N Books

I bought this for my daughter and she loved it. The pictures along with the writing made it very easy for her to understand, but not "babyish". I would heartily recommend this book for people that have a genuine interest in ancient Egypt.

Did you know that there are chambers in the bottom of many temples that are still 'uncharted"? Neither did I. This is a great book.

This is a truely comprehensive reference book of the Valley and like others in the Thames and Hudson series is a must for scholars of Ancient Egypt. Excellent!

Excellent book, if you are interest in ancient egypt, read this book, you'll learn a lot of interesting facts about the valley of the kings, the pharaohs, etc..

It is the best book on the Valley of the Kings. In it you can find not just information but a treasure, a treasure showing the magnificent treasures of ancient Egypt.

This book was good. I couldn't wait to read the second on. Lisa and Chino knew they were wrong but hey that's how the story goes.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW BETRAYAL OF A HUSTLER IS FIRST READ THEN COMES THE SEQUEL. I LIKED THE SEQUEL WAY BETTER NOT TO SAY THAT THE 1ST ONE WASN'T GOOD. IT ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS I ASKED IN MY REVIEW WITH BETRAYAL OF A HUSTLER. I SWEAR THAT LISA IS DUMB AND I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW SHE GETS ALL THE GOOD MEN WITH HER WAYZ. THERE IS GOING TO BE A 3RD PART TO THIS TRILOGY AND I CANNOT WAIT BECAUSE SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN THIS ONE WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK IF U THOUGHT NOT TOO IT IS A MUST. GO COP THIS ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

very very good i'm a truck driver and the book was so good i was pulling over on the side of the road just to get in some reading it had me not wanting to put the book down excellent read

Chino Wells makes a grand re-entrance in A Dead Man's Vengeance to renew the love triangle that transcends into a full blown circle.

At the end of Betrayal of a Hustler, Chino is shot and left for dead. But his right hand man, Knees, wasn't haven' it, and Chino was nursed back to health and sent to recuperate in Virginia with his fam. Chino is back to reclaim his true love, Lisa, and his territory.

Since Chino's death, Lisa has tried to move on with her life with husband/doctor Chris and son Jordan. Lisa and Chris' lives are turned upside down when Chino returns and wreaks havoc on both their lives.

In the meantime, Jamaican drug lord Shark has joined forces with assassin Abu and his crew of killers. Shark and daughter Shantel have tried to get on with their lives after Shantel's mother, Shelly, was gunned down by Chino.

A Dead Man's Vengeance is a very suspenseful work of fiction that had me even more intrigued than it's predecessor. I look forward to the release of The Vendetta.

I really enjoyed this book and the sequel too. I hope to read more from this author

This book has moved to the rankings of one of my favorite books ever! It was so smart and witty...I couldn't put it down and I was so sad when it ended. These characters were fresh and fun, they were confident but still flawed, and they were so relatable.
Not once was a character described by skin color or something else trivial, this book actually made fun of books like that! It was such a refreshing and smart read, I would recommend it to any reading diva!

I am always looking for something new to read. The story line has to move me. I loved he story line and characters. I could not put this book down. I think every woman can relate to each of these women. I loved it and will recommend it to others.

FAB is the story of four friends who are trying to balance their careers while looking for love. Bianca has moved from New York to Hollywood as a television publicist, but finds her paycheck doesn't cover her lavish lifestyle, and she discovers the men in Hollywood don't follow her rules. Carolyn is a successful advertising executive; however, her love life isn't going so smoothly, and she has self-esteem issues that have her always belittling herself. Taylor is a corporate attorney who works six to seven days a week and can't find a man worth spending her time with until she meets Meschach. Finally, there is Roxanne, a struggling actress who has hit a standstill in her career and must take a break or lose her mind.

The four friends are fiercely loyal to one another and offer each other advice when things seem to be a bit rocky. The ladies must make some hard decisions in their personal and professional lives in order to find their true happiness. Bianca must hit rock bottom before realizing it is not about the name brands you are rocking, it is about being yourself. Carolyn must learn to love herself to find her true love, which happens to be closer than she realizes. Taylor must face her fears of rejection and learn to balance work and life by taking a leap of faith. Roxanne must undertake a small sabbatical to find her muse and reinvigorate her career.

