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.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

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Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's: Memories, Pictures, and Recipes from a Very Special Restaurant Empire

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The perfect gift for "everybody."
Remembrance of Things Past
Schraft's lover
Wonderful nostalgia
Fantastic

When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's: Memories, Pictures, and Recipes from a Very Special Restaurant Empire
Joan Kanel Slomanson
Manufacturer: Barricade Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1569802955

Book Description

When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's is a lavishly illustrated book about the Schrafft's restaurant empire and the era in which it thrived. It will bring back memories to former customers and provide recipes from the past, as well as awaken interest for those long-gone days in people unfamiliar with Schrafft's.

Customer Reviews:

The perfect gift for "everybody.".......2007-01-15

Tuna sandwich on toasted cheese bread, hot fudge over vanilla ice cream (and the agony of deciding whether I should choose hot butterscotch), out on a teenage date with my Irish boyfriend. Schrafft's has special memories for so many of us. I discovered this when I presented several friends with the wonderful Christmas gift of "When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's." Everybody loves to receive this treasure.

Remembrance of Things Past.......2007-01-10

I grew up going to Schrafft's every week... It was always magical, and this book brings the magic back!
There are even recipes for my all time favorite Schrafft's specials! All in all, a charming treat for the palate, the eyes, and the memory.

Schraft's lover.......2007-01-10

My mother was the recipient of this gift and she worked in Schraft's in the 40's. She loved the book and it brought back a lot of memories and even taught her a few things she didn't know - a real task with my mother.

She recommended it for anyone who worked or ate there.

Wonderful nostalgia.......2006-10-18

Bring them back...Schrafft's, of course! Brings back memories of Aunt Lillian and Mary Jane shoes!

Fantastic.......2006-09-24

For nearly eighty years Schrafft's was the place to eat in cities around the country: it took the products of a local Boston chocolatier named Schrafft and translated it to comfort food restaurants around the country. Once over fifty such venues peppered just the New York area. From Andy Warhold's wild contribution to the effort to private groups who used the stores, the varied and colorful history of Schrafft's lively venues are fantastic. And don't forget the recipes: they're included and are a large part of what made it a notable venue.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The Art of Forgetting: Disgrace and Oblivion in Roman Political Culture (Studies in the History of Greece and Rome)

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The Art of Forgetting: Disgrace and Oblivion in Roman Political Culture (Studies in the History of Greece and Rome)
Harriet I. Flower
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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Caesar's Calendar: Ancient Time and the Beginnings of History (Sather Classical Lectures)

ASIN: 0807830631
Release Date: 2006-11-22

Book Description

Elite Romans periodically chose to limit or destroy the memory of a leading citizen who was deemed an unworthy member of the community. Sanctions against memory could lead to the removal or mutilation of portraits and public inscriptions. Harriet Flower provides the first chronological overview of the development of this Roman practice—an instruction to forget—from archaic times into the second century A.D.

Book Description

Despite the fact that the Roman Republic came to an undeniable end in 31 BC with the accession of the emperor Augustus, the memory of the Republic persisted. This book explores how that memory manifested itself, serving as an avenue for dissent as well as imperial propaganda, before gradually fading over the course of the early Empire (AD 14-117). Presenting case-studies of several imperial authors and key Roman monuments, it also examines the close relationship between memory and history in Roman thought, informed by modern studies of historical memory.

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A new author to watch
Great Fantasy Novel
Hell, I'd say...
could not put it down, my wife either
Rough, But Compelling

Memories of Empire
Django Wexler
Manufacturer: Medallion Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1932815147

Book Description

Veil; sold by her father to a passing slaver.Corvus; an invincible swordsman searching for clues to his past.Kei; a soldier on a mission under a leader who has a penchant for getting everyone around her killed.Different lives, different pathsall players in a deadly game that will bring them together for the greatest prize of all

Customer Reviews:

A new author to watch.......2007-05-09

I foung Django Wexler's debut novel to be one of the better ones I've had the opportunity to read. Demons, sellswords, draek, and battles to be won. A map would have been nice, but hey, that's what imagination is for, right? I have to agree with one other reviewer who was extremely disppointed in the quality of Medallion Press' editing. The mispellings, the run-ons and the general appearance of lack of care with a new author is frustrating. I hope Django Wexler continues with his writing. I consider him definitely to be an author to watch.

