Burton Books

Max is a werewolf and his family is branching out to become top alpha's in the country, and he is ready for a mate. Shannon is part of a family with abilities to manipulate weather, and its her season. They have been brought together by Shannon's family wanting to expand their hotel business in New Orlean's, Max was going to help with public relations which is what Shannon was handling by herself. Shannon does not need or want Max's interference with her job (or her life), she is in control and she is going to make that clear from the start...but she doesn't know that Max is an alpha werewolf. As their passions rise Max tries to find a way to let Shannon know what he is, after all her mother has already figured it out, and Shannon tries to cope with his dominating personality. What will happen when Shannon realizes that Max is a werewolf? Will Shannon be able to give up some control over her life for Max? Read this book and find out how Jaci brings this all together.

I thought this book was much better than Aidan's story, but I am huge werewolf fan so I am partial. I thought the chemistry between Shannon and Max was sizzling. I recommend this book and I will be checking out more books from this author.

I liked this book fine, it's not going to go on my keeper shelf or anything, but all in all a good quick read. Shannon is likeable enough though a bit too stubborn. Max is a great character with an abundance of patience when dealing with Shannon. The meet, sparks fly, she is in denial because she's afraid of loosing who she is. Hence ensues the wooing and winning of Shannon by Max. Good installment in the series.

I do love Ms. Burton's writing and all the wonderful heat she generates between her main characters, but this one seemed a bit forced with the whole need for Max to "find his mate." Although I've liked the "weather magic" in the Storm family stories, I'm not a huge fan of the werewolf theme. And yes, while the "passionate" scenes are truly great, there aren't many in the book overall.

Book 2 of the Devlin Dynasty series and Book 2 of the Storm For All Seasons series, this book successfully merges the two. Shannon Storm is an independent woman with a successful career within her family's New Orleans based business. Max Devlin is a PR hot shot working with Shannon on her family's latest business venture. Max isn't just in town for business but to establish himself in his recent move from Boston and to find a mate.

I loved this book! The sexual tension between Max and Shannon is intense. The plot creative! If you like your romance red-hot, pick up a copy of this book. I've loved every Jaci Burton novel and this one was no exception. Her imagination is fertile and her narrative well written. I highly recommend this author.

Fall Fury is the continuation of two other books Jaci Burton has written - A Storm For All Seasons : Summer Heat ( chronicalling the elementally magical Storm family ) and Devlin Dynasty ( werewolves).

This time Max Devlin, werewolf of Boston, is in search of a mate. He knows exactly who he wants: Shannon Storm, fiery daughter of New Orleans's Storm family. And since he's been sent to help them with their P. R. campaign extolling their new casino its time to make his move. They'll be working together every day in the sultry southern heat and fall hasn't gotten chilly yet...

Shannon can't believe her family thinks she needs help with public relations and she doesn't want anything to do with the northerner they've brought in. And if her mother and sister don't shut up about her "destiny" soon she may just have to conjure a storm to do it for them. And why does a wolf suddenly show up in her neighborhood stalking her?!

For those who loved the previose novels the love scenes in this book are few but far more explicit ( if possible) than previousely. Seriousely, even if you've been a romance reader for years, you are still going to blush over this one! The story is also better, I thought, in this book than the others. I only wish Ms. Burton would finallly get around to chilly Logan's story!

In 1985, the Lunar and Planetary Institute compiled papers on possible Lunar bases and other 21st projects into Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century. For the next 23 years, it was the guide for how things would be done in space in the 21st century.
This current book is an extension of the earlier work. Although not a direct sequel, It provides additional information on things discussed in the earlier work, as well as commenting on recent discoveries and developments, like the possibility of ice at the lunar south pole.
This book provides many ideas worth following, although I can only hope that in 2031, the follow=on to this book will have actual results from experiments done on the Moon, and perhaps more than a few papers actually 'written' there.

In this updated second edition(seven years of updates!), the authors expand on the "Planet Moon" Project.
We take a long, hard look at existing technologies and systems and visually depict what is possible for humanity to achieve on our nearest celestial neighbor, in the short term. While we base some of these designs on NASA plans, we fully expect multinational private capital and enterprises to drive lunar development. We believe, if we put our hearts and souls into the Planet Moon Project, the Moon could become the next frontier to establish a variety of peaceful,progressive, international, intercultural and interdisciplinary activities. Opening up such a new dimension in human pursuit will enable the creation of millions of new,imaginative and productive occupations in all walks of life, extending new horizons for human thought and activity. As the world becomes more interconnected and interdependent for resources, the Planet Moon Project, the authors believe, offers the inevitable "breakout" strategy. The only question is...which nation(s) is willing to lead us out of the cradle to our cosmic destiny ?!

So.....please buy the book and look at all the original artwork including those magnificient color plates. No warp drives here, just plain proven hard technology which the authors believe is sufficient to attain these results. Hope Hollywood movie directors use books like these for depicting our future in space.

This book is a compilation of various plans for the exploration and development of the Moon from what it is today, a magnificent desolation, to a vital integral part of the human economy. From initial landings of the Orion program to the preliminary robot probe of the Alpha Centauri system, this guide is a step by step instruction manual on how to do this. Much of what is recommended can be done with current technology. I would suggest this book to anyone who has curiosity about the future.Lunar Sourcebook: A User's Guide to the MoonMoonrush: Improving Life on Earth with the Moon's Resources: Apogee Books Space Series 43 (Apogee Books Space Series)The Lunar Exploration Scrapbook (Apogee Books Space Series)

As one of the contractors selected by NASA this year to design a lunar architecture, I can say this book provides an excellent and detailed inventory what is known about the Moon's challenges and ways that have been devised to overcome them. Peter Eckart is a hero of the lunar movement; if he were available, he would have a leading role on our lunar architecture team.

