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.

Night Siege: The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings

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It's not until someone reads up on Nikola Tesla that one finds out that all UFO's are most likely experimental aircraft
night siege
Plato's Cave Projected Onto the Hudson River Valley Skies
The Government can't deny
Both UFOs and occasional ultralights at same time

Night Siege: The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings
Dr. J. Allen Hynek
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156718362X

Amazon.com

New Year's Eve 1982 marked the beginning of one of the most puzzling UFO cases in recent times: the Hudson Valley "siege." The siege begot over 7,000 sightings of a boomerang-shaped craft or crafts moving silently through the sky over New York and Connecticut between 1982 and 1995. Night Siege is the collaborative effort of Hynek, Imbrogno, and Pratt to report the data gathered from witnesses of this mystifying experience, without speculation of what it might be. If you missed the first edition of Night Siege, this is your chance to delve into the Hudson Valley mystery. If you have read the first edition, you may be interested in the additional data covering sightings from 1986 to 1995, the graphical analysis of the UFO's appearance, and the chronology of the sightings. Aside from the purely factual value of the catalog of reports in Night Siege, its coverage of an undeniable series of events that somehow went largely untouched by the local authorities and the national media invites speculation into the origins of these silent objects. --Brian Patterson

Customer Reviews:

It's not until someone reads up on Nikola Tesla that one finds out that all UFO's are most likely experimental aircraft.......2007-01-18

A few years ago, I read this fascinating account about the famous "Weschester Boomerang" sightings of the Hudson Valley and what made this so believable was that it was coming from the type of people who were highly educated and were the type of people who laugh at people who claimed to have witnessed UFO's. The first time I had ever heard about these sightings was on an Unsolved Mysteries episode. A number of people thought this was a spaceship from another world and so did I at one time. However, it wasn't until I researched the life, times, and inventions of a brilliant genius named Nikola Tesla that I realized that all UFO's are most likely secret government projects that are still using his inventions to this very day. What is incredible about Tesla is that he invented a lot of technology that we use today back in the late 1800's!! Among his inventions were remote control, lasers, X-Rays, Alternating Current, Radio, Robotics, and Wireless Communication, just to name a few. What is amazing is that he had over 700 patents and a lot of his work he had to keep secret, for fear of being stolen from other people, which is why we haven't heard much about his inventions until years later. In fact, computers were actually already being developed as early as the 1940's, using Tesla's technical know-how, and Tesla was by far not the only genius who developed items that were way ahead of their time. When one sees how much technology was actually invented over 100 years ago, then it is not hard to believe that the government around the 1980's would have a huge metallic structure that could fly silently, especially when one realizes that technology is exponential. Also, in recent years there have been a number of articles written about the government experimenting with anti-gravity technology--no, not from aliens, but from geniuses like Nikola Tesla.

At any rate, this book is well-written and is surprisingly down to earth for being a UFO book and is fun reading.

night siege.......2005-08-04

great book on what went on in Hudson Valley, New York back in the late 1980's. Five stars! jim pianfetti

Plato's Cave Projected Onto the Hudson River Valley Skies.......2003-08-25

Despite its ominous title, Night Siege: The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Philip J. Imbrogno, and Bob Pratt is a sensible, sober book on the subject of unexplained aerial phenomena. Witnesses to the events and active participants in the investigation during the period described, the authors have limited the book to examining the dramatic 13 - year UFO wave that took place over the Hudson River Valley from 1982 through 1995. During that period, the UFOs were seen by an estimated 7,000 people and reported to authorities by at least a tenth of that number.

The "boomerang - shaped," brightly - lit UFOs behaved like brazen tricksters and interactive provocateurs during their reign of the night skies. Most often described as "bigger than a football field," the silent objects flew less that 500 feet above heavily populated commercial and residential areas, stopped traffic on freeways, turned sideways and spiraled through the air like Ferris wheels, dived into and flew out of bodies of water, hovered over single homes and cars for minutes on end, responded to lights flashed in their direction with dramatic light displays of their own, and disappeared over the horizon in bursts of unbelievable acceleration. Several witnesses reported that the objects dematerialized - or "vanished" - right before their eyes.

