The Weather Makers : How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth

Book Description

Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. Over the past decade, the world has seen the most powerful El Niño ever recorded, the most devastating hurricane in two hundred years, the hottest European summer on record, and one of the worst storm seasons ever experienced in Florida. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a riveting history of climate change, Tim Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO2 emissions by as much as 70 percent.

Customer Reviews:

A tale of global warming that gave me chills.......2007-09-20

Tim Flannery's "The Weathermakers" is not only an eloquent plea for the industrialized world to deal with the problem of climate change, but provides the science needed to understand this huge and vital topic. The book is spooky great fun too, with frights and chills enough to get the attention of any thrill seeker. Except that the thrills here come from contemplating near-irreversible global cataclysms that would wipe out humanity or make life darned near intolerable for us.

Flannery is terrific at making difficult science easy to understand, without dumbing it down or condescending to his audience. This was greatly aided by the narrator of the audio book, Drew De Carvalho, whose wide-eyed Aussie delivery was akin to the joy and wonder of that other fine Down-under naturalist, Steve Irwin. Flannery discussed the Earth's tumultuous climactic past, using data obtained from tree rings and ice cores, to paint a picture of a dynamic planet whose climate and biota have varied wildly over its existence. Glaciers advance and retreat. Gargantuan upwellings of methane overwhelm the biosphere. Oceans rise and fall hundreds of feet. Changes in atmospheric gases permit or debar shellfish from secreteing the carboniferous husks that pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. The message: what Earth has done, it can do again.

Flannery does a wonderful job of explaining the large weather phenomena known to most laymen -- carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, changes to the Gulf Stream, warming trends, etc. But he is equally good at describing the lesser-known but important elements that factor into climatic equations. I was not aware that transpiration -- the release of moisture from Amazonian trees -- was a main cause of precipitation in the region. I had never heard of clathrates, huge fields of methane-infused ice that underlie the oceans. And I had never thought of climate change literally chasing certain heat-sensitive species up into alpine regions, until they run out of room and become extinct. Flannery is also wonderful at explaining the feedback loops that, once triggered, can accelerate certain climatic trends. Air conditioning powered by burning coal can increase levels sulfur dioxide in rain, acidifying the oceans, making it harder for shellfish to secrete shells, thus leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere, causing further warming and leading to the need for more AC, and so on.

Climate change to Flannery is not a theoretical possibility, but a certainty whose effects are visible today. He tells of the now-extinct South America Golden Toad, whose habitat was fed by moisture in low-lying clouds, being wiped out when a Pacific ocean hot spot caused mist-giving clouds to form just slightly higher up the mountainside than usual. His tale of the bleaching of the reefs like Great Barrier Reef -- in which huge swaths of coral reefs ejected their symbiotic algae, then bleached and die in a single season -- was frightening and sad. His discussion of the measurable changes in salinity in the Gulf Stream -- changes that could imperil its flow with deleterious effect on climate -- was terrifyingly plausible. Most chilling of all, Flannery's telling of the planet's near-miss with significant ozone depletion (due to industry's fortuitous use of chlorine rather than hyper-reactive bromine in aerosol cans and refrigeration systems) underscored how easy it is for humanity to fatally foul our nest without even realizing we are doing it.

The book is alarming, but not alarmist. It does not seek the cheap thrill of scaring us to sell copies, but to educate and forewarn. Flannery is not afraid to call out the human practices that are warming our planet. Transportation needs (which account for 30% of CO2 emissions), accelerating burning of carbon-rich fossil fuels, and shortsighted self-interest are high on the list of culprits. Flannery points the finger at the big coal-gorging countries in the world -- the US and Australia among them -- for significant criticism. Neither does he spare the industrial giants who use deceit, misinformation and political contributions to steer politicians (and the public) away from limiting profitable, planet-damaging enterprises.

I came away from the book with a new appreciation for the complexity and the fragility of the Gaia -- the living organism that is the Earth. "The Weathermakers" increased my appreciation of the path on which we have put our world. If Flannery's descriptions and predictions are true, our fossil-fuel-burning habits have already committed us to significant extinctions of species and significant discomfort for ourselves. As Flannery states, future generations will curse ours if we see the looming problem and fail to take action to correct it. Flannery is hopeful (else, why write such a book?) about our ability to turn things around. He evaluates technological and political solutions to the problems he poses, which not all will like, for carbon-low solutions include wind, geothermal, solar and (gasp!) nuclear power generation. And Flannery dismisses certain hopeful technologies like hydrogen and biomass. Flannery is also hopeful that past global cooperation -- of the type that limited the production of ozone-killing CFCs -- will be repeated, as human beings band together to save their world.

"The Weather Makers" is a wonderful book that can open your eyes to the complexity of our world, of the difficulties of addressing climate change without wrecking economies, and of our responsibility to pass our planet, reasonably intact, to our children. Its stacks of facts can sometimes numb the mind, but they are the data needed to combat ignorance and deceit one often encounters when trying to persuade our friends and neighbors about the possibility of anthropogenic climate change.

Disappointed.......2007-08-07

I bought the book on the basis it would be an objective and well structured argument explaining how scientists had negated natural influences on climate change - Milankovich cycles, solar activity and plate tectonics - and isolated the anthropogenic influences.

However, I discovered the book is written in a mildly hysterical tone common to environmental activists. If you want to read a scientific account of climate change and how human activity is affecting the climate, read the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report.

Boo Hoo.......2007-07-27

"Well done China for improving the lives of your citizens" This is one of the many quotes that you will NOT find it Tim Flannerys book. Others include "Before the industrial revolution, average life expectancy was about 36 years of age" and finally "You can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs". However if you want to know how every living thing on the planet would be better off if we disapeared, you are on the right track.

Thought provoking!.......2007-07-25

This book is great reading in conjunction with Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The author convincingly demonstrates that global warming is real, and that terrible consequences loom ahead if nothing is done about it.

I was very surprised to read how the Australian government bullies its neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean. Many of the Pacific Islands nations are doomed to sink under water as the ocean level rise, yet they are bullied by the Australian government into inaction. Like individuals, nations are selfish and have no regard for other nations if it does not suit their purposes. This notion angered me. Unless the citizens of the world take action to fight global warming and CO2 emissions, governments, motivated by self-interest, will be very slow to act, if at all.

Many of the themes in the book were already familiar to me, especially after reading An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. One new concept was about hydrogen power. According to the author, hydrogen power is not the solution to global warming since to produce hydrogen power fossil fuels must be burnt. He proposes the use of electric, solar, nuclear and wind power which are all available and affordable.

The author also laments all the animals that became extinct due to global warming. For example, a frog, newly discovered by science, carries its newborn in its stomach. When ready to give birth, it regurgitates its babies. This is the only known species to do so, yet soon after its discovery, it became extinct due to our environmental carelessness. Many other species of animals, insects, and plants are becoming extinct.

Maybe when we learn to stop killing each other we can finally take care of our environment. Does that mean that our root is evil and that nothing can be done to save our planet?

The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth.......2007-07-24

Concise, easy to read, and right to the point. Everything anyone would want to know about how man is changing the climate and what one could do to alleviate their impact in this process. Each individual is responsible for their own actions and we MUST slow the global warming process or the 21st century will see catastrophic environmental changes. A must read book for information that could save the future of the planet and its inhabitants.

Makers of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age

Average customer rating:

Makers of Modern Strategy
Mandatory Reading for Army Staff Majors
Good general military history overview.
Still, this is a good book.....
Newer is Not Necessarily Better

Makers of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age
Peter, Ed. Paret
Manufacturer: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691027641

Customer Reviews:

Makers of Modern Strategy .......2005-09-22

"Makers of Modern Strategy" is a scholarly collection of high quality papers on strategy since Machiavelli to the present nuclear age. The beauty of the book is that one can focus on the era that one is interested in. There is no need to read the book cover to cover as the various essays are stand alone although they are presented sequentially and related papers are adjacent to each other. I have read and re-read some of the papers. The book is about strategy and the realities of war. The essays are clearly balanced and not biased. The phenomenon of war was clearly explained from the studies of past wars. It is clear that war has been a fundamental reality of social and political existence from an early stage of political organisation to the present times. The tragic aspects of war and the intellectual and emotional disturbances it creates could be discerned from the essays.

The book is divided into the following five parts:

Part One: The Origins of Modern War.
Part Two: The Expansion of war
Part Three: From the Industrial Revolution to the First World War.
Part Four: From the First to the Second World War.
Part Five: Since 1945.

The eminent contributors include Peter Paret, Felix Gilbert, John Shy, Gordon A. Craig, Maurice Matloff, Condoleezza Rice, Lawrence Freadman, Michael Carver and D. Clayton James. Their essays showed the role of force in the relations between states. It is now very clear to me that war has always been a compound of many elements ranging from politics to technology, to human emotions under extreme stress. Strategy is one of the critical elements of war.

The various essays trace the ideas and actions of past generations, as they used war to achieve their national goals, an analysis of military thought and policy in the recent past and present

My favourite part is Part Two. Here three great historical figures are highlighted namely Napoleon, Jomini and Clausewitz. I can now see the genius of Napoleon as one of the greatest soldiers in history in its proper strategic context. I think history need to rescue Jomini from the obscurity he is now relegated since it is largely him who has clearly related the greatness of Napoleon and the attempt to reduce war to some sort of science.

Makers of Modern Strategy add immense value to any study of warfare and strategy. I recommend it to Army Staff Colleges and those studying military history at postgraduate level.

Mandatory Reading for Army Staff Majors.......2002-03-13

As the title indicates, the Army's Command & General Staff College requires students to read Makers of Modern Strategy in the core history class. Professors can make best use of this book as a supplement. As other reviewers have noted, the chapters are disjointed with each other. Taken separately, however, many of the chapters help the history student or enthusiast to develop a depth of understanding on a particular subject. Authors such as John Shy, Douglas Porch, Michael Howard, and Condoleeza Rice, just to name a few, explore many of the strategic issues involved with the evolution of military thought.

From Machiavelli and Clausewitz to strategies of world wars and colonial wars, Makers of Modern Strategy adds value to any serious study of warfare. The high quality academic research and thought that underlies many of the articles is worth the price of the book. Highly recommended.

Good general military history overview........2001-03-05

One of the essentials, a good starting point for the study of military history and strategy.

Still, this is a good book............2000-08-12

Although I agree with the reviewer preceeding me that this might not be as strong of a book as was the masterpiece which preceeded it (by Earle), it is still a strong book and does (generally) what it sets out to do: to provide an accounting of major developments in military thought (i.e. western military thought) from the Renassance to the modern age.

As a text or as a reference, this is still a powerful and useful book. Each of the chapters discusses a major figure's thought in a fashion that can be dealt with easily in a sitting: for those people who don't want to sit and sort through Jomini (though everyone reading this should sit down with Clausewitz! ) or Douhet, to see their rights and wrongs....

I like this book. I bought my copy for $8.00 in NYC and have had it with me through a number of moves since....

Newer is Not Necessarily Better.......2000-07-18

This second version of the book is disappointing. I would have thought that it being edited by an historian as good as Peter Paret would have improved on the original, which was edited by Robert Earle. However, it is weaker both in scholarship and accuracy, especially John Shy's essay on Jomini. Old myths are resurrected about the Swiss renegade whose own works are generally historically inaccurate.

Many of the older, more professional, historians, who are unfortunately no longer with us were much more careful in their research and writing, hunting down sources that newer historians either refuse to look for or refuse to use. they also were more blunt, calling a spade a spade, and weren't worried about offending people or in 'revisionist' (read inaccurate) history. Political correctness was unknown to these stalwarts.

Books of this type are highly useful. If you are looking for this particular volume, get the first version edited by Earle, even if you have to go looking in second hand book stores or on the internet in used book services. I did, and it is well worth the effort.

Average customer rating:

An Unexpected "Couldn't Put it Down"

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

An interesting read, but not exceptional.

Not a boring science textbook

A Great Story

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
Dava Sobel
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love

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THE MAP THAT CHANGED WORLD

The Riddle of the Compass: The Invention that Changed the World

The Professor and the Madman

ASIN: 0140258795

Amazon.com

The thorniest scientific problem of the eighteenth century was how to determine longitude. Many thousands of lives had been lost at sea over the centuries due to the inability to determine an east-west position. This is the engrossing story of the clockmaker, John "Longitude" Harrison, who solved the problem that Newton and Galileo had failed to conquer, yet claimed only half the promised rich reward.

Book Description

During the great ages of exploration, "the longitude problem" was the gravest of all scientific challenges. Lacking the ability to determine their longitude, sailors were literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Ships ran aground on rocky shores; those traveling well-known routes were easy prey to pirates.

In 1714, England's Parliament offered a huge reward to anyone whose method of measuring longitude could be proven successful. The scientific establishment--from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton--had mapped the heavens in its certainty of a celestial answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution--a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had been able to do on land. And the race was on....

Customer Reviews:

An Unexpected "Couldn't Put it Down".......2007-10-16

A "simple" invention that literally opened the world and a man who spent his entire life figuring our how to make it happen, made for a fantastic story ... and a rare book that I really couldn't put down.

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time.......2007-08-31

A mediocre book , the author clearly has no scientific knowlegde and drags the story out as if it was a Soap opera . No diagrams / drawings / patent descriptions are included , meagre technical information . NOT worth the effort of reading . this publication is an insult to the intelligence . ABSOLUTE RUBBISH . ( and I have read it ). William Asquith .

An interesting read, but not exceptional........2007-06-27

Dava Sobel's 'Longitude' makes for a quick, light read. The story covers an interesting slice of history, but Longitude hardy distinguishes itself as being a great book. The largest problem is that the "lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time," John Harrison, is not a man about whom very much is known. Everything that is known about him could be fitted onto one of the (paperback) book's 175 pages. It's a bit remarkable that Sobel was able to milk a book from minimal and disjointed known facts. The story is really about the longitude problem itself, and the Harrison 'enemies' long-running success in undermining Harrison's solution, a precision chronometer that could maintain accuracy under the widely varied environmental conditions encountered by mariners.

Sobel's 'Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love,' is, in every way, a better book. For those interested in a fast-paced historical exposition of "a lone genius" advancing science but meeting maddening resistance from England's celebrity scientific elite (yes, it's a theme that parallels Sobel's 'Longitude'), by all means secure a copy of Tom Standage's 'The Neptune File: A Story of Astronomical Rivalry and the Pioneers of Planet Hunting,' the story of John Couch Adams' startling genius and the developments of planetary astronomy from William Herschel to our current spectroscopic and mathematical hunt for distant exoplanets.

Not a bad book, but not great either.

Not a boring science textbook.......2007-06-23

Sobel brings science to life in this tell of the quest to solve the navigational conundrum of measuring position. Her writing is visual and fluid. The book tells a gripping story that brings in bits of politics, geography, economics, philosophy, and many other disciplines. It proves that fact can be stranger than fiction. This is a great read for anyone of any age and with any area of interest.

A Great Story.......2007-06-12

Longitude and latitude tell a sailor or aviator or hiker where in the entire world he or she is. If latitude is known, one knows how far north or south of the equator he or she is. But that's a circle all the way around the earth. To find the point on that circle, the sailor's longitude must be known. Without longitude, ships missed resupply islands in the south pacific by a couple of miles or by hundreds of miles - and never knew it. They crashed into rocks wandering around like you would in a dark room - the door is on the other side but, where?

The earth is round and, therefore, there are 360 degrees in the circumference. The earth makes one rotation every 24 hours and the sun stays put. That is, the earth rotates at the rate of 15 degrees per hour. So, if I know the time at some point in the world and I know the local time, I can calculate where I am on the circle of latitude. I can determine local noon and then I look at my very accurate clock and determine the time in, say, London. If it's four hours earlier in London, I know I am 4 x 15 or 60 degrees around the world from London. I shoot the sun with my sextant to find my latitude and now I know where I am.

The problem was - how do I know what time it is in London when I'm in the south pacific. Even on land, clocks were not even close to accurate - they'd lose several minutes a day. Many solutions were proposed - my favorites were the "sympathetic dogs" and the line of cannon firing ships. The dog solution involved having a dog in London and a dog on the ship. Since it was well known that dogs communicate telepathically, if the dog in London was pinched, the dog on the ship would feel it and yelp. So - pinch the dog at noon and - voila! That didn't work so the next idea was to put a string of ships across the oceans beginning in London. Put them at one mile intervals and have the crews listen. At noon a cannon would be fired in London and the first ship would fire its cannon. The second ship would hear it and fire its cannon. and so forth across all the oceans. When a cruising ship heard the cannon, the captain knew it was noon in London. Too many ships, too much money and what to do during a storm.

Harrison's first clock was accurate to 1/2 second per day. That's in the mid seventeen hundreds. That's better than most clocks and watches made anywhere in the world up to about 30 years ago. He ultimately made a large watch - about five inches across - that was able to keep London time so accurately the British Navy could go anywhere and find what they were looking for and the way home. But think of the problems - the ship is rolling and pitching so a pendulum won't work. The temperature and humidity change so the mechanism slows or speeds up or rusts. There were no computer chips or quartz crystals. And there were many important people saying, "God is the answer - look to the heavens."

It's a story about something we take so easily for granted today. Our throwaway watches are more accurate than anything imaginable when Harrison started. An atomic clock measures time to the billionth of a second and we think nothing of it - but without those clocks we would have no satellite communication, no weather satellites, no space program. It's a story about a man who didn't know the answer but was determined to find it. Harrison had no computer, no modern machine tools, no precedent. His story is absolutely amazing. And it is told wonderfully by Dava Sobel. I've read it three times and have enjoyed it each of them.

Average customer rating:

Much better with Andrewes illustrations
Entertaining insight in longitude problemsolving
One way to describe persistence: William Harrison
A Novel Couldn't Read Better
A Book That Should Be Read

The Illustrated Longitude
Dava Sobel , and William J. H. Andrewes
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love
Longitude
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Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

ASIN: 0802775934

Amazon.com

Dava Sobel's Longitude tells the story of how 18th-century scientist and clockmaker William Harrison solved one of the most perplexing problems of history--determining east-west location at sea. This lush, colorfully illustrated edition adds lots of pictures to the story, giving readers a more satisfying sense of the times, the players, and the puzzle. This was no obscure, curious difficulty--without longitude, ships often found themselves so far off course that sailors would starve or die of scurvy before they could reach port. When a nationally-sponsored contest offered a hefty cash prize to the person who could develop a method to accurately determine longitude, the race was on. In the end, the battle of accuracy--and wills--fought between Harrison and arch-rival Maskelyne was ruthless and dramatic, worthy of a Hollywood feature film. Longitude's story is surprising and fascinating, offering a window into the past, before Global Positioning Satellites made it look easy. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

A fully illustrated edition of the international best-seller Longitude.

The Illustrated Longitude recounts in words and images the epic quest to solve the greatest scientific problem of the eighteenth and three prior centuries: determining how a captain could pinpoint his ship's location at sea. All too often throughout the ages of exploration, voyages ended in disaster when crew and cargo were either lost at sea or destroyed upon the rocks of an unexpected landfall. Thousands of lives and the fortunes of nations hung on a resolution to the longitude problem.

To encourage a solution, governments established prizes for anyone whose method or device proved successful. The largest reward of £20,000-- truly a king's ransom-- was offered by Britain's Parliament in 1714. The scientific establishment-- from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton-- had been certain that a celestial answer would be found and invested untold effort in this pursuit. By contrast, John Harrison imagined and built the unimaginable: a clock that told perfect time at sea, known today as the chronometer. Harrison's trials and tribulations during his forty-year quest to win the prize are the culmination of this remarkable story.

The Illustrated Longitude brings a new and important dimension to Dava Sobel's celebrated story. It contains the entire original narrative of Longitude, redesigned to accompany 183 images chosen by William Andrewes-- from portraints of every important figure in the story to maps and diagrams, scientifc instruments, and John Harrison's remarkable sea clocks themselves. Andrewes's elegant captions and sidebars on scientific and historical events tell their own story of longitude, paralleling and illuminating Sobel's memorable tale.

Customer Reviews:

Much better with Andrewes illustrations.......2007-09-24

I met William Andrewes at a talk about his longitude dial. Never read Dava Sobel before and found the text week or at least week without the illustrations. The history in these documents and images of paintings made this book a don't put it down event. I've even used some of the history noted in public talks on astronomy. Highly recommended. I've shared it with several colleagues.

John S.

Entertaining insight in longitude problemsolving.......2007-08-27

An easy to read and enjoyable (hi)story about the efforts that have been made in the past centuries to find an way of navigating at sea. Every aspect finding the longitude has been covered. The book contains a lot of pictures and graphics that deepens out some (technical) background issues. It provides just enough details so that the subject is well understood, but no too much, making is suitable for every interested reader.
So, if you are interested in navigating, reading this book gives you an good insight in the amount of work people have done in the past to make that possible.

One way to describe persistence: William Harrison.......2007-05-25

As an "electronic geographer" (geographic information systems... computerized mapping... operator and manager), I was immediately attracted to Sobel's story upon it's original publication in 1995. Technically, navigationally, and economically speaking this is, as others have stated, a truly epic and civilization-changing story that is well and readably told by Sobel. On the first read I was awestruck to learn that craftsmen of the 18th century could make timepieces of the accuracy that Harrison achieved. Then further amazed to learn they were made portable and durable enough to withstand the rigors of years of service at sea. As I read Sobel's original book my curosity about what these amazing pieces of incredible craftsmenship (art?) LOOKED LIKE was a continual distraction. The "Illustrated Longitude" delightfully sates the curosity that Sobel's text so pleasantly gives rise to.

A Novel Couldn't Read Better.......2007-02-22

Sobel's original volume came in an un-illustrated format. I had scarcely ever heard about the history behind the "longitude problem," as it was called during the period. When the book was recommended to me by a good friend, I was initially hesitant, thinking that it might be a dull read.

I read the original book in a day. It was one of the best-written page-turners I had ever come across -- almost akin to the readability of Walter Lord's "A Night to Remember," or "Day of Infamy." My only complaint was that the book had no pictures of any sort to speak of.

This new, illustrated volume fixes that only complaint. This book is a must-have.

A Book That Should Be Read .......2007-01-03

I am at present still reading the book. It is only now that I have had the time to do so. If you wish my review later, then I would be pleased to provde this.

Thank you.

The Eighth Day Of Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Biology

Average customer rating:

Wonderful
The Power of Science is not the last answer but the next question
Biomedical research, as it is actually practiced
Great piece of historical writing
A magnificent Eighth Day

The Eighth Day Of Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Biology
Horace F. Judson
Manufacturer: COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Amazon.com

In the foreword to this expanded edition of his 1979 masterpiece, Horace Freeland Judson says, "I feared I might seem the official historian of the movement"--molecular biology, that is. If by official he means "authoritative; definitive; the standard against which all others are measured" then his fears are warranted. Detailed without being overly technical, humane without being fulsome, The Eighth Day of Creation tells of molecular biology's search for the secret of life. "The drama has everything--exploration of the unknown; low comedy and urgent seriousness; savage competition, vaulting intelligence, abrupt changes of fortune, sudden understandings; eccentric and brilliant people, men of honor and of less than honor; a heroine, perhaps wronged; and a treasure to be achieved that was unique and transcendent." And in Judson this drama found its Shakespeare.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful.......2006-04-29

Judson tells the story of the birth of molecular biology and giants who nurtured it. Insightful not just of the challenges of the science itself but also of the lives of the many who shaped it. It instilled a deep sense of appreciation in me for the efforts of the many scientists involved in shaping the field of molecular biology without the aid of the modern tools and techniques we scientists take for granted. Highly recommended for anyone with an appreciation for science especially, undergrduates.

The Power of Science is not the last answer but the next question.......2006-04-11

A gripping drama with the biggest question of all, what is life? That's what "The Eighth Day of Creation" is, a historical drama capturing the characters, the challenges, the thrills and disappointment that makes science the compelling endeavor that it is. It's unfortunate that this book has not been made into what would be a great mini-series.

The brilliance of this book is that it investigates the people behind the science, and how they approach their problems. Some are matters of pure logic to deduce the results such as the deciphering of the genetic code, while others are pure perseverance such as coming up with the physical structure of myoglobin. But what makes the book powerful is that each discovery is a major accomplishment, but that it also uncovers the next question. And Judson follows the line of reasoning to answer the next question. It also explores the human side of science, the fierce faith that an answer exists and that they will find it. You get a flavor of science as it is practiced in James Watson's "The Double Helix" but you get the full meal here.

A warning, while the book goes to great lengths to explain the science, those lacking at least college biology may find the subject matter difficult to comprehend. More valuable for graduate students in any of the sciences, it is a complement to the facts by giving a perspective on how those facts are discovered.

Biomedical research, as it is actually practiced.......2002-06-30

Judson's book, like Tracy Kidder's "The Soul of a New
Machine", stands out for getting it: the passion, the
politics, and the personalities behind scientific
and technological progress, as well as its pitfalls and
cul de sacs. Judson's book, like no other I've read,
captures molecular biology as it is practiced.

I received this book as a gift in 1980 when I was a
college freshman hoping to major in biochemistry.
Today, much as I like to see the biomedical research I
do as a rational, deductive, "hypothesis-driven"
affair, there is unescapably the human element. Think
ego, and all of the other human qualities, respectable
or scorned. Have you seen genome sequencer J. Craig
Venter on the cover of Time (or was it Newsweek?). What
do you think put him there?

Science as a human endeavor was put forth theoretically
in 1962 by historian Thomas Kuhn in his "The Structure
of Scientific Revolutions". Complementing Kuhn, Judson
illustrates it in deliciously readable human terms. For
this reason this book is unmatched and is worth six,
not five, stars.

Max Perutz appears significantly in Judson's story. In
1990, as a beginning graduate student, I had the
priviledge of meeting and conversing with Perutz. He
was just as Judson portrayed him: modest, plodding,
dedicated, pursuing what he might learn from the
structure and properties of hemoglobin. Reading Judson
a decade earlier prepared me for this most important
meeting for me.

Though dated (the story stops about 1975), I heartily
recommend this book to anyone considering a career in
biomedical research. Judson successfully conveys the
human reality of that honorable profession. Some times
it hurts -- crystallographer Rosalind Franklin never
got her due -- but that's the state of the profession.

Great piece of historical writing.......2001-04-23

I loved this book. Before reading it, I had the rather naive view that Crick and Watson discovered the structure of DNA and suddenly "all was light". I hadn't realised the huge effort required over the next twenty years to attain an understanding of the linkages between that structure and the biological processes it codes for. Judson's book tells that story, in detail, and is written at a level that I could follow (as a layperson with a keen interest in science).

Judson talked to the researchers responsible for all the major developments in molecular biology, and quotes extensively from his interviews, so the reader gets a feel for the human side of the great adventure, the sense of community and the rivalries, the frustrations and dead ends as well as the victories.

Be warned that it is not a light or short read. It demands the reader's close attention. Fortunately, though, it is a pageturner that (with only minor exceptions) keeps the reader gripped.

It should also be noted that the first edition of the book was written in the early seventies and, while no doubt Freedland has updated it, the main narrative ends in about 1972. There is a final chapter on developments since then, but it is of necessity quite brief and touches on a limited number of highlights.

A magnificent Eighth Day.......2000-06-13

Wonderful, it is simply the best book on the subject. An account that carefully balances scientific contents and personal issues of the scientists from the early times of molecular biology and conveys the the thrill of professional research.

Last and First Men and Star Maker : Two Science Fiction Novels

Average customer rating:

Free SF Reader
Imperfect Humans and Angelic Beasts
communist diatribes, not novels
This is my 5th copy!
Don rubber underpants before reading ...

Last and First Men and Star Maker : Two Science Fiction Novels
Olaf Stapledon
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Odd John and Sirius
The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy
Childhood's End
A Canticle for Leibowitz
An Olaf Stapledon Reader

ASIN: 0486219623

Book Description

The greatest future histories in science fiction. In Last and First Men the protagonist is "mankind" in an ultimate definition — intelligence. Star Maker, in a sense its sequel, is concerned with the history of intelligence in the entire cosmos.

Customer Reviews:

Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Stapledon's epic ages of man tour-de-force. This is by no means a detailed character study, but a study of a theme - the evolution of humanity, and its spread. You are not quite sure how one man could get his head around this at the time, but he managed, in a masterful way. Very influential and exciting, this book.

Imperfect Humans and Angelic Beasts.......2007-08-03

Olaf Stapledon was an immensely deep-thinking philosopher who utilized science fiction for his expansive ruminations on the place of humanity in the universe. The two books combined here are an excessively heavy read and are considerably more dense than his two well-known character-driven novels - the also weighty Odd John and Sirius (the volume combining those two classics is highly recommended). Last and First Men and Star Maker could be faulted for reading less like novels and more like philosophical tracts, but this is not a sign of weakness because Stapledon's philosophy is robust enough to make the method work. Meanwhile, reviewers who harshly criticize Stapledon's political leanings are members of ideologies that are inherently hