Hell and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and What We Should Do

Book Description

Global warming is the story of the twenty-first century. It is the most serious issue facing the future of humankind, and American energy and environmental policy is driving the whole world down the path of global catastrophe. Hell and High Water is nothing less than a wake-up call to the country. It is a searing critique of American environmental and energy policy and a passionate call to action by a writer with a unique command of the science and politics of climate change.

We have ten years, at most, to start making sharp cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions or we will face catastrophic consequences. The good news is that there is something we can do—but only if the leadership of the U.S. government acts immediately and asserts its influence on the rest of the world—in particular such emerging powers as China and India—to join an international effort to stop global warming.

Joseph Romm, an expert in the science, business, and politics of climate change, lays out a plan of action that involves:

reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by midcentury
adopting a California-style energy-efficiency effort nationwide
embracing high-mileage, advanced "hybrid" cars that can run on both electricity and biofuels

Unfortunately, the required government policies and spending are strongly opposed by conservatives, who have blocked serious action on climate change and continue to publicly deny the dire warnings of scientists. Never before has there been such a sharp divergence between what top scientists know and what policymakers, the general public, and the media believe. And, sadly, never has so much been at stake.

Romm, who ran the largest program in the world that was concentrated on climate solutions, offers an authoritative dissection of this disastrous policy. Hell and High Water goes beyond ideological rhetoric to offer pragmatic solutions to avert the threat of global warming—solutions that must be taken seriously by every American.

Customer Reviews:

Alarming--because it's factual.......2007-08-17

As an environmental policy grad student, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what we're in for with climate change. But after reading this book I've realized that, oh no, it's worse than I thought. The book starts out by describing the nasty potential futures facing us if we fail to take sufficient action, and soon. This bit comes across as somewhat sensational, but Romm quickly moves in a very well done review of the scientific literature backing up the scary part. The account of the unified effort to deny the validity of climate change and delay action is also well executed.

Highly recommended for anyone who needs a little motivation to start caring about climate change!

Wake Up Call.......2007-06-10

It's time to wake up to what's going on with our world and what we're doing to it. As a long time participant in the petroleum and related industries worldwide it has long been evident that we are exhausting the world's resources at an unsustainable rate detrimental to life as we know it and to a livable environment. Damon A. Peteron

Great informative book.......2007-05-19

If you want the facts about global warming and what we need to do about it straight from the experts' mouths, this is the book for you. It covers everything about global warming from the media's bias to the various policies we need to implement to avoid catastrophic climate change, to the consequences if we fail to avoid it. Absolutely fantastic book.

Highly recommended.......2007-05-10

I thought this book was really interesting in explaining the US politics behind global warming and the what has not been done in recent years by the US to curb global warming. It goes into great detail about the issues the planet faces if we do not reduce our CO2 output into the atmosphere.

Good advice rarely is heeded...........2007-05-04

Romm brings quite a bit of expertise and gravitas to his arguments. Arguably in the know about government policy practices Romm lays out both a convincing scenario about global climate modification (see no GW balderdash!)and a set of coherent policy solutions to prevent the worst of the problem. Unfortunately, I agree that while a solution is "doable" it won't get done. Goodbye Florida, goodbye Louisiana!

Average customer rating:

Highly Recommended
A soulless demon finds love
One hell of a story.
2.5 to 3 stars
Not for the prudish, for sure

Hell's Belles (Hell On Earth: Book 1)
Jackie Kessler
Manufacturer: Zebra Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fantasy, Futuristic & Ghost | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0821781022

Book Description

She's A Hot Demon On The Run From Hell-- Which Isn't Easy To Do In Heels.

Once upon a time, Jezebel was a powerful succubus, capable of seducing men and sucking out their souls. But that was before Hell put a bounty on her head. Now her only chance to escape a fate far worse than death is to live as a mortal, losing herself in a sea of unfamiliar humanity, in a place where sinners walk hand-in-hand with saints--a place like Belle's strip club in New York City.

Working as an exotic dancer is a piece of cake for a former demon who once specialized in sex. Taking money from men? Please. It's like leading lawyers to the Lake of Fire. Plus the lingerie is great. But she hadn't counted on meeting sexy Paul Hamilton, a man haunted by his past. Good-bye, succubus; hello, lovestruck. Learning all about how complicated--and pleasurable--love can be, Jezebel thinks she's turned her back on Hell.

But Hell hasn't stopped looking for her. The secrets Jezebel holds are the most dangerous of all, the kind every demon in the Underworld would do their worst to protect. Demons are closing in, which is enough to make Jezebel shiver in her G-string. But it's her love for Paul that's going to have deadly consequences...

Customer Reviews:

Highly Recommended.......2007-09-17

Jezebel the succubus has run away from hell. Taking a job as an exotic dancer, she thinks she's made a fresh start. But it's not that easy to put her past behind her.

It's so refreshing to read about a heroine who is completely comfortable in her own skin. Jezebel/Jesse has a sharp wit and a deliciously wicked sense of humour. She's an incredibly sexual creature and revels in being a succubus, so her new career choice of stripping is a natural one for her to make.

Initially it's hard to work out how we can have sympathy for her, she's such a selfish creature of instinct and need. However, once she takes human form, her newfound mortality begins to change her and she begins a slow almost unnoticeable transition from amoral demon to something else. The first experiences Jesse has as a human are incredibly well written and make you realise how strange it must be to see the world for the first time.