As successful as these ladies are, they still harbor the same issues of most women as they maneuver in the dating world, searching for the right man. However, they know they can depend on each other no matter what and will be friends until the end. The quests to balance work and find Mr. Right makes for some witty moments between the ladies. The characters are easily relatable to most hardworking and successful African-American women. Their pain, hurt and eventual understanding makes them believable. Although the story is not fresh, since it centers on female friends searching for love, the approach with four different authors was. The writing was skillfully crafted where each character had a strong voice. My only issue with the story was at times there was too much narrative and not enough dialogue, which tended to slow the pace down a bit. When the dialogue was there, it brought out laugh-out-loud moments and kept me turning the pages. The authors have presented an engaging friendship story where the women have their pains and their struggles, but in the end they still have each other.

Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

This book was entertaining, hilarious, and extremely true to life for single women of all races. I could totally relate to all of those characters! I have been some of all of them at different times in my life. I read this book straight though and almost never put it down. It was so funny that I found myself laughing out loud, which I almost NEVER do when reading a novel...even if I find it funny! I would recommend this book to everyone!!! :-)

Honestly, the only thing that I didn't like was the title. To me, the title didn't really do the book justice.

It's a great, realistic story about four black women who want to live "the fabulous life," but do it by working hard and enjoying their time with their friends, as opposed to scheming or marrying rich. What a refreshing change! They all want the same things -- a successful career, good friends, unconditional love and support, and, to be happy in their own skin. Each character is struggling in a different way to find the right balance and perspective. They all have flaws, but wonderfully, they all know it, and they all try, in varying ways, to improve themselves and their lives.

Because the writing is so clever and interesting, all of this is clear without ever sounding trite, simplistic, or cheesy. The writing is clear and the plot never slows down. Even better, the plot isn't silly or outlandish. The writing is also VERY witty, and intelligent. (I know I said that already, but I really appreciate cleverness and wit.) It made me laugh out loud several times. I enjoyed all the characters and felt like I really got to know and understand them all. The characters are real and developed. I don't mean to sound so suprised, but even with books where I enjoy the plot, I am disappointed by the character development or the writing. FAB has it all. It's probably the best black "chick lit" that I have ever read.

If you are (or you know) an intelligent, fun, professional, independent black woman, read (or tell her to read) FAB.

I had grown so tired of being disappointed in cookie cutter novels about women and friendship. As if it were a hot topic du jour and authors were just jumping on the bandwagon. This was a GOOD BOOK. An unlikely friendship, humor, heartache and women finding themselves and their strength.
Ms Friddle has set a high standard for herself, I look forward to the next one.

if you are looking for something different , Mindy Fiddle does it in this story. Its an easy read, easy to follow characters and you feel a sense of being there with the story. It was fun to read and worth every penny.. dont miss out on this one .Nicole

In the Garden Angel - Ms. Friddle carefully weaves a story with intricate detail and character. She illustrates how people's lives are oftentimes multi-faceted, secretive and how relationships are compromised, stretched and redefined.

This is a story of a young woman seeking to keep her family's estate together, of another woman seeking to keep her husband, and theats that they both must overcome.

Ms. Friddle illustrates that life isn't always fair or just, that sometimes we are not dealt the best hand but that we must play the game with the cards that we have been given. We must learn how to make lemonade out of Lemons. And in essence to live a life in "San Souci" -- which in French means "Without (San) worry (Souci)".

