Q Books

This book is required reading for freshman in our high school. This version is very hard to read due to the Old English style of writing.

Silas Marner / 0-553-21229-X

Silas Marner always invariably compares in my mind to Dicken's Scrooge. In the height of his youth, healthy, happy, and in love, he is betrayed, cast down, and taught the 'lesson' that only the criminal and avaricious get ahead in life. Banished to a new town, he abandons all attempts to connect with the society around him and instead focuses on hoarding his wealth carefully, counting his money lovingly in the evenings. When the money simply disappears one day, stolen by a burglar, Silas is crushed. Only the arrival of an "angel" - a little orphan girl with golden curls on her head - saves him, and starts him down the long road to redemption. Given something to love, Silas flourishes and learns to join the society of people.

The local nobility, Cass, serves as a perfect counterpoint to Silas' lessons. Cass is rescued in one fell swoop from all his burdens - his inconvenient lower class wife dies suddenly clearing the way for his 'true love' and noble girlfriend, his illegitimate child is adopted by Silas, and his blackmailing brother disappears into the snow for good - and yet, Cass is doomed to a life of disappointment. His perfect upper class wife Nancy cannot bear children, and their perfect home is turned into a silent as the two simply age (they do not grow) and they find that they never really loved each other after all. When Cass realizes, too late, what a treasure his daughter would have been in his life, he finds himself rejected as the girl prefers her adoptive father to the natural one who would not claim her. And though the girl marries below her father's level of nobility, she marries a good man who loves and appreciates her, and her future seems much more rosy than that of her upper class 'parents'.

I am one of the former students who long ago was forced to read this rot for a HS english class. I can not think of a book that would be of less interest to a teen age american boy than this one. All the reviewers who praise this book make me wonder about what else they read. It was beyond boring and had no possible points of reference to me. There are literally thousands of British novels that would be better choices. If you are going to assign students a British Novel pick one that at least they would enjoy reading. Thank god I liked to read or after this experience I would probably not read anything for years. I hope to god that this is no longer assigned or rather forced reading for HS. When there are books like 1984 or Brave New World available why use one that has so little possible interest to students.

George Eliot is the best woman author I've ever read. She had God-given talent that you or I, no matter how much we read, no matter how much we write, could not consciously replicate. She had something which can't be taught, a kernel of genius hidden somewhere in the brain, which was allowed to express itself...to our collective benefit.

Silas Marner, while not perfect, is something recognizably special--a book with lingering phrases, a book with extraordinary insight, a book that instates the reader with the feeling that the author knows what the hell she is doing. It's a book that matters.

I know what you are afraid of: you are afraid this book will be a bloated succession of tea parties and persiflage with mutton-chopped vicars. No fear: the plot is credibly organic, and moves along briskly, wrapping itself up in just over two-hundred pages. It should hold your interest so that you can discover the ten or so gem-sentences dispersed throughout. Sentences that are not just airtight, but that meld with your mind, and cause an "Aha!" reaction. You know what I'm talking about.

Perhaps the most convincing signal I can offer of my sincere regard for her abilities is the fact that I'll now seek out her other works...something I can't say about Virginia Woolf, for instance, whose literary inferiority to Eliot I would take as axiomatic. (Ironic, isn't it--or maybe not--that feminists seem to esteem Woolf more highly than Eliot?)

Silas Marner is a skillfully crafted novel to be enjoyed by readers with varied tastes. It was written by a woman, who found it necessary to use a man's name because of attitudes in England in the nineteenth century. It is built around problems that all of us face in our lives, such as, "How important is money?" As in all great novels, the characters change as the plot develops.

SILAS MARNER is a realistic novel because it portrays life in a real and believable fashion. The author, Mary Ann Evans, who used the pen name, George Eliot, pays careful attention to a few distinguishing details about here characters and settings.

For example, we can see Silas Marner, the central character of the novel, with his pale skin and undersized body. We know how he looks with his large, near-sighted, bulging eyes. We can see the important-looking village of Raveloe, which lives peacefully in opulent neglect.

When I was a teacher, I directed many high school sophomores to read SILAS MARNER. Most students dreaded reading the novel included in their literature textbooks. Once they met Silas and spent enough time with him to become acquainted with his unique personality, they became eager readers of this well-crafted classic.

It has some of the same qualities that made Pride and Prejudice (Vintage Classics) an endearing and enduring novel. In both works, the idyllic English countryside is an enjoyable escape from everyday life. There is romantic courtship in both, but the romance of SILAS MARNER is not the central theme; therefore it is not as compelling as that in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Since the readers are not required to become obsessed with yearning for romantic fulfillment, young guys who were in my class felt free to enjoy it. (Sixteen year old young men are still self-conscious about these matters.) Both books contain the same kind of satire buffered with compassion. In both novels we laugh with the local rural and village people. Because the language in SILAS MARNER is less complex, adolescent readers enjoy it more than they do PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

When as a student I first read SILAS MARNER in high school and when I read it with my students, I considered the coincidences plot weaknesses. Life doesn't work that way, I thought. Now that I have experienced a life of incredible coincidences, I no longer find anything in the book unbelievable. Events caused by Silas Marner's catalepsy seemed unlikely, but now they represent no problem.

Theft with its resulting bitterness provides conflict with which the readers can identify. Earlier I found it difficult to believe that the lightning of theft could strike twice, but that part of the plot is one more realistic element now. Other twists and turns with their ironic mysteries are typical of human life as I have lived it.

All the parts of the novel that seemed to be a contrived fairy tale are now a vignette of life. Even if I could not believe it all, the book would still break my heart the way Forrest Gump does with its twists and turns of satirical accounts.

When I enjoyed SILAS MARNER in my twenties with thirty teenagers at a time, I did not notice the shaping of Silas' religious beliefs as much as I do now. I remember that the students and I were indignant about the way Silas was duped by the evil church members at Lantern Yard. Now I have compassion for them, especially William, as well as for Silas.

Mary Ann Evans showed the futility of idolatry. All my students understood the disaster of worshiping money. If I could return to my students, I would like to ask them what they thought of the villagers who seemed to rely on the habits of their church to bring them close to God. Could we discuss that in the 21st century? I feel sure we would discuss the addiction to narcotics as it is realistically portrayed.

