Book Description
In the country with the widest income gap between rich and poor and where millions of children fend for themselves on city streets, one of the world's most successful grassroots social movements has arisen. To Inherit the Earth tells the dramatic story of Brazil's Landless Workers' Movement, or MST -- millions of desperately poor, landless, jobless men and women who, through their own nonviolent efforts, have secured rights to over 20 million acres of farmland. Not only are the MST fighting for their own rights, they are transforming their society into a more just one--and their approach may offer the best solution yet to Brazil's environmental problems in the Amazon and elsewhere. Authors Wright and Wolford put the movement in its historical, political, and environmental context, trace its growth, and address the issues the MST faces going forward. And throughout, they share dozens of personal stories of people in the movement—stories filled with tremendous courage, personal sacrifice, faith, humor, drama, and determination.
Customer Reviews:
Too partial. . ........2004-12-01
The authors of this book are so pro-MST that the last page in the book includes information about where you can send money if you wish to contribute to the movement. It may be true that some land reform is necessary in Brasil, but not in the way the many of the people involved in the MST go about it. Yes, some of the landholders who own large farms and ranches resort to violence to protect their property, but the squatters also aren't afraid of killing people to get what they want. There has got to be a better book out there that tells both sides of the story. This one is too biased.
Got me thinking.......2004-08-31
I have not done much research on the MST, but this book does a great job of highlighting their struggle. The authors are clearly pro-MST and pro-Land Reform, but don't shy away from pointing out the difficulties the MST and their supporters face. I think this book is a must read for those who want to understand the issues surrounding the rural poor who are simply asking for life's basics (a place to call home, food, education). They seem to have been demonized by Brazil's conservatives and large land owners as violent land grabbers. This book gives an "on the ground" account that shows this to be false. I was also impressed by their treatment of the debate between the large agri-business model that the U.S. clearly supports versus the small landholder that actually cares about the land they work. More books like this are needed.
Average customer rating:
- When the Dead Just Won't Stay Buried . . .
- Bland and Boring
- Starships, Mercenaries and Zombies...Oh My....
- Lackluster, Misogynistic, Scattered, and Unsatisfying
- I usually like more zombies in my zombie stories
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The Dead Shall Inherit the Earth
Vince Churchill
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Deadlands
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Autumn
ASIN: 1591130409 |
Book Description
In deep space, a colony is devastated by a horrific plague, unleashing a nightmare beyond imagination. A team of mercenaries battle against an army of living dead to save the Earth from a hellish fate where death is just the beginning...
Customer Reviews:
When the Dead Just Won't Stay Buried . . . .......2007-07-26
"Eyes straining in the hellish gloom, he couldn't make out who was there. The figure leaned in, close enough for the foul stench of death, decay, and madness to be overpowering. Close enough for the man's tight-skinned face to become frighteningly clear. Close enough for the necklace of ragged, severed ears to dangle inches away, dissolving the scant remains of the doctor's sanity. Many leering faces pushed through the deep shadows to hover above him. He could only cackle a broken man's laughter as they descended, bringing horrific pain, then, eventually a much-sought release."
And so it begins, the descent into madness, the endless toil to survive in a world turned upside down by a cataclysmic plague that not only kills its victims, but first, slowly and unbearably, transforms them into psychotic killers. Against this plague, there is no cure, no balm in Gilead. The only hope for mankind is that this devastating disease is on another planet, a formerly peaceful colonization of earth. If only this plague can be examined from afar, perhaps cured with time, as long as it never infects earth. And so enters the Omni Corporation.
Gale, seasoned solider haunted by memories of a particularly devastating mission that claimed the life of the only women he ever loved, is instantly convinced of the need to begin a mission to Avaric, the diseased planet where plague victims now rule, not because of the planet's peril, but because of his brother. This beloved family member was aboard the Merlin, an orbiting space ship that agreed to help the devastated plague victims, only to be overrun and destroyed. Perhaps, if luck be with him, Gale will be able to arrive in time and save his brother. Or perhaps, something far more sinister is awaiting him in the dingy blood tinged corridors of the Merlin. Now, with the help of his fellow soldiers and his need to save, not slaughter, Gale embarks on a mission not only to save the earth, but himself as well. However, this odyssey is fraught with perils, deceptions, death, and the undead. Nothing will ever be the same again, not for Gale, not for his friends, and not for those whose restless sprits drift eternally through the blood drenched corridors of damnation. Watch, for it begins anew . . .
