Reviews
If I could give half stars, I would give this book 3.5. I enjoyed it but it wasn't quite good enough to warrant 4 stars. When I first started listening, I got really excited to learn that the author was determined to stick to strict chronology. For a biography this makes so much sense. I'm pleased to report that aside from a few necessary deviations, Seifer stuck to a strictly chronological narrative. I think I enjoyed this book more than I would have otherwise because I'm a huge fan of the Syfy shows Eureka and Warehouse 13. Those shows make so many allusions to Tesla and his contemporaries and they also get those references (for the most part) right. While I did not mind the more technical portions of the narrative devoted to Tesla'a inventions and breakthroughs, I know that some might find the specificity off-putting. One thing that bothered me was the lack of quotation designation. This probably is due in large part to the fact that I read the book as an audiobook. Listening made it hard to distinguish between quote and narrative. Also, some of the transitions in Tesla's life are unclear in the book. I must give the disclaimer that it may have been due to inattention on my part though the books is a little fuzzy at some points. One other pet peeve that drove me nuts was the author's far too frequent use of the word "utilize" instead of use. A history professor drilled that dislike (grammatical error actually) into me years ago and it still sticks. :) I did enjoy the book despite the British narrators awkward American accent and would recommend it to anyone how wants to learn about one of the greatest inventors of all time.
