History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter: Analysis of Book 6

Average customer rating:

A Great Read for HP Fans...
Bleh. Not spectacular.
a bit of a disappointment

Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter: Analysis of Book 6
E. L. Fossa , and Astre Mithrandir
Manufacturer: Wizarding World Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0972393668

Book Description

Harry Potter's fans are down to waiting for the final volume in JK Rowling's epic mystery, and the fans at Wizarding World Press are no exception! We all want to know how it turns out, and if clues to the final solution have been sitting under all our noses in Book 6. Is Harry one of the people Rowling said would die? And if not—what else can happen to the boy wizard who's already lost his parents, his long-lost godfather, and his mentor? This is the Analysis of Book 6. It is basically the same as the first two guides but covering only Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The format is similar to the Analysis of Book 5. Many readers use these guides to help them try to guess how the series might end. They can use this one to refresh their memories of what has happened so far, as they reread Book 6. The guides look not only at the clues, but offer insights into both the motivations of the characters and the ways of the magical world, which functions differently than our own.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Read for HP Fans..........2007-09-22

For those who are TRUE HP fans, this book is a great read. It's good to go through, even if you've already read "Deathly Hollows". There are still some unanswered questions and issues that this book covered, AND it has a lot of information here on all kinds of things - like the tarot imagery (hanged man, lightning-struck tower, etc.) in "Half-Blood Prince" and the other novels. Also, if you were a fan of the late great Madeleine L'Engle, you'll be floored by the ties between "Wrinkle in Time" and the Harry series these guys spotted. They even predicted that there would probably be somebody important kidnapped to force Harry's hand, just like in "Wrinkle", and of course there was.

Also, there were lots of fun finds, too. If, like me, you ever wondered how a kneazle might communicate... well, you need to read this book. They even spotted something that I completely missed. There's just tons of stuff! It gets kind of wild sometimes, but that's part of the fun.

I really like this guide series, it goes right along with the books and lets you think more about everything, it's almost like getting extra Harry books!

Unfortunately, this book got out just before "Deathly Hallows", which was a little bit of a disappointment, because I was really looking forward to having time to go through it all before "Hallows". But the research that went into it is just as amazing as the rest of their series. Like the previous guides, it has lots of definitions and backgrounds for words, plus other goodies that helped me appreciate Ms. Rowling's work even more.

The only suggestion I might make for any possible future editions is the addition of an alphabetical appendix, in order to find specific references in the analysis itself, to various characters, places, etc. There is so much in here, it's hard to sort through it all if you have a specific character or place you want to research.

Bleh. Not spectacular........2007-09-07

I also have read all the other guides, and was really looking forward to this one. I don't know if it was Amazon, or the publisher, but the book came out a few weeks AFTER the 7th book. So there are tons of parts where I just skip over it. The details were starting to get very tedious. For example, they mention the part where Dumbledore is walking into the orphanage to see Tom Riddle for the first time. They note that the hallway has black and white tiles. Then they go off talking about chess, and pulling clues out of it. Now maybe because I already read the last book, I know that the orphanage just happened to have black and white tiles, and it is meaningless.
Like the previous reviewer said, they do not explain other parts enough. In fact, in one chapter, you are told that the answer to this particular clue is in the restricted section. No, actually, it is not. I have no idea what they are leading too, and there is no way to figure it out.
I just wish they would have spent less time picking apart every teeny, tiny thing, and concentrate on the bigger picture. It would have been so much better to read this book before the last book came out.

a bit of a disappointment.......2007-08-18

Err. It's ok.
Typos abound & drive me crazy. Shouldn't true HP fans know how to spell "Ollivander"? Not to mention the countless other grammatical mistakes and "regular" English-language words misspelled.
I've read all their other guides, so was prepared for the casual, web-style grammar and word usage. But, after reading the other guides, I was still expecting some really thoughtful, deep insights into the book, and have so far been disappointed. Most of the time, they start leading the reader in a general direction and then leave us hanging, saying they want us to be able to "figure it out" for ourselves. But most of the time, that seems impossible. I have no idea what they're getting at & I've read & re-read all the HP books at least 10 times (Deathly Hallows three times). The authors touch on all sorts of theories, but just do a really poor job of expounding on them. I wish they would have chosen just a few interesting possible theories and gone all the way with them.
A big disappointment.

Average customer rating:

One of Turner's best works
Strong Southern themes
the water and the blood
Extraordinary!
Realistic and scary

The Water and the Blood: A Novel
Nancy E. Turner
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060989025
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Book Description

I turned and faced the road we'd come down, my face hard and set. The kids moved on without me. I could still see a slight glow and the murky, gray smoke reaching above the trees, where it spread to the south....

When I thought they were out of earshot, I took a deep breath. "You lied to me," I whispered toward the building, to all the people it represented, to the hours I'd spent on those hard, split-log seats, and to my childish epiphanies born there .... "You lied," I said. "These are my best friends now."

Rare is the gift of a writer who is able to conjure up the voices of very different worlds, to give them heat and power and make them sing. Such is the talent of Nancy E. Turner. Her beloved first novel, These Is My Words, opened readers to the challenges of a woman's life in the nineteenth-century Southwest. Now this extraordinary writer shifts her gaze to a very different world -- East Texas in the years of the Second World War -- and to the life of a young woman named Philadelphia Summers, known against her will as Frosty.

