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Review Date: 6/20/2009
Helpful Score: 1
The author of The Archangel Protocol got a little too bogged down in the religiosity, in my opinion, and the book had some very formulaic parts to its initial plot line (former cop, now a PI, meets a stranger who gives the PI an offer they can't refuse to investigate, but there are plot twists). I didn't finish the book, just skimmed it towards the end to see if there was much original in this story. Plus, the idea of the populace of 75 years from now accepting that God/Angels exist simply because a cybernetic creature in the "LINK" can broadcast emotions... well, that's like someone of today thinking that God exists simply because Google Earth can see my house up close. No civilization, in my opinion, would become universally religious simply because of some new technology claiming to be angelic within a cyberspace environment. Just too much of a stretch.
Review Date: 2/16/2010
Hartmann's book is a lot of conjecture and mumbo-jumbo, disguised as a theory, which really has no basis in fact. The idea that the reason people have ADD is because some people are wired to be "farmers" and others (the ADHD people) are wired to be "hunters" is a lot of hogwash. I have read many books on the subject, and just can't get past Hartmann's "fictionalizing" of ADHD with this book. Basically, he is trying to tell people what they want to hear -- that there's nothing wrong with them, and that they're "special". But he over-simplifies in many places, and just plain makes stuff up in others. Don't waste your time if you're serious about reading about or learning about ADD or ADHD.
Review Date: 11/28/2008
Helpful Score: 7
This wasn't the best fantasy novel I have ever read, nor the worst by far. If you have read the first book in the series (Innocent Mage) you will no doubt want to read this one as well. For me, the first book was even slower than this book... the author's pacing is not the best, and I found myself skimming some passages to get back to the main story line and the main characters.
Without being too much of a spoiler, I guess my biggest disappointment in this novel was that the "real" magic from the protagonist didn't occur until well past half way through the book, and even then we didn't get to see much in the way of *why* this magic was so effective against his opponent, nor did we learn much about the nature of the magic of the Olken. After all of the build-up, I expected more. In addition, I thought the author took the easy way out by making the magic so "second nature" to the main character; by making the learning of the magic "easy" for him, the author cheated the readers to some degree, since because it was easy, it required little explanation. The protagonist "sketches a sigil" into the air, and we are supposed to envision how that was done without the benefit of a better description. The protagonist "conjures glimfire" yet we don't get to understand the process or the implications, nor does there seem to be any limit imposed on the magic.
So... while it wasn't a bad novel, and I thought the dialogue was pretty decent, I wouldn't say this ranks anywhere near Lord of the Rings, or David Eddings' Belgariad series, or Wizard's First Rule, or George R. R. Martin's Swords series. But it was enjoyable enough, and a lot better than the Magic of Recluce series or (in my opinion) the highly overrated and repetitive Wheel of Time series.
Without being too much of a spoiler, I guess my biggest disappointment in this novel was that the "real" magic from the protagonist didn't occur until well past half way through the book, and even then we didn't get to see much in the way of *why* this magic was so effective against his opponent, nor did we learn much about the nature of the magic of the Olken. After all of the build-up, I expected more. In addition, I thought the author took the easy way out by making the magic so "second nature" to the main character; by making the learning of the magic "easy" for him, the author cheated the readers to some degree, since because it was easy, it required little explanation. The protagonist "sketches a sigil" into the air, and we are supposed to envision how that was done without the benefit of a better description. The protagonist "conjures glimfire" yet we don't get to understand the process or the implications, nor does there seem to be any limit imposed on the magic.
So... while it wasn't a bad novel, and I thought the dialogue was pretty decent, I wouldn't say this ranks anywhere near Lord of the Rings, or David Eddings' Belgariad series, or Wizard's First Rule, or George R. R. Martin's Swords series. But it was enjoyable enough, and a lot better than the Magic of Recluce series or (in my opinion) the highly overrated and repetitive Wheel of Time series.