This book is the best up-to-date introduction to lunar development, focusing on the primary technical infrastructure necessary to expand from an initial base via In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) to global development of what the authors term "Planet Moon". The book makes a clear case first for why we should do this, and then in quite detailed outline, how. While some technical components, such as remote robotic tele-operation, or lunar materials mining and processing, still require research and development work, nothing in this project is far from mundane things we already know how to do. The book isn't entirely self-consistent and the logical separation of topics sometimes seems a bit odd, but the range of material covered is satisfyingly broad: lunar topography and composition; railways, telecommunications and materials transport; requirements on construction and chemical processing equipment; human-suitable habitats, life support, agriculture, and "cislunar" transport and logistics, and more. Beyond the technical discussion of the physical, chemical, and engineering issues are several sections of the book dealing with lunar government, including a proposal for creation of a "Lunar Economic Development Authority" (LEDA) following a port authority model, which looks extremely promising. At least as valuable as the 10 main chapters are the 20 appendixes, to which over half the book's pages are devoted. These appendixes, based heavily on work published elsewhere, bring a lot of information together in one place available for ready inter-comparison. Perhaps the most interesting is also the longest, Appendix E, which thoroughly covers the proposed processes for lunar oxygen extraction and related chemical processing. This book is an essential guide for anybody hoping to work on lunar development and participate in, as the authors phrase it, the "Planet Moon Project".

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed. This was our assigned textbook, and I tend to use the texts as references for when I don't understand something in class or in a problem set. I felt that this book often left out the explanation of "why" something happened, and tended to be less in depth than even our lectures and so I'd be frustrated that the book didn't really explain the underlying mechanisms to a process (which I think is key to understanding renal pathophys)...and don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people trying to memorize every tiny detail. But I felt this was a little too superficial to be of much use. I ended up probably getting more out of Robbins and Costanzo's BRS Physio review (which does include some pathophys) than out of this text.

Helps for reviewing material that is kind of obscure. I preferred reading Robbins Basis of Pathology to get a good glance at the material.

Excellent book as a primary text for both pre-clinical renal pathophys and clinical rotations. Highlights important clinical pearls and practical information for the medicine wards. Highly recommended.

This book is all you will need for renal pathophys your 1st and 2nd years. It is small and doesn't look like much, but is extremely well written. THis is all I used for my 2nd year renal module (with a little robbins on the side), and I nailed the exam. I recommend for any med student.

Though the text can be a bit dense and overly wordy sometimes (Glomerulonephritides chapter), it does an excellent job at explaining pathophysiology. Pictures are in B&W though, so if you're just looking for nice slides, pick up Robbins. If you're looking to gain understanding, pick up this book.

Originally published in 1954 and quickly becoming a best seller; The Wilder Shores of Love portrays four admirable women who, by fate and conscious design, lived their lives brimming with dangerous adventure, passion and political savvy that threw nineteenth century society into a stir of envied condemnation.

Jane Digby, `impervious to scandal', made her way across Europe like a whirling dervish of all consuming passion. Among her many flames (the list is not exhaustive) were Prince Schwarzenburg, Balzac, King Ludwig I of Bavaria and his son; Otto, King of Greece, followed by an Albanian Chieftain and a couple of Arab Sheikhs. The last with whom she settled in Syria, alternating between Damascus and desert tribal warfare in which she participated; all of this at a time when `Queen Victoria refused to countenance the remarriage of widows'. She was also a woman of great intellect, spoke nine languages fluently and retained her naiveté until the end.

By contrast, Isabel Burton and Aimee Dubucq de Rivery displayed a singular sense of purpose that defied what was possible: Isabelle Burton, hypnotised by her husband to be, the awesome Richard Burton (explorer, orientalist, linguist - a kind of Livingston, Byron, T.E. Lawrence and Fitzroy Maclean all rolled into one), clung to a gipsy prophecy for nine years before she got her man. Blanch takes their relationship as a metaphor between east and west; Catholic, domesticated Isabel who was also a consummate organiser and genius Burton, who could disappear for months on end to go native, re-emerging with sensitive information that the foreign office rarely took on board.

Then there is the fascinating tale of Aimee Dubucq de Rivery; kidnapped by corsairs whilst sailing to France and despatched to the harem in Constantinople for the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. A worthy prize if ever there was one, her son became the famous reformer Sultan Mahmoud II. Blanch surveys European politics from the latticed seclusion of the harem, giving a unique perspective from this abducted beauty who was more powerful than we'll ever know. Her childhood cousin, Josephine, became Napoleon's first wife.

The fourth portrait is of Isabel Eberhardt; rebel, writer, adventurer. She has a hard act to follow and doesn't come off as fascinating as the previous three but is nevertheless extraordinary in her own right.

Lesley Blanch chose her subject matter well and contrasts her four portrait sitters with the backcloth of their age. The transition of nineteenth century England from the Regency period to the Victorian era she describes as `The century's smothering growth of prudery'.

This is a scintillating kaleidoscope of landscapes, personalities, cultures and attitudes that offers a political insight equal to its task. It reminds us in our politically correct age that there have been real women of daring who enlivened society and challenged its boundaries in an unconventional way; yet in the end, it is more a quintet than quartet, as Lesley Blanch herself is up there with the best of them: A must read!

I have only read the first story but it is great. Looking forward to the other two..

God what a beautiful collection of real life stories and ones about women that way up most braggart adventures of men!(and I say that as a guy folks!). I was in a state of awe & envy throughout, fell dangerously in love with 3 out of 4 of the characters and am left disappointed only by my own world in result. This book is highly detailed and revealing of ins and outs of secret minds, hearts, places, women, individuals, religion, history and in many ways is scarily telling about truths of all. Its a gorgeous voyage and I give this book away too often but its one of those you know? Men or women I dare you to call yourself the same by its end!

"Did I have adventures with foreign men?'' Lesley Blanch told an interviewer on her 100th birthday. "Many times --- I like them.''

Even at that advanced age, she was still writing. Always to music, most often reggae. At night, she'd greet visitors --- she was fond of hashish dealers --- to her exotic house on the French-Italian border in clothes that matched her environment: a caftan and turban, her neck fighting a load of ethnic jewelry.

To the very end of her life --- Lesley Blanch died in the spring of 1907, at 102 --- she was wildly entertaining. But her big personality is just icing. As "The Wilder Shores of Love" attests, she was a very good writer with a gift for telling remarkable stories, many of them probably true. And she was the ideal writer to profile four 19th century women who defied convention and went off to make fresh starts in North Africa and the Middle East. Or, as she called them, "four northern shadows flitting across a southern landscape."

Her focus was as exotic as her prose: "love as a means of individual expression, of liberation and fulfillment within that radiant periphery." Her women weren't head-in-the-stars about love; they were "realists of romance." And the book works brilliantly because, though the lives of Blanch's women were only superficially similar, their priorities were the same --- breathing the oxygen that was only available on the wilder shores of love.

