Science Books

Like others reviewers before this, I'm rather surprised how obscure this wonderful, quirky book truly is.

The story revolves around Toseland, a young child who goes to live with Mrs. Oldknow. He goes to live in a big manor in a country estate (think the estate the Pevensies go to live on in Lewis' THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDOBE). He soon realises there's something odd about the house, and is puzzled why Mrs. Oldknow talks about the history and past inhabitents of the place like they were around only yesterday. It turns out the house is inhabited by children of the past, and he learns of an evil gypsey named Green Noah who he ultimately must confront. This final confrontation is rather scary, and Green Noah is one of literature's most memorable villains that I've encountered in a long time.

The book is a rather charming blend of supernatural meets reality, and there is something very delightfully English about the whole affair. The author's Catholocisim is rather apparent n the book, and she fits a lot of different allusions to literature, music, and history.

For those looking for good Children's fiction, this is a powerful story. It's too bad it's not well known.

I found this to be an excellent novel not only for children but also for adults. There is enough intrigue to hold the reader's interest throughout the novel as well as being a lovely, warm family story.

I first read this book when I was a child (in the 60's) and immediately fell in love with it. It has everything I adore in a book; a little magic, a little ghostliness; an English castle; lovely animal companions; characters from times past; people with manners, morals and down to earth values and last but not least--love. I have re-read this book many times and have just finished listening to an audio-version. This is forever a beautiful and enchanting book.

The book I'm going to talk to you about is called; The Children of Green Knowe, by L.M. Boston. I didn't really like this book. It was a little confusing and hard to understand. There just wasn't a clear point. There was not middle, or a climax and resolution. I thought this book was about a mystery or a ghost story, by the cover and the blip from the back. I was very disappointed in the ending, and that it was appoint-less fantasy, that bored me half to death!

The Children of green knowe was about a boy named, Tolly, who was the age of 8-11,whose parents die (they don't say how),so he was sent to live with hisGreat-Grandmother in Penny Soaky. Her house was called Old Knowe.
Three children, Alexander, Toby, and Linnet, died in Tolly's(the boy's name), Great Grandmother's house many centuries ago. They started appearing around the house just days after their death. They played with Tolly, and went on great Adventures. Enjoy one of Granny's stories every 20 pages, and learn about Tolly and Granny's love for the flute andthebirds.

Other reviewers have praised the book. But then, they also liked Harry Potter, and "Series of Unfortunate Events" as well, so that clearly showed me, as a College Prof, now HS dad, that I might not like this book, as the excesses of sardonic humor, death, magic, and evil, are all too prevalent in this day and age, to encourage the reading of fiction to stuff yet MORE garbage into my children's (or my!) head. As it is said, "Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof...".

But Green Knowe is different- perhaps because it was written in a gentler, kinder time. While there is fantasy, and a sense of the blurring of the dimensions (ghosts that are not evil, a world within our world that has connections to the past, and the interpenetration of them all) overall, this work has as much depth as Potter's does for the adult reader, without all the preachiness of 'PC' dogma which has so marred Rowling's later writings, and has influenced all of the film treatments. One really does not need to rehash Shirer's work on WWII in a Children's fantasy novel, which is all Rowling's works have become at the hands of her American editors...

Boston's world is alive- with literature, history, music, and artistry, which Rowling's is not. For adults, the references to the Restoration, Cromwell, Purcell's music, Anglican Church, and British Christmas customs provide a wealth for any HS parent discussing the period 1660-1700. But, as another reviewer noted, she never GOES anywhere- unless just BEING is enough. Her world is one to inhabit, not to holiday through, as if it were an itinerary of sights to check off. The ONE confrontation is scary, and could frighten younger audiences...but a vision of a redeemed world shines through. I was reminded while reading Boston, of Jame's novella, that Britten set to music in the opera, "Turn of the Screw." NOT "cheery" stuff, that!

If I seem ambivalent, it is because, while there is much to recommend in her writing, and the pictures she paints are very vivid, and full of life, the theological issues of the spirit world interacting with the real world, the malevolent curses of a gypsy long dead, and the subtle hints of either a strong genetic lineage, or a nascent reincarnationalism, coupled with clear Christian imagery and pious sentiment (Do ghosts really sing Christmas carols, without malevolent intent?) bothered me.

Is the book magical? oh yes, in many ways. Is it troubling, as say, Wind in the Willows is not? Oh, yes.. in equal measure. Is it a good read? Definitely. But the rest? I'm not sure....

Citrix MetaFrame XP: Advanced Technical Design Guide, Second Edition was a decent general read. In depth technical detail seemed to be lacking and was replaced by repetitive best practice lectures. However, I enjoyed the authors side comments and general personality that was interwoven into the reading. Overall the book is informative and well written.

We had 2 other books on Citrix Metaframe but the books didn't give us much detail so we started looking for a better resource. I found this book and recommended it to my Network Adminsitrator. I thought I won't get much from it because I don't work with Citrix everyday but when time permits, I read the book and 70% of the time I got the answers from this book.

Not a book for beginners. This is written for engineers and people who already have a good grasp of the basics of Terminal Servers and Citrix. No "how to" install in this book, but rather how to design, implement, identify and resolve your own problems, with a lot of real-life examples.

The style of the book (way it is written) makes a pleasant change from the usual technical books, as it addresses you like you know what you're talking about. You will come out with a clear understading of the issues you're facing and how to resolve them.

This book is self-published, which makes it all the more remarkable.

The book covers up to Windows 2000 and Mataframe XP FR2. I'm keen to see when the next edition comes out, and hpoefully it will concentrate on Windows 2003 + Metaframe 3.0

I had a real tough time searching the Internet and all other places to get some real stuff on Citrix and my search ended with "this" book by "Brain" Madden.

Citrix will notice a sizeable improvement in their sales if they include this book with their product. Everything is explained clearly with visuals and no filler material.

One of the best Tech Books to hit the market in recent times.

In my opinion, this book is the ONLY interesting published book about Citrix until now. I have read most of the available books about Citrix and Terminal Services and this is the only one I would buy again.

If you are a Citrix Certified Administrator, you will find this book very helpful. Personally speaking, I prefer it to most of the Citrix official documentation.

