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

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

A Letdown
A bit on the short side
Blood Lords in Space
Good book but not as good as other in the series
Fun fun fun!

East of the Sun and West of the Moon
John Ringo
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1416520597

Book Description

When the council that controlled the world spanning computer Mother fell out in civil war, it plunged the world in an instant from high-tech utopia to medieval nightmare. Now Herzer Herrick and Megan Trevante have been assigned the mission to capture the spaceship that supplies the fuel for the whole world. Given that Herzer vaguely thinks orbital decay is something having to do with teeth it should be . . . interesting. With all the usual combat expected in a John Ringo novel, East of the Sun and West of the Moon sheds new light on the bizarre relationship between Herzer and Megan, the politics of the new born world and fascinating details of space technology. .

Customer Reviews:

A Letdown.......2007-05-20

I really enjoyed John Ringo's Council War Series. It was a very creative and interesting universe in which to set a story line. That made this book a bit of a disappointment. It was nowhere near as enjoyable and the previous 3 books.

The council ruling earth is still divided into warring factions. Both sides critically need energy and think it might be obtained by capturing an automated spaceship bring back fuel from the outer solar system. Both sides plan a mission. One side fights dirty. Both have bits of high tech to leven out a basically feudal society.

This book could have been much more. I hope that future installments will live up to the potential. This one did not.

A bit on the short side.......2007-02-28

The book seemed a bit short to me, sort of like WTDD from the Posleen series, with the majority of the book being spent in preparation for the mission and a few chapters covering the action, which may be realistic for military ops but somehow isn't as satisfying as previous books in this series. Also like WTDD, it's apparent that the real action is just getting started when the book ends, although there's closure on the Icarus mission. I purchased the e-book version on Baen's web site and considered it worth the six bucks, but mostly I'm eager to read the next book and see how things turn out.

I could compare this book to /Yendi/ by Steven Brust--a good book in an excellent series which doesn't pull together as many angles as we're accustomed to. Temporary blip.

-Max Wilson

Blood Lords in Space.......2007-02-09

East of the Sun, West of the Moon (2006) is the fourth SF novel of the Council War series, following Against the Tide. In the previous volume, Blood Lords pulled down the portals in the New Destiny forward base before Orc reinforcements arrived. Brother Conner was attacked by Azure, the house lion, and Rachael performed a little surgery. Herzer Herrick was attacked by a Changed Elf, but was rescued by Bast.

In this novel, Sub-leader Grath commands his Orcs to raise up the portal, but they cannot lift the heavy thing higher than knee level. Private Tur-uck tries another approach, slipping under the doorway and rising up into the Orc assembly area. He then reports the situation to a Lesser Master.

When Lord Chansa appears, Tur-uck provides a more complete report to the True Lord. Unfortunately, the enemy has already overrun the forward base, but Lord Chansa appreciates Tur-uck's information and initiative. He immediately promotes the Orc to sub-leader.

Later, the United Free States loses the entire Icarus mission team to New Destiny infiltrators. Herzer is designated as the commander of new Icarus assault team and then learns that Megan Travante is coming along. Herzer has a very bad feeling about the mission.

Evan Mayle was an engineering consultant for the Icarus mission, but wasn't in the overran training facility. Luckily, he is well aware of the basic plan for the mission and conveys this information to Herzer. However, the technical details died with the original team. Now Herzer has to select replacements for these specialists from the few people whose records are available to them.

For security reasons, they can't exactly place advertisements in the papers. Herzer gets June Lasker from Raven's Mill as personnel director for the new team. Except for a few UFS documents, the records that June brings with her are the primary source for selecting the new team. Naturally, some candidates are well known to Herzer, although he usually has not been aware of their pre-war talents.

Herzer and June select a number of pilots, engineers and warriors for the team, including Courtney Boehlke. Since Courtney is an old friend, the wife of another old friend and staying in Washan on business, Herzer invites her to his home to ask her to join the mission. But after ND assassins attack the house and kill Ashley, Herzer transfers all further operations to the Icarus training facility.

