THE NEW NEW THING

Michael Lewis's foray into Silicon Valley through a portrait of Netscape founder Jim Clark is an interesting look at one of the chief architects of the new economy and the collection of "geeks and billionaires" he calls friends. Tabbed as the book that does for Silicon Valley what LIAR'S POKER (another Lewis book) did for Wall Street, THE NEW NEW THING shows how brilliance can lead all at once to wonderful breakthroughs and ridiculous excess. Narrator Bruce Reizen does a commendable job of leading the listener through the lengthy look at a key pioneer in the Internet age, but the subject matter requires more than a passing interest in Silicon Valley to make it truly enjoyable. J.B.B. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 01]