Stem Cell Transplantation: Biology, Processes, Therapy

Book Description

This is the first handbook on the whole field of stem cell research covering (1) molecular and cellular fundamentals, (2) clinical applications and (3) GMP processing. It provides a timely overview of the potential and plasticity of adult stem cells. With its focus on standardization and quality control of cell lines suited for processing and clinical trials, the book features novel therapeutic approaches that offer great promise for new ways of treating neural, hematological and cardiovascular diseases.

Book Description

Dispelling the conventional wisdom that French Gothic architectural flourishes were born of despair or gloom, Bridaham reveals the whimsical nature of these creations and the ingenious artisans who made them. An eye-opening look at some of the rare instances of public satire and unbridled artistic freedom in the Middle Ages. 572 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Misleading new title for the reprint of a very old book........2006-09-26

BOOHOO...
'The Gargoyle Book: 572 Examples from Gothic Architecture'
A very misleading title!!!

When I pre-ordered this book I was hoping for a brand new publication with 200+ pages on gargoyles and 572 illustrations of gargoyles in architecture.
BOOHOO... This book isn't new, it isn't all about gargoyles and it isn't all about architecture. So what is it about?
Well... it's about nothing really.
It's just a collection of old black and white photographs of French gothic sculptures -in stone and wood-.

QUOTE: This 2006 edition by Dover Publications is an unabridged republication of the work originally published in 1930 by the Architectural Book Publishing Co under the title 'Gargoyles,Chimeres and the Grotesque in French Gothic Sculpture'. END OF QUOTE.
Now that's a better title.

The book starts with eight and a half pages of introduction.
Next are 204 pages with old black and white photographs, accompanied by VERY short descriptions which give us the name of the building, the name of the city and occasionally what it depicts or when the sculpture was made.
At the end of the book there's a four and a half page bibliography.

The photographs are divided into eight chapters:
I: Symbolic Details (12 pages/38 photographs with descriptions such as: Bourges-(Cher) Sainte Marthe)
II: Non-Symbolic Details (2 pages/8 photographs, example: Animals Drink Out of a Jar, Poitiers (Vienne) Oriental Motif)
III: Tympanum Sculpture (8 pages/14 photographs, example: Reims (Marne) Devils - XIIIth Century)
IV: Gargoyles(57 pages/153 photographs, unfortunately about a third of these are not gargoyles, but grotesques)
V: Chimeres (36 pages/98 photographs, some of these show the same statues from a different angle)
VI: Heads (25 pages/73 Photographs)
VII: Capitals and Miscellaneous Compositions (18 pages/62 photographs)
VIII: Woodwork (46 pages/125 photographs, the majority of these are misericordes)

---:
On some of the pages the photographs are printed sideways, so you're constantly tilting your head or turning the book.
There are up to four photographs on each page with fairly wide margins, so most photographs are rather small.
The cameras and photographic materials available in 1930 didn't produce the quality of images that we are used to in modern times.

+++:
Loads of photographs (I've never seen so many misericordes in any other book).

Who should NOT buy this book:
.You like glossy colorful photographs that would look fab in a frame.
.You want lots of info about how or why these sculptures are made.
.You're looking for a coffee table book.
.You want to know exactly where on/in the building the sculptures can be found.
If this describes you: KEEP LOOKING. There are better books out there for you.

Who might enjoy this book:
.You don't mind old black and white photographs.
.You're REALLY into misericordes, gargoyles, chimeres and anything else that the ancient French dreamed about.
.You're not put off by the lack of information.
If that is you: It's a cheap book with loads of pics, so why not GO FOR IT.

Why three stars:
I wanted to give only one star because the title is so misleading and the book is not really suitable for the average gargoyle fan.
The second star is because the paperback quality is okay.
I gave a third star because the book inspires me in my work as an animator.
I nearly took the third star away because there are other books with better photographs.
But I left the third star on because none of the other books have so many photographs.

So why the big BOOHOO at the start of my review?
Well... I already had the 1930 original edition.
Am I going to throw this new paperback away?
Hell no... It's good value for money.
I can now look at the pics in this cheap reprint, fold corners over, splash ink and paint around while I'm working and still keep my original 1930 book in excellent condition.

Now then... where's my paintbrush?

Average customer rating:

Good light reading
RATHER UNBELIEVABLE
Complex and intrguing
Complex and intriguing
I couldn't put this down either.

The Etruscan Chimera
Lyn Hamilton
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425189082
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Book Description

Lara's negotiations to buy a certain Etruscan sculpture come to an abrupt end when the owner turns up dead in his own Etruscan tomb. Now, Lara must search for that most precious, and most often counterfeited, rarity in the antiques market-someone she can trust...

Customer Reviews:

Good light reading.......2006-04-13

I just finished The Etruscan Chimera-the third one of Lyn Hamilton's novel I have picked up in my travels. I didn't read them in proper order and I do think this one was the best of the three-the other two being The Celtic Riddle and The Thai Amulet.