In this story, Herzer and Megan decide on a division of authority, with Herzer in charge of the operation itself and Megan responsible for strategic decisions. Herzer works the team until they are exhausted, then ends the training with a blowout party, leaving time for rest and recuperation. They dress out in the new spacesuits, load up their equipment and head for the Icarus shuttle landing sites.

The Icarus mission is aimed at hijacking as much as possible of the reactor fuel being brought to Earth by the Icarus, a supertanker from the planet Jupiter. Of course, New Destiny is aware of their plans and intends to thwart their mission. The UFS team has to do something unexpected, for ND is not known for their adaptability. Herzer does everything he can to defeat enemy espionage and hopes that his plan will not be countered by enemy cunning.

UFS intelligence suspects that the ND mission will be led by Key-Holder Reyes. Unknown to the UFS, however, the ND forces will include Tur-uck -- now an Orc leader -- and the Changed Elf Tragack. The mission will be more difficult than even Herzer believes.

Highly recommended for Ringo fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high technology, fantastic creatures and human perversity.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Good book but not as good as other in the series.......2007-01-12

This is well written and the space battle with the limitations was fun to say the least. However, sometimes the hubris of the bad guys is a bit unbelievable.
A great series and this is just not as good as others in the series or some of John's other books. Still, it is fun read and a good story.
If you are thinking of reading the series - DO!
If you have the series and like it - read this installment.
If you don't like the series this will not be a good purchase.

Fun fun fun!.......2006-12-31

I read the reviews on this book and was actually thinking I might not bother, Lord was I glad I did. I think too many people have hidden goals to be some famous critic and have forgotten to just go with the story and enjoy the ride. I had some good laughs and was drawn in hard when the action hit the fan, and as for Herzer's sex life, well it was a part of all the others so why the heck not this one?
God I hope John Ringo keeps going with this, I am having too much fun to stop now! :)
BTW I would have given it 5 stars but Herzer should have gotten more nookie ;) LOL

Nora Roberts Irish Trilogy: Jewels of the Sun, Tears of the Moon, Heart of the Sea (Irish Jewels Trilogy)

Average customer rating:

Nora Roberts, Irish Trilogy
Excellent!!
Wonderful trilogy!
damaged goods

Nora Roberts Irish Trilogy: Jewels of the Sun, Tears of the Moon, Heart of the Sea (Irish Jewels Trilogy)
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1590865413
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Book Description

Jewels of the Sun (Jill Sovis, engineer)

Determined to re-evaluate her life, Jude Murray flees America to take refuge in Faerie Hill Cottage, where she immerses herself in the study of Irish Folklore, and discovers hope for the future in the magic of the past.

Tears of the Moon (Melissa Coates, engineer)

A talented songwriter, Shawn Gallagher spends his days lost in reverie and wonder, oblivious to the wiles of women and the ways of the world. He claims that he's content with his life, but his music tells a different story - one of loneliness and desperate longing...

Heart of the Sea (Jill Sovis, engineer)

Darcy Gallagher has always believed in the pull of fate, the magic of legend . . . and the importance of money. She longs to find a rich man who will sweep her away - into a world filled with glamour and adventure, and the exotic life that is her destiny.

Customer Reviews:

Nora Roberts, Irish Trilogy.......2007-06-07

This is a great trilogy, I enjoy listening to it to and from work. I have a long drive to and back home from work and the CD's keep me nice and calm in traffic jams.

Excellent!!.......2005-11-08

There is nothing this series does not hit on!! It really has everything needed to make the entire series a real page turner and the characters could be anyone of us, all you have to do is believe love can conquer all thru time and space, these books are a wonderfully enjoyable treasure!!

Wonderful trilogy!.......2005-07-16

This continues to be one of my favorite trilogies! It combines Irish Myths with a real working family.

Each story stands on it's own but at the same time the three together flow very well.

Note to other reviewer George. Call information and get the 1800 number and them talk to a real person. I have had to return a DVD player and they have the best service of anyone I have ever dealt with.

damaged goods.......2005-06-03

I received this item and was joyfully listening to it when I came to tape two of Heart of the Sea- it is all jumbled up- twisted and totally un fixable- I've tried to contact Amazon about this but all I get is the runaround on their AWFUL "return system" on their website. This is a warning to any others who order from Amazon- check your order CAREFULLY. Now I'm stuck with this defective tape and Amazon WON'T LET ME CONTACT THEM!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't given up yet. There's got to be a way to return defective merchandise without being sent to one dead end after another. Sincerely wmclement@yahoo.com

Average customer rating:

Delightful collection of Norse folk tales for children

East of the Sun and West of the Moon
Ingri D'Aulaire , and Edgar Parin
Manufacturer: Viking Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670287482

Customer Reviews:

Delightful collection of Norse folk tales for children.......1997-09-09

I read this book as a child and was unable to put it down until I read it through. I am now 50 years old and still rank this book as one of the most memorable from my childhood. Many of the tales are what one would consider "foolish" in the sense that the main character is a "fool". They are a good source of insight into the Norwegian folk beliefs and just plain fun to read. Some are just scary enough that small children get a thrill out of them without being truly frightened, as in the tale of the three trolls with only one eye that they share amongst themselves. A common theme is one of a plain, common or even a dull-witted person outsmarting trolls, witches, the high & mighty, etc. The stories are none of the sweet fluff that passes for children's stories these days. I highly recommend this book for all ages. I recently re-read it and thoroughly enjoyed it

Notes on the Cinematographer (Sun and Moon Classics)

Average customer rating:

A fundamental approach to know the master of masters!
Must have for any non-Hollywood Style Filmmakers
Writing With Images
Notes on the Cinematographer
Towards a Poetics of Film

Notes on the Cinematographer (Sun and Moon Classics)
Robert Bresson
Manufacturer: Green Integer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1557133654

Book Description

Robert Bresson makes some quite radical distinctions between what he terms "cinematography" and something quite different: "cinema"-which is for him nothing but an attempt to photograph theater and use it for the screen.

Director of The Trial of Joan of Arc, Pickpocket, A Prisoner Escapes, Diary of a Country Priest, Money, and many other classic films, Robert Bresson is, quite simply, one of the most brilliant cinematographers in the history of film.

Customer Reviews:

A fundamental approach to know the master of masters!.......2004-08-22

Bresson was a poet . His clear and smart thoughts about the cinema are so clearly expossed that breathe honesty all the way .
If you still do not know the Bresson filmography and you are a real hard lover of the cinema , it is time for you to get close to that unique film maker.
A real jewel.

Must have for any non-Hollywood Style Filmmakers.......2003-05-14

If you want a step by step, how to make film book, you're better off browsing the bookstore at your local film school.

If you are a novice filmmaker, and you want to make art with film or video, and you want a guidebook on how to THINK and FEEL about your chosen art form, this is a must.

Bresson inspired the French New Wave filmmakers, and in my opinion was one of the few directors this world has seen who actually considered the particular reality of the moving image and created a set of principles to guide his choices as a director based on the medium itself, and not on any inherited traditional technique. One of the primary divisions in film theory is whether you believe film to be an extension of theatre or something entirely different.

For Bresson theatre is a more intellectual, mind based experience, whereas film is an EXPERIENTIAL art form. Bresson was highly interest in TRUTH over the APPEARANCE of truth. For Bresson the camera and audio recorder capture the essence of a thing, and therefore he cautions against using actors, and sets, and instead suggests people being themselves and shooting on actual locations.

This book is actually a collection of notes that Bresson wrote to himself over the course of his career. It is a wonderful look into the mind of an artist. In this book I have found a kindred spirit, whose insights into the nature of film and film production are distilled down to their essential forms. What kind of Truth does the camera capture, what elements go in the mise-en-scene which add or distort that truth, how do you illicit the inner truth of the actor (model) while still maintaining the requirements of the plot and script?

There are two books which have, for me, opened up the truest possibilities of film as an artform. These books are: "Notes on the Cinematographer" by Bresson, and "Sculpting in Time" by Tarkovsky. These books are a must read for anyone interested in exploring the true potential of film as an art form.

Also, this book goes in and out of print fairly regularly, so you should buy it whenever you see it being sold. Its relatively inexpensive, but contains a wealth of knowledge. It makes a great gift for someone interested in film or video as an art form.