Take into account that it is a book for people who already has a deep knowledge about Citrix. It is not a guide for begginers. It gives you hints to improve your own Citrix project methodology.

Amazon guys, let me suggest this, please: If you are looking for a step-by-step begginers guide, have a look at Methodology in a Box (freely available at http://www.dabcc.com)

"Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion Of Europe, 900-1900"
by Alfred W. Crosby. Cambridge University Press, 1986.
The implication of this book's theory is that the Europeans succeeded in the "New" World due to the imperialistic strength of European flora and fauna. European cattle and European horses conquered the plains of both North America and Argentina, making them "neo-Europes". When Columbus introduced the pig, (either inadvertently or consciously), he knew that that the porcine animal species would "conquer" their local environment. The author's excellent writing follows this theme throughout his book, but, in my opinion, he spends too much time on New Zealand ... pages 217 to 268.

Yet, if the author's thesis is correct, the book becomes a disparaging comment on human efforts. For example, compare the Pilgrims' landing in 1620 with the landing of Hernando De Cortez (1485-1547) at Vera Cruz in 1519. The Pilgrims snuck ashore, onto that Rock in Plymouth, on a cold winter's day. There was no one to meet them, as the locals (or "indigenes" as Crosby likes to call them) had all been killed off by strange and new diseases. The diseases were probably brought over by Englishmen; otherwise where did Squanto, the Indian chief, learn his rudimentary English? (Just as my aside, if the Scots, who first settled in Ulster, Ireland and then came to North America, are known as Scots-Irish, why weren't the Pilgrims known as "Anglo-Dutch"?)

In February 1519, more than a century before the Pilgrims, Hernando De Cortez landed at the Rich Villa of the Holy Cross, Vera Cruz, with some 500-600 men, to face not thousands, but hundreds of thousands. To instill courage in his men, Cortez burnt his boats. The Spanish had to go forward and they conquered an empire. On the other hand the Pilgrims occupied a dead village. In both cases, European diseases were the deciding factor, but the achievement of either group was entirely different. Crosby's book treats them as if they were equal.

I believe that Alfred W. Crosby has hit on something that bears further investigation. In the late summer of 2004, I attended a wedding in Slovenia. As we drove through Germany, I noticed goldenrod by the sides of the corn fields. I asked and I was told that goldenrod was introduced as a flowering plant but was not doing so well in Europe. I wonder if Crosby's thesis was borne out by the lack of success of goldenrod ...and other American plants? Don't get me wrong: since I am allergic to goldenrod, I am happy it was NOT successful in German farm fields, but why?

Crosby brought up an argument that I've never heard before - and argued it quite well. This book has a wealth of well-researched information that documents the ecological dominance of nations that underwent neolithic developments over those that did not. He also is very careful to demonstrate his technical knowledge while at the same time making the book accessible to all students of history. Loved it.

The most impressive and pleasant aspect of this new approach to world history is the non-anthropocentric perspective Crosby adopts. He tells the story of the expansion of a tightly connected group of European organisms, which includes humans alongside with other domesticated animals, crops, weeds, viruses and bacteria.

The book shows that humans were the leading elements in this great expansion beyond Europe and across the oceans - but they would not have managed to successfully invade, occupy and dominate vast areas of the planet such as America, Australia and New Zealand if they had not been supported by a powerful combination of fauna, flora and germs. In fact, often enough these supporting organisms even took the lead in making the "new-found" territories hospitable for Europeans. Once they had arrived to faraway lands with similar climatic conditions as Europe - but with much less people, germs, domesticated animals and plants - the horses, pigs, cows, sheep, bees, rats, weeds and endemic diseases carried by European vessels began spreading quickly in these totally unexposed areas, and thrived mainly by destroying the native organisms.

Another important point developed by Crosby is that this apparently aggressive invasion and occupation of other continents was actually the consequence of a long process started many thousands of generations before, and of which Europeans were totally unaware. They were simply the ones most prepared and willing to cross unknown oceans (in fact, for centuries they had to painfully learn all about winds and currents - for which many a vessel with all its human and non-human crew had to be sacrificed) and settle down many 1000 of kilometres away from their original home, because the "old continent" had become overpopulated, deforested and overgrazed. Their "ecological imperialism" was in the end part of their struggle to survive and reproduce (to the disadvantage of other human and non-human organisms).

Thus, Crosby urges his readers to think of this propagation of certain humans and their accompanying flora, fauna and germs in detriment of others as a natural phenomenon. In fact, he often compares the European ecological expansion with an "avalanche" or a "bursting dam", i.e., something that had to inevitably happen given the circumstances. In this scenario, it becomes clear that these organisms were vehicles for a great "biological revolution" (in the words of the author), where humans were the spearhead of the movement - but hardly the all-knowing, dominant, free agents they mostly imagine(d) themselves to be.

