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Wennermark's stark, haunting imagery and stirring, inventive cadences ("Beat with bottles. Broken bottles jammed in their mouths. Broken teeth and torn mouths.") grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you, simultaneously rattling your guts, your heart, and your brain.

One gets the experience of entering a totally new literary universe, and if this is disorienting at first, the deeper you delve and the closer you read the more richly you are rewarded, as subtle stylistic flourishes begin to emerge and passages of pure, unadulterated brilliance pop off the page:

"Now. This was the time of death. This was no time. In her mind, the long dull beat of the present infected with past. / A long sit by the corpse."

"Be kind to the servants for they provide the foundation upon which our empire rests. Canon fodder is an ugly term. Recall the pyramid is the most stable shape, broad and tall."

The same is true for the sublteties and nuances of character and plot, which grab you and hold you rapt (or, to use Mr. Wennermark's own device, hold you imprisoned) the more you allow yourself to be swept away by Wennermark's scintillating prose. Rarely is a reader given the opportunity to be simultaneously engaged, challenged, and inspired in so thorough a manner.

the author could have explained more about the Falun Dong situation to draw the reader into the world he was creating; instead, he distanced me. I could hardly get through this excerpt since I met no one in it that i wanted to read more about. Too disjointed, too distant, too story-less for me.

This excerpt of Erik Wennermark's novel "I am Falun Gong" gets your attention from the beginning. The writing itself is very clear, very direct, wonderful turns of phrase, yet has a mysterious and haunting quality as it moves the reader back and forth from what may have happened in the past to what may or may not be taking place in the present. The narrative is laced with politics and history yet in a way that seems mystical at times. The Oriental backdrop is nicely captured. At a minimum, having read the excerpt, you really want to know where this is going and what message the author is weaving for the reader. It promises to be an interesting one.

Erik Wennermark's voice is unique in this excerpt about a young Falun Gong refugee. This is a beautifully-crafted and very intense piece by a talented writer, reminiscent of works by Louise Erdrich.

Judging from this excerpt Erik is a wordsmith of considerable power and mastery. I couldn't pull myself away. Great stylistic control, vivid imagery. The reader is mesmerized into a mindset that is alien to most Westerners yet utterly believable and poignant and chilling. Great work!

In "Mining Sacred Ground," David Knop delivers full helpings of character, plot and nuanced human interaction in an economical narrative that lurches swiftly ahead into a violent, narcotic, desert nightscape. You can't help but feel the dirt under the nails of a flawed and sympathetic protagonist as well as the harsh burn of whiskey that's as antithetical to this hero's cause as it seems necessary to his character and (we hope) eventual redemption. There is a bit of a magical effect at work here. The reader is pushed forward at an extreme pace into a place where few would choose to enter and yet these pages turn effortlessly. There's no going back, just an involuntarily headlong plunge into a reality more reminiscent of David Lynch's "Blue Velvet," with which Mr. Knop's work seems to share an ethos, than of Tony Hillerman's "Coyote Waits," which just happens to reside in the same geographic space. In a few short pages, the story's main plot line and seeds of secondary complications appear well into development. My greatest hope moving forward is for a level of story complexity that matches the vivid, inspired quality of the uninhabitable but vital world Mr. Knop has created with these deft initial strokes.

Just a small taste of what appears to be tantalizing fare. Author Knop cleverly introduces us to Romero, a hard headed, hard drinking egg averse cop. The start of a riveting tale with vivid and descriptive prose. I want the whole story David.

What strikes me most about David Knop's Mining Sacred Ground is the authenticity of his characters and the Arizona setting. The sharpness of the detail given in the story makes its people and places come alive.

Mr. Knop has an interesting, descriptive writing style that captivated me from the first page and had me wishing for more. In reading this I was reminded of works by Tony Hillerman: similar settings with a Native-American as the protagonist. In my opinion though, Mr. Knop's writing is faster-paced with a better command of the English language. I hope someday to learn how Romero solves the case and his personal problems.

