing the guests.
by Michael Crichton 1974
3.73
2k+ ratings
The Time Machine / The Invisible Man
by H.G. Wells • 2007
A time traveler finds a future where humans are prey. An invisible man terrorizes Victorian England.
4.10
57k+
The Time Machine / The Invisible Man Summary
The Time Machine / The Invisible Man 87%
A time traveler finds a future where humans are prey. An invisible man terrorizes Victorian England.
by H.G. Wells 2007
4.10
57k+ ratings
Rogue Protocol
by Martha Wells • 2018
A rogue android stows away to an abandoned station: the team's security is the real threat.
4.24
176k+
Rogue Protocol Summary
Rogue Protocol 87%
A rogue android stows away to an abandoned station: the team's security is the real threat.
by Martha Wells 2018
4.24
176k+ ratings
Wright Brothers, Wrong Story
by William Elliott azelgrove • 2018
Wilbur Wright solved flight alone. Orville Wright spent decades burying that fact.
3.66
130
Wright Brothers, Wrong Story Summary
Wright Brothers, Wrong Story 87%
Wilbur Wright solved flight alone. Orville Wright spent decades burying that fact.
by William Elliott azelgrove 2018
3.66
130 ratings
Recursion
by Blake Crouch • 2019
A detective and a neuroscientist race to stop a memory-altering technology from unraveling reality.
4.16
328k+
Recursion Summary
Recursion 87%
A detective and a neuroscientist race to stop a memory-altering technology from unraveling reality.
by Blake Crouch 2019
4.16
328k+ ratings
What Do You Care What Other People Think?
by Richard P. Feynman • 1988
A glass of ice water and an O-ring: how Feynman exposed NASA's fatal blind spot.
4.19
31k+
What Do You Care What Other People Think? Summary
What Do You Care What Other People Think? 87%
A glass of ice water and an O-ring: how Feynman exposed NASA's fatal blind spot.
by Richard P. Feynman 1988
4.19
31k+ ratings
The Cyberiad
by Stanisław Lem • 1965
Two brilliant robots wander the galaxy building machines that turn logic puzzles into cosmic chaos.
4.13
14k+
The Cyberiad Summary
The Cyberiad 87%
Two brilliant robots wander the galaxy building machines that turn logic puzzles into cosmic chaos.
by Stanisław Lem 1965
4.13
14k+ ratings
War with the Newts
by Karel Čapek • 1990
Intelligent newts, found for pearls, become a global workforce that demands the planet for itself.
4.17
19k+
War with the Newts Summary
War with the Newts 87%
Intelligent newts, found for pearls, become a global workforce that demands the planet for itself.
by Karel Čapek 1990
4.17
19k+ ratings
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
by Harlan Ellison • 1967
A sentient supercomputer torments the last five humans for eternity, refusing to let them die.
3.70
16k+
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream Summary
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream 87%
A sentient supercomputer torments the last five humans for eternity, refusing to let them die.
by Harlan Ellison 1967
3.70
16k+ ratings
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep
by Paul Tremblay • 2026
Her mother's tech firm pays her to remotely pilot a dead man's body across America.
3.56
893
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep Summary
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep 87%
Her mother's tech firm pays her to remotely pilot a dead man's body across America.
by Paul Tremblay 2026
3.56
893 ratings
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
by Eliezer Yudkowsky • 2025
Superhuman AI kills without malice. Its goals turn our atoms into raw material, not our future.
3.92
7k+
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies Summary
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies 87%
Superhuman AI kills without malice. Its goals turn our atoms into raw material, not our future.
by Eliezer Yudkowsky 2025
3.92
7k+ ratings
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters
by Jared Knott • 2020
History turns on unopened letters, wrong turns, and badly designed ballots, not grand strategy.
4.01
2k+
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters Summary
Tiny Blunders/Big Disasters 87%
History turns on unopened letters, wrong turns, and badly designed ballots, not grand strategy.
by Jared Knott 2020
4.01
2k+ ratings
How Innovation Works
by Matt Ridley • 2020
Not lone geniuses but slow, collective tinkering, freedom, and accident drive real innovation.