SILAS MARNER is a great English novel not difficult to read, but rich in insights. It shows what is evil and what is good in human hearts.

Enjoyed Kill the Messenger so I read this. Good, twisty story, but dark. For those who read mysteries/thrillers for fun, as I do, too dark. For others, interesting plot lines. Kovak was very "poor me" but that was consistent with his realization of the emptiness of his non-work life and his wise-cracking nature.

As opposed to Michael Connely's ECHO PARK ** (the last murder mystery I read), Tami Hoag's DUST TO DUST exhibits the writing of a woman's human touch. Hoag fleshes out her protagonists' personal lives (Kovac and Liska), the history and lives of those characters involved with the crimes all interconnect (Savard, Wyatt, Andy & Mike Fallon, Thorne), and an element of love factors into the crimes. Hoag demonstrates a knack for setting the scene in Minnesota surpassing Connelly's ECHO PARK and her prose also seems to follow at a higher level. Although Hoag seems comfortable writing 44 year-old Detective Sam Kovac and he bears many similarities to Connelly's Harry Bosch (married to the job, old, lonely, bulldog-like after a mystery), I liked Connelly's Bosch much better. Connelly spares us the repeated reminders of his protagonist's loneliness -- quit whining and do something about it already if you want someone in your life, Kovac! I can't say I enjoyed DUST TO DUST as the human element here stunts the mystery and suspense (Connely built the suspense and mystery much better). With the exception of bailing out Kovac in near-death situations more than once, Liska's character and angle in this book with the Curtis case seemed extraneous. Kovac's partner 32 year-old single mom Nikki "Tinks" Liska resembled the token kick-butt chick archetype who simply doesn't need anyone's help like Kovac needs her constant help. Liska even disposes of an iron-pumped 200-pound-plus baddie at the end mostly by herself. The final chapter shifts between Kovac and Liska in short passages and it was a little melodramatic, trying to inappropriately add tension and action to a book mostly about tortured characters disbelievingly all interconnected by circumstance and tragedy. The book never really grips until we read a tortured Amanda Savard's perspective more than 120 pages into this 354-page hardcover. And then of course we don't really hear much from Savard afterwards as the book prepares for a very sad denouement. Although I have to admire Hoag for the markedly sad ending, I don't have to like it. The lack of an engaging suspense and mystery confounds my problems with the novel.

Hoag lingers on her characters' loneliness quite a bit, and I found it tiring. A humor which clearly aims to shroud hidden vulnerabilities -- especially tough-chick humor from Liska -- didn't help the reading experience. Thirty-two year-old single mom Nikki Liska obviously finds herself still attracted to her cheating ex-husband. Despite her tough-chick demeanor, ASHES TO ASHES repeatedly mentions Liska's vulnerability and of course she dons an insensate exterior around her gorgeous ex-husband Speed to discourage him. The book reminds us again and again that Liska's 44 year-old partner Sam Kovac is lonely, only having an estranged daughter to show for his two failed marriages. An older, retired cop's desolate solitude (Mike Fallon) magnifies Kovac's loneliness and he sees himself in the bitter, lonely Mike Fallon down the line: alone at home, sitting in front of a tv and eating a tv dinner. Kovac wallows in self-pity and loneliness quite a bit, even after his involvement with Savard. Okay we get it, they're lonely, even though both Liska and Kovac are more than capable of doing something about their lonely condition, they mope around about it tirelessly. Even though Hiaasen's Mick Stranahan in SKIN TIGHT (**) was divorced 5 times, he's content living out in a stilt house off the coasts of South Florida by himself. That was much more believable than Sam Kovac's feminine moping around.

Anyhow, the Hoag fails to build the suspense and I lost my interest numerous times during the novel (beginning 100 pages and the final 250 pages or so). The constant reminders of Kovac's loneliness crowned by the sad ending really clinched my overall dissatisfaction with the novel. I really didn't care who was the killer...

Tami Hoag has evolved into a writer that doesn't feel obligated to give you a a fuzzy warm ending. She writes for the sake of the story.

The characters in Dust to Dust are believable and likeable whether they're the good or bad guys. In fact, some of her bad guys are so well crafted that becomes the hook to keep the pages turning. This book delivers smart detectives that don't go doing stupid things that frustrates readers. These characters behave consistent to how they are developed and overall the story unfolds logically, piece by piece. Since many have synopsized the story before me I'll just add that the book built nicely to its end.

IMO this bk. wasn't as suspenseful as some of her other books. There just wasn't much suspense & if there would have been more, I would have liked it more. The characters, plot & mystery, however were good.

Some people might not like the ending (it isn't happy). What bothered me about this bk. was the side plot/assault investigation. I kept waiting for the assault case to somehow be connected to the murder cases, however it never was.

In search of a new author, I ordered Dust to Dust. I was only able to make it to page 7. There was more unacceptable language in the first 6 pages than any other 3 books combined that I have ever read.

This book is in my wastebasket, not to be passed on. Sorry.

Our hero Gulliver and his wife could use some counseling. It seems that every time he plops down on the sofa with his better-half and children, Gulliver gets restless and needs to go have another adventure. (Did they have sofas back then? If not, how did people crash out in front of their TV sets?) And he lives in idyllic old England, go figure!

Each time he does this (gets the traveling jones) he hops aboard some ship, tantamount to suicide in those days, eats salted meat and spoiled porridge for a few weeks, months or years, (unless there is a Chili's or Olive Garden nearby along the way--but he always seems to forget his coupons,) generally shipwrecks and sooner or later encounters some bizarre form of intelligent life in whatever fairyland he has found for himself this time, in whatever chapter of the book he happens to be sojourning in at this particular intersection of the time-space continuum.

Usually he is held captive, and then embosomed or exploited by whoever the freaks of nature are this time around, invariably escapes and by a series of miracles eventually finds his way home again, only to discover the same boring wife and children at the hearth waiting patiently despite the years that have passed without so much as a text message.

Along the way we are treated to Swift's amazing writing, great humor, wit and stellar imagination. Highly recommended, but it takes a bit of work to get through the whole thing.

