Book Description
The Posleen are coming and the models all say the same thing: Without the Panama Canal, the US is doomed to starvation and defeat. Despite being overstretched preparing to defend the US, the military sends everything it has left: A handful of advanced Armored Combat Suits, rejuvenated veterans from the many decades that Panama was a virtual colony and three antiquated warships. Other than that, the Panamanians are on their own. Replete with detailed imagery of the landscape, characters and politics that have made the jungle-infested peninsula a Shangri-La for so many over the years, Yellow Eyes is a hard-hitting look at facing a swarming alien horde with not much more than wits and guts. Fortunately, the Panamanians, and the many veterans that think of it as a second home, have plenty of both.
Customer Reviews:
back to the good stuff.......2007-09-16
Is it just me who finds the whole Posleen series a teeny bit confusing. i mean i like the whole concept, well done the Nazis on the Rhine and all that, but when are we actually going to kick the Posleen's butts, get rid of them off the earth and stop mucking around with the political metaphores. Now that said (and as a european, who other than the ex-Nazis are obviously all left wing tree huggers) i actually enjoyed this one. It's a good story and a good book, thank God Cally was not in it, but unfortunatley she is back in the next one. By the way Amazon, why can't you make it easier to get the information on Boook 1 of X, Book 2 of X stuff presented to those of us who stuggle to follow these things.
Anyway i digress. If you enjoyed the first two Posleen books and the Wactch on the Rhine one, then you will enjoy this one. My hopes for the future are 1) no more Cally, 2) a story that shows either the death of the earth or victory 3) and whichever that the authors remeber that the EU can actually fight and so can the Russian and Chineese, and might despite the lefties make a decent go of it.
Good Book.......2007-09-04
I enjoyed this entry to the Aldenata series, although Watch on the Rhine was better. If you liked the other books in the Aldenata series, get this book you will not be disappointed.
Always remember, "You can get anything on E-Bay"!
Beware the conspiracy.......2007-08-20
Well another rollicking read. The good guys get to kill millions of Posleen, the bad guys are anyone who isn't very politically conservative (somewhere to the left of Franco) and that's that.
One thing, John and friends have slipped over the edge here a bit by dusting off the old world government thing, somehow there is this vast conspiracy of people who want to take over the world and the only way to save them is by killing everyone who isn't a real American or a hard drinking Panamanian, or a computer simulation of a blond who has immense breasts. Real Americans in John's view are a tad conservative, likely live in the mountains of Idaho and are heavily armed at all times.
The Posleen seem to be less effective than before and that is interesting but if you change the place names from any other Posleen book to Panama you will have this book.
As to World Government (The Transies) well anyone who pays attention to the overall effectiveness of governments should not be scared of the UN, etc. and what they might do, because they are about as inept as one can imagine.
That is one reason I have never been too concerned about the black helicopter folks, the main fear of that is they will get lost, crash and maybe hurt an innocent person, as to actually taking something over? Get serious.
John, stick to stories, leave politics alone
Another great addition to the Aldenata series.......2007-08-15
When John Ringo wrote A Hymn Before Battle (Posleen War Series #1) he continued the great tradition of stories of the Mobile Infantry began by Robert Heinlein in Starship Troopers. Ringo brought something new to the party - his experience as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and his keen sense of how to tell a story that is gripping, entertaining and witty.
When Tom Kratman began working with Ringo in Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7) he also brought something to the party - a sharp military mind and his own insightful political observations. Working together on Watch on the Rhine they produced one of the best books yet in the Aldenata saga. But, Kratman and Ringo have topped Watch on the Rhine in this novel.
There is the To Be Expected great battle scenes and interesting characters. But in this book they will make you love a ship and feel sorry for the Posleen. What more could you want?
Cultural cross-view makes for a great read.......2007-07-22
I'd been getting a little tired of endless Posleen waves acting like Posleen (though not too badly) until this gem came along in this generally excellent series. (Cally's war seems not to have been repeated, at least!) Things seemed to being starting samo samo, then back plot actions with the "Mad" PDA came into focus along with the native Panamanian defense force leadership, and this one turned into a page turner.
I'm not sure I can rank this as the best of the series, but it's definitely in the top four.
Book Description
From its beginnings as a human-alien story of first contact, the Foreigner series has become a true science fiction odyssey. The ninth book in the epic series, and the third book in the third Foreigner trilogy, Deliverer is a worthy contribution to Cherryh's magnum opus that is destined to be a classic.
Customer Reviews:
Continueing the saga of Cajeiri..........2007-07-30
In Deliverer, Ms. Cherryh has picked up her Foreigner series and continued it forward. This time Bren is helping out the recently re-established aiji (I view this a shogun since I see lots of similarities between the Atevi and the Japanese, the Foreigner series I see as a more controlled Meiji government dealing with higher technology though) to recover his son who has gone missing. As is typical with many of CJ Cherryh's books in the Foreigner series, the opening is a little slow but important for setting the stage. In this case, the aiji's son (Cajeiri) establishes the tempo of the book (as a matter of fact, his point of view is used several times, something new to the Foreigner series) by acting much like a human teen would. These problems Cajeiri experiences cumulate in him being kidnapped by others seeking power.
As is typical in a book from Ms. Cherryh, the characters are strong and much is said indirectly. While I felt the opening was weak for Ms. Cherryh (the Foreigner series is strong in politics/relations between people, action is sometimes weak), the back half moves at a nice clip and delivers as one of the stronger conclusions in the Foreigner series. If there's one disappointment with them though, it's that this book is wide open for another trilogy for Foreigner (sorry, I prefer the Union/Alliance line). The bottom line, a solid 4 star book. Thank you very much for the tale Ms. Cherryh!
Can't wait for another one!.......2007-07-29
Other reviewers have covered the basic plot, so I won't re-hash that. C.J. Cherryh just does such wonderful aliens - not the physical form, but the thought processes that make them so different from humans. Many people have trouble just dealing with different human cultures. Cherryh takes you right out of the human realm, via language and cultural values, to let you really experience how different another intelligent race could really be. I've loved all her science fiction since reading Brothers of Earth and Hunter of Worlds many years ago. This latest in the Foreigner universe was well worth waiting for (and now I have to go back and re-read earlier ones!) in the action, the well-known (and dare I say loved) characters, but is still pushing the boundaries of human-Atevi relations by exploring further into the world of the Atevi heir after his exposure to human children at a formative time of his life. I sure hope there will be a follow-up to this latest book.
Very disappointing.......2007-06-26
This was just a tag-on to complete 9 books. Very weak and predictable in plot. First books written from view of main character. This book switched back and forth with another character with very indifferent results. This book takes the series nowhere and leaves the reader in the same place. It doesn't "complete" the series, nor does it set up for the obvious follow-on visit of more aliens. It's just an unrelated tale that isn't very good. Very disappointing to get drivel from such an excellant author.
Love this series. Can't get enough........2007-05-24
If you have followed this series you will enjoy this book.
Yeah, I know - not much detail in this review. I figure there is plenty of that in the editorial review, etc... and I hate to give away the plot of a book to folks who haven't read it yet!
I will say I have read just about everything this author has written and I find this series to be the most enjoyable. If you truely enjoy sci-fi and/or fantasy writing, then start at the beginning of this series and read the whole thing. It will be worth the $$$.