Isabel Burton: Blanch chose her because she was "the supreme example of a woman who lived and had her being entirely through love." From the minute she saw them, she craved the East and the famous Victorian traveler, Richard Burton. (He spoke 28 languages. Blanch writes, one of them pornography.) Once she got him, their lives became a Greek drama: She colonized him and destroyed him, and, in the process, destroyed herself. But to what astonishing heights destruction took them --- Isabel worked tirelessly on Richard's behalf and, more or less singlehandedly, turned him into a celebrity. "I have undertaken a very peculiar man," she wrote in the early days of the marriage. He could have said the same: She traveled with 59 trunks, stayed for days in harems, and, meeting her wayward husband by chance in Venice, said hello and shook his hand.

Jane Digby: "She smashed all the taboos of her time," Blanch writes. "Hers was a life lived entirely against the rules, reasons and warnings, and it was triumphantly happy." You may disagree --- Digby experienced the ultimate tragedy when her beloved six-year-old son slid down a balcony, miscalculated and fell to his death at her feet. But the rest? One fabulous love affair after another, culminating in the marriage to Sheik Abdul Medjuel El Mezrab. Jane was always a great horsewoman; now she mastered dromedaries, and often raced at the head of a Bedouin tribe. She prepared her husband's food, stood as he ate, washed his feet. And the outcome? She never became old. "Admiration and love," Blanch notes, "are the best beauty treatments."

Aimée Dubucq de Rivery: Romantic? How's this: captured by pirates, flunk into a harem and enslaved. Her first sight in her new life in Turkey was "a great pyramid of heads, some so newly severed that they reeked and steamed with blood." She became "the French Sultana," the mother of Sultan Mahmoud II (who helped create modern Turkey) and a force for freedom and justice --- quite the tale.

Isabelle Eberhardt: She dressed as a man. She turned Arab. A Russian, she converted to Islam and died --- actually: drowned --- in the desert. "She adored her insignificant husband, but her sensual adventures were without number," Blanch writes, matter-of-factly. "Her behavior was outrageous; she drank, she smoked hashish, but déclassée, she remained racée." No one who met her ever forgot her. You won't either.

Subjects and author been rarely been better matched. For despite her sympathies with travel and romantic adventure, Lesley Blanch was a serious writer. Though well-born, she was also born poor; she worked hard from a young age, first as a book illustrator, then as Features Editor of British Vogue. Over her career, she wrote 18 books, all in longhand. The combination of a good education, intense research, remarkable subjects and a vivid style is irresistible --- "Wilder Shores" has never been out of print since its publication in 1954.

I wouldn't have known about this book if I hadn't read Lesley Blanch's recent obit in the NY Times (May 11, 2007). It sounded too good to pass up, and it's a great read. Her writing style, for a biography, is over the top even for 50 years ago, but it's obvious she was enjoying herself in the telling, and it's a very readable book. HOWEVER, as soon as you read Ms Blanch's intro, you find a reference to an illustration, but when you check the book for pictures, there are none. Turns out the hardcover first ed. had pictures, and some subsequent paperback editions printed in England kept the illustrations, but the newer paperback editions dumped them. Well, shame on Scribners for not including them! It does take something away from the narrative not to be able to see whatever the author was able to locate on the women, whether photos or portraits. But still an entertaining read.

The author of this little masterpiece is unknown. This story - or 'romance' if you like - was found in a little manuscript that was written in c.1380. The original text is a medieval English dialect. There are three other stories in that manuscript presumably by the same author.

King Arthur, his wife Guinevere, and the Knights of The Round Table are celebrating Christmas and New Year at the famous castle 'Camelot'. One evening a huge knight on horseback bursts into the Hall during dinner, brandishing a large and fearsome battle-axe. Everything about him is green, not only his armor - as one might expect - but also his face, his hair, and even his horse. He has come in peace as he is advertising more than once. In short he says: who is bold enough to step forward and try to chop my head off with this battle-axe? But after one year and a day it will be my turn to deal a blow. Gawain, one of the Knights of The Round Table, steps forward, takes the axe and beheads the Green Knight. As if nothing happened the Green Knight picks up his head, takes it under his arm and the head says: a year and one day from now it will be my turn to give you a blow. You have to promise that you will come looking for me. You can find me at the Green Chapel ( It's almost a joke but who knows? Maybe this is all just a joke ). If you survive my blow I will give you a great reward. The Knight doesn't want to say where the Green Chapel can be found. It's far away from here but you will find people who can show you the way. And remember, you promised. And so the adventure begins for Gawain. He has to go without a companion. He stands on his own for that was a part of the deal.

This Fantasy element is the only one in the story. Everything else is realistic. That could be an indication that some scholars are right when they say that the Green Knight is a symbol for the reviving of Nature after the winter. There is a parallel between this symbolism and Gawain who's becoming more mature as the story unfolds. Throughout the story he's tempted in many ways to betray his vow of chastity and loyalty to the Virgin Mary, and near the end of the story he's tempted into cowardice. After all is said and done Gawain has a more realistic view on knighthood. He becomes adult and reaches a new stage in his life just like the revival of Nature by the Green Knight.

One of the things I like in this medieval romance are the hunting scenes described very vividly and in great detail. It starts with a description of the animal they want to hunt down: its strong and weak points. During the chase it is as if you can hear the horns blow and the shouts of the hunters, the barking of the hounds and the grunting of the wounded animal and it ends with the cutting of the meat after the bowels are given to the hounds as a reward.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a fourteenth century alliterative poem of unknown authorship. English has evolved to such an extent that translation is necessary for anyone other than a dedicated scholar to read and appreciate the work. This review is of the Brian Stone translation. The poem is a combination of Arthurian legend and regional folklore, most notably the Irish tale of Cuchullain, and features a prominently Christian theme.

Gawain is traditionally viewed as the most virtuous of knights (and as the most powerful in some traditions, before that position was usurped by Lancelot), and a great deal of the novel deals with his various temptations, particularly by the lady (shades of Morgan le Fay). The action and the story are good, although the author does get a little carried away in the middle with all the hunting.

Stone does a lovely job of translating, keeping the tone and theme unified while maintaining alliterative lines. I am generally not a fan of poetry, but this held my attention. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an engaging read for fans of medieval or Arthurian literature.