On the night of July 24th 1990, an enormous, apparently nonchalant UFO hovered over the Indian Point Nuclear Reactor Complex and came within thirty feet of the only reactor in operation. Awestruck plant personnel had the object on camera for more than fifteen minutes, and were given tentative orders to shoot it down. Helpless police officers confronted the UFOs and repeatedly explained to panicked callers that they did not know what the objects were. The FAA reported that witnesses were seeing nothing more than small lightweight planes flying together in formation, an explanation few accepted. The national media ignored the sightings year after year.

However, identically - described objects were reported in the area as early as the mid - Fifties, and have been reported in subsequent decades from countries all over the world. Commonly known today as "black triangles," a number of theorists - experts and amateurs alike - believe the triangles are the product of United States "black operations" military programs. The most common theory is that the objects are enormous "solid dirigibles," or "stealth blimps," that function as transportation systems for large numbers of soldiers and masses of heavy equipment.

Were the Hudson Valley UFOs secret advanced - model solid dirigibles? If so, why did they repeatedly fly over areas where they would inevitably be seen by a great number of affluent, educated people? What practical purpose could their colorful, complex light patterns have had? If the objects were created to carry government troops, why has no soldier come forward to discuss his or her experience on such a vessel? If the United States has access to such incredibly advanced technology, why weren't these ships utilized in recent wars? Why are the United State's space shuttles still built with comparatively rudimentary and unreliable technology?

Though the presented evidence often seems highly credible, it is difficult to accept that the United States government, as it is generally understood to exist, can presently create and control objects like those reported here. Nor is there any sound reason to believe that the Hudson Valley UFOs were extraterrestrial craft. Interpreted imaginatively, the objects seem like nothing so much as highly advanced, unmanned investigatory probes or other scientific tools -- immense to us but tiny, perhaps even microscopic, to their creators -- from some greater plane of reality that were intermittently thrust into mankind's perception, and then removed from it with equal ease. Like objective correlatives to the allegory of Plato's Cave, the objects seemed like tangible, mocking proof that the universe is a much stranger place than mankind, with its dogmatic "consensus reality," wants to accept. This is true regardless of the genuine facts concerning their nature and origin.

The authors remain admirably restrained and objective throughout, hesitantly putting forth ideas but drawing no conclusions (except for one unfortunate slip in Chapter 16 when the UFOs are described as "something [that is] not of this Earth"). A number of witnesses of the phenomena-including police officers -- are quoted at length. Reports of alien abduction phenomena, what some witnesses called "telepathic communication" with the object, and CE - IIIs are noted but left purposefully undiscussed. As Jung concluded in his "Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies," "Something is seen, but what?"

The Government can't deny.......2002-01-26

A gripping read with powerful evidence that leads to the usual one and only conclusion - and still the government denies! Do not be put off by the appalling American English, with the terrible date system (days, months, years please), and few inconsistencies in the text. A map would have been useful, but otherwise there is not a single person who should not buy and read this book now.

Both UFOs and occasional ultralights at same time.......2001-10-18

UFOs flew heavily through the lower New York state area (including Pine Bush, NY--Silent Invasion), for more than 20 years 1978-2000. In the mid 1980s, some idiot pilots thought it would be fine to "fool" people and pretend they were UFOs. Fortunately, many people had been seeing clear-cut ships/UFOs--nuts and bolts, windows, pod marks, for several months or years, and continued seeing them, in addition to the planes "pretending" to be UFOs, while "stuck" with our earthly technology--engines that make noise. The ships/UFOs have technology so much more advanced than ours that we can only begin an attempt to unravel their mysteries.

Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land Under Siege

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Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land Under Siege
Amira Hass
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Reporting from Ramallah: An Israeli Journalist in an Occupied Land (Semiotext(e) / Active Agents)
I Saw Ramallah
Strangers in the House: Coming of Age in Occupied Palestine
Occupied Voices: Stories of Everyday Life from the Second Intifada (Nation Books)
Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, New and Revised Edition

ASIN: 0805057404

Amazon.com

In what is sure to be a controversial book, Israeli reporter Amira Hass offers a rare portrait of the Palestinians in Gaza. Very few journalists have lived in that troubled region; Jewish ones are rarer still. "To most Israelis," Hass writes, "my move seemed outlandish, even crazy, for they believed I was surely putting my life at risk." But Israelis desperately need to understand the plight of the Palestinian people, she writes, and few of them read the unvarnished truth in the Jerusalem press. This has made most of them ignorant of what goes on right next door, and inspired unduly "harsh" attitudes toward Gaza and its one million residents. Hass even quotes the late Yitzhak Rabin, who wished that Gaza "would just sink into the sea," shortly before he signed the Oslo Accords. Wishing away the problem, however, is no solution, and Hass delivers a detailed--and highly opinionated--diagnosis of what's wrong with Israeli policy toward Gaza. Strong supporters of Israeli will say that Hass is nothing but a mouthpiece for the Palestinians. Indeed, this book's subtitle could apply as much to Israel, surrounded by bitter enemies, as it does to Gaza. Yet it would be wrong to ignore Hass: the scene in Gaza is woefully unreported. The book is not likely to change many minds--this is one of those subjects where passions run deep and fierce. Those who already sympathize with Hass's pro-Palestinian views will find Drinking the Sea at Gaza an invigorating book. --John J. Miller

Book Description

In 1993, amira hass, a young Israeli reporter, drove to Gaza to cover a story-and stayed, the first journalist to live in the grim Palestinian enclave so feared and despised by most Israelis that, in the local idiom, "Go to Gaza" is another way to say "Go to hell." Now, in a work of calm power and painful clarity, Hass reflects on what she has seen in Gaza's gutted streets and destitute refugee camps.Drinking the Sea at Gaza maps the zones of ordinary Palestinian life. From her friends, Hass learns the secrets of slipping across sealed borders and stealing through night streets emptied by curfews. She shares Gaza's early euphoria over the peace process and its subsequent despair as hope gives way to unrelenting hardship. But even as Hass charts the griefs and humiliations of the Palestinians, she offers a remarkable portrait of a people not brutalized but eloquent, spiritually resilient, bleakly funny, and morally courageous.Full of testimonies and stories, facts and impressions, Drinking the Sea at Gaza makes an urgent claim on our humanity. Beautiful, haunting, and profound, it will stand with the great works of wartime reportage, from Michael Herr's Dispatches to Rian Malan's My Traitor's Heart.

Legacy of the Drow Gift Set: The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, and Passage to Dawn (Forgotten Realms: Legacy of the Drow)

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greatness all around
Legacy of the Drow
Drow Gift Set
Drizzt

Legacy of the Drow Gift Set: The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, and Passage to Dawn (Forgotten Realms: Legacy of the Drow)
R. A. Salvatore
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Lone Drow (Forgotten Realms: Hunters Blades Trilogy)

ASIN: 0786930012
Release Date: 2003-09-01

Book Description

This slip-covered gift set contains the four New York Times best-selling titles that make up the Legacy of the Drow series: The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, and Passage to Dawn. Each of these titles center around R.A. Salvatore's signature dark elf character.

Customer Reviews:

greatness all around.......2007-08-06

The R.A Salvatore books for the Drow series is the first books i ever pick up and read. Me not being a reader thought i would never sit a read a book on its entirity, well i was wrong. since the very fist books i just kept reading. Salvatore puts the material in such a vivid way that you get involve in the story and you feel each character and their way of life since i started i read 9 books and working on my ten book. Thats how great the books are i Would recomend to everyone but specially to those people who think they will never read. Last i would like to say i hope that you soon be enjoying the books They're Greatness all aroundLegacy of the Drow Gift Set: The Legacy, Starless Night, Siege of Darkness, and Passage to Dawn (Forgotten Realms: Legacy of the Drow)

Legacy of the Drow.......2007-05-31

"As an old school gamer I dislike so many things that occur in these books, but this is some of the best sword & sorcery reading you will find. This is the 2nd or 3rd trilogy dealing with these characters. The imagination that went into creating the Ecology of the twisted society of the underdark is simply mind blowing."