The Dead Shall Inherit the Earth is a strange tale; a tale that despite its unrealistic premise is somehow, magically, terrifyingly real. These incidents, these characters, these gruesome abominations, are presented in such a manner as to forcefully impact the reader with a full and unimaginably deep horror. How this magic is accomplished is a mystery to the reader for the tale is seamless, short, and relentlessly effecting. Through some indefinable talent, through some trick of presentation, the author manages to convey an atmosphere rich with paranoia, melancholy, the ultimate horrors, and visions that only could be created in a nightmare realm. "This is real, this is all true." This mantra relentlessly runs through the reader's mind throughout the tale, convincing them of the urgency and peril of the story allowing them to enter a world so disturbing, so shockingly appalling, and so devastatingly terrifying as to invade the reader's dreams and chill their waking hours. Rarely can a simple novel achieve such rich atmosphere, such vividness, and yet, such unending depression that will most certainly make the reader's waking hours bleakly sorrowful. Truly, this is not for the weak of heart.
Combined with this aura of paranoia is the relentless, fast paced, and utterly unpredictable plot that is astounding in both its complexity and almost flawless presentation. The concept is original, well explained, and suitably melancholy presenting the reader with a tale of woe that not only scares, but emotionally impacts as well. The characters matter, we want to see them happy, we want to follow their sojourns through the realms of darkness, we want to know how their story ends and therefore, we cannot abandon them even long enough to finish the pressing demands in our daily lives. We must follow them. We have an emotional connection to all of them that demands our attention and our endless weeping for yes, we must shed tears for them.
The unpredictability and the refreshing uniqueness of the tale leads to many unexpected revelations that are so shocking and deeply evil as to appall the reader, causing them to long for reparation so that our characters may have some small measure of peace for enduring a living hell. What these revelations are, I am unable to reveal, else they would give away too much of the plot. Let it be sufficient to say that the reader will be most pleased with the outcome, and will, undoubtedly, be deeply effected by the conclusion of the tale.
The writing style was appropriate and easily evoked the horror of the situation faced by our characters. However, the author did make one minute error concerning the dialogue. The novel was often somewhat nebulous as to who was talking, creating much confusion until the reader became accustomed to the author's style and adjusted accordingly.
A Warning: For those of a squeamish disposition, I feel it only fair to warn you that this tale is excessively gory taking visceral horror to an extreme. This tale does not contain the normal gore seen in other horror novels, but rather takes gruesomeness to an extreme repeatedly. Not for the faint of heart.
Concluding Thoughts: A horror tale without parallel, The Dead Shall Inherit the Earth possess a rich, vivid, and melancholy plot coupled with characters that truly make the reader care. While the excessive gore and depressive aura might turn away faint hearted readers, true horror fans should be suitably enthralled by the atmosphere and story of a modern horror masterpiece. Highly recommended.
- Ravenova
Bland and Boring.......2007-04-24
The author of this book tried to make conflicted heroes. He ended up making them all so obnoxious I wanted the zombies to get them; which isn't much of a punishment because the zombies were boring.
Starships, Mercenaries and Zombies...Oh My...........2007-04-13
Gale is the leader of a band of mercenaries, a hard-core group earning money by doing dangerous jobs that require their unique expertise. They accept a job to bring back survivors from the colony of Avaric, where a strange plague, which forces its victims to commit vile acts, has devastated the population. In addition to completing the job, Gale must deal with the anger and resentment he feels about the loss of his girlfriend on an earlier mission. The Dead Shall Inherit the Earth is a unique blend of science fiction and horror with a fast-paced style and loads of action. It is a well-written book with characters who are often larger than life. There was more than a couple of times when I shuddered with anticipation, knowing what was in store for the zombie attacks. Gale's flashbacks to a previous mission that had gone terribly wrong are also very powerful. I would recommend this book for any library whether it be personal or public.