I want to know more about Sal, about Romero, the bikers, the Apaches, and why Romero's wife stays with him. How do the bikers fit in? Did they (the bikers,) assassinate Sal? What's the connection with the Corps and Quantico? Will putting the assassins spent casing in a plastic bag as opposed to a paper bag influence the outcome of the investigation? What drives Romero other than friendship? In thirteen short pages, the author has grabbed my attention, piqued my curiosity and as I turned the page at two in the morning, pissed me off because there is not more grit to chew on. I want more.

From the opening of this new work, I was really intrigued about why something as common as mayonnaise would figure so prominently, and by the time that I got a few pages further into the novel, reading about the chicken magnate, I was hooked. Vailes has created a situation, though seemingly mundane, that would potentially have enormous impact upon our lives. The premise is quite unusual; the characters are well-developed in a few pages, and I can't wait to read the rest of this book. I'll never take mayonnaise for granted again.

The characters in this novel were so enthralling and so well developed that I am hungering to learn more about their lives! This is the kind of novel that hooks you in very early on so that you will not want to put the book down until you're at the end. The story is zany and fun. Looking at how changes in our world impact the lives of certain characters makes you think more deeply about what's going on around us. I highly recommend this novel!

What a find. J.D. Vailes is an original voice, comic with substance. I'll never think of mayonnaise the same way again. Or chickens! Can't wait to read the rest of the novel and more of what this author has to offer.

I got the same kind of dizzying feeling from reading this introductory chunk as I did when I started to read Michael Chabon's, "The Yiddish Policeman's Union": This author has a powerful affection for the power of the language. My kind of writer.

Is this the next Kaye Gibbons with a modernist bent? I believe the author must be a woman to have so clearly captured the two single women here, but he/she could just as easily be a city slicker turned chicken farmer or a businessman writing a confessional, fictional memoir. Very, very convincing voice.

Sentences dazzle and pull me quickly along the grand strand of humor of a world suddenly without mayonnaise and chickens. By the end of this excerpt I was believing big time and some amount worried for our world.

Now that I'm into the story, I have the uneasy feeling I ought to stock up on mayonnaise for my bomb shelter. Maybe keep one jar back so I can learn to like the stuff. Does anybody know if you have to refrigerate mayonnaise?

And chickens. Wouldn't it make sense for everybody to start keeping chickens, at least a rooster or two and a few hens, enough to keep them from becoming extinct? Chickens as a threatened species -- what an imagination.

What a delightful discovery: this author. Can't wait to find out why he/she has decided to call the book "Moon".

I cannot wait to read the rest of this book! I was intrigued right from the first line. The writer's use of the word pendulum as a description of the earth made me think of time, because I immediately visualized an old grandfather clock with its pendulum barely hanging on as it swung back and forth, and thought how clever the writer was to use that imagery!

The characters are interesting and plausible and their descriptions were so visually vivid that it was uncanny how I automatically got a picture in my mind of the character in the television advertisements that I see for a famous chicken company while I was reading about the character Rufus!

I also liked the humorous style of starting off with the quest to find mayonnaise, because it had me thinking "Why?" and I therefore found myself drawn into each character and each storyline. I enjoyed how instead of starting with the chicken story, and then proceeding to the eggs and then the mayo, the writer chose to lead us backwards in a kind of CSI method. Each subplot introduces the reader to another subplot as the reader backtracks the origin of the crisis as new characters are introduced in each subplot. Each subplot has a clue to the next subplot, and a clue to the next character. It makes your imagination wonder how each new character and event will connect. It is shows a clever usage of connecting events, because the mayo crisis connects to the eggs crisis, which connects to the chicken crisis, which connects to the issue of genetical engineering. What a witty style of presenting and interweaving the story by the writer, which is a refreshing method of avoiding the usual drab plot layouts.

This is a phenomenal book for PS use - I'm sorry I had already bought other books. I'll probably never look at those other books again, and will end up selling them.

I was skeptical of getting a CS3 book since most of the ones I've perused were a bit much, relying on adept knowledge on CS2. This book, however, has been so easy to read and understand, I can't put it down!
It has a wealth of how-tos and information on effective photoshop CS3 editing. Highly recommended!

As a web designer I've been using Photoshop professionally for years. I've also worked on lots of photographs, both my own and those I've gotten from clients. I don't need a how to book on layers, cropping and levels. I've got a good understanding of the basic Photoshop tools, and have benefitted from Scott Kelby's Photoshop CS for Photographers. But Kelby's book is a recipe book both useful and well presented, but I want more.

What I want to do now is take my own photography to another level. Past a certain point, improving becomes less a matter of collecting tricks and recipes and more a matter of learning the entire workflow from experts. For that a basic how-to cookbook is no longer of much use to me. I could probably spend a lot of time working out a good workflow and set of procedures through trial and error, but why not take advantage of the experience of those who have already taken the art of nature photography editing to a high place?

Enter Photoshop CS3 for Nature Photographers. As one reviewer has stated, much of the introductory Photoshop material is covered in other books, but not in quite the same way. Photoshop has many tools, each of which has many settings and options. It's perfectly possible to be familiar with one tool or filter in one context and not realize that it can be used in combination with another tool to achieve a completely different result. I once read that when Einstein proposed his theory of relativity maybe three people in the world understood it. I wonder if more than three people in the world completely understand all of what can be done with Photoshop. What I was looking for and found here is an expansion of my Photoshop horizons, a deeper exploration of the art and science of nature photography and photo editing.

Anon and Grey offer an excellent look over the shoulder of experts in both practice of nature photography and in the use of Photoshop as a digital darkroom. I can't emphasize strongly enough how helpful that approach is for someone who has some Photoshop chops or who has used the program for another end and who wants to get great results with nature photos. Their workflow is time tested and produces excellent results

And nature photograph editing benefits from following a slightly different approach from that of product photography, with which I have some experience, portraiture, photojournalism and so on. Again, I'm struck with how specific and helpful the presented workflow, and the mindset that using such a workflow creates is. And placing editing in context with a specific photographic goal informs my picture taking too.

I recommend this book to anybody interested in nature photography who has at least some experience with Photoshop, though a dedicate beginner could work through the introductory phases with this volume. For someone who has used Photoshop in another context and wants to expand into the nature photography realm this book is brilliant.

I gave this book as a gift, so I am quoting the recipient:
"The book gives a clear, well-written overview of both basic and advanced photoshop techniques geared toward editing nature photographs. One of the strenghts of the book is that it presents the differing views and techniques of two seasoned and highly skilled photographers. The explanations are clear, and the book proceeds logically through the various steps associated with the tools and features of photoshop CS3. A special treat are the beautiful photographs that illustrate the techniques discussed in the book. The methods presented by the authors are not necessarily limited to nature photography, and can be applied to a broad range of photographic subject matter. Very highly recommended."

I bought this book based on several positive reviews and also because of the focus on "nature photography". I was not displeased with it, but I was kind of disappointed. Most of the techniques given were stuff that could be found in almost any of the "how-to" books on Photoshop. Mostly it was just workflow, and workflow for nature photography vs other types of photography is not so different that a whole book can (or should) be written about it. On the bright side, I did pick up a couple of tips and techniques that I hadn't seen in other books. I was also pleased to note that the authors drew a distinction between documentary nature photography and nature photography to "make a pretty picture". They feel that so long as the photograph is not said to be representational of a moment in time, there's nothing wrong with compositing and modifying it to make it more aesthetically pleasing or artistic. Some of the resulting compositions are fabulous, and capture the "mood" of a scene beautifully. Since most readers of this book are likely to be shooting for their own pleasure primarily, this was good information.

Bottom line - if you have other Photoshop CS3 "how-to" books, you can pass this up, as there's virtually nothing that hasn't been told many times over. But, if you're fairly new to PS, focus primarily on landscape and/or nature, and are only going to invest in a couple of "how-to" books, then go ahead and get this one.

