Seneca, VIII, Tragedies I: Hercules. Trojan Women. Phoenician Women. Medea. Phaedra (Loeb Classical Library)

Book Description

Seneca is a figure of first importance in both Roman politics and literature: a leading adviser to Nero who attempted to restrain the emperor's megalomania; a prolific moral philosopher; and the author of verse tragedies that strongly influenced Shakespeare and other Renaissance dramatists. Here is the first of a new two-volume edition of Seneca's tragedies, with a fully annotated translation facing the Latin text.

Seneca's plays depict intense passions and interactions in an appropriately strong rhetoric. Their perspective is much bleaker than that of his prose writings. In this new translation John Fitch conveys the force of Seneca's dramatic language and the lyric quality of his choral odes.

Fabulae: Volume II: Supplices, Electra, Hercules, Troades, Iphigenia in Tauris, Ion (Oxford Classical Texts)

Average customer rating:

Euripidis Fabulae Tomus II: Supplices, Hercules, Ion, Troiades

Fabulae: Volume II: Supplices, Electra, Hercules, Troades, Iphigenia in Tauris, Ion (Oxford Classical Texts)
Euripides
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Greek & Roman | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Classical & Early | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Greek | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 019814590X

Customer Reviews:

Euripidis Fabulae Tomus II: Supplices, Hercules, Ion, Troiades.......2005-10-09

is the Latin title of this book, which translates into English as "Euripides: Tragedies, Volume II: Suppliants, Heracles, Ion, Trojan Women." The standard Oxford Classical Text edition of the middle plays of Euripides, edited by the widely respected Euripides textual scholar James Diggle. The text is in Greek, the frontmatter and title in Latin. This is less a review than an attempt to get the title corrected.

Average customer rating:

One of the best, from one of the best . . .
Plot, characters, AND ideas!
The Age of Reason?
Still one of my favorites, refreshing and different
Refreshing, knockout, intelligent story

The Hercules Text (Ace Special, No 7)
Jack McDevitt
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0441373674

Customer Reviews:

One of the best, from one of the best . . ........2006-10-14

"First contact" is a very old trope in science fiction, but this is one of the better recent riffs on it. More realistic, too, in that a signal is picked up by the Goddard Space Center in Maryland from a pulsar a million and a half light years away -- in fact, the pulsar is the signal -- so there's no chance whatever of a two-way conversation, much less a face-to-face meeting. McDevitt astutely explores the problem of a more advanced civilization coming into contact with a less developed one, the human race being the "South Sea Islanders" in this case. Virtually free energy could solve many of the world's most pressing problems -- or destroy the world's economy. After-the-fact gene-tailoring could wipe out disease, genetic defects, even postpone death indefinitely -- but who gets to benefit from immortality? (Just the politicians?) One of the cosmologists involved in the translation team is a Catholic priest, which gives the author the opportunity to examine the shaky interface between religion and the real world. But the main POV character is an administrator, not a scientist, with a much more practical perspective. McDevitt's characters and descriptions are excellent, as always. There are several subplots involving personal relationships, too. In fact, the only problem with this book is that the political background -- which is essential to the plot -- presupposes continued tension between the U.S. and the USSR into the early 21st century. And we know that didn't happen. When I first read this book, back around the end of the Reagan years, I thought it was a fantastic piece of work. In theory, I still think that, but present political realities make it a little strange to read.

Plot, characters, AND ideas!.......2006-04-29

This book is definitely worth searching for, even if it is out of print. The plot involves mankind's receipt of the first communication from an alien intelligent species, a common SF topic, but McDevitt's handling of the story is far above the common. The author does an excellent job of portraying the various characters' reactions to the event, e.g, the priest-astronomer's speculations on the implications for religion, the psychologist's theorizing about the aliens' psyches, the scientists' consideration of the implications of the new knowledge for their own specialties, the President's concern for the implications for national defense. However, the central conflict in the book develops from profound disagreements about the degree to which the new knowledge should be shared. What could have deteriorated into a pure "idea" book, however, kept me guessing until the very last chapter as the various factions vie for control. Although the plot is flavored by the attitudes of the Cold War, the questions are timeless, and the conclusion is satisfying.
It is very difficult to believe this was McDevitt's first novel. It deserves to be brought back into print.