Southerners will feel right at home with this quirky novel. Its eccentric characters could fit right into our own family scrapbooks, and its reverence for the past and suspicion of the encroaching future pose a conflict being played out across the length and breadth of Dixie-and might even be encapsulated in our ambivalence nowadays toward using the word "Dixie" as a synonym for the South.
Just outside of Palmetto, S.C., in the small town of Sans Souci, Cutter Johanson lives in a dilapidated mansion that houses the comforting ghosts of her ancestry. The urban sprawl of Palmetto, which is a thinly disguised Greenville, threatens to engulf the small town that has been home to Cutter's family for generations, but an even more immediate threat is that the death of Cutter's grandmother has brought the house up for sale. Desperate to keep the old home place, Cutter goes to great lengths to sabotage efforts to sell it, but she knows she is fighting a losing battle. Her sister Ginny, "the pretty one," and brother Barry, away in service, are eager to sell, and Cutter, though working two jobs, both menial, can not afford to buy them out.
Enter a kind of Delphic fate: Ginny, a college student, is having an affair with a teacher, Daniel Byers, and is pregnant by him. His aggrieved wife Elizabeth is an emotional cripple whose agoraphobia and panic attacks keep her a virtual prisoner in her home, significantly a run-of-the-mill subdivision ranch house. Not least, Elizabeth's main affliction is a husband so caring that he seems to have an unhealthy need for his wife to remain a cripple. Stir into that mix an anonymous telephone tip to the unsuspecting wife, and a solution to Cutter's problem that she could never have imagined is set in motion.
The attentive reader will see it coming when Elizabeth somehow manages to summon the strength to venture out and knock on the Johansons' front door. When Cutter answers the door, the die is cast: Two oddballs, one strong, one weak, come face to face, and the reader, recognizing their compatibility right away even if they don't, knows that they will wind up with each other when the dust has cleared-though in what arrangement is a nice, and logical, surprise.
The story of how all this happens is highly readable and, for the most part, deliciously written. Ms. Friddle's prose shines, especially with apt and poetic similes--but she comes awfully close to overdoing a good thing: Too many similes can be tiring and come across finally as the same artistic trick done too often to retain its freshness or, worse, as a kind of misdirection. Not for nothing did Gertrude Stein advise writers that in describing something it is usually better to say what a thing is than what it is like, i.e. "A rose is a rose is a rose."

Just finished reading The Garden Angel.....and really dragged out those final pages, because I didn't want it to end!
Wonderful debut novel with prose that flows, characters that made me feel like I knew them personally and Friddle displayed a terrific sense of place.
I highly recommend this novel and honestly have to say it's been ages since I enjoyed a story as much as this one. Down-to-earth and believable. Do yourself a favor and read this one. My only regret is I'm going to miss Cutter, Elizabeth, Alfred and the rest of the cast. Very much looking forward to Friddle's next novel.

I have read all the reviews and while I found this book to be interesting, it took awhile for me to get into the story. I did like how the author went from one characters story to the next. It took a long time to find out the main character Eliza's secret and then the book seemed to rush to the finish. Historically I am sure the book is accurate, but it did not seem like the depression years really affected the family. I also think there needed to be more of a romance between Gabe and Eliza. It was well written and worth reading, but it is a little slow at times and not Ms. Austin's best work.

The title first caught my attention as a TV Movie, that seemed like a nice, romantic story, along with plenty of struggles for characters of its historical time, and included Christian inspiration. In my search for the book - which I knew had to be better than the movie - I was happy to find out that Lynn Austin is an author of so many historical, Christian novels. I am close to the end of Hidden Places, and don't want to put it down. I can't decide who my favorite character is: Aunt Batty, Walter, Gabe, or Eliza. This book is full of struggles and hope. It shows how the characters keep their Faith in those difficulties of life.

I recently bought another one of Lynn Austin's titles. I love her style of historical, Christian fiction. I am hooked on Lynn Austin! Keep on writing! We're waiting for more!

This book was made into a Hallmark movie. The movie does not do this book justice. The book is much better and tells you things that are left out of the movie. The book is more in depth on the character relationships than the movie and gives you character background information. Excellent Read!

. . . and things not being what they seem. Lynn Austin weaves the consequences of bitterness, deceit into a satisfying tale of redemption and fresh starts. Lots of heart, some humor and a whole lot of trying to figure out why people do what they do.

This is an excellent book. I could not put it down! I loved the characters. I am new to Christian fiction and am finding it just as good as other fiction out there and a more wholesome read.

Yum! This book is great! Easy to follow. Check out the BBQ chicken. My parents came over for the first time for dinner (I'm a newly wed) and they ooohh and ahhhh over the BBQ chicken and wanted to know what I did. Anyways, I can't wait to try other recipes in the book! A must recipe book to own for busy or newly wed people like me!