R Walker
An Avid Reader
A Timely Rescue.......2007-04-06
Deliverer (2007) is the ninth SF novel in the Foreigner series, following Pretender. In the previous volume, the return of the Phoenix after a two year absence greatly shocked the aishidi'tat of the Western Association. Many had thought that the aiji-dowager Ilisidi and the aiji-heir Cajeiri would never be seen again. Then the reappearance of Tabini-aiji caused the usurping government of Murini-aiji to collapse and his supporters to run for their lives.
In this novel, Tabini-aiji and his supporters are reoccupying the Bu-javid. Yet the damage done by the usurpers was never repaired. The bodies have been removed, but the bullet holes and blood are still there. Tabini-aiji's apartment even has a room with a gaping hole for a floor.
The apartment of the paidhi has been claimed by an atevi clan and Bren Cameron is currently living with the aiji-dowager. Then he is informed that Lord Tatiseigi, Cajeiri's great-uncle, is returning to his estate and Ilisidi is accompanying him. So Bren will now be moving into Tatiseigi's apartment, where he resided once before. Meanwhile, Tabini-aiji and his consort Daimiri, together with Cajeiri, are moving into Ilisidi's apartment while their rooms are being repaired.
The confusion in the bureaucracy is even more acute. Fortunately, most of the paidhi's records had been removed by his staff and hidden from the usurpers. Now Bren is trying to trace his staff and reassemble them in a nearby hotel. Such confusion is also evident in the Messenger, Transportation and other Guilds.
The Assassins' Guild is even more upset. Some southern assassins had changed man'chi to Murini. Maybe even the Guildmaster did so as well, but the Guild is not telling. Bren does know that the Guild is presently readjusting itself, but Banichi, Tano and Algini are spending too much time on Guild business while Jago alone tends to his security.
In this story, Cajeiri and his young bodyguards Jegari and Antaro are being neglected by everybody. Cajeiri is strongly feeling the absence of his human friends and the conveniences of their environment. So Cajeiri has a plan. Of course, it gets him into trouble, even with the paidhi, and Cajeiri is relegated to his parent's apartment for an indefinite time.
Then Cajeiri disappears. Antaro is found unconscious on a lower floor of the building. Later Jegari turns up, bloody but safe, to relate his experiences during the kidnapping of Cajeiri. Unfortunately, he did not recognize his captors, but does know that they took Cajeiri to a cargo airplane. Given the information available, Tabini decides that one specific plane must be carrying his son and sends Ilisidi, Bren and their security after it.
This story introduces a new factor in the Western Association political environment. It also allows Cajeiri to use some of his newly acquired expertise to frustrate his captors. And Bren learns what the station has landed on the planet during his absence.
One of the author's strong points is also a weakness. She throws the reader into an alien situation and lets the reader gradually learn about the milieu during the course of the book. Readers without much SF experience tend to get lost in the weirdness. In this series, however, the atevi and their planet are starting to become familiar. Naturally, the author has already introduced a new alien culture to further confuse the reader. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Cherryh fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic cultures, wild adventures and an underinformed paidhi.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Book Description
The Spartan-II program has gone public. Tales of super-soldiers fending off thousands of Covenant attacks have become the stuff of legend.
But just how many Spartans are left?
While the Master Chief defends a besieged Earth, and the myriad factions of the Covenant continue their crusade to eliminate humanity, an ultrasecret cell of the Office of Naval Intelligence known as “Section Three” devises a plan to buy the UNSC vital time. They’re going to need hundreds of willing soldiers, though . . . and one more Spartan to get the job done.
The planet Onyx is virtually abandoned and the perfect place to set this new plan in motion. But when the Master Chief destroys Halo, something is triggered deep within Onyx: Ancient Forerunner technology stirs, and fleets of UNSC and Covenant race to claim it to change the course of the Human-Covenant War.
But this reawakened and ancient force may have plans of its own . . .
Customer Reviews:
Halo Ghosts of Oynx.......2007-10-10
I thought that of the 4 Halo books I read, this one was the best
!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-10-08
This book was so excellent! I loved it a lot!!!!! Other than the Master Chief not being in it besides one chapter in the beginning, this book is flawless and really interesting.
The best yet in the series.......2007-09-14
Before reading this book I bought the box set and read the first three in the series. The first book was littered with gross typos, the second book mostly failed to deliver (due to the author's lack of detail at many times), but the third book was better. "Halo: Ghosts of Onyx" is by far the best in the series. It was more professionally done as there were less typos (if any at all) and there was close attention to detail most of the time. I like the idea of the Spartan III program and some new technologies associated with it. However, the one thing with Halo that bores me is all of the "space quest". I'm a fan of Spartan action, so when they're just flying around in outer space, my interest drops a bit. But once again, this book is definitely the best in the series so far.
another epic chapter in the Halo series.......2007-09-05
This book was just as good as the other two by Eric Nylund. I eagerly await the next installment in the Halo story.
Good but Technical.......2007-07-13
This book follows the previous halo books, however does not go with the same story line. Instead of following the Famed Xbox character "Master Chief" or John (known to us who's read the books), it follows a different path with the other spartan characters being the main focus.
This book is a well written book for the Halo series. If you have enjoyed reading the other books, then you will certainly enjoy reading this one, however it gets quite technical at some points. The past books filled us with different battles, and scenarios. This book has many fictional technicalities that you must pay attention to in order to enjoy it fully. If you do not understand something the first time, read it over again because it will be mentioned later on in the book.
Again this book is a great addition to the Halo series and if you are a fan of the books and like to know more than just the gameplay, then this is for you.
Average customer rating:
- eh. its okay.
- Good characters, good concept, and an easy read
- I want a Rollback!
- Live Long and Be Joyful
- Though Provoking in Customary Sawyer Style
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Rollback (Sci Fi Essential Books)
Robert J. Sawyer
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Sawyer, Robert J.
| ( S )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
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The Last Colony
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The Accidental Time Machine
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ASIN: 0765311089
Release Date: 2007-04-03 |
Book Description
Dr. Sarah Halifax decoded the first-ever radio transmission received from aliens. Thirty-eight years later, a second message is received and Sarah, now 87, may hold the key to deciphering this one, too . . . if she lives long enough.A wealthy industrialist offers to pay for Sarah to have a rollback-a hugely expensive experimental rejuvenation procedure. She accepts on condition that Don, her husband of sixty years, gets a rollback, too. The process works for Don, making him physically twenty-five again. But in a tragic twist, the rollback fails for Sarah, leaving her in her eighties. While Don tries to deal with his newfound youth and the suddenly vast age gap between him and his wife, Sarah struggles to do again what she'd done once before: figure out what a signal from the stars contains. Exploring morals and ethics on both human and cosmic scales, Rollback is the big new SF novel for 2007 by Hugo and Nebula Award-winner Robert J. Sawyer.
Customer Reviews:
eh. its okay........2007-10-02
While I am an avid Sawyer reader, this book while interesting pulled too much from ethical literature without fully exploring any of its ramifications. An interesting and quick read, but not nearly as satisfying as his other works.
Good characters, good concept, and an easy read.......2007-08-25
Robert J. Sawyer's novels are always a treat for me. I have read them all. His characters are believeable and likeable. His ideas are unique and based on science that is not that far-fetched at all. Rollback is another one of those books that fits right into those categories. Sawyer is a master at developing ethical or moral issues for his characters in the way they respond to their environment, circumstances, etc.