I enjoyed them-the story flows, the characters, although not deep, are interesting and you get a little travelogue and historical knowledge to boot. Lara is not Indiana Jones but she is human enough. I certainly will seek out the other 7-in time but if you want a few hours light reading and like a bit of a puzzle wrapped in historical context I would certainly recomment spending some time with Lyn Hamilton's Toronto's globe trotting heroine.

RATHER UNBELIEVABLE.......2003-12-14

I do love a story that can weave together an exotic location and a challenging mystery that reaches into the past. I thought that might be what I was getting in this novel, the first I'd read by this author. But by the middle of the book, I was so disgusted with the hackneyed writing I almost quit reading. If they were giving away awards for the most repitition of the word "rather," Ms. Hamilton would be a shoo-in winner. The rather cardboard characters in this rather poorly-plotted book left me wondering why the heroine didn't just get on a rather large jet and fly home to her rather nice antique shop in Toronto. As for me, I'd rather read a well-written book than this one. Maybe the gross overuse of the word "rather" is a Canadian thing??

The plot took many unexpected (and unexplainable) turns as the main character tried to figure out who wanted the Etruscan hydria and why it kept turning up in her car and hotel. In the end, the reasons were so laughable and improbable that it ceased to bother me that I couldn't remember who was who (they all seemed rather similar). Even the main character acted in ways that seemed unreal. Hadn't she bought a round-trip airline ticket? How could she simply endlessly extend her antique buying trip? Why was her $10,000 sudenly cut off and why did she continue spending like a drunken sailor after that? How was Lola able to live in Europe? She was there permanently but was living in hotels? And why wasn't she on the suspect list? Her behavior was just as strange as everyone else's. If I went to France and Italy, would handsome men just sit down next to me at the sidewalk cafes and start talking, offering to buy me dinner? If that happened, I'd know I was in a bad Lyn Hamilton novel.

The only good point for this book is the information about the Etruscans, their art, and the important locations in Italy for their culture. The author clearly did some homework, but the Etruscan material is not really integral to the story. You could substitute pasta bowls or leather hats or some other collectible object. The fanatic collectors in the story and their actions were not believable. If you are going to use some ancient artifacts in a story, they need to have more meaning to the ultimate mystery that unfolds. In this story, nothing much unfolds except foolish people engaged in unfathomable behavior.

If you want good writing, real mystery, great (and believable) plots combined with a superb sense of place, try Dan Brown or Tony Hillerman. In my humble opinion, Lyn Hamilton is not in the same league as those masters of the mystery.

Complex and intrguing.......2003-11-07

Lyn Hamilton has another winnner with this complex tale of greed and betrayal set in Italy. Few writers can compare with her in presenting layer upon layer of deceit together with intricacies of plot and character.

This mystery novel, set in Tuscany and Rome, illuminates the dramatic scenery of the region and shows the reader the world of antique hunting and the people within it. These are not your gentle Sunday afternoon antique shop browsers but sharks in Lamborghinis, some motivated by financial greed, others by the need to possess the finest Etruscan artifacts. They have the money and the motivation to establish expensive smokescreens, sending antique dealer Lara McClintoch to Paris and back through Tuscany in an attempt to retrieve the Etruscan Chimera.

But the chimera is just that. The characters are never so simple, and just as one could not trust a chimera, one cannot trust anyone but Lara McClintoch in this book. Their deceits are so manifold and intricate that it's almost hard to keep track. Chimera indeed.

This is a vivid and and well-told tale. It is carefully researched, even scholarly, but never loses its drama and immediacy.

Complex and intriguing.......2003-11-07

This is a vivid and and well-told tale. It is carefully researched, even scholarly, but never loses its drama and immediacy.

I couldn't put this down either........2003-08-25

I loved this book, it is exciting, well-plotted and very well written. I was surprised that this book didn't get more attention because it is as rivetting as The DaVinci Code, maybe even more. Lyn Hamilton is quite skilled at developing a sense of place, I have wanted to visit every locale she writes about. You won't be disappointed with this mystery either, it is as good as any Hitchcock had in his best days.

Average customer rating:

Leaping Lizards! This book needs serious retooling.
I found this book well worth having
Poorly organized
Good reference, but lacks real teaching value.
A very good book

Creating Applications with Mozilla
David Boswell , Brian King , Ian Oeschger , Pete Collins , and Eric Murphy
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596000529

Book Description

Mozilla is not just a browser. Mozilla is also a framework that allows developers to create cross-platform applications. This framework is made up of JavaScript, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and Mozilla's XUL (XML-based User-interface Language) as well as the Gecko rendering engine, XBL (eXtensible Binding Language), XPCOM (Mozilla's component model), and several other components. Creating Applications with Mozilla explains how applications are created with Mozilla and provides step-by-step information about how you can create your own programs using Mozilla's powerful cross-platform development framework. This book also shows examples of many different types of existing applications to demonstrate some of the possibilities of Mozilla application development. One of Mozilla's biggest advantages for a developer is that Mozilla-based applications are cross-platform, meaning programs work the same on Windows as they do on Linux or the Mac OS. Working through the book, you are introduced to the Mozilla development environment and after installing Mozilla, you quickly learn to create simple applications. After the initial satisfaction of developing your own portable applications, the book branches into topics on modular development and packaging your application. In order to build more complex applications, coverage of XUL, JavaScript, and CSS allow you to discover how to customize and build out your application shell. The second half of the book explores more advanced topics including UI enhancement, localization, and remote distribution. Mozilla 1.0 was released on June 5th, 2002, after more than four years of development as an open source project. This book has been written so that all of the information and examples will work with this release and any of the 1.0.x maintenance releases. In addition to Netscape's Mozilla-based browsers (Netscape 6.x and 7.x), the Mozilla framework has been used to create other browsers such as Galeon and Chimera, and chat clients such as ChatZilla and JabberZilla. Developers have also used Mozilla to create games, development tools, browser enhancements, as well as all sorts of other types of applications.