This review was originally written for MonsterLibrarian.com and can be seen at:
[...]
Lackluster, Misogynistic, Scattered, and Unsatisfying.......2006-09-05
Where to start?
This book starts off strong with the death of the main character's brother and the introduction of a powerful antagonist, but it's all downhill from there. The powerful antagonist then goes virtually unseen until the book is almost over, and then promptly gets killed. The constant misogynistic descriptions of women and sexual references range from distracting to downright offensive. The action is often lackluster, illogical, and uninspired. Many of the characters have no through development and so changes in characters come straight out of left field and make no sense. Many aspects of the human psyche referenced are completely off base and make little if any sense. Churchill seems to try and incorporate every last recent zombie convention into one story and does so in a way that has everyone coughing, "deus ex machina," under their breath. The dialogue is cheesy and for a book that's supposed to be a professional work, the presence of so many typos is extremely disappointing. A final note, does a hardcore sex scene, even between a married couple, really belong in an action novel? Most of us would have been satisfied with a fade to black there.
In closing, don't waste your time unless you want to be an editor and need material to practice with.
I usually like more zombies in my zombie stories.......2006-08-25
I bought this book with a bit of anticipation. Sci-Fi horror? Cool! Zombies? Cool! So Sci-Fi horror + Zombies? AWESOME!!!
I knew going into this that it was the first work of Vince Churchill plus it was self published (not 100% sure, but pretty positive on both counts). So I was going to forgive him some gramatical grenades as long as there were plenty of grenades being lofted at the undead. At 184 pages I figured our merc heros would be hip deep in undead space zombies no later than 75 pages in. Unfortunately, that was not the case here.
As far as writing mechanics, the one thing that really bugged me was that on several instances the author would put one person's actions in the same paragraph with another speaking. Normally that is ok, as long as there is some clarity as to who is speaking...otherwise I just assume it is the same person who is doing something. Not the case here. Usually it is the person from the previous paragraph speaking and the actions are from another character. I spent more time than I cared to re-reading a few paragraphs here and there to make sure I had it straight who was saying what. Other than that, I felt it was fairly easy to read. Not great, but not painful either.
I have always loved the idea of terror in space; a distant planet or a starship. Either way you are far removed from the rest of humanity usually and the evil that stalks you is generally unavoidable. You can't run, you can't hide. I was hoping that this feeling of claustrophobia would be rampant in this book. Give it the flavor of Aliens along with a bit of Event Horizon with a creepy evil ghost ship as the setting and you get some real chills and thrills.
Instead, the majority of this book is spent in character development. We get an indepth analysis of Jefferson Gale, the leader of the Mercs. Through pre-mission experiences and flashbacks, we learn more and more about him. Honestly, quite a bit more than was necessary for what amounts to a action adventure tale. Certainly, if this was the first book in a series on the exploits of the professional soldiers of Omni Corporation, the volume of detail spent on getting to know the characters might be acceptable. But this is a stand alone story and I generally tend to like to spend more than about 30% of a horror/action adventure getting scared or getting a rush.
Vince did a good job describing the zombies and the 50 pages or so of action at the end of the book was pretty scary and I enjoyed that, but it just was not enough. In addition, the back cover of this book gave the impression that if this crew did not stop the zombie menace, all of humanity might be in jeopardy. Not at one point in the entire book did I ever feel that humanity was truly at risk. Instead, there is some political deception and revenge motives uncovered. How that is dealt with is decidedly unsatisfactory to me-after all these guys are mercs, not politicians themselves. The end result of that just left me disapointed.
I still give this book 3 stars because even though the zombie action was brief, it was pretty entertaining. I could see this author getting stronger and improving his skills and coming back with another book that gets to the point a lot faster and keeps me glued to the page. I think he could have cut out a lot of the character development and flashbacks and made a 100 page book that would have been a real hoot here. So I liked certain parts enough that I wish there just had been more of that instead of feeling it was a blown effort.
