The Hand of Chaos: A Death Gate Novel, Volume 5 (Death Gate Cycle (Paperback))

Book Description

Chaos is everywhere as the Lord of the Nexus orders his servant Haplo and the human child known as Bane to further their master's work on Arianus, the realm of air. But their one time companion Alfred has been cast into the deadly Labyrinth. And somehow the assassin Hugh the Hand has been resurrected to complete his dark mission. More important, the evil force that Haplo and Alfred discovered on Arianus has escaped. As Haplo's doubts about his master grow deeper, he must decide whether to obey the Lord of the Nexus or betray the powerful Patryn...and endeavor to bring peace to the universe.

Customer Reviews:

The Hand of Chaos - clever title now that I think about it...........2006-03-19

The Hand of Chaos - Book Five of Seven in the Death Gate Cycle series. This book is another excellent addition to the series, and also necessary to read, no matter what other people say. It is very action packed, and brings back some of my favorite characters (Ex: Bane, Hugh the Hand (shocker...I know!)and Iridal). The book does have its shortcomings, but otherwise it is very good.

This installment starts off right where Serpent Mage ended, with Haplo trapped in the room and the water starting to flood the Sartan City. Haplo escapes (without magic) and heads through Death's Gate, but not before finding out that the evil dragon-snakes have also headed through. He heads to the Nexus, but is beaten there by the Dragon-Snakes, who have already found Xar and pledged their allegience to him. Xar says he is happy to have them on his side. Haplo comes and tries to convince Xar that they are evil, but Xar doesn't believe him. Haplo leaves for a walk as Bane (remember him from Dragon Wing?) walks in and begins chatting to his adopted "grandfather". Meanwhile, as Haplo accidentally meanders infront of the Final Gate, Zifnab comes. Zifnab, while rambling, tells Haplo that he is Sartan, and that his "wife" never died and is still in the Labyrinth, with his child. Haplo is startled by this news, but what is even more startling is that Bane overheard this all.He reports back to Xar, who tells Bane that he is sending him to Arianus with Haplo to continue stirring up unrest and to activate the Kicksey-Winsey. As soon as this task is accomplished, he is to kill Haplo. Bane agrees, and the both of them leave.

Thus the plot is set for The Hand of Chaos, along the way, Hugh the Hand comes back from the dead, We learn a LOT more about the Brotherhood of the Hand, and more about King Stephan's empire. This is a very good book, with only one major shortcoming, Alfred's disappearance. At the end of Serpent Mage, Alfred was being cast into the Labyrinth, yet in "Chaos", we have no news of what is going on with him. This is the only real shortcoming of the book, and it is an excellent, fast paced read. Pick up and read it now!

Totally not necessary.......2005-07-30

First, I will tell you how to get the most enjoyment out of this series. Start with going to the library and renting all of these books. Do not buy them as they are not worth it. Then read books 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 without reading the footnotes or the appendixes. You have the option of reading books 2 and 5 if you are really enjoying the series, but they are only filler and do not even need to be skimmed. Finally, accept the fact that Weis and Hickman may only be one hit wonders and move on.

Second, I write reviews for those who seek good fantasy and not for the zealots who hang on every Weis and Hickman word. You would think from some of the reviews of this series that these books were greater than War and Peace and written by Bronte and Conrad. In reality, this series is not very good. I am not trying to trash Weis and Hickman, I found the Dragon Lance series to be extremely enjoyable and would give at least the first two series of that line four stars. This series deserves no more than 2 stars. The books are incomplete thoughts that may have been much better had the authors taken more time to flesh out the story. Beware of fantasy books that contain footnotes and appendixes. Usually, these are the telltale signs of poor writing. Having said that, I did manage to read most of these seven books and here are some thoughts.

Many reviewers have made a lot of the fact that Xar is actually tsar or czar. I fail to see the significance here. Xar is a ruler and a tsar is a ruler. So what? What I found to be much more interesting and ultimately distracting was the use, by the authors, of the word mensch. Mensch is a Hebrew word. It is not close to a Hebrew word, it is a Hebrew word. If you look it up, mensch means a person of integrity and honor. What are the authors trying to say here? That all people without ambition or power are full of integrity and honor. I read all seven books trying to understand the use of this word to no avail.

