THE RADIANT INVENTORY. Dewdney, Christopher. Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1988. 105pp. paper. $9.95, ISBN 0-7710-2699-4. CIP Grades 11 and up/Ages 16 and up Reviewed by Sandy Atwal Volume 17 Number 3 1989 May The Radiant Inventory is Christopher Dewdney's eleventh book and one of the most enlightening books I have ever read. Dewdney juxtaposes science and nature to produce a piece of art that is stimulating to the senses. The poems are sometimes turned into battles between the idealist and the realist, with the words being the weapons. Thus, Dewdney's style is sometimes shocking, sometimes personal, but always brilliant. The book is divided into five sections. The first, called The Secular Grail." contains thirteen poems and concentrates mainly on nature. The second part, "Equivocal Mercies." is a seven-poem section, which has more of its content devoted to science. The third section, "Log Entries," enters an abstract kingdom where Dewdney is king. The poems in this section are descriptions of everyday life; however, mixed in are several highly scientific words that create a strange world at once alien and familiar, at once Dewdney and our selves. "Standard Entries" is a thirteen-poem section that seems to be governed by a more staccato type of style that changes the tone of the book. The poems are often humorous, sarcastic and satirical, aimed at society and its conventions. This part of the book contains two of my favourite selections, both under the same title, "Knowledge of Neurophysiology as Defence against Attack." The title is self-explanatory. “The Genealogy of Spring" is the largest section in the book, containing fourteen poems. Poems such as "Desert of Light" and "Covenant and Closure" show that Dewdney is not limited to comparisons and contrasts of nature and science, but that he can focus on what one with impressive results. This constant comparison of nature and science, which are so obviously one and the same, will never end; the conclusion will always be a tie. Sandy Atwal, Galt Collegiate Institute, Cambridge, Ont.