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

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Children of the Sun: Prince of Fire (Book 2) (Berkley Sensation)

Average customer rating:

I just couldn't get into it
4.5 stars
Queen Keelia has a fire of her own.
good triology
A Disappointment From Such a Brilliant Writer

Children of the Sun: Prince of Fire (Book 2) (Berkley Sensation)
Linda Winstead Jones
Manufacturer: Berkley Sensation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425214818

Book Description

Following the acclaimed Sisters of the Sun trilogy comes the Children of the Sun, a trilogy about the sisters' first-born children. Here in its second installment, Keelia, Queen of the Anwyn, falls for her shape-shifting kidnapper, but still cannot deny the ever-looming Prophecy of the Firstborn: She will betray love in the name of victory.

Customer Reviews:

I just couldn't get into it.......2007-08-28

This is the story of Keelia, oldest daughter of Juliet and Ryn, (the second book in the Sisters of the Sun Trilogy.) And to my mind the most potentially interesting character in the Prophecy of the First Born. POF. starts out well, Keelia (great name) has been captured and imprisoned by a mysterious somone. A somone who is not only the sworn enemy of Keelia's people, but who also just happens to quite literally be the man of her dreams. Keelia and Joryn eventually come to an uneasy truce, and begin to work together to against the demonic evil which threatens all who oppose it with corruption or annihilation. all while growing to love one another and discovering the depth of The Red Queen's power. A greater destiny awaits then either can fathom.

Unfortunately the exicution falls far short of the promise. to put it bluntly I found Prince of Fire boring, and passionless, from a narrative stand point. There were interesting points throughout the story, but nothing had me rivited to the page. I coudn't muster much concern for the characters, or the plot. sadly I was glad to see the end of Prince of Fire.

4.5 stars.......2007-08-15

I am going to brief because I don't want to inadvertantly give away any story lines.

This was a wonderful tale. I am coming to greatly enjoy the romance fantasy/para genre precisely because of book like these. Queen Keelia and Jorwyn are thrown together due to a prophesy and quest, and they become mates along the way. The H/H really have great chemistry, and this book is my fave among the trilogy for this reason.

It is the 'along the way' that makes this such a good book. They travel together , learn to trust each other and love each other while defeating a deluded mage.
Good reading!
I would recommend reading them in order though.

Queen Keelia has a fire of her own........2007-07-06

The second book in the Prophesy of the Firstborn trilogy is my favorite by far. Queen Keelia and Prince Joryn's story is very imaginative and very well put together. I couldnt put it down. While I reccomend that you read the books in order this can be read alone. I finished all three books in a matter of days. I would love to see more of Queen Keelia and the Caradon and Anwyn people in future books. Queen Keelia is just learning what her and Joryn's people can do and be like in this book and I feel strongly that it is an unfinished tale. Hint Hint Ms Jones. I really enjoyed this book and feel anyone that is interested in paranormal romance would also.

good triology.......2007-06-12

easy read, not to stressful and has a very imaginative flavor. Great summer reading if you like books that include magic exct.

A Disappointment From Such a Brilliant Writer.......2007-06-10

Keelia, Queen of the Anwyn, has been kidnapped. When she finds the kidnapper to be none other than a Caradon, she cannot believe it. Not only is he a Caradon, but a shape-shifting mountain cat that has haunted her dreams in vivid sexual explicitly. He has taken her because he thinks she is the caster of spells on his people, but is she? What does he have planned for her?

PRINCE OF FIRE is by Linda Winstead Jones. This book started out with such promise, the hook in the beginning is one of the best this reviewer has read in a longtime, but it stops there. After reading the Sun Witch, Moon Witch and Star Witch, PRINCE OF FIRE disappointed this reader.
A passive voice and heavy handed use of `was' marred the enjoyment of PRINCE OF FIRE. By the end, this reviewer could have sworn a different author wrote it, the style of writing that different, that unpolished.

Keelia cannot understand why this man, this shifter, thinks she is the cause of his people's misery. They might be enemies, but she would never inflict that kind of horror on another. Even as she faces her captor, seeing him for the first time, she is stunned how much he looks like the lover from her dreams, yet there is no kindness in the way he treats her in real life.