I am quickly becoming a fan of the Dover Thrift editions of classic literature. They are well-made, sturdy, and a great bargain. All of them that I have bought and assigned to my students have been $2.50. What can you buy for $2.50 anymore? Now you can have an entire library of unabridged classics at a more than reasonable rate.

Jonathan Swift's "Gullivers Travels" is no exception to the rule. This brilliant 18th century satire endures to our times. Swift, in turns, attacks (in his subversive way) makind's vanities, follies, cruelties, and morals. The floating island crushing the lower island is still, to my mind, the best attack on England's merciless domination of Ireland.

Some readers think: "I've heard so much about this book, but I didn't think it was so great." Certainly, our expectations about something that is considered a classic may outweigh the book itself. Please put aside whatever you might have heard and approach this book with an open mind. You will see it for the monument of English literature that it is.

Rocco Dormarunno
College of New Rochelle

Europe in the 17th and 18th century was much like Latin America in the 20th century, a place where direct criticisms of those in power can be lethal, if not fatal. As a result, those with opinions to voice often do so by writing tales of fiction that parallel events and characters in the real world. Some of these tales have gone on to become great works in Western Literature. One example is this children's classic by Jonathan Swift; Gulliver's Travels. Set in fictional places and filled with fictional characters, this book tells the story of Gulliver, a ship's surgeon who experiences adventures beyond anyone's belief. By chance and accident, he is transported from one place to another, and at each point, he encounters a society that at first, is utterly different from his own. But upon closer inspection, the characteristics of each place are exaggerations of actual circumstances found in actual societies. In each place, he also describes his own world to the locals, who in turn are amazed, astounded, and sometimes disgusted by what they hear.

One example is when Gulliver arrives on the land of the Houyhnhnms, and the Yahoos they tolerate in their midst. The Yahoos are dirty, greedy, sedentary, and spend their time squabbling amongst themselves and digging along riverbanks for shiny stones. The Houyhnhnms on the other hand, are clean, upright, and roam free through the countryside. Such a story reminds one of the dichotomy between white settlers and Native Americans in North America. The latter roamed free throughout the countryside, and were known to bath themselves quite often. The former, however, rarely bathed, often fought amongst themselves, and spent a lot of time and effort digging for shiny stones that many of the natives found useless.

Another example is the war between the Lilliputs and the Blefuscu. This war, as the King of Lilliput tells Gulliver, has been going on so long that nobody remembers how it started, who started it, or what they are fighting for. This sounds quite similar to the never-ending wars between France and England throughout the 2nd millenia AD. And so the parallels and allusions go.

All told, this is one of the great works of English literature. The book combines sharp wit, irony, adventure, high drama, and some action into a great story of learning new things, meeeting new people, and coming to understand yourself better in the process.

Gulliver's Travels is not a children's fantasy written by an avuncular Englishman. This book, instead, is a searing indictment of the human race written by a brilliant satirist and misanthrope. The Lilliput episode is most clearly inscribed in the public consciousness, perhaps because it is the least overtly damning of the human species. By the end of the book, however, when Gulliver is forced to leave the equine utopia of the Houyhnhnms, the utter perfidy of humanity is laid bare without compunction. (And it is still as true and applicable to today's societies as it was three-hundred years ago.) No one likes being criticized, especially when guilty of the offense, and Swift is unsparing in his condemnation of our collective culpability. (He makes provision for the goodness of the individual, though, such as the Portuguese ship's captain.) One of the ten best books I've ever read.

A proper critical account of Swift's text would exceed by far the space given here. As someone doing scholarly work on Gulliver's Travels, I would merely like to point out that Mr. Rivero's edition is a bit confusing. For some reason, he has decided that it was a good idea to move the letter prefacing the text to the end (which, as the "Advertisement" itself says should be "prefixed" to the volume). The critical apparatus is truly commonsensical, and at times, reduces the novel to a sad, straightforward allegory. One would only wish that the criticism section were as interesting as it is extensive. All this said, there is nothing violently "wrong" with this edition.

If you are a teacher, I would look into buying another audio version of Romeo and Juliet. I have been using it as a tool to get the students to hear professional actors and to then ask them to use the same skills those professional actors use (inflection, emphasis, etc.) The problem is it is VERY difficult to hear...to the point that you have to sit 3 feet away to hear it at times. This simply does not work for a classroom.

The notes that John Andrews gives on all the Everyman Shakespeare editions that he edits are fabulous. I think his editions are the most user friendly for any actor, student, director and teacher. Some publishing house should get Mr. Andrews to do all the plays.

Poor Romeo.

Watching Romeo meander his way through the play is like tailgating a drunk driver. At any moment he could crash, and in the end he overcorrects his assumptions by swallowing the poison, and in some ways his death must be a relief to his troubled mind.

Romeo's status in the story changes with nearly every scene, whether by his own doing or by an external entity. However, his circumstance reflects in almost every case his willingness to succumb to his passions. From his love of Rosalind to his love for Juliet to his exile, he is a bundle of nerves. Taking a time out would slow the pace, and instead Shakespeare quickens it by transplanting Romeo's moment of joy with Juliet with a moment of action and consequence: the death of Mercutio.

Giving Romeo the chance to be happy might damage his character. A great tragedy yet today. What makes it great is that the basic storyline pulls everyone in, and once the story captures, we can start to appreciate the minor characters, like Capulet and the Nurse.

What a boring love story - I wasn't impressed. Bizarre plot, long tedious read.