I can't say how much we have enjoyed this cookbook. It inspired my son (older teenager) to actually learn how to cook and cook well. Instead of grabbing a hamburger, he now looks in this cookbook and makes something to eat at home. The recipes are healthy and tasty and easy to prepare.

Fantastic book for treating myself right with a tasty, healthy dinner a couple nights a week.

Has also put me at ease with a few practiced recipes that I am confident serving to dates.

Jen's approach makes it just as easy and fast to whip up a healthy personally crafted meal as it would have been to warm up some Stouffer's. A MUST OWN for anyone who needs a cook book.

This cookbook makes it possible to cook healthy, tasty food after you've worked all day and without any compromises. Jennifer is an extremely talented and inspiring writer and cook and unlike most cooks, knows nutrition! As a busy Mom herself, you can't get better advice on what pleases kids. This is not just a list of good healthy recipes (the wonton soup and fruit compote for example are fabulous), but unlike other cookbooks, she actually explains in her introduction professional cooks' best kept secrets and is an inspiration for maintaining the delight of being with your family for a simple, delicious home cooked meal. Say goodbye to those styrofoam take-out dinners, Jennifer shows you how to cook a healthier, cheaper meal in about the same time. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that there are so few pictures, but the layout and design are topnotch.

As a mother of two picky under 8-year old boys this cookbook has been a treasure. My kids enjoy helping whip these dinners, lunches and breakfasts up with me and on top of that they enjoy eating them also.
We now have banana pancakes with honey-butter for breakfast instead of the usual high fat, high sugar, low nutrient breakfast cereals. They enjoy sandwiches other than pb&j for lunch (and yes, they are no-trade lunches as the title of the chapter says!) with veggies and a little dipping sauce. Our dinners are not as stressful for me because Jennifer teaches you how to stalk your pantry so you can get home and answer that age-old question "What's for dinner?" in a matter of minutes by surveying your supplies. Jennifer's cookbook brings the fun back to the kitchen. Thank you!

Stanley,
Thank you for "Looker." The characters were as real as the pages and
paper on which they were written. Your knowing and seeing of Black gay Men's lives made the book a page turner. The tapestry of lust, love, pain, joy, anger, betrayal, safe hatred, sardonic sex, rage, crime, and bliss wove a tale reminiscent of what "real" Black gay men know to be our truths. Never before have had I read such a description of Black gay men living on the periphery of our community; while we exist in its midst.
Bran was a man undamaged by the gay experience, simply reluctant to love.

Most importantly you aptly connected the lives of varying generations
of "WE".
Love unrequited and finally realized and revealed. A love based on friendship. Wow!


Do it again,

Borris Powell
New York

This is no E Lynn Harris novel by any means but I must say it is well written, Engaging, Shocking, Real, and Exciting. My hat off to Stanley Bennet Clay. Thanks for giving us good quality fiction.

Well I must say. I enjoyed this book immensely.I didn't won't this book to end,hey clay what about a part two?????? You have another loyal fan,please keep the books coming.God bless you and much more success.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It kept me engaged and I couldn't put the book down until the end.

Stanley Bennett Clay is a masterful writer, but he's more than that. He is a wicked and compelling storyteller. With this his 3rd novel, SBC is at his best. The way that he so gingerly and brilliantly handles a myriad of characters--Omar, Brando, Shane, Dee, Mrs. Fant, Miss Zara, Eli, Vanessa and William and a few others AND their varied storylines--love unrequited, past pains and parental hurt, betrayal, bisexuality, without losing his stride OR his fire, is just commendable and makes for a wonderfully rich and page-turning read had me finishing off this morsel of a masterpiece in a matter of days! KUDOS AND ACCOLADES!!!

`To be in a state of unawareness is the highest goal for a carver,' whispers the master, his voice already lost in the wind.

Alyson Richman wrote an especially poetic debut novel and after reading The Mask Carver's Son, I can't imagine not reading every book she writes. Her delicate writing style softens tragedy and awakens beauty.

"On the days when her early departure left a coldness and an aching emptiness in their bed, he would rise minutes after her. He would walk toward their small paper window and slide it ever so slightly to one side. Just to watch her, if only for a moment, as she glided through the garden as ethereal as a ghost."