Here we have Don Halifax, an Octogenarian who receives an expensive, highly sought after rollback that fixes all his innards to be that of a man in his 20's. His wife, also an Octogenarian, gets the same treatment but it fails. Don and his wife are still in love after 60 years of marriage but things get frustrating and confusing for Don as he sees his elderly wife fading away while he gets this other chance at life that he never actually asked for. All the while, Don's wife Sarah is trying to use her twilight years to assist an alien species that responded to a SETI message she sent years earlier during the prime of her career.
This book didn't have a real enemy per se just a lot of thought provoking ideas. I suppose the antogonist was Don's own psyche as he reacted to friends and family dying around him, guilt, frustrations, raging hormones, and looking younger than his own kids
The book is over 300 pages but you will get through it in no time, even with all the scientific research discussions thrown into the mix. It is also going to be his last book with TOR as his next book will have a new publisher.
By the way, I loved Gunther, the Robot and I wished there was more of him in the book.
I want a Rollback!.......2007-08-23
After reading several Robert Sawyer novels i was excited about obtaining Rollback. The story is of an alien message to earth which is received and returned about 2013. 34 years later a new message arrives(17 years each way).
The science is interesting but the really interesting thing about the story is the personal interactions that transpire because of a aging reversal project done on the scientist who decoded the message and her husband. He goes from 88 to 25 years old physically.
This completely changes the dynamics of his marriage and how he is treated by society. Talk about age discrimination. Talk about raging hormones.
I love this societal aspect of most of Sawyer's writing. It actually overtakes the storyline for me. How would your life change if you could rollback to age 25...assuming you are considerably older than that now. How would your friends and relatives treat you. how about work...could you get a job.
A very thought provoking novel. I enjoyed it.
Live Long and Be Joyful.......2007-08-19
Rollback (2007) is a standalone SF novel. It takes place mostly in Toronto, Ontario, about four decades from now. This story was first published as a serial within Analog, starting with the October 2006 issue.
In this novel, Sarah Halifax is a retired astronomer in her eighties. Her moment of fame occurred in 2010, when she interpreted the very first interstellar message. After her translation, a response was sent back to the aliens on Sigma Draconis, who had initiated the first message. Now a reply has been received to the human response and, once again, none can interrupt the message. It seems that the message is not only encoded for transmission, but is actually encrypted and no one knows the key.
Donald Halifax is Sarah's husband. When Cody McGavin -- a very rich man -- offers to pay for rejuvenation of Sarah to allow her more time (and energy) to work on the current message, Sarah insists that Donald be rejuvenated as well. So Donald becomes younger, but the procedure does not work for Sarah and she remains old.
However, Sarah continues working on the translation of the new message. She agrees with other translators that a key must have been incorporated in the first message or its response, but nothing can be found. Sarah searches the original messages to see if the key had been muddled in the copies.
In this story, Donald is now a very confused person. Donald and Sarah have been married for sixty years. They are used to doing everything together. They have raised two children and have two grandchildren. Donald hardly remembers his life before Sarah.
Suddenly Donald has the energy and libido of a twenty-five year old man, but is married to an eighty-seven year old woman. Donald is still full of energy when Sarah is drooping. When temptation comes his way, he struggles with his conflicting emotions. Then Donald becomes really interested in Lenore Darby, an astronomy graduate student, who reminds him of his Sarah. So he starts hanging out with people of his own apparent age.
This story is more about Donald than Sarah, but can anything about him be separated from her? His life has been hugely changed. He now has all the capabilities of the young with the experience of the old. Naturally, Donald wants his wife to also be young again, but is that possible? So what will he do for the rest of his extended life?
An early scene hints at the ideational origins of this novel. Sarah and Donald have a conversation about the long-term aspects of SETI, which leads to the notion of longevity. While persistence is necessary in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, such signals might be acquired at any point in time. Truly long-term continuity is only required for communications. As this story vividly illustrates, waiting for replies could take generations.
Highly recommended for Sawyer fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alien communications, intergenerational relations, and true love.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Though Provoking in Customary Sawyer Style .......2007-08-15
Robert Sawyer writes books about things we all think "what if?" In Rollback the what if scenario is "What if you could rejuvenate your body to the body of your youth?" Would you do it, if so, at what price? Set in the not so distant future, Sarah and Don are faced with this very situation. The choice that they make changes their lives and the lives of their families forever. Sawyer has a way of presenting his readers with a philosophical dialogue, where science allows plausible options. I am a big Robert Sawyer fan, and enjoy reading his work. This book did not disappoint, and I highly recommend it. Rollback (Sci Fi Essential Books)
P. Walker Williams
PageTurner.net
Average customer rating:
- Hot Jazz at 78 RPM
- The story of three friends at the end of time - sooner than you'd think!
- Not Free SF Reader
- Wilson Gets Better and Better
- Best. Science Fiction. Novel. Ever. (or at least in top five)
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Spin
Robert Charles Wilson
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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| Books
Wilson, Robert Charles
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ASIN: 0765309386
Release Date: 2005-03-10 |
Book Description
One night in October when he was ten years old, Tyler Dupree stood in his back yard and watched the stars go out. They all flared into brilliance at once, then disappeared, replaced by a flat, empty black barrier. He and his best friends, Jason and Diane Lawton, had seen what became known as the Big Blackout. It would shape their lives. The effect is worldwide. The sun is now a featureless disk--a heat source, rather than an astronomical object. The moon is gone, but tides remain. Not only have the world's artificial satellites fallen out of orbit, their recovered remains are pitted and aged, as though they'd been in space far longer than their known lifespans. As Tyler, Jason, and Diane grow up, space probe reveals a bizarre truth: The barrier is artificial, generated by huge alien artifacts. Time is passing faster outside the barrier than inside--more than a hundred million years per day on Earth. At this rate, the death throes of the sun are only about forty years in our future. Jason, now a promising young scientist, devotes his life to working against this slow-moving apocalypse. Diane throws herself into hedonism, marrying a sinister cult leader who's forged a new religion out of the fears of the masses. Earth sends terraforming machines to Mars to let the onrush of time do its work, turning the planet green. Next they send humans....and immediately get back an emissary with thousands of years of stories to tell about the settling of Mars. Then Earth's probes reveal that an identical barrier has appeared around Mars. Jason, desperate, seeds near space with self-replicating machines that will scatter copies of themselves outward from the sun--and report back on what they find. Life on Earth is about to get much, much stranger. Wilson has become one of the most exciting talents in SF todayIn Spin, he outdoes himself, juggling numerous philosophical, moral and scientific ideas, including a fascinating Martian civilization created by humans, but he never neglects the emotional underpinnings of what the Spin comes to mean to humanitySpin to paraphrase Bogie, is the stuff that (SF) dreams are made of. -- The Globe and Mail "Like most of Wilson's books, Spin is an intelligent and inventive page-turner, with compelling characters and enough surprises to keep readers guessing right to the end. I recommend it highly." -- The Times-Colonist
Customer Reviews:
Hot Jazz at 78 RPM.......2007-10-07
Robert Charles Wilson's SPIN is just the kind of story that most people crave: one that draws you in and captivates you from the opening pages and then doesn't let you go. The arc of the story stretches out over basically two time periods--"basically," because the problem of the passage of time is key to the storyline. When, in the time period nearly contemporary with ours, the stars "disappear" one night, you're mesmerized; you, like the main characters, want to know what that's all about. That some understanding of this phenomenon will escape you for a few hundred pages yet to unfold shouldn't daunt you. Wilson keeps you fascinated as you unwrap each aspect of the mystery like layers of an onion.