Caution Scalawags: May Cause Pulmonary Failure!, July 29, 2004
Reviewer: Professor Emeritus Percy Q. Johnstone (Darkest India) - See all my
reviews
Yes dear reader, it is I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone. As you may have
divined, as Professor Emeritus of American Literature, I am well versed with
dramatic writings from our sister nation, England. Now, many of you are
unfamiliar with the work, as William Shakespeare is relatively unknown in
the bumpkin-ridden land you call "The Colonies". However, you
lucky few will discover a goldmine of quotes such as "Alack, Alack,
Alack" and other favorites. But I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone,
diverge. Yes yes. For those of you who wish to pursue the god-given purpose
of the most noble art of teaching American Literature, you must be familiar
with the works of Shakespeare. As you are stupid, and not a professor, like
I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone, you undoubtedly do not understand, but no
matter. The story of "Romeo and Juliet" is simple. it opens in a
court yard in Venice where the political rebels, Pyramus and Thisbe are
plotting to overthrow the evil fascist government (oh how I, Professor
Emeritus Johnstone know that feeling. I confess, dear reader, that once I,
Professor Emeritus Johnstone, lived in America until government stooges
exiled me to darkest India for poliical subterfuge. Suberfuge! Bah!). Alas,
Lord Capulet's men break into the meeting and arrest poor Pyramus and
Thisbe, casting them into the darkest dungeon. Ah, but fortune smiles on our
two heroes, for in the cell next to them are the "Star-burned
lovers" Romeo and Juliet, who were imprisoned for plotting to overthrow
the evil Capulet. Together, they escape the prison, kill all the
fascist-swine guards, and blow up the prison, bringing us, dear reader,
rather neatly to the end of Act I.
Act II opens in Lord Montague's (Lord Capulet's chief of security) hall,
where he has just made posters offering 5000 marks for the heads of the four
rebels. Enter the villain (mustache and all) Tybalt (cousin to Count Paris)
the bounty-hunter. Tybalt, in a scene that moved even I, Professor Emeritus
Johnstone, gives a heartrending "soliliquy" in which he mourns on
he pain of killing those whose politico agendas you support. Thus ends Act
II. In Act III, we find...ROMEO WORKING FOR LORD CAPULET! He has become a
traitorous lap-dog to the very system he despises (oh reader, how I,
Professor Emeritus Johnstone, know this feeling!). Pyramus and his rebel
army storm the palace, and in the final scene, Pyramus kills his traitorous
lover, Romeo, driving a dagger through his jugular...only to find out that
Romeo was a spy. Pyramus then jumps out the highest tower in penance to end
the play.
Genius. Every potential collegiate scamp should read this edition, for it
has a preface by one of the greatest scholars of our age...none other than
I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone.
Hark, I hear my Biddy calling me to gruel and morning prayers. As Hamlet
said, "Adieu Fair Readers!"

Bitterly,
--Professor Emeritus Percy Q. Johnstone

When I saw the title of this book, "I, Q", I thought to myself, here we go again. Now, who would want to read such an obviously self-centered egomaniacally titled book about an alien being, who believes he is Omniscent.

Well, let me answer myself - people like me!

But to say I was pleased upon reading it would be a slight under-statement. As a matter of fact, the book achieves a kind of satisfaction in phantasmogria that I've not read in quite some time.

The End of Everything - that's how Q addresses the pivotal event in the book time and again, and that's what I'll stick to - is at hand. The End of Everything, not just the present, but of the past, of the future, of this universe and all the parallel universes that might be out there - Everything, is happening and no one seems to be able to do anything about it. No one knows why it's happening and whether this is It, or would there be some sort of cosmic reprieve from it at the last moment by some Deity intent on impressing their presence and importance on the living...

No one know. Chaos rules.

In the midst of all this, we have Q, who, while on an idyllic fishing holiday with his family (Yes! you heard me! his family!) "Lady Q" and "q" (so much for originality from the Great Q!), is suddenly being sucked into the Maelstorm that is pulling every living thing into a gigantic black hole. He somehow escapes the initial tug, but loses his family. As part of the deluge that is passing him, he is able to rescue Picard and Data from the whirlpool, and the three set out a mission to revert the End.

What follows has to be read to be believed. Rarely have I read something that uses imagination so vividly and so effectively. At times I got the feeling that this would be just another ST book, with Picard and Data in the thick of things, with Q along for the ride. Well, I am glad to say I couldn't have been far from the truth. The book truly takes you to places no human has ever gone before, and there are sub-plots that show that a lot of effort has gone into writing this story.

Look out for a guest appearance from Locutus of Borg!

The characters are well depicted and they successfully convey the mood they are all known for from the TV series / movies. Lancie doesn't intend you to think of new characters, but to delve deeper into what you already know of Q (and at times Picard and Data!). The plot seems really far-fetched, but the good part is - its refreshing original.

Darn good read!

I'm going to try and get my hands on the other Q books out there, notably among them "Q Squared", "Q-in-Law", and "Dark Mirror".

Q is both the straight line and the punchline of this book. It's one of those books that you keep around for when you're going off the deep end; it refreshes your sense of humor and your imagination.

As those of us who know and love (and sometimes, love to hate) the maddening Q already are aware, the genius behind this incredible character is the equally amazing actor John De Lancie and now he has graced us with his thoughts as an author writing for his most famous and fabulous creation. For those who must had been in a coma during the Star Trek Next Generation's run, Q is an alien species from which all of his kind are referred to as "Q" who have the powers of what any of us would consider to be a god and yet somehow our dear Jean-Luc Picard manages to treate him as if he were some lowly mosquito! Anyway, for me, Q has always been hands down the best and most creative character ever conceived on the Next Generation. Unplug Data and throw him in the toy chest; give me Q and his madness anyday!
In this book, our dear Q must somehow (with the help of his sometimes friend, sometimes dire enemy Picard) save the universe from destruction in a way that only an incredibly funny, witty, and ultimately soulful being like Q can. I don't want to give more away; this is truly a book that you must read with all of its twists and turns to fully enjoy. Buy this book tonight people!!! You won't be sorry!

Here is what happen... I had started Q Squared, from what I have heard one of the best Star Trek books out there. I read 100 pages in the two days when I was visiting my dad. Great book!!!! Then I came back home and my book didn't, so it is 3 hours away. Since I am going back in a week and a half I didn't really want him to mail it. So I decided to pick up I,Q.

Two days later and I am done with the book. I will admit I did have some extra time on my hands but this is a book that I just couldn't put down. The story is very well written. Told by Q in the 1st person. You can almost here Q talking from the moment you open the book. Q will be telling the main story of the book and then that will remind him of a side story that will somehow connect to what is going on. Peter David is terrific. From what I have read from Q Squared and this book he can write Q very well. What am I saying? He writes everyone in the Star Trek universe well.