Customer Reviews:

Leaping Lizards! This book needs serious retooling........2004-07-11

I was always interested in creating my own apps for Mozilla. I had played around with some of the custom CSS files and peeked at the XUL files, and I wanted to learn more. I figured that buying this book would be a no-brainer because of the O'Reilly name and my good experiences with the ... Hacks series. This could of been a good book, but it seems like they were rushed to meet a publishing deadline. It starts out building a skeleton application (xFly) to explain the simpler concepts. One would expect that they would continue to flesh out the framework, and they would show how to add function to the various widgets. After Chapter 2, they abandon this idea. The examples they do provide don't work correctly. If you get the finished xFly demo program from mozdev.org, it does not work either. The site reads "This requires serious attention". I agree. This book is a good reference manual, but a poor tutorial. If you want a good tutorial on how to build Mozilla apps, try xulplanet.org instead. Co-incidentally, this entire book is available at the aforementioned site if you would like to preview this book for yourself before plunking down $40 to buy it.

I found this book well worth having.......2004-04-18

This was the first Mozilla XUL book that I read; I now have Nigel McFarlane's book as well. I find it useful to have more than one reference book as I can often find things in one that are not in the other.

I found this book quick and easy to read and a good introduction whilst also going into sufficent detail.

Importantly for me it contains information on how to go about creating a remote application to run over the Internet and using serverside PHP, neither of which have I seen mentioned elsewhere.

The book is not perfect but it is useful and I think some of the other reviewers have been unduly harsh; I am glad that I was not put off.

Poorly organized.......2003-09-17

I only just got the book, but the people who complained that it doesn't stand up to the usually high O'Reilly standards are spot on. The second chapter, which is all about "getting started" ought to explain basic concepts clearly. Instead it throws out all kinds of mumbo jumbo and forward references like "You could also define this style rule in an external stylesheet and make that stylesheet part of the package for your application, as we do later in this chapter ...." Why? Why should I keep reading to find out? Why does the first chapter of real content (chapter one understandably explains more background on mozilla and XPFE) seem to have a forward reference every third paragraph?

Clearly, the authors did not sit down and make a coherent plan of what the best way to introduce each topic to the neophyte. This stands in stark contrast to the various O'Reilly Perl books that always seem to give the overview in clear terms and then flesh it out, instead of diving into the middle and trying to explain it as you go.

The only reason right now to get this book is because it appears to be the only (or one of the only) ones on the topic at this time. Hopefully _Rapid Application Development with Mozilla_ due out in November this year will get it right.

Good reference, but lacks real teaching value........2003-02-02

I happened to be experimenting with XUL and Mozilla at the time that I ran across this book, so I was very eager to get into it and see if it could help clarify some of the gaping holes in the existing XUL documentation within Mozilla. As an exhaustive reference to XUL and the associated technologies that are used to build Mozilla applications, it was very successful. As a higher level tutorial that explains the relationships between the different technologies and their uses, it was not quite as successful.

Chapters 1-6 lead the reader through the progressive steps required to build and package a Mozilla-based application. The authors create a demo application called xFly which is used as a test bed to show the different features of XUL, CSS, and JavaScript. By the end of Chapter 6, this application contains a tree control, a bunch of sample menus, and various other assorted UI widgets. But it doesn't really _do_ anything. Maybe I'm too picky, but I'd rather see an application that has some function, even if all it does is play tick-tack-toe. Then, to me at lease, it's much clearer how the different pieces would fit together in a "real-world" application.

Chapters 7-12 cover more exotic and difficult aspects of Mozilla
programming such as the Extensible Binding Language (XBL), XPCOM (Mozilla's component object model), and accessing web services from XUL applications. These chapters are very dense in technical details, with good references to online resources for further study. Overall, I found this book to be a very succinct source of accurate information about building applications with Mozilla. Its only weakness seems to be that it focuses too much on low-level implementation details without giving the reader (who may be new to the idea of XML-based GUI
application programming entirely) a good high-level overview of the benefits of this type of development and which technologies serve which purpose. Chapter 1 is the only chapter that explicitly addresses high-level application architecture, and it is only 8 pages long.

The bottom line is that this is a good reference book for people who already know how and why to build applications based on Mozilla, but a not-so-good introduction and tutorial for people who are completely new to the XUL-CSS-JavaScript paradigm of application development.

