Dmitry Orlov

This was a solid book, with moments of some surprising humor. However, it felt a bit slim after having just read two other deep and involved books about social collapse: the peak oil-focused Confronting Collapse and the environmental devastation-focused What We Leave Behind. There wasn't much in this that wasn't covered in greater detail in those two books. However, this does definitely have its moments (I really liked the "Adaptation" section) and it is a nice introduction and primer to social collapse. And it was interesting to see the collapse of the Soviet Union compared to the future collapse of the U.S.

I would recommend this as an intriguing and even at times entertaining introduction to the subject, but there are works of greater depth to be found elsewhere.… (mehr)

I am currently 88 pages into this latest book by Dmitry Orlov. I stumbled onto the slide deck presentation of "Reinventing Collapse" years ago, and from that moment on, was absolutely hooked by his subtle blend of analysis, thoughtfulness, wit, and blinding sarcasm.

To that end, this book so far will not disappoint. From the big picture, to small details, Orlov pulls together disparate bits of information in a way that no other analysts do, and in a way that is far more thoughtful and philosophical than most of the other doomer/collapseniks do.… (mehr)

A useful investigation into the idea of a sentient technosphere as a construct to understand the world as it comes through the peak of everything.

I felt the book suffered from a lack of concrete examples of ways to eliminate the influence of the technosphere from our lives, and would benefit from some stories from the community of smart people [author:Dmitry Orlov|1060522] has gathered around him.

I also found the scattered topics didn't form a cohesive approach to the central shrinking theme. Each topic loosely tied to the idea of technosphere, but ranged from lifestyle blocks in the Siberian outback, western meddling in Russian politics via Color Revolutions and the psychopathic behaviour of modern bureaucratic organisations.

Overall, I enjoyed the read. Orlov has a good no-nonsense voice that comes through in this book. It's a good addition to the literature of Peak Everything, although not the book I would give to someone as an introduction to those ideas.… (mehr)