I mentioned the main story... here it is. The universe is coming to an end. Q is deep sea fishing with his family (They are at the bottom of the ocean) that what makes it "Deep Sea Fishing". Q and his wife and child end up being sucked down a drain and Q cannot find them when he reaches his destination. He does however, find Picard and Data who had a similar experience on the Holodeck and they decide to work together to find out what is going on. They come to find out that the world is coming to an end and every new place they go is a different level of exceptance of this event. As with all my reviews it will be a nonspoiler, but I strongly recommend this book. If you are a Q fan it is a can't miss.

There is one part of the book that I was unsure about. Q is very vulnerable at the end of this book. I am not sure if I like that or not. Certainly the man's family was involved which would humble anyone. On the other hand we have seen Q show signs that he has some good in him many times. The Borg was on there way to federation space anyway, so he sent the Enterprise to the Borg so that Starfleet could get ready for what would become their most terrifying enemy. He saved Picards life when his artificial heart stopped. You knew Q had a soft side but you had to look close to find it. Here you didn't, it was right there. I am pretty sure that I was ok with that but I might have to think on it a little more. I will also have to think on the end of the book. Get ready to do some thinking. I had to go back in the book to get an idea of what it meant. Happy Reading.

Having met John de Lancie a few weeks ago and then being privileged to watch him perform on stage, I think it's very reasonable to believe that the reason he was so good at playing Q is because he IS Q! Same quirky sense of humor, same exquisite manners, same take-charge attitude. After that experience, I had to get the book.

It's funny, charming, believable (if you believe in Q, that is) and well done. I don't recommend it to anyone who cannot suspend their disbelief, however. It's an essential requirement that will provide maximum entertainment benefits.

If you're old enough to remember the movie serials on Saturday mornings, you might almost equate this to a "Perils of Pauline" influence, only in this case, it would, of course, be the "Quandaries of Q" or some such. That's what happens when such a one marries (the Lady !Q) and has a son (q), and these hostages to fortune are swept away by a cataclysmic sort of crevice that suddenly presents itself.

Along the way to rescue, there's Jean-Luc Picard, Data, assorted Romulans and Klingons and other interesting and/or strange characters. There are also healthy batches of shaggy dog tales, tongue-in-cheek philosophy which unfortunately makes infinitely more sense than most diplomatic blatherings of today, and a gorgeous sense of self-deprecation.

There are also a variety of gods--sometimes reverent, sometimes irreverent. Satiric little asides, totally out of context, jump into the narrative here and there, along with a few probably unavoidable juvenile male puns. The ending is a tad strange, to be sure, but is a good reminder to be careful what you wish for--just in case it ends up in your lap. The book I read was a first run copy, so perhaps the few editorial glitches were dispatched for subsequent runs.

Do be sure you understand *irony* before embarking on this journey, however. You really shouldn't leave home without it.

This book has several separate and concurrent plot lines, all of which are part of the same storyline. It begins with the Enterprise under Picard taking a Betazoid scientist on board. His experiment is designed to punch a hole in the galactic barrier so that the Enterprise can get through and be outside the galaxy. This will, at least in theory, open up all the other galaxies for exploration.
As the experiment is about to begin, Q appears with his wife and infant. Q tries to dissuade Picard from carrying out the experiment, telling him it would be a big mistake. Skeptical, Picard decides to proceed with the test. In response, Q abducts Picard and takes him on a journey through time. This journey is a recapitulation of Q's life, apparently he made a major error when he was young and it has something to do with the presence of the galactic barrier.
While Picard is on his journey, the Calamarain attack the Enterprise in an attempt to prevent the experiment from piercing the barrier. As the story closes, there are hints that the barrier exists to keep something out and that there may be beings even more powerful than the members of the Q continuum. A third plot line appears near the end; it is very brief and hints at some spiderlike creature.
The action is intense, the hints a bit subtle but still containing enough information so that you can get an idea of what the circumstances really are. I was also intrigued at the thought of Q being an impetuous youth prone to making colossal errors. My next step will be to look for the next book in the trilogy.

The Starship Enterprise-E had been given a new scientific mission, to transport a famous physicist to the galactic barrier, and create a wormhole to effectively breach the barrier. However, when Q shows up and orders Captain Picard to abandon the mission, it at least should give the crew something to think about. It doesn't, however, and the mission continues. But, when Q kidnaps the Captain, it throws everything into an uproar.

This book is the first book in a trilogy that brings together a number of characters and episodes from past Star Trek adventures, and explains them. Overall, I found this book to be interesting, introducing new characters, including Q's wife, Q, and his young son, q. I enjoyed this book, and hope that the rest of the trilogy is as good.

Well, being a long-time Trekkie (TNG is my favorite), I was quite disappointed with this book. Liked the premise, liked the characters, did not like the execution. This book, the 1st of a 3 book trilogy had way too much talk and background info for my liking. It appears the author took 1 exciting book and split it into 3 much weaker parts. Profits are the only reason I can think of why this was done.

This trilogy could have been written in two, or even only one book. The author was extremely wordy, as if he was trying to fill up all the space given to him by the editors. The stories dragged on and on and on... and as much as I LOVE a good story about xenoarcheology I actually took all three books back to the book seller half way through the second book.

The characters were believable, to the author's credit, but it just took too damn long to get anywhere of interest. Going in plot-circles just isn't my idea of a good time. I felt as though the editor and author got together and decided they wanted to make some extra cash by dragging out this plot line and I felt literally hoodwinked and cheated; that's why I returned the books. They probably figured because Q was involved, everyone would fall for it. I almost did.

I have been leary of three-parters in the ST universe ever since. BUT I was pleasantly surprised by the Millenium trilogy for DS9.

It actually took me months to read the book through, but that doesn't make it less interesting, fascinating, flattering... than it is. Q is one of the best characters, and having him show his past to us...! Well, hello, I say!

This is actually one of the best stories I have ever read on Star Trek, and the fact that Q is the main character (also my favorite character) makes it all the better. Q's past is as flattering and interesting as I expected it to be. Having him admit that he made mistakes that took a BIG influence on the whole system was a real revelation.

My recommendation: Read it!

These audio books help children that are having trouble with the written word. I also use them in the car, so each trip we hear more of the story. The kids love them and I think it makes them interested in reading.

