Review of The Final Keystone
Posted: 17 Mar 2024, 01:06
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Final Keystone" by John Kevin Crowley.]
"The Final Keystone" is one of two books authored by John Kevin Crowley. In all honesty, upon reading the synopsis and viewing the cover, I didn't expect much. I was promptly reminded not to judge a book by its cover. This has to be one of my favorite findings on this website. "The Final Keystone" is a brief recollection of human history, starting with the Greeks all the way to the advent of modern government structures. It consists of two chapters, the first of which explores historic events, including the First World War and the spread of Roman Catholic beliefs, while the second chapter examines the value of history to the collective human consciousness.
Crowley poured his soul into this book and it's evident from the extensive research done to create it. The table of contents alone gave me something to look forward to. Its presentation reminded me of a dissertation with how well-structured and simple it was. The bibliography had a similar feel since it contained headings for each topic and followed the classic APA (American Psychological Association) citation style. I browsed through it only momentarily, but it was easy to see that all the references were cited from respectable sources, such as Oxford and Harvard. Most publications date back to the 1900s, which was a given considering the topics at hand. Crowley provided a lot of valid support for his arguments due to these sources. The bibliography spanned an impressive 44 pages.
The writing style is another point worthy of discussion. Crowley's writing style was very sophisticated and succinct. He covered the vital aspects of history in detail without overusing archaic words. To add to that, the author's application of literary devices was very balanced. It was adequate enough to get me engaged, despite my dispassion for history. Crowley also investigated counterarguments during his examination of various topics in Chapter 2. This chapter was where the writing expanded beyond exposition and leaned more toward descriptive language. I enjoyed how introspective the writing was here and I appreciated Crowley's ability to form linkages between the multifaceted concepts and pop culture classics, such as The Wizard of Oz, Homer's works, Shakespeare's plays and, once, even Star Wars.
Furthermore, the book wasn't too lengthy. Compared to many books with similar subjects, "The Final Keystone" did not drone on about the details nor did it attempt to vilify any side of the narrative. There was no right or wrong. It embraced a philosophical and historical grayness by presenting nuanced perspectives without outright moral judgments or clear delineations of right or wrong. This was very commendable since many books of this genre struggle with bias. I reread many paragraphs in this book because of how profound I found them. With that said, I adored the delivery of this book, and I'm inclined to reread "The Final Keystone" this very instant to study Crowley's writing technique.
Moreover, this book contained no explicit content. There was one instance of possible profanity; however, due to the context, it may not be considered egregious. As for the editing, I only found a handful of mistakes. Most of these errors were minor, consisting mainly of missing commas and periods. Some could be stylistic in nature.
Overall, there was nothing I disliked about the book; hence, I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. "The Final Keystone" was short, and I think it would be perfect for historical aficionados.
******
The Final Keystone
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"The Final Keystone" is one of two books authored by John Kevin Crowley. In all honesty, upon reading the synopsis and viewing the cover, I didn't expect much. I was promptly reminded not to judge a book by its cover. This has to be one of my favorite findings on this website. "The Final Keystone" is a brief recollection of human history, starting with the Greeks all the way to the advent of modern government structures. It consists of two chapters, the first of which explores historic events, including the First World War and the spread of Roman Catholic beliefs, while the second chapter examines the value of history to the collective human consciousness.
Crowley poured his soul into this book and it's evident from the extensive research done to create it. The table of contents alone gave me something to look forward to. Its presentation reminded me of a dissertation with how well-structured and simple it was. The bibliography had a similar feel since it contained headings for each topic and followed the classic APA (American Psychological Association) citation style. I browsed through it only momentarily, but it was easy to see that all the references were cited from respectable sources, such as Oxford and Harvard. Most publications date back to the 1900s, which was a given considering the topics at hand. Crowley provided a lot of valid support for his arguments due to these sources. The bibliography spanned an impressive 44 pages.
The writing style is another point worthy of discussion. Crowley's writing style was very sophisticated and succinct. He covered the vital aspects of history in detail without overusing archaic words. To add to that, the author's application of literary devices was very balanced. It was adequate enough to get me engaged, despite my dispassion for history. Crowley also investigated counterarguments during his examination of various topics in Chapter 2. This chapter was where the writing expanded beyond exposition and leaned more toward descriptive language. I enjoyed how introspective the writing was here and I appreciated Crowley's ability to form linkages between the multifaceted concepts and pop culture classics, such as The Wizard of Oz, Homer's works, Shakespeare's plays and, once, even Star Wars.
Furthermore, the book wasn't too lengthy. Compared to many books with similar subjects, "The Final Keystone" did not drone on about the details nor did it attempt to vilify any side of the narrative. There was no right or wrong. It embraced a philosophical and historical grayness by presenting nuanced perspectives without outright moral judgments or clear delineations of right or wrong. This was very commendable since many books of this genre struggle with bias. I reread many paragraphs in this book because of how profound I found them. With that said, I adored the delivery of this book, and I'm inclined to reread "The Final Keystone" this very instant to study Crowley's writing technique.
Moreover, this book contained no explicit content. There was one instance of possible profanity; however, due to the context, it may not be considered egregious. As for the editing, I only found a handful of mistakes. Most of these errors were minor, consisting mainly of missing commas and periods. Some could be stylistic in nature.
Overall, there was nothing I disliked about the book; hence, I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. "The Final Keystone" was short, and I think it would be perfect for historical aficionados.
******
The Final Keystone
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