From the novel's harrowing opening scene, Frosty's eyes survey the landscape around her -- white rural America -- with the awestruck clarity of an innocent burned by sin. In her mother and sisters she sees fear and small-mindedness; in the eyes of local boys she sees racial hatred and hunger for war. When that war finally comes, it offers her a chance for escape -to California, and the caring arms of Gordon Benally a Native-American soldier. But when she returns to Texas she must face the rejection of a town still gripped by suspicion -- and confront the memory of the crime that has marked her soul since adolescence.

Propelled by the quiet power of one woman's voice, The Water and the Blood is a moving and unforgettable portrait of an America of haunted women and dangerous fools -- an America at once long perished and with us still.

Customer Reviews:

One of Turner's best works.......2006-08-02

Growing up among poor, uneducated farmers in Depression-era East Texas, Frosty Summers is no stranger to prejudice against non-whites. Still, she is unprepared for the horror she feels when one of her friends is dared to set fire to a black church, and the guilt she will carry inside herself for years to come because of it.

Quite unexpectedly, Frosty stumbles upon a black congregation at worship, and finds herself true friendships among its members. She begins to understand that people are all human beings, regardless of skin color.

As World War II begins, Frosty joins the war effort in California, where she finds true love...in a young Native American man who has been hurt by white people before.

This is truly one of Turner's best works.

Strong Southern themes.......2006-03-06

This book is certainly different from Turner's tales of Sarah and her quilts! As a daughter of the South, I feel Turner's characterizations of hypocrisy and racism in this Southern gothic tale hit the mark, and she does a good job of building a sense of intrigue as the hunt builds for the church-burners. I recommend this one and passed it on to my reading friends in a departure from the types of stories I generally pass on. This leaves me wondering if I ever got it back....

the water and the blood.......2006-02-02

This novel takes place during world war 11 with women leaving the home to work. This is a period of time that I am not real familiar with and was not aware of the prejudices and narrow beliefs of the average american.
Deals with reglious beliefs,K K Klan hate and a changing world of women moving into the work force and new freedoms for them. My Mother was part of this great social change but I never really thought about the great social changes until I read this book. Worthwhile reading - this story stands with "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Extraordinary!.......2005-03-22

I usually read in the evening to help me fall asleep. I actually lost sleep over this one. The characters were so real they followed me into the next day's mood. The 'loved it' or 'hated it' reviews were telling. Turner let us get to know the characters without having to load us up with description and history. Those who need all sweetness and light and require everything spelled out for them will not like this book, nor will southern Bap-Diss. I will be reading her other works soon.

Realistic and scary.......2004-01-15

Changing points of view give Frosty a first hand say in the story, while other characters are third person. I liked the way the Navajo part of the story is dreamy and full of images. All of it seems like a huge metaphore for the brokenness in some families, where one person is always left behind or left out. Frosty is a sad, angry kid living in a sad, angry family. Yet, in the end the reader knows she's going to be all right in spite of everything, because she sees but doesn't see, looking on the hearts of people instead of their skin color.

F.I.A.S.C.O.: Blood in the Water on Wall Street

Average customer rating:

This best part of this book is it's a loan to me
Here's why derivatives become more and more complex
Good, entertaining reading about derivatives
A lesson in 'let the buyer beware'
Buy Liar's Poker instead

F.I.A.S.C.O.: Blood in the Water on Wall Street
Frank Partnoy
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393046222

Amazon.com

The game of Russian roulette is alive and well and living on Wall Street, where it's known as the derivatives market. In his aptly named book F.I.A.S.C.O., Frank Partnoy, a former derivatives trader at Morgan Stanley, exposes the seamier side of high-stakes finance. Derivatives are securities whose worth is determined by the value of other securities; according to Partnoy, however, the derivatives market is an elaborate illusion performed with smoke and mirrors. In fascinating, frightening detail Partnoy describes several of Morgan Stanley's slick deals that, in his eyes, are just this side of outright fraud. More than just dishonest, the bait-and-switch tactics Wall Street traders employ to rig the markets are downright dangerous, since the massive debt these deals conceal will inevitably come back to haunt the dealmakers.

F.I.A.S.C.O. could be subtitled Portrait of the Trader as a Young Man, for Frank Partnoy is indeed young, and his short tenure on Wall Street left him sadly disillusioned but much wiser. His book will leave you wiser, too--and probably very worried.

Book Description

The Orange County bankruptcy. The fall of Barings Bank. Shocking losses at Procter & Gamble, Dell Computer, and Gibson Greetings. The Mexican peso crisis. What did all these disasters have in common? A class of financial instruments known as derivatives -- the most dangerous (and profitable) products ever devised on Wall Street. In FIASCO, a former derivatives salesman takes readers onto the trading floor of a leading investment bank -- and in a tell-all, no-holds-barred expos, reveals for the first time the ugly truth about these complex financial products and the people who peddle them. Writing with the same eye for telling details as Michael Lewis in Liar's Poker, Frank Partnoy shows how the once genteel world of investment banking has now become a place where the rallying cry is "There's blood in the water. Let's go kill someone."