I read this book more than a decade ago, and much of the events are not fresh on my mind. However, I do remember coming away from this book with a brighter outlook on adventure in the sea. The story, while having a hammerhead shark on the cover and being a Goosebumps installment, is not designed so much as a horror or thriller, but as a cautionary tale about our duty to protect the world around us.

Deep Trouble, while not great literature, is probably as close as you're going to get with Stine or Goosebumps, and honestly, I'm still impressed with this delightfully intelligent turn by the famed children's author. I remember sitting in the library and reading this book from cover to cover in one sitting. It's not a horror story, but of all the Goosebumps books out there, it's probably the one WORTH reading.

I was an avid reader of the Goosebumps series when I was younger, so much so that I read every single title in the series, even though by the time the last one was published, I was old enough to know they really weren't very good, particularly toward the end. Deep Trouble was my favorite, though I can understand why others my not have liked it. There was nothing even remotely scary about it, and in spite of the cover, I don't remember any shark playing a major role (I think there was a brief shark scare at the beginning, in one of those irrelevant sequences Stine often used to keep the book moving). The plot was that the main character's uncle, a marine biologist or something, was part of the crew on a ship that captured a meraid and was planning to sell it into captivity, or to scientists who wanted to perform unethical experiments on it, or something that would at any rate make the mermaid very unhappy. One of the main guys turns out to be a traitor who tries to kill the main characters, but in the end everything works out fine and the mermaid is released back to the wild, etc. etc.

What impressed me about this book was the relationship between Billy (aforementioned main character) and the mermaid, which I don't remember speaking. Perhaps because the opporunities for scares don't present themselves as often in this kind of plot as they might in, say, Night of the Living Dummy, Stine (not the most subtle of writers) turned it into a much more introspective novel than one would normally expect in this series. The main conflict is actually an internal one, as Billy debates whether to free the mermaid and clear his conscience, or obey the adults, who, to a twelve-year-old, are usually morally infallible. Stine also manages to garner the appropriate amount of sympathy for the mermaid. Maybe it's not as thrilling as a typical Goosebumps entry, but it's very touching and understated, which is a rarity from this author.

Have you ever been in a lagoon? The book I read was "Deep Trouble". The book is about a boy name Billy and his sister name Sheena. They go stay with their uncle, William Deep. They lived in a place called the Cassandra. When they were going to leave, Billy went swimming in the lagoon and he got bit in the ankle by a hammer shark. When they were going to leave for sure a big boat came with two people inside they said they have spotted a mermaid around here. They told William Deep if he caught the mermaid that they will give him one million dollars. Billy caught the mermaid and keeps it and started to do tests on it. Alexander a assistant of them and four other men stole the mermaid and started to drown Billy and Sheena and Billy's uncle were trap in a big tank. They get free by other mermaids that came then they found the mermaid and they let it go. When the zoo people came they told them that there was no mermaid it was just an illusion.

When I first saw the cover of this book it looked really cool to me because it had a big shark on it. I thought this book would be more about sharks like other reviews said but it had mermaids in it instead. Even though it wasn't really about sharks I still like the characters and the storyline of the book. This book is about a brother and sister, Sheena and Billy who are visiting there uncle Dr.Deep, who studies things in the water. In the book everyone is on a ship. Later in the book Billy finds a mermaid in the water. This book isn't a super scary book, but it is for sure one you have to read in the series, its a good book!!

The aftermath picks up from where the first book my woman his wife left off. James, Jasmine and Monica are back with all their dysfuctional sexual hangups.

I was really looking forward to this book couldn't wait to get it in my eager hands. Instead I was very disappointed and let down by the aftermath. The book lost it's mojo in the middle and just dragged out with a bunch of irrelevant stuff. i only finished it because i just wanted to see how Anna was going to tie it up and she only did a very lose tie because it wasn't tied. James and Jasmine actions left me wondering why they were even still together in the first place. they allowed their sexual fantasies to dictate their marriage. Learning about Monica's past was essential to the story line but the build up of her madness was a let down. I kept waiting for Monica to do something off the wall but that never happened. She was in love with Jasmine so why did she have the baby and then just give up and leave town when she could've used that to her advantage against James? There was no doubt that even after all the craziness that Jasmine still wanted her which only proved that they deserved each other. there's no way in hell that crazy byotch could've even looked my way without catching a fast one after all the havoc she'd caused with that being said, they deserved each other. The introduction of Carlos and his drama was irrelevant to the plot and the cow Monica met while leaving the jailhouse didn't need them at all. Anna should've focused on the characters we became accustomed too instead of leaving too many questions unanswered...My Woman His Wife is definitely the better book of the two

I couldn't wait to read The Aftermath. I was a little disappointed...the book was all over the place and it still left questions unanswered. I am hopping that there is a sequel to this book.

I just cannot rave this book enough...this book was EXCELLENT! A mind blowing sequel to My Woman His Wife. I couldnt put it down. NOW I can understand why Monica did some of the things she did. She was wounded emotionally by her mother, her brother, her uncle...I empathized with her like she was a real person! I had to catch myself a couple times and say, "wait this isnt real"! Was I the only one who shed a tear when she wrote the letter to Jasmine and James and she said to Jasmine in the letter, "You will always be my woman but you are James' wife and I'm cool with that"? Thumbs up, Anna J! I feel another part to this book is coming...

Latasha
Vice President of B~more Readers with W.I.S.D.O.M Book Club
Baltimore, Maryland
www.myspace.com/bmorereaderswithwisdom
b_morereaderswithwisdom@yahoo.com

Great Sequel. Waiting for another one like it! Keep up the great work...LeBlanc author of "Characters of Lust" in stores now. Click Here to find out more about Characters of Lust

I was totally blown away by the Aftermath. Anna J keeps it shaking and moving in this conclusion to My Woman His Wife...Yes I did say My woman His Wife. I was blown away by MWHW and I am just as blown away with The Aftermath. PICK THIS BOOK UP FAST!!!!

