Z Books

I just finished reading The Eden Cycle, and I have to say it is one of the most innovative, wild, and exciting science fiction novels I have read in years. Maybe ever. Written by Raymond Z. Gallun, The Eden Cycle is set in one of the coolest possible worlds I have ever read about.

Let me tell you.

The story starts off in what appears to be a small town right before the Great Depression. Two kids. A boy and a girl. Growing up. Falling in love. That sort of thing. Then, the girl starts to think that nothing in their lives is actually real. She starts having these dreams and impressions that it's all just an illusion, and when she talks to the boy about it all, he begins to agree with her, and together, they will themselves out of their reality, instantaneously to a faraway beach in a virtual but real-seeming world.

Before long, they learn that they've been alive for hundreds or maybe thousands of years, living countless virtual lives within a huge virtual system the instructions of which were radioed to the earth long ago by an alien civilization. Now, almost every human has had his and her identities transferred into tiny, shimmering balls, and within those balls, people have the power to do anything, go anywhere, do whatever they want, in the virtual past, the virtual future, with superpowers, immortality, et cetera, with it all seeming perfectly real. (Some of the best parts are when the main character goes back to experience the discovery of fire, or the emergence of modern humans, and that sort of thing.)

It's CONTACT meets THE MATRIX, though it predates them both. It's a thoughtful and evocative treatise on solipsism and free will and reality and consciousness and what it means to be human. It goes all over the place, with the people choosing to forget and start over sometimes, choosing to remember at others, learning more and more about the system's origins, and waxing wonderfully philosophical about what it means to be able to do whatever you want...but for nothing you ever do to make the slightest difference.

How the characters deal with that situation, over apparent millennia, and the questions it raises is just awesome.

Great book, great ending, great everything. I really loved it.

Highly, highly, highly recommended.

Long before Neo woke up to reality, the characters in this book were discovering a similar truth. The situation is very different in this book, but the experience of wanting to live a real life will resonate.

Synopsis:
The book starts out with the 2 main characters living an increasingly dissatisfying life in mid-20th century middle America. They eventually discover that they are in a Matrix-like dreamworld and are creating their own reality. They spend a lot of time having a blast, doing whatever they want and going wherever they choose, but that also starts to lose its appeal. I won't spoil the end, but let's just say that reality turns out to be harsh but hopeful, as it does in the Matrix trilogy.

Pat Remler's Egyptian Mythology A to Z is a gem! More than an encyclopedic approach to a fascinating period, this little jewel brings to life the ancient voice by presenting excerpts from sacred texts and literature. "We set off for the mines of the pharaohs..." begins the famous Myth of the Shipwrecked Sailor. "Give praise to Ptah, lord of Maat..." prays an ancient who is identified by his own voice "I am a man who swore falsely....and he (Ptah) made me see darkness by day..... beware ...refrain from uttering Ptah's name falsely..." The text, articulate and informative, is accompanied with lovely line drawings by the author's sister, Mary Jordan, as well as interesting photographs of Egyptian temples and artifacts. The entries are rich and far from general, offering often less known facts on this exciting period. Offerings on the Book of Gates,on the Amduat, the book of that which is in the underworld, go beyond brief identification. Each presents an account of the perilous journey taken through these mythic realms, through the hours, and gates that take one beyond. The presence of an index, seldom present in books with this A-Z format, adds to the ease of cross reference. There are thus no less than 25 entries for the god Thoth, as well as some 35 for the goddess Hathor. A two page bibliography points the reader to scholarly works for a more in depth study as well as future investigation. Egyptian Mythology lacks for nothing save a title which would better identify its true nature. I suggest the following: Egyptian Mythology A to Z: More than a Young Reader's Companion.

I found Pat Remler's Egyptian Mythology A to Z to be one the easiest ways to learn almost everything there is to know about ancient Egyptian mythology, and then some. What I liked best was that the author not only concentrated on the Pantheon of Ancient Egyptian Gods and their mythological histories, but Remler also included in it's encyclopedia-like format such entries as Magical Colors seen in tomb paintings. I will never look at another Ancient Egyptian scene, whether in a tomb, museum or book without knowing a great deal more about the significance of what each specific color actually means. Everything is included here, from covering the alleged "Curse of Tutankhamen" to a descriptive analysis of the various Crowns worn by the Pharaohs. I found the book's short Introduction to be another amazement. In a matter of three or four pages the author covers a time span of some 700,000 years, from Egypt's pre-history, when very little was happening, to the sudden explosion of culture less than 5,000 years ago. There is an easy to follow timeline for Ancient Egypt and numerous line drawings of the gods and goddesses by Mary Jordan. The splendid photographs by the author made this book, for me, a real pleasure to read. It is a handy, alphabetically arranged reference book that will surely be of interest to anyone in pursuit of reliable knowledge of the subject. It's a book for everyone, from being "A Young Reader's Companion," as its subtitle suggests, to the scholar in need of refreshing his or her memory of Ancient Egypt's mythological vastness. All the mystery and magic is here, in this very well written book. I have long been an armchair Egyptologist myself, have been since I was twelve-years-old. How I wish I had come across such a book as this, over half a century ago.