Partnoy was in his late twenties when he landed the job of his dreams -- a position in Morgan Stanley's Derivatives Products Group, the single most profitable division of the venerable investment bank. With vivid character sketches and a wealth of funny-yet-disturbing anecdotes, Partnoy takes us inside the culture of Morgan Stanley's derivatives group. Encouraged by upper management and egged on by gun-toting senior salesmen, derivatives had become a business-as-war, take-no-prisoners operation where people pored over Soldier of Fortune and gloated when they sold a product that "ripped off" a client's face.

As he leads us through the ups and downs of his fifteen months at Morgan Stanley, Partnoy explains in plain English what derivatives are -- and shows how he and the other "rocket scientists" at the bank custom-designed these arcane financial products to dodge government regulators, encourage foreign currency speculation by pension and mutual funds, disguise risky gambles with AAA Standard & Poor's ratings, and avoid capital gains taxes for weathy individuals. He also details, for the first time, the deal that earned Morgan Stanley the fattest fee in Wall Street history -- a $74.5 million profit for devising a derivative that wiped hundreds of millions in losses off a Japanese company's balance sheet. But dreaming up ever more complicated derivatives products -- Dollarized Yield Curve Notes, Constant Maturity Treasury Floaters, Trigger Notes, and Total Return Swaps, to name a few -- was never enough. For the bank to earn its fee, they had to be sold -- usually, as Partnoy notes, either to "cheaters" (fund managers who wanted riskier investments than their regulators or charters normally allowed) or to "widows and orphans" (unsophisticated fund managers who couldn't understand the risks in fine print).

Throughout the book, Partnoy gives us a trading-floor view of the disasters fueled by derivatives trading and provides the formula of greed, daring, and ingenuity that are the basic ingredients of all derivatives. Written with humor, insight, and a mounting sense of moral outrage, FIASCO is both a brilliant insider's account of investment banking today and a blistering indictment of the largely unregulated market in derivatives -- a book that everyone who has a pension plan or invests in mutual funds needs to read.

Customer Reviews:

This best part of this book is it's a loan to me.......2006-03-15

The copy I read was a loan from my colleague and that was the best part about it. I'm sure I wouldn't have bought this book myself.

Other than that, the only better part is in the description of how some Japanese companies used financial derivatives to inflate their revenue or to mask their losses. In light of the off-balance-sheet deals we have witnessed in several corporate scandals through late 1990s to early 2000s, the author surely shows what could have been under the rug.

The author might have been honest with what he had come across with his fixed income derivatives sales jobs in two Wall Street firms. Yet I sincerely doubt how wide and deep such exposure he could have on things going around that complex world from his narrow corner. It's like telling the stories of Detroit after having been a used car salesperson for two or three years.

Over the book, there are the author's opinions on how great the fixed income derivatives department is and how low the others, e.g., municipal bonds, are. Apparently those opinions are very subjective as I believe he didn't have sufficient knowledge on the other operations to base his opinions. At least, he didn't seem to have worked or learned about the works in those other areas.

Even in the author's own fixed income derivatives department, the reader cannot find much on works, say, product structuring or risk management, outside the sales team. Simply put, we understand that the firm puts together certain derivatives products and hold inventory of them until they're sold. What would the firm be if market conditions changed before its salespersons could dump the products to the seemingly ignorant customers?

Another drawback with this book is the author tends to argue that since there is huge money to be made with these financial transactions, the government would never be able to impose an effective regulation for the public good.

It may be natural for the author to argue on the regulation issues, based on the fact that he left Wall Street to pursue a legal career. The fallacy of that argument in the book is it fails to recognize two prerequisites of the issue: whether and what regulation can protect the public good.

Fair to say is regulations surely can increase employment for lawyers but not necessarily serve the public good.

Here's why derivatives become more and more complex.......2003-01-02

The book has the merit of going through the most complex derivatives and structured products explaining to a fair extent business motivations behind the deal, an information that is not only confidential, but that constitutes the bread and butter of investment banks.

I loved the book until I got to the last chapter. I would have rated this book ... if it wasn't for this last chapter that the author has added in more recent editions.

I would like to make two comments:
The book tends to explain the concept of present value in simple words, but still wants to go through the most complex derivatives. As a result, certain parts are boring to someone without the financial background, but I would doubt that anyone without the financial background would make it to the second chapter or even be attracted to the book.
My second criticism is regarding the last chapter, "Epilogue". This chapter ruins the book. The author develops an anti-derivatives theory that turns to be amusing. As everyone knows, a tool is neither good nor bad by itself. It is what one achieves with the tool that is good or bad. This principle is also valid for derivatives. It is useless, not to say irritating to go through a list of lawsuits and settlements. This is not proving any further that derivatives are bad or that investment banks are evil.

Good, entertaining reading about derivatives.......2002-03-01

Now that there is a proven market for recent financial history/humor books, after the stunning success of Liars Poker, Predator's Ball and Den of Theives, this book FIASCO is another one of these books that tries to emulate the financial stories from the 1980's.

To my knowledge it is the first book to take on the derivatves trading industry, which is extremely volatile and can be the most risky sector of the financial markets, if you choose to speculate in it. More importantly, there will eventually be a derivatives disaster outside of the Long-term Capital one that occurred a couple of years ago.

This book, as I read it, is highly sensationalist. I have worked in the financial service industry with institutions and chose to leave the industry about a year ago. Here are my thoughts on this book as it relates to the derivatives markets.