Writing With Images.......2003-03-08

"Notes on the Cinematographer" is a tidy, Zen-like summation of the special aesthetic Bresson brought to film. 'Cinema' to him was simply filmed theater. He wanted movies to do something more, to create a new language of images that could express a character's inner states and moods (I think this goal, more than anything, explains why he's so often labeled a 'spiritual' director). Bresson wanted faces, not actors; events, not scenes; "BEING instead of SEEMING." To this end he insisted on amateurs over trained actors, noises over music, slowness and close-ups over speed and pans. Cinematography as Bresson explains it here is a unique form of writing. His efforts to make an essentially mechanical & visual medium parallel the inwardness of the written word has to be one of the strangest and most fascinating projects in the history of film. Not surprisingly, he writes beautifully, and these aphoristic koans, surrounded by all that empty white space, are as haunting as anything he captured on film. A tiny masterpiece.

Notes on the Cinematographer.......2002-08-29

Not what I expected. This book is more philosophical, than literal. I like it, but it's like reading a lot of proverbs, you cannot absorb it all, only the few that strike you at that moment.

Towards a Poetics of Film.......2000-08-10

There is no better guide to the process and experience of making a film. Though its epigrammatic style makes it at first seem abstract, Notes on the Cinematographer is essentially a step-by-step handbook on what to do (and more so, what not to do) with actors and a movie camera. The title is so unintentionally misleading as to the subject of the work, which contains not a single line on lighting or photography ('cinematographer' is Bresson's rhetorical name for 'film-maker') that I believe it has obscured what would otherwise be a justly renown (and more readily-available) classic text on filmmaking.

Customer Reviews:

Review of Moon, Sun and Witches.......2006-07-29

Irene Silverblatt examines the effects of the Spanish conquest on women's place in Peruvian society. In a straightforward and uncomplicated way, Silverblatt lays out the material using a basic `before and after' approach. She spends the first half describing pre-conquest Andean life, concentrating on women and their roles in society. Then she shows how life changed for the Andeans after the arrival of the Spanish. Again, she focuses on how those changes affected women, arguing that not only were women affected by the Spanish conquest but that they suffered far greater loss of position than their male counterparts.

An excellent, intricate and fascinating book.......2001-06-26

I first read this book in 1990, when I was a college student. It galvanized my interest in pan-American indigenous-white relations. Now that I am a university professor myself, I teach this book regularly. It's fascinating to most undergraduates -- often mentioned as one of their favorite books of the semester -- without losing any of the intricacy and delicacy of argument necessary to treating the subject of cultural contact and conflict in the Americas. I highly recommend it for any reader; I've given it to people travelling to Peru on vacation and it has greatly deepened their understanding of the land they are visiting and history of their own presence in the Sacred Valley. A great read, highly informative, elegantly written and deeply researched.

Blaa Blaa Blaa Blatt Blatt Blatt.......1999-11-30

This book is a extreamly verbous book that discusses the political and economic rights of andean women through out history.

Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets

Average customer rating:

Extensive
Really Facinating Book...

Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets
E.C. Krupp
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195078004

Book Description

In his classic study The Masks of God, Joseph Campbell conducted us on a fascinating global tour, showing how the seeds of myth grew in a similar fashion throughout the history of civilization. Before Campbell there was Sir James George Frazier who, in The Golden Bough--his pioneering study of magic, relgion, and folk custom--demonstrated how world mythologies exhibit "the effect of similar causes acting alike on the similar constitution of the human mind in different countries and under different skies." Now, in Beyond the Blue Horizon, eminent astronomer E.C. Krupp guides us expertly through a bewildering maze of cultures and civilizations--from the stone age to the present day--making clear that while the skies of these diverse peoples may vary, they speak nearly the same language. Beyond the Blue Horizon is a treasure trove of myths, legends, and stories in which people have, through the ages, attempted to understand the cosmos and its meaning for humankind. Collecting an astonishing amount of lore between the covers of a single book, Krupp explains why our ancestors were so intrigued by the heavens, and what their celestial stories meant. Readers will learn, for example, that many cultures saw a rabbit--rather than a man--in the moon, and that this moon-rabbit, as a symbol of sacrifice and rebirth, is a cousin of our own Easter Bunny; that to our ancestors, an eclipse challenged the stability and integrity of heaven and thus threatened order and life on earth; that the magical sleighride and chimney antics of Santa Claus echo the ancient journeys of shamans and witch doctors; that our "dog days" of July and August originated in Roman times with the summer appearance of Sirius, the Dog Star; and that the contemporary stories of UFOs reveal the mystery and meaning the sky still holds for us as we approach the twenty-first century. Of course, there is much, much more that will delight and intrigue; even readers familiar with world mythology will find plenty that is new and strange in Krupp's rich panorama. An epic, authoritative, and cross-cultural exploration with over 150 illustrations, Beyond the Blue Horizon tells how all civilizations searched the sky to understand to universe--and our own place in it.