Book Review: "Ecological Imperialism"
In his book, Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900, Alfred W. Crosby investigates the roots of European domination over the western world. He calls the places where early Europeans settled "Neo-Europes" with special emphasis on North and South America , Australia , and New Zealand . In his prologue he ponders whether Europeans dominated their environment and other cultures because of their technology, or whether the consistent "success of European imperialism has a biological, [and] an ecological, component.". Crosby 's thesis is that Europeans were successful imperialists because wherever they went their agriculture and animals thrived; and the indigenous populations and local ecosystems collapsed under their biological advance.
Crosby begins at the beginning, discussing the one big continent, Pangaea, supposed to have existed in pre-history and the slow development of life forms other than reptilian, in particular Homo sapiens. The break up of Pangaea (this hypothetical super-continent) caused the "the decentralization of the process of evolution," that is, when the land cracked apart flora and fauna were spilt between the newly created continents. That continental split is the reason similar species are found in Europe and North America.
Eventually Crosby brings the reader up to the end of the Ice Age. Ten thousand years ago humans were exploring the islands of the Eastern Atlantic including Australia . Once on these islands humans domesticated plants, piled up mounds of garbage, spread disease, and hunted animals into extinction. Normally the despoilment of indigenous flora and fauna occurs over tens of thousands of years. In locations where humans arrived with mature hunting skills a sudden extinction of local plant and animal life occurred. These sudden prehistoric, or Pleistocene, overkills were the first concentrated impact humans had on virgin ecosystems.
The virgin ecosystem of Porto Santo Island was the destination of Portuguese settlers during the 1400s. Porto Santo Island was completely uninhabited and filled with untouched flora and fauna. One Portuguese ship captain brought a mother rabbit and her babies to the island. The rabbits loved Porto Santo and thrived in the island environment. So much so that soon the settlers were blasting away at the rabbits in an attempt to exterminate the entire local rabbit population. It seems the rabbits could not determine the difference between the crops meant for human consumption and the crops meant for bunny consumption. The rabbits won in this instance and for a time the settlers moved elsewhere, "defeated by their own ecological ignorance."
The experience of Spanish invaders in the Canaries showed them that no matter where they went, even if they could not out-fight their opponents, Europeans could dominate their enemies anyway. "In all these [new] places, the newcomers would conquer the human populations and Europeanize entire ecosystems." The Spanish learned from their experiences in the Canaries that their livestock and crops would succeed in these new environments; they also learned they could easily defeat the local natives without traditional warfare. The various "plagues" and "sleeping sicknesses," which the Spanish called peste and modorra, killed off and weakened natives who had no natural immunity to ailments common to the Spanish. In essence, sore throats and colds were the winning weapons of the conquerors; it was the flu that subjugated the Canaries.
The unfortunate natives of the Canary Islands , the Guanches, did not survive their meeting with the Spanish sailors. These previously isolated people died rapidly from dysentery, pneumonia, and venereal disease. According to Crosby "few experiences are as dangerous to a people's survival as the passage from isolation to membership in the worldwide community that included European sailors, soldiers, and settlers." When the Spanish conquered the Canaries the Guanches lost their land and therefore their livelihood. Some Guanches joined the Spanish army and went to fight in the Americas ; the Spanish sold others into slavery. The majority of Guanches however died of disease and the entire population became extinct.
Unlike the Guanches of the Canaries, the Maoris of New Zealand did survive despite great odds. When invaded by Europeans the Maoris assumed they would become extinct. European rats annihilated the Maori rat, an animal that was a food staple for the natives. The Maori fly might have help ward off the incursion of sheep that quickly destroyed the local flora, but invading European houseflies wiped out the local flies. Clover took over where ferns had been, and the Maori waited for their own extinction. The Maori population hit bottom in 1890 but then began a mysterious recovery and 280,000 people claim to be Maori by 1981.
In the 1500s Europeans arrived in the Americas with horses, technology (weapons), domesticated plants (crops), farm animals, germs, insects, diseases, weeds, and varmints. The garbage piled up by farmers encouraged varmint populations (mainly mice and rats) which spread disease and attacked human food supplies. Crosby devoted an entire chapter to the spread of weeds around the world. Weeds are not specific plants. "Weed" is a general term applied to a plant that spreads rapidly and encroaches on other plants. The study of where specific weeds appeared and when, aids in tracking population movements. The weeds brought by Europeans were actually another unintentional imperial victory. Weeds repaired damaged top soils and provided feed for livestock. " Rye and oats were once weeds." "Weeds are the Red Cross of the plant world; they deal with ecological emergencies." "Weeds thrive on radical change, not stability. That, in the abstract, is the reason for the triumph of European weeds in the Neo-Europes..." Weeds were resilient and thrived in soils laid bare by European plows, and damaged by drastically altered ecosystems.
European populations exploded in the Americas and Australia . What distinguished these Neo-Europes were the large food surpluses they generated. Neo-Europes led the world in food production "relative to the amount locally consumed." Other cultures actually produced more food per capita and per hectare, but the Neo-Europes exported more food than any other society. Especially successful exports from Neo-Europes were wheat, soybeans, pig products, and beef. Europeans consistently chose to settle in temperate climates where their animals and crops thrived. This was prudent and logical, it would have made no sense for Europeans to settle in torrid climates where their livestock would have suffered, and their favorite crops could not be grown.
The wind also aided European imperialists. When faced with strong winds the Portuguese marinheiros, true sailors, did not turn around and go home or sit sail-less in the water until the winds changed. Marinheiros would "sail around the wind." Sailors would tack close enough to the contrary wind to keep moving and then find a wind that they could use to continue their course. The Portuguese who perfected this "crabwise slide" called it the volta do mar, literally "going back to the sea." This understanding of winds allowed marinheiros to sail out on trade winds and back home on the westerlies.
Smallpox was the big killer of the Aztecs and the Incas in Peru ; the Huron and Iroquois in Mexico ; and the Amerindians of the United States . Crosby claims the victories of the Conquistadors over the Amerindians were "in large part the triumphs of the virus of smallpox." Besides smallpox Europeans brought dysentery and influenza; those epidemics killed almost the whole indigenous population of North America . In effect, the domination over ecology and culture by European invaders was more of a biological accident, than a well-executed military takeover.
Virgin soil epidemics spread through populations who had no prior contact with European diseases. These populations had no immunity to protect them. Virgin soil epidemics had many dramatic consequences. First, the epidemics effectively committed genocide, killing entire populations of native people around the world. Second, certain diseases (measles, influenza, tuberculosis) effected people fifteen to forty years of age more than others. These young adults were responsible for most of the labor involved in supplying food, procreation, raising children, and defending the society. The third and fourth effects of virgin soil epidemics were cultural optimism on the part of the conquerors, and cultural fatalism on the part of the conquered. When Europeans arrived and slew their rivals without raising a sword they believed that God must be on their side and this belief affirmed the rightness of their imperialistic actions. When the indigenous people died by the hoard from mysterious ailments they developed a fatalistic view of their own destiny and supposed the white man's Gods were the more powerful.
Ecological Imperialism is interesting, occasionally humorous, and easy to read. Crosby accomplishes his goal of writing a big book. This author presents a convincing and encompassing explanation for the incredible success of European imperialists. The book leaves the reader with more questions. How aggressively imperialistic were the original conquerors if all they had to do was show up and their opponents fell to the wayside? Crosby argues convincingly that Europeans were triumphant because the places they chose to conquer had ecosystems and indigenous populations that surrendered to the biology of the invaders.