1. Mr. Partnoy gives a high level description of some of the transactions that he was involved in

2. He seems to be indicting the market in derivatives, which I disagree on since he is dealing with institutions, which already should have a fiduciary responsibility to their clients. If they are dumb and allow an investment bank to "rips their face off" as Partnoy claims then they shouldn't be 1) in those financial products or (2) doing business with them. It is their choice!

3. From the reading it seemed as though Partnoy doesn't understand his role in the machine known as Wall Street. He is a salesmen, pure and simple. He gets paid to ring the register, nothing more. Other people construct the deals and he is the marketer to clients. If he makes clients money they should come back more and more. Often times, there are MANY other factors that cause business to vary from firm to firm. LOTS of different agendas/goals in mind.

4. Some of his anecdotes, particularly those in which he discusses the atmosphere in an investment bank around bonus time (pg.40 - 42, 202 - 205), are pretty amusing and dead on accurate.

5. The author's descriptions of some of his deals are clearly told from a junior banker's perspective, but they do a good job of putting forth what was being done, how it was being done, what everyone's perceived incentives for the transaction were, the work required to get the deal done, what kind of money, and importantly what kind of fees were involved.

In conclusion, like all books written by former investment bankers the book contains liberally sprinkled anecdotes regarding job interviews from hell, the ridiculous daily escapades that can occur on a trading floor, strip clubs, the lack of personal lives, gambling trips and other stories which could easily have been pulled from the pages of Mr. Lewis's book or "Monkey Business" by Rolfe and Troob. Folks, not all folks on Wall Street are like that but a HUGE percentage are. Nothing wrong with that lifestyle but it is a choice everyone is free to make. Hope this helps everyone.

A lesson in 'let the buyer beware'.......2002-01-23

Partnoy takes the reader through many real-life examples of how greedy, ignorant people can be taken by clever salesmen. He demonstrates the stupid bravado of clients who, for fear of looking unsophisticated, continue to buy what they do not understand. Incredibly, these people are apparently in charge of many other people's fortunes, retirement incomes and lives and they generally behave as gamblers in a Las Vegas casino.

Buy Liar's Poker instead.......2001-10-09

Ok let me get this straight. Here is a guy that believes in the efficient market theory but was a salesman/trader. There are tons of conflicts in the book. Partnoy is obviously a professor now. He is practically begging for more regulation in investment banking and feels that financial reporters and professors are not only smarter but deserve more money compared to the investment bankers. He starts out at First Boston and is doing well financially. Then moves to Morgan Stanley and does complicated derivative deals and makes a ton of money. Now a professor and investment banking is pure evil (now that he made a ton of money). Another conflict is Partnoy said he quit Morgan Stanley but on page 277 he writes "...I am not referring what Morgan Stanley did to me." This is where he is talking about another Morgan Stanley employee being fired. I rate this book 2 stars because it was somewhat entertaining but think about this before you buy it. Do you really want to read a book by an author who believes in the efficient market theory but also worked as a salesman/trader? I only bought this book for $3.29 used on amazon.com. I definitely wouldn't recommend paying full price for it.

Average customer rating:

Review of Mr. Rush's AP Environmental Science Class
Are you reading This??? im only 11 why does it matter what i think
"And the Waters Turned Mediocre..."
Awesome Book for the Lay Scientist!
A True Life Horror Story!

And the Waters Turned to Blood
Rodney Barker
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684838451

Amazon.com

Don't drink the water. Don't swim in it, fish in it, or even bathe in it. Rodney Barker's book, And the Waters Turned to Blood details the latest plague to visit our shores: Pfiesteria piscicida, the "cell from hell," an aquatic microorganism that causes sufferers to exhibit symptoms similar to Alzheimers or multiple sclerosis. As it follows the fortunes of Dr. JoAnn Burkholder, one of the first scientists to recognize the danger of Pfiesteria, Barker's book reads like a cross between science fiction and conspiracy theory: Dr. Burkholder discovers that excessive pollution in the rivers and coastal waters of the Southeastern United States causes a deadly microorganism to breed like crazy; state and federal government attempts to suppress the report.

An investigative reporter by training, Mr. Barker writes And the Waters Turned to Blood like a thriller, revealing pieces of the puzzle judiciously as he builds tension. Unlike in a literary thriller, however, there is no tidy ending to this story. Readers will be left with the disturbing knowledge that fish are still dying, fishermen are still getting sick, and the potential for disaster in this latest scourge is still unmeasured.

Customer Reviews:

Review of Mr. Rush's AP Environmental Science Class.......2007-01-02

This dramatic account of this toxic dinoflaggellate is factual and descriptive. The beginning is well-paced and keeps the reader's attention. However, toward the middle of the book the plot becomes repetitive and more politically based. It was frustrating for the reader to read all the processes of funding and the failures. The book informs the public of a topic that is kept secret by the government. The author researched the data well and presented the information in an interesting way including a cliff-hanger to end each chapter. Overall, this book is recommended for an interesting read into the danger that lurks the coastal waters of North Carolina.

Are you reading This??? im only 11 why does it matter what i think.......2006-02-28

This book was overall a good read, but the widespread exaggeration of the effects of the dinoflagellate became quite repetitive. I was impressed that the book was able to tie politics and environmental policies together. At times, the plot was mildly interesting when compared to other environmental books. The government policies, though, became very confusing at times and the romantic aspect of Dr. Joanne Burkholder's life was not sufficiently explained.