SPIN doesn't carry the traditional plot structure of a story. There's exposition, but no building up to any real climax; the resolution is satisfying, but only to an extent. You just know it's a set-up for more stories to come, and indeed the author returns to this concept elsewhere. No matter. Like with most good science fiction, what moves this story are the relationships and interactions between the characters, in this case three lifelong friends, Jason, who possesses a gifted intellect, his sister Diane, who's sharp but perpetually spiritually longing, and their somewhat melancholy, jazz-loving friend to whom they're inextricably tied together by the friendship of their fathers. The story is told from the point of view of this friend, Tyler, who throughout his life is deeply and not quite secretly in love with Diane.
Also like good science fiction, the novel is driven by big ideas, in this case, the eventual extinction of the human race and the problem of faith. "Death" is a tried and true subject of literature, but it's usually science fiction that takes that to the ultimate extreme, the end of the species. One thinks of the movie CHILDREN OF MEN, and the P.D. James novel upon which it's based. Like that work, SPIN has its nightmarish scenes of a world on the verge of destruction, but also like CHILDREN OF MEN, the sense of despair is leavened with hope and faith. (In some respects, "Children of Men" makes more sense to me as a title for Wilson's book, but alas!) Faith--and lack thereof--is the other recurrent theme, which is interwoven with the first. The circumstances that imperil humankind bring out some of the worst excesses of religious fervor borne out of fear. The story's dread-laced religiosity is contrapuntal to the deep and abiding faith between the three main characters. Ultimately, Wilson perhaps doesn't have a lot to say (here, anyway) on the significance of the survival of the human race or on the problem of faith in God, but perhaps it's enough that he raises the questions in a meaningful and provocative way.
Simply put, SPIN is a great read. Wilson writes extremely well, and there is a lack of the sort of editing gaffes that often spoil long science fiction novels like this one. It's a novel that, despite its length, you don't want to put down and you don't want to end--except to go outside and be thankful the stars are still there.
The story of three friends at the end of time - sooner than you'd think!.......2007-10-06
Spin is basically the story of three friends growing up together. The brilliant Jason is being groomed as the heir to an aerospace empire. His sister Diane is almost as smart, but more philosophical and empathetic. Their housekeeper's son, Tyler, is a normal kid (although industrious enough to get into medical school) and the narrator of the action. Upon their world, when they are aged 12 or so, descends "the Spin." It is a membrane cutting mankind off from the rest of the universe, including their own sun, NASA's communications satellites, etc. Robert Charles Wilson's story is basically an apocalyptic one because outside the Spin membrane the universe is aging at an incredible rate - before the end of the natural lifetimes of the main characters, the sun will have expanded to its red giant state and engulfed the Earth. Thus, the race is on to determine the nature of the Spin membrane and the motives behind it. (Wilson does a clever thing - by naming the book and the membrane "Spin" he immediately wins over the skeptical physics types like me, who can readily accept the idea of time dilation through rotational motion as predicted by Relativity Theory and proven by experiment.)
Our characters grow up in the shadow of the Spin. Tyler has an unrequited love (or crush, at least) on Diane that he nurses through adolescence into adulthood. Diane chooses to deal with her species' coming mortality by finding religion (her father, a less understanding character, would call it a cult). Jason throws himself into finding out as much as he can about the nature of the Spin and some way to combat it. It turns out that mankind can traverse the membrane safely - thus, they send microbes and bacteria to start terraforming Mars. Located outside the Spin, time is moving at normal speed on Mars. Thus, within a year subjective time, Mars could become habitable (one hundred million years later in objective time).
That's all I'm going to say about the plot, because a dry description of the plot points is not really the point. The Spin is basically a McGuffin - a plot device to bring about crisis on Earth. Similar territory has been explored in science fiction using accelerated evolution ("Darwin's Radio," "Childhood's End"), an unstable sun going nova early ("Songs of Distant Earth"), even the coming of the Antichrist ("A Case of Conscience"). Even Tom Clancy's engineered ebola virus from Rainbow Six would have sufficed. Being a good sci fi book, we do eventually learn of the intelligence behind the membrane, and of its motives. But the point is mostly to bring an apocalyptic planetary crisis and to have our characters act out their parts in it.
Thus, at its heart, "Spin" is a story about human nature, and it's readable (and likeable) because it focuses on the characters and filters the action through their eyes. Told from the point of view of, say, a U.S. President, this story would not have been interesting. It's key that we like and identify with the characters. Granted, it's hard to identify with a genius like Jason after he's also become the nation's top power broker, but Wilson carefully builds up his character before he becomes that power broker, so we sympathise and even relate to him. In fact, I found Diane's character to be the hardest to believe - like most science fiction writers (exceptions: Sawyer and Card), Wilson seems to be uncomfortable with religion (or hostile to it) . His hard-core preacher pulling quotes from the Book of Revelations is convincing enough, but not his "free love" sect nor the participation of the thoughtful Diane (or even her less thoughtful but not gullible husband Simon) in such cults. This is the trait that drops the book from 5-star to 4-star level.
All in all, the book is certainly interesting, and a page-turner. Wilson uses the plot device of revealing the "present" alternating with the events leading up to it, and this device has never been used more effectively. Both the search for knowledge about the Spin, and the very human emotions and interactions behind the scenes, are engrossing, and the book is certainly deserving of its awards and accolades.
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
This really is pretty good, complete with 'holy crap' moment at the end.
The Earth is cocooned in a pocket of slow time, why?
Large scientific effort goes into looking at the problem, seen through the eyes of 2 of 3 childhood friends.
Naturally, all sorts of religi0ns go whacko, and religi0us whackos spring up, given the possible immiment death of the Earth, due to time differentials with the Sun.
This book is a lot more focused on a few characters, though, even a Martian.
Wilson Gets Better and Better.......2007-08-20
"Spin" follows three main characters for several decades after an unexplainable astrophysical event envelops the Earth within a temporal shroud. The stars are gone just like that, and time beyond the shroud--beyond the "Spin"--is advancing much more rapidly than time on Earth. This opens up some incredible opportunities for exploration, when, due to the time slip, a slow-moving rocket to another planet or into the far galaxy will have arrived and returned data within minutes of its launch. Also interesting and well thought out is the fatalistic psychology of the people on Earth, especially within the generation raised during the "Spin" who have never known any other way of life.
Robert Charles Wilson's early books described some fascinating science but his characterizations and plot development were weak. Wilson's skill has improved with each new book, though, and I believe that "Spin" is his best book yet. Not only does his science force the reader to think, but his characterizations are very strong and he has finally constructed an ending that is satisfying and complete; one that leaves open the opportunity for a new series.
Best. Science Fiction. Novel. Ever. (or at least in top five).......2007-07-15
_Spin_ by Robert Charles Wilson is the best. Science fiction novel. Ever. Yes, I mean that. I would put it up against _Dune_ , _A Fire Upon the Deep_, and _Ender's Game_, it is that unbelievably good. Or if it is not the best one ever, it definitely belongs in the top five.