I submitted my manuscript before I realized that it was a draft. During the past three months, I've substantially deepened Rachel as well as the plot of the book and I'm still working on my revisions. The manuscript I submitted is no longer the novel I'm writing, so I am withdrawing it from the contest. There is no way to contact Amazon to make this official, so this post is the best I can do. Thank you.

We all dream of making a difference. Jennifer Haupt's Rachel takes action so she can do just that, and finds herself along the way. Haupt is a great writer who understands the need to rediscover compassion, for others and for ourselves. A great read with real heart!

Jennifer Haupt is on to something here...a great story and a great career as a fiction writer!

The conflicts created when a young New Yorker comes to Africa for the first time could bear fruit, but I was left shrugging by the savorless prose and the plodding pace. It read like a reworking of someone's diary, leaving out the juiciest bits. Some of the descriptions were serviceable. Here is the protagonist entering Nairobi airport: "Rachel felt dizzy as she took in the dark-skinned people in brightly colored tunics and turbans flowing past her in all directions. The low rumblings of foreign syllables filled the air, punctuated by the universal language of the high-pitched laughter and cries of children." But one feels both that there could be sharper looking, and a slight ickiness at that "universal language."

Talk about a clash of cultures - a high-powered New Yorker, newly fired, heading into Rwanda to learn about compassion. This book had me hooked from page one. Can't wait to find out what Rachel discovers in Africa.

A very well-written variety of domestic fiction with good descriptions and realistic dialogue. Very simple moments such as Alison getting teary over a 30 second romantic commercial are subtle yet affective in portraying delicate sentiments.

This excerpt reminds me of A. Manette Ansay in style, and seems to have the potential to become as popular as her Vinegar Hill!

A teasing opening to a novel that engrosses from the start. Alison is about to go on the run and we're not sure why. It's as if the past has swept back over her and exerted a pull she's helpless to resist. The Atlantic presents a divide that's both literal and metaphorical. It separates the Old World from the New in every sense.

Mary McCluskey's prose is sensitive and controlled. Character and setting are strongly delineated in these early chapters. The novel's structure is lean and unfussy and scenes are deftly set up.

I want to read more.

Mary Mccluskey has crafted a wonderful opening to her novel, with a smart pace and subtle complexity. She opens with Alison trying to conceal something from her partner. It appears her caution is based more on guilt and fear than need, for Jake is a paradigm of self-absorption. Behind it all is the death of her childhood friend (Maya), which serves as both catalyst and excuse for Alison's separation from Jake. The plot is further thickened in that Alison had carried a secret torch in her youth for Matt, Maya's brother, who will obviously be at the funeral. And finally, there is Alison reuniting with her family across the pond, with all the joy, remembrance, and baggage such encounters inevitably carry. Within this framework, one can only guess at the multiple paths that will be presented to Alison. And it is all fleshed out with crisp, sharp writing. I can only hope that Mary's work receives the attention it deserves.

In these first few pages, Mary McCluskey paints, with a few deft and clear strokes, the portrait of a woman in a troubled marriage and with the weight of an old secret hovering over her. We know from the first few sentences that we are in the hands of an accomplished storyteller and that we are about to journey into the heart of this narrator as she unlocks her past and exposes her secrets to us. This is the way to begin a novel. I look forward to reading more of this.

Ms. McCluskey has drawn a dark portrait of a complex set of interrelationships in settings as diverse as a home in the Hollywood hills--complete with a marriage gone south--to the dank greenery of a churchyard in the United Kingdom. The descriptions are spot on; the suggestions are irresistible.

The author deftly establishes settings and introduces her characters, then grabs her readers by their lapels and yanks them into her arresting narrative. She herself is nowhere evident, never a piece of furniture for this reader to trip over.

I eagerly await the full story of Alison Stuart and the steamy adventures of the entire cast.

If you are a fan of the Pirates Movies this is a must have book! The art work in this book is amazing how they show them bringing the characters from conception art work to the big screen. Some truly amazing pictures in this book very vivid like you walked into the film. Love the Book and would highly recommend it.