I opened this book in pleasurable anticipation of a good read but almost from the first line became irritated by De Botton's use of similes and adjectives, many of which border on the absurd. The decline of winter is `like that of a person into old age'. Cloudless skies are likened to `signs of recovery in a patient upon whom death has passed sentence'. A steely grey sky has - of course - to be `ominous'. But not just ominous: it has to be `like one in a painting by Mantegna or Veronese, the perfect backdrop to the crucifixion of Christ or to a day beneath the bedclothes.' and so it goes on. At times I was reminded of the laboured similes in a Rowan Atkinson comedy. Page 17 is a prime example of De Botton's laboured, Victorian style and deserves a lengthy quotation:

`Awakening early on that first morning, I slipped on a dressing gown provided by the hotel and went out onto the veranda. In the dawn light the sky was a pale grey-blue and, after the rustlings of the night before, all the creatures and even the wind seemed in a deep sleep. It was as quiet as a library. Beyond the hotel room stretched a wide beach which was covered at first with coconut trees and then slipped unhindered towards the sea. I climbed over the veranda's low railing and walked across the sand. Nature was at her most benevolent. It was as if, in creating this small horseshoe bay, she had chosen to atone for her ill-temper in other regions and decided for once to display only her munificence. The trees provided shade and milk, the floor of the sea was lined with shells, the sand was powdery and the colour of sun ripened wheat, and the air - even in the shade - had an enveloping, profound warmth to it so unlike the fragility of northern European heat, always prone to cede, even in midsummer, to a more assertive, proprietary chill.
`I found a deck chair at the edge of the sea. I could hear small lapping sands beside me, as if a kindly monster taking discreet sips of water from a large goblet. A few birds were waking up and beginning to career through the air in matinal excitement. Behind me, the raffia roofs of the hotel bungalows were visible through gaps in the trees. Before me was the view that I recognized from the brochure: the beach stretched away in a gentle curve towards the tip of the bay, behind it were jungle-covered hills, and the first row of coconut trees inclined irregularly towards the turquoise sea, as though some of them were craning their necks to catch a better angle of the sun.
`Yet this description only imperfectly reflects what occurred within me that morning, for my attention was in truth far more fractured and confused than the foregoing paragraphs suggest. I may have noticed a few birds careering through the air in matinal excitement, but my awareness of them was weakened by a number of other, incongruous and unrelated elements, among these a sore throat that I had developed during the flight, a worry at not having informed a colleague that I would be away, pressure across both temples and a rising need to visit the bathroom. A momentous but until then overlooked fact was making its first appearance: that I had inadvertently brought myself with me to the island.'

De Botton never loses an opportunity to demonstrate how much he or his quasi-anonymous companion `M' has read. While a single cloud hangs `shyly' above the bay, the mysterious `M' (is she head of MI6?) puts on her headphones and begins annotating Emile Durkheim's On Suicide. She would.

The author's idea of travel seems to consist in boarding planes, catching trains, filling up at gas stations and hiring cars. He seems to have a horror of engaging with the real world of people and chatter and tears and sweat, as opposed to the worlds of art and literature and posy criticism. His is the infuriating voice of the tour guide that gets between you and a work of art, the voice that tells you what to think, the voice that prevents you making up your own mind about the works of Hopper or Van Gogh or Wordsworth or Ruskin.

The book is little more than a hotch-potch of regurgitated university lecture notes interspersed by some very amateurish attempts at descriptive writing. `A black-eared wheatear is looking pensive on a conifer branch ... humans and sheep stare at one another in wonder. After a moment the sheep sits down and takes a lazy mouthful of grass, chewing from the side of her mouth as though it was gum ... Another sheep approaches and lies next to her companion, wool-to-wool, and for a second they exchange what appears to be a knowing, mildly amused glance.'

Here's some more, and I promise that this will be the last example of the purple slush you will have to wade through when (or if) you read this book:

`The rain, which continued to fall confidently despite the promises of the landlord, gave us a sense of the mass of the oaks. From under their damp canopy, rain could be heard falling on 40,000 leaves, creating a harmonious pitter-patter, varying in pitch according to where the water dripped on to a large or a small leaf, a high or a low one, one loaded with accumulated water or not...'

De Botton does not teach us how to travel so much as how not to travel. He stops the hire car to look at an olive orchard but he can't be bothered to get out of the car and walk through it. He reads a brochure in a Madrid hotel, but is too timid to go out and rub shoulders with the locals in one of that city's many wonderful restaurants, preferring to dine on a bag of crisps in his bedroom, flicking over the pages of travel brochures.

In his section on Ruskin, De Botton demonstrates a fundamental misconception about art, which he seems to think can be reduced to words on paper. As a graduate of the University of Cambridge he seems to have a pretty impoverished knowledge of aesthetics. Has he never read Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation? Has he never read Isaiah Berlin's The Roots of Romanticism? Has he never attended to Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations or appreciated that abstracts (like `beauty') cannot be objectivised, let alone searched for?

De Botton is not a traveller; he is a package tourist, and not a very adventurous or imaginative one. He's the guy who asks the tour guide the question to which he already knows the answer. Can you imagine Bruce Chatwin describing clouds as seen from an aircraft window? That's what De Botton does. Can you imagine T.E. Lawrence comparing a view of the desert with what he saw in a travel guide? Can you imagine Hilaire Belloc sitting in his hotel room eating a bag of crisps instead of mixing with the locals? Or Turner staying inside because there was a nasty storm outside and he didn't want to get wet?

There were moments when I felt so impatient with the banalities of The Art of Travel that I felt like flinging the book across the room. The impression I came away with was that De Botton sees art not as an end in itself but as a means to an end. Through art, he can become an `expert', and as an expert he will be able to publish books, figure in television documentaries, become a celebrity and make lots of money. Art for art's sake? Travel to travel sake? Forget it: anything and everything De Botton sees he has to analyse to death.

But it is not only the banality, the purple patches and neo-Victorian writing that mar The Art of Travel: it lacks direction and unity. To the last page, I could never make up my mind whether it was about art or travel. Lifting pictures of art works from the Internet and printing them in black and white - or in this case grey and grey - simply didn't work for me. I looked at them, but only because I felt I had to. I felt they were an insult to the great artists who painted the originals.

De Botton has achieved what I would previously have thought impossible: he has managed to make art and nature boring. Even from a purely academic point of view, the book is pretty well useless as it has no bibliography. That is idle and unforgivable.