A very good book.......2002-12-05

This book gives a solid grounding in the principles involved and acts as a primer to the nitty gritty of producing a XUL application. In practice, XUL is pretty easy but it's easy to be caught unawares which is where a book like this comes in. If you've ever wondered how to extend Mozilla with a new button, or why your chrome doesn't work, or why Mozilla ignores it, or how to write a new chrome application then this is the book for you. Learn the principles of XUL and things fall into place very easily.

I am puzzled that other reviewers claim XUL and Mozilla are not ready for mainstream since the fact that an entire browser, mail, chat, editor, JS debugger and hundreds more third party extensions and apps have been written using it demonstrates it is. It certainly needs tools and add robustness, but it is already a viable and strong technology for producing platform neutral applications.

Book Description

As the adoring property of her owners, Mina continues to explore the new world of decadence about her. Ensnared by the rivalries and plotting of the Titans, she finds herself abducted and used as a pawn between them, her transitions being accompanied by acts of ingenious depravity, each Titan eager to experiment and play with the new and nubile recruit.The variety of castes she flows through and the unremitting bondage and sexual exploits of her captors leave Mina a dedicated slave to the strange undersea world of Charybdis.

Customer Reviews:

A life under the ocean waves!!.......2002-12-05

Definitely the only life for me! The next story about Mina explores new territory and thunders along to a spell binding conclusion!

More fun under the sea.......2002-11-21

Skilfully continued and a book that stays with the flavour and style of Captured. After having gained a sense of familiarity with the characters it was very satisfying to continue reading about them and watch them continue to grow while still providing all of the debauchery and sensuality offered in the first. Something many sequels fail to deliver. A lovely book :)

As good, if not better, than the first........2002-10-21

The tale develops nicely and leaves you yearning for more. Beware, there's a real kynkee cliffhanger at the end.

Wow!.......2002-09-26

What more can I say, part 2 of Charybdis is astounding! The plot really continues to take off and the new nobles and nymphs that are brought into Mina's seduction are brilliantly portrayed. The scenes are exceptionally hot. The books are getting better in leaps and bounds.

Damn, I'm addicted now.......2002-09-18

After reading the first one I picked up number two and am now hideously hooked. Mina is a fantastic character and I can't wait for part 3. So many sexy titans and nymphs, the undersea scenes were amazing and the plot is really engrossing. Charged with sexuality and decadence. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Not a book for everyone
Gripping, thought-provoking, humorous, generally excellent
The myth that lives down your street
A great read!
A three-headed Barth breathes literary fire!

Chimera
John Barth
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618131701

Book Description

In "CHIMERA" John Barth injects his signature wit into the tales of Scheherezade of the Thousand and One Nights, Perseus, the slayer of Medusa, and Bellerophon, who tamed the winged horse Pegasus. In a book that the Washington Post called "stylishly maned, tragically songful, and serpentinely elegant," Barth retells these tales from varying perspectives, examining the myths" relationship to reality and their resonance with the contemporary world. A winner of the National Book Award, this feisty, witty, sometimes bawdy book provoked Playboy to comment, "There's every chance in the world that John Barth is a genius."

Customer Reviews:

Not a book for everyone.......2003-09-09

I read this book for a High School project and enjoyed most of it. Considering that I have been a fan of ancient mythology for several years I can really appreciate the different perspectives of this book and how Barth takes into account the different circumstances of each myth.

It was fun and intriguing most of the time, but I found it also very confusing at parts. Barth had a tendency to go off on a tangent at certain parts of the novel and I was found trying to decipher several passages. Though I enjoyed his unique view of how things happened and I enjoyed how he made the myths playout much like a modern day screenplay I was also lost in the verbose detours that he took in the midst of these ebjoyable portions.

So like I said, and enjoyable book, but not for everyone. Especially if you get lost easily in twisted

Gripping, thought-provoking, humorous, generally excellent.......2002-05-08

This is one of the finest works by a fine author. Several scenes and lines from it have entered my personal mythos.

Each of the three novellas is a gem in its own way, and the trio work beautifully together. In each, the basic idea is to show a legendary figure as a real human being. We see Perseus after his glory days have passed, for example, and also meet Bellerophon who secretly feels that he has been a faker all along. But it's much more than yet another retelling of old legends.

It will make you think. It will probably also make you laugh in places and move you in others.

The wrapup is unexpected. Some will love it; some will hate it.

Do yourself a favor and read this. It's well worth the price of the paperback.