The detailed descriptions of Kiyoki's life are inspired by Meiji period artists and will be deeply appreciated by anyone who is inclined towards heightened aesthetic awareness. There is no need to be an artist to understand the emotions and longings of Kiyoki, but you may find yourself wishing to learn to paint or to enter this fascinating world where he lives and breathes beauty as if it is life itself. The scent of cedar wood lingers throughout the pages, as does the scent of fresh paint on a canvas and plums freshly plucked from a tree. Sorrow and love mingle effortlessly and create a bittersweet story of hope despite struggle.

As Kiyoki struggles with the ghosts of his past, he comes to terms with his place in the world as opposed to his ancestor's wishes and dreams for his life. The Mask Carver's Son is not only a story of an artist's life; it is a place you may wish to live. The writing leaves you feeling nostalgic for a world you can only access through this book. If you love stories like Memoirs of a Geisha, this story may intrigue you.

~The Rebecca Review

I can only describe this novel as lyrical; the language sets the tone for the entire tale. A young man struggles with the decision to persue his dream even though he feels it might be disrespectful to his foster father. The artistic talent he has is both a blessing and a curse and his personal relationships suffer because of that.
Ms. Richman's writing is crisp and ethereal at the same time and the reader is transported to another time and place that is almost palpable. Ignore the editorial spelling mistakes and enjoy this book for the art it is.

Actually, even every paragraph is stunning. This author, in a dynamic, sensual and sculpted first novel, manages to tell a page-turning story whose every sentence is beautiful. It's a book that should be read slowly and indulgently so that nothing is missed. The story's subject, among others, is art, and the prose almost reads as a series of tiny paintings, so vivid is the language and so powerful are the images. And in keeping with the tale's Japanese heritage, the prose sometimes reads as a series of haiku, so acute is the attention paid to singular moments and to essential objects and to the symbols that surround us in ordinary life. Especially as a first novel, the MCS overachieves, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

A friend of mine recommended this novel to me. Once I began reading it, I found it hard to put it down. Then, after reading it from cover to cover, after a few days I felt the urge to read it again. This was the first time in my life that I had ever done something like that. Reading "The Mask Carver's Son" the second time was even more rewarding and meaningful for me. The images in the book, as if painted by an artist, are exquisite and the story is told in a true Japanese manner. The emotions of the characters are carefully controlled, remaining under the surface. Yet, the story is a powerful one and one that is based on the real- life experiences of actual artists. Like other reviewers that have reviewed this book, I cannot believe that the author is not Japanese. Even more surprisingly, I found that the author is a young woman. She has written a novel of unbelievable beauty - perhaps better than any Japanese author might have created. I recommend it highly. It deserves six stars.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Kiyoki (the son of a great mask carver) forsakes his family history, duty, and lover for his painting, which he pursues in Paris. There's powerful stuff here about family betrayals and about art consuming one's life. I felt so much promise with the story, and yet it seemed to lack closure at the end of the novel. The family estrangements are (rightfully) unresolved, but I was expecting a different ending. Also, I noticed too many editorial errors which I found distracting.

The profile of my ENTP personality was right on. I found this book useful and interesting to understand my parenting strengths and struggles as well as those of other mothers I know.

I have been an accredited MBTI trainer for 6 years - but I have this daughter who's now 5 and she's, lets say, 'spirited'. I've read lots of parenting books but none have really hit the mark - because she's not bad and most of these assume 'difficult' children - even The Spirited Child! So I bought this book - blind - don't know anyone who has it or has read it.
For me the first part of the book was superfluous - it's about working out your style and whilst I understand the book has to do that for non-MBTI people - it's a little unfair for those of us that get it.
Then it gets into the analysis. My first surprise is that the author has a preference for 'T' - so do I.
I found the book interesting - first read. You can also put by the bed and read a bit each night - you don't need to devour at one sitting. The examples are great. There's one particular example that could have been written about me and my daughter - about sticky tape and sissors! and it was like wow - OMG - now I get it.
Has it made me change my parenting style - no, will it, probably not overall, has it helped me understand my daughter more - you bet!

If you are the mom who always has kleenex, a snack and a spare to share, fresh water bottles, a first aid kit, combs and hair accessories in your purse and glove box, if you bathe your children from 8 to 8:15 every night and you live by your calendar (which you never lose), you can still benefit from this book, which will help you understand your child who regularly forgets her coat at school and likes her room messy.