Book Description
The Feng Shui Matrix reveals how we live in a parallel universe of energy that we can tap into with proper training. We learn how to harness the powerful but unseen influences that exist all around us and in every structure. The Feng Shui Matrix shows us many dozens of examples in how to manipulate those energies for better health, better relationships, and more financial potential. The solutions are affordable and practical, catering to both beginners as well as seasoned feng shui enthusiasts.
Customer Reviews:
Very good, very interested.......2007-05-26
A lot of information, very good and very interested but sometimes a little bit confusing ( too many information)
Basic and easy to read.......2007-04-20
For the uninitiated, feng shui is an ancient oriental system of balancing a person's surroundings to achieve a happier and healthier life. It is no different than eating a balanced diet to achieve better physical health.
The first thing a person should do is to find out what direction their house faces. Don't assume that it faces directly east, for example, or directly south; buy a good compass and find out for sure. It matters. The book lists the best, and worst, colors to paint the exterior of your house based on the direction it faces. Depending on the year a person was born, everyone has a personal wealth direction. If at all possible, sleep with your head pointing in that direction. Also, if possible, enter a house, or a room from that direction.
If personal creativity is more important, then using the year of birth according to the Chinese Zodiac, find your creativity direction, and sleep in that direction, or enter a house from that direction. Every Zodiac sign also has a draining direction, that will make it harder to save money, for example; avoid this direction if possible.
A vase of water and fresh flowers placed in the proper part of the house (again based on your Zodiac sign) does attract more opportunities for romance. The book also includes short descriptions of 72 different house types, based on the direction it faces and the time it was built. Finally, if an important part of your house happens to be in the bathroom or garage, don't despair; there are ways to get around it.
Ready for a change in your life? Perhaps the problem is in your surroundings. This book is easy to read, and starts with the basics. If doing all the things in this book at the same time is not possible, then start with just one.
WOW! Finally a feng shui book that really tells all!.......2006-04-20
I highly recommend this book to all of my own Feng Shui clients as it is a terrific source of information for both professional practitioners and for those that are not trained in this very specialized field of Earth science.
95% of the fs books out there are erroneous and don't go into the simple, hands on, user friendly format that Kartar's does. She presents many helpful tips to help educate folks who are presently working with a Traditional Feng Shui professional or are just interested in having helpful, solid info to further their own interest in REAL FENG SHUI. Ever wonder why your own out-of-a-book "feng shui" doesn't work and how you might make it work? Use this book and you will know why and how!
Lee Ann Manley~ Living Spaces Feng Shui
Customer Reviews:
I don't believe this is intellectually honest work.......2006-11-26
Gary North is very much a fan of free market capitalism, as am I (in the libertarian sense, even), but clearly presents ideas as scriptural that aren't clearly found in scripture, namely that God has ordained a certain economic system which we (every institution in our lives) best follow if we desire God's bounty of material gifts. It's a practice of eisogesis, whereby ideas not clearly espoused in scripture are set parallel to biblical ideas in order to give the former ideas the appearance and feel of being sound. If we are to as a society set up a system as is prescribed in scripture, the command to do so would be explicit and would be the subject of discussion by church leaders prior to the recent times when the scriptures have been used pervertedly to defend secularly defined ideas like free market capitalism, minarchy, and the like. I don't deny that scripture would permit a system of purely free markets, but it doesn't demand it, inasmuch as it marks earthly prosperity as a moral virtue worthy of reward.