When she tries to read his thought, it is like reading a blank piece of paper--nothing. Keelia has been told that would happen when she met her mate, but that cannot be, not a Caradon.

Will Keelia be able to convince this coldhearted man she is not the one he is looking for? Is he her mate? Who has been casting spells on his people and why?

With the fierce competition in the paranormal genre, there is no room for anything but the very best and PRINCE OF FIRE just cannot even compare. You might want to pass on this book.

Reviewed by Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2007
Courtesy of Love Romances and More

Of Fire and Night (The Saga of Seven Suns, Book 5)

Average customer rating:

Totally swept away in another world!
Like the Star Wars prequels without the kiddie elements and other flaws
The Final War with the Hydrogues
Of Fire and Night
exciting listen...

Of Fire and Night (The Saga of Seven Suns, Book 5)
Kevin J. Anderson
Manufacturer: Aspect
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0446577189

Book Description

The alien Klikiss robots, pretending to be allies of humanity, have covertly planted an insidious Trojan Horse throughout the Earth Defense Forces. The sudden rebellion of Earths soldier robots leaves millions dead and the Terran Hanseatic League defenseless. In a desperate attempt to save his own race, the Ildiran Mage-Imperator, Jorah, is forced into a devils bargain with the evil hydrogues, requiring him to ambush and destroy what remains of the human race. But the gypsy Roamer clans and the green priests of the worldforest are discovering innovative ways to rebel, and have found strange allies with incomprehensible power. As the climactic battle begins, the Ildiran Solar Navy, the Earth Defense Forces, the Roamers, green priests, Klikiss robots, and hydrogue warglobes collide in a fury that will destroy manyand devastate the landscape of the Spiral Arm forever.

Customer Reviews:

Totally swept away in another world!.......2007-06-28

I absolutely adore the Dune series. The most recent books of which are coauthored by Kevin J Anderson, and Brian Herbert (Frank's son).

While waiting for the next Dune book to come out, i decided to try Saga of the Seven suns. I quickly devoured each available book in this series, and for the last two have eagerly anticipated their release. I can't wait for the next one!

The plot line is so intriguing, the characters so well developed. I love the way the story is told from each person's perspective. Sometimes it will even overlap events two characters shared in common and show it through each character's eyes.

I recommend you start from the beginning, but Dune and Saga of the Seven Suns are both written with little flashbacks here and there to anchor the current events and remind you of what happened before. (kinda like a 'previously on such and such tv show'). That might help you follow along if you jumped in the middle. But you'll probably enjoy it the most if you get to know the characters through their lives by starting at the beginning. (that way you don't have to play catchup)

To summarize the series, There are 4 races of Elemental beings that have been at war for thousands of years. Earth, Water, Fire, and Gas. There are also humans (still anchored at Earth), and a race called Ildrians which have like a telekenesis that links them all together. There are insectoid robots fashioned by a long suspected to be extinct race of insectoid organic creatures the Klikiss. There is also a vagabond group of ragtag humans who have learned to survive the most extreme conditions, known as the Roamers. And there are robots (compies) created by the human race to service their needs. The smaller less sophisticated races Humans, Roamers, and Ildrians are swept into this galactic battle that has been waged for centuries between the elemental races. And join forces with Verandi (earth), and Wental (water) to fight the Hydrogues (Gas).

This book has it all. Love, War, magnificent battles. Heartache. Happiness. Victory and Triumph. The battle of good versus evil. Internal conflicts of conscience. It is fantastic.

Like the Star Wars prequels without the kiddie elements and other flaws.......2007-04-18

Since filing an initial review or two back when this series commenced, I haven't checked in lately with my feelings on the later installments of Anderson's "Saga of Seven Suns" epic. Well, I've still been reading this series (or, more precisely, listening to it) for the past few years and I'm still quite enjoying it. The Saga is big, sweeping space opera at its finest, but without- thankfully- ever becoming too self-consciously "pulpy".

To be clear, we're not quite talking (at least, not yet) "Dune" level quality here, in terms of both complexity and depth, but we are talking good solid storytelling encompassing a variety of worlds and races, peppered with lots of smaller, human-scale storylines revolving around a variety of characters who make it easy to invest our interest and sympathies with them. Making things even more interesting is the happy fact that this latest installment, "Of Fire and Night", doesn't just take the various characters' established storylines further along in a "kind of/sort of" unpredictable fashion, but offers several surprising new directions for them that were completely unforeseen in previous volumes.