Not surprising considering the books are filled with errors and inconsistencies. Some of these errors and inconsistencies are no doubt addressed in the footnotes and appendixes, but it would take an additional seven books to address all the problems. I believe that most of these problems occurred because the authors did not take the time to complete their work. Perhaps they were pressured by their publisher.

Most of the characters are thinly veiled shadows of those characters from the Dragon Lance series. Only, these characters are not as interesting or as engaging. Part of the problem is that Weis and Hickman never determine where they want the story to go. They blur the line between good and evil, then they erase the line, then they re-draw the line in bold. In Dragon Lance, it was intriguing to see how the characters dealt with the discovery of the duality of their own nature. In this book it is just confusing.

SO REAL! (Is it prophecy?Historical fiction?).......2004-06-23

This is probably the best series of books I have ever read (I haven't read Tolkien yet. I KNOW, I'm sorry!). I just cannot say enough good things about this book series. I literally read it 3 times through, and each time I can relate to a different character and come to see it from their perspective.

The way that Tracy and Margaret bring the characters to life significantly contributes to the reason this series of books is so great. By the end of the 1st book, Hugh the Hand (Best Assassin in the world), Alfred(Sartan Mage), Haplo(Patryn Mage), Bane(son of most powerful human mage alive), and the rest of the characters have almost come to life in your mind.

If you're going to read Fantasy(Or SciFi) start with this! The sense of depth these books have to them makes you wonder if it's actually historical fiction that Margaret and Tracy are writing about and the index each book has is absolutely amazing. Whenever you're confused about something the characters are making reference to (or if you 'missed' [skipped, lol] the part when the character's were discussing it) you can simply look it up in the back index and you'll understand it better than you would have just reading straight through. (THEY EVEN HAVE DIAGRAMS OF EVERYTHING!)

Margaret and Tracy together are unparalleled writers equal to only a few such as Tolkien, Piers Anthony, Knaak, Louis Lamour(SP?) and the like.

I won't be suprised when this series becomes the next movie series. Except for the fact that since the book's environs are so diverse (they 'literally' create whole worlds with flora and fauna and a whole system of language [actually I think it might be latin]) the movie industry right now might not be up to it.

Finally, if you're worried about it being too advanced or too intellectual, don't. The characters are incredably deep, but like real people, are revealed to you slowly through the actions they take and throughout the series, so you're not overwhelmed all at once.

All the books are great, and I will read the series a 4th, 5th, and maybe a 6th time. Although one of the middle books does drag a little because it's mostly about the humans, dwarves, and elves (Mensch: Patryn/Sartan(Magus) word for humans, dwarves, and elves or anyone else who doesn't live thousands of years).

5th Book in a Very Good Series.......2004-05-24

In all probability, people who read the first of the Death Gate Cycle books and like it, are going to want to read all of the books in the series (regardless of any flucutation in the individual books' ratings). Ditto for the reverse: if people don't like the first book, then they're probably not going to want to read any of the other books in the series. Thus, instead of individual book ratings, I've rated the whole series and given a short blurb on any specifics for each book.

Overall, this is a very good series. The authors were amazingly creative in coming up with this concept and the books are well-written, extremely interesting, and internally consistent (mostly -- see below for some exceptions). I highly recommend this series of books for everyone. My comments for the indidual books follow:

Vol. 1 -- Dragon Wing: This book covers the exploration of Arianus: the realm of Air. It introduces us to the two main characters (Haplo and Alfred) and many of the recurring characters throughout the series. It's a well-paced, well-written book that's an excellent reresentation of what to expect in most of the rest of the series. Essentially, if you like this book, you'll like the other six books. If you don't like this book, then there's no sense in reading any of the others.

Vol. 2 -- Elven Star: This book covers the exploration of Pryan: the realm of Fire. Alfred is entirely missing from this book, and Haplo isn't really the centerpiece. Instead, the book is mostly written from the perspective of the mensch and of the newly introduced (and recurring) Zifnab. The one possible weakness in the book is that Weis/Hickman wrote it such that the structure of Pryan itself is more of a mystery than Arianus was in the first book.

Vol. 3 -- Fire Sea: This book covers the exploration of Abarrach: the realm of Stone. Once again, both Haplo and Alfred are present. The characters and areas presented in this book are key elements for the entire series. An interesting book, but not a very happy one at all.

Vol. 4 -- Serpent Mage: This book covers the exploration of Chelestra: the realm of Water. Both Alfred and Haplo are on this world. But, for the most part, they follow separate plot lines. There's a lot of action taking place throughout the book and Weis/Hickman introduce some actual Sartan (besides Alfred). They also bring in an ancient evil to balance the ancient good introduced in the previous book. The most irritating thing about this book is that it ends in a cliff-hanger. The previous books tied up their worlds' activities fairly nicely. Not so in this book. It ends at a very inconvenient spot.

Vol. 5 -- Hand of Chaos: This book returns Haplo to Arianus and the people he met there earlier. Whereas the first four books of the series cover the exploration of the four realms, this book starts the synthesis of the various threads from those books into a movement towards closure. It's a good book, but, unfortunately, it doesn't do anything with Alfred. The previous book left Alfred heading towards a bad end. This book doesn't do anything with that. So, while reading the book, you constantly have this little voice in the back of your mind going "what's happening with Alfred?" Irritating.

Vol. 6 -- Into the Labyrinth: This book ranges across just about all of the worlds of the Death Gate. It brings all of the various threads from the other books to a head. Most importantly, it finally does something with Alfred. The unfortunate thing about this book is that it contains a lot of technical errors (or, more specifically, contradictions). For instance, in Dragon Wing, we're told that a person needs to be familiar with an area to use a transportation spell to get to that area. Yet, very close to the beginning of the book, one of the characters uses such a spell without ever having been to her target location. There are also several instances where the characters COULD have used such a spell, but don't. Likewise, there are problems with replication spells. In Fire Sea, Haplo and Alfred use such a spell to replicate enough food for a large group of people. Yet, in this book, no one seems to consider using a replication spell to produce more of some food. But, later on, those same people are using that same spell to replicate weapons. Plus, at one point, Xar uses a spell to just materialize both food and drink for a party. But, if such a thing is possible, why do the Patryns hunt and, apparently, farm in the Labyrinth? Also, the size of the Labyrinth seems wrong. From the previous books, it's taken hundreds (if not thousands) of years for various Patryns to traverse the hundreds of Gates in the Labryrinth. Yet, in this book, from the very beginning of the Labyrinth they can see the results of things happening at the Final Gate. There's also the problem of how people at the center of the Labyrinth would know anything about the Final Gate.

Vol. 7 -- Seventh Gate: This is the conclusion of the Death Gate series. Unforunately, I didn't much care for it. Basically, it comes across as being pretty sappy. All of a sudden, Haplo and Alfred are best buds and want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Most of the various threads are tied up adequately (if not very satifyingly). But, the sudden push towards liberal "peace, love, and harmony" is trite. Of the seven books in this series, this one is the least good. Once again, I didn't much care for the tone of this book. But, since it adequatly ties up most everything that needed tying up, I'm not going to downgrade the whole series because of that.

Chelestra, the Water World.......2003-11-08

I liked this book because I got a close up look at the Sartans who had sundered the world and enjoyed the character development of the dwarven main characters, Grundle the tough female dwarf being my favorite.

The giant dragon-snakes were introduced here and it was in this world that Alfred showed some potential as the Serpent Mage.

Chelestra's realms are now being flooded by the dragon-snakes who wish to escape Chelestra through the Death Gate to reek havoc in the other realms as they have done in Chelestra. Haplo has been imprisoned by the Sartans but because of the flood can now escape and travel back through the Death Gate, hopefully to convince Xar that he is not a trader and to warn him about the dragon-snakes. He also has a desire to find and help Alfred some how.

Alfred and his lover had been at first imprisoned by Samah in Chelestra because Alfred had found out Samah had lied about being aware of the higher power that could have prevented the sundering of their world, and feeling threatened that Alfred had this knowledge, had thrown Alfred and Orla into the Labyrinth.

The strange properties of the water in Chelestra canceled out Patryn rune magic and Sartan mind magic which I found an interesting development.