Clearly, since the industrial revolution, with mankind's first ever improvements in standard of living, it can be said that we are "figuring out our way down here a little better" (not quoting Gary North here). What is best for mankind here on earth isn't necessarily what's best for his eternal wellbeing. Material prosperity is something we can praise God for, but the lack of prosperity is something we can praise him for as well, since all happens under his watch and is according to his design. If a socialist government prevents this type of prosperity from coming to fruition, it is not men's fault who have lacked intellectual virtue in not convincing the masses to abhor socialism. Those who support socialism aren't supporting the antiChrist. While sometimes a person's praise of the state parallels worship of a deity, it isn't the norm for the state to receive that kind of adoration as would a golden idol (adoration in any sense of the word). Certainly envy and malice are in someone's heart when they desire the possessions of their neighbor, but where in scripture are we commanded to rise against the state (for instance, by not paying our taxes) to put to rest this injustice. We should instead alert citizens to this injustice, that a state may be changed which would better serve its people as a whole, not merely favored groups. But this isn't a biblical calling... it's a natural calling. To call advocating capitalism a Christian calling is to use Christianity, much as the religious right uses it to fulfill its collective ambitions, as a tool for one's own devices. While the idea of Christians inheriting Christ's kingdom is an important one to teach and learn, it must be said in the same statement that the kingdom is in men's hearts until the return of Christ and that prosperity can be achieved in the multiplying of his children (fishing of men), but not in behaving so as to economically advantage yourself (even in completely honest and productive work).
Average customer rating:
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The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth
Renate Vinje
Manufacturer: Xulon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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ASIN: 159781556X |
Book Description
Numerous Empires have claimed their rule over the earth. Islam says it belongs to Allah! Jesus said, "The Meek shall inherit the earth!" Who are the imposters, or rightful heirs?
Average customer rating:
- Amateur Hour
- NOT THE BEST
- Some Strong Stories and NO Particularly Weak Ones.
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Inherit the Earth (Hunter: The Reckoning)
Manufacturer: White Wolf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Wieck, Stewart
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Wieck, Stewart
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The Seven Deadlies (Demon: The Fallen, Book 2)
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ASIN: 1565048393 |
Book Description
Unknown to most humans, the world is largely ruled and directed by supernatural forces they do not even suspect. Werewolves once herded humans as humans now domesticate animals. Vampires still refer to humans as their herd, and there are mages who, though mortal themselves, consider most others to be "mundane" for their lack of insight and power. But now a force has come to Earth and imbued a select few humans with not just the knowledge of the evil that threatens them, but also with the power to do something about it. These Imbued, have become hunters, those rare mortals who seek to take back the night from ages old menaces.
This collection of nine stories concerns many of the most famous among the ranks of the hunters, such as Witness1 who founded Hunter.net. Also included are characters and events that connect to other World of Darkness stories, including the Predator & Prey series and the Year of the Scarab Trilogy. Get to know the characters who are taking back the night one monster at a time!
Customer Reviews:
Amateur Hour.......2006-05-18
Lately I've been on a big White Wolf kick, picking up a lot of their World of Darkness material (from their golden age prior to when they rebooted the whole product line in the wake of Gehenna). I really dig the assorted source books for Hunter, so I figured, Hey, a collection of short stories about Hunters should be AWESOME.
Oh, my, I was very much mistaken.
First of all, whoever did the proofreading should be sent immediately back to third grade. The book is riddled with spelling and grammar errors, sentence fragments, wildly variant deployments of capitalization, and even changes of character names in mid-stream.
The bigger problem is that most of the stories read like bad fan fiction. The spirit may have been willing, but the flesh was weak. I suppose the "authors" had good intentions, but their execution was highly flawed. Thus, while it may be thrilling for hardcore Hunter fans to see such stalwarts as Witness1, Dictatrix11, Cabbie22, God45, Potter116, and Doctor119 in action, for the most part the plot are ill-conceived and badly executed.
Each Hunter protagonist evidently comes from a different Creed (Innocent, Judge, Martyr, et cetera), and so that obviously affects how they'll react to their adversaries: with compassion or hatred, suspicion or trust, violence or efforts to communicate. This could be interesting if it was handled better, but the stories range from dull to cringe-inducing. Also, reviews elsewhere question whether the treatment of certain characters, particularly God45, is actually consistent with how they've been portrayed in the source books.
That being said, the God45 story, "Antibody", is actually tolerable. And the concluding story with Doctor119, "Unusual Suspects", is somewhat entertaining and mildly clever, while being improbable. "The Treatment of Dr. Eberhardt" had some promise but the author's reach exceeded his grasp. "Lucimal's Heart" is not altogether bad, and "Some Faerie Tales Are Real" hovers on the border of adequacy. The rest are garbage of various odoriferousness, particularly "The Frailty of Humans", which evidently is a repackaged chapter from another White Wolf novel.