Review Date: 3/7/2010
I find most of Kerr's books in this series to be a bit redundant after the first one. Similar conflicts, the same characters, the same explanations. After reading the first and second books, I found the series a bit boring. That said, if you are really into Celtic fantasy, this book fits the bill. Worth reading, even if Kerr does get a bit redundant at times. (How many times, after all, is she going to explain the name 'Nevyn' or make a play on words about 'no one'? How many times will the same characters make the same mistakes, even though they can see the consequences ahead of them?). The blurb on the back says it is a "dazzling fantasy saga" and is "a vast and intricate tapestry of conflict, intrigue, and high magic that transcends the bounds of time and space." The second part of the description is apt... but I am not sure I would consider this "dazzling."
Review Date: 12/4/2009
One of the best books on the Internet economy I've ever read. While some of the information is dated, it is mostly still very valid. My big takeaway from this book: "If we don't tell our customers, someone else will." Highly recommended. I've given away 3 copies of this book to friends and co-workers, and think it's a must-read for anyone who works for a company that sells a product or service over the Internet.
Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks and Cronies
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
39
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
39
Review Date: 8/20/2009
This book was clearly written by someone with an axe to grind against the Obama administration and liberalism in general. If you think Obama and his "team" are corrupt, and you voted for Bush and defended his cronyism and corrupt colleagues, then you are just being hypocritical. This book belongs in the trash heap right next to everything Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck has ever written. I started to read this and couldn't even finish the first chapter. Should be in the fiction section.
Review Date: 6/21/2011
Helpful Score: 1
An amateur novel published by an odd small press. I applaud the author's knowledge and writing ability, but it's sort of like watching a local cover band instead of a well known musician... not quite polished enough, a bit cliched, and the ending isn't so much an ending as a teaser for another forthcoming book. This book is badly in need of a real editor, and maybe a real publisher. That said, it was a somewhat interesting story with some plausible twists.
Review Date: 6/20/2009
Pretty decent story, and I found myself liking it more than I thought I would. The protagonist's adventures do seem to be a little one-sided (he rarely makes a mistake) and I found the last 1/3 of the novel where they are protecting a city to be a bit plodding compared to the first 2/3 of the book. All in all, a good summer read but nothing that is going to win a Hugo or Nebula.
Review Date: 7/29/2009
Too bad if Gingrich had his way there would still be slaves. Newt can kiss my ass! Not to mention, this book was ghost-written by his 'co-author', not by Newt.
Review Date: 7/7/2009
Helpful Score: 1
Very good novel by Charles Stross. I have read other novels by him (Accelerando, for one) and I found this novel to be easier to follow and more captivating at the same time. I read it in two days, and I can't remember the last time I plowed through a novel that quickly. The characters were engaging, and the storyline was great. I definitely recommend this one.
Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
146
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
146
Review Date: 7/26/2009
Glenn Beck has his head implanted firmly up his own ass.
How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
126
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
126
Review Date: 12/3/2008
Coulter is so incendiary and negative, it is a wonder that anyone can read her books. If you're requesting this book, you probably think George W. Bush was a good president.
Review Date: 3/7/2010
Helpful Score: 2
Very quick read - finished in less than 2 days of reading it. The story moves very quickly, and has some interesting twists and ramifications. I wasn't expecting a lot when I ordered it, but after having read it I can say that I really enjoyed it. There is the potential for a sequel here somewhere, or a spin-off series of books. If you liked any of Karen Traviss' books in the Wess'Har series, you'd enjoy this one for sure. It deals with complexities of the human psyche, has interesting aliens with very alien points of view, and some interesting interpersonal interactions and moral quandaries. I look forward to seeing more books from this team of authors in this same universe.
Review Date: 6/25/2010
Pretty good -- I got this one on a whim, since I liked George R. R. Martin's early works like Sandkings. Turns out this is a pretty decent novel, and sets things up nicely for a sequel. Nothing superlative, but a good summer read or a good book to take along on a trip.
Review Date: 1/10/2011
Helpful Score: 1
Started reading it and thought it was fairly interesting, but once the character's last name was revealed, the story became much more predictable and the book really lost my interest. If you've read any of Terry Goodkind's work before, you'll likely be familiar with some of his themes, and as in many of his other books, he has some characters go off on tangents that sound very "preachy" just to fill in the gaps in the reader's knowledge, which also has the added effect of seeming like the author just cheated the reader by spoon-feeding them information in the form of a soliloquy.