We also look in on Bane, the nasty widdle kid Xar found potential in and who now calls Xar Grandfather and Hugh the Hand, an assisin hired to kill Bane. Hugh now only wants his own true death and is looking for the only one who can give it to him, Alfred, an exceptional necromancer who had raised him from the dead giving him a strange and intolerable kind of immortality; he could die in a sense, feeling all the pain and suffering of his death only to be ressurected and with an added, sneaky twist...he can no longer kill. "A hell of a note for an assisin" he said. Things get complicated when Bane's mother, Iridal, and the woman Hugh loves, shows up wanting to hire him to find Bane who is being held by the elves.

Book Description

Candar is being invaded and Lerris must become the greatest wizard of all time-or see his whole world destroyed.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

In this particular world, Chaos and Order are supposed to balance. If there is too large a concentration of one sort of power, either some of it will be waxed, or there will be a rise in the corresponding side.

This makes ultra-powerful Lerris and Justen the Grey running around in exile-land a bit odd. Perhaps that is part of the point.

Don't forget the habits of good woodworkers, either!

Chaos and Order vie for control of this review.......2005-04-26

Did I mention that L.E. Modesitt Jr. is my hero? So anyway...here I am, reading this absolutely wonderful book, drooling over books to come, and along comes the end. I wasn't happy with the end, but it was done well if I'm forced to be honest. Anyway, here's the good vs. bad points:

Good:
1) More woodworking! Long, detailed and easy-paced sections with Lerris making furnature. Its cool. I've never read a fantasy story like this, where the main character destroys evil on Sunday, and makes a nice furniture set on Monday. And it works.
2) I got to see a number of great characters from previous books all show up. Kinda like when the cast of the Love Boat showed up on Fantasy Island (heh).
3) I love the clever ways Lerris learns to use Order and Chaos.
4) The plotting as to why this latest crisis has come about is realistic (within the bounds of that universe), which is important.

Bad points (my policy is to write something negative in all reviews, however trifling):
1) Not enough woodworking! I'd be happy with an entire book with Lerris making furnature, trying to meet deadlines, getting new commissions, making his "masterpiece", etc.
2) I sort of wish the characters weren't so worried about killing the people who want to kill them. They seem a bit squeemish. I think this is because the alternative is characters with tremendous powers who don't have any obstacles. If you make them worried about the mayhem they create, it limits them, and the story becomes less of a cakewalk for the heros.
3) I didn't find the crisis between Krystal and Lerris to be something I could sympathize with. It seemed geared to making certain things happen later in the story. I could see the strings of the puppeteer.
4) The ending was executed well, no spelling errors or anything, but I wasn't happy with the outcome.

The best book of the series!! (so far).......2003-12-24

In the Death of Chaos, the story of Lerris, Justen, Krystal, Tamra and the other exiles of recluce comes full circle. The story line was great, with lots of awesome battle scenes and crazy magic preformed by black, white, and gray wizards. The story culminates with Hamor attacking Candar and Recluce with a massive fleet of battleships and cannon.

Not only the story line makes this the best book in the series thus far. The characters are lovable and believable, while at the same time completely badass. The dialect and the relationships between characters in this book are very well thought out and realistic. The one thing that I thought Modesitt could use a little work on is his obsession with minute details, some of which don't really need to be included. I mean, he kinda turns a long story into an even longer book by included lots of information that isn't really pertinant to the storyline.

Mixed feelings.......2002-04-03

I've notice this crazy trend with online reviews - raves with little explanation equal positive feedback from readers, and those that are critical receive quite low marks. Now tell me - those of us who are "well read" in the genre of science fiction and epic fantasy - can any of us really say that Modesitt is in the upper echelon of fantasy authors? Certainly not. Were there such a list though, men like Jordan, Martin, Tolkein, Rawn, and Jacques would be at the top. Their worlds are captivating, believable, with characters that DO rather than say, and you feel transported. Modesitt does have numerous redeeming qualities: a good magic system, interesting political commentary (moreso than most fantasy), and a penchant for making his heroes so mellow and modest. On the other hand, the meal scenes are intolerably long, slow, and frequent. There's a lot of inexplicable happenings - for example - why did Lerris and Krystal need to be bonded? In that area of the book - I reread the same 10 or 15 pages that SEEMED to be explaining, but I was baffled at to the apparent necessity. My theory - just so that we could have more lovey dialogue and a few situations where she could answer question he had thought and not spoken. At least there was more conflict than in previous books (the Magic Engineer was awful), and that perked my interest and saved me from many naps that otherwise would have been taken. I would caution anyone who has not read - this is SLOW stuff. There's nothing wrong with that if done right, but I can only safely say that the Recluce series gets it partially right.

One of the best in the series.......2001-08-20

This book is very interesting and a rewarding read. Having read the first 6 books of the series this has to be one of the best ones. The "inconsistencies" stated in some of the other reviews really aren't there at all. Lerris as well as Justen were GREY wizards (and you could make a case for Gunnar being one too). So there powers balance out since they use both chaos and order. As to Lerris' relatives, since Lerris pretty much destroyed all the order and chaos in the world they could not hold there ancient bodies together without order. All in all this is one of the best books I've ever read and is well worth the price.

Average customer rating:

Summer Journal
Great Book!
Bharani R.- Absolutely Normal Chaos
Katie's Review
Absolutely Normal Chaos

Absolutely Normal Chaos
Sharon Creech
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0064406326

Book Description

Mary Lou Finney is less than excited about her assignment to keep a journal over the summer. Boring! Then cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family, and what starts out as the dull dog days of summer quickly turns into the wildest roller coaster ride of all time.

How was Mary Lou suppose to know what would happen with Carl Ray and the ring? Or with her boy-crazy best friend Beth Ann? Or with (sigh) the permanently pink Alex Cheevey? Suddenly a boring school project becomes a record of the most exciting, incredible, unbelievable summer of Mary Lou's life.

But what if her teacher actually does read her journal?

Customer Reviews:

Summer Journal.......2007-06-07

When Mary Lou starts her journal at the beginning of the summer, she expects the same old thing as any other summer. She is only writing in the journal because it is a requirement for school, not because she thinks she has an exciting life. But then things start to happen.

First, as if her house wasn't crowded enough with her parents, sister and three brothers, her cousin Carl Ray comes to live with them. He is seventeen, four years older than Mary Lou, and she doesn't think much of him right from the start. He has come to stay with them to look for a job, his mom says, but he doesn't seem to be looking very hard. Even worse, he never talks and he doesn't lift a finger around the house. Mary Lou thinks he's useless.

Then Mary Lou's best friend, Beth Ann, gets a boyfriend and doesn't seem to have any time at all for Mary Lou anymore. Mary Lou can't understand until she falls for a boy herself and begins her own summertime romance.

As the summer goes on, Mary Lou starts to change her mind about Carl Ray. He is definitely mysterious. Mary Lou finds a ring hidden away in his room one day, and soon after that someone gives him a great deal of money. Furthermore, he actually starts talking to Mary Lou, which is a huge shock to her. What is the secret her cousin seems to be hiding?

I liked that Mary Lou was reading and commenting on "The Odyssey" throughout the book; her thoughts on it and the way is paralleled her own life were interesting. I liked the narrative style of this book; I could really get inside of Mary Lou's head.

Carl Ray finding what he was looking for where he did was just too easy. All of the talk of Derek and of Alex was annoying and unnecessary. I also didn't like Carl Ray's siblings and the way they treated Mary Lou.

Great Book!.......2007-04-01

A great story that I finished it in two days! A girl named Mary Lue Finny is told (along with the rest of her grade) to write a journal over the summer. She finds it fun and writes alot more then 1!
You read her journal wich is stock-full of info about her summer. It turns out pretty bad when her cosin Carl Ray turns up for a visit!
He's hear to find a job- or is he?

Bharani R.- Absolutely Normal Chaos.......2007-03-25

In this book, I liked that there were many different characters but only one plot. In the beginning of the book, it seemed as though there were many stories going on. In the end, it was clear how all these stories are related. The plot was about this girl that had to write an journal over the summer and she really didn't know how to. More than that, she really didn't want to write one. Then, unexpectedly, her cousin Carl Ray appears in her house. I liked this part because in the beginning, she hated him and in the end, she actually ended up liking him.