Alfred Crosby is widely credited for popularising the ecological dimension of the history of imperial expansion. For this reason, and perhaps this reason alone, his book is worth a read.

The book, first published in 1986, revolutionised the way we think about European imperial expansion into the New World. How a few hundred disoriented Europeans armed with spears and misfiring guns managed to overwhelm entire Inca and Aztec civilisations in the early sixteenth century, for example. Crosby convincingly casts aside traditional political or military explanations by attributing the astonishing Portuguese and Spanish victories to bacteriology: how diseases such as smallpox and measles that the Europeans unwittingly carried with them wiped out thousands of New World inhabitants, severely crippling their defences.

The larger point that Crosby drives across is a profound one. Historical events - in this case, European expansion and imperialism - can be explained predominantly by ecological factors. In the clash of `biotas' between the Old and the New World, the Old World won. Convincingly. Hence the presence not just of Europeans in the Americas, but also of pigs and dandelions. According to this thesis, ecology shaped European expansion; creating `Neo-Europes' in the New World that facilitated European migration, precipitating the `Caucasian wave' from the 1820s to the 1930s. Unlike in most other histories, in Crosby's ecological history, humans form the backdrop and inexorable ecological forces take centre-stage.

Refreshing as this perspective is, the way that Crosby has rendered it is problematic in on a number of accounts. By excluding humans from the picture; or at best relegating human developments to the sidelines, Crosby emerges with a dangerously reductive picture of historical development. Deterministic ecological explanations cannot alone account for European expansion - after all, we must not forget that the first European transoceanic voyages were motivated by curiosity rather than necessity. More problematic is the book's implicit assumption that ecological influence was unidirectional. In concentrating on explicating the Old World's ecological victory over the New, Crosby neglects to examine the influence that New World ecology had on the Old.

Nonetheless, Crosby's work remains a landmark study that deserves a read. Moreover, it packs a punch as a piece of writing - its lucid narratives and provocative assertions laid out with the bold and elegant strokes of a master-artist. Yet Crosby's work is also increasingly a dated study that has been qualified over and over by new works in the field, or in the related field of environmental history. Those interested in the subject should by no means stop at Crosby's book.

It was a very curious novel. It actually surprised me along the way. It looks like an innocent bystander becomes the center of a war that no one dared to start. As the clones get the necessary stimulus from Andrea, all hell breaks loose. This book will leave wishing you bought the whole trilogy at once.

This book was a fantastic read! It had a terrific plot, great characters, and many thrilling moments!
When I first heard of the book, I wasn't very interested(I'm not a big Sci-fi fan). But it got great reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I'm so happy that I did! This book wasn't like any other book I had ever read. It was better! It had something for everyone: action, suspense, romance, adventure, and mystery.

This is hands down one of greatest, if not THE greatest, books I've ever read or ever hope to read!

When Andrea Flores's husband and daughter are killed in a terrorist attack, she is taken aboard the Jod starship Tyker to heal and recuperate. The Tyker's captain, K'Rin, who witnessed the aftermath of her family's murder, gives her the opportunity to join his elite and mysterious house guard, the Tenebrea. Trained as an assassin, Andrea finds herself on a special mission to the planet Cor, where she must gather information about a rumor of NewGen clones that are supposedly being grown for war. What Andrea seeks is vengeance, but her plan is slightly sidetracked in a new search for answers, and what she ends up getting involved in is something neither she, not the Jod, could have imagined.

This book was fabulous! I really didn't know what to expect, since the back cover is kind of vague, but what a wonderful surprise it was to find myself immersed in a truly gripping story of heartbreak, betrayal, acceptance, friendship, love, vengeance, secrets, lies, and loyalty. There are also some key points of humor, and plenty of tense and exciting action. Andrea's story is not as cut and dry as you might imagine in the beginning, and the plot twists and secrets that are revealed along the way make for a wonderful page-turner that teases the mind and leaves you begging for more.

The world building was wonderful, and the characters were rich and multidimensional. There were times when I really wondered, who were the good guys and who were the bad guys? ... and I'm still wondering about some of them, even at the end of the second book (Tenebrea's Hope), which was just as amazing as the first. The plot is woven together with such expertise that I was doomed to read the entire book in one sitting, never once having to skim over a dull spot ... and that is very rare indeed. I highly, highly recommend this book!

The first book of a projected trilogy, Entering Tenebrea is not a truly great read, but it shows increasing promise as the story unfolds, especially for readers willing to cut a pair of relative rookies some slack.

Earth belongs to the Alliance, a largely alien planetary union now debating membership for the Ordinate, a human civilization found on the planet Cor some years ago. Little is known about the secretive Ordinate, except that it arose from an ancient alien experiment to study the impact of advanced Alliance technology on humans, and it now relies extensively on cloned slave labor-illegal in the Alliance. Alliance governments see cloning as the only issue. To a few scattered individuals, however, the Ordinate poses a deeper threat.

For Terran Andrea Flores, a perfect life is derailed when her husband and daughter die in a terrorist attack. Witness to the attack is Jod Admiral Hal K'Rin, on the outs with his planetary Council for continuing his father's anti-Ordinate crusade. K'Rin takes Andrea under his wing, eventually offering her a chance to join his Tenebrea. The Tenebrea have long been Clan Rin's household guard, but also serve as an elite special force for the regular Jod militia. One Tenebrea function is riding herd on Ordinate agents among the Alliance worlds. K'Rin knows, and Andrea learns, that the alleged terrorist attack was really an Ordinate operation. K'Rin also heard recently that Cor is developing a new order of highly dangerous clones. His source is clone escapee Eric, who's seeking aid for his fellow old-order clones, now being phased out. Can K'Rin trust such a source?

The Roman Catholic "Tenebrae" (misspelled by the authors) is a rite of mourning and darkness, commemorating Christ's crucifixion. Why an alien military group is named after an old Latin word is never explained, but for Andrea Flores "entering Tenebrea" describes a state of mind as much as a series of events. Considering herself as dead as her family, she wants only to kill as many of the killers as she can, commemorating her own loss. She must earn her commission, though; after rigorous training, only the best candidates become Tenebrea, with a commitment that's absolute and life-long. Her first mission is to infiltrate Cor, join the renegade clone underground, confirm Eric's claims, and escape with proof in hand.