RECOMMENDED

This medieval poem from approximately 1350 represents one of the earliest pieces of literature extent in prototype English. At first glance the manuscript, housed in a special collection at the British Museum, appears to be in a foreign language; it is characterized by archaic spelling and specialized vocabulary known mainly to medieval scholars. But conscientious study proves rewarding; scholars may view the birth of English, or at least a stillborn twin, of its modern descendent. A unique example of a translation from oldest into
into modern English, this Penguin Classics edition includes notes on the bottom of the pages, explaining words or references to scholars and legendary figures.

Constructed in four basic Parts the plot is elegantly simple. During a Christmas feast at Camelot Arthur and his knights are amazed at the rude intrusion of a brawny giant of man on horseback--with both rider and steed appareled in green. The intruder taunts the bravery of the members of the famous Round Table--challenging any one among them to swap blows in the Beheading Game. Although modest in his self assessment, young Sir Gawain feels compelled to answer this insolent challenge--speedily salvaging the honor of Arthur's court. (A literary aside: this chaste and loyal warrior is also Arthur's nephew; the uncle-nephew bond is the most sacred human relationship in medieval lais. Gawain's failure to defend Arthur's reputation--a year hence--would prove even more shameful than if ignored by the other knights.)

After the Challenge and Acceptance of Part One, we enter Part Two: Preparation and Departure. We read of the perils and hardships of Gawain's odyssey as he seeks the Green Chapel--the site of the assignation as designated by the insolent Green Knight--throughout England without any
true sense of direction. Part Three may be subtitled Hunt and Temptation:
a 3-day sojourn at the castle of a most hospitable lord, who promises to provide his guest with a guide to the very Green Chapel which he seeks at year's end. The poet alternates scenes of the hunt in the forest with softer struggles in Gawain's bedchamber, as he is assaulted most delicately but insistently by the Lady of the manor, who seems enamored of her husband's guest and oblivious to her reputation. To further complicate secret affairs, the Lord jocularly insists that Gawain and he swap the spoils of each day's exertions. Gawain is hard pressed not to betray either the laws of chivalry toward the Lady or the lavish hospitality of the Lord. He insists on departing after three days of trial by seduction--determined to meet his fate at the hands of his mysterious adversary.

Part Four may be considered Trial by Axe and Conscience. Sir Gawain, barely escaping Venus' onslaughts but secretly wearing the Lady's green girdle beneath his armor, reaches the scene of his probable doom--a curious natural structure called the Green Chapel. This is a wonderful read, rich in Anglo-Saxon alliteration with vivid details of medieval hunting, feasting and personal combat. Thought-provoking themes abound such as the role of Chivalry, the dictates of Hospitality, and the influence of the French creation: Courtly Love. As the blood
representative of King Arthur, Sir Gawain is constantly being tested. Individual readers must determine for themselves how well he succeeds in his maintaining his ideals.

The Penguin Classics edition of SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, edited by J.A. Burrow, is fantastic for motivated readers who wish to approach the text as it really is, and delve deep into its symbolism and historical references. Burrow's edition is not a translation into modern English, but a presentation of the original Middle English with enough notes and and a glossary so copious that the reasonably well-educated reader will be able to tackle and even really enjoy this important work.

While it was written at the same time as Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES, which is difficult but of which the modern reader can usually get the gist, SIR GAWAIN is written in a dialect of rural England which seems more impenetrable nowadays. Under this archaic facade, however, lies a magical tale ostensibly of Arthurian myth, but which is really an adaptation of an older, indigenous legend. The framing of the tale attempts to claim a noble heritage for England from Troy like the Roman poet Vergil had done for Rome with his AENEID.

I was a bit disappointed by the lack of a decent introduction. Barrow provides only a brief explanation of how the text was typeset and minor alterations in spelling, but I would have preferred coverage of the history of the story, the role of Arthurian myth in the popular literature of the writer's region, and a brief mention of the other contents of the manuscript on which the work was found.

If you are a student of English literature, or simply a lover of archaic English texts, the Penguin edition of SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT is a great choice.

Middle English is a diverse collection of different dialects and styles, when it comes to literature. At the same time that Chaucer was writing in the southeast of England, with good command of French and Italian poetic sensibilities, there was a strong tradition in the north and west country of alliterative poetry, the kind that owed as much to the Old English forms of verse and use of language as to the new influences post-Norman Conquest-wise. Among the products of this time and place, the anonymously composed 'Sir Gawain and Green Knight' is one of the most outstanding.

This poem has all the hallmarks of being a work of many influences - it has the heroic aspects that one might expect from Old English epics such as Beowulf; it has a decided romantic streak reminiscent of French and Norman influences; it has virtue and church/Christian overlaying influences that come from Latin and ecclesial sources; it has magical and mystical ideas that are most likely Celtic in origin. Perhaps more like a tapestry, the various strands of influence are woven together into a glorious pattern that stands as a towerig achievement of the synthesis of language that Middle English achieved between its Germanic and Latinate streams.

Gawain's story is a very popular one. The most virtuous of the Round Table knights, his bravery and his resourcefulness at seeking the Green Knight, the annual challenger at the court of Arthur, is legendary. Gawain's small fault (and indeed, Gawain was portrayed as a virtuous human, but human nonetheless) warrants a very small penalty, but he is deemed upon reporting back to Camelot that he has brought honour upon the whole fellowship of knights. There is something magical about the Green Knight, however, and this can be seen as metaphor for the way in which temptation seems to have a magical power over humanity.

Do note: This is a review of the Penguin Classics 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' as edited and translated by Brian Stone, who also produced the Penguin Classics 'Medieval English Verse'. It has a wonderful introduction, as well as a series of essays following the translation of the poem. These essays include topics such as the significance of the Green Knight, the moral nature of Gawain, the way in which the poem can be and has been used as a play, Arthurian images, and speculation about the poet himself. There are also extracts from the original alliterative verses with the middle gaps.

There are also two bibliographies, one of texts mentioned in this book, and another for suggested readings for students. These are a bit dated now, as the latest impression of the book comes from the early 1980s, and none of the items on the list dates past the mid-1960s. There is also an extensive section of translation notes.

It is a great read and you can learn so much about the practice of true buddhism too.
They did lots great reseach of this book.