The myth that lives down your street.......2000-09-17

Now, I'm not nearly as erudite as John Barth is (or thinks he is) and thus missed about a million references to our Greek literary forebears in his novel here and I like to think that I know Greek mythology fairly well. However, I really enjoyed this book and if one isn't bothered by the simple fact that unless one teaches mythology at the local college, one probably will not "get" pieces of this book. Oh well. Basically the book is some sort of post-modern look at myths and how they conform to reality, told through three interconnected novellas. The first has to do with the lady from Arabian Nights, retelling the story from the point of view of her younger sister. The second has to do with Perseus, who is remembering his life after he slew the hideous Medusa and how it seemed to go downhill and that all the best moments of his life passed him by. The last part has to do with the guy who flew the Pegaseus who feels that he's never really done anything important with his life and he's just wondering what it all means. And that's basically the theme for all three of the stories, Barth seems to be trying to strip away the myth and act like these were people and give human faces and emotions to these heroes. And it's funny. Really funny. Maybe the shorter form works better or maybe he's actually being funny in a subject that I actually know something about but this was funnier than Giles Goat Boy, which has its merits, but this made me laugh outloud several times and if you're paying attention, it'll make you laugh too. Sometimes it gets a bit too pretentious for its own good, Barth writes himself in at several moments (I won't say when) and I'm not sure what that's supposed to be implying. But his writing is as good as it ever was and if any of his books deserved the National Book Award, this one is it. And while the three novels each have their own good points and great moments, if the end of the third novella doesn't take some part of your breath away, well . . . you're not me at any rate. Excellent stuff, maybe more accessible because of the length (though everyone says that about the short novels by authors like this) but packed with enough "thinking stuff" to make your head hurt, this shows Barth as a master of the form.

A great read!.......1998-02-06

It's interesting. It's fun. It's "literary," for those of you who care. It makes you think. It's worth reading more than once.

A three-headed Barth breathes literary fire!.......1997-02-08

Barth's award-winner that involves the re-tellings of three great myths, from the Arabian nights to Perseus in his later days and another hero not usually one of much note,this book shows Barth at the top of his form. In it, we see a sincere love for the traditions of story telling, mixed in with the modern theories of Barth and expression. Kudos to any book that throws in its own author as one of its primary characters

Average customer rating:

Updated Robots, Realistic Characters
Not like original - Mark Tiedemann is no Robert Silverberg
Almost As Good As The Originals
more robots!!!

Asimov's Chimera

Manufacturer: ibooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0739418769

Customer Reviews:

Updated Robots, Realistic Characters.......2003-02-01

Sometimes sticking too close to the way something was originally done is a good way to damage a new piece of work. Tiedemann doesn't seem to make that mistake in Chimera. Instead, as in Mirage, he updates the basic material, bringing it more in line with contemporary information about nanotech and AI. He takes what Asimov did and makes it his own.

More than that, though, he's done a thoroughly excellent job of creating fully-fleshed, believable characters, real people with real problems. He places them in a fast-paced thriller plot that flows logically and answers questions both about the action of the story and the larger issues nesting within the Robot universe Asimov created. Rather than do a straight imitation of Asimov's style, he has written his own kind of narrative, matched to the content of his storyline.

The creation of Bogard in Mirage was a masterful twist on the 3-Law scenario. Tiedemann continues to play with the limitations and implicit possibilities in Asimov's original structure in this book.

The Caves of Steel in Chimera are both creepier and more plausible, the psychologies of the various habitues matched against each other in elegant dialogues and plot twists (as in one character's surprise visit to a Spacer party in the open air!). Tiedemann displays a deft hand at depicting the inner realm of the human condition, a trait he displays much more fully in his own original novels.

More! More!

Not like original - Mark Tiedemann is no Robert Silverberg.......2003-01-28

I really can't read this book. The text does not flow like Asimov's books. It reads like something else. It is a littlke too fast paced, with too little dialogue and I think there is not enough reflection on the background and the possibilities.

The basic premise has got something wrong with it. It's not tied in too well to other things.If Asimov would use any of these ideas,he would offer some explanation. Asimov also, by the way,often had some short third person narration interspersed in

his books and this is totally missing.

Robert Silverberg expanded a few Isaac Asimov stories into books and he did it in keeping with Asimov's style. Robert Tiedemann is no Robert Silverberg. If Asimov had been alive, I don't thinmk he would have approved of this, except if he decided not to care

I give it two stars because at least this is a try. Also, I only have this book,not its predecessor.

Almost As Good As The Originals.......2001-05-01

Tiedemann recently resurfaced with this, his second attempt at new robot mysteries. And again, he's done an impressive job.

Asimov's original robot novels were generally straightforward. While not predictable by any stretch of the imagination, the mysteries themselves were fairly simple. Tiedemann has taken Asimov's "universe" but made the mysteries more complex and expanded the scope of the setting to fully explain political situations, alliances, development of society in settler and spacer worlds...many of the things Asimov himself never fully developed. This all amounts to a fairly complex mystery novel set in Asimov's vision of the future.

The novel is not without problems. One criticism I had of Tiedemann's first novel still holds true - two of the main characters have an extensive past together yet Tiedemann makes no mention of this fact. Some of the ideas in Chimera also come across as a bit far-fetched in the context of the setting that Asimov established.