Much of the early set-up to Entering Tenebrea is too contrived to ring true, grating against the willing suspension of disbelief that makes for a successful novel. Once past the troublesome set-up chapters, however, the characters, social systems, and situations are absorbing enough to help the reader focus on action, not analysis. Some later plot elements still don't pass close scrutiny, and there are occasional chronology and continuity errors, but it becomes easier to ignore them. The writing style is serviceable if uninspired, with only the average assortment of basic writing errors. By story's end, the patient reader will almost certainly want to see how the remaining two installments of the trilogy shape up.

When Andrea Flores's husband and daughter are killed in a terrorist attack, she is taken aboard the Jod starship Tyker to heal and recuperate. The Tyker's captain, K'Rin, who witnessed the aftermath of her family's murder, gives her the opportunity to join his elite and mysterious house guard, the Tenebrea. Trained as an assassin, Andrea finds herself on a special mission to the planet Cor, where she must gather information about a rumor of NewGen clones that are supposedly being grown for war. What Andrea seeks is vengeance, but her plan is slightly sidetracked in a new search for answers, and what she ends up getting involved in is something neither she, not the Jod, could have imagined.

This book was fabulous! I really didn't know what to expect, since the back cover is kind of vague, but what a wonderful surprise it was to find myself immersed in a truly gripping story of heartbreak, betrayal, acceptance, friendship, love, vengeance, secrets, lies, and loyalty. There are also some key points of humor, and plenty of tense and exciting action. Andrea's story is not as cut and dry as you might imagine in the beginning, and the plot twists and secrets that are revealed along the way make for a wonderful page-turner that teases the mind and leaves you begging for more.

The world building was wonderful, and the characters were rich and multidimensional. There were times when I really wondered, who were the good guys and who were the bad guys? ... and I'm still wondering about some of them, even at the end of the second book (Tenebrea's Hope), which was just as amazing as the first. The plot is woven together with such expertise that I was doomed to read the entire book in one sitting, never once having to skim over a dull spot ... and that is very rare indeed. I highly, highly recommend this book!

In my opinion, Fiasco is an even more damning statement of the folly and pretense behind space exploration than Solaris is, and thank God for that. I believe Stanislaw Lem is one of the most aware authors in the whole field of science fiction. What some readers seem to perceive as his cynicism is, I believe, nothing more than the deep disappointment of a sensitive and truly optimistic man who is sick to death of the evil that men do to each other through the agency of science. Yes, he appreciates scientific inquiry, but he also understands fully how the emotional coldness of scientific inquiry has had the undesirable consequence of freezing our hearts dead, doorknob-stiff.

Furthermore, I think that what righteously enrages Mr. Lem is his ruthless recognition of the fact that for mankind, the primary benefit of technological advancement has been the acquisition of power, and we sure can't get enough of THAT. The indisputable proof of his sensible, knowledgeable, and historically validated cynicism as regards man's rush to technological godhood is written in the blood-splattered pages of the history of this planet.

Christopher Columbus' expeditions to the New World were followed up by a holocaust that engulfed the North and South American continents in a firestorm of genocidal warfare and deliberately introduced disease, resulting in the near-extinction of the peaceful, innocently welcoming Indians that he `discovered' in 1492. In 1853-54, Commodore Perry on three visits to the Ryukyu and Bonin islands before going to Japan and while waiting for a reply from Japan, arrogantly dismissed the native's desire to be left the hell alone and made a naval demonstration by way of a volley of cannon-fire and landed his Marines twice. Of course, all of this preemptive violence was only to secure facilities for commerce, henceforth known as the "opening of Japan." Hurrah! So much for `free' trade. Makes you think about the attack on Pearl Harbor in a new and interesting light, doesn't it?

In Fiasco, Mr. Lem has the courage to state plainly the true reason why we want to run out to the stars: to conquer them, to steal them, and claim them as our property. Listen, just listen, will you, to the thoughts of Tempe, the main protagonist in Fiasco who, after landing his capsule on the planet Quinta, wanders over a landscape utterly devastated by the cataclysmic assault that was launched from the orbiting mothership, Hermes, to punish the Quintans for not welcoming contact with the Earth-men:

"It was not his belief that communication with the Quintans was senseless, based on false assumptions---it was not that which oppressed him, but the fact that they had entered into a game of contact where violence was the highest suit. This thought he kept to himself, because more than anything he wanted to see the Quintans. How could he, despite all his reservations and doubts, turn his back on such an opportunity? Arago (the priest onboard the mothership) had taken a dim view of their policy even before the phrase "show of strength" came up (and) had called a lie a lie, had repeated that they were entering into a contest of deceit; that they were pushing so forcibly toward communication that they were actually abandoning it; that they were covering themselves with masks and stratagems---safer thereby, perhaps, but more and more removed from any genuine opening up of a view into an Alien Intelligence. They jumped upon Quinta's subterfuges, struck at Quinta's every refusal, and made the goal of the expedition less attainable the more brutal the blows they used in its attainment."

The way I see it, if we ever get as far out into this universe as some of us would like, and if we ever encounter any form of life that could respond in any way to our presence, I hope to God almighty that they are advanced enough, powerful enough, and angry enough at our uninvited intrusion into their space to send us back here with the quickness, with our tails between our rocket exhausts, humbled and ready to look into the mirrors that Stanislaw Lem advises us to look deeply into, before we go slinging our slop all over the cosmos again.

Almost all of Lem's science fiction centers around one or two variations of one theme. The theme is "What is intelligence?" and the two variations are "What would robotic life be like?" and "What would a truly alien intelligence be like?" "Fiasco" is in the latter category. An expedition from Earth approaches and attempts to contact an alien race that does everything it can to avoid being contacted. The humans use their technological advantage to slowly escalate their efforts with ultimately catastrophic results.