There are really two stories being told here; the first is Jesse's flight from hell and how she copes with being a mortal; the second is about the events leading up to her decision to flee hell (told in flashback). Unfortunately the flashbacks (of which there are several) are intercut with the main story and aren't signposted that well (the first happens in Chapter 6). Leaving the reader confused about what is happening, until you get used to the style.

For people who like to know: - this is written in first person, and there is some strong swearing, but this is in context and is something the person who said it would say.

I think it's slightly misleading that this has been marketed as a romance, I believe it's much more of an urban fantasy. The romantic subplot definitely takes second place to Jesse's story. But this shouldn't put readers off - Jezebel is such a rare outspoken heroine, it's worth taking the time to get to know her. (And kudos to Ms. Kessler for using a Ghostbusters reference. :) )

The Road to Hell (Book 2) is released in November 2007.

Looking for other Succubus stories, check out Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead for a different take on succubi.

A soulless demon finds love.......2007-08-22

Jezebel is a 4,000 year old succubus (a demon) whose job is to entice people into hell through horizontal means. However when she goes AWOL from Hell, tricks a witch into making her human (and stealing that witch's form and credit cards/ID) she sets out on life as a newly born human in New York. The author writes her first experiences of being human, drinking coffee, eating muffins, being in public spaces etc excellently - these were really enjoyable parts of the book.

Jezebel, or Jessie, isn't at all a sympathetic character to start with. She steals the witch's identity, doesn't care about other people and seems largely amoral. However her new human nature is clearly changing that part of her character and she starts to care for people and to change. She gets a job as a stripper in a club, Hell's Belles, which suits her skills from her former career admirably. However she's already bumped into Paul and he is about to cause another big change in her life. On the run from other demons who are trying to drag her back to hell, protected merely by her humanity and with the amulet she wears round her neck, can Jessie keep herself safe and out of hell? And what is it that caused her to leave Hell in the first place?

Rather confusingly a few chapters into this book Jessie seemed to be back working as a succubus and leading a man to hell. It became clear eventually that this was a flashback and there were other examples of this in the book - it might have been helpful for the fact this was backstory to be more clear. However these sections, where Jessie is in Hell, were fascinating; somehow the author has written her description of the different levels in Hell and some of the characters in a lighthearted and yet scary way with definite overtones of Dante.

This is an earthy book with fairly explicit descriptions and a woman who is certainly at home with her feminine side. However there is more to this story than just sex as there's an interesting plot and some significant characterisation of Jessie. Paul, the hero, is rather more of a cipher and we almost learn more about the Satyr Daunuan but there are many good side characters in this story which lift it above the average paranormal romance and made it an easy and fun read.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007

One hell of a story........2007-07-29

I had a good time reading this book, and it is obvious that first-time author Jackie Kessler did the same in writing it. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Ms. Kessler writes in a clear, straightforward fashion that makes the reading a pleasure. Also, I very much liked the plot and the characters. What fun! I highly recommend it.

2.5 to 3 stars.......2007-07-22

This book is an easy read, but it is not one that will accompany you once you close the back cover. The book is fun, light but I feel it lackes force or something...

If you like easy reads that don't defy standards, this one is a good book to pass the time. If you want something stronger, pick another book.

Not for the prudish, for sure.......2007-07-09

If you think a book titled "Hell's Belles" -- starring a succubus named Jezebel and taking place largely inside a New York City strip club, no less -- might dip into areas of a sexual nature, you'd be right. First-time author Jackie Kessler is unabashedly lascivious in her writing, so much so one wonders exactly what lies in the depths of her untapped imagination. But "Hell's Belles" exceeds the bounds of lusty paranormal romances, in part by making Jez's love interest one of the least interesting aspects of the story.

Far more appealing is Jezebel's flight from Hell, where her job was the seduction and disposal of evil men. But big changes are afoot in the underworld -- saying what, exactly, would be telling too much -- and Jez has fled to the world above to shed her demon skin and lose herself among the mortals in New York City's thriving sex trade.

But "demon" isn't a job that comes with a cozy retirement plan, and Hell's minions are still trying to track Jesse down and bring her back to the fold. Meanwhile, changes in Hell itself are revealed to readers slowly, leading to far more intelligent theological philosophy than I ever expected to see here.

But yeah, there's a lot of sex, talk about sex, thought about sex and sexual innuendoes, too, so prudes need not apply.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor

Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth

Average customer rating:

Worth reading, but there's room for improvement
Worth it for the summaries
A nice addition to any Romero fan's library
I only wish I could discuss this face to face
Another "me too" on Romero

Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth
Kim Paffenroth
Manufacturer: Baylor University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1932792651

Product Description

Winner of the silver medal in popular culture for the 2006 ForeWord Book of the Year Awards. This volume connects American social and religious views with the classic American movie genre of the zombie horror film. For nearly forty years, the films of George A. Romero have presented viewers with hellish visions of our world overrun by flesh-eating ghouls. This study proves that Romero's films, like apocalyptic literature or Dante's Commedia, go beyond the surface experience of repulsion to probe deeper questions of human nature and purpose, often giving a chilling and darkly humorous critique of modern, secular America.