I know that Sharon Creech is a really good author. I don't think that she did her best in this book. The story was sort of scattered. The parts about the Oddesey was very boring. I skipped those parts because they didn't have anything to do with the story. Creech just sort of threw the Oddesey here and there. I also think that she could have came up with better parts and she could have talked more about Mr. Furtz. In this book, there really was no main conflict and solution. It was just like an everyday life kind of thing.

I would recommend this book to any girl in grade levels 5-7. This really wouldn't be the book for guys because it is said from a girl's point of view. It has a lot of "girl stuff" in it. I wouldn't expect guys to understand that. I wouldn't really recommend it to any grade level higher that 7 because it would be really boring. It is kind of childish but still has a hint of romance.

Katie's Review.......2007-01-10

I liked this book because there's a girl named Mary Lou, who is writing a journal.At the beginning she's saying mean stuff about someone and at the end the person gets hurt and she looks back in her journal and realizes how mean shes been.

Mary Lou has many cousins,but on of them, Carl Ray, comes and lives with her because he says he wants to find a job. The real reason is that he wants to find his real father. But what he doesn't know is that it's someone who lives really close to Mary Lou. To find out who Carl Ray's real dad is, read the book.

I would recommend this to someone who likes to write a journal or a diary because the girl, Mary Lou, writes a journal, but I think anyone can read this book.

Absolutely Normal Chaos.......2006-11-18

Mary Lou is less than happy about her summer assignment. Her class is assigned to keep a record of what happened to them in a journal. Mary Lou's summer starts out as a normal one. Everything goes fine until Carl Ray comes to find a job, and be with Mary Lou's family. Carl Ray is driving Mary Lou insane, and her boy-crazy best friend, Beth Ann, is getting on her nerves. Mary Lou is getting sick of hearing about Beth Ann's boyfriend, until she meets Alex Cheevey, whom she likes a lot. Her summer is going all over the place, from making Carl Ray's bed to hearing non-stop about Beth Ann's gossipy club. While all this happens Mary Lou records it all in her school journal.

Absolutely Normal Chaos is a good book and enjoyable to read. The plot does not contain a lot of action, but has a lot of feeling and emotion. The writing is amazing, and I could picture exactly what is happening in the story. The characters are realistic and have personalities that I can relate to. Mary Lou changes a lot through out the book. The change she goes through keeps the book moving. It was incredibly realistic, and her changes are most likely to happen to people in one way or another.

Sacred Chaos and the Quest for Spiritual Intimacy

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Newby shows how to emerge from crisis spiritually stronger.

Sacred Chaos and the Quest for Spiritual Intimacy
James R. Newby
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0826410804

Customer Reviews:

Newby shows how to emerge from crisis spiritually stronger........1998-05-07

James Newby has written a deeply personal guide to how to emerge from a time of personal crisis, which he aptly calls chaos, spiritually stronger. He shows us how a time of chaos can open us to greater spirituality, thus helping us to make a new order in our lives. This book is an eminently practical guide for those who have faced chaos, who are facing chaos, or who will face chaos -- and that includes almost everyone.

Average customer rating:

Disappointment Qualified
Glad it's ended!
Death Qualified - fantastic
Tedious Read
Slow

Death Qualified: A Mystery of Chaos
Kate Wilhelm
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312058535

Book Description

Five years ago Barbara Holloway gave up practicing law, disillusioned with a profession that put politics before justice. Then she receives a phone call, with a simple message: "I need you."

Nell Kendrick's husband disappeared seven years earlier, abandoning his young family. Nell hasn't seen him since -- until the day Lucas Kendricks arrives at the edge of her property and is shot, instantly killed.

Accused of his murder, Nell turns to lawyer Frank Holloway for help. But Frank knows he cannot win this case alone. He calls upon his daughter, Barbara, who remains "death qualified" -- legally able to defend clients who face the death penalty if convicted.

Barbara is determined to stay distanced from the case, but the more she learns, the more questions she finds herself asking. Is Nell innocent, as Frank attests? Where has Lucas Kendricks been for the past seven years? Despite her vow, Barbara finds herself drawn to the case . . . and reclaims the search for truth that first led her to the law.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointment Qualified.......2007-06-22

After reading this book (certainly not a story), I am now disappointed qualified. This book was difficult to follow, went all over the place and had the worst ending I've ever endured.