"Fiasco" is a brilliant read on its own, and very approachable, but should really be considered part of Lem's larger set of works on this theme: "Solaris", "Eden" and "His Master's Voice" being the most obvious...with "Fiasco" being the most approachable, "Solaris" the best known and "His Master's Voice" the most challenging.

Contrary to an impassioned and misplaced review Lem isn't arguing against space-travel, nor is he being morbidly sensitive about the death of traditional cultures. Lem is holding up a mirror of introspection about the human race and our technological future - the aliens the expedition sets out to contact are in many ways us, at least the collectivised Communo-Capitalist version of ourselves. The key to understanding is the "mini-novel" cleverly embedded in the main-story as a bit of VR entertainment for the crew. An expedition into an inhospitable African desert to find the control centre of the kingdom of the termites. And a centre that, in the end, doesn't exist. Lem has frequently pitted massive hulking machinery against techno-biological collectives, and usually the big machines fail. Bottom-up collective action defeats top-down command-decision hierarchies. But the collective doesn't make right either - Quinta's collectives are engaged in apocalyptic Cold-War, countering each other's espionage efforts so violently that the EM spectrum from the planet is full of noise and all space-vehicles are autonomous AIs. The planet is ruined and the populace seemingly enslaved to the war effort. The expedition is attacked by the machines, but instead of retaliation more vocal contact efforts are attempted. When contact is made the Quintans are too distracted to care about the newcomers. All that matters is countering the enemy, or so it seems. That's where the whole thing unravels. SETI and CETI become a fiasco when we don't fit in the mental space of the aliens. Yet Lem is really telling us about the futility of war, hot or cold, and the dangers of the collective, the hive, and technology that enslaves. He's written a book packed with ideas and new ones will stick in your head with each re-read.

One reviewer said it best when he said the book asked how we could ever hope to communicate with alien beings who have a completely different evolutionary history and psychological makeup. One of the worst aspects of some sci-fi is their justaposition of our value systems, wants and needs onto an entirely (forgive the word) alien culture.

Lem seems to delight in writing about these encounters and all the misplaced hopes, dashed dreams, incorrect assumptions and not so surprising outcomes. His irony is so thick one could spread it on morning toast. In the end, of course, the book is all about us and our nature.

The cover art has nothing to do directly with the story. Simply the artistýs idea of what the story was about in a metaphorical way.

What IS the story about? Set in a future when humankind finally acts on the basis of a scientific ideal not personal gain a planet is discovered in a distant solar system that has a high probability of supporting life. An expedition is sent and seemingly noble efforts are made to make contact with the inhabitants. The story illustrates, in my own opinion, that no matter how 'evolved' we think we are, no matter how noble and honorably we think we can be, our pride in ourselves and our accomplishments has a way of causing us to ultimately act in barbaric ways.

The beginning of the story is astonishing and relates the re-animation of a man frozen on Titan a century earlier. The scene painted by Lem of this manýs technique in saving himself, his death, and his eventual return to the living are all astonishingly well-written and full of imagery. Lem is a master at getting the reader to imagine a very realistic and plausible scenario. All of this takes place in the first few chapters. This introductory story also serves to acquaint us with the 'evolved' and noble human of the distant future. The human we all hope our childrenýs children become.

There is also a short description of manýs mastery of gravity and cybernetics. This is related in a short description of an ýsmartý probe vehicle and the probeýs independently deduced attempts to avoid capture by the planetýs inhabitants.

Iýve read other readerýs comments regarding Lemýs use of science as a tool only and that he is not a true science fiction writer. I completely disagree. Perhaps Lem does not display a firm understanding of science to some readers, but it is obvious to me that he not only understands the science behind his ideas he is capable of explaining that understanding in the way he can illustrate the possibilities and limitations of his machines.

Lem's stories are unusual in that there is rarely a happy ending or any ending at all. When the message is delivered the story ends often without a climactic scene. Also, it is rare (except for Ijon Tichy or Kris Kelvin) for Lem to make any of his characters more important than any others in a particular story.

I would love to see this story made into a movie. In fact I think this particular book is much better subject matter than Solaris for movie material. With the recent advances in CGI and special effects I think this could be done very well.

Finally, Lem is a science fiction writer like no other. No one in the west comes close and Michael Kandle's translations are absolutely the best.

The book, Danger.Com @2// Firestorm, was an exciting novel. Children solving terrorist attacks on none white nationalities because the child was on a chat line. The author, Jordan Cray mad this book very exciting and was able to expand the imagination for the youthful children of the world.

My mom got me this book about 2 years ago and I thought it looked really stupid. One night not to long ago I was so bored and just wanted to read something so I got the book out and started to read it. I couldn't put it down! I read it in 2 nights and now I love the series. Anyone who likes computers would love this series. Just read the book and you'll see what I mean!

Well, I read this book when I was in 4th grade, that was like 4 years ago! But, this book was so cool, It took me one night to read it! I read it all nite, even at the dinner table....Any kid or adult that likes the internet, mysteries, and suspense should definetly go by this book!! Also, Pantera is the coolest band ever...To all kids. go buy the CD called "Reinventing the steel" plus, I am 14, not 12....I had to put 12 cause that is the oldest age on the form

I think the book is very exciting and dramatic. It's very dramatic sometimes, then it could be really funny. It is mind boggling and it makes you think and it doesn't give you any clues or hints. It will make you think it is a certain person, then you'll find out it isn't that person. It is a great book to read. I have bought the whole series because of the way the author details everything. So, I hope you like it as I have in the 3 books I have read.

This book was cool and I really enjoyed it. IF you like suspense you should read this book. Poor x-posse was outsmarted by a surfer dude HA HA HA

I read this book when I is was in 8th grade but I still like to go back and read things over it is a wonderful book if you like fantasy dragons and a girl hero.

Since I am not good at explaining things I will type what it says on the back of the book:

There is a story about Kara and dragons. When she was four, she came down with vermilion fever. Her parents, thinking there was no cure, left her in a cave to die. A month later she walked back into her parent's home as healthy as if she had never been sick. It is said that a mother dragon lived in that cave, and she nursed young Kara back to life. Now, eleven years later, the only reminder of Kara's illness is a small scar on her cheek. Of her contact with the dragon, there is more. Her eyes, which once were blue, are now green. And she can call down birds, which many believe is a sign that she can also call down dragons, for the two are distant cousins. Only Kara has her doubts. How can a beast as huge and terrifying as a dragon be related to a sweet, gentle bird? But could this explain why the king has sent for her? Does he think she has powers over dragons? For Kara, the answer to this question means life or death- not only for her, but for all the dragons, also.

I loved this book. Susan Fletcher has done it again. However, I did prefer the first and third books to this one. But this book is very important to the series, and it's amazingly good, too. This is the best trilogy ever written!

:-)

The story is about a young girl named Kara,who is sick as a small child and was brought to a cave to be buried. Instead of dying,dragons fed her milk,which nursed her back to heallth. This milk also gave her speial powers. Kara meets the royal family ofthe land of Krag because of her powers, which throws her into the middle of a of a blood war between dragons and this royal family. Kara has mant adventures as she
tries to do the right thing for the family and the dragons. The prince of this
famly,Rog,threatens to kill two childrenif Kara doesn't sumomon dragons for him to kill. She gets help from the kiing and his army,the birds that she summons,and her friends. They defeat Rog,and her falcon flies off with dragons. Kara goes back to the king dom of Krag with king Orrik as his summoner.
I like this book because there are plenty of suprises. It issuspenseful and exciting.

I enjoyed this second book of the Dragon Chronicles more than the first for several reasons.

Susan Fletcher does very well with the first-person narrative of Kara, and the language used by the character makes the story all the move believable. Its a more intelligent read than the first book, with a more interesting range of vocabulary. Also, Kara as a charcter is much more interesting to read about than Kaeldra. Kara's pride and her fears, and even her hypocracy at times, make her a real human being. And what's more, she has a fire-cracker temper that I found refreshing after reading about the droll,ho-hum, stick-in-the-mud Kaeldra.

In this second book, there is a bigger cast of characters and Fletcher does well to make sure these people all have personalities of their own. (The first book, had more character 'types',and less characters with personalities.)

I agree, the book's main relationship is a little stale. It wouldn't have been if we had not seen a similar build up in "Dragon's Milk"'s major relationship. If they had not been mirror images of the same stormy and mistrusting courtship then I would have been much more entertained.

All and all, "Flight of the Dragon Kyn" was a better written book with a more interesting array of charcters. Well worth the read.

A Review by Jessica

One day log ago a girl named Kara got Vermillion fever and almost died, but a dragon saved her. This book takes place many years after this incidence. The thing is that Kara remembers nothing that happened. The only things that remind her of the dragon is a name, Flagra, which she screamed in the middle of the night and the gift of being able to call birds down from the sky. A king named Orrick sends for her to come to him, and she dose. What Kara doesn't know is he wants her to call down dragons. The Problem is that Kara has never seen a dragon let alone call one down from the sky. Kara and a group of warriors go out to seek dragons. Kara calls for Flagra and she comes what she doesn't know it that the men are going to kill this dragon, the one that saved her life. As the dragon becomes visible the arrows rise to the deep blue sky and they shoot.

In this book I really enjoyed the suspense and adventure. The main character, Kara tells this story in first person. Susan Fletcher is a great author. One thing I like in her books is there is a little hidden love story within them. There is one in this book. It is between Kara and one of the king's men named Kazan. I also like the extreme detail that Susan Fletcher uses. An example of detail is when she describes a falcon she calls. Kara says, "I steeped back startled, the gray falcon screamed, tightened her grip on my hand. One wing clouted my head, and then she was flying." The vocabulary in this book is not too hard but not to easy. I also found the dialogue to be very easy to follow.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure with suspense and action. It's a real great read! This book keeps you in the edge of your seat the whole time your reading it.

THIS WILL SHOW YOU THE REAL DEAL OF THE DOG EAT DOG UNIVERSE OF BUGS, IN YOUR FRONT AND BACKYARD...............

This is a great book it has wonderful pictures so that you may identify the bugs that you are looking for. I purchased one for myself and one for my daughter and we both love them.

I received this as a gift after I mentioned that I loved the Orkin insect zoo at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. It was not a book I would have bought for myself, but it has become indispensable bedtime reading! The pictures are vibrant and accompanied by hard-to-forget descriptions and explanations. I especially love the pictures taken by Whitney Cranshaw himself. This book is very accessible to those who are interested in the secret tiny life that exists off of their back porch, people who don't know where to start and therefore keep pushing it off. Even the way the bugs are organized in the book is perfect- Leaf Chewers, Sap Suckers, Gall Makers, Twig Damagers, Branch Borers, Bulb Feeders... doesn't this sound like the most beautiful poem in the world??

This bok is very inclusive in it's content and very easy to look up insect for information or identification. It is used by Master Gardeners in our part of the country wth great appreciation for a book of such quality buyt yet affordble.

one shouldn't take this book lightly, it is a large and heavy tome with lots of great information and photos. i think that the author, whitney cranshaw, did a great job in how he presents the information. one bit that i would have liked to have is distribution map. information is given about distribution, but i like to have maps too.

i would have enjoyed even more information on each insect he covers, but that would make the book at least twice it's size. that probably wouldn't work at it is already 656 pages long.

it would also be neat if this author could do books on different regions of our country in this format.

This is the best book for gemstone I ever have. It's very detail and compact information without too much bla... bla... bla...

A great travel guide for those buying/looking at gemstones, lots of visual id's...well worth price.

I use this book constantly as a reference in my hobby. It not only has complete descriptions of the gemstones, but the color pictures are marvelous and include not just one, but MANY pictuers of the gemstones in the rough, polished and cut states. You will be glad you purchased this book.

This book is excellent for everyone. Perfect combination of words and pictures. The things I found to be useful are the descriptions for each gemstone and they have a list of what each gemstone may possibly be confused with. They also give you alternative names for gemstones and the history of the name with its meaning. If you are interested in gemstones this is the book for you.

well, i knew about the book already. I decided to purchase it from Amazon marketplace because of its best service and best price offered. And no doubt, this book is one of the best available on the information of Gemstones

This is a must have book for anyone interested in Chicago's beer wars. Mrs. Keefe has written a brilliantly told acurate story that helps us understand how Capone became the legend that he is, for without Dean O'Banion on the north Capone may not have been as big on the south.