I cannot recommend this collection under any circumstances except finding it on a bus station bench or needing it to complete your collection of Hunter material. Avoid!
NOT THE BEST.......2002-07-30
IM FAMILIAR WITH THE WORLD OF DARKNESS AND THE HUNTER GENRE AND I ENJOY A "well" crafted vampire tale as well as vampire hunters etc,so i picked up this book hoping 4 a interesting read.......i didnt get one. now before i sound too harsh there are a few well written stories in the anthology but overall the stories are predictable and derivitive.the best way to make the fantastic seem plausible is to layer in as much reality and credibility as possible to help authenticate the incredible plus allow 4 an easy suspension of belief.it takes a fairly competent writer 2 pull it off and unfortunatly there doesnt seem 2 be 2 many on this collection.....most of the stories and characters are just 4 lack of a better word ....corny.the three standouts are the treatment of dr. eberhardt,the names of the dead,the frailty of humans and unusual suspects.
Some Strong Stories and NO Particularly Weak Ones........2001-08-21
Inherit the Earth is an anthology set in the World of Darkness containing short stories featuring Hunters - normal humans granted "powers" that allow them to detect and battle the supernatural. The "supernatural" includes ghosts and werewolves, but in this novel is most often vampires (which will make those tired of the over-used "hunter vs. vampire" plot hook shudder). Still, _Inherit the Earth_ contains a good selection of stories, and I didn't find the usual "page-filler" tales that are so boring I can't force myself to finish them; instead, each tale was at least marginally interesting, with a few really standing out and being enjoyable. I would recommend this trilogy to Hunter fans, and to a lesser extent anyone interested in the World of Darkness (especially Vampire fans); I would not, however, recommend this book to people only interested in Horror stories, as none of the tales are particularly scary.
My one big complaint is that this book does not appear to have been proofread. Sure, the spellings appear accurate, but in a world of spellchecking word-processors, that isn't hard to pull off (unless you're like me and don't use them). There are, however, many words that are out of place ("though" instead of "thought") and whole sentences that don't make sense (as if the author decided to change a line, then inserted the new material incorrectly). This occurs mostly in the earlier stories, but still shouldn't be in a professional work at all (maybe an Amazon.com review, though.. ;).
The following is a brief description of the stories in the anthology. The descriptions contain slight SPOILERS, but none that should give away the endings or decrease the suspense.
"The Treatment of Dr. Eberhardt" by Stefan Petrucha. An excellent Hunter story that not only starts off the anthology, but really sets the mood for the whole book. It is hard to describe this story at all without spoiling a part of it, so I will simply leave it at that.
"Credo" by Eric Griffin. A story involving Witness1 (a character previously seen in the Hunter sourcebooks) and a potential meaning for the oft-used slogan "Inherit the Earth." I didn't find the story particularly exciting, nor the potential meaning of the saying to my liking, but it does give some insight into the existance of Hunters that may not have been available before.
"The Names of the Dead" by James Stewart. I found this story disappointing, and am getting VERY tired of the plot device that is revealed at the end. The character Dictatrix11 is somewhat interesting, though.
"Closure" by Andrew Bates. An excellent tale involving Carpenter from the "Hunter mailing list" presented in other sourcebooks. Wraith fans will probably also like this one, as it references some of the powers and laws from their corner of the WoD.
"Antibody" by Michael Lee. This story should have been called, "When Hunters Go Bad" due to over-zealous actions of the "hero" of this cautionary tale. It introduces a few new concepts that some may find interesting, but I was not particularly impressed.
"Some Faerie Tales are Real" by David Wilson. Bookworm55 takes to the streets and gets into a lot of trouble. This story was at times funny, at others very dramatic, and in a few areas very sad. It is very much worth reading, though some might think the joke about a Hunter named "Blade" a bit too much (but I loved it).