"And the Waters Turned Mediocre...".......2006-02-28

The sheer mediocrity of this novel is stunning. It seems to be split into two main parts. The first half of the book is about the actual investigating of the organism and is quite compelling. However, the second half of the book is about a poorly covered up conspiracy theory and is very repetetive. This is dry and is pretty boring. Therefore, the two halves balance each other out to make the novel mediocre. This book is very good, though, in showing the life and career of a scientist, so would be great for an aspiring scientist. It also reveals the state of the waters in North Carolina, a concern to any of the state's citizens.

Awesome Book for the Lay Scientist!.......2005-12-16

Picked this book up while at the pubic library with my family. The except about an "ancient life form" peaked my interest and I had to borrow it. It reads like a very practical novel with a roller coaster ride of excitement about Dr. Burkholder's discovery of this toxic ameoba. I was truly fascinated and couldn't put the book down. The science is broken down so that a lay person can grasp it and understand the importance of JoAnn's findings. Her trials and tribulations with back stabbing colleagues, NC bureacrats, and the dinoflagelate itelf are very interesting. Would highly recommend this book to anyone.

A True Life Horror Story!.......2005-10-10

I live in North Carolina and this is very scary. People are not being told about this very real danger that can do real damage to a persons health just from going in the water.

The fact that I still haven't heard anything about this in the news just makes it worse.

This is scary but the fact that our goverment keeps this type of information from us is even worse.

When you come to N.C., remember there is a monster in the water and it is as bad or worse then the shark in Jaws. Maybe it's time for the movie version. At least an update on the subject.

Average customer rating:

Blood & Water (Noble Causes, Vol. 4)
Jay Faerber , and Fran Bueno
Manufacturer: Image Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Image Comics | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1582405360

Book Description

The Noble family is again plagued by scandal when their friend, Krennick, is suspected of murdering a prostitute who was found dressed up like Zephyr Noble. Meanwhile, half-brothers Rusty and Frost find themselves forced to team up on a mission to outer space, and Gaia begins to notice startling changes in her husband, Doc.

Blood & Water: A Pacific Northwest Mystery

Average customer rating:

A page turner!
Decent first novel
Nancy Drew travels to the Pacific Northwest
Full of suspense with a surprise ending.
One of the best mysteries I've read.

Blood & Water: A Pacific Northwest Mystery
Lori Fairweather
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0688161189

Book Description

In Blood & Water, San Francisco attorney Lori Fairweather delivers a gripping first mystery with all the twists and turns of California's North Coast Highway. Accused of murdering her twin sister, a young woman embarks on a desperate, deadly search for the chilling truth. Blood & Water is a suspenseful tale of deception, greed and death that will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking conclusion.

Customer Reviews:

A page turner!.......1999-11-27

I picked up this book when the author was signing books in Orange, California in May. Didn't get a chance to read it until Thanksgiving 1999 and finished it shortly before dessert. Excellent and suspenseful mystery --- set in Northern California --- not the Pacific Northwest as indicated in the title. Highly recommended!

Decent first novel.......1999-10-23

After reading the reviews on Amazon, I found this book to be somewhat disappointing. It is absorbing; however, the main character's behavior is irritating at times and the ending is not such a surprise.

Nancy Drew travels to the Pacific Northwest.......1999-06-14

I enjoyed the first part of this book. Ms Fairweather is a good writer. And then she switches into her Nancy Drew mode and takes more stupid chances(even for the thriller genre where it is understood that you do always act rationally)than I have ever seen. Fran, the surviving sister spends the rest of the book educating the oafish and evil local law enforcement as to all the clues they are missing in the search for her sisters killer, which of course, they think is Fran. When Fran agrees to meet the person(alone, of course)that she believes is the real killer in a remote cabin(where he insists they meet, of course), I finally said "ENOUGH ALREADY"!! How stupid can you get, even in a thriller? Then there is a huge plot flaw. Not to give away the plot, but it is a fact(and the law)that a beneficiary of a life insurance policy cannot collect if he or she is convicted of murdering the insured. Think about that after you read the book. I realize that the "Nancy Drew" syndrome is an important part of certain thrillers and mysteries, even some decent ones. But here, it is carried to unbelievable lengths. I will read Ms Fairweather's next book because she is a talented writer,and with some work, will write books that you won't have to chuckle at. All you have to do is occasionally ask yourself as you write, "would anyone with an IQ over 50, who has ever seen a movie, REALLY do this?".

Full of suspense with a surprise ending........1999-04-20

I thought it interesting that the jacket says a Pacific Northwest Mystery (which is why I picked it up). Obviously, the publishers aren't aware of where the Pacific Northwest is. I seldom read mysteries. They are usually too gross for my taste. However, once started on this book I absolutely couldn't put it down and for me that is quite a lot to say. I found the writing and the story to be excellent and enjoyed the book from beginning to end.

One of the best mysteries I've read........1999-03-26

I¹m an avid reader of mystery/suspense novels and was delighted to find that "Blood & Water" is one of the best books I¹ve ever read. Fairweather has done an exceptional job of capturing the awesome beauty and distinctive flavors of the Northern California coast. It almost becomes one of the characters in this tightly woven tale of one woman¹s courageous struggle to find her twin sister¹s killer. As the pieces of the puzzle are revealed through confrontations with each of the expertly drawn characters, the emotional intensity escalates. The reader can¹t help but be swept up into a whirlwind of intrigue until the very last page. No doubt about it it¹s definitely an "E" ticket ride!