Customer Reviews:

Extensive.......2002-07-07

Krupp has written a book that is comparable to Frazer's Golden Bough and Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces. He traces the evolution of sky myths from cultures around the globe. Krupp does an excellent job of capturing the meaning and beauty of these stories, and pieces them together in a well-crafted narrative.

Really Facinating Book..........2000-03-28

Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets, is a very interesting and amazing read-- it confronts many possibilities of the place outside our blue sky, and gives the reader something to think about for long after the last page is read. Not only is this book worth reading for the pure fun of it, but it teachs you things that may come in handy at dinner table conversation. Facinating is the word that comes to mind... the myths about the stars and planets can sometimes be good bedtime stories, and over all, this book keeps you wanting more.

The War of Souls Trilogy Gift Set: Dragons of a Fallen Sun, Dragons of a Lost Star, Dragons of a Vanished Moon (Dragonlance Series)

Average customer rating:

Well, I am a fan of Weiss & Hickmann so...
Not as good as Weis and Hickman's previous novels
Engrossing but ultimately unsatisfying
A Dragon Story and Much More
Great Addition

The War of Souls Trilogy Gift Set: Dragons of a Fallen Sun, Dragons of a Lost Star, Dragons of a Vanished Moon (Dragonlance Series)
Margaret Weis , and Tracy Hickman
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786930020
Release Date: 2003-09-01

Book Description

This slip-covered gift set contains the three New York Times best-selling titles that make up the epic War of Souls trilogy: Dragons of a Fallen Sun, Dragons of a Lost Star, and Dragons of a Vanished Moon. Authored by Dragonlance saga co-creators Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, these titles each hit multiple best-seller lists upon initial release.

Customer Reviews:

Well, I am a fan of Weiss & Hickmann so..........2007-07-08

Great books. I have to admit that vol. 2 was a bit slow and dull at first but vol. 1 and 3 and most of vol. 2 made up for this. Didn't much care for the lovestory between Silvanoshei and the dark knight Mina so all this about Silanosheis love that wasn't returned is a bit dull for me (yes yes, I am a guy). But all in all I would rate this as a 5 star product. Another great story from Weiss & Hickmann.

Not as good as Weis and Hickman's previous novels.......2007-06-05

First let me start off by saying that I did enjoy these books. But I enjoyed the previous books more. The Chronicles Trilogy was the first set in the Dragonlance world and I must say the best. It all sort of went downhill from there, albeit a long hill with a small angle but still downhill. I really thought that with The Second Generation and Dragons of Summer Flame that led up to The War of Souls Trilogy, that there would be a "rebirth" (if you will) of the Dragonlance Series. But sadly that wasn't to be. An IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: I have been led to believe that the writers, Weis and Hickman, actually have very little creative control over the Dragonlance Series. I believe that these books are meant to be companions to the world of D & D. I enjoy reading not throwing dice to see how much damage I do. As such, maybe they threw dice to see how the storyline would unfold. I don't know.

The Good:
The story is great. The action is great. Tas the loveable and unlikely hero is back. There is a lot of action and intrigue to keep you interested. The whole trilogy is one big twist after another.