One caveat: I still wish the author would give us a little more detail about the workings of the Earth government. We gets lots of great stuff about the corrupt Chairman (and true ruler) of the Earth government going head to head with the figurehead "King" of the same government, but we're not told if there's also some kind of Congress or other lawmaking body somewhere in there, too. Wouldn't they have something to say about the Chairman and King's political battles? Such details would also explain who was running the obstensibly democratic government while the Chairman and King were busy trying to outguess each other's plans.

But enough nitpicking... this continues to be a fun and involving series, and the audiobook versions of the books continue to be produced in an artful and polished fashion, even with the new narrator who came onboard a title or two ago. Keep these books- and audios- coming!

The Final War with the Hydrogues.......2007-04-12

Of Fire and Night (2006) is the fifth SF novel in The Saga of the Seven Suns, following Scattered Suns. In the previous volume, DD used the Klikiss gate to find Margaret Colicos on an alien planet. Tasia Tamblyn was captured by Klikiss robots. Patrick Fitzpatrick III negotiated a deal with his grandmother for the freedom of all Roamers within the Osquivel system.

King Peter and Queen Estarra found the friendly dolphins slaughtered and realize that they can no longer hold back in their struggle with Hansa Chairman Basil Wenceslas. Mage-Imperator Jora'h converts the thism of most of the rebels back to himself, but Rusa'h escapes to a faeros city within the Hyrillka sun. Anton Colicos reads Homer's epics to Rememberer Vao'sh until he recovers from his thism withdrawal. The verdani battleships finally reach Theroc.

In this novel, the Osquivel survivors return to be welcomed by enthused crowds. The scientists push through the crowds, impatient to begin investigating the hydrogue derelict vessel. Dignitaries pose for the cameras in front of the small ship.

King Peter and Queen Estarra are there to greet the rescued EDF soldiers. Chairman Wenceslas is also there, although the survival of these men and women was a surprise and embarrassment to the EDF and himself. He wants the public ceremony over as soon as possible.

Admiral Lev Stromo commands the forces sent to rescue the "dunsel" commanders of the EDF rammer fleet, but they find no escape pods and no debris around Qronha 3. Headquarters sends further instructions and his communications techs pick up a faint hidden signal that shows them lost EDF crewmembers and Klikiss robots. Unfortunately, the soldier compies serving on the bridge also receive a signal to take over the ship.

Mage-Imperator receives a visit from hydrogue warglobes at the invitation of his daughter Osira'h. Still, the hydrogue emissary is not interested in negotiating with the Ildirans. First he threatens to destroy the entire race, but mental prodding by Osira'h causes him to provide the Mage-Imperator with a choice: exterminate the Terrans or die.

In this story, the Roamers are definitely not cooperating as ordered. The Terran Hanseatic League is also losing control of its colonies. Meanwhile, Chairman Wenceslas is losing control of his judgment and temper; he starts indulging himself with paranoiac fantasies and planning the death of Peter, Estarra and their unborn child.

Elsewhere, the various enemies of the hydrogues are gathering forces to terminate the ten thousand year old war. The Terran colonies and Roamers are allying with the faeros, the verdani and the wentals to take the war to the hydrogue planets. The Ildirans have an incidental role in this war, but the Hansa government is mostly unaware of the allied offensive.

This novel concludes one phase of this story, but the series does not end with this volume. Stay tuned for Book 6.

Recommended for Anderson fans and for anyone else who enjoys old fashioned space opera with a cast of billions. If you have not read any of the previous books in this series, start with Hidden Empire.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Of Fire and Night.......2007-01-16

I have read all the Dune books and enjoy good sci-fi. Nevertheless I could not get started on this book for the highly detailed introduction with all the strange names. Perhaps if I had read the earlier books my review might have been kinder. I might do that yet.

exciting listen..........2006-11-10

I'm was very happy with this 5th book and I'm anxiously awaiting the 6th and 7th. The series changed narrators for the fourth book and I was expecting to be disappointed, but as it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised.