This is a fantastic book! I can't say enough about how well this book was put together. It's oversided quite like the "Book of Codes" from the movie with splendid artwork throughout. Needless to say I am quite pleased. If you enjoy great production artwork this volume is for you.

This Product/ Purchase was very satisfactory. The book came on time as specified at the time of purchase. The descriptions at the time of purchase made the decision to buy this item very easy, as it assured me that this was what I was looking for. There were not only detailed descriptions of what was inside the book, there was also examples of some of the images inside the book, giving a preview of what to expect. The only suggestion/ concern I had with this purchase was that the packaging could have protected the book more than it did, as when it arrived there were a few slight mishaps when the book encountered the sides of the box on a rough delivery. Other than that I am happy with the purchase.

I bought this book, "The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean" for myself for Christmas, to add to my ever growing "Pirates of the Caribbean" collection. It's the perfect coffee table book; big, bold and loaded with beautiful photos of artistry and magic, and this book shows us "how" the magic was brewed to create what we know now as "The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy". Being an artist myself I can really appreciate the creative genius and the blood, sweat, and tears that this collective collaboration represents. Tons of work went into not only each character's development, but also that of the props, locations, etc., and you can see it all just by turning the book's pages. "The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean" book is magnificent addition to my collection and a proud representation of the hard work and talent of those who contributed to the movies...Bravo!

I'm one of the artists featured in the book. I have to say this is one book that I'm proud to have my name attached. Too often "Art of" books smack of kissing up to the producers and above the line folks. This is an "art of" book that doesn't lie. It's just a bunch of art. Period. Thanks to Jon Rogers at Disney for putting this together.

It seems that a charismatic multi-billionaire is up to something. He's established a research facility in a remote area, staffed by scientists who share unlikely characteristics. No one who works there has living parents, spouses, or children, and none of them have any genetically passed on diseases. The same billionaire summons another batch of diverse experts, with, we can safely assume, similar attributes. Surely something big is afoot.

I had two problems with the excerpt. First, the initial tension in the story is entirely contrived. The pull is "What weird thing has Jan discovered?" Though the POV character is Jan herself, and she's obsessed with her latest discovery, it takes several pages and lots of meandering before the shared trait of deceased parents is revealed. Maintaining tension by refusing to reveal to the reader something which is well-known to the POV character is a cheap trick, and doesn't bode well for the rest of the plot.

Beyond that, the characters are thinly distinguished. The most distinct one is "Vandy" and that's only because of his resemblance to Abraham Lincoln. I couldn't say what his personality is like. The other characters are even more bland. This, despite plentiful details about each character's history. Their attributes read like biographical data. They don't come to life, though this may be more of a problem with the length of the excerpt. Perhaps they would be more individual later.

The writing was fine. I would certainly read more, but if I came across any more contrived, information-hiding plot tricks, I'd be very annoyed.

I started reading The Eden Proposition late one evening and could hardly put it down, finishing it two evenings later. Much like my previous favorite favorite novel, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, I found myself completely drawn in to the book's startling premise. It is riveting, thought provoking, and unique. Mr Dahl has a vivid imagination, combined with some very sophisticated knowledge of a variety of pursuits including bio-engineering, computer technology, telecommunications, the CDC, politics, medicine, northwest US geography, and sailing. These are combined to create a work that asks an "absurd and frightening question" that is both chilling and believable. This is a novel that needs to be published.

If you're a business traveler, this is the perfect way to survive a delay. You'll be completely absorbed and free of the usual irritations of bad air, bad food, and bad seats. Then again, the possibility of the premise, might make you want to keep your sanitary wipes handy.

Can't wait for the sequel!

Anger, intrigue, loathing, fear and finally, hope are all part of The Eden Proposition emotional roller coaster. This is typically not the genre of book that I would read but I have to say that if I had not read it, I would have missed something extraordinary. The scenarios brought to life by Mr. Dahl are both horrific and fascinating. The Eden Proposition brings to life the moral question, I can but does that mean I should? A perfect book for pure reading enjoyment as well as lively and emotional discussion. I loved it and cannot wait for the sequel.