Bold words I know and I run the risk of overselling the book but this novel is what other science fiction novelists should aspire to create. It has everything.
The basic premise - no spoilers here, you can get this from the back cover of the book - is that one October night the three main characters, three adolescents, Diane and Jason Lawton (fraternal twins) and their best friend Tyler Dupree are out on the lawn stargazing when the Moon and stars disappear, the sky become a flat black. Rushing inside, they learn that all satellite communications have been lost and the world is in a panic. News from the other side of the world is hard to come by, and the three wait with trepidation to see if the Sun will even rise in the morning.
It does, but it is a strange sun, an almost generic Sun, a perfect one without evidence of solar flares, prominences, or sunspots. An idealization of a Sun.
It becomes clear to the government, military, and scientists that a planet-spanning shield, a membrane, has been erected around the globe, completely blocking sight of the stars and Moon from the people of the Earth. The Sun that that people see, that is still driving the world's weather, ecology, and agriculture, is a simulacrum; for all intents and purposes, the real Sun but upon study obviously not an actual star.
It gets stranger though. The Spin membrane (the event comes to be called the Spin) has two highly unusual properties. One, it has produced a huge time discontinuity; for every second that passes on Earth, something like 3 years passes outside the membrane. Two, the membrane is selectively permeable. As obviously the Earth would be fried if 3 years of sunlight hit the planet every second, the "Sun" is a filtered representation of actual sunlight. Similarly, the planet is protected from similar accumulations of cosmic radiation. However, the membrane is permeable to manmade items, both coming and going. This is in fact how the unique temporal properties of the membrane were discovered, as survivors of the International Space Station fell to earth the first night of the Spin but claimed that they had been orbiting a frightening, black, blank world for three weeks! At first kept secret, this does eventually get out to the public.
The novel follows the next 30-odd years of history after the creation of the Spin membrane through the eyes of the three main characters. Each tackles the brave new era in his or her own way, each in ways that thoroughly flesh out the character, are true to the characters personalities and desires, and illuminate different aspects of the Spin Earth. Jason devotes his life to unraveling the mysteries of the Spin, trying to understand who did, what it means, and how to defeat it. Diane instead embraces religion, joining a different segment of the population who is trying to come to terms with the event through spiritual means. Tyler is in some sense the outsider, the unattached one, in the outside looking in as a child and still as an adult. He becomes a physician and travels between the two worlds, Diane's and Jason's.
The novel is also a love story, as Tyler nourishes strong unrequited love for Diane, who herself has strongly conflicted feelings for him in turn. As events in the Spin unfold, Diane and Tyler almost connect again and again but events in their personal lives - irrevocably tied up in the Spin - keep them apart.
It is an also an end of the world story. As 30-odd years pass on Earth, 300 billion years pass outside the Spin membrane. During that time the Sun has swollen and would be lethal to life on Earth if the membrane were to disappear. Instead of the Spin being seen as a prison, it instead becomes the only thing keeping humanity alive. But for how long? Will the membrane disappear, the Earth left to the blazing and merciless fury of a senescent Sun, the oceans boiling away, all life turned to cinders and ash? Or is something else in store? Humanity - and the main characters - struggle with the issue.
The novel continually adds surprises, with developments in the characters personal lives, how the world reacts to the Spin, and the absolutely fascinating and exciting things that are done to study and fight against the Spin, wonderful things that have you exited as you read them, going to yourself, "wow, I never thought of that." So many things happen, things I would love to tell you about, but I won't. Get the book and read it. Now. This is epic science fiction. This has fantastic writing. This has incredibly well-done characters. And it has a mind-blowing ending. Oh, and a sequel, _Axis_, due out in September, which I plan to get.
Product Description
Jim gives us first-hand reports of a decade of ET encounters, along with many messages for humanity.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating account of abduction.......2007-10-03
This was a very interesting read. Sparks gives many details of his encounters with ETs including grays and reptilians. He was forced to learn some kind of language by these ETs who also claimed they own us!
He also had encounters with military people who were working with grays and using some kind of teleportation device on him.
Linda M. Howe and John Mack apparently found him to be credible. I read this book with a group and a skeptical member of the group was shocked to read an account that matched their own experience! Very interesting!
keepers:an alien message for the human race.......2007-08-28
Wonderful, best recolection of an alien encounter ever. Makes you stop and think, eyes wide open, and it could happen to anybody.
Think about it..........2007-08-07
I am really so very tired of all the ignorant people who constantly ask: "If there are UFO's, why don't they show themselves in some irrefutable way, like hang out over the White House for a day?"
Firstly, can you imagine the scene? Most people are asleep and unenlightened. A UFO hanging over the White House would certainly seem threatening and would be completely and utterly life changing. Our ideas of who we are would change in an instant, especially for those whose ideas of life are founded in religion. This planet is not ready for such an event.
If there are aliens, obviously they've evolved in such a way that war and hatred are no longer a predominant focus in their lives. If they hadn't learned to get along, they would have destroyed themselves long ago. They are technoligically and spiritually evolved and obviously would not want to force themselves on a planet that is still in kindergarten in the Universe. We would revere them as Gods, and again, our planet is not ready for such an event.
For gosh sakes. The Universe is made up of, literally, MILLIONS of galaxies, like our own Milky Way. Are you really willing to declare that life on other planets could not have possibly evolved much in the way our planet has evolved? Isn't that a silly assumption? Are you the sort of person who would have jailed Galileo for stating that the earth is not the center of our galaxy? Or would you have laughed when it was said the earth was not flat? Stop driving into your garage after work and popping a beer! Learn to think! Go outside of your own comfort zone and imagine a reality different than the one you've created---one devoid of logic.
You think that a grand cover up could not have happened? Please! The Government would rather shrivel up and die than admit they've lied to us for more than fifty years about UFO's. Perfectly sane and logical people have attested to seeing them, including astranout Edgar Mitchell, the former Governor of Arizona, and emergency room doctor Steven Greer. In fact, the last person alive involved in the Roswell incident signed an affadavit right before he died attesting to the truth about Roswell! It was released last week. Heck, even Jimmy Carter says he saw a UFO. These people aren't crazy---just honest.
Hmmmm...what does the Government have to lose? Trillions of dollars in block operation money, their shirts, their integrity, their power...and last but not least----their oil! If aliens are visiting us, obviously they have found a better way to run engines than using oil. Imagine the oil magnates giving up their power and profits to entertain propulsion technology-----a use of natural laws to propel transportation systems, specifically crafts. You think they'd just roll over and let it happen? Cover ups happen by those who have the most to lose, especially the rich and powerful.
Think about alien visitation as a way for other planetary species to slowly indoctrinate us to their existence. They're letting us know that they are here without imposing their way of life on us. Clever and intelligent, I think. Heck, they're facing a government that won't even admit their existence. They know that. They get it.
Abductions? Maybe. They may be overly curious. I don't blame them, really. We're an interesting species... still murdering eachother. letting eachother starve, but capable of great compassion and good works.
I'd be really curious about our species, too. Intersting sort we are.
Most people want irrefutable proof. If an astonaut and a Governor don't do it for you, visit this site (www.disclsoureproject.org) where dozens of high placed officials testified in front of the press that yes, ufo's exist. Guess what? The press didn't cover it very well...hmmm...wonder why. And here's a morning jolt along with your Starbucks coffee---the video of these people testifying are on line. All you have to do is look.