Sun-Runner's Fire (Dragon Prince, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
Good conclusion for the sunrunner series
Sun Runner' Fire
Become A Sunrunner
Rawn's Best

Sun-Runner's Fire (Dragon Prince, Book 3)
Melanie Rawn
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0886774039

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-25

Rohan and Sioned's son Pol is of the grown up variety now, and he gets to start doing the fantasy adventure thing himself.

Star scrolls, dragons, other and different opposing types of magic, the odd concerned parent, a girl or two are some of the things he has to deal with.

Good conclusion for the sunrunner series.......2006-08-22

Before you read this (vol 3), read "The Dragon Prince" and the "Star Scroll" also by Rawn.

Finally the politics are settled by confrontations, including battles between the Sunrunners and their ancient sorcerous enemies, the Stone-burners. This is a worthy finish for the trilogy, and if you liked the first two, you won't be disappointed.

I'd recommend stopping here and avoiding the "Dragon Token" trilogy which follows this one. That series takes place years later and focuses on different characters I liked less.

Sun Runner' Fire.......2006-03-04

I enjoyed this. I have like Melanie Rawn books. I would like to know what happen to The Captal' Tower.

Become A Sunrunner.......2003-08-20

This is one great book. It sparks an urge in you to become a great sunnrunner. This book is greatly written and is a great conclusion to the Dragon Prince series. It also features the maturation of the great Lord Andry.

Rawn's Best.......2002-07-08

I would have to say that this book is even better than The Star Scroll. First of all she labeled her chapters with dates which kept the order of things. Also the plot ran smoothly along with from the first page to the last. I have one thing to say to disagree with another person's idea of Rohan's character he is not "faultless". Uh he liked had a very hard life and he has many trips along the road of life along with that his son was not even from his own wife. So when you review a book read it please.

Drowning in Fire (Sun Tracks Series, Volume 48)

Average customer rating:

Raw. A structural disaster. Flat protagonists. Yet promising, uplifting, earnest and true.
Engaging literature

Drowning in Fire (Sun Tracks Series, Volume 48)
Craig S. Womack
Manufacturer: University of Arizona Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0816521689

Book Description

As a boy growing up in the Muskogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma, Josh Henneha feels inflamed and ashamed by his attraction to other boys. Lifted by his Aunt Lucille's tales of her own wild girlhood, Josh learns to fly back through time and uncover a legacy of ceremonies and secrets he can forge into a new sense of himself. Interweaving explicit realism and dreamlike visions, Drowning in Fire explores Josh's journey to understand his identity within the framework of his heritage.

Customer Reviews:

Raw. A structural disaster. Flat protagonists. Yet promising, uplifting, earnest and true........2005-09-07

A sliver here, a shard there, a piece fallen under the couch and pushed to the side. Assemble these moments and spread them out on the floor. Look: There's turn-of-the-century Oklahoma and the Creek resistance to statehood. Here's a tension-filled scene of sexuality, boyhood, a near-drowning on a lazy summer day. An old woman who used to play bebop in roadhouses. A Sherman-Alexie-like family of Native American poseurs/clowns who stubbornly and humorously cling to a white evangelical church in an utterly incompetent, utterly naive attempt to assimilate and somehow connect to our own pathetic outsider attempts to belong.

But they're shards. Only pieces. The whole is a mess. Multiple point-of-view with no apparent purpose. A plot that starts here, lingers there, ends up here - not a river meandering, but a series of puddles staining the sidewalk. Two main protagonists - Josh Henneha and Jimmy Alexander - who are virtually indistinguishable in their bookish, passive, overly thoughtful ways; products of a beginning writer writing about himself, most likely. The prose that forgets that each word is a prayer and for entire chapters lets itself goose-step across the page despite earlier and later stunning passages of exquisite beauty.

If I were an editor. If I were a publisher. I'd grab Womack. I'd cultivate and encourage. The subject matter is huge and poignant, the idea of us/them, insider/outsider, spirit/material. Womack's historical sections of turn-of-the-century Creek culture are stunning and engaging. The book itself has a certain human power rarely found in mass-produced fare: it fairly glows with rage and angst and love and fear.

There's so much potential. I hope Womack is busy right now on his next book, and his next and next.