The most complete Elvis reference book.

I read this book from cover to cover. Practically every question you want an Elvis answer for is in this book. There was one question I could not find an answer for and on the back cover it said it was in it. I could not find the answer to what was Elvis's favorite ice cream. I searched this book over and over to find that answer! Ha! I really enjoyed all the information on his movies--the trivia bits and the bloopers made it interesting to me. Lots of hard work and research went into this.

this book was cool,amazing, and educational.and the reason i say it was educational was because you got to learn about eminem's(marshall bruce mathers 3) life.and i also think that every one should read it because if someone dosn't like eminem and think that he is a bitch then they should read it because they don't know nothing about him and all the things he went through and things that he had to put up with.

and thats my review

the end

this book was cool,amazing, and educational.and the reason i say it was educational was because you got to learn about eminem's(marshall bruce mathers 3) life.and i also think that every one should read it because if someone dosn't like eminem and (...)then they should read it because they don't know nothing about him and all the things he went through and things that he had to put up with.

and thats my review

the end

Covers the gamut from first world war to modern aircraft. Good photo's and illustrations, with informative text

I liked this book very much. It had almost all the modern military aircraft in the world.

Not to be confused with another book with the same title by Orlando Park, this volume was originally published under the title "Encyclopedia Sherlockiana", but for some reason was re-titled (maybe different titles in the US and UK?) "The Sherlock Holmes Encyclopedia". Interestingly, Orlando Park's book was originally published under the title "Sherlock Holmes, Esq., and John H. Watson, M.D., An Encyclopedia of Their Affairs"!

326 pages packed with information about the canon (synopses of plots, full descriptions of characters, places, biographies) as well as the history of Sherlock Holmes in television, films, plays and radio, as well as pastiches and Sherlock Holmes societies throughout the world.

This is a really cool book. It's got everything anyone would want to know about Sherlock Holmes. The book has a chronological listing of many dates important to Sherlockians. It has the Canon listed and almost anything else readers would want.

Really enjoyable and very practical reading. You can use it in your life

I really enjoyed this book. The book is easy to read with thousands of tips you can use to change your life for the better. Lots of energizing ideas that you can use in your every day life EXAMPLE;(what are the best vitamines to take on a daily basis) or (what is the best color paint to use in every room in your home) or (What to do to spice up your sex life)etc... I wish I had purchased this book a long time ago. You won't regret buying this book.

Well argued and persuasively written. It is as relevant today as it was when it was originally published. All the injustice and white liberal "benign" racism Lester describes has not been changed in the intervening 40 years. If anything, we have lived long enough to see any positive outcomes of the civil rights movement, whether achieved through peaceful or violent means, undone. If in doubt about this observation, then read Shame of the Nation, by Jonathan Kozol, as a companion to this slim and honest volume. Highly recommended.

this book not only reveals the limitations placed on us as blacks in Amerikkka, it also gets youth interested. not unlike John Henrick Clarke's African World Revolution, it isn't a persuasive argument--it shows how there is no doubt we must move up on the oppressor! a quick read, only took me a few days.

What a wonderful book. Not only entertaining but magical and lots of easy to learn and use spells. Deborah Blake is terrific. My kitty loved Magic's entries in the book too. I highly recommend this for novices and those practicing the craft for awhile too. Well done!

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RVHBZVXTXVIRS I love this book, i love this author, I love this witch!

After finishing this book, I felt like I was leaving friends behind. This was one of the best books I've read and I would recommend it to anyone! I don't struggle with an eating disorder but after reading about Katy's problem, I understand that it's not something people do to just get attention. At first it seems like they are controlling their eating habits but then they find out that the eating disorder is controlling them. It's great insight for people with an eating disorder or for someone that has a friend with an eating problem.
The book deals with a serious problem but at the same time it's very funny. Katy struggles with things that we all worry about. A bad hair experience, falling down in the middle of a classroom full of people and having to sit alone at lunch. It's like the author took all our teenage nightmares and put them into one book.
It was a book that I had a hard time putting down, but like I said, now that I have finished it, I feel like my friends are out there and I wish that there could be a sequel to Everything Changes. I want to know how Katy is dealing with her disorder now? And I wonder if she's still in love with Jason? Or if she ever heard back from the other guy, Jeremy? I wonder if she still talks to Jane and I wonder if her parents are giving her room to breathe now? This is why books should have sequels. We aren't finished reading about the characters!

This book is a great book for high school students. Everything Changes is excellent, because it shows every day events that take place in a high school student's life. This book would do great as a series for teens in trouble. I personally cannot wait until the next book comes out. The problems that arise in this book (eating disorders) is continuously happening more and more in schools around the nation. Teens can easily relate to the struggles that we as teens face.