The Bad:
I'm afraid there may be more bad than good...but only just. The number one problem, and it is SERIOUSLY BAD, is the typos. Did anyone actually proofread this book? I mean seriously it is bad. By the middle of Dragons of a Lost Star (second book in the trilogy), I was almost ready to call it quits just because it was so hard to make any sense of it. Misspelled words...bad punctuation...missing words...extra words. Just really, really, really bad. They need to fire whoever edited this book.

Now about the problems with the stories themselves. POTENTIAL SPOILER

My best advise to the readers about these books and this goes for pretty much ALL of the Dragonlance novels: Don't get attached to ANY character because they ALL die. The writers spend 3 books building a character and getting them developed then kill them. Why would you do that? Take a lesson from R.A. Salvatore or Terry Goodkind and keep your main characters ALIVE. It's what keeps readers coming back for more. If Salvatore had killed Drizzt after his first trilogy, Salvatore's career as a writer would have been a lot less eventful. Same goes for Goodkind's Richard in the Sword of Truth books.
Let's see who has died along the way to The War of Souls. Keep in mind these are MAJOR CHARACTERS!
Sturm Brightblade, Tanis Half-Elven, Caramon Majere, Raistin Majere, Tika Majere, Alhana Starbreeze, Crysania, Goldmoon, Laurana, Palin Majere, Riverwind, Steel Brightblade, Tanin Majere, Kitiara Uth Matar (who needed more development), Berem the Everman (death was justified), Flint Fireforge, Tas Burfoot (dead but brought back) and I'm sure there were others but I think you get the picture. And again these were major characters. Why even bother developing them if they are so expendable? Heck, I wouldn't even bother being creative with the names. Maybe I can write a Dragonlance novel. "Here is Sam. Sam is an elf. Sam has to overcome insurmountable odds to save the world. Sam overcame the insurmountable odds and saved the world. Now Sam is dead." There, I just wrote a whole Dragonlance novel in five sentences.
What was the point of "The Second Generation" and "Dragons of Summer Flame"? They introduce new characters and then killed them all. Stupid.

Summary of my review:
These books have a great story, great plot, and great characters who will all die. Or if that sentence had as many typos as these books...Thes books have great story great plot and grate charactrse woh will all dye.

Engrossing but ultimately unsatisfying.......2007-05-13

I have been a long-time fan of Weis and Hickman and their Dragonlance books. They have an uncanny ability to write engrossing stories full of conflict and angst and failure that somehow still come together at the end on a note of acceptance and hope. In general, the characters end the stories as better people than they started them as, and the price the characters pay is redeemed by what they gain by the end. I looked forward to this new series. The story is certainly engrossing -- I found it hard to put the books down, even during the darkest and bleakest points in the story. But unlike their earlier works, Weis and Hickman don't manage to wrap this one up well. Several story lines end abruptly, as if Weis and Hickman just ran out of steam on them and gave up. More important, almost none of the characters end the story having learned anything important. The sacrifices made by the characters remain unredeemed at the end. I was left disappointed and unsatisfied. Go ahead and read the story -- it is well written. Just be prepared to feel incomplete at the end.

A Dragon Story and Much More.......2007-05-08

What makes this series so fascinating are the set of characters, especially the kender, who adds just the right amount of comic relief, and the freshness that comes from a vivid imagination on the part of the authors. You won't feel like you've read anything like this before.

Great Addition.......2007-03-27

I've been working on the first book of the three and so far I'm enjoying it as much as all the other Dragonlance Novels I've read. If you love the Dragonlance novels, you won't be upset with this pick.

Sunshine, Moonshine (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1)

Average customer rating:

Great illustrations
great first read

Sunshine, Moonshine (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1)
Jennifer Armstrong
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679864423
Release Date: 1997-03-11

Book Description

The sun and the moon shine down on a young boy as he spends a day by the sea. "Sun shines on the mountains, sun shines on the sea. Sun shines on my pillow, and says wake up to me."

Customer Reviews:

Great illustrations.......2002-08-01

My 17 mo daughter loves this book. She loves to point out the sun or the moon on each page. She hands it to me to be read to her at least once a day.

great first read.......2001-04-07

my son is 3, and he really likes this book. it has large print, so he can read some of the words. he talks about sunshine and moonshine during the day, and he got it from this book. it's memorable and easy to read over and over. get it.