Glad it's ended!.......2007-02-02

This book was just all over the place. The core story was engaging, but then the author decided it was necessary to take the reader off on confusing, unnecessary, ridiculous, and frankly, unbelievable side-plots. Why?! After dragging the reader through endless chapters of what I can only describe as a farce, she left off with an ending that was abrupt and dissatisfying! Very disappointing read.

Death Qualified - fantastic.......2005-12-08

I mean this in many senses of the word - fantastic. I read this book some years ago and was absolutely fascinated by the theories of chaos, fractals and the Mandelbrot Set. At that time I went on the computer looking to see if I could find out more and I did. It was amazing. Several years later I am writing this as I am watching a show on Public Television on the Mandelbrot Set, and I recall I first heard of all this in this novel. Because I am curious, even novels send me on paths of exploration that are ultimately enlightening!

Tedious Read.......2005-02-08

The author, in her attempt to provide evocative and thought-provoking perceptions of the Chaos theory, supplies the reader instead with a tedious and hard-to-follow story. The characters are stilted, and Barbara Holloway's sudden and intense affair with a mathematics professor is frankly unbelievable. It casts the lawyer into the role of a teenager with a crush. Also, it appears that Wilhelm loathes descriptive narrative of her characters; a concise description of Holloway is not given in any of the Holloway books. Being unable to bond with the characters creates a lackluster and confusing tale.

Slow.......2003-02-14

It took me forever to read this book. Usually I finish a good mystery in a couple of days. The book never engaged me,so when I finally learned "who did it", I just didn't care.

Poisoned Medicine: Love Chaos and the Death of Health Care

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The impending death knell of the world's economy
The things your doctor REALLY thinks about
An entertaining page-turner
Hawaii Physician, a modern day Jonathan Swift
Funny and Frightening

Poisoned Medicine: Love Chaos and the Death of Health Care
John Mickey
Manufacturer: Pagefree Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 193025279X

Book Description

"Poisoned Medicine" is a novel about the ultimate medical disaster. A disaster that has already started. The disintegration of America's healthcare delivery system.

Customer Reviews:

The impending death knell of the world's economy.......2002-11-15

Poisoned Medicine: Love, Chaos, And The Death Of Health Care is a novel by Jay Vick about the slow but serious internal disintegration of America's health care system, and with it, the impending death knell of the world's economy. Vick draws upon his own real world experiences a practitioner of Internal Medicine in Honolulu for 23 years as well as his involvement on a board of directions for a large clinic and hospital to craft his dark, gripping account of a downward spiral of catastrophe and fear. Poisoned Medicine is one of those exceptional novels which are so easy to pick up and so difficult to put down.

The things your doctor REALLY thinks about.......2002-10-26

I am pleased to admit that Jay Vick is actually my doctor, and the way he writes in the book is very much like the way he talks in person. He's a great doctor. I think his book could have used a better editor, but it is certainly heartfelt and I encourage you to buy it - you will be helping an extremely nice guy. If you use the hospital in Honolulu that he works in, you will recognise this as a very thinly disguised roman à clef, and it will be even funnier to you. If you work in health care elsewhere, you will love his rants about topics like JCAHO and Medicare.

An entertaining page-turner.......2002-10-25

Poisoned Medicine is an enjoyable, breathtaking, hair-raising, globe-trotting adventure that hooks you from page 1. I read 100 pages in the first sitting. You'll love the characters and this novel will leave you wanting more of the same. I average reading two or three books per month and this one is the best I've seen in a long time. Buy the book, fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride!

Hawaii Physician, a modern day Jonathan Swift.......2002-10-23

In "Poisoned Medicine, Love, Chaos, and the Death of Health Care," Jay Vick, pseudonym for a well known Honolulu physician, has written a delightfully entertaining and intelligent satirical novel about the parlous state of 21st Century medical practice, medical delivery systems, and shocking insurance excesses.

Like 18th Century satirist Jonathan Swift, author of "Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal", Vick manages to keep his readers chuckling with heavy doses of gifted prose, sarcasm, and witty satire, all set in gorgeous locations including Hawaii's Na Pili Coast, southeast Asia, and a man-made Shangri-La featuring on-demand scenery from Star Trek.