Customer Reviews:

Worth reading, but there's room for improvement.......2007-07-03

If you enjoy zombie movies, especially the work of George Romero, I recommend that you read this book. It's a pretty quick and easy read and holds some interesting insight -- sociological, economical, philosophical, religious, and otherwise. However, it wasn't exactly what I expected going into it, and while I made some pleasant discoveries while I read, I also met with a bit of disappointment.

Based on the title and the description in the book jacket, I was expecting more talk relating these films to Dante's "Inferno", which the author mostly mentions in passing. I think "Inferno" is one of the most interesting and unique pieces of literature around, and I would have liked for him to focus a bit more on the similarities between it and the zombie movies. If someone were reading this book who had little or no knowledge of Dante's "Inferno", I'm sure the parts where he mentions it could be pretty confusing. He doesn't elaborate on it enough for those who like "Inferno", but he doesn't ignore it enough for those who don't know much about it either.

One reviewer wrote, "At times, I felt this book was overreaching a bit in its textual analysis, which irks me." I agree. While George Romero's movies certainly have plenty of Christian undertones, I feel that Paffenroth overthought and over-analyzed a couple of his interpretations. For example, he interprets Big Daddy and the other zombies in "Land of the Dead" crossing the river to Fiddler's Green as analogous to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea with the help of Moses in the Old Testament. I can certainly see why one would make this analogy, but the zombies crossing the river could be more easily and simply interpreted as a purification process, such as a baptismal ritual. Earlier in the book, he interprets the human desire to bury the dead, zombie or not, as a human desire to have a personal relationship with God. This is also a fair interpretation (merely one sub-par out of many great ones), but I just feel like Paffenroth grasps at straws sometimes in this book. Most every culture has some sort of burial ritual, and they do not necessarily seek a close relationship to the Christian God.

These are really my only complaints about this book, but I feel they are significant ones. If I could give this title 3.5/5 stars, I would. If you love zombie movies and seek deep, philosophical and/or religious insight into the world of zombie movies, it is definitely worth your time. But just check it out at the library and give it a quick read, rather than buy a copy to keep on your bookshelf.

Worth it for the summaries.......2007-06-13

At times, I felt this book was overreaching a bit in its textual analysis, which irks me. Still, I really liked it. The idea is great, and the movie summaries are worth the price alone. I think some Christians might be upset by Paffenroth's compassionate, anti-Fundamentalist Christian beliefs, but I guess if you're buying this book that probably won't be an issue. (It actually really pleased me to find that that was the case.)

A nice addition to any Romero fan's library.......2007-05-05

Paffenroth's treatment of Romero's films offers much by way of theology, something that [....] before in this great of detail. Anyone who has studied/read about Romero will naturally have heard some points made here, but the insights and comparisons to Dante's INFERNO are quite interesting. This one gave me a new interest in the DAWN remake (04), and a new respect for LAND OF THE DEAD (05), despite it being the weakest of the series.

Some people have complained about all the footnotes presented here (there's about 50 pages worth), but I believe it strongly enhances the book, and serves as a fine bibliography (although there's one included, too) for those seeking more material on Romero.

I only wish I could discuss this face to face.......2007-04-22

Reading this book gave me a good perspective on one man's views of the works of George A. Romero and the zombie movie genre as a whole. Dr. Paffenroth presents a well researched analysis of these stories as they relate to faith and religion in our society of today.

Books such as this and "The Philosophy of the Undead" are intriguing to me because they provide both insights and opinions that I can appreciate on the undead. I have my own views on the meanings behind it all, since I have read quite a few stories and seen many, if not all, of the movies out there related to zombies. I do not spend a great deal of time on message boards/chat rooms pouring over the minutia of these works though. I also do not have any personal friends or family members who have any interest at all in the genre. So grabbing a book like this and studying it adds shades of complexity to my own understanding of these dead things that have come back to life and how they impact our own society and world.

Does this mean I agree with everything Dr. Paffenroth states in this book? Definitely not, but gaining new insights means you come from a different place than the person who offers new information. Kim did a great deal of research and his proposals are well thought out on the religious and faith based ramifications of Romero's works. I am no academic and I am also a lapsed Catholic so to say I have a different perspective is probably an understatement. But that makes this book all the more interesting because of that.

Zombies are interesting protagonists. They hold up a gritty and cracked mirror, perhaps of a fun house variety, to us and we get a look at what we potentially could become, or maybe already are. The Romero movies all used a pretty harsh tone of criticism of western civilization and more specifically American culture. Our take on religion and faith are a part of that and this books taps into it.

I myself like a good debate. Not just arguing to prove someone else wrong, but being able to just present my own views and go back and forth with someone else. A book vs. face to face is not as satifying for debating various points of interest, but it still gives me something to gnaw on as far as the undertones of the zombie genre.

Another "me too" on Romero.......2007-04-12

Like most studies of Romero's oeuvre this one struggles to find anything truly new or insightful to say. Those familiar with the director and his work will not get a great deal out of it. Particularly disappointing is the author's misguided reading of Day (the best written, best acted and most thought-provoking entry in the series by a country mile). This is, however, made up for to some extent by one of the best explorations of Land written to date.

One thing I should point out is the text's hugely irritating reliance on constantly referring the reader to footnotes at the back of the book. Some single pages have dozens and flicking backwards and forwards while trying to follow the thrust of an argument is very wearying.