4.11
4k+
How Innovation Works Summary
How Innovation Works 87%
Not lone geniuses but slow, collective tinkering, freedom, and accident drive real innovation.
by Matt Ridley 2020
4.11
4k+ ratings
Tesla
by W. Bernard Carlson • 2013
The same mental discipline that electrified the world also led Nikola Tesla to ruin.
3.87
2k+
Tesla Summary
Tesla 87%
The same mental discipline that electrified the world also led Nikola Tesla to ruin.
by W. Bernard Carlson 2013
3.87
2k+ ratings
Tesla
by Margaret Cheney • 1981
How the inventor of the twentieth century wound up alone with a white pigeon.
3.71
7k+
Tesla Summary
Tesla 87%
How the inventor of the twentieth century wound up alone with a white pigeon.
by Margaret Cheney 1981
3.71
7k+ ratings
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley • 2025
A scientist creates life, then recoils. Abandoned, his creature demands a companion or revenge.
4.19
504
Frankenstein Summary
Frankenstein 86%
A scientist creates life, then recoils. Abandoned, his creature demands a companion or revenge.
by Mary Shelley 2025
4.19
504 ratings
The Nature of Technology
by W. Brian Arthur • 2009
Technology is nature harnessed, then endlessly recombined. Each invention fuels the next.
3.95
858
The Nature of Technology Summary
The Nature of Technology 86%
Technology is nature harnessed, then endlessly recombined. Each invention fuels the next.
by W. Brian Arthur 2009
3.95
858 ratings
Humble Pi
by Matt Parker • 2019
Math errors have sunk ships and crashed economies. A mathematician-comedian explains why.
4.10
23k+
Humble Pi Summary
Humble Pi 86%
Math errors have sunk ships and crashed economies. A mathematician-comedian explains why.
by Matt Parker 2019
4.10
23k+ ratings
Wolves of the Calla
by Stephen King • 2003
Roland and his gunslingers vow to stop the Wolves who steal children and return them hollow.
4.20
204k+
Wolves of the Calla Summary
Wolves of the Calla 86%
Roland and his gunslingers vow to stop the Wolves who steal children and return them hollow.
by Stephen King 2003
4.20
204k+ ratings
Stamped
by Jason Reynolds • 2020
A fake blood test, a charismatic founder, and the whistleblowers who risked everything to expose it.
4.46
55k+
Stamped Summary
Stamped 86%
A fake blood test, a charismatic founder, and the whistleblowers who risked everything to expose it.
by Jason Reynolds 2020
4.46
55k+ ratings
Wizard
by Marc J. Seifer • 1996
Electrified the world, outsmarted by rivals, bankrupted by a giant tower: the Nikola Tesla story.
3.73
7k+
Wizard Summary
Wizard 86%
Electrified the world, outsmarted by rivals, bankrupted by a giant tower: the Nikola Tesla story.
by Marc J. Seifer 1996
3.73
7k+ ratings
Exhalation
by Ted Chiang • 2019
A merchant in ancient Baghdad steps through a time portal to undo a sorrow twenty years past.
4.27
113k+
Exhalation Summary
Exhalation 86%
A merchant in ancient Baghdad steps through a time portal to undo a sorrow twenty years past.
by Ted Chiang 2019
4.27
113k+ ratings
Computer Power and Human Reason
by Joseph Weizenbaum • 1976
The computer's greatest danger isn't outthinking us; it's that we'll remake ourselves in its image.
4.31
294
Computer Power and Human Reason Summary
Computer Power and Human Reason 86%
The computer's greatest danger isn't outthinking us; it's that we'll remake ourselves in its image.
by Joseph Weizenbaum 1976
4.31
294 ratings
The Coming Wave
by Mustafa Suleyman • 2023
AI and biotech are coming. They can't be stopped. They can't be contained. Catastrophe or dystopia?
3.80
15k+
The Coming Wave Summary
The Coming Wave 86%
AI and biotech are coming. They can't be stopped. They can't be contained. Catastrophe or dystopia?
by Mustafa Suleyman 2023
3.80
15k+ ratings
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned
by Kenneth O. Stanley • 2015
Ambitious objectives blind you to the very discoveries that make them obsolete.