Average customer rating:

Form over substance
Explores the relationships in a "lay-person friendly" way
Really fun to read but some of the math doesn't check out?
Part Astronomy, Part Cosmology with a dash of Stonehenge
Just what I needed!

Sun, Moon and Earth (Wooden Books)
Robin Heath
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0802713815

Book Description

Every organism on Earth responds to four major cycles: the solar and lunar day, the synodic month and the year. We all dance to these primary rhythms. This book reveals the poetic cosmology that lies within the cycles of the Sun and Moon as seen from the Earth.

Customer Reviews:

Form over substance.......2007-01-03

I really wanted to like this book. It's a beautiful object in its own humble way. The drawings have a very nice classic feel about them. All the books in this series are 64 pages in length with each page dedicated to a brief summary of the concept being presented. The problem is that some of the concepts don't easily fit into such rigid parameters. There's some valuable information here but it's presented in such a cursory way that most readers will walk away feeling frustrated that they're missing a lot.

On a positive note, perhaps this book will serve as an appetizer that will lead readers to search for other books that provide a fuller understanding.

Explores the relationships in a "lay-person friendly" way.......2005-05-24

Provides more than just "pure scientific data" on the heavenly bodies, this volume explores the interesting relationships between them. For instance, the question is posed: why is the moon in just the correct position with just the correct size to cause the "eclipse effect"?

This book gives plenty of mathmatical support, but you can read it through even if you have just a cursory exposure to the math and still be fascinated by the findings.

Really fun to read but some of the math doesn't check out?.......2004-08-10

I was just checking the math on page 3 on the "Great Pyramid, Earth/Moon" geometry and found much of it to check out ok but there is one statement that the perimeter of a square with one side equal to the diameter of the Earth (4 x 7920 miles = 31680) equals the perimeter of a circle with a radius of the combined radii of the Earth and the Moon (3960 + 1080 = 5040 miles)and using 2xPIxr I get 38453 miles which really isn't equal at all. I found that you had to define the radius of the Earth as unity (1) and then using the Earth/Moon ratios that fall out from that would give a result where the circle is squared and the numbers do add up. That should have been explained more clearly.

Then when I compute 11!-7! I get 399170 on my calculator and when I ask Google to compute it for me they return that same answer. But on page 3 the author somehow gets 7920, which is amazingly, the diameter of the earth in miles. 11x10x9x8 does = 7920 which is amazing enough. Maybe it is the difference between (11!-7!) versus (11!) - (7!). I can't find any online factorial math tutorials to explain to me whether there is a difference. I wish the book was more clear on this. (update: I think it is a typo... if he meant to say 11!/7! all is well and good).

The book is filled with all sorts of little drawings and interesting tidbits and I am pretty sure that I am going to have all kinds of fun double checking this and verifying that....

Well worth the 8 bucks or so that Amazon is asking.

Part Astronomy, Part Cosmology with a dash of Stonehenge.......2004-08-02

Sun, Moon and Earth by Robin Heath is a short introduction to understanding the relation between the three celestial bodies in the title. The astronomy and geometry are written for a layman's level, without being too dry or technical, but not childish either. Heath details how the earth moves about the sun, with seasons and the calendar, as well as two types of lunar cycles, equinoxes, solstices, eclipses, etc. The book details how our calendar works and offers some interesting alternatives. There's even a short chapter about Stonehenge, which can be further explored in another volume by the same publisher.
I found it fascinating how much megalithic astronomers knew about the sun and moon cycles, especially the geometry, but then again, they didn't have much else to do and light pollution was almost non-existent then. Imagine what the sky looked like in 3000 BC! The book is full of cool illustrations and tables and overall is well put together.

Just what I needed!.......2003-09-06

I was looking for something that wouldn't be too technical to give an overview (but not too superficial) about the movement of the sun, moon and earth. This was it! It talks about solstices and equinoxes, eclipses, lunar rhythms, cycles (long cycles and shorter ones), time/tide, the dance of the moon, wobbles, etc. It was just enough to provide a foundation of understanding and appreciation for what is going on around us.

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