Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Physiology

  • BIOCHEMISTRY For POETS LIVING In A CELL by Hari Hyde – Poetry Collections, Physiology, Nature Poetry

     

    Hari Hyde’s Biochemistry for Poets Living in a Cell encourages readers to reach beyond the scientific discourse and explore humanity through this collection of poems for creative intention.

    Written for lovers of science who enjoy poetry with a lyrical word play focused on all the interconnected workings of our physiology, these poems discover at the core of every one of us all the minutia of functions through the lens of a scientist. They create a conversation with the substructures that drive our nervous system as in, “Nerve Storm of GABA,” say, or our circulatory system, “L-asparaginase: Juggler in Bondage,” for example, or a virus such as the flu as it enters our body and proceeds to infect, as in “Influenza Virus Traitor.”

    This collection stands as a love poem that, within each vignette, explores the building blocks of what it is to be human, cell by cell.

    These poems meld science with poetic form in a way that only a talented scientist can achieve, and his mastery of both science and writing craft shine in this thoughtful assembly.

    Hyde’s latest collection of poems was written to explore the science behind what it means to be human beginning at the cellular level with “A Night in New Orleans with L10A Protein” and “The Inner Outpost of the Cell.”

    Hyde’s poems imagine the world at a subatomic level. He populates this world with actually occurring phenomena, as in “Microbiome Gangland,” or “Enzymes: Militant Maniacs.” Readers will enjoy the fun he has with his subject matter and witness his mastery in biotechnology shining through each stanza.

    Readers will see the poetic beauty in “Keratin, Fur, and Fun,” or the reality of aging in “The Heart’s Cold Clock.” Hyde’s expertise as poet coupled with his career as a research director in the biotechnology industry for three decades shines through each line as he explores the science behind the cellular structure of the average human as seen through the eyes of a poet.

    As a seasoned-published author, Hyde has honed his craft of short stories and poetry to deliver satisfying reads in several genres. This work will not disappoint. Fans of poetry, science, or fans of Hari Hyde himself will count this as another valuable addition to their collection. Five-Stars

     

  • OUR BRAIN by Hari Hyde – Satire, Absurdist Fiction, Adventure

     

    Our Brain, the first in a three-volume series, is an epic fantasy adventure in a bizarre, allegorical world.

    This world is ruled by Our Brain, also known as The Guv’ner, a huge pinkish mass seated in a mountain range that came about through the collective will of its people. It leaped into reality from the realm of thought. And the particular thoughts that birthed Our Brain were, in the novel’s language, to “ever grow and strengthen the righteous power of government to control our lives for the common good.”

    The people that benefit from this collective thinking are the Soose. Yes, pigs, but a mutated form that, while still loving mud baths, walk on their hind legs, go to college, and carry “snappers” or what we might call personal computers. Their opposite numbers are the Nags, descended from horses, who champion individualism and want to wipe out the collective sentiments of the ruling tribe.

    Four Nags hatch a plan to change the direction of Our Brain and create a world of their liking.

    The hero of the book, a Soose named Hennie Honeygate, sets out to discover their plan and, to his great surprise, finds himself following them inside the fleshy mass of Our Brain. Hennie and the Nags embark on a picaresque adventure.

    Be prepared to have an illustrated anatomy source at hand as Honeygate chases the villains through the neurological pathways. Portions of the brain take on personalities of their own, such as a demon named Obex, labeled here as the “fabled ruler of hell” in the mythology of the Soose. The obex, in anatomy, is a canal-like structure in the upper part of the brainstem that connects the fourth ventricle to the third.

    Our Brain offers political thought, social satire, and sheer nuttiness.

    This story will likely appeal to those with conservative political views. Readers will find fantasy adventure mingling with satire such as that of Orwell’s Animal Farm, Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and traces of George Will, Michael Crichton, and Terry Gilliam in these pages.