Is Blood Thicker Than Water?: Crises of Nationalism in the Modern World

Average customer rating:

Concise, yet illuminating

Is Blood Thicker Than Water?: Crises of Nationalism in the Modern World
James M. Mcpherson
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Amazon.com

"This is the story of a geographically large country in North America with a federal form of government," begins James M. McPherson, and after several pages describing how two separate regions clash with each other in an unstable union, the reason for the vagueness becomes clear: he could be talking about either the United States before the Civil War or Canada today, with its French-speaking minority in Québec fitting uncomfortably into a larger fold. "There are striking parallels in the experiences of these two North American nations," writes acclaimed Civil War historian McPherson (Battle Cry of Freedom) as he tries to apply his specific knowledge of that conflict to Canada's modern predicament.

The Civil War, he elaborates, pitted the South's sense of its own ethnic nationalism against the North's more universalist idea of civic nationalism; McPherson sees these same forces at work in modern Canada: "Many southern whites believed as strongly in their ethnic difference from Yankees as the Québecois believe in their ethnic differences from English Canadians." And while he does not believe Canada is in immediate danger of plunging into war, he warns that "deep seated tensions remain." Is Blood Thicker Than Water? is a slim but learned volume that will interest readers who believe the past has much to teach the present. --John J. Miller

Book Description

From Pulitzer Prize-winner James M. McPherson comes a brilliant and passionate examination of nationalism in today's world, and its effects on the stability of the world's countries, big and small.

Since the end of the Cold War, nationalism has re-emerged as one of the most powerful forces in the modern world. Students of nationalism have analyzed two principal categories of this phenomenon. Ethnic nationalism is more familiar and easier to define; it broke up Yugoslavia into four mutually hostile ethnic nations. It split Czechoslovakia into two nations. It threatens to do the same to Canada. In contrast, civic nationalism defines national identity not by presumed descent from an ancient bloodline with its own language, culture and genetic purity but by citizenship in a national state and loyalty to its political institutions.

James M. McPherson focuses on the American Civil War and Quebec's bid for separation from Canada as case studies in the contest between these two strains of nationalism, and offers both implicit and explicit comparisons to modern counterparts.

Is Blood Thicker Than Water? will finally give us the perspective to look at this phenomenon clearly and objectively.

Customer Reviews:

Concise, yet illuminating.......2000-05-02

Perhaps my only criticism of this book would be that it is too short. Even though McPherson is a historian who specializes in the Civil War period of American history, this short essay is a very useful contribution to the study of nationalism. The main reason is that it focuses on nationalism where most of today's intellectual elite says it doesn't exist: in the United States and Canada. Although written as something of a "warning" for Canadians, i.e. that they may be facing the same problems today with Quebec that the U.S. did in the 19th century with the South, McPherson refrains from stating that the problems of Southern nationalism in the U.S. have been resolved. Also important is his analysis of civic and ethnic nationalism, meaning nationalism based on loyalty and pride in common legal, state and civil institutions as opposed to nationalism based on common language, culture and "blood ties." While McPherson sees the former as a more positive phenomenon, he correctly points out that even it can often engender the same type of fanaticism and inspire people to act violently, just like the latter. Finally, perhaps most fascinating aspect of the book is its exploration of early expressions of American nationalism, e.g. in the speeches and writings of Thaddeus Stephens among others, which could be the basis of a longer and more comprehensive study.

Average customer rating:

Needed editing, but a decent read
Illiterate, amoral author
Not for everyone, but EXCELLENT vampire story!
poorly written vamp tale
Superb!

Blood Is Thicker Than Water
Wynette A. Hoffman
Manufacturer: Alien Perspective
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0972109803

Book Description

Blood Is Thicker Than Water The Reilly Vampire Chronicles - Book One Romance, laughter and gunplay result when siblings, Amy and Paul Reilly, discover that vampires are real and you can haunt your ancient relatives. Add a meddling goddess, witchcraft, and a vampire feud and you have a fast-paced fun read with lots of sex, violence and family loyalty.

Customer Reviews:

Needed editing, but a decent read.......2007-07-31

Yes, there are a ton of typos and grammatical errors. And the cover art was just horrible. However, I really liked this book. The characters worked for me; the story worked for me; and I was left hoping for a sequel that will likely never be.

I think that I'd recommend that you buy this used, as this is a POD and thus waaaaaay overpriced for what you get. Sorry, but like most PODs that is the unfortunate truth.

But don't write this off as not worth reading if you can tolerate the lack of editing.

Illiterate, amoral author.......2006-03-13

Before the reviews of this book is a note from the publisher stating that the book has now been proofread. It's hard to imagine how bad it must have been before, because it is still awful. The author does not know the difference between "to" and "too" and uses them interchangeably. Also "loose" and "lose". She does not know how to use the possessive form correctly and just sticks in apostrophes more or less at random. There is a good deal of stuff like that throughout the book. It made reading it really frustrating and irritating. I wondered why the publisher didn't find a decent proofreader to go through the manuscript. Then I went to the author's web site and learned that she self-published the book. She should have found an English teacher and paid her a hundred bucks to go over her manuscript.

She also did a poor job of transitioning from one character's point of view to another. She has at least six "main characters" and she jumps back and forth from one to the other but it is frequently difficult to tell when this happens so that a lot of going back and rereading is necessary to keep in mind who is doing what.

On the cover she promises hot sex, but doesn't really deliver. The sex scenes were mildly kinky but not very interesting. There WERE however, some really horrible torture scenes which I could have done without.

And now let me mention the amorality. In most of the vampire books I have read, we either have all bad vampires or we have some good vampires and some bad vampires. Good vampires still drink people's blood, but they don't kill them and usually make the experience either a good one or wipe it from the person's memory (or they only drink from willing groupies). In this book we supposedly have good and bad vampires but it turns out that the good vampires still kill people. In one vampire book I read, the good vampire had to kill people when she was first turned, but her mentor took her out hunting for drug dealers, so only bad guys were being killed by the good vampire. In this book the supposedly good vampires usually don't kill people, and they usually wipe their memories after taking a little of their blood. But if the vampire is new or injured, they will keep on bloodsucking until the person is dead, and there is no attempt made to find bad guys for this. They just take the first handy innocent bystander and suck him dry. The unspoken assumption is that the vampire's need to survive is more important than the human's.

Another example: There are three young women who are roommates. Two of them meet up with and are attracted to vampires. One of the vampires is supposedly good; the other bad. When the bad vampire begins to kill Sophie's roommate, she protests to her new boyfriend, but doesn't try to actually do anything about it, but the boyfriend doesn't step in to save the roommate either. Apparently at this point in time it would not be politically wise to upset the bad guys, so he just lets them kill the girl. And the surviving girl, Sophie, just sort of shrugs it off. "Oh well, she was kind of an irritating roommate anyway," is her attitude. Again, the vampire's convenience was more important than the life of a human woman.

I'm supposed to identify with these characters? I don't think so.

The weird thing is that I kept on reading it, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. I wanted to stop but I couldn't. This is probably the worst book that I ever actually finished. However, I really don't recommend this book. If you want to read vampire books, try Laurell K. Hamilton, Tanya Huff, Charlaine Harris, or Patricia Briggs. You will get much better value for your money.

P.S. The ending of the book makes it clear that it was intended to be the first of a series, and there are many story points which are left hanging for the next book, but don't hold your breath: This book was written ten years ago and that sequel still hasn't been written.

Not for everyone, but EXCELLENT vampire story!.......2005-11-02

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER is not your average vampire novel. Ironically, I think it's a romance, because there are several romances happening between different characters. The story follows the lives of several people who pair off into couples and we follow their lives from there. We have the humans, vampires and the thralls (walking undead but rather than gross like zombies, are pretty much normal). Because there are so many active characters, I had a hard time following some of the dialogue, and did a fair share of re-reading paragraphs (or sometimes pages), to understand which character was talking. Add to that, the editing isn't the best.

This all being said, our main heroine is Amy Reilly. Like any unenlightened-human, she has her problems, only mostly hers are on an emotional level. She can't feel anything emotionally or physically; hence she is really into S&M. This all changes one night when she is left for dead in front of the hospital after visiting her favorite club.

Several months later, Amy is positive vampires are real and that someone will come after her. Her paranoia's become reality when one night her roommates Sophia and Diane, visit Victoria's Loft-an exclusive night club, and life as the three human women know it ends. On this same night, Amy is attacked in their apartment, shot and to stay alive she enthralls herself to Lorcan. Suddenly, Amy finds herself outside the "human rules" and in the middle of a vampire feud that started the previous November when she was attacked by a vampire but didn't die (remember, she was dumped at the hospital).

I have to say, I enjoyed BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER regardless of my confusion between characters and the bad editing job. The plot was very well thought out and the vampire history very fascinating to learn about. Vampires come from different families, and therefore they all have different traits and abilities. I found this very believable and it made for an interesting story.

There are some great one-liners in this story. I also really got a hoot out of Paul's perspective on the existence of vampires. There is a lot of interaction between the six main characters that really lets you get to know them as individuals. I think what impressed me the most with this story is how everything ties together at the end of the book. In the beginning of the story you have the lives of six individuals who are pretty much strangers. Yet through the manipulation of one goddess and as the story develops, they all have a connection to each other. I love how the family ties together and I found the title very appropriate: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.

If you are looking for something different, look no further! However, this isn't a story for everyone. This story contains a lot of subjects generally glassed over in books - S&M, rape, murder, necessary violence/graphic physical abuse, some of the characters are practicing Wiccan's, etc. That being said, this story still isn't going to be for everyone. Yet at the same time, this isn't what the book is about so you really have to be open minded when reading the story.

I would have to say that if Quentin Tarantino wanted to turn a book into a movie, this would be an excellent choice. If you enjoyed the movie Pulp Fiction, and understand the violence of Reservoir Dogs, you would probably like BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER.

To those that are looking for something different, I defiantly recommend this book. I'm really looking forward to the sequel!

poorly written vamp tale.......2005-07-28

i read just about anything - this time, it was a curse instead of a blessing. i SUFFERED through 'blood is thicker than water' to prove to myself that the book was not as poorly written as the first few pages lead me to believe. the plot was weak, the characters were annoying, and it had enough pop culture references (star trek, etc) to fill my lifetime.

i bought this book based on the winning reviews it received on amazon, but i am now of the strong opinion that those reviewers must have been the author's family and friends offering kind words of praise. anyone with an ounce of honesty would have posted a more accurate review. save your money and take my word for it - it was truly unreadable.

Superb!.......2005-07-04

This book was amazing...first, it's "outside-the-box"...it seems to me that's why some of the reviewers didn't care for it. It does NOT fit easily into any genre. It's certainly better written than a great many of the most recent vampire novels out there. It IS truly a fun read, the characters are a blast, and the plot was decently intricate. I have to agree it shouldn't be read by those subject to moral outrage, because the title says it all...what's a little murder, when there's family involved?
This is probably one of the most, if not the most, original vampire novels to come down the pipeline in a decade.

If you are looking for a simple plot, a typical vampire romance, or good versus evil....you probably won't like it. Romance it has, and vampires, and good, and evil....but there is NOTHING simple about this book.
Yet, it still is...pure pulp. FUN!

I would have given it 5 stars, but for the fact that it has some room for technical improvement by the author, and you can tell it's a "first novel"...I expect very, very good things from her in the future.

Blood and Water: Sabotaging Hitler's Bomb

Average customer rating:

Truth is better than fiction/excellent movie material!
Keeping Hitler From the Bomb
Very good perspective
A good read
It reads like a thriller, only it really happened

Blood and Water: Sabotaging Hitler's Bomb
Dan Kurzman
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0805032061

Amazon.com

As the blitzkrieg raged in Europe during World War II, a covert battle was being waged in laboratories as both the Allies and the Nazis raced to create the first atomic bomb. Although the Manhattan Project is now well known, Dan Kurzman chronicles an obscure yet vitally important episode that helped deny the Nazi's the A-bomb.

Soon after the Germans invaded Norway in April of 1940, they began using the Norsk Hydro electrochemical and hydroelectric plant to produce deuterium oxide--"heavy water"--a principal element needed to create atomic weapons. Blood and Water: Sabotaging Hitler's Bomb follows the two-year clandestine mission conducted by the British and Norwegian commandos who braved rugged, high-mountain terrain to defuse a situation that could have changed the course of the war. This is a textbook case of fact being more exciting than fiction; the story has the pace and feel of a well-orchestrated thriller. Based on interviews with the Norwegian and British saboteurs, war diaries, and recently declassified documents, Kurzman's book brings history alive, revealing the real men behind this heroic chapter of the Allies' victory.

Book Description

The story of how a desperate clandestine mission in Norway ended the Nazi dream of building the atomic bomb.

Customer Reviews:

Truth is better than fiction/excellent movie material!.......2000-12-12

Though history has shown that the Nazis were not nearly as close to developing the bomb as was then believed, it does not diminish the impact of this edge of your chair thriller! THe allies, both British and Americans, attempt a series of missions to blow up the German heavy water plant (heavy water is used to make nuclear reactors, a key element in building a nuclear bomb) that was located in Norweigan territory. British glider pilots are unsuccessful and captured and tortured by the Nazis, a second attempt is successful in bombing the plant but does not do enough damage. THe book chronicles these and other espionage efforts to destroy the plant and does so in a quick style that will keep you reading til finished. THis book would make an excellent action/adventure WWII thriller type movie and I hope someone buys the rights to it. AS many of you know, the author, Dan Kurzman has made a career of documenting WWII stories. He's a good storyteller, though not quite as good a writer. If you enjoy this book, then try his story of the sinking of the Indianapolis, the ship that carried parts of the Atomic bomb and saw a large number of its crewman get eaten by sharks. The book demonstrates that there are enough true to life thrillers out there, so why bother with fiction when you can read a thriller and learn something about history at the same time!

Keeping Hitler From the Bomb.......1998-05-21

This is a part of history that certainly needs telling, and B&W fills the bill. Written in a non-academic style it tells the story of how the allies crippled Germany's heavy water supply in Norway. It is a fascinating tale of a few heroes who risked, and sometimes gave, their lives to prevent Germany from developing the atomic bomb. Some interesting facts are also given regarding the development of a nuclear weapon. If German scientists had just developed a slightly different mind set they wouldn't have needed the heavy water, and could have built a bomb without it. Good rendering of a small but very important story of World War II.

Very good perspective.......1998-05-11

As one of Mr. Kurzman's Norwegian sources for his research on this subject, I must say he has managed to put the heavy-water sabotage mission into a global perspective. We've seen far too many books on this and other Norwegian WW2 missions just dealing with the operation itself. About time a foreigner wrote about this, looking at international relations and history, while at the same time doing a great job on the local perspective. Well done Mr. Kurzman!

A good read.......1998-02-28

This was a good book on the race between the U.S., Britain and Germany to build the first atomic bomb. I read this book as part of my research for a paper and found myself reading it more for enjoyment. A small team of Norwegians was sent into their own country to sabatoge a factory that was producing heavy water, a key ingredient in the atomic research. The tale of their close encounters with death and mission failure was not only griping, but showed the importance of their mission's success.

It reads like a thriller, only it really happened.......1998-02-22

Most are familiar that there was an ongoing race to build an atomic bomb during world war 2. You'll get chills when you read how close the race really was. The book is well written and is a real page-turner. The book is intriguing and is unembellished enough to remind you this is nonfiction. These are real heros and real missions. I recommend this book and I am going to read more of Kurzman's work

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