The Age of Reason?.......2004-11-22

This is Jack McDevitt's first novel, and it shows, but Hercules Text is still a good read. What is lacking in this book is not story or characters, but just the refined style we read in McDevitt's later novels. The Hercules Text is apparently out-of-print. Perhaps now that McDevitt has become fairly successful, The Hercules Text will be reprinted.

Some reviewers compare The Hercules Text to Sagan's Contact, but I have to disagree: the two books resemble each other only insofar as each explores the ramifications and consequences of an extra-terrestrial communication. Contact explored much larger themes, in keeping with Carl Sagan's genius and vision. McDevitt writes a much more down to earth-and, in truth, more plausible-story that examines what would happen politically if an extra-terrestrial communication were discovered. The characters are not larger than life; they are not infused with Sagan's optimism. McDevitt's characters are scientists, bureaucrats, and politicians whom we can not only imagine, but whom we observe every day. The Hercules Text is, I believe, pretty close to what would actually happen.

And what happens is not grounds for optimism. The story is a little dated-the Soviet Union still exists-but the story would work just as well by substituting any of the other crazy, reactionary societies on the planet. The paranoia and hubris McDevitt writes into the American government is not a stretch either: just look at the behavior of the administration we have now.

If you believe that our species has successfully navigated through the Age of Reason toward some new intellectual enlightenment, then The Hercules Text should change your mind; if anything, we are still living in Sagan's Demon Haunted World.

Still one of my favorites, refreshing and different.......2004-05-11

I first read this book in college and enjoyed it at the time as a refreshing break from the traditional sci-fi literature. I've moved seven times in the intervening years, and this book is one of only a dozen or so that have been worth hauling city to city, state to state.

As with other reviewers, I enjoyed the fresh spin on the first contact storyline, and the inclusion of a psychologist and a cosmologist in the group of main characters. But having just re-read the book for the first time so far this decade, I have to say that my favorite part of the book is the idea of a bureacrat as the protaganist.

In most sci-fi stories the hero is a military person, or a brilliant scientist. That's great, and there are many soldiers and scientists that read sci-fi, but I'd guess there are far more sci-fi readers that have paperwork-intensive desk jobs, organizing meetings or creating reports. Carmichael's ordinariness creates a connection with the typical reader that is not found in many books.

McDevitt wrote an outstanding book. This is great stuff, and you should read it if you get a chance.

Refreshing, knockout, intelligent story.......2004-03-24

This is one of the first efforts of Jack McDevitt and surely one of his best. The story of the dull bureaucrat who struggles to balance politics, great minds and personal crises is an old one but here it is given a new twist - he emerges the reluctant hero.

Yes, I loved CONTACT which was a great book and an even better movie in my opinion. But the relationship between cultures, especially the effects on humanity and how we define ourselves was better in HERCULES. Particularly interesting was the inclusion of a psychologist who provided excellent comments and insight.

Customer Reviews:

Hercules & Iolaus: Partners In Print.......1999-05-18

I could be wrong but I think this is the first of the Timothy Boggs H:TLJ novels to actually have Hercules paired with his best buddy, Iolaus. And - if I do say so myself - it was about time! "Serpent's Shadows" is fun read. The duo are faced with a multitude of problems, not the least being a sea serpent who has a thing about chewing on pretty maidens. It's an enjoyable read about our heroes, as a team, doing what they do best. The dialogue is typical between characters, if a little predictable, but warming. Hercules has his god-family problems and Iolaus gets the attention of a beautiful girl who, unfortunately for the stressed hunter-warrior, sees him as a perfect marital prospect. The final battle with the serpent is well written. You can almost feel the splash of salt water and the mental and physical strain that is put on both Herc and Iolaus. If you're interested in reading these tie-in books I suggest this be your first -- It's the best.

This book captures the characters' relationship quite well........1999-03-18

The characterizations of both Hercules and Iolaus were quite well done. Iolaus's fun-loving nature leads to some refreshingly light-hearted moments. The plot, too,is very interesting, introducing another of the gods with whom Hercules has a relationship of sorts, Poseidon.

let down.......1998-04-30

This was bought because of the tv tie in, we all felt let down by this disjointed story.