"The Frailty of Humans" by Gherbod Fleming. This is a 12 page story that seems to spend 9 pages refreshing us with the characters Kaitlin, Black Rindle, and Barks-at-Shadows from Fleming's Hunter novel _Predator & Prey: Werewolf_. While that approach works in full-length novels, it just wastes space in the limited medium of a short story. Though the tale isn't horrible, it certainly isn't particularly interesting (yes, we know werewolves are racists; yes, they aren't always nice to others), and doesn't answer the question as to what happened at the end of the P&P novel.
"Lucimal's Heart" by Dominic von Riedemann. A predictable story involving everyone's favorite Hunter couple, Leaf and Oaken (though mostly Leaf).
"Unusual Suspects" by Richard Lee Byers. The last story in the anthology and most certainly one of the best. The question, "What happens when a vampire needs a detective?" is finally answered! There were one or two plot points that Vampire fans may have a problem with, but Hunter fanatics should love it.
Average customer rating:
- Entertaining sci-fi thriller
- Taut bioengineering/nanotech hard-SF thriller. 4.5 stars.
- Potentially good plot, poor writing and execution
- Stableford's great ideas never get off the ground
- Immortality or emortality in the 22nd Century
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Inherit the Earth (Emortality)
Brian Stableford
Manufacturer: Tor Science Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Contemporary
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Stableford, Brian
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ASIN: 0812584295 |
Amazon.com
All Damon Hart wanted was to be his own man. Being the son of Conrad "Savior of Humanity" Helier didn't leave a lot of room for Hart's own life, so he abandoned his family, his heritage, and his money. But when the past starts catching up with him, and the people he loves start getting hurt, Hart has no alternative but to accept the responsibility of his ancestry. Was his father, the inventor of the artificial womb, a savior or an evil madman? And who is the self-appointed judge executing retribution on everyone related to Helier?
Inherit the Earth begins with a good solid mystery that gets more involved and more involving as the complexities of the story pile one atop the next. Unfortunately, Brian Stableford is reworking ground that Bruce Sterling handled better in Holy Fire. Moreover, the plot is often lost in lengthy explications of future history that seem derivative, either of Sterling's work, or Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age.
With the exception of Hart's pain-in-the-ass ex-girlfriend Diana (who is a pleasure from start to finish), the characters fail to evoke much interest. It is a testament to the strength of the plot that the book carries through to the end, which unfortunately fails to deliver on the strong buildup. For the most part it's a good gripping story, with gems of beautiful language and flashes of brilliance, but it's not the ultimate science fiction book on nanotechnology and longevity. --Blunt Jackson
Book Description
In the twenty-second century, biomedical nanotechnology has given everyone in the world long life and robust health. It is the New Utopia, and all live in the expectation that true immortality will soon be realized.Damon Hart, son of the scientist responsible for much of the wonders of the new world, would rather forget his famous father and get on with his own life. But a shadowy terrorist group forces Damon to confront his heritage, launching a cat-and-mouse game that pits Damon against the terrorists, Interpol, and the powerful corporations that control the biotechnology of the future....a game Damon is ill-equipped to survive.
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining sci-fi thriller.......2004-04-22
This was the first of Stableford's books that I've read, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The characterizations were a little flat, and there was more emphasis on the "thriller" aspects of the story than on the "science fiction" elements, but it held my interest and in fact prompted me to go out and buy two more books by this author.
If I have any negative comments, it's that I felt I came in on the middle of a story; there was a lot of unfilled backstory. Also, I feel that the novel ended without a completely satisfying resolution, but what the heck.
I don't read this sort of novel expecting great literature, just a good diversion, with some originality, creativity, and imagination. At that, it was quite satisfying.
Taut bioengineering/nanotech hard-SF thriller. 4.5 stars........2004-01-20
______________________________________________
Set in the bioengineered nanotech future of Les Fleurs du Mal and
the eponymous novella, Inherit the Earth is a taut and well-drawn
thriller. Life-extension internal technology (IT) is good enough that
the people who put the world back together after the Crash and
Plague Wars some 75 years before still rule the world, albeit behind
the scenes. Stableford is exploring a familiar sfnal question:
If rich, powerful people get life-extension first -- as they will -- how
do you ever get shed of them?