Brazil just initiated their own UFO Investigation council. Mexico is not shy about reporting them and other countries have opened up their books on UFO'S. Sorry your country stinks in this manner, but then think of JFK. There has always been a lot of secrets in this country. Face up.
Oh yes, America the beautiful, home of the brave, truth, yadda, yadda, yadda. You wouldn't believe what you don't know here, but hey, they keep you so busy paying bills, outrageous interest rates and working your butts off most of your life, you don't have time to think about important things like oil, aliens and war. They like it that way. They prefer us to be a bunch of sheep, but hey, keep telling yourself how free you are.
Life on other planets?
It very well may be. Einstein and friends all believed it, but who was he? Oh, probably the most intelligent man to ever walk the earth, but don't take his word for it. You must know better.
This book is interesting, but there's a lot of disinformation about the UFO experience. Personally, I don't believe in all this scary UFO crap---it seems to me another way to discredit this burgeoning reality. I'm skeptical of untoward and war-like aliens and if you don't believe me, read above.
Ask twenty of your friends if they've ever seen a UFO and then do some reading and do some logical thinking..... hmmmmm..... big universe, huh? other planets, too. Why wouldn't there be other life forms? Oh, yes, I know...the world is flat....and oh yes, we are the center of the universe. Poor logic.
Outstanding account of pure terror.......2007-06-27
This man has gone through a transition that literally thousands of other are doing RIGHT now all over the world. Our Government KNOWS what aliens are doing to AMERICANS and does absolutely NOTHING to stop it. This is REAL people....wake UP HOLD our government accountable!
excellent,but stick to the truth.......2007-06-21
I found this book one of the best alien abduction accounts I've ever read,although I'm afraid Mr.Sparks added a little of his own personal fantasy to it.I'm quite skeptical about the people from the future carrying wrong currencies and so on,this seems a little too far-fetched for me.
Book Description
Kenneth Chinran was a disaffected youth who joined the military and was recruited for an elite deep cover unit, shrugging off training and exercises so tough that several of the recruits did not survive. Then he was sent by his star nation to infiltrate a fascistic, militaristic planet-Earth. He lived in deep cover for years, marrying and having a daughter. Then the Earth forces attacked his home system, and he and his team came out of hiding, attacking and destroying the infrastructure of the crowded planet, disabling transportation and communications in city after city. As a result of his attacks, billions died for lack of the food, water and power which the ravaged system could no longer supply. His sabotage was successful, but the deaths of so many weighs heavily on his mind, making him wonder if he can stay sane. Then the secret police discovered his identity. With his daughter, the only thing in his life that had so far kept him human, he was on the run, while the resources of a planetwide police state were tracking him down. He could see no way to escape from the planet, no way to keep hiding, and if he and his daughter were caught, death was the very least that they could expect. But Chinran is a warrior to the core, and even if he loses this last battle, he won't go down without a fight that his pursuers-the ones who survive-will never forget
Book Description
RIDDING THE WORLD OF EVIL, ONE ALIEN AT A TIME: THAT'S MIA SNOW'S MISSION.
Snow is in the forecast.
In a time and place not too far away, Mia Snow is an alien huntress for the New Chicago Police Department. Heading up her expert team of Alien Investigation and Removal agents, Mia's unmatched at battling the elusive enemy among us, and she's the perfect girl for the job. She's seen her brother die at the hands of aliens. She's earned each of her scars. And she'll die before she cries. Now, a series of killings have Mia and her partner Dallas tracking alien suspects -- but a sudden blast of violence leaves Dallas fighting for his life.
They are ice and fire.
The chance to save Dallas appears in the form of a tall, erotic stranger. An alien. A murder suspect. Kyrin en Arr, of the deadly Arcadian species, holds the power to heal the injured agent but not without a price. For Mia Snow, that price is surrendering to Kyrin's forbidden seduction...and embracing their electric attraction. She's walking a knife's edge, risking her badge and even her life. The closer she gets to Kyrin, the more Mia learns about her own heart, her human needs -- and the shocking secret that will shatter everything she's ever believed.
Download Description
"RIDDING THE WORLD OF EVIL, ONE ALIEN AT A TIME: THAT'S MIA SNOW'S MISSION. Snow is in the forecast. In a time and place not too far away, Mia Snow is an alien huntress for the New Chicago Police Department. Heading up her expert team of Alien Investigation and Removal agents, Mia's unmatched at battling the elusive enemy among us, and she's the perfect girl for the job. She's seen her brother die at the hands of aliens. She's earned each of her scars. And she'll die before she cries. Now, a series of killings have Mia and her partner Dallas tracking alien suspects -- but a sudden blast of violence leaves Dallas fighting for his life. They are ice and fire. The chance to save Dallas appears in the form of a tall, erotic stranger. An alien. A murder suspect. Kyrin en Arr, of the deadly Arcadian species, holds the power to heal the injured agent but not without a price. For Mia Snow, that price is surrendering to Kyrin's forbidden seduction...and embracing their electric attraction. She's walking a knife's edge, risking her badge and even her life. The closer she gets to Kyrin, the more Mia learns about her own heart, her human needs -- and the shocking secret that will shatter everything she's ever believed. "
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-31
Mia Snow is a top cop with the Alien Investigation and Removal unit. She runs around dealing with illegal immigrants from a long way away, and extreme violence is good when it is necessary.
A partner is critically injured and she ends up in a relationship of sorts with an alien that reveals something about who she actually is, and why she can do what she can do better than other humans.
Fussy Woman Gets Her Man - er - Alien.......2007-07-02
Strong female characters attract my attention, so I was drawn to Awaken Me Darkly by the foreboding Mia Snow. But what made me lay my money on the counter to buy the book was the description of Dallas Gutierrez set as a teaser in the front of my edition. Good Lord. Give me a partner like that any day of the week. Mia who? Oh, is that little girl going to factor into this story? That's nice...get back to Dallas...
So you can imagine how upset I was when Dallas got injured (great foreshadowing and leading into that on Gena Showalter's part, by the way), but the novel didn't just leave me disappointed there. Mia continued working with her other partners (even though some of that felt contrived, but, hey, when you've only got 306 pages, what's a writer to do?) and fighting for Dallas's life and working to rid society of evil bad guys. Now, I expected Mia to save Dallas, sacrificing herself in some way in the process, and end up sweating up the sheets with him. So imagine my surprise when Dallas remained impotently in a hospital bed while the alien huntress alternately beat up and slept with his enemy. Somehow, the talented Ms. Gena Showalter brought it all together with a satisfying ending. Wonderfully.
That's a gifted storyteller.
is brutality equality?...........2007-06-13
LJ Lewis' review below pretty much sums up how I feel about this book as well.
I found this book a rehash of the whole "tough cookie" heroine and not in a good way. The behavior of the heroine, Mia, is brutal and off putting.
The storyline is that the Alien Hunters have complete authority over all Alien species, judge, jury and executioner. In just the first 100 pages alone you see the heroine committing various forms of police harassment and brutality, all the while thinking to herself how much she dislikes most Aliens. And she's supposed to fall in love with an Alien? Is this supposed to be enjoyable?
If this was a male lead I would consider him a villain-and I consider Mia Snow one equally. At one point she tells a suspect "you know I have no conscience" and I agree.