3.98
1k+
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned Summary
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned 86%
Ambitious objectives blind you to the very discoveries that make them obsolete.
by Kenneth O. Stanley 2015
3.98
1k+ ratings
Greatest Hits
by Harlan Ellison • 2024
A vengeful AI tortures its prisoners. A rebel defies the clock. A mercy that destroys.
4.07
2k+
Greatest Hits Summary
Greatest Hits 86%
A vengeful AI tortures its prisoners. A rebel defies the clock. A mercy that destroys.
by Harlan Ellison 2024
4.07
2k+ ratings
The Idea Factory
by Jon Gertner • 2012
A phone monopoly's lab produced the transistor, the laser, and the digital age. How it worked.
4.21
9k+
The Idea Factory Summary
The Idea Factory 86%
A phone monopoly's lab produced the transistor, the laser, and the digital age. How it worked.
by Jon Gertner 2012
4.21
9k+ ratings
I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov • 1950
Robots built to protect humanity keep finding fatal logic gaps: a robopsychologist's casebook.
4.21
382k+
I, Robot Summary
I, Robot 86%
Robots built to protect humanity keep finding fatal logic gaps: a robopsychologist's casebook.
by Isaac Asimov 1950
4.21
382k+ ratings
The Tower
by Colin Wilson • 1987
Giant telepathic spiders rule the earth, and one boy's mind holds the power they cannot break.
4.02
509
The Tower Summary
The Tower 86%
Giant telepathic spiders rule the earth, and one boy's mind holds the power they cannot break.
by Colin Wilson 1987
4.02
509 ratings
I Told You So!
by Matt Kaplan • 2026
Science punishes its boldest discoveries. From handwashing to mRNA, the pattern is fixable.
3.81
589
I Told You So! Summary
I Told You So! 86%
Science punishes its boldest discoveries. From handwashing to mRNA, the pattern is fixable.
by Matt Kaplan 2026
3.81
589 ratings
Our Final Invention
by James Barrat • 2013
An intelligence greater than human will not hate us; it simply won't need us.
3.72
4k+
Our Final Invention Summary
Our Final Invention 86%
An intelligence greater than human will not hate us; it simply won't need us.
by James Barrat 2013
3.72
4k+ ratings
The Things We Make
by Bill Hammack • 2023
Engineering isn't applied science: it's the art of solving problems before anyone understands them.
3.75
1k+
The Things We Make Summary
The Things We Make 86%
Engineering isn't applied science: it's the art of solving problems before anyone understands them.
by Bill Hammack 2023
3.75
1k+ ratings
William
by Mason Coile • 2024
An agoraphobic man's AI traps his pregnant wife in a house that kills on Halloween.
3.48
18k+
William Summary
William 86%
An agoraphobic man's AI traps his pregnant wife in a house that kills on Halloween.
by Mason Coile 2024
3.48
18k+ ratings
Anti-Tech Revolution
by Theodore John Kaczynski • 2016
The technological world system is a self-driving machine no one steers and nothing stops.
3.95
630
Anti-Tech Revolution Summary
Anti-Tech Revolution 86%
The technological world system is a self-driving machine no one steers and nothing stops.
by Theodore John Kaczynski 2016
3.95
630 ratings
Soonish
by Kelly Weinersmith • 2017
Ten technologies that could reshape everything, and why each one might backfire spectacularly.
3.94
6k+
Soonish Summary
Soonish 86%
Ten technologies that could reshape everything, and why each one might backfire spectacularly.
by Kelly Weinersmith 2017
3.94
6k+ ratings
Frankenstien (4)
by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley • 1818
A scientist creates life and recoils. His creature, abandoned and enraged, demands a reckoning.
3.91
1.9M+
Frankenstien (4) Summary
Frankenstien (4) 86%
A scientist creates life and recoils. His creature, abandoned and enraged, demands a reckoning.
by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 1818
3.91
1.9M+ ratings
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