Basic Flying Instruction: A Comprehensive Introduction to Western Philosophy
Seven Stories from Blackwood's Magazine

So Alaine de Botton discovers on his trip to the Bahamas. I read and reread this book for such lines--sly takes on old chestnuts, in this case, Wherever you go, there you are.

Each chapter's title page includes a list of places discussed and the "guide" employed in that chapter. Chapter 1, "On Anticipation," lists Barbados and Hammersmith, London, as the places and author J.K. Huysmans as the guide. Another chapter, "On Eye-Opening Art," has Provence as its place and Vincent Van Gogh as its guide. (Oh, and there are pictures! Black and white, as befits the stately and philosophical tone.)

In listing his "guides," de Botton admits that one's perception of a place is always filtered--through paintings, literature, guidebooks, or a personal account by a recently returned friend. And in fact de Botton writes of "the curious phenomenon whereby valuable elements may be easier to experience in art and in anticipation than in reality."

This book will have you running to your notebook to copy down great line after great line. A travel writer myself, I recognize the Art of Travel as the perfect anti-guidebook, a guide about WHY we travel, and a meditation on how humankind's search for happiness -- "in all its ardour and paradoxes"-- is most poignantly revealed in how we travel.

I highly recommend this book for those who love travel and art (or both). Whether you're a traveller or a dreamer this book will have something for you. The book contains two themes. The first is travel itself. How we experience it, our memories of it, where we travel, and what we encounter. The other theme is about art and how it shapes our travels, how artists have travelled and viewed/dreamed of travel.

I found the book very original. The author juxtaposes his own experiences with those of famous artists, poets, and thinkers. Each chapter is devoted to an aspect of travel. Whether it be experiencing the sublime, disappointment, meeting the exotic, or the method of your transport.

The book is not overbearing and neither is the author. You can tell he has travelled, but this is not a "look at all the countries I have collected in my travels" type of read. His involvement is to introduce the same or contrasted feelings or experiences someone more famous has encountered.

To conclude, this book will have you up and ready to travel in no time, or at least, looking at the map dreaming about your next destination or adventures.

There's a certain self-effacing charm about Alain de Botton's writing that creeps up on you and which eventually becomes irresistible. Not one to shy away from big topics (love, philosophy, status, travel, Proust) he manages to bring you to fresh insights on each theme in a completely charming, highly readable fashion.

I've also seen him a few times on a BBC series about different philosophers, and the same charm is evident in person. He just seems like an altogether smart, together, sweet guy. It appears that he is quite successful, despite the disparate and commercially unpromising topics he chooses to write about. I hope that he is, because his seems to me to be a talent that deserves to be rewarded.

These essays are well-written, quirky, and rewarding.

It's always a nice thing when you read something spot on that's either close to what you believe or something you have experienced. De Botton is quite good at that, as in being able to phrase insights and observations you never realized were there bur are. I expected this one to be more about the actual travelling. To me the book should have been titled 'The Art of Looking At Things That Seem Unfamiliar, Bleak Or Uncommon At First Sight But Do Possess Certain Qualities If You Are Willing To Take Your Time To Look' but I guess that is a bit to long. Then again, it doesn't really matter for De Botton manages to make this one a breeze through read anyway, and while at it, actually gives you the idea you read something that mattered.

I'm 22, in the military and currently in Iraq, and for the first time in about 2-3 years I picked up a book that i thought i might like only out of bordum. And it was by random that i picked up this book. I try to find ways to mentally leave Iraq, even if its for a few minutes, as often as i can. And this book was one that insired me to read more. I used to hate reading and now i love it. Stephen Frey is an awesome writer, and i can't wait to get more of his books in the mail to read.

I'm sorry, but yes, people do rise to the top with all those personality problems. It's totally normal. I'm responding to a previous review that thought petty dictatorship at the highest levels is unrealistic. Quite the reverse is true. It is totally normal for people at the top to be the most incredibly dysfunctional (emotionally) and abusive personalities. Sure, not all, but they are very common.

Frey depicts the kinds of interactions pretty well, with a lot of realism. I like it for that. The book is pretty good.

I ran across a used copy of Stephen Frey's Takeover in a thrift store, and decided to take a chance on it and a handful of other paperbacks. In that same stack was Stephen King's guide to fiction writers On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, which lays out several potential mistakes that should be avoided when writing fiction. Reading the Takeover immediately after On Writing was a chance to see just about all of those mistakes in action.

Borrowing liberally from John Grisham, Frey introduces Andrew Falcon, a hotshot investment banker at the heart of a massive conspiracy to bring down a President. Unlike Grisham's protagonists, Falcon is not a character I could bring myself to really care for. To be quite honest, none of the characters in this book seemed remotely realistic. Most of the members of the Sevens - the secret society wreaking havoc with Falcon's life (not to mention America's financial markets) - are interchangeable, minorities are mostly relegated to stereotypical roles (muggers, prostitutes), and the female characters exist only to fulfill adolescent male power fantasies. What else do we have going on? Weak plot? Check. Dialogue that no real human being would use? Check. Deus ex machina? You betcha. The list goes on.

The Takeover's only redeeming virtue is that due to Frey's background in the financial industry, it offers a realistic and insightful look at the way this country's financial markets work. Alongside a brisk pace and a few good chase sequences, it was just enough to convince me to see this book to its conclusion, where our hero (not really) and his girl (one of them anyway) ride off into the sunset, leaving loose ends and any semblance of believability behind.

Ambitious investment banker Andrew Falcon is the prime character.Unfortunately, he is just not believable. Nor is the plot theme of a group of wealthy, influential men called The Sevens. They come up with a plan to ruin the liberal President of the U.S. by disrupting the financial markets. Falcon is kind of a pawn. But is to be compensated to the tune of $5 million for his efforts in their behalf by putting together the takeover of a large chemical company. Frey's books are usually good quick reading page turners. But, this one suffers the common problem of being just too far fetched.

A friend recommended Frey so I checked two out from the library. This is not as bad as "Silent Partner" but has the same mechanical and unbelievable plotting, tiresome characters, evil old white men, and unremitting coincidence. It is irritatingly apparant that Mr. Frey has never been nearer to the world of finance than an ATM machine.