A semi-interesting diversion for fans only........1998-02-18

While only a marginal fantasy novel, fans of the show may enjoy the brief moments when the flavor of the show is captured. Other times, the main characters (Hercules and Iolaus) don't really act like themselves and there's not much tension. The supporting characters are rather weak and somewhat stereotypical. It's a pity, but the book seems to be geared toward a very young audience and thus may hold its greatest appeal in a pre-teen to teen market segment. Check out the synopsis for a plot summary. [Note: This is my first attempt at reading a novel based on this show, which I happen to really like, and will be giving another book in the series a try]

Average customer rating:

I buy these for the journey, not necessarily the solution (which I never guess, anyway)
Not the best Agatha Christie Book
Full House
Christie in Fine Fettle
A good 4. Above the middle; below the top

Cards on the Table
Leslie Darbon , and Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Samuel French Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0573115400

Book Description

An enjoyable evening of bridge turns into a murder investigation when the host is found dead. Can the four invited sleuths find out which of the other four guests is the killer?

Download Description

Mr. Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host, but he was a man of whome everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Hercule Poirot that he considered murder and art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana's private collection. Indeed, what began as an absorbing evening of bridge was to turn into a more dangerous game altogether . . .

Customer Reviews:

I buy these for the journey, not necessarily the solution (which I never guess, anyway).......2007-08-27

I enjoy reading the occasional Agatha Christie title, though- nine times out of ten- there's just no way I have any chance of unraveling the undoubtedly complicated solution. Predictably, that was the case with "Cards on the Table", an unusual entry in the Christie canon in that it features several of the author's notable detective characters appearing together. But also predictably, there's clean, no-nonsense writing; sharply drawn descriptions of individual crime scenes; skillful use of mood and flavor; and colorful, well drawn characterizations. In other words, it has all the things that are the true reasons I enjoy Agatha Christie.

Interestingly, though, once the murder or murders is solved, Dame Christie apparently had no more use for her characterization, descriptive, and other storytelling skills, as all her books- this one included- immediately end once there isn't a crime left to unravel. You bought a mystery, you get a mystery-- end of story! Funny, then, that I always viewed the mystery plot in any given Christie title as a kind of bonus, picking up the books mainly for the writing qualities I described above, or put another way, the well-drawn journey.

And, once again, Christie's "Cards on the Table" delivers exactly that: an involving, well-drawn journey. And that's good enough for me. But I guess that also means that I'll really, really enjoy an Agatha Christie title if I find myself actually figuring out the solution before our detective hero does!

Not the best Agatha Christie Book.......2007-06-13

If you don't play, understand, or enjoy bridge (the card game), it may be difficult fro you to be completely immersed in this book. This was, by far, not one of my top 10 Agatha Christie books. I recommend Sleeping Murder, which I read right before Cards on the Table.

Full House.......2007-02-19

The grey cells are at it again. Mr. Hercule Poirot finds himself at a strange dinner party where the host turns up dead. His death is no big surprise to Poirot, since the host, the mysterious Mr. Shaitana, confided a strange hobby of his to Poirot before inviting him to dinner. As a collector, Mr. Shaitana had a vast array of knick knacks and souvenirs, but for this dinner party his exhibit was to be four persons who had each gotten away with murder. Combine these four persons with a mystery writer, a private investigator and two professional sleuths, and the table is set for an ominous outcome.

The four possible murderers compose a variety of characterisitics. There is Mrs. Lorrimer, an excellent bridge player who recalls the entire game but little about the room it was played in. Dr. Roberts, a well-known and well-liked physician, who may have had some scandal in his past that he is desperate to cover up. Then there is Major Despard, an extremely good looking adventurer with a possible smoldering temper. And finally the seemingly innocent and naive Anne Meredith, the youngest of the party, but quite possibly the most dangerous. Before the mystery can be solved, Mr. Shaitana's murder is not the only death that must be solved, and the race is on to stop the murderer from striking again.

"Cards on the Table", like all of Agatha Christie's yarns, is a fast-paced quick read. Even for readers who are unfamiliar with the game of bridge, the descriptions of the game do little to slow the pace of the narrative and actually do much to further the mysterious personalities of the four possible murderers. The story is told from a variety of viewpoints, as each of the four 'sleuths' try to gain knowledge that will solve not only the murder of Mr. Shaitana, but also try to uncover what knowledge he held over each of their heads that may have given them the motive to kill him in a room with others present. "Cards on the Table" is an enjoyable read with several intriguing plot twists that almost have Hercule Poirot scratching his head and admitting he's made a mistake - something he is not prone to do, and doesn't do by the novel's end.

Christie in Fine Fettle.......2007-01-07

This book, with its initial copyright in 1936, shows Christie at the height of her powers.

One of the coziest things about a Christie mystery - especially those which were written earlier - is that they are set before so many of the great advances in forensics. There's no mention of computer databanks or DNA, no fiber analysis nor hair samples. Now, I'm all for the wonderful things that can be done with forensics for capturing criminals in the real world, and these can make for fascinating reading, too. But novels are sometimes more pleasant when they don't deal with the technical side of things, but let the readers ponder, along with Christie's detective Hercule Poirot, the psychology behind the murder.

In Cards on the Table, Christie sets up an imaginative, elegant, albeit implausible scenario. Four murderers - successful ones, those who have gotten away with it - are invited to dinner by Mr Shaitana, a rich eccentric who collects only the best - including collections of people. To the same dinner party this Shaitana invites four specialists in crime - a policeman, a man in the Secret Service, a writer of detective novels and of course our protagonist, Hercule Poirot. The dinner is excellent and Shaitana then makes some provocative remarks, putting the wind up in his quartet of murderers. The two groups - murderers and crime specialists - then divide into two different rooms and play bridge for the rest of the evening. Shaitana does not play, but sits in an armchair by the fire in the same room as the murderers. The evening continues until late. The crime specialists come to bid their host farewell, when lo! - to their great surprise, they find that their host has been murdered in the chair. The deed must have been committed by one of the four bridge players during the course of the evening.

Christie then proceeds to reveal much about the murderers and their history. She does her best to be fair during the course of the book, putting her own cards on the table. And of course the pool of those who could have committed the crime is also limited - in another sense, the cards are also on the table. Finally, the bridge game plays a role in the assisting Poirot in figuring out whodunit. You can enjoy this book if you don't know bridge, but it helps if you do.

Another advantage of this book is that there's also no appearance of the dim Arthur Hastings, for which I'm grateful.

The psychology, in my opinion, is spot on in this book, and makes it one of Christie's best. My only question - and one which she did not have to answer - is to wonder if Shaitana had any plans for the end of the evening, assuming that he had survived? But Christie is not obliged to answer this question, and she does not.

A good 4. Above the middle; below the top.......2007-01-04

Quite a nice little book. On rereading I rated it higher than the first time.

Emerging Technologies of Text Mining: Techniques and Applications

Average customer rating:

Emerging Technologies of Text Mining: Techniques and Applications

Manufacturer: Idea Group Reference
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Data Mining | Databases | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Databases | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1599043734

Average customer rating:

The Guests of Hercules
N. C. Williamson
Manufacturer: IndyPublish
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Hello Out There (The Hercules Text / A Talent for War)

Average customer rating:

Solid science fiction
Changing the Past of our Future

Hello Out There (The Hercules Text / A Talent for War)
Jack McDevitt
Manufacturer: Meisha Merlin Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1892065231

Book Description

Here, together in a single volume, are the two novels that launched Jack McDevitt's reputation as a writer of suspenseful, thoughtful, sense-of-wonder science fiction. Hello, Out There contains The Hercules Text, winner of the 1986 Philip K. Dick Special Award, and A Talent for War. The Hercules Text has been totally rewritten and updated for this edition. Most of us are attracted to the idea that the human race is not alone. Encountering other beings, we believe, will be romantic, exciting, thought-provoking, intriguing. And possibly dangerous. After all, one of our time-honored notions since H.G. Wells is that we may well be perceived by Others as little more than snacks, or subjects for religious conversion, or creatures of such insignificance as to be simply swept aside. No matter, we think cheerfully. We will take the risk. McDevitt suggests the hazards may be far more subtle. In Hello, Out There, contact with alien species forces us to rethink who we are and what we are about. The Hercules Text recounts a clash of wills in which the mere knowledge that someone is out there ignites profound changes in religious, political, and social behavior. In its companion novel, A Talent for War, contact forces us to rethink a cherished mythology, and ask ourselves whether truth might not sometimes demand too high a price. Here are two voyages into the unknown, twin expeditions to demonstrate that when we finally encounter whatever other intelligences Darwin has cast onto the cosmic beach, we may discover that the face looking back at us is our own. The Herules Text (Revised Edition) From the direction of the constellation Hercules, a message has been detected. The continuous beats of a pulsar have become odd, irregular...artificial. It can only be a deliberate transmission. Frantically, a research team struggles to decipher the meaning, while the very fact of reception shakes the foundations of empires around the world, from Wall Street to the Vatican to the White House. And the fate of nations ultimately lies in the hands of a lone frightened bureaucrat. A Talent for War Everyone knew the legend of Christopher Sim. Teacher. Fighter. Leader. An interstellar hero with a rare talent for war, Sim changed history forever when he forged a ragtag band of misfits into a brilliant fighting force during mankind's darkest hour, broke the back of the only aliens the human race had ever encountered, and sacrificed himself in the effort. But now, two centuries later, Alex Benedict has found a startling bit of information, long buried in an ancient computer file. If it is true, then there is another, darker, side to the tale. For his own sake, for the sake of history, Alex Benedict must follow the track of the legend, where he will confront a truth far stranger than he could have imagined.

Customer Reviews:

Solid science fiction.......2002-10-31

This is a nifty book. It consists of two novels: Hercules Text and A Talent for War. In an author's note, McDevitt writes that he has updated The Hercules Text from its original edition. It's a fine novel that raises all sorts of interesting issues.

Harry Carmichael is a respected administrator at a site called Skynet that examines space for evidence of other life forms. One day they see evidence that a million light years away, some alien intelligence has manipulated a star's light output in a pattern that can only be described as unnatural. A month later a stream of text from the Hercules nebula is received. Decoded, it consists of some mathematical and geometric symbols, a manual and what appear to be pictures of the beings who sent the message.

The president, worried about what else the message might contain, clamps a lid of secrecy on their facilities, irritating the scientists who work there and who feel that releasing the information can only be beneficial to the scientific community; after all, the humans never been enthusiastic about acting in concert as a species.

The religious community is divided on how to take this incontrovertible evidence that humans are not alone. One priest remarks, "How can we take seriously the agony of a God who repeats His passion? Who dies again and again in endless variations, on countless worlds, across a universe that may itself be infinite?", assuming that God had revealed Herself to the other worlds. And if not, why not? What did this do to human's perception of themselves as the primary focus of God? "If there were any truth at all to the old conviction that the universe had been designed for man, why was so much of its expanse beyond any hope of human perception? Forever.?"

As they learn more about the alien intelligence and begin to obtain information of value to the military, the scientific community begins to lose control of the information, and some of them want to have it destroyed. But they also learn something extraordinary about the intelligence that sent it to them millions of years before.

Changing the Past of our Future.......2002-05-02

I've read "The Hercules Text" years ago when the cold war was still around the corner somewhere, and I thought that this was a great novel. Now, more than a decade later, the author re-wrote it in a way that makes me suspect that he liked "Contact" - the movie with Jodie Foster - a lot.

The story itself changed only a little but the surrounding world ... . The original THT had the cold war feeling of paranoia and priorities, politicians playing for global survival with implied threats and unspoken hopes. This new THT is taking place in a world of US hegemony - little threats but no hopes.

In the original the various heroes act within their characters: fanatical, timid, bureaucratic, lovingly ... Harry Carmichael acts against orders but he doesn't go to the President's face to tell him so and offer him a Clintonesque way out ...

The times they are changing, but still it would have been better if Jack McDevitt would have left the original text unchanged. Even the future has a past- and a lot of good scifi novels are products of their age - and one should respect the past and not try to alter or reinterpret it. This way a great novel (5 stars)became just a very good (4 stars) one.

As for the second novel - "A Talent for War" - the title is very hard to understand till one has finished the book and then it doesn't really fit. Overall it is vintage McDevitt: a man searching for clues and the truth, a voyage, danger and adventures. All of it very slowly evolving and sucking the reader in so that he has to finish it. When I closed the last page it was half past one in the morning - but it was worth it.

Customer Reviews:

Hercules: The Legendary Novels.......2004-05-18

I Just finished reading the first two books based on Hercules and Xena. BY THE SWORD by Timothy Boggs was the better of the two.

The humor level was very close to the show and the dialog could have been lifted straight from a script. But hey, that's what we expect from Boggs. I do enjoy all of the little things that are wrong in the series (especially the snachronisms both intentional and unintentional). In this one Hephaestos is about to blow his stack and cause a volcano. That's what Hercules calls it. Pity the volcano was named after Vulcan (the later Roman god) and not Hephaestos (the Greek god).

If you have enjoyed the show and its particular brand of humor and action, you will find this volume to be full of it.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books