All-in-all, Chimera is an entertaining read. If you're a fan of Asimov's original robot novels, its definitely worth picking up. If you've not had exposure to the originals, however, start with them.

more robots!!!.......2001-04-23

Asimov was open to exploration of his laws of robotics by third parties and this new mystery is a vivid example of Asimov's enduring legacy! Tiedemann's second robot effort shows real maturity

Average customer rating:

Dystopian cyber-punk

Chimera
Mary Rosenblum
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Stone Garden

ASIN: 0345385284
Release Date: 1993-10-04

Book Description

"Mary Rosenblum paints a fascinating future landscape with all the skill of a true artist. CHIMERA is a book to savor and enjoy over and over again."
PAT CADIGAN
David Chen severed his family ties to become a virtual reality artist on the Net. Jewel Martina left an impoverished family in the 'burbs to become a medical aid, on her way to becoming a VR deal-broker in the economic network that spanned the world. When Jewel saves David's partner's life, it becomes clear someone wanted him dead. There is trouble brewing on the Net, and as Jewel and David are caught up in it, they search the Net, the flesh world, and their own unhappy pasts for some answers. Nothing was ever as it seemed on the Net, where illusion was the rule of the game--but for Jewel and David, the difference beween real and virtual was a matter of life and death....

Customer Reviews:

Dystopian cyber-punk.......2004-09-05

Jewel Martina is the lead character of this novel about a dystopian future where the suburbs are in decay and the very rich live in Antarctica. The primary male character has a male lover.

Average customer rating:

Actually quite good for a Chimera Book ....
Erotic BDSM excitement with a good story
An Absorbing Novel with Depth

Eternal Bondage
Maria Isabel Pita , Richard. tries hard to take the place of her sadistic late husband , but ancient Thebes offers a more effective cure for her loneliness in the form of a photographer working in the Valley of the Kings. Mark quickly discovers her submissive nature, temples , and Evelyn seeks to escape her grief in Egypt`s tombs Chimera Publishing DESCRIPTION: A beautiful young widow
Manufacturer: Chimera Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1903931193

Book Description

A beautiful young widow, Evelyn seeks to escape her grief in Egypt`s tombs and temples, but ancient Thebes offers a more effective cure for her loneliness in the form of a photographer working in the Valley of the Kings. Mark quickly discovers her submissive nature, and tries hard to take the place of her sadistic late husband, Richard.Yet Evelyn cannot forget her beloved master, especially after she thinks she sees him in a dark museum, and then again in the desert`s sensual heat. Mark makes cruel efforts to break her bondage to Richard, but the magical flail of power is still very much alive in the land of the pharaohs. When Richard resurrects, like a character from one of his best-selling novels, a reporter appears to cover the story and Evelyn finds herself the center of a pyramid of men all determined to possess her - body and soul.

Customer Reviews:

Actually quite good for a Chimera Book ...........2004-01-28

This is a wonderfull little story of a young woman wanting to escape from her world after the death of her husband in a tragic accident. Set in modern day Egypt, Evelyn manages to quickly tie herself up with a young photographer,Mark, that actually turns out to be a sexual and erotic enigma for her.

The reader quickly learns that maybe her dead husband and his younger brother are not all tender and sweetness as one may have though considering the mourning agony our heroine is trying to escape from. Young Mark manages to understand some of Evelyns hidden desires and he has no problem stepping into Richards shoes or his widow ....

This is not what I would call one of the hottest of erotica books since the sex scenes are somewhat short and subdued .... ther is however a wonderfull little story that keeps the reader interested as our heroine suffers her 'Eternal Bondage' from really one man to another ....

Erotic BDSM excitement with a good story.......2003-03-27

An aspiring Egyptologist, Evelyn Taylor retreats to the sands by the Nile to heal and cleanse her spiritual self after the death of her husband. The ties of passion (and ties of leather) to her husband Richard are too strong for this world, and Evelyn deals with consuming emotions of her past love, and a new mysterious stranger who seems 'bound' and determined to take the place of her [now] not-so-stiff husband. Evelyn's all-consuming visions and mistrust sew easily into the mysterious fabric of Egypt and weave historical tales with hauntings by her lovers, then and now.

For anyone with even a passing interest in Egyptian history, the words and scenes in ETERNAL BONDAGE will delight. The descriptions of the ancient world set in modern times, laced with the graphic telling of the world of the submissive woman and the domineering man, give good counterpoint of different worlds merged.

Scene descriptions take the highest praise, the main character development comes in second... the erotic passages of violence within sexual play are done fairly well within the context of the story---the erotic writing itself borders on the crude, but the subject matter itself is by nature somewhat less than 'soft'. The bondage scenes are framed with the nature of Evelyn's passion, and then journey into the psychological realms for the reader to enjoy. The sex itself ties the intricate, keep-you-guessing plot together, and the reader is left with a mystery to solve between the spankings and tomb touring.

To the true S&M/bondage world enthusiast, this book will deliver erotic excitement with a story line... the title of the book is wonderful and ties together many possibilities of the words 'Eternal Bondage".

From a review written for SENSUAL ROMANCE

An Absorbing Novel with Depth.......2002-11-14

Evelyn Taylor is still distraught one year after her husband's death in a car accident. Traveling the world, she goes to Egypt to lose herself in the ancient tombs. However, she begins to see visions of her deceased husband, and a photographer tries to help her to solve the mystery of her visions.

This quite nice erotic novel by the author of "Thorsday Night" is somewhat similar to her earlier work, except that this novel takes place in Egypt instead of Miami.