Stableford's writing and characters, at their best, are as good as
anyone's in the business. Here's Silas Arnett, a hundred-twenty-
something, entertaining his young lover Cathy:
'She was wearing nothing but a huge white towel, wrapped twice
about her slender frame. The thickness of the towel accentuated
her slimness -- another product of authentic youth. Nanotech had
conquered obesity, but it couldn't restore the full muscle tone....
"It must be strange," she said, insinuating her slender and naked
arm around his waist, "to look out on the sea and the sky with eyes
that know them so well...."
She smiled at him, as innocently as a newly-hatched sphinx.'
Stableford acknowledges his editor, David Hartwell, for "suggesting
that I rewrite the final section so drastically as to obliterate any
lingering similarity to the ending of the earlier version..." Perhaps
Stableford should have stuck to his guns -- the last couple of chapters may
remind you of Asimov or Heinlein at their most dialogorrheous.
Skim. The path from novella to novel is fraught with peril... To be
fair, the actual *ending* is crisp and satisfying.
And while I'm nitpicking -- the American characters do sound
veddy British...
...but don't let me put you off from reading the book, which is well-
worth your while. Even if the plots, conspiracies, treacheries and
wheels-within wheels do get confusing...
Note: the attractive cover art SFAICT has nothing to do with the contents.
review copyright 1998 by Peter D. Tillman
Potentially good plot, poor writing and execution.......2000-08-05
I bought this book because it seemed like it might have a good hard sci-fi plot and an interesting hard sci-fi society, but it was extremely difficult to read. I finally gave up even though I had only 2 or 3 chapters to finish it - by that time it was obvious the plot was going to fail. The writing was sometimes unbearable to read - the dialogs were incredibly unrealistic; people saying stuff like, "As you know, in 2180 the Fertility Wars lead to the death of 100 million people, until Conrad Helter's invention saved the day." Like, that should be narrative, not dialog, and it also shouldn't be repeated over and over again. The only reason I stuck with this book as long as I did was because, despite the bad writing, the plot was at least somewhat suspenseful, but as I got near the end, it was obvious the main questions the plot raised weren't going to be answered. This is one of those books that might be good if the author re-wrote it.
Stableford's great ideas never get off the ground.......1999-08-16
For the hard SF fan looking for another satisfying set of extrapolative ideas about the future of mankind, Brian Stableford's "Inherit the Earth" has a lot to offer: nanotech, genetic engineering, geopolitical business, and cultural critique are all present here in good measure. Unfortunately, the excellent content of the novel is undermined by the flat characterizations, minimal exposition, and lack of suspense. The novel reads as if Stableford had no idea what to do with his great ideas, especially the generational conflicts raised in the wake of longevity medicine and the longterm impact of longevity on the notion of inheritance. These ideas, which form an interesting critique of current generational disputes and of the postmodern notion of collapsing timeframes, go almost completely unexploited as Stableford drones on page after page with unsympathetic characterization or worse, detailed descriptions from the point of view of these totally unsympathetic characters. Stableford's ideas are on par with those of Bruce Sterling, Rudy Rucker and Neal Stephenson, but his ability to convey them in a narrative is as limited as Franklin W. Dixon.
Immortality or emortality in the 22nd Century.......1998-11-12
If you have read any of Brian Stableford's previous works, you know that he creates wonderfully drawn characters and has a highly inventive mind. He proves himself again in this 22nd century science fiction tale of mankinds fate after a century or two of nanotechnology and biotechnology being driving sociological and monetary components of society. Artificial (virtual) reality and computer interfacing are de rigeur, and there are plots within plots, and conspiracies galore.
The plot is nicely developed, but the conspiracies get a bit thick and hard to follow. Unfortunately the themes of immortality and *emortality* are discussed ad nauseum and leave the storyline a bit flat.
Overall a very good read, but I'd advise you supplement your reading of this novel with James Halperin's "The First Immortal", which discusses similar issues through it's storyline.
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