When did equality mean to be equally brutal?
0 stars.
Enjoyable.......2007-06-12
This book features a kick-butt heroine, which is something that I love in books. She doesn't take crap from anyone (or anything). The romance is nice but doesn't overwhelm the plot. Looking forward to the next title in this series.
enjoy a good book.......2007-02-04
Whats not to like? You have adventure in a future Earth with lots of aliens, a beautiful woman with deadly fighting skills (she enjoys fighting), an awsome alien who loves her, along with bad guy & good guys and a big secret she uncovers that changes her life. People who like this type of stuff will also enjoy reading this book.
Book Description
When a 60-kiloton explosion destroyed the University of Central Florida, and much of the surrounding countryside, the authorities first thought that terrorists had somehow obtained a nuclear weapon. But there was no radiation detected, and, when physicist Dr. William Weaver and Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller were sent to investigate, they found that in the center of the destruction, where the University's physics department used to be, was an interdimensional gateway to... somewhere. An experiment in subatomic physics had produced a very unexpected effect. Furthermore, other gateways were appearing all over the world-and one of them immediately began disgorging demonic visitors intent on annihilating all life on Earth and replacing it with their own. Other, apparently less hostile, aliens emerged from other gateways, and informed Weaver and Miller that the demonic invaders-the name for them that humans could most easily pronounce was the "Dreen"-were a deadly blight across the galaxy, occupying planet after planet after wiping out all native life. Now it would be Earth's turn, unless Weaver and Miller could find a way to close the gateways. If they failed, the less belligerent aliens would face the regrettable necessity of annihilating the entire Earth to save their own worlds. . . .
Customer Reviews:
An excellent start to a new series.......2007-09-26
John Ringo has been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me in the last few years. I think he does military sci-fi plot better than just about anyone writing today. He moves action along with just the right mix of talk and splatter to keep readers interested and wanting more. If he has an Achilles heel (and thus the guilt) it is his rote assumption that all who do not share his political views are mindless drones or useless boobs. It makes his characters into caricatures at times and truly represents a weakness inherent within the otherwise fascinating and engaging worlds that he creates. That being said, "Into the Looking Glass" is a thrill ride from start to finish combining interesting plot and plenty of action. The ruminations on muons, quarks and bosons can sometimes get a bit dense, and a brief trip into the mind of a fuzzy alien god in the center of the book is just plain impossible to understand, but this is an enjoyable ride and an excellent start to what should be a great series.
It's up to an esteemed physicist to investigate and to ultimately confront the demons .......2007-09-03
John Ringo's INTO THE LOOKING GLASS tells of a huge explosion which destroys the University of Central Florida and which leaves doorways into another world in its aftermath. It's up to an esteemed physicist to investigate and to ultimately confront the demons these gateways will discharge from other worlds.
Could have been better.......2007-09-02
While this book has managed to keep me mildly engaged in the story, it is a definite disappointment. The characterizations are two dimensional and the author just fails to do anywhere near as much with the premise as he could have. Let's face it: Ringo starts with a fascinating concept, with wormholes opening up to random worlds all over the place. That's an idea with a lot of potential, much of which he ends up wasting. The result is readable and entertaining enough to follow through to the end -- but far short of what it could be. Which is why I give it 2 stars; it's an average story where the author should have been able to give us something outstanding.
Then there's the politics that have been referenced in so many other reviews. Although I lean to the progressive side, I've certainly enjoyed books by politically conservative authors such as Poul Andersen, Robert Heinlein, and Larry Niven. Unfortunately, Ringo fails to work his politics into the story with anywhere near their success -- so, instead of enhancing the story, Ringo's politics just distracts. If you're liberal, it's just annoying. If you're conservative, you might still be disappointed that the author didn't do a better job of effectively working in his political views.
Summary: I bought this as a close out item for $5. If I'd paid more, I would be seriously disappointed.
Entertaining like a video game - feels one-dimensional.......2007-08-28
While John Ringo is at times capable of brilliant characterization, strong back history and vivid descriptions, he doesn't give us this in "Into the Looking Glass." The story feels rushed, the characters are undeveloped and generic and the whole concept - which had the potential to be super cool - ended up leaving me saying "meh." Basically when the physics lab at the University of Central Florida - Orlando - explodes in what appears to be a nuclear fireball (but isn't) a strange "hole" is left, which appears to be a rip in the fabric of space. Other holes start appearing, first nearby, then spreading out across the country, then across the world. When a hostile alien race comes through and begins to attack, the military must hold them off while the scientists try to find a way to shut down the holes.
As I said - a cool concept. It's just too bad it wasn't developed as fully as it could have been. This could have been spaced out over several books, allowing for fuller development of the characters, fuller development of the story and back history of the various aliens encountered, etc. Unfortunately, that was not the case. This is, unfortunately, the worst Ringo book I've read. Entertaining enough, in a fluffy way, but not one I'll be likely to re-read any time soon.
Not Ringo's best work.......2007-06-28
Maybe he was tired, or in a hurry. The basic idea is interesting, but there are too many inconsistencies.
The first major head-shaker is when Tuffy shows up. For a brief, obviously-for-the-purpose-of-foreshadowing-only, appearance: If any real physicist found an intelligent alien at the site of a huge mysterious explosion, would they; a)spend the next 100 pages learning to communicate and finding out all they could from it, or, b) utter a cliched expletive and go off to stupidly help send a soldier into the cause of the explosion?
For Ringo's answer see page 48 and chapter 3.
Next, we discover on page 84 that our hero, a hot-shot multi-degreed physicist AND a martial artist, has no clue how to use a gun.
This may be barely believable, until we get to page 178 and discover our gun-naive hero has "over a hundred hours" in a prototype combat suit (thought I'd wandered back into "A hymn Before Battle" here) and then, to clinch the goof, page 187 where we find Our Hero expertly, and one-handedly, shooting aliens with a Bushmaster. He mows down more on page 322. Dang, where'd he learn to shoot like that?
The answer is, he didn't. First Ringo needed him to be gun-naive for the cute scene in the farmhouse where he nonchalantly shoots aliens while carrying on a cell-phone conversation. But later, he has to know how to shoot, so he does. Characters, to be consistently believable, have to do and know things for plausible reasons, not just because the plot requires some action.
Tuffy finally shows up again at page 270, where we find the government allowing this alien, which it knows nothing about, in the middle of a war with aliens, to live a nice quiet life with its little friend and her aunt in a nice suburb. Aaargh! What alternate universe U.S. government is Ringo imagining here?
For those who enjoy the mass slaughter of bad-guy BEMs, Ringo is your man. For those who want to see some engaging characters and intriguing plots, this book isn't going to be for you.
I know Ringo can do better; the 'Hymn Before Battle' series proves that. I do wish he would stop turning his series over to other writers, though. So far all have been a step down and I've stopped buying them, David Weber being the notable exception.
Average customer rating:
- A mind expanding book-Top notch!
- Worthwhile read, but flawed conclusions.
- Enemies? Or Friends?