Engaging literature.......2001-11-22

Craig Womack's first fiction novel, "Drowning in Fire" reads at once like a familiar story told numerous times by your grandmother and like the exciting first experience with a new adventure. The writing is poetic and captivating, as are the inter-twined stories. Mr. Womack writes in a unique style combining stream-of-consciousness memory recall, brilliant use of local dialects and languages, and colorful characters lovingly described. The book reads like a first-hand account of personal history. It is a "can't put it down" page turner and a "I must re-read that page several times for the pure enjoyment of it" storytelling masterpiece. It is poetry and action adventure at the same time.

The story is about the experiences of growing up Native American and gay in the straight, white world of Oklahoma. But, it is also about what it means to be Native American, gay or not; it is about what it means to be gay, Native or not; and it is about growing up as an outsider in this world, Oklahoma or not. It is a rare book that trancends time, setting and race to touch universal themes. "Drowning In Fire" accomplishes this.

With this work, Craig Womack helps define modern Native literature. He has also written one hell of an entertaining, enjoyable, important book. Read this and you will not be sorry.

Average customer rating:

Marid Matures

The first was an easy read, this one its harder to stomach.

Living With the Devil

urban noir inside a futuristic science fiction

Tight, tight narrative

A Fire in the Sun
George Alec Effinger
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Exile Kiss

When Gravity Fails

Budayeen Nights

Thirteen

Spook Country

ASIN: 0765313596
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Book Description

Marid Audran has become everything he once despised. Not so long ago, he was a hustler in the Budayeen, an Arabian ghetto in a Balkanized future Earth. Back then, as often as not, he didnt have the money to buy himself a drink. But he had his independence. Now Marid works for Friedlander Bey, godfather of the Budayeen, a man whose power stretches across a shattered, crumbling world. During the day, Marid is a policeman . . . and Beys personal envoy to the police. His new position has brought him money and power which he would abandon in a moment if he could return to a life of neither owning nor being owned. Which, unfortunately, isnt one of his options. Its also not an issue. For something dark is afoot. Something is sending the city into chaos. Its helping a child-mutilator to avoid arrest. Sending a killer to murder Marids partner. Its murdering prostitutes and savaging their remains. Signs point to the hand of Abu Adil the one man in the city whose power rivals Friedlander Beys. Whatever happens next, its not going to be good news for Marid Audran . . . .

Customer Reviews:

Marid Matures.......2007-09-24

The primary focus of this work in the "Marid Trilogy" is the maturation of Marid. We still have the wonderful setting of the Budayeen and the cyberpunk idea of cerebral augmentation but this is really a character piece.

Marid is forced to mature in this book by essentially being surrounded by enemies on all sides. His support structure is ruptured totally by the loss of the friendship of Chirigi when he is given her club by Friedlander Bey and his sole remaining "friend" is a slave given him by Bey to spy on Marid. The rest of his former associates had long since cut him off for becoming a cop, a minion of Bey, and his violence in bringing the previous murderers to justice.

Marid grows in this novel, slowly repairing his family and friend connections as he realizes he is surrounded by various levels of evil on all sides. A crooked supervisor at the police station and a generally crooked police force, the evil of two minor kingpins, one of whom is his benefactor, and the general evil of drug-dealers, assassins and the general hopelessness of those in the lowest economic stratum. Through this Marid tries to find a way to do what is necessary to survive and provide what is demanded of him while remaining as clean as possible.

The plot is slow-paced, as I found When Gravity Fails to be, and focuses on Marid's pursuit of the killer of his partner who apparently is being hidden by very powerful forces in the city. In the midst of his investigation he realizes the level of evil that his benefactor and the rival crime-lord have sunk to. Minor plot points involve his relationship with his mother, and other familial plots such as the alleged daughter/granddaughter of Friedlander Bey.

Where the wonder of the first novel is lessened due to familiarity, the greater depth of characterisation in this book makes it at least equal if not a better effort.

The first was an easy read, this one its harder to stomach........2007-07-26

If you read the first one and loved it, that's good, but don't expect too much of the same from this one. Its a good book don't get me wrong, but it doesn't live up to the fun and intrigue of the first. The biggest issue is much of the mystery of the Budayeen has been taken out, because Marid rarely gets to frequent the place anymore. Alot of this stuff takes place in Frielander Bey's home which is not nearly as interesting. There's more political action in this, but for me that's not as much fun as the grim noir of the first one. Its still worth reading because it does shine in moments, especially in the opening sequence. Just stomach through the first half and you'll be rewarded when the story starts picking up.