Average customer rating:

College Writing Class
An OK Sequel to the Doom Series
Captures the essence of the game, but lacks all the elements found in a good book.
No Ending, Talent Gap Between Authors
It's not suppose to be like the game

Doom: Hell On Earth
Dafydd ab Hugh , and Brad Linaweaver
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 067152562X

Book Description

They were creatures seemingly spawned straight from the pits of Hell -- demons, zombies, fire-breathing imps -- all too horrifically close to the stuff of nightmare to be real. But they were. And on the inhospitable moons of Mars, Corporal Flynn "Fly" Taggart, Earth's last line of defence against a seemingly inexhaustible supply of alien warriors, beat them back almost single-handedly.

But Taggart discovers that the war had barely begun...for while he was fighting them on Mars, the hellish creatures had established a beachhead on Earth itself. Now, with the aid of a fourteen-year-old female computer genius, an unrepentantly Mormon sniper, and the best soldier in this woman's army, Fly Taggart must defeat the invaders -- and their treacherous human allies -- yet again...

Customer Reviews:

College Writing Class.......2007-06-16

This author is a horrible writer. Want to hear the ending? "I need the biggest goddam boot you can find".

That's how it ends.

And it gets better! The marine has two associates, a mormon sniper, and a 14 year old computer genius.

A true American classic.

If you enjoy Doom, don't buy this please, it's really horrible. If you're a fan of bad science fiction, I highly reccomend it.

An OK Sequel to the Doom Series.......2006-09-20

Doom: Hell on Earth
By: Dafydd ab Hugh & Brad Linaweaver

In this book Fly and his best buddy Arlene Sanders make it back to Earth to find that it too has been attacked by the demons and their government has betrayed the human race in order to save their own skins. Now Fly and Arlene and joined by a Mormon sniper, and a teenaged hacker with the task of traveling to the remain of L.A. to infiltrate the city, gather intel on the aliens, and hightail it to Hawaii where the best and brightest of survivors are attempting to develop technology to bring down the alien invaders.

I thought that this book was ok, personally, I loved the first one a whole lot better. This book does the first person view from the view of the four main characters, which is ok, but personally, I like FPV with the ultimate main character, Fly. A decent sequel to the Doom Series. I give it an 8/10.

Captures the essence of the game, but lacks all the elements found in a good book........2005-12-28

I am a fan of the Doom games made by ID software. I have read this book twice.

Let me break this down into two approaches:
1. If you are a fan of the Doom games, then you'll find that the book does a great job of bringing its monsters to life. The descriptions and actions of the countless monsters you've battled are well implemented. While the story certainly doesn't follow that of the games', since the games have no real story, you definitely feel like you are in the same world: hell on earth. You will enjoy these aspects of the book, but that's it.

2. If you aren't a fan of the Doom games, then you will find this book to be offensive and an insult to your intelligence.

In the book, the main characters team up with Mormons. I have nothing against Mormons. However, when the authors take every chance to shove Mormonism down my throat explaining why its "right"- then I tend to have problems. But that's not specifically what turned me off. The book is just plain bad.

Story-
The story is absurd: not the kind of absurd you can appreciate, just plain stupid and weird. I know it's hard to concoct a realistic story from something like Doom. But geez, let's try to hit somewhere around that mark! Two grunt soldiers, who have had no true space flight experience, less bit experience of spacecraft construction, cannot assemble their own custom made rocket from scratch and pilot it from the moon of Mars to the Earth in a few weeks time. But that kind of insanity is child's play compared to other events that take place in this book. Granted Doom is a weird world to model a story after, but you have to draw the line somewhere. There's a point where a story isn't credible enough to appreciate!

Characters-
I found the main characters that you have to put up with very annoying. Their actions are usually totally random and didn't make sense- you never get to the point that where you "know" them. The dialogue between them is hard to follow and sometimes doesn't make much sense. I did not feel like these characters resembled anything close to real people.

After having read this abomination twice, I still do not feel anything for these characters. I couldn't have cared if they were ripped to shreds by the monsters pursuing them. The only character I found decent is Fly Taggart. I liked his style, but even he couldn't make up for the rest of his sorry little squad, the only other real characters in the entire book.

To sum it up, I thought the authors did a swell job with Fly Taggart and putting the Doom games on page. But that sure as hell doesn't outweigh its major flaws with the story and the characters. Conclusion: this book is worth exactly what I paid for it, 25 cents at a garage sale.

No Ending, Talent Gap Between Authors.......2005-06-10

The first book--had some creepy scenes, but was damaged by bad sci-fi and, except for "Your Truly, Fly", bad characters. There's the strong female character who comes up with a good idea when Fly has a bad idea or a bad idea when Fly comes up with a good idea, and the nerdy computer guy with little to offer in combat, but reveals to them the not-so-very-shocking truth that the brass had been running experiments on teleportation tech for years. This book is plagued by the same flaws as the original. The first book had absolutely NO ENDING WHATSOEVER! and the same applies here. There is also a gap in writing ability between the authors. As I wrote in my review of KDITD, one is mediocre...the other terrible.

It's not suppose to be like the game.......2005-06-09

I keep reading Reviews that the Doom Books aren't like the game. And all i can say is...Its not suppose to be like the game. If anything it gave the game a storyline better than the figure it out for yourself shoot everything that moves type game that doom was. I mean you cant say the Doom game had a good storyline because it didnt. All you did was kill things. The book enhanced the game and gave it more of a solid background for a good story. This in my opinion was the best of the Doom Books.