- Shamanism vs. The Flying Saucers
- I wish it were true
|
Passport to the Cosmos : Human Transformation and Alien Encounters
John E. Mack
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
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Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens
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Witnessed; The True Story of the Brooklyn Bridge UFO Abductions
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Secret Life: Firsthand, Documented Accounts of UFO Abductions
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Sight Unseen: Science, UFO Invisibility and Transgenic Beings
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The THREAT: Revealing the Secret Alien Agenda
ASIN: 0517705680
Release Date: 1999-10-26 |
Book Description
In his groundbreaking follow-up to the best-selling Abduction, Pulitzer Prize-winner John E. Mack, M.D., powerfully demonstrates how the alien abduction phenomenon calls for a revolutionary new way of examining the nature of reality and our place in the cosmos.
Harvard professor John E. Mack stunned the world when he first published in Abduction the astonishing results of his extensive research involving clients who reported they had had encounters with alien life-forms. In Passport to the Cosmos, Mack, who has done additional research with abductees in the United States and around the world, provocatively asserts that this phenomenon is part of a new era in human consciousness, a time in which we must be willing to embrace the idea that alien visitation is real on some level.
For Mack, the alien abduction phenomenon is nothing short of a cosmic wake-up call to humans that we do indeed live in a world filled with spirits and beings who can cross the barrier we have thrown up between the material and immaterial worlds. Drawing on the rich tradition of non-Western and indigenous cultures, which more readily accept that we live in a multidimensional universe, Mack persuasively shows that by broadening our definition of "what is real," we can begin to explore a phenomenon that has deep and lasting implications for humanity.
By sharing the vivid and dramatic encounters of experiencers, Mack illuminates a phenomenon that has shattered the worldviews of the people who have experienced it. Time and time again, experiencers from all cultures say their lives have been radically altered by their encounters with aliens in ways that are both traumatic and transformative. This transformation seems to be an intrinsic part of the alien abduction phenomenon, which is marked by a variety of elements that go beyond the physical manifestation of alien visitation.
In Passport to the Cosmos, John Mack further solidifies his reputation as a brave pioneer on the forefront of the science of human experience, an authoritative voice that will take us into the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews:
A mind expanding book-Top notch!.......2006-05-02
Dr. Mack is brilliant in this book! He is most interested in how a person's life changes as a result of their anomolous experiences, mainly encounters with other worldly beings. These "experiencers" seem to have a jump start on the rest of us mortals, in terms of understanding the vastness of which we come from, and which we will return. An excellent book for anyone seeking to get closer to the TRUTH.
Worthwhile read, but flawed conclusions........2005-06-26
Mack's done an overall good job pretaining to the UFO/abduction phenomena. I take exception however to his take home message that most if not all of the abduction experience is actually directly related to alien abduction and moreover that the aliens are benevolent and have our best interests at heart.
I do think that aliens are visiting the earth. I base this on the fact that many people report the same similiar experiences. What adds credence to this, is that I know of people who've recounted these kinds of stories having happened to them or love ones as early as the early 60's--long before the trite description of the "Greys" became so popularized.
Having heard these stories and the clearly advanced technology that these aliens possess, it is clear that they are not benevolent. Some are clearly and undeniably sinister. It even looks as if some are simply playing with us like fodder for entertainment. The movies the Mothman Prophecies and the movie Forgotten have taken a departure of the good-feel ET alien movie message and played on the notion that we're essentially lab rats in comparison to these alien intelligences.
Personally, if ET came knocking on my door, I'd slap his silly duff on an autopsy table and find out what makes him/her/it tick and find a way to kill them off en masse. I hope our government has such a method or is rapidly working toward developing such a means.
Enemies? Or Friends?.......2004-06-02
These many reviews are interesting. It seems that the negative reviewers are offended at the idea - the very idea! - that aliens might actually be helping humanity. No, such reviewers seem more comfortable with the idea that aliens are out to destroy humanity, no doubt about it.
To me, these reviews offer a window into the psychology of each reviewer: Those who feel that the unknown MUST be our enemy, and those who feel that the unknown CAN be our friend.
For those of the former, THE THREAT is obviously the book for you. For those of the latter, PASSPORT will offer elucidation and comfort.
It's been suggested that we each make our own reality...
Shamanism vs. The Flying Saucers.......2003-05-20
This follows a disturbing phenomenon in anomalous research of whatever ilk, whenever empiricial answers do not hold adequate allure- break out the indigenous shaman routine to cast "illumination" on the discussion. The new agers probably "understand" the explainations provided from 3rd world wise men & women of crop circles, abuctions, and other intrusions into the lives of certain fantasy prone individuals. But I am left wondering: "what the hell are they talking about?" Dr. Mack's first book still had enough healthy scepticism to make for solid reading. This book makes me want to cheer the academic committee's attempt to reel Dr. Mack back into the fold. With this work, John E. has wandered too far into make-believe-land to have much credibility. Jacques Vallee made a more reasonable sojourn into the folklore/UFO connection some years ago with his "Passport to Magonia". This "Passport to the Cosmos" has been stamped invalid.
I wish it were true.......2002-12-31
This is a book on abductions with the same "new-ageish" and prophetic tone as communion. The author here believes the aliens are "spiritual beings" or "gods" from a different dimension. The 'experiencers' are specially chosen people to learn and be enlightened.They are here, he says to help us, and to teach us important messages. In it, he talks with native peoples and shamans of the world to try to find out the meaning of the abduction phenomenon.
I agree with the author that the abduction phenomenon is real and that it isn't made up or imagined. However, he seems to automatically assume
that the alien beings are kindly, benevolent, interdimensional messengers. He doesn't have much evidence to back up his theory and his view ot the aliens doesn't seem to explain the traumatic and humiliating procedures that abductees experience. It also doesn't explain their secrecy. If they are benevolent and want to give us important messages, why do they make it so that the abductee can't remember the experience. There are so many unanswered questions that his view brings up, and it ultimately doesn't hold much water. He seems to have been influenced greatly by the 'contactees' of the 50's and the new age movement. Mack is a great psychiatrist but unfortunately is more interested in helping his abductee/patients and in helping them cope with the abductions than he is at getting to the bottom of the whole phenomenon.
If you want to look at the facts and evidence logically and rationally, get the book "The Threat" by David Jacobs (It actually explains the whole abduction phenomenon, is based on actual evidence, and makes much more sense) or perhaps the book "UFOs and abductions: challenging the borders of knowledge". If you want to hear about a new age/spiritual/religious-oriented explanation based on wishful thinking and interviews with native shamans that doesn't make very much sense, but that makes you feel good about the whole thing, get this book.
Books:
- A Certain Slant of Light
- Absolute Fear
- America: A Narrative History, Full Sixth Edition, Volume Two
- America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
- American Psycho
- An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 3)
- APA Engineered Wood Handbook
- Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Brushless Machines
- Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
- Boiling Heat Transfer And Two-Phase Flow (Series in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Bad Blood: A Novel
- Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
- Mr. Darcy's Daughters : A Novel
- Nadine Gordimer
- Motor City Mafia: A Century of Organized Crime in Detroit
- Perils of a Restless Planet: Scientific Perspectives on Natural Disasters
- Statistical Learning Theory
- Life Under Glass: The Inside Story of Biosphere 2
- Kingdom: The Story of the Hunt Family of Texas
- How to Do Business with Russians: A Handbook and Guide for Western World Business People
A Deeper Blue (The Ghost)
Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass)
Hell Hath No Fury (Multiverse, Book 2)
1634: The Baltic War
Unto the Breach (Paladin of Shadows, Book 4)