Mark O'Brien, an American Photographer working in Egypt, meets Evelyn in a hotel. After dining together, he seduces her, and discovers that she is used to mild D/s. She then begins to see visions of her husband Richard, and the story deepens from there.

I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that this is an absorbing novel with some depth to it. The author has done her homework about ancient Egyptian history and the Valley of the Kings, so this isn't a simplistic story at all.

Plenty of good sex and discipline scenes to keep the story moving, as Evelyn finds herself used by many other of the male characters in the novel. A must read, if you like the supernatural sex type Erotica...

Average customer rating:

A book for those enthralled with the revelations coming out of today's biological labs!!!

A book for those enthralled by the revelations coming out of today's biological labs!!!

Not much science and too autobiographical

The Business, Science, and Politics of the new Genomics
The Second Tree: Stem Cells, Clones, Chimeras, and Quests for Immortality
Elaine Dewar
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Stem Cell Divide: The Facts, the Fiction, And the Fear Driving the Greatest Scientific, Political And Religious Debate of Our Time

ASIN: 0786716835

Book Description

In the half century since Watson and Crick's discovery of the double helix, genetic scientists have grafted onto the tree of knowledge a body of new science whose growth has slipped the bonds of the divine and nature. Investigative journalist Elaine Dewar chronicles the lives, discoveries, and feuds among these modern biologists, exploring how they have crafted the tools to alter human evolution with unforeseeable, promising, and frightening consequences the rest of us are just beginning to glimpse.

Dewar travels the world in the wake of Charles Darwin and his intellectual descendants, telling the story of Frederick Sanger who learned how to sequence genes and won two Nobel prizes; and of the computer scientists who put the human genome on the worldwide web. She visits corporations determined to turn cloned sheep into pharmacies, resurrect prize cattle from the dead; and transplant human genes into mice—ultimately striving for immortality while keeping investors happy. As Dewar narrates these tales, we learn how biologists make breakthroughs: tearing mice, worms, flies, and human eggs apart, twining disparate animal cells and genes together—creating clones and chimeras as outlandish as any sphinx from the realm of mythology.

Customer Reviews:

A book for those enthralled with the revelations coming out of today's biological labs!!!.......2006-05-23

+++++

This fascinating book, by Canadian journalist Elaine Dewar, is her personal journey into the science of what she calls "revelationary biology," the bioethics of trying to come to grips with complex moral issues raised by this new biology, and the politics of working to regulate this new biology.

Revelationary biology is cutting-edge biology. Examples of this biology are stem cell research, reproductive cloning technology, and a "cure" for human mortality.

Where does the title of this book come from? From the "sad tale of Adam and Eve" that "deals with two trees not just one." They "eat the fruit of the first [tree], but it is the second tree that matters, the tree of life...[and today] biologists are definitely swarming all over this [second tree]."

Throughout this book, the reader will come into contact with science, history and historical science, mini-biographies of key people, business and conflicts of interest, patents, the private versus the public spheres of society, bioethics, eugenics and, of course, politics.

Dewar (who admits she's a non-scientific type) frequently injects herself into the main narrative giving her impressions, observations, thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Some readers may see this as a negative attribute of this book but I, however, see it as a positive. She also asks many good questions when interviewing the leading figures of revelationary biology from around the world.

This book is a challenging but not an overwhelming read both technically and emotionally. Dewar explains both the scientific concepts well and the associated ethical and moral dilemmas encountered. Anyone who has the impression that modern science is a noble and dull undertaking that's untouched by human feelings and vices will be surprised.

A note on the science in this book. It is not difficult to understand as Dewar defines any new terms as they are encountered. Remember, though, when reading this book, not to get hung up on the scientific and technical points that are made but to mainly consider the overall result. Thus, when we're told the steps done in fusing the embryos of a goat and sheep together, we get essentially a new animal, a "geep."

With respect to the science presented, I think this book would have benefited from a glossary. Instead, the reader is expected to remember a scientific term as it is encountered and defined once in the main narrative.

The author states in the acknowledgements the following:

"Despite all their [that is, those she interviewed] efforts to set me on the path of truth, I have no doubt that many errors still remain. Responsibility for error is, of course, mine."

Finally, because Dewar is Canadian she focuses naturally on Canadian politics near the end of her book. Her political discussion should be seen as a template for the political atmosphere in other countries (such as the United States) as their politicians try to regulate revelationary biology.

In conclusion, the information presented in this book is "terrifying" but "magnificent" as well. For those enthralled with the revelations coming out of the laboratories around the world and onto the front pages of newspapers, this is the book to read!!

(first published 2004; introduction; 18 chapters; loose ends and acknowledgements; main narrative 460 pages; notes; bibliography; index)

+++++

A book for those enthralled by the revelations coming out of today's biological labs!!!.......2006-05-23

+++++

This fascinating book, by Canadian journalist Elaine Dewar, is her personal journey into the science of what she calls "revelationary biology," the bioethics of trying to come to grips with complex moral issues raised by this new biology, and the politics of working to regulate this new biology.