While it would be hard to find something to say that hasn't already been said this will be an attempt none-the-less to praise this work still further. This sutra explains, beautifully, why one should take the path of the bodhisattva. Everyone will benefit from reading this.

No reflection on Mr. Watson's translation--the book is very readable and is of historical interest. But it's mostly an apologetic for Mahayana vs. Theravada Buddhism. Though it does indicate that a layman can spiritually reach higher than monks. While compassion is very appealing this book is unconvincing that Mahayanists have higher enlightenment than Theravadists. True, this book does have the "koan" in which the protagonist is speechless to demonstrate a lack of duality. But, it was disappointing as a whole. Per David Snellgrove: "The fault in this plot is that it makes us expect too much from Vimalakirti's argumentative power. Modern novelists make the same mistake...the actual quality of his discourse is not good enough. We are left wondering why all the Saints stood in such awe of him. The author of this sutra tries to make up for this defect by a series of flighty miraculous episodes, which serve only to enhance the general effect of triviality." p. 272 in Edward Conze, I. B. Horner, David Snellgrove, & Arthur Waley, Buddhist Texts through the Ages (Boston: Shambhala, 1954).

Although I have a slight preference for the magnificent translation of this very funny and insightful sutra by Columbia University's Robert Thurman, this translation by Burton Watson was the first version that I read. And re-read--many times. Once you enter into the story, it is remarkably funny. One disciple after another declines Lord Buddha's request to go see the "ailing bodhisattva", Vimalakirti. "Why?" they say, why won't they go see Vimalakirti? Each has a different reason, but in short, they won't go because the last time they ran into this fellow, he gave them a very hard time indeed about whatever they were doing, said things that they are still puzzling over, and enlightened many thousands of listeners in the process. Those readers who are familiar with the puzzles of Zen koans will be at home with many of the dichotomies, but this narrative goes much further than just short anecdotes for meditation. The entire way of the Bodhisattva is spelled out in the pages of this book in unforgettable detail. It is one of the earliest and greatest works of Mahayana Buddhism with many of the key ideas that would be developed later schools like the Madhyamika.

I highly recommend both translations to all serious dharma students.

Vimalakirti was a deeply enlightened layman who lived during the time of the Buddha. As previous reviewers have emphasized, this particular sutra is greatly important to all of Mahayana Buddhism. This sutra opens with a pretty amazing scene in which Vimalakirti grows ill, and the Buddha sends his utmost students to convey Buddha's greetings to him. Many arhats and bodhisattvas gathered together in Vimalakirti's home, where they all tried to express the Dharma of "not two", which as a previous reviewer noted, was to show the point which is not made by dualistic thinking. One bodhisattva said, "The sky and ground are not two." Another said , "Good and bad are not two." Still another, "Coming and going are not two." They all had many explanations of "not two" ; it was an extremely remarkable exchange.

Finally Manjushri said, "If you speak or don't speak, it's still not two." Everybody thought, "What a wonderful teaching." Then Manjushri turned to Vimalakirti and said, "What is your view of the Dharma of not two?" And Vimalakirti just sat there, not opening his mouth at all. Thus, Vimalakirti provided the best answer of them all. It's the most complete and deepest answer; for if you open your mouth, it's already NOT not-two; you would already be making two things. Just like Buddha nature, words and speech simply cannot touch it.

Burton Watson has translated many important works for us all, including the saying of Zen master Lin Chi in book format. This particular translation is concise and in-line with the majority of other translations I have looked over of this monumental sutra; therefore based on this viewpoint, I feel this is a really good place to get your information for this sutra. You'll get a lot out of it, and I think you'll truly enjoy it. Take care!

Until reading this book I had thought that the weakest link in orthodox Christianity was the fact that the real Jesus was unknown to Paul of Tarsus and the writers of the Gospels because they had abandoned the Jewish apocalyptic personage he was for a hellenistic god-man. Professor Burton Mack has a different take. For him, the existence of Jesus material in the source called Q and in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas indicates that what was known about Jesus in the first century was his aphorisms not his life. His aphorisms, called Cynic in conformity with Greek literary and philosophical categories, lack any concept of a Messiah, a sacrificial death, an apocalyptic reordering of the world. They are instead very individualistic comments on the human condition. The Jesus of Paul's letters is a god-man, something not found among the Jews. And the Jesus of the Gospels, which are fiction, is recreated as a combination of the aphorisms with the construction of an organized church centered around the themes of Paul's salvation history.

The real Jesus had then little to do either with orthodox Christianity or even Jewish Christianity; his Jewish background is not even very visible in the remains of his aphoristic work.

Either way the Jesus of the Catholic Church or the Christian Evangelical Movement is shown to be unreal and a myth. But the real Jesus still eludes us.

This is one of many cheriched books that I proudly own, read and re-read. Religion, philosophy, theology and mythology all share a common ground. For a very well perspective on earlt "Jesus movement's", I HIGHLY recommend the book mentioned above by Dr. Robert M. Price.

I was looking for a book that could explain cogently why it took more than 40 years for the gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke to be written. As a previous review has covered in detail, this book does present an interesting and thoughtful (though highly theoretical) alternative to the usual Christian view, written by someone who is definitely not a Christian apologist. Bring your big dictionary as I had to look up 2-3 words per chapter (I think the author is writing to an audience who is steeped in theological research).

In the first six (of eight) chapters the author analyzes the historical record but credits many others for providing the theoretical structure and conceptual content of this book. I look forward to researching his references.

Unfortunately in Chapter Seven when the author is discussing Christianity today he starts to lean to the political left, and then takes a hard left turn in Chapter Eight. In Chapter Eight, the author castigates Christianity for many of the errors in the history of the United States, including slavery, the treatment of the American Indians, the travails of blacks in America up to today, white supremacy, the evils of capitalism, even the cutting off of the "undervotes" in the 2000 presidential election. The author states that Christianity is unable to fulfill the need for the "social engineering" needed to create a "social democracy" and accomodate multiculturalism.

I am a theological liberal, but a political conservative. I was with the author until he got away from research-based theory and started spilling one-sided Democratic Party talking points about how the United States needs to be re-engineered. This kind of personal opinion (much of which is quite arguable) took me by surprise. Now I'm wondering how much of that one-sidedness infused the first seven chapters.

In Mack's view, religions are systems of myth and ritual that (1) create an world apart from reality, (2) exaggerate the figures and activities of those that occupy this imaginary world, (3) emphasize the power of these imaginary agents.