Drow Gift Set.......2007-01-14

I was pleased at the condition of my order, and the speed which it reached me.

Drizzt.......2003-11-05

I'm guessing most people who are thinking of buying this are already familiar with the author, or perhaps have already read all four books.

If you haven't, then here's what you need to know. These four books center around a good-aligned drow elf named Drizzt, who is now wandering the surface of Faerun. If you've never read about Drizzt before, be advised that these four books are not first in chronological order of Drizzt's life; you'll be given some backstory to understand who Drizzt is, but you'll also know pretty much everything that happened in all the earlier novels, which may lessen your enjoyment of them when you eventually read them. I say "when" rather than "if" because it seems to me that if you approach these novels without an anti-Drizzt or anti-Salvatore mindset, you will love them, and you will go buy all the others.

I'm not going to write out a play-by-play of events in the book, since you can look them each up individually and get plenty of information from other posters. I give these 4 books a total of 5 stars; some are better than others, but none rank below a 3.

As a sidenote, if you are buying this as a gift for someone, you might want to know that they are set in the Forgotten Realms, which is a unique world, NOT a generic fantasy world. I would not purchase this set as a gift for someone unless I already knew that they were familiar with the Forgotten Realms world. It's too complex a place to approach in the middle of a series without understanding the world at least to some degree.

Sarajevo Days, Sarajevo Nights
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Up-front experience of war and how it effects real people.

Sarajevo Days, Sarajevo Nights
Elma Softic
Manufacturer: Ruminator Books
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Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

Up-front experience of war and how it effects real people........1999-11-06

Elma Softic has allowed us to read her personal diary and correspondance to family members about how the war in Sarajevo effected her family, friends, neighbors, and herself personally. Sometimes graphic, always honest, and frequently emotionally charged. Helped me prepare for what I was about to see when I travelled to Sarajevo recently, and how to best help the people left behind.

Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy - Siege of Night and Fire: A Novel of the Eightfold Kingdoms (Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy)

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Action Packed Fantasy
Gritty and classic fantasy done right
Love or War?
All's fair in love and war
Action packed novel

Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy - Siege of Night and Fire: A Novel of the Eightfold Kingdoms (Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy)
John Helfers
Manufacturer: Five Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 1594142262

Book Description

Teris and Syrena's wedding was supposed to prevent a war between their two kingdoms, but fate intervened with a much darker plan. Now Teris, Syrena, and dozens of others are trapped in an isolated keep, surrounded by a vicious army led by a cunning, inhuman war shaman. Teris must lead an uneasy alliance to victory over their relentless foe, if he doesn't get killed in the fighting first. However, the young groom has allies at his side - starting with his new bride - but can the two of them stand together against foes both inside and outside the keep? When all seems lost, Teris risks everything on a strike into the enemy's camp, and takes a vital first step toward becoming the leader of his kingdom.

John Helfers is an author and editor currently living in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews:

Action Packed Fantasy.......2006-05-08

There are fantasy books with mystical critters, magic, and kingdoms in conflict. There are military fiction books with plenty of heart-pounding action sequences. And there are romances with arranged marriages that just happen to connect true loves. Here, John Helfers gives you all three, with his own fantasy realm and interesting human and humanoid inhabitants, swashbuckling swordplay and siege engines, and two independent spirits that find love in each others arms. Don't let the first two chapters fool you into thinking this is just another leisurely fantasy tale full of politics and posturing. Once chapter three begins, the action is non-stop and the intrigue and passion keep up with the page turning pace. Donald J. Bingle, Author of Forced Conversion.