Living With the Devil.......2006-12-28

A Fire In the Sun (1989) is the second SF novel in the Budayeen series, following When Gravity Fails. In the previous volume, Friedlander Bey paid a large sum of money for Marid to have cerebral augmentation, with both anterior and posterior connections. Marid found the personality modules and add-ons to be quite helpful, especially when he confronts two killers that have been haunting the Budayeen.

In this novel, Marid Audran travels to Mauretania to see his mother and ask a few questions about his father. Saied the Half-Hajj accompanies him on the bus and they pull the lost diamond scam at stops along the way. When they reach Algiers, Angel Morgan insists that his father was Bernard Audran, a French sailor, who had left them when Marid was four. But Friedlander Bey's records state that this man had died before Marid was conceived.

Returning to the Budayeen, Marid visits Chiriga's club for a few drinks. Chiri is a big kaffir -- a black woman -- with filed teeth and ritual tattoos. Nobody wants Chiri to be angry with them. However, she still welcomes Marid into her bar despite his prior violence and his new job as a cop; she serves him a shot of White Death, the drink that he had invented.

Sipping his liquor, Marid watches the dancer as she finishes her set. Afterward, Indihar solicits a tip from him and he stuffs a kiam bill in her cleavage. She moves on to the other customers for more tips, but returns to Marid and asks him what it is like to work for Friedlander Bey. She stays with him until he leaves.

Arriving at Friedlander Bey's estate, Marid notices an unknown woman going up the stairs. He is told that she is Umm Saad. When he asks Friedlander Bey about her, Marid is told to destroy her and her son.

The next morning, Marid is awaken by his sleep control daddy to find that he now has a slave of his own. Kmuzu is a tall, well built kaffir, with a long, serious face and a shaven head; he is a practicing Christian. Kmuzu refuses to admit that he is a spy for Friedlander Bey and insists that he is Marid's friend, yet he has been told to limit Marid's drug use.

In this story, Marid is assigned as the partner of Jirji Shaknahyi by Lieutenant Hajjar and tasked with investigating Reda Abu Adil, a competitor of Friedlander Bey. Shaknahyi is not happy about having a rank amateur as a partner, but they both make the best of it.

Marid buys a Complete Guardian moddy to provide the background he needs as a street cop; Laila also sells him a Wise Counselor moddy. After almost getting them both killed in a bomber incident, Shaknahyi crushes the Complete Guardian moddy and threatens to do the same to any other personality module that Marid uses while they are patrolling. Later, Shaknahyi invites him to supper and Marid finds that Indihar is Shaknahyi's wife; he also learns that they have two sons and a daughter.

Friedlander Bey presents Marid with the title to Chiri's club. When he gets there on the way the copshop, Chiri throws a fit and leaves. Marid appoints Indihar as day manager and goes to work. Later, he regains his friendship with Chiri and hires her as night manager.

One day, Shaknahyi and Marid follow up on a call about a baby buyer. Then they are sent after an escaped murderer. Shaknahyi is shot by Paul Jawarski with a .45 automatic and dies on the way to the hospital. Marid is very upset with the situation and blames himself, but the Wise Counselor moddy provides some perplexing advice on that.

Lieutenant Hajjar tries to team Marid with Sargeant Catavina, but Audran continues his efforts to find Shaknahyi's murderer and to complete the Abu Adil investigation. He hires an American detective to locate Jawarski and searches the archives for clues on something called the Phoenix File.

Marid isn't a very good cop, but he is fairly competent on data analysis. Since he is very good at obtaining other people's passwords, Marid does find out some interesting information about Reda Abu Adil and Friedlander Bey.

Highly recommended for Effinger fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of foreign societies, noir mysteries, and cyberpunk.

-Arthur W. Jordin

urban noir inside a futuristic science fiction.......2006-03-01

In the twenty-second century, private detective Marid Audran wonders if he gave up too much of his independence when he agreed to delete the adjective private from his occupation and work exclusively for two century old Budayeen kingpin Friedlander Bey. Marid lives much better as the pay is excellent compared to the scraps he earned before he became Bey's man, but he feels guilty, having sold out to the system, dropped all his former friends to become a "cop" with a Christian slave Kmuzu.