I was immediately reminded of Pascal Boyer's "Religion Explained:" Every religion has these common features: (1) A supernatural agent who takes a specific ontologic form (animal, tree, human, etc.) (2) There is something memorably different about this agent (the animal talks, the tree records conversations, the human is born of a virgin) which is an ontologic violation. (3) This agent knows strategic information and can use it for or against you.

I also like the definition from Scott Atran's "In Gods We Trust:" Religion is (1) a community's costly and hard-to-fake commitment (2) to a counterfactual and counterintuitive world of supernatural agent(s) (3) who master peoples' existential anxieties, such as death and deception (4) leading to ritualistic and rhythmic co-ordination of 1, 2, and 3; such as communion.

The usual Biblical scholar wants to approach Christian origins with the familiar understanding of the "Jesus Story," the tale of a Godly intervention on earth. Mack prefers a cultural anthropologist's approach: that the same critical analysis tools used in studying any other religion or socio-cultural phenomenon should be used on Christianity. The Christian apologist may pretend to begin this way, but somehow the Jesus story becomes "too exceptional" and is exempted from routine scrutiny.

Humans are essentially social. Creating semi-permanent networks and hierarchies of interaction is what people do. The developing culture is dynamic but fragile, requiring extensive and ongoing negotiations, becoming quite complex in the process. This is hard work, creates as many tensions as rewards, and is more than just a strategy for survival.

For centuries after Alexander the Great, throughout the Greco-Roman world, cultures were in disarray. The conquerors were tolerant to religions but brought in Greek culture, (frequently mercenary) Roman soldiers, collected taxes, and delivered swift justice. There was tumultuous social change at all levels of society. Many religious movements formed all over the region. Perhaps early Christians were so impressed with their investment in new social formation, they invented a mythology to justify their efforts. Why not? Almost all other societies have done so.

But the story grew to fantastic proportions - extravagant. Explanations and rationalizations eventually ended with a God so mysterious, mere humans were incapable of perceiving the wisdom behind the developing theology. The competitive factions were eventually forced to consolidate and even lifted the Old Testament from the Jews in the process. They explained, "It was really a story about Jesus in the first place, but the disobedient Jews refused to see it."

Can social theory really account for Christian origins? Apparently, yes. Mack has been working toward this socio-cultural theory with a group of seminar colleagues for several years. This book is a collection of earlier papers and lectures delivered within the scope of that seminar. Their goal: (1) a wide-angle lens view focused on the many ways people responded to the Greco-Roman Age (2) a theory of formation of early Christian religion derived from social theory.

I'll be looking for results from this seminar. Mack's is a unique perspective that I found fascinating.

Criticism: Long and unnecessarily complex sentences, but doable. Seems to be written with the fellow professional in mind. First five chapters better than the last three.

Burton Mack's previous books have been both controversial and radical. His "Myth of Innocence" accounts for the development of "Mark's" gospel, while "The Lost Gospel" is an account of the source of sayings in Matthew and Luke, and "Who Wrote the New Testament" is an overview of the latest scholarly knowledge on the social circumstances leading to each part of the new testament. His work is revolutionary the way most good works are revolutionary: it notices an obvious error, an absurdity, and exposes it.

In the case of the myth of Christianity, the errors are numerous, and the Christian Myth analyzes them with precision. Mack focuses on Origins, Logic, and Legacy. An analysis of Christian origins is a necessary endeavor. It is obvious to all serious scholars that the gospels cannot account for the creation of the gospels. Such thinking is circular. Religion is primarily a social construct, which Mack demonstrates. The factors that give rise to myth and ritual are social in nature, and thus an understanding of the social milieu in which the earliest Christian texts and groups formed is essential. In the case of "Christianity" the earliest such texts are Q and the Gospel of Thomas, as well as the pre-Markan pronouncement stories. An analysis of such texts gives a much different picture of early Christianity than that presupposed by an anachronistic "after the fact" interpretation.

The logic of how such groups developed, why they did what they did and thought what they thought, is also necessary. How exactly did Christianity progress from a minority of small social groups audaciously calling themselves the new "Israel" and the "kingdom of God" to the rulers of nations? An analysis of the logic of this progression necessitates an analysis of Christianity's legacy: a legacy of exclusivity, brute force, narrow thinking, and xenophobia.

Mack ends the book with a strong condemnation of the Christian legacy, manifesting in our present time with the reactionary and authoritarian "Christian Right". Mack rightly shows that the Christian Myth is outdated. It does not and cannot contribute to our multiethnic world. In Mack's view, and this writer's, it is time for a new myth, one that strips Christianity of its absurdities and paralogic.

I don't know Chinese. I know a little about Chinese Buddhism. But Han-shan and Watson have made these poem's familar: it's our condition.

Each poem is a neat little eight line chunk. Nothing elaborate here, just simple poetry for our simpler side. Given all the bloated religious teachers and poets I've read, this is a refreshing change. Try to imagine how long it might take you to come up with a similar brief wise poem. Then consider Watson only translated 100 of Han-Shan's roughly 300 poems. How cold was that mountain?

The great thing about Cold Mountain is that he is transparent to translators. Arguing the merits of one Cold Mountain translation against another is like comparing a Gudo Ishibashi 2.8 shakuhachi to a 2.9 Mujitsu shakuhachi by Ken LaCosse. Both flutes will get you "there." But the journey will be different.
The same is true of Cold Mountain. Snyder is as good as Watson is a good as Red Pine is as good as Henricks.
Or like Dogen translations...
why sink a straw that floats on the water, when the moon itself rides in ripples beside the straw?

I was given this book while travelling in Nepal some years ago. It has become my most loved book.
What lies behind the words is such beauty, sadness and humour... true mind medicine for those who would be so daring as to go beyond the lonliness of solitude, to the world of Han Shan...

"When night comes I sing to the bright moon; at dawn I dance with white clouds."

After living in solitude for some time I really got a sense of the aching sadness in some of these poems, such as...

"I came here to sit on Cold Mountain and lingered here for thirty years.
Yesterday I went to see relatives and friends-- over half had gone to the Yellow Springs.
Bit by bit life fades like a guttering lamp, passes on like a river that never rests.
This morning I face my lonely shadow and before I know it tears stream down."