Consequences of Oppression: Hell on Earth

Average customer rating:

Where is your editor?!

Consequences of Oppression: Hell on Earth
Pen Black
Manufacturer: Tru Life Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0976573393
Release Date: 2005-08-22

Product Description

"Consequences of Oppression:Hell on Earth" is an uncut, undiluted and un apologetic look at the plight of black America. The gloves have come off and Pen Black is our modern day crusader. Consequences of Oppression is raw, it's real and it's a needed wake up call to an endangered race.

Customer Reviews:

Where is your editor?!.......2007-05-31

I know you may not have had a lot of money but this book is litered with grammatical errors! Get an EDITOR before you have your book published! Honestly I can barely continue to read...they are just glaring...even the synopsis on the back cover...come on! You gotta do better than that. I got the book and was excited to get some knowledge from it. SO I start to read the back of the book and I get to a point where I have to re-read it mad times...ok whatever an oversight then I start to read the book more errors!! please pay for an editor!

Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures: A TRUE STORY FROM HELL ON EARTH

Average customer rating:

Could have been so much better
LOVED this book
5-star stories. 3-star writers.
Intense Reality Check of History in Our Lifetime
A gripping, candid story of wartime events which refutes popular myth.

Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures: A TRUE STORY FROM HELL ON EARTH
Kenneth Cain , Heidi Postlewait , and Andrew Thomson
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1401352014

Book Description

In the early 1990s, three young people attracted to the ambitious global peacekeeping work of the UN cross paths in Cambodia. Andrew, a child of missionaries and a New Zealand-trained doctor, strives for a better world through medicine. Heidi, a New York social worker, is in need of a new challenge and a better paycheck. Ken, fresh from Harvard Law and full of idealism, is searching for a meaningful career. As the Cold War ends and the new world order dawns, as the peacekeeping community in Phnom Pehn throws wild parties-the three become friends for life. In this powerful, devastatingly honest memoir, Andrew, Heidi, and Ken mingle their distinct voices and experiences to paint a searing portrait of life amidst war and genocide. Andrew's journey takes him to Haiti, and then to Rwanda and Bosnia. Heidi and Ken are posted together in Somalia, during the infamous Black Hawk Down incident. Each of them risks death and, one way or another, survives. As their stories interweave, the trio reveals a dangerous world of witnessed atrocities, mass graves, desperate loneliness , and primal desires. By day they work in brutal war zones; by night they stave off fear and futility with revelry, in sex, in any human connection in a frightening world. Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures is a startling celebration of the strength of the human spirit-and the gritty power of friendship to keep you alive.

Customer Reviews:

Could have been so much better.......2007-07-22

Saving lives while putting yours under risk sounds like the perfect material for a compelling memoir and the juicy title of this one sounds like it would deliver in spades. However I was ultimately disappointed by "Emergency Sex".

The book is written by three aid workers: Ken, a recent Harvard graduate; Heidi, a social worker from New York; and Richard, an idealistic doctor from New Zealand. The three meet initially when they are all working in Cambodia and their stories intersect as they work together and separately on assignment in various `90s trouble spots: Somalia, Haiti, Rwanda, Bosnia. The book is written by each of them in turn and the pace is quick and lively. Parts are exciting (the description of being in Somalia when the Black Hawk helicopter was downed) or very moving (the description of the terrible atrocities in Rwanda and Liberia).

So it's an interesting read but somehow it failed to grab me. The book does convey what its like to be an aid worker: alternating fear, adrenalin, exhaustion, hopelessness, cynicism and only very occasionally the sense that you've made a small difference to the world. It certainly gives the flavor of how terrible things were in these places and how the UN could have done things better. However the three personalities never rang true for me. I didn't feel that I got to know these people. As another reviewer has commented, they all sounded curiously alike and I got the sense that Ken perhaps penned all three stories. Heidi's story was too much Ken's fantasy of the girl with the limpid eyes and the active sexual appetite. Richards's story was also Ken's fantasy of the heroic and noble doctor who windsurfed in his spare time. I'm not saying that these aren't real people, just that they never leapt off the page and became real to me.

Perhaps because of this, or perhaps because the nature of aid work is such that it's one long grind, the book dragged along for me. While I didn't mind it, I never felt the urge to pick it up and read more. I felt several times that I could have skipped 100 pages here or there and it wouldn't have made much difference. Really, you could flip open the book in a bookstore, read a few pages here and there, and get the flavor of the entire piece. It's not a bad book by any stretch, but it could have been better with judicious editing.

LOVED this book.......2007-07-13

I really enjoyed this book. I was hard-pressed to put it down. I am an avid reader and politics/history person yet at times I still found my self appauled that some of the things discussed in the book never made it to light in the media. We all know how the media is - they report locally not globally. It was so refreshing to hear the personal accounts of 3 individuals about what their lives were really like living in these war-torn areas. Average citizens should be so lucky to be informed of these unfortunate events. It's a huge wake up call....

5-star stories. 3-star writers........2007-04-09

I picked up this book and read it, almost compulsively, during a trip to Cambodia earlier this year. Structured as interspersed diary entries of three people who become involved in one way or another in the big moments of UN interventions from 93 on -- democracy to Cambodia, Somalia, Haiti, Rwanda, Bosnia...