If you are the mom who looks at the clock at 6pm and says,"Oh crap, what am I going to make for dinner!", whose dining room table is too full of fun projects to actually allow you to serve dinner there, and whose kid gets a bath when they start to smell funny, this book is for you!

If you have tons of friends and your kid has few, or you like quiet time and your child needs to constantly be on the go, if you need lots of hugs but your child isn't interested, if your child color codes her sock drawer and you can't _find_ your sock drawer....this book is so for you.

You might not BE like most other moms, and you might still be doing a fantastic job as a mom! This book tells you how to leverage the strengths inherent in your mothering style...and there are strengths in _all_ of the styles, even the rare types.

Or your kids might not BE like other kids....here's some great insight into their styles and how to work with them...not change them.

The book has lots of practical ideas to bring harmony and joy to the family, but even if it didn't, it would be interesting all on its own.

Highly recommended.

This book was very helpful to me in understanding WHY I do things the way I do (for example, how I relate to my children). It also helped me to understand why my mom did/does things.

I was able to make a guess a my children's personality types (there is info in the book in how to do that) and found out that my daughter and I only share 1 letter out of 4 - no wonder I have a hard time understanding her! Taking our personality styles into account, I am better able to provide her with the emotional and physical attention that she wants and needs. I also try to focus on the strength we have in common and have been able to bond more easily.

I have loaned this book out three times already and have another person waiting - but I want to read it again first. I highly recommend it!

Ever since before I conceived my daughter, I have devoured parenting books by the score. Only a few have passed the "purchase test." (I borrow everything I read from the library, then decide whether I'll reread it enough times to want to own it.) Motherstyles is different from anything else I've come across. After reading ONE PAGE I purchased it on the spot. A few more pages and I was already laughing and crying, feeling deeply affirmed as a mother and energized by the powerful truths this book contains. Since first reading it cover-to-cover in a couple of days, I have referred to it several times a week for my own parenting and to share its insights with friends.

Ms. Penley has used her deep understanding of personality type to show every mother why she shines in certain areas and struggles in others. Motherstyles solves an amazing number of mysteries about why different mothers, kids, and people in general operate differently, as well as shedding light on family dynamics. The book "justified" for me certain strong needs I have as a mother--such as why I need daily solitude for my very sanity, while for many of my mother friends, a little time alone is simply a luxury that they can postpone if need be. So I'm meeting my needs more consistently--without guilt. I have stopped comparing myself to other mothers, instead embracing my personal style as a gift to my child. And everyone in my family is happier!

Mothers in our society are in an strange bind: At our fingertips is an unprecedented amount of theoretical knowledge about all that children need in order to thrive. Yet on the practical level, ONE person, with her very human strengths and limitations, is expected to provide it all . . . while socially isolated, sleep-deprived, and overwhelmed by the rest of life's demands. It would be funny if it weren't so serious. This book goes farther than any other to lighten the load of that impossible burden, empowering mothers to claim their own uniqueness as a vital part of their children's thriving.

Motherstyles has changed my world. Since reading it, I've been imagining a world in which every mother had a copy of it. It would be a world in which every mother was doing her very best parenting, her unique kind of parenting--while having fun and feeling plenty of ease and joy! A world in which every mother approached her children, her partner, other mothers, and herself with warm and deep understanding. A world in which every mother felt free to be fully herself. And THAT would give children what they truly need. I urge mothers, their partners, educators, and everyone who works with mothers to buy Motherstyles and help change the world!

Anyone who likes Larry Niven's work at all should be happy with this book.

From Tom Clancy's introduction, along with others by co-authors and editors, through all the stories - and this basically includes his best work of all (Inconstant Moon and All the Myriad Ways), along with some other good stories. In fact, even with the excerpt scores averaging almost 3.50.

Even the excerpts are well done, the fun scene from Ringworld a good choice, for example.

Throughout, Niven offers commentary, and non-fiction pieces include an extensive look at how they put together the setting for The Mote In God's Eye, and also a piece outlining plans to write something that would satirise Known Space as all a hoax.