Included are sex, surfing, and international intrigues of epic scales, "...nudeness in the first degree," (p. 10) and startling revelations, such as, a "super conducting super collider in Texas," (p. 18) and a diabolical scheme that "has turned patients into agents of the government...agents who have a financial incentive to trigger an investigation of their doc," (p.226).

Vick undoubtedly took note of the Irish satirist's 1745 last will and testament in which Swift provided funding and to establish "somewhere around Dublin a hospital for ideots & lunaticks because No Nation wanted it so much."

This is satire at its best by an erudite, wickedly skillful writer. Don't miss "Poisoned Medicine."

Funny and Frightening.......2002-09-02

If you've ever been confused,irritated,or just plain angry about the condition of today's medical system, you must read this book. Vick's witty prose lays bare the medical industry's laws, regulations, and profit-oriented structure to reveal how today's physicians must bob and weave in order to provide patients with the care they need. But even the best of those docs are becoming increasingly flogged by the system, and, as a result, many feel they have no choice but to leave their chosen profession.

Vick's observations about "alternative medicine" scams and the overbearing influence of insurance companies is especially insightful.

All this serious fodder is woven into an entertaining story that will keep you riveted. And what could be bad about a book set in Hawaii? It's paradise, after all. Oh - except for those pesky problems with the medical system.

This is well worth the read.

Average customer rating:
6 Titles in Lieutenant Luis Mendoza Mystery Series - Death of a Busybody - Case Pending - Blood Count - Streets of Death - Chaos of Crime - Extra Kill
Dell Shannon
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000RY721O

Product Description

Multiple books shipped as one item for your convenience. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.

Chaos Quarterly, VOL 1 #1 (Comic Book), Featuring Lady Death, Cremator, Purgatory, Bedlam

Average customer rating:

Chaos Quarterly, VOL 1 #1 (Comic Book), Featuring Lady Death, Cremator, Purgatory, Bedlam
BRIAN PULIDO
Manufacturer: CHAOS COMICS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N4G7QY

The Death of Money: How the Electronic Economy Has Destabilized the World's Markets and Created Financial Chaos

Average customer rating:

The Death of Money: How the Electronic Economy Has Destabilized the World's Markets and Created Financial Chaos
Joel Kurtzman
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

International | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0671687999

The Death of Money: How the Electronic Economy Has Destablized the World's Markets and Created Financial Chaos

Average customer rating:

Not worth the time
A wonderful explanation of the new, computerized financial system

The Death of Money: How the Electronic Economy Has Destablized the World's Markets and Created Financial Chaos
Joel Kurtzman
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0316507377

Customer Reviews:

Not worth the time.......2007-09-22

An interesting subject, to me, and this book does cover some issues that were relevant in 1993. However, the author seems to lack a solid foundation in the subject he discusses. A mistake was made in the description of how options work. Claims that the electronic economy has destabilized the world's markets are made but essentially not backed up. Probably not worth the time to read, unless you have a lot of spare time.

A wonderful explanation of the new, computerized financial system.......2005-07-02

This book was written 11 years ago, so some of its information is dated, but its basic premise has only become stronger: that the nature of money has changed from a tangible medium of exchange (i.e., cash) into a complex and chaotic system of computerized balance sheets and numerical flows.

The Federal Reserve estimates today that the entire worldwide supply of US money is currently about 10 trillion dollars ($10,000,000,000,000). This includes cash, savings accounts, checking accounts, money market funds, and other kinds of bank deposits.

But only 700 billion (or 7%) of these dollars are paper cash dollars circulating outside of bank vaults, of the sort you can carry in your wallet. If everybody wanted to cash out their bank accounts at the same time, there simply wouldn't be enough paper dollars to go around. Banks would have to close temporarily while the Federal Reserve printed more cash. I don't know how long it would take to print 9 trillion more paper dollars ... let's see, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing typically prints $40 billion per year, so at current production levels it would take over 200 years to print all the cash required if everybody demanded all their cash at the same time.

The kind of money you can hold in your hand is pretty much obsolete.

Unless you are a drug dealer, you probably pay for most of your purchases with checks, credit cards, or debit cards. You might also pay for some of your purchases via automatic deductions or e-banking. This book vividly explains the complex, evolving, and essentially uncontrollable system underlying these non-cash forms of payment.

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