Gritty and classic fantasy done right.......2005-11-28

Whether you believe that fantasy is making a huge comeback, led by the recent success of both the Harry Potter series and the recent Lord of the Rings films (as the optimists among us are inclined to do) or that these are mere blips on an otherwise barren landscape of same elf, different day (as the more cynical of us claim), there can be no doubt that a great deal of fantasy has for some time followed the same predictable recipe: take one young person of little reputation and less self-confidence (though with enormous potential below the surface), place him/her in impossible circumstances under which all (including him/herself) expect him/her to fail, add an appropriately evil character against which he/she will be tested, throw in a dash of magic and at least a hint of romance, and mix well. Bake, rinse, and repeat. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, works which clearly break away from the norm, but these are few and far between--and even more troubling, there are even fewer works which handle the existing formula well, in an interesting, intelligently written, and engaging way. If you're not going to reinvent the wheel every time you write a work of fantasy (and why should you have to?), at least it would be nice if the hubcaps shine on the works you do produce!

It's good to know, then, that at least some writers are now demonstrating their ability to write in this latter category. J. Gregory Keyes's new series THE KINGDOMS OF THORN AND BONE is a wonderful example of this work, and it's great to see that John Helfers is another writer who understands what works and, even better, how to deliver what works to his readers. Not that Helfers is a newcomer to the field--he has both edited and written a host of books and short story collections in both science fiction and fantasy over the past decade, and his reputation as a solid and competent writer is already well-established. But with THE SIEGE OF NIGHT AND FIRE, the first book in the world of the Eightfold Kingdoms, Helfers enters the fantasy novel market with a flourish. As the summary at Amazon and elsewhere will tell you, the book follows the adventures of Teris Rathden, youngest brother of the Rathden family (here's the young person of little reputation and less self-confidence) and Syrena Marsena, daughter of the rival Marsena clan (the necessary love interest), brought together for a political marriage which is immediately disrupted by an all out attack by the enemies of all the Eightfold Kingdoms, the Vaarbolg. Forced by circumstances beyond his control to lead the defense of his keep against the enemies' siege, Teris learns quickly the dangers and, perhaps, the joys of leadership, quickly growing from a mischievous ne'er do well to a confident man in full charge of his faculties at the end of the tale, which moves quickly and expertly between large scale combat to surprisingly poignant moments of intimacy between Teris and Syrena (who, as it turns out, is much more than just a pretty face). Through it all Helfers demonstrates facility and skill in moving and manipulating his readers, and through love and loss we come to genuinely care about his characters--no small feat for what is essentially a book of war.

As a military historian himself, Helfers knows how to write his battle scenes, and the combat never feels forced here, nor overly glamorous. Just the opposite, in fact; this is gritty fantasy too, and at times the sheer detail of the horrible deaths suffered in times of war can be a bit offputting if one isn't expecting it. Gratuitous, no; gruesome, yes, and you won't find a lot of Rivendell-esque pleasantness to lighten the grim military mood. And especially towards the end of the book, the narrative leaps so quickly from scene to scene that you can feel a trifle discombobulated--if you've ever seen these movies, imagine throwing SPEED and the fight scenes from THE BOURNE IDENTITY or BATMAN BEGINS together and you'll get the idea. But then, a siege itself might feel much like this; no time to think, no real time to plan, just observe the movements of the enemy and react accordingly. I'd trust Helfers' judgement on this, in any case; he establishes enough credibility in the book's beginning that one is willing to follow him through to its conclusion, and the payoff is well worth the journey. In the meantime, it's one hell of a ride.

This is not blazingly new work, but it is something arguably much more important--well-written and intelligent fantasy, carefully crafted by someone who clearly knows his field and how to move comfortably within it. The ending leaves a lot of open ground to cover in future books, and I for one am glad of it; it's about time we saw classic themes presented in ways that remind us why they became classic, and it's good to know that we can look forward to having John Helfers guide us through those themes for many books to come. This is quality work by a quality author.