I have read The Eden Proposition, and rather than repeat the high praises of the other reviewers (with which I enthusiastically agree), I thought I'd comment on the Publishers Weekly (PW) review I just read.

The PW review reads (to me) like it could have been written in my own early English literature college major days when I definitely did not fully understand the concept of genre and when I probably hadn't read the entire assignment. In other words, the PW review seriously misses the mark. Mr. Dahl wrote a thinkingperson's thriller, a plot-driven medical page-turner in the mold of Michael Crichton. I don't think he had any intention of being the next Cormac McCarthy.

Yes, I do read all of the thriller writers, Follet, Clancy, Ludlum, Crichton, etc. I assert without reservation that Mr. Dahl's work is at least as good as any of them - even better in several new and refreshing ways. I just flat out reject the notion that the characters in The Eden Proposition are not well developed - they are, as most of the other reviewers already have emphasized.

To me, the idea that the PW reviewer(s) became confused by the plot could be a strong indication that they speed-read or skimmed rather than read the book. The plot is indeed intricate, and full of twists, but it is not confusing, not if one actually reads the book.

I would urge whomever judges this contest to pay close and careful attention to the other reviews to date (as of 1/25/08). I agree with all of them. They tell the true story. And, there is one way to prove this - read the book!

I find the book "Fundamentals of digital logic and microcomputer design" very useful. I am a Cal Poly student, and took a few courses from Professor Rafiquzzaman. He is an excellent professor. It seems to me that the unproffesional comments by the other Cal Poly student are motivated. He probably took Professor Rafiquzzaman's class and received a bad grade. You should go through the book yourself and make your own judgements. The topics in the book are presented in a very simplified way. It's easy to understand. The CD included in the 5th edition is very handy. I am sure once you go through the book, you will know what I mean.

The content of this is easy for user to understand, and there always an examply in the theory. The author also combine Verilog in this book, so the student can understand Digital Logic efficiently before they can start Verilog. This will help most student understand the content of both Digital Logic and Verilog.

I haven't read this book, but from the reviews it seems that this book and the author are abnormal.

Makes understanding the subject simplistic. It tells you what you need to know and tries not to confuse you with all the other garbage some Digital Logic and Microprocessor Design books have in them. I also took a couple of courses with the author and I know that this guy has had a lot of experience with what he writes. He has written training material for certain companies in the industry. I recommended another book that he also wrote, "Preparing for an Outstanding Career in Computers," because he refers to this book in his courses and usually uses the examples from this book as a supplement to the class.

The first half of this book does an excellent job of teaching the background information needed for digital design. Unfortunately, the CPU-specific sections that follow are badly out of date. The author spends altogether too much time describing the 8086 and its family of (ISA-bus-specific) support chips -- devices that are almost never used anymore. It needs to be revised to talk about current technology.

Trent's motivation to become a good agent is interesting. The father and son connection is a classic one, and a man trying to live up to his father's legacy has the potential to be a compelling character.

There is some nice description of the CTC office, and I liked Trent's surprise that it was nothing special, just another cube farm like that of any other major business.

I didn't like that twice after Trent entered the office he describes people talking but we don't get to hear their conversations. Obviously Trent was close enough to hear what McIlvaine was saying on the phone, and what Liz was saying as she entered the office, but all we get is a description of their body language and the fact that they were saying something, which presents to me the mental picture of a television on mute. If people are saying something and Trent is in the room, I want to know what they are saying, as their words could give me a better idea of these characters' personalities.

The description of the Himmel case was interesting and presents some good backstory of how this agency operates.

The interaction between Else and Juergen was also interesting, as was Juergen's idea for a plot against the Americans, although having Germans at the heart of a plot to detonate a nuclear bomb didn't make as much sense to me as if it had been members of a less stable nation.