But above all I see Han Shan as a rebel who found his way to Cold Mountain, shunning and often making fun of the worldly life that he left behind. With regards to spiritual seekers he offers:

"Honey is sweet - men love the taste; medicine is bitter and hard to swallow."

This book is filled with jewels!

this book deserves to be read by anyone interested in the outdoors or eastern poetry. it is striking, pensive, simple, and beautiful, while allowing for rich emotion and endearingly opinionated topics. the contextual notes are helpful, and are not so heavy as to turn the light volume of poetry into a textbook on history or literature. an easy read for anyone.

I first read this Gem-like little book because Kerouac mentioned it in his _Dharma Bums_. I'm glad he did- this is one of the most profound and satisfying books that I've ever read. It is the book I tuck into my breast pocket when I'm totally fed up with civilization and just have to get away into the back country.

This is the finest example of the writings of the tradition chinese mountain man hermit. Yet, the chinese version of the hermit was most unlike the western pattern. These men didn't reject nature and the natural world to find the divine- they merged with it. These were men who could live life with an almost dionysian intensity complete with wine and wise cracks. These men could cut to the marrow of what is truly important in life. I'm sure old Han-shan must have driven Confusius and the imperial bureaucrats nuts....

The last poem of the 101 states: "Do you have the poems of Han-shan in your house? They're better for you than sutra reading." I couldn't agree more.

Of the three stories, Jaci Burton's Wild Nights is the one I reread. Perhaps because it involved Las Vegas and a veterinarian, things not tied together in anything I've read, I found the combination intriquing. The characters are believable. Burton is an author I'll be looking for. The other two stories were enjoyable, but not as compelling as Wild Nights.

It's not every day that you'll find an anthology with all stories being equally engaging. Exclusive by talented authors Eden Bradley, Jaci Burton and Lisa Renee Jones is a rare treat. Be prepared to explore the darker side of desire.


Sanctuary by Eden Bradley

Devin gets talked into going to a fetish club, and discovers she likes it. One of the guys putting on the show, Shaye, notices her and she's instantly hot for him and for what she sees him doing in the club's Ring. He asks her to come and play and she resists, but she finds she can't get him or his commanding sexuality out of her head. She knows it would be dangerous to get involved with him and she thinks she doesn't want to relinquish control to him, but he's irresistible and they connect. Shaye is shocked by how much he feels for Devin. He doesn't want her to have the power to hurt him. But neither of them can stop what they're feeling.

This story is HOT! I really liked that Shaye's self control extends to not taking the domination thing too far. His obvious care for her pleasure is really nice. I'd like to see that happening more often in D/s stories. My one issue is that love seems to come a bit too quickly for these two, but they're so fabulous together that you can easily overlook it.


Wild Nights by Jaci Burton

Mike Nottingham is a veterinarian from Oklahoma, attending a convention in Las Vegas. His friend gives him an invitation to an exclusive sex club called Wild Nights. Mike has been looking for that elusive something that will satisfy him, to no avail. He has had great sex, but always feels like there's something missing.

Grace Wylde is the owner of the club, and Mike's friend says she's unattainable. Just the kind of challenge Mike has been looking for. They meet and they feel a connection and a feeling of being comfortable with one another that they haven't felt with anyone else. Mike knows he won't get anywhere with Grace unless he's different than all the other men who usually try to put the moves on her. He also knows how to make this a unique encounter for Grace, and in doing so he finds his own elusive pleasure. But Grace doesn't want to get entangled with a man who's leaving in a couple of days, and the connection she feels with Mike scares her. Will two strong-willed individuals be able to make it work? Will they even care enough to try?

I wasn't completely happy with Grace throughout this story, but I think I understand why she does the things she does. This is a fantastic tale of two jaded people who finally find that special someone. Jaci Burton really makes these characters sizzle.


Purple Magic by Lisa Renee Jones

Jolene Morrison is searching underground sex clubs for her missing best friend, Carrie Wright. She seeks out an ancient warrior vampire named Drago in the hopes that he'll be willing and able to help her find her friend. When they meet, they both feel a profound chemistry. Their mutual attraction is so intense that Drago wonders if Jolene might be his mate. He never thought he'd find his mate, and he's not even sure he wants it to happen because it will make him soft and vulnerable. Jolene will have to trust Drago if she wants to save Carrie. But at what cost to her own safety?

I enjoyed seeing the strong slayer agree to share control with his mate. It goes against everything that he is, and it illustrates the depth of their bond. Lisa Renee Jones has done a great job of world building in a relatively short story.

Three tales, all exceptionally well written and power packed with emotion and steamy sensuality. You'll love Exclusive.

5 Kisses, 2 Peppers (anal sex)

~Lindy
Reviewer, TwoLips Reviews, LLC
www.TwoLipsReviews.com

Loved this book and all the stories. Wish I was there in each story.
will keep and reread again. wish purple magic was longer I loved it. And the other two stories too.

Two out of 3 stories anyways.

Sanctuary was a good story. Not the best but not the worst either. I guess it's because I'm not overly fond of complete submission type of drama. The scenes were hot but the storyline was a little "not my cup of tea". However I must admit that it was pretty well written in my standard. I did enjoy it just not into it. 3 stars for me

Wild Nights is more to my taste. I was very thrilled to know that Mike got his own story after me being extremely disappointed in Laci Burton last installment "Wild, Wicked, and Wonton". As much as I like Seth, I felt that it was a sad ending because Mike was left out of the equation. I wasn't disappointed for long was I? Thank goodness for that. Anyways, Wild Nights was a fairly awesome and well written story. The scene was sizzling hot and the ending was tearful. In a happy way of course. Wild Nights is actually the reason why I gave this rating a 4 star. If it was a stand alone, I would probably give it a 5 being that we would get more story out of it of course.

Purple Magic is the only story that I didn't bother finishing. I'm not saying that it started out horrible. I read the first 3 pages but then I found that it's not my type of read. If I were to continue just to finish it, I might give it a truely unbiased opinion. So I opt not to. I do enjoy reading paranormals because I am a fan of Christina Feehan,Nalini Singh and Karen Marie Moning and WAS a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon but I don't think i can be a fan of paranormals eroticas. At least not yet. Maybe one day when I'm back into those vampire fetish zone, I'll come back and read this story. So I won't give this story a rating.