Taking time off though still on call Marid travels to the Mauretania region of Algeria looking for his family especially information on his North American mother Angel Monroe. However that proves a big bust though he meets her so he quickly returns to Budayeen to investigate the gruesome cases of someone mutilating and murdering children and prostitutes. Having experience with a serial killer (see WHEN GRAVITY FAILS), he feels he can stop the culprit though clues lead to Bey's dangerous and powerful rival Abu Adil and an unwanted partner is fostered on him.

This is an intriguing sequel that combines elements of an urban noir inside a futuristic science fiction. The story line is action-packed from the moment Marid returns to the Budayeen following his disappointment upon meeting his mom and never slows down until he confronts the killer, but unlike the first tale, WHEN GRAVITY FAILS, the investigation takes away from rather than enhances the twenty-second century ambience. Still this is a fine who-done-it starring an interesting protagonist whose conscience never lets him fully relish his rise in materialism at the cost of his freedom.

Harriet Klausner

Tight, tight narrative.......2005-04-01

The narrative in 'When Gravity Fails' is uneven; Marid in particular is supposed to be a relatively uneducated son of a prostitute, yet he compares himself to Hamlet. Eh?

'A Fire in the Sun makes no pretensions and slips like that. It is the fully contained story of Marid's struggle between his old life of the Buyadeen hustler, and the new life in "Papa" Friedlander Bey's employ. No background or further reading are required.

This book is better than both "When Gravity Fails" and "The Exile Kiss". I'll go as far as to say that it's almost criminally obscure and is one heck of a read.

Effinger often makes a point of the supposed paradox between religion and reality; in this case he chooses Islam, in part for its beauty and depth, but also in part because 'A Fire in the Sun' could happen nowhere else. It doesn't detract from the book and only pushes it higher in the ratings.

Anyone interested in a story with heartbreaking reality behind slick lines should read this one.

Fire of a Thousand Suns: The George R. "Bob" Caron Story, Tail Gunner of the Enola Gay

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Fire of a Thousand Suns: The George R. "Bob" Caron Story, Tail Gunner of the Enola Gay
George R. Caron , and Charlotte E. Meares
Manufacturer: W B E
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Plato and Art

The Fire and the Sun
Iris Murdoch
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0670837083

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Plato and Art.......2003-09-23

This text can be found in the collection Existentialists and Mystics, a compilation of her writings on Philosophy and Literature, published by Penguin

The Fire and the Sun: Why Plato Banished the Artists. Based upon the Romanes Lecture (Oxford Paperbacks)

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The Fire and the Sun: Why Plato Banished the Artists. Based upon the Romanes Lecture (Oxford Paperbacks)
Iris Murdoch
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0192830171

Of Fire and Night: The Saga of Seven Suns, Book 5 (Saga of Seven Suns)

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Of Fire and Night: The Saga of Seven Suns, Book 5 (Saga of Seven Suns)
Kevin J. Anderson
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on CD Value Priced
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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

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

Scattered Suns (The Saga of Seven Suns, Book 4)

ASIN: 159737220X
Release Date: 2007-07-28

Book Description

The extermination of Earth is at hand. With his increasingly irrational leadership Basil Wenceslas, chairman of the Hansa, has driven humanity into a corner. His punitive treatment of the Hansa colonies and the Roamers as well as his refusal to aid an embattled Theroc have made enemies for the people of Earth. Enemies that the Hansa cannot afford. Not when Wenceslas is struggling against revolt by soldier compies, who decimate the military by stealing ships and slaughtering soldiers; and betrayal by the Ildirans, led by Jora'h the Mage-Imperator, who is secretly scheming with the hydrogues to annihilate Earth.

Now disparate factions of humanity must plan for their own salvation. Worldtrees allied with humans on Theroc have rallied hulking, thorny tree battleships. Roamers work with powerful water entities, the wentals, to seed planets everywhere with a growing force to challenge the hydrogues.

But when the final battle with the hydrogues is joined, who will aid the people of Earth?

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