Then at the end a few thoughts and an advice paper apparently that he and some other writers, including Pournell did for some political body or other.

I'd probably call this a 4.25 I think.

N-Space : excerpt from World of Ptavvs - Larry Niven
N-Space : Bordered in Black - Larry Niven
N-Space : Convergent Series [short story] - Larry Niven
N-Space : All the Myriad Ways [short story] - Larry Niven
N-Space : excerpt from A Gift from Earth - Larry Niven
N-Space : For a Foggy Night - Larry Niven
N-Space : The Meddler - Larry Niven
N-Space : Passerby - Larry Niven
N-Space : excerpt from Ringworld - Larry Niven
N-Space : The Fourth Profession - Larry Niven
N-Space : Inconstant Moon [short story] - Larry Niven
N-Space : What Can You Say about Chocolate Covered Manhole Covers? - Larry Niven
N-Space : Cloak of Anarchy - Larry Niven
N-Space : excerpt from Protector - Larry Niven
N-Space : The Hole Man [short story] - Larry Niven
N-Space : Night on Mispec Moor - Larry Niven
N-Space : Flare Time - Larry Niven
N-Space : The Locusts - Larry Niven and Steven Barnes
N-Space : excerpt from The Mote in God's Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
N-Space : Mote Lite - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
N-Space : Brenda - Larry Niven
N-Space : The Return of William Proxmire - Larry Niven
N-Space : The Tale of the Jinni and the Sisters - Larry Niven
N-Space : Madness Has Its Place - Larry Niven
N-Space : The Kiteman - Larry Niven


She puffs on Pluto.

3 out of 5


Overcee project farm people find.

3 out of 5


Demon summoming time limit Atom solution.

3.5 out of 5


Murder maybe multiverse.

4.5 out of 5


Slowboat reservation.

3 out of 5


Vaguely lost.

3 out of 5


PI no Martian Manhunter.

3.5 out of 5


A specially adapted ramscoop ship pilot gets in trouble in space, when he sees a large golden alien humanoid. He finds himself rescued and transported 12 light years instantaneously back to Earth.

3.5 out of 5


Various biffo, with or without laser beams.

3.5 out of 5


Alien alcohol test case quad pill investigation.

3.5 out of 5


Really lunary weather we're having.

4.5 out of 5


Strange party alien trip.

3 out of 5


Free Park experiment not bright.

4 out of 5


Three stage dude adjustment.

3 out of 5


Quantum black hole is ridiculous overkill.

3.5 out of 5


Offworld mercenary Cabell nightwalker Spectrum Cure.

4 out of 5


Fuxed up entertainment production mission.

3.5 out of 5


Monkey kid form peak.

4 out of 5


Abandon ship, the little bastiches have weapons.

3.5 out of 5


Hey! That looks different.

3.5 out of 5


Sauron attacks Dagon City. Who'd like to see that?

3.5 out of 5


Heinlein time alteration.

3.5 out of 5


Harem sneaky story.

3 out of 5


ARM to schizo arm.

3.5 out of 5


Flying lessons.

3 out of 5

This book is at the top of my "If I were stranded on a desert island..." list. I don't love everything Niven's ever written, but this sampler has something for everyone. This isn't just the best of Niven, it's some of the best SF written in the last 40 years. What's also nice is the inclusion of hard-to-find stories like "For A Foggy Night" and the non-fiction slice of life stuff. NSpace, Playgrounds of the Mind, and the later Scatterbrain provide an unparalleled look at the career of one of SFs greats. If you read no other science fiction this decade, read these books.

I purchased "N-Space" and its sequel "Playgrounds Of The Mind" in summer of 1992, totally unaware of who Larry Niven was, or that he already had such a lengthy history in the science fiction community. At that point (my first year in college) I had not read a lot of SF beyond the confines of Star Trek novels; save the space opera of W. Michael Gear and the military SF of Chris Bunch & Allan Cole. I didn't even really know what 'hard' science fiction was, and picked up "N-Space" and "Playgrounds Of The Mind" because I was pining for something different--perhaps more challenging?