Although lacking the narrative skills of more accomplished writers or the insightful introspection of truly self-aware diarists, you cannot help but develop an understanding (no matter how objectionable) to the different characters, their motivations and the different ways they choose to react to and cope with the overwhelming reality of the horrors that surround them.

Andrew is a doctor driven by a genuinely humanitarian streak; all the more poignant for his painful shyness which seems to make him unable to relate to others as strongly as he relates to humanity as a race. Ken's motivation seems to be a desire to live up to quixotic ideals which he wants others to acknowledge -- feels can best be served through his involvement in the humanitarian work. Heidi appears a shallow narcissist who deals with her own insecurities with a dominating personality and a self-destructive hedonism and abandonment that seems to be only heightened by an impending feeling of doom.

Overall, the stories are riveting. Deeply personal moments sprinkle what little gems of unexpectedly prescient insights -- the mistakes of the "international community" and NGOs in handling the crises, the lack of many shades of gray and the impersonal amorality and frailties of many of the people who we would hold to a higher standard.

But perhaps what I found most powerful was the creeping realization -- almost imperceptible -- of the futility of the whole thing. Spirits are high at the start of the book, the sense of purpose almost messianic. But as the stakes climb and the disappointments become harder to justify, the very real limitations of human interventions and the personal toll they take on those who are asked to be involved become apparent. There is a numb feeling of nothingness as the book draws out and the reader is left with a numb emptiness as he realises how little there is left to hope for.

The ending of the book is an awkward attempt at closure (with some interesting words by Ken) but overall suffers from the limited skills of the authors. However, purely for the benefit of the experiences they lived and the lessons they learnt, the book is worth a read.

Oh, and as most others point out, Heidi's sexual exploits (from where the book gets its title) are as sordid and pitiable as they are unnecessary.

Intense Reality Check of History in Our Lifetime.......2006-12-29

This book was absolutely amazing. Written as a memoir from three different perspectives (twenty-somethings working for the UN with widely various backgrounds), the use of point of view is incredible and adds significant insight into the characters and the different aspects of world conflict through the nineties.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in world events or anyone who hates history because it's boring. The detail of character and plot development provide such an interesting foreground for the tumultuous, wartime background that you almost don't even realizing you're learning about real historical events.
Please read this book. It will open your eyes and entertain your socks off.

A gripping, candid story of wartime events which refutes popular myth........2006-12-13

Here's a winner: a book which reads with all the high drama and action of fiction, but which is a nonfiction first-person story of three U.N. Peacekeepers who exposed atrocities during a decade of peacekeeping missions. This book received much acclaim in hardcover: its paperback rendition includes a new afterword by the authors and provides readers with a gripping, candid story of wartime events which refutes popular myth.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Brainburners (Deadlands, Hell on Earth Roleplaying)

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Bald IS beautiful, baby.

Brainburners (Deadlands, Hell on Earth Roleplaying)
Steve Long
Manufacturer: Pinnacle Entertainment Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Deadlands : Hell On Earth : The Junkman Cometh (Deadlands: Hell on Earth)

ASIN: 1889546364

Customer Reviews:

Bald IS beautiful, baby........2001-06-18

When I first picked up Deadlands, I felt somewhat cheated by the fact that most everything in the Marshal's section comes out to "This secret will be revealed in Lost Colony." Then I went back and read some of the older stuff and realized that it was basically designed to be a play in three acts, and that I had come in on Act Two. (I first got into the game via Hell on Earth.) Well, this book will give you some background on Faraway from the folks who were actually there. That's it's main value to me. Beyond that, it's the standard Deadlands class book. Quite useful, new edges, hinderances, and abilities. And, of course, the special adventure just for that class at the end. For me, though, the book was worth it for the background.

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Super Reader
Slow Beginner Wins the Race
Overall a good read, but not without its flaws...
Lacking Mignola's Art
"No one knows what the world is made of just around the corner"

On Earth As It Is In Hell (Hellboy)
Brian Hodge
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 1416507825

Book Description

Fifty years ago, a blood-red, cloven-hoofed demon was conjured up by Axis powers at the end of World War II, but adopted by the United States government, which gave him the name Hellboy and raised him in secrecy. Today, Hellboy is a top field agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He questions the unknown -- then beats it into submission.

His latest case: Angels have attacked the Vatican, destroying an entire floor of the building's precious library. That's a new one, even for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. The BPRD dispatches Hellboy and his amphibious colleague, Abe Sapien, to investigate. When they arrive on the scene, they discover that thousands of documents from all eras of history have been destroyed -- except for one, saved from the holy fire by an obsessive scholar. His prize? An ancient scroll allegedly written by Jesus the Nazarene -- decades after the crucifixion. Hellboy's first thought is that the scroll was the focus of the seraphim's attack -- but why would heavenly creatures undertake such violence and ruin?

The answer to this puzzle will lead Hellboy down a terrifying trail to ancient gods, vengeful demons, and a hidden world made of the purest evil....

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-04

This book is considerably longer, and perhaps the better for it, with room for more characters. It is much longer than the two preceding Golden works, and does not have the dozens of illustrations those had, either, so a story with some more depth and background.