Revelationary biology is cutting-edge biology. Examples of this biology are stem cell research, reproductive cloning technology and a "cure" for human mortality.

Where does the title of this book come from? From the "sad tale of Adam and Eve" that "deals with two trees not just one." They "eat the fruit of the first [tree], but it is the second tree that matters, the tree of life...[and today] biologists are definitely swarming all over this [second tree]."

Throughout this book, the reader will come into contact with science, history and historical science, mini-biographies of key people, business and conflicts of interest, patents, the private versus the public spheres of business, bioethics, eugenics and, of course, politics.

The author (who admits she's a non-scientific type) frequently injects herself into the main narrative giving her impressions, observations, thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Some readers may see this as a negative attribute of this book but I, however, see it as a positive. She also asks many good questions when interviewing the leading figures of revelationary biology from around the world.

This book is a challenging but not an overwhelming read both technically and emotionally. Dewar explains both the scientific concepts well and the associated ethical and moral dilemmas encountered. Anyone who has the impression that modern science is a noble and dull undertaking that's untouched by human feelings and vices will be surprised.

A note on the science in this book. It is not difficult to understand as Dewar defines any new terms as they are encountered. Remember, though, when reading this book, not to get hung up on the scientific and technical points that are made but to mainly consider the overall result. Thus, when we're told the steps done in fusing the embryos of a goat and sheep together, we get essentially a new animal, a "geep."

With respect to the science presented, I think this book would have benefited from a glossary. Instead, the reader is expected to remember a scientific term as it is encountered and defined once in the main narrative.

The review below this one (dated July 23, 2005) claims that the author says something scientifically wrong and even quotes her. This is not quite true. The author actually is telling the reader what a Nobel Prize winner said in a speech to his colleagues. The actual sentence on page (452) reads as follows:

"There are over one thousand different kinds of cells in the brain, he reminded them, and different kinds of cells appear in the kidneys."

Dewar states in the acknowledgements the following:

"Despite all their [that is, those she interviewed] efforts to set me on the path of truth, I have no doubt that many errors still remain. Responsibility for error is, of course, mine."

Finally, because Dewar is Canadian she focuses naturally on Canadian politics near the end of her book. Her political discussion should be seen as a template for the political atmosphere in other countries (such as the United States) as their politicians try to regulate revelationary biology.

In conclusion, the information presented in this book is "terrifying" but "magnificent" as well. For those enthralled with the revelations coming out of the laboratories around the world and onto the front pages of newspapers, this is the book to read!!

(first published 2004; introduction; 18 chapters; loose ends and acknowledgements; main narrative 460 pages; notes; bibliography; index)

+++++

Not much science and too autobiographical.......2005-07-24

Unfortunately, in my opinion, this is not a very good book. It does not present enough science well enough to be useful to learn about stem cells or any other areas of "cutting-edge biology." In fact, some of the science is questionable, for example, on page 452, the author states "There are over one thousand different kinds of cells in the brain . . and different kinds of cells appear in the kidney." Web references indicate there are approximately 250 different kinds of human cells, making me question this comment. On the back of the book, Dewar is described as "one of Canada's best muckrakers" - maybe that is the problem, one gets the feeling that this book is too much muckraking and too little substantial science. This reader also gets the feeling that Dewar does not really like scientists much in the first place. There is an odd section on Darwin - seems she got interested in Darwin and felt she had to include her "discoveries" but it is less than clear how this fits into her overall theme. But the book has an interesting perspective on some Canadian researchers (not always very positive) and we do not often get this perspective, therefore I think it might be of interest to Canadians. In my opinion, a better book would be The Proteus Effect by Ann Parson.

The Business, Science, and Politics of the new Genomics.......2004-12-31

Elaine Dewar has written a personal tour through the various catchy projects in contemporary biology: stem cells, Human Genome Project, telomeres, cloning, immortality, immorality. And it is personal in the best sense. Like John McPhee's books, Dewars personal quest to make sense of it all is always in the foreground. A former business reporter, she knows her stock options and her IPO's, but she keeps that side of the science in perspective. This book is not a simple prognostication (this is our furture) nor is it a gee-whiz puff piece( look at the cool things we may be able to do) but it covers those topic in what seems to be to be a balanced way. Her prose is swift and lean:I was able to read the book in one sitting, and enjoyed it.

Because of the personal nature of this book , we approach the issues as Dewar did, which means that two pages of discussion about business opportunities may be followed by a three page description of the mechanics of cloning a mouse followed by two pages on the increasingly cutthroat field, followed by a discussion on What It All Means. Readers willing to follow Dewar are in for a treat, since she writes well and thinks well, but some may have difficulties in switching between topics. This book is Not Cloning for Dummies, and those seeking an elementary primer on the science should read another book first. On the other hand, she always comes back to the science and the issues. Relatively little space is given over to history or anecdote, and the lives and loves of the great scientists occupy minimal space. In this she differs from McPhee: this is not Biography as Science.
All in all recommended. And she liked Brenner, my favorite, always a good sign. I found the references to the Canadian situation informative, and I think many readers will agree.

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