Overall, it was not a terrible book, but I had much higher hopes for this book when I first picked it up in an airport book shop. The back cover blurbs seem to imply that this book is a thriller, which would be a departure for Goodkind from his other titles. But make no mistake, despite the "thriller"-ish blurbs on the back cover and the fact that it was reviewed by USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and Midwest Book Review, this book is firmly entrenched in Goodkind's fantasy genre. I don't want to give away more than that with this review, but suffice it to say that if you're looking for the thriller that the first few chapters seem to promise, you'll probably be disappointed once you figure out what's really going on.
Overall, it was not a terrible book, but I had much higher hopes for this book when I first picked it up in an airport book shop. The back cover blurbs seem to imply that this book is a thriller, which would be a departure for Goodkind from his other titles. But make no mistake, despite the "thriller"-ish blurbs on the back cover and the fact that it was reviewed by USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and Midwest Book Review, this book is firmly entrenched in Goodkind's fantasy genre. I don't want to give away more than that with this review, but suffice it to say that if you're looking for the thriller that the first few chapters seem to promise, you'll probably be disappointed once you figure out what's really going on.
Review Date: 11/10/2008
I first read this book in college, and found a world unlike any other. The sheer size of Silverberg's Majipoor is amazing, and he somehow has managed to blend fantasy with science fiction in a way I have never seen before. The feeling I got when reading this book was similar to the feeling I had when I first saw The Matrix... a sense that there was much more to the story than was being told, and hints of greater things. I especially loved the fact that a simple thing like juggling could be a part of a much greater story set in a world that had been imagined so richly. Silverberg has built a mythology and a class structure into the world of Majipoor that is extremely detailed, and his characters are much more real than most characters of literature. Even though I haven't picked up my dog-eared copy of the book in probably ten years or more, I still remember the names Valentine, Carabella, Zalzan Kavol, the lands of Ni-Moya and Pidruid, and much more. To me, that says a lot about the power of this novel.
Review Date: 11/25/2009
Nice guide to phrases, and the dual English-Spanish/Spanish-English dictionary is helpful too. However, I found it difficult to find it to use "on the fly"... we traveled in the Yucatan (Playa del Carmen and Cancun) and I needed to have a few key phrases readily available ("How much is this?", for example.) This book isn't designed for quick access, and only has a few pieces that are useful. In general, it's more of a dictionary of short phrases and terms (it only has two pages devoted to common phrases). I would have preferred a guide to common phrases like "Where are the bathrooms?" and "My hotel room smells bad." That said, though, it is a nice sized little book and would be useful for anyone traveling to Mexico. It's small enough to fit in your pocket.
Review Date: 12/1/2008
I thought it was kind of boring, and definitely not as "post-apocalyptic" as I had thought from reading the other reviews. Plus, I felt the author used bad language / cursing for shock value in some places, while in other places her descriptive language was practically nonexistent. In short, I thought it was a bit choppy, a bit plodding, and not nearly as well-written as I had expected from this author.
Review Date: 11/10/2008
Helpful Score: 1
From Library Journal
The uneasy balance between normal humans and psychic mutants undergoes a severe test as the appearance of a frighteningly powerful mutant threatens to polarize a world that has just learned to tolerate the "aliens" among them. Continuing the story begun in The Mutant Season (co-authored with Robert Silverberg), Haber blends sf adventure with family saga in an entertaining though somewhat contrived novel.
The uneasy balance between normal humans and psychic mutants undergoes a severe test as the appearance of a frighteningly powerful mutant threatens to polarize a world that has just learned to tolerate the "aliens" among them. Continuing the story begun in The Mutant Season (co-authored with Robert Silverberg), Haber blends sf adventure with family saga in an entertaining though somewhat contrived novel.
Review Date: 1/2/2010
Helpful Score: 1
I'm a pretty harsh critic of sci-fi, and while this one wasn't what I would call *hard* sci-fi, I was captivated by the story and the characters, and found it to be a compelling book. I will definitely look forward to the two sequels by Carlson.
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