Chances are if you're reading the reviews for this book then you've read at least one Capone biography and walked away, like me, thinking, "Great story, wish I knew more about the Northsiders." Well Rose Keefe has heard our collective wail and has provided us with one of the best books on both Chicago gangland and one of its most interesting characters. There is much more to the O'Banion/Northside story than just being fodder for Capone's gunmen. If you're into Chicago's gangland past then this volume is a must.

A great bio on the Chicago gangster gunned down in his flower shop during the "Roaring Twenties". The book focuses on the rivalry between the Northside Chicago mob and the Southside Torrio-Capone mob.Obanion and his cohorts are literally devoured by the inter-city "big time" mobs with connections to New York city.From reading this book I don't believe Obanion knew what he was up against,he was a small town boy who moved to the city of Chicago, yet he tried to run his crime empire like a small business. Cavorting around a flower shop by day,shaking hands,(without an enemy in the world?),with little to no protection,meanwhile engaging in criminal activity that would include murder.That's just asking for it,and Torrio's mob,later inherited by Capone,was only too happy to oblige. It seems Torrio's mob when they arrived in Chicago was already an experienced hard core criminal transplant from NYC and cites thereof.How could Obanion honestly think that when the control of rackets,gambling,bottlegging,and the millions of dollars at stake, there was a "moral" line that shouldn't be crossed?Especially when dealing with the mob and seeing as the mob eliminated its own so what could a rival gang expect.Capone listed his profession as furniture dealer but I doubt you would see him lifting furniture into trucks.His furniture business was a fort.The short baby faced Obanion never had a chance in dealing with the NYC mob. this book really brought this out as I read it.An excellent work on crime history but it sort of makes Obanion look like a "farmer".

This is about the people who nearly beat the Capone Mob for control of the Chicago boot-legging business. They were led by a florist and included a war hero, a cowboy, a bigamist and a practical joker who starred in an early stag film in the middle of a gang war. The wild Northside Gang is today best remembered for being the victims in the St Valentine's Massacre but in the twenties they were household names. This and Rose Keefe's book about Bugs Moran are both fascinating. A must read!

This is the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched biography of Dean O'Banion and it has been justly recognized as definitive. Rose Keefe's greatest accomplishment is that her meticulous research has refuted dozens of journalistic half truths, embellishments and canards that have become commonly accepted as the truth simply because of constant repetition over eight decades. The actual Dean O'Banion is a far more complex and interesting character than his newspaper stereotype.

Many sources have characterized the Prohibition battles between the Northside Gang and the Capone/Torrio mob as simply a territorial battle between the Irish and those damned Dagoes. Keefe correctly points out that the Northsiders were, in fact, an exceedingly diverse group comprised of Irish, Italian, German, Jewish and Polish hoodlums. The reality was more complicated than the widely accepted conventional wisdom.

Although O'Banion could act in an utterly ruthless manner if circumstances warranted, more often than not he relied upon his quick wits. He possessed superior intelligence and had an engaging personality that inspired great loyalty from his comrades even long after his death.

Despite his humble origins, O'Banion had the ability to put people from various walks of life at perfect ease and to form lasting friendships that allowed him to move easily in political and social circles despite his criminal background. O'Banion was a contradiction: he was a devoted son and husband. One could envision the industrious O'Banion succeeding in almost any field of endeavor that he tried. The loss of his beloved mother to tuberculosis and a childhood accident that left O'Banion partially crippled with a permanent limp were traumatic episodes, but rather than contenting himself to be sidelined by his handicap or to endure a life of economic hardship and privation, O'Banion chose not to be pushed around as he hit back hard with both fists in order to survive in the rough and tumble, dog eat dog environment that was Chicago in the early years of the past century.

If you are living from hand to mouth, it always pays to be ambidextrous and O'Banion was, figuratively and literally: his custom tailored suits contained multiple pistol pockets which allowed O'Banion to draw concealed revolvers using either his right or left hand or both hands simultaneously. The same hands that O'Banion could and did use to fire pistols, crack safes, stuff ballot boxes or slug out rival newspaper hawkers would also cut flowers into lovely arrangements for weddings and funerals. As a bootlegger, O'Banion prided himself on selling quality products as opposed to the rot gut handled by his rivals.

Keefe relates the many occasions on which O'Banion performed acts of charity. Some of these kindly acts were calculated, however, since O'Banion was also interested in reaping votes come election time. By performing good deeds, he could call in favors when ballots were being cast by his neighbors. Unlike Al Capone who coupled brutality and with openly lewd and lecherous behavior (Scarface allegedly gained his trademark after making crude remarks about a woman's shapely posterior in the presence of her protective and knife wielding older brother), O'Banion was noted for behaving in a courteous and oftentimes chivalrous manner.

Keefe's writing is factual and entertaining. The O'Banion who she describes in such great depth proves to be such a charming and larger than life personality that it is entirely possible to imagine his immortal soul awaiting forgiveness and redemption in Purgatory. I was reminded of the Warner Brothers crime melodrama "Angels with Dirty Faces" in which a priest played by Pat O'Brien called upon a group of juvenile delinquents to "pray for a boy that who couldn't run as fast as I could" after his childhood friend who failed to escape the corrupting influence of the mean streets died at an early age as a result of embarking upon a criminal career. If this sounds like a mere Hollywood screenwriting cliche, consider the fact that a Roman Catholic priest was disciplined and transferred for leading graveside prayers for Dean O'Banion despite orders from the Cardinal to deny Christian burial rites to known gangsters.

The only serious fault that I found with "Guns and Roses" is that the book lacks proper footnotes. There is a bibliography, but Keefe ought to have provided footnote attributions to the excerpted materials that were previously published elsewhere. There are also some minor geographical, historical and typographical errors that Chicagoans may catch in the text, usually on minor details, but the book is otherwise solid. Despite these shortcomings, this book is nevertheless a significant addition to the true crime history of Chicago during the Prohibition Era.