This story was an easy read, with some characters who might end up being compelling once the story gets rolling. I'm not sure, thus far, if it has anything that makes it stand out from the scores of other similar spy novels already out there, though.

Finally. Having read some of Mr.Pendergrass' shorter works in Writers of the Future and Horror Library, I was hopeful for a full novel. While I've only seen the first 3 chapters, I am eager to read the rest. The settings read true in both Langley and Berlin. Likewise, the characters smell real.

The Kraus Rendition by T. Pendgrass opens with newly minted CIA agent, Trent Stark, grabbing a cuppa Joe at Starbucks. He's following in his father's footsteps, and is an overachiever (at a young age) with the hope of living up to his father's legacy.

The excerpt presents a variety of significant characters, as the foundation for the story is set.

Jim McIlvaine, CIA veteran, is Trent's boss. Liz Perkins is a petite, young (but appears five years older), thin associate to Trent. Priscilla (Cilla) Talbot, in her mid 50's, is Chief of Operations for the Counterterrorist center, with the personality of a New England school marm.

We also get an introduction to Else Kraus, cold blooded killer with the RSF and mother(?) along with Juergen, an grossly obese German politician. The 'bad guy' motive for the story is laid out: have Else and her crew cause a nuclear 'accident' on a US military base--killing thousands of Americans and Germans--so as to leave room to advance an ultra-nationalist, socialist political agenda.

That's where I was a little stumped.

While I enjoyed the general easy-read feel to this story, with all the basic elements for a good spy-suspense novel, I found the motives of the antagonists to be outdated for the period the story is set in. Not that there weren't folks out there trying to push this kind of agenda, but this motive is not likely to sync when readers think 2000.

If this was set in 1990, prehaps, it would be more believable. But even in 2000 there were more likely terrorist concerns than a resurgent communist era radical group.

Other reviewers pointed out a need for editing and I have to agree, though nothing major given the non-complicated feel to the story. Mostly there were issues of detail continuity. ~E.G. early on Trent crumples his paper cup, then three paragraphs later drinks from it. Little things.

Overall, the feel of the writing is very similar to that of other popular spy-suspense novelists. By this I mean this author is adept at producing a plausible and enjoyable story with relatively believable characters. The 'story', though, is definitely the star of the show.

As a little kid, Trent Stark knew he was going to work for the CIA like his father. He even learned to tell lies about his father's work.

He really didn't know what kind of man his father was, but he clearly has a legend's shoes to fill. He graduated top of his class, foregoing a social life to do so, and now he's on his first day of the job working counter-terrorism.

Meanwhile, in Germany, terrorists are planning on discrediting the US by detonating a nuclear weapon on a US Army base in Germany.

Oh, this is promising. We've got a young agent out to live up to his name and an old threat ready to put into effect the final gambit. Characters, place description, are all good. The writing's pro. If the excerpt is any indication, we have a spy thriller in the grand old tradition.

Congratulations to Tom Pendergrass on his ABNA Top 100 win on this excellent excerpt.

A taut beginning, to what is obviously a suspenseful thriller, is set in the dangerous world of Counterterrorism. The main character is Trent Stark, and he has just completed his training from the agency. Set to embark on his first assignment, the author leads the reader into the offices of his new superiors, and his first mission.

The author does a wonderful job setting up the sterile world of governmental agencies, and he begins the novel with a plot twist involving a terrorist that has disappeared right under their noses. A chance encounter with a fellow officer could develop into a romance later on, but early in the narrative, the author develops a suspenseful plot, and draws the reader in.

Reminiscent of popular contemporary thrillers, The Kraus Rendition is one of those novels that you feel like you can't put down for fear that something exciting will happen next and you will miss it! I found myself wanting to know more by the end of the excerpt and that is the mark of an excellent story.

Putting this squarely in my top ten, I found it to be both gripping and suspenseful. This author did an outstanding job setting up the characters, and the situation surrounding them. If this book were published, I would definitely buy it. It is one of those stories that grabs your attention and holds on, and would be a perfect read for a rainy night, or a day at the beach. Great job!