While the other books have been a little more action oriented, this is more introspective and melancholy. Given that it literally depicts a battle between the forces of heaven and hell, with the BPRD caught in between. In clear and present detail you see the effects of their jobs and fights upon their own psyches, as well as the victims.

This is based around the struggle for The Masada Scroll. This document was written by Jesus as a septuagenarian or thereabouts, shortly before a certain Roman officer had a landscaping party at the Masada fortress, forcing a mass suicide.

It comes to light in the mid 1900s, and is buried in the Vatican. Found again, the Opus Angelorum faction send seraphim to destroy it, while the demon Moloch is plotting to other ends.

Hellboy is swallowed by Leviathin, a rookie psychometric has to read a demon after Liz battles angels, and the veteran field team end up in Tartarus.

Pretty hardcore. Not a lot of light hearted wisecracks and jokes to be found here, just stressed out black humor and nasty choices.

Never read anything else by Brian Hodge, but certainly worth looking him up now, I think.

Slow Beginner Wins the Race.......2007-01-06

This novel started off slow and i do mean slow. The writing was slightly confusing at times or hard to understand, like he was trying to reinvent English. I had got bored with the book and put it down several times but by midway through geez-la-weez. I could not put it down and i became an insomniac, staying up till 4:30 in the morning to finish it because it was that damn good.

On a side note, i also thought this was a Comic/Graphic Novel with nice beautiful art by Mr Mike but twas not. Not like i hate reading, its just what i was looking for and what i got were two different things, so be weary. Amazon needs to state it somewhere or at least let us look inside the damn book

Overall a good read, but not without its flaws..........2006-07-05

I liked it. Good solid story, albeit a tad confusing at times. Characterizations seemed spot-on enough. New characters got just enough of spotlight, so that the story didn't seem to be just about the headliners.

The flaws? Well the author falls into the trap of giving the backstory of all the headliners. Nothing all too horrible, but I've read just enough franchise-turned novels to see this is a reoccuring problem.

Personally, if an author feels the need to do this, I suggest taking a leaf from a Farscape novel I read once. In said book, before the story even began there was a single page that outlined all the headliners, with brief descriptions & whatnot. Afterwards, the book just treated them as characters, and didn't drag the reader through a re-envisionment of a backstory that fans of the series should already know.

The only other problem I had with this novel was that I found it a tad confusing. There was a bit much mythos to be had, and sometimes it was fairly difficult to wrap your head around it all.

Lacking Mignola's Art.......2005-12-15

Other reviewers here have dealt with the book itself and there is no need to repeat what was said there. The story is pretty good, though someone who has not read the comics will not be able to jump right in to the book.

What is very sad is this Hellboy novel, unlike the previous two written by Christopher Golden, does not beyond the cover feature any Mignola artwork . This is a great disappointment. The other novels benefitted from Mignola's illustrations and this one would have done the same.

"No one knows what the world is made of just around the corner".......2005-12-14

This is the third Hellboy novel I've read, and the first by an author other than Chris Golden (who, let's face it, writes everything). The most obvious difference is that this book is 360 pages of small print. Brian Hodge likes to spend time on story and characters and the result is a rich, complex story, more occult mystery than action adventure, and that suits me fine, since there's nothing better than a good read that lasts more than a couple hours. One of the pleasanter results is that Liz Sherman, the female lead of the film, gets to be a fully developed character. The fire starter is suddenly much, much more.

The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense usually doesn't have much to do with the Vatican. When your lead agent is a demon, there are serious communication difficulties. But sometimes events call for strong action, and this time the Vatican is attacked not by demons, but by angels. An entire section of the Vatican Library has been destroyed. Only an accident has preserved an ancient manuscript written by Jesus, many years after he was supposed to be dead. If you were thinking that 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail' has suddenly come to Hellboy, you would be at least half right.

Only the situation is even worse. It's not the New Testament that has come to life; it's the old bible of the Hebrews. And the taking of sides is strange indeed. Not just seraphim, but Leviathan, and the old and horrible gods that the Hebrews left behind as soon as they could. And within the Church itself lies the Opus Angelorum - an order of priests that have turned to the use of magic to fight the good fight. But, as in any struggle, not everyone can have power over the angels and remain uncorrupted. Brian Hodge has written a Hellboy novel even darker than the usual efforts, and this conflict rings especially true.

But the answers to who stole Jesus' manuscript out from under Hellboy's guard and to what end all this is intended is disquieting and incomplete. Perhaps because the struggle is really unending, and each player must find their own was of coping as they put out one conflagration after another. This book lingers with you for a bit, because you too know that it may be over, but nothing has ended.

Average customer rating:

Generic Horror wannabe
A deception of demons
Well, if you want a quick read that isn't too bad
Epic horror fantasy
Not worth my time

Hell on Earth
Michael Reaves
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0345423356
Release Date: 2001-05-01

Book Description

A MAN. A DEMON. AN ANGEL.
WILL THEY SAVE THE WORLD . . .
OR DESTROY IT?

In a Greenwich Village townhouse, a mysterious man named Colin, an orphan raised by sorcerers skilled in dark magic, awakens to find the talisman known as the Trine missing from its place of safekeeping--and an angel named Zoel impatiently ringing his doorbell.

In the death chamber of the Oregon Federal Penitentiary, Liz Russell, author of a bestseller on the serial killer called the Maneater, watches her subject receive the lethal injection that will end his life. But the Maneater has sworn that she will be his next victim--even if he has to claw his way up from Hell.