Oh boy, did I ever get my wish! I soon discovered that "N-Space" is not a straightforward science fiction novel, but rather a mega-compilation of short stories, novellas, and outtakes from novels, spanning Niven's (apparently) decades-spanning SF career. I spent the fall and winter of 1992 totally falling in love with Niven's various universes, and the characters that inhabit them. Moreover, I fell in love with the 'hard' aspect of Niven's work, which compared to the space opera I had been previously reading, was rigorously rooted in the realities of physics and science. I was enchanted by the idea that you could stick to real science (mostly) and still tell amazing and adventurous science fiction stories. In fact, much of Niven's hard SF ranks superior to a great deal of softer material precisely because of its 'realistic' flavor. The generic, and often rubbery gadgets and technology of softer fare is religiously replaced in Niven's work by concrete extrapolations, based on what we understand about the universe in the present time.

Now, with that in mind, I would caution younger or less experienced readers, where "N-Space" is concerned. Especially since the book is not a novel unto itself, it's easy to get lost or distracted in this book. So many different ideas, concepts, times, places, and characters, are all hurled at you at once. If you're not ready to hang on for the ride, you're liable to get thrown off! Thus, if you're brand new to science fiction, or if you were like I was, and only familiar with media SF or military/opera, you need to understand that "N-Space" is a very different kind of book that gives a very different kind of read.

Still, Niven has enormous talent, not just for telling hard SF stories, but for telling them with wit, insight into character, and not just a little humour. His imagination when it comes to world-creation is dazzling, and his alien races and places are some of the most memorable I have ever read. Like a smorgasbord, "N-Space" gives us a healthy portion from virtually all of Larry's playgrounds, both well known and obscure. By the time I was done with "N-Space" I launched voraciously into "Playgrounds Of The Mind", which is essentially the second half of "N-Space"; the two books serving as the first and second parts of one, giant collection.

I've since gone on to explore the majority of the works that "N-Space" touches upon, and after a decade of consuming Niven I consider him to be, perhaps, my all-time favorite SF writer. "N-Space" is not his best single work, it is the best from his best, and as such, makes an outstanding primer for anyone who has never read Niven, but wants to becoming broadly and deliciously acquainted with his work.

At one time the term "science fiction" caused eyebrows to raise. "Isn't that reading for losers who can't relate to others well?" Larry Niven is one of the authors who forever changed the way SF is perceived, one whose fiction emphasizes science without cutting short on any of the tools of your typical brilliant writer of fiction. This gives us well-sculpted characters, even in the shortest of stories, with eye-opening and theoretically sound scientific concepts, plot twists, and remarkable endings. Satisfying story after satisfying story.

What's unique about this collection isn't that it includes a foreward with comments by other authors and fans, or that the author comments on each piece within the collection. Those are commonplace. But in Niven's world, he likes to let you into his world in a special way, perhaps by dishing some dirt on an SF mag who rejected a story that turned out to win a Hugo, etc. He openly questions his finished product, saying that "Today I'd write this story differently," etc. As if we could lift the lid on his cranium and step inside for a moment, seeing how the stories are crafted. Very interesting.

Not as interesting as the work, however, another unique thing about this collection: Not only short stories are collected here, many of which only appeared in one issue of some now-defunct SF mag or other, dating back to the mid 1960s upward to 1990 when this book was first published. He also includes essays, such as an unforgettable commentary on the problems Superman would have if he tried to mate with Lois Lane, as well as excerpts from his published novels at the time. A terrific sampler of a terrific author, whose early-70s work "Ringworld" stands as one of the most brilliant works of speculative fiction of all time. Intelligentsia still debates the validity of its scientific assumptions, and while even Niven admits that most of these have been disproven, how many SF works do you know that sparked so much debate while still being so widely admired?

Niven is far, far beyond any alien shoot-em-up author. This ain't "Star Trek." This is real scientific fiction told by a natural storyteller who loves what he does. We readers love him for it.

I am a lapsed Niven fan having discovered him in the late '70s as a kid. Something spurred me to buy N-Space as a way to rediscover what I cherished about his unique mix of hard sci-fi and realistic human emotion.
Thank goodness! When I was done I had to immediately start picking up where I left off with "The Mote in God's Eye" and I look forward to re-reading treasures like "Footfall." Perhaps I'll just start at the beginning and work my way up? :)