Dr. Gregory A. Wilson

Love or War?.......2005-11-28

I truly enjoyed John Helfers' novel, Siege of Night and Fire. I thought at first I was in store for a book purely about a siege, how the characters ended up in such a situation and what they did to resolve it, etc.

But there's so much more here. The main characters, Teris and Syrena, are newlyweds thrown into the proverbial fire when the evil vaarlborg trap them within Wyrling Keep. The men, women and children trapped within represent stakes enough, but it would be disastrous for each of the Eightfold Kingdoms should the vaarlborg gain control of Wyrling.

Its intriguing to see how the ongoing conflict affects Teris and Syrena's budding relationship, and vice versa! My favorite kind of story are those that show how personal interactions play against the backdrop of the larger story. I would recommend Siege to anyone with similar tastes.

Well done, Mr. Helfers!

All's fair in love and war.......2005-11-13

John Helfers's "A Siege of Night and Fire" is at once a story about a marriage and a battle. Marriage is hard, no doubt about it, though most married couples can go on a honeymoon, settle into their new lives, and adjust bit by bit.

Teris Rathden and Syrena Marsena aren't nearly so lucky. Teris, youngest son of the King of Rathden, and Syrena, the daughter of the King of Marsena, have never met, and were betrothed to settle the feud between their two kingdoms, and usher in a new era of amity between the two nations. As anyone who's ever been on a blind date can tell you, this approach to diplomacy is fraught with potential peril. For that matter Teris, something of a wastrel, isn't keen on the idea of marriage at all.

And the Vaarbolg, a race of inhuman marauders from the deep forests, have different ideas as well. A half-mad war shaman named Klarshk leads the Vaarbolg. Klarshk has studied the human arts of war, including the making of siege engines, and with the aid of magic provided by the "Night Walker", the Vaarbolg god, Klarshk plans to destroy the human kingdoms once and for all, starting with the castle hosting Teris's and Syrena's wedding.

"Siege" is a good read, with lots of action, plenty of intrigue, and a bit of romance.

Action packed novel.......2005-10-27

Siege of Night and Fire is a really action packed novel, very exciting from cover to cover. Readers will enjoy the fast pace and high drama. Syrena and Teris are great characters and the supporting cast, mainly Kyre, add a lot to the book. The heart of the novel is the siege of Wyrling Keep, by the devious vaarbolg, who are led by their shaman, a fascinating character. The chapters from his point of view are excellent. But it is the interactions of Syrena and Teris that really stand out. Their story is the central aspect of Siege and the survival or destruction of Wyrling Keep will depend on them. I loved the book and plan on reading it again, as well as any other books set in the Eightfold Kingdoms.

Night And Morning, Godolphin, Eugene Aram, Leila; Or The Siege Of Granada, And Calderon; The Courtier (volume 5) (The Works Of Edward Bulwer Lytton)

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Bulwer's Works

Night And Morning, Godolphin, Eugene Aram, Leila; Or The Siege Of Granada, And Calderon; The Courtier (volume 5) (The Works Of Edward Bulwer Lytton)
Edward Bulwer Lytton
Manufacturer: Reprint Services Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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Bulwer's Works.......2002-04-01

A fabulous book of rare quality. The particular one I read was original from 1851. Smooth writing for the time period with entertaining narrative and dialogue.

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Night of the Willow
Maureen Peters
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0312573189

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Night Siege - The Hudson Valley Ufo Sightings
J. Allen, Dr.; Imbrogno, Philip J. and Pratt, Bob Hynek
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IW4J48

READER'S DIGEST CONDENSED BOOKS: WILDFIRE, SIEGE OF SILENCE, THE SOUND OF DISTANT CHEERING AND NIGHT OF ERROR.

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READER'S DIGEST CONDENSED BOOKS: WILDFIRE, SIEGE OF SILENCE, THE SOUND OF DISTANT CHEERING AND NIGHT OF ERROR.

Manufacturer: The Reader's Digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HLTJ2C

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