Great Fantasy Novel.......2006-02-13

Sword and sorcery fantasy is pretty much my favorite thing to read and after skimming the first two pages of Memories in the bookstore I was well and truly caught. No, this isn't the most original plotline in the store, and yes the editor should be shot on general principles, but honestly, I enjoyed this book too much to care. Wexler takes some great stock characters (unbeatable swordsman, child genius, cocky nobles, plucky foot soldiers, dangerously self-interested higher beings) and puts them into a fun, clever, well written story. I can't wait for next book.

Hell, I'd say..........2006-01-15

Gods, what an amateurish attempt at a first novel. There is a funny quote that describes this book perfectly: "Your...is both good and original. Unfortunately, the good part is not original, and the original part is not good."

First off: mediocre prose that's uninspired. Second: dialogue which sounds like the characters are teenagers are speaking to each other (aargh). Third: Characters who are unbelievable and cliched; an adolescent girl who is a tactical genius?--an oh-so-poweful/unbeatable swordsman who's lived for many centuries, who can kill (and does) all the pitiful antagonists described in the book, then falls for the above mentioned girl? Fourth: exasperating plot.

Write something really new.

could not put it down, my wife either.......2005-12-10

great work. could not put it down. my wife is devouring it now. i want more.

Rough, But Compelling.......2005-10-07

In Memories of Empire, Django Wexler creates a fantasy world with both depth and breadth, pitting numerous nations, factions, and personalities against each other in a setting that oozes with a "lived-in" feel. This ambitious debut novel primarily follows the story of Veil and Corvus, an escaped would-be slave and a seemingly unstoppable mercenary, and the story of Kei and Kit, a pair of drake-riders sent to escort an arrogant noblewoman as she hunts a rebel sorcerer.

Wexler lays out a profusion of plot threads and then leaps between them deftly, braiding them into each other one by one until the novel reaches its climax. While it can be a bit of work to keep track of who's plotting what against whom, the characters are all strongly-drawn and easily distinguished from one another. The "big picture" doesn't become clear until the endgame, when no fewer than four factions collide in competition for what are finally revealed to be colossal stakes.

It's all a bit dizzying but, as with Steven Erikson's books, the individual characters make it work. Wexler makes it easy to cheer for Veil or Kei to get out of various tight corners, even if the reasons they were in those corners to begin with are rarely clear. While there are plenty of standardized fantasy trappings in evidence, Wexler provides more than enough twists and surprises to keep the whole endeavor from feeling overly-familiar. And if it's hard to keep track of what's happening when it happens, the ending does an excellent job of revealing who's been doing what to our heroes and why.

It has its flaws, to be sure. The characters' motivations can come across as murky and arbitrary; in the early going, Veil in particular seems to be "going thataway" just for want of anything better to do. And with this many main and ancillary characters roaming the landscape, I do wish Wexler would have chosen names that were as easily distinguishable from on another as the personalities; witness the scene involving Kit, Kei, and Karl.

Most troubling, however, is the wretched condition of the text. This is, without question, the most poorly-edited novel I have ever purchased. Medallion Press is a legitimate small publisher, but based on the standards of line-editing represented by Empire, one could be forgiven for thinking they're a vanity press scam-house. The text is liberally sprinkled with obvious misspellings, spaces in the middle of words, random punctuation and capitalizations, and absent carriage returns.

The typos are merely annoying and unprofessional; it's the missed section breaks that can yank the reader violently out of the story to pause and figure out just what the hell is going on. The text does no favors in helping the reader keep track of Wexler's numerous plot threads; way too many scenes arbitrarily blur into one another. The most egregious mistake happens during what were clearly supposed to be a pair of short scenes showing Kit and Kei waking up at their campsite, and then flying above the countryside on their mounts. With the section break missing, it reads as though the two riders somehow have set up bedrolls and a campfire while in the air.

For the sake of both Medallion Press and its authors, one would hope that the editor responsible for this debacle has been fired and replaced by somebody who knows how to read.

Still, warts and all, Wexler's debut outing is a worthwhile read. Fans of George R. R. Martin, Steven Erikson, or Japanese anime will find plenty to enjoy. If you have a taste for Byzantine magic-powered scheming, if you like to see larger-than-life heroes prowling a landscape populated by powerful, cunning spirits and well-developed cultures that feel like they exist even when the reader isn't watching, give this novel a look.