Sanctuary by Eden Bradley

An innocent young woman ventures into the dungeons of a private club to broaden her erotic horizons. Devin finds herself thinking thoughts she has never had before. Mostly, her thoughts center around Shaye. Wondering what would happen if she goes through with them - where will they lead her. And how can she say no?

Sanctuary is a well-written story that draws you into the mind of a woman who has control of her life and who realizes maybe control is not what she wants or needs.

Wild Night by Jaci Burton

The owner of a swinger's club ignores her hands-off-the-customers policy when a certain sexy newcomer joins. Grace Wylde has her life the way she likes it. However, it does not hold any surprises. One night, Mike Nottingham walks into that life and shows her that maybe she has not seen or felt as much as she thought she had.

Wild Night is a well-crafted tale of two people learning that the games they have always enjoyed may not be all there is to life.

Purple Magic by Lisa Renee Jones

A daring woman searches for her lost friend in the hedonistic world of Manhattan's underground nightspots. Jolene Morrison's best friend has disappeared. In her search to find her Jolene ends up requesting help from Drago, a Slayer. But can she pay the price?

Purple Magicdraws you in and makes you wonder, what would you do for your family? For your friends? As well, it makes you realize you can meet your soul mate when you least expect it. It is well-written.

Exclusive is three well-written stories of women and men learning more about themselves and their boundaries. Each author took their story in a different direction than the others while still maintaining the same level of excellent writing. After I finished reading I sat back and realized that I could not choose a favorite. Each story was unique and steamy. I was left satisfied and yet wishing all three stories were their own book rather than part of a collection. I will be looking to find other stores by all three authors in the future. I highly recommend this book.

Barb
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

It's a shame that the imaginative world envisioned by author Josh Michael Burton is not given a better treatment. Unfortunately, the writing in this story falls well short of ideal or even a high professional standard.

Although the book billed as science fiction, much of the science in this story falls firmly under the category of Clarke's Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Most things are not explained except for characters to occasionally marvel at how "advanced" they are; while I don't need an in-depth spec sheet, things would feel more realistic if there were some attempts to give a good grounding to the world's technical level, aside from hanging occasional technical-sounding terms, such as "bimetallic" or "hytion" off of things. (I also find myself wondering about the premise of the world, where somehow Mayans have managed to genetically engineer eleven distinct human sub-races, and a moon with apparently Earth-comparable gravity orbits an Earthlike planet, for example.)

Where the writing really needed polish, however, was in the dialog. Much of the dialog sounded wooden and stilted, with characters picking strange and formal-sounding terms instead of more natural language. Many times, it felt like characters spoke not because they had something they wanted to say, but because the author had something he needed to relate to the audience, and so he picked the characters as the vehicle. As a result, conversations abound with odd artifacts such as specific dates, lengthy exposition, and awkward transitions, where once a character has imparted to the readers all the author wishes them to know, that character will abruptly change the subject, and whomever he's talking with will happily follow along. In a few instances, characters make long speeches with no one else around, detailing their plans, history, or belief systems (towards the end of the book, at least, these tend to end up more as 'He thought' rather than 'he said'). And even when there are not long speeches, characters have a tendency to spontaneously announce their thoughts and actions in a severely melodramatic fashion. As well, unfortunately, many of the characters have a tendency to be very didactic with their beliefs, to the point where even I--as someone who agreed with those beliefs!--felt uncomfortable having to sit through these lectures.

The author also has a tendency to tell, rather than show. Many times, it's explained directly what an individual is feeling, rather than the readers being drawn to understand how the character thinks and feels through their words and actions--or, if they do hear it through the words, it's because the character directly announces his feelings. Sometimes it feels as though this results in the author showing off the fact that he has a thesaurus, as many unnecessary synonyms find their way into the text, disrupting the flow.

Unfortunately, the book also lacks a good editing. A few terms are misspelled consistently throughout the book, and I noticed several typographical errors in addition to those, which disrupted an already shaky reading experience.

This is not to say that the book is entirely bad; the author has a creative imagination and a wild sense of adventure. It's just that the story, as unpolished as it is, could be a lot more enjoyable than it ultimately ends up. It feels somewhat like watching an ornate watch being worked on by a repairman whose hands tremble too much to allow him to really perform delicate work.

This Christian science fiction book is not allegorical or part of the flood of "end times" fiction. The author writes science fiction that involves Christ, yet within the larger context of the fictional story. The whole scientific concept of this work stays within believable, yet imaginative parameters. It involves twelve tribes of altered humans, most originating with the Mayan civilization of Earth, who long ago made their way to the distant world of Icacia. The story revolves around the discovery of a scroll that leads to an ancient gateway and two groups that are seeking to reach the gateway first. It also involves the return of a once imprisoned, great evil that is loosed upon humanity again. I believe you will enjoy the characterization, plot, and depth of the sci-fi world.

From the back cover:
During a routine research mission to the Great Pomian Forest, a Khaetorian High Council science officer unwittingly releases an imprisoned evil creature. The beast resumes his quest to obliterate the governing body of Icacia and replace it with his demonic rule. Soon afterward, a hidden scroll is discovered which reveals the location of the fabled Gateway of Dimensions. When the scroll is stolen by a madman bent on gaining the Gateway's power, an eclectic group of scientist-explorers is drawn together in a race against time to stop the madman and prevent the evil beast from destroying the very existence of Icacia's many tribes.

Background for Journey Into The Gateway of Dimensions (taken from the now missing website):
Icacia is a planet in the Miayetsi Star System. It is orbited by a lifeless lesser moon, Epipteron, and a life-supporting greater moon, Quotor. All life forms on Icacia and Quotor were originally translocated from the Earth, referred to as Eden, some many centuries ago. The Hymnil tribe arrived on Icacia around three thousand years ago and formed a mighty, space-faring race. The Hymnil managed to nearly obliterate themselves in a Great Civil War mainly concerned with the control of an immense spiral collection of taya. Taya, if you are curious, are harmonic energy doorways which use "dark matter" as a faster-than-light conduit to connect two seperate points in space. The spiral collection of taya, the Gateway of Dimensions, could afford the opportunity to go almost anywhere from one central location. The Hymnil remnant which survived the war left Icacia and vowed to forever abandon any use or knowledge of the Gateway. One thousand years ago the members of eleven diverse tribes arrived on Icacia via a taya linked to Earth. The tribe's odd characteristics were the result of Mayan alchemist priest's genetic