And in an Alabama backwoods clinic, a young girl gives birth to something monstrous and unholy, something that thirsts not for mother's milk, but for the blood of all that lives . . .

Now it's up to Colin, with the assistance of Zoel and the demon Asdeon-- aiding Colin for his own sinister purposes--to recover the Trine before its awesome power can be used to spark Armageddon. It's a struggle that Liz will find herself part of as well, whether she likes it or not. The only trouble is, without the Trine, Colin's magic is no match for that of his enigmatic adversary. And Zoel can be trusted no more than Asdeon to avert an apocalypse that may be as much God's plan as the Devil's desire.

Customer Reviews:

Generic Horror wannabe.......2005-01-24

The title and synopsis was enough to make me pick this book up on a slow day, but I quickly discovered that they had little to do with the actual story within. To begin with, the writing style itself is very amateurish, written by someone more focused on the visual medium of TV or film than the more subtle nuances of the page. The moment I read about Colin's black leather motorcycle jacket and ray-ban sunglasses, I knew that literary talent would be in short supply.
One could almost see that Reaves had an entire back story in his head about this character and literary universe of the Shadowdance and black school, but he failed to inform the rest of us what it might be. It was like picking up a novel from the middle of a series and not knowing what is going on.
If anything, this is just a slasher movie on page rather than film, with the same level of character development, dialogue, plot development and, ultimately, originality. Normally I would encourage a writer to continue to improve, but after having written, and shockingly having had published, the number of books Reaves has, I do not see that happening. I would keep away from his work and, if horror is your interest, stick with authors like F. Paul Wilson and H.P. Lovecraft.

A deception of demons.......2002-12-06

Hell on Earth is an occult detective story written by the author of the Shattered World novels. While Reaves has several other such stories to his credit -- including one featuring the reporter Liz Russell -- I believe this is his first based on traditional Judeo-Christian mythology.

Colin is an orphan trained at the Scholomance in Transylvania, a school of dark magic. He has a Door that can apport him to any place on earth, but won't retrieve him. He did have the Trine, a mystical token of great power, but something Fallen has stolen it and left a smell of brimstone behind. Moreover, he has Zoel, an Unfallen Angel, who has come to ask him to help with a little problem. It seems that a demon has been born, the undead are walking, and the apocalypse may be near. No big deal for a magic wielding detective with an Angel sidekick, right?

The remainder of the story is a matter of searching for the Trine, questioning the suspects -- demons and such -- and checking out the various locales -- Vlad Dracula's castle, for one -- and putting the clues together. Along the way he picks up a few more assistants: the demon Asdeon, reporter Liz Russell, and ex-ranger Terry Dane.

This novel is bloody and violent, but more like suspenseful mystery that a horror story. Recommended for Reaves fans and anyone who likes magical detectives and occult mysteries.

Well, if you want a quick read that isn't too bad.......2002-09-19

I like horror novels, I like fantasy novels and so I figured I'd give "Hell on Earth" a try. I read this book in a few hours, it's not complex or hard to understand and the print is large. It's a good day at the beach book. "The Stand" it's not.

This isn't a bad book at all, it's entertaining and scary and suspenseful even. The writing is pretty good and I think that a few books down the line could be really good.

The book takes us through the lives of several characters - Colin the mysterious demon hunter, Liz the former tabloid writer who is being stalked by a serial killer and Terry, the bodyguard with a hidden past. Each of their lives becomes connected as they move toward a demonic convergence with apocalyptic proportions.

Amusing, entertaining and an easy read.

Epic horror fantasy.......2002-07-02

Three strangers find themselves pawns in a battle between hell and earth: A bodyguard who loses one of his clients to something supernatural. A journalist who finds herself stalked beyond the grave by a serial killer named The Maneater. And a third who has lived his life between three worlds-- Hell, Heaven, and Earth-- and is a practitioner of an ancient art called The Shadowdance. All of them will have to confront two battling demons where the winner takes all. Before it's all over there will be help from above and below. But will they be too late?... Michael Reaves gives us a wild modern-horror-fantasy that is epic in scope, but delivered in a meager 280 pages. Things move in a kind of staccato fashion and with some tongue-in-cheek humor that sometimes hurts the story's credibility. (Even though I laughed out loud a few times.) But the imagination of the author and a rich background that we're only given a glimpse of, makes it worthwhile and hints at more to come. Overall, an engaging and inventive book that I recommend for horror-fantasy fans.

Not worth my time.......2002-05-28

When I read the title and jacket I was very interested. After the shocking first chapter which was pretty gross I was very disappointed. The book was filled with "demonology" terms and was very fustrating. I keep flipping back pages looking for the explainations to terms that were constantly thrown out as if the readers had a B.S in the history of spells and magic. With the exception of the opening chapter and a suprise near the end, the book was very disappointing. To sum it all up. This was the first book about Colin( the main character) but I felt like I was reading a sequel and was totally out of the loop. Too many questions and not enough answers is how I felt when I finished. The door was left open for a sequel but I won't be reading it.

Hells Canyon: the Deepest Gorge on Earth

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Hells Canyon: the Deepest Gorge on Earth
William Ashworth
Manufacturer: Hawthorn Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 080152007X

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