Memory, Empire, and Postcolonialism: Legacies of French Colonialism (After the Empire: the Francophone World and Postcolonial France)

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Memory, Empire, and Postcolonialism: Legacies of French Colonialism (After the Empire: the Francophone World and Postcolonial France)
Alec Hargreaves
Manufacturer: Lexington Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0739108212

Book Description

Long repressed following the collapse of empire, memories of the French colonial experience have recently gained unprecedented visibility. This interdisciplinary volume explores the multiple forms of this upsurge and the forces driving it in popular culture, scholarly research, and public commemorations.

Blood Sisters: The French Revolution in Women's Memory

Average customer rating:

Deeply satisfying

Blood Sisters: The French Revolution in Women's Memory
Marilyn Yalom
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Revolutionary | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Women in History | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0465092632

Customer Reviews:

Deeply satisfying.......2002-12-16

I had never read any book by Marilyn Yalom before, but after finishing "Blood Sisters" I'm eager to do so! For anyone interested in the French Revolution and what I call "personal history" - the history of individuals, as opposed to that of economic or political processes - this book will be a gem. Frenchwomen from all walks of life come alive through their memoirs and recollections of a chaotic, painful time, and, under Yalom's intelligent guidance, paint for us a picture of individual lives shattered by the upheavals of radical change.

The one thing which dissatisfied and somewhat irritated me was Yalom's insistence in drawing parallels between the violence and massacres aroused by the Revolution, and the Jewish Holocaust. I really don't see how this was necessary for the understanding and appreciating of the book and its message. I do not wish to call into question the horrors of the Holocaust, which is one of the great tragedies of our times, and undoubtedly one of the worst examples of what man is capable of - but there have been many other instances of barbarity and cruelty, notably in the context of other Revolutions before and since that of France, which would make better parallels. I cannot help but thinking (and I'm not saying this disrespectfully) that in this particular aspect Yalom's Jewishness has gotten the better of her discernment as a scholar. A minor bother in an otherwise rich and engaging book.

Average customer rating:

Suggestive and intriguing

Stupendous Analysis
Image, Icon, Economy: The Byzantine Origins of the Contemporary Imaginary (Cultural Memory in the Present)
Marie-Jose Mondzain
Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Byzantine | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Pop Culture | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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The Idol and Distance: Five Studies (Perspectives in Continental Philosophy, No 17)

The Stars

Ecrits: The First Complete Edition in English

The Crossing of the Visible (Cultural Memory in the Present)

ASIN: 0804741018
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Book Description

The barest awareness of the ubiquity and influence of the media today provides proof enough that our fate is in the hands of the image. But when and how was this fate sealed? Image, Icon, Economy considers this question and recounts an essential thread in the conceptualization of visual images within the Western tradition. This book argues that the extraordinary force of the image in contemporary life—the contemporary imaginary—can be traced back to the Byzantine iconoclastic controversy of the eighth and ninth centuries. It was during this period that the church was compelled to produce an account of the theological status of the religious image that would nevertheless not be open to even the slightest suspicion of idolatry. The solution arrived at was the dual doctrine of the image, invisible (and thus beyond the charge of idolatry) and the icon, visible, and thus perfectly fitted to be placed at the center of a pedagogical and political strategy serving the temporal power of the church. The foundations of this immense philosophical enterprise were laid in no less than the multifarious, interwoven strands of the divine economy, God's overall plan for the salvation of humanity.

Customer Reviews:

Suggestive and intriguing.......2006-06-17

The fascination in reading this study is its constant and fleeting reference to issues of contemporary political concern: from the Byzantine icon to CNN, from Virgin Birth to women's powerlessness, from the spiritual church to empire, from icon to idol, Christ to anti-Christ. For scholars of Visual Studies, it opens rich perspectives into the object of our concerns, helping us think outside the box of contemporary theory. Read it with Sokurov's film trilogy on twentieth-century sovereigns - and think about twenty-first century sovereigns' return to the idea of religious legitimation.

Stupendous Analysis.......2005-12-27

This is a breathtaking, fascinating discussion on the visual regimes of the Byzantine era and the exigent significance philosophical discourses hold for our image-inflated culture . Mondzain's thick historiography is refreshingly translucent and layered, arousing and transporting even the non-academic reader to an era of vitriolic controversies over the "icon". Her excellent analysis of the term "economy" is an assured lexical-adventure. A must-read for not just art-historians and philosphers but scholars of film as well.

Islamic Revolution and Historical Memory: An Inquiry into the Art of Abbasid Apologetics (American Oriental Series)

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Islamic Revolution and Historical Memory: An Inquiry into the Art of Abbasid Apologetics (American Oriental Series)
Jacob Lassner
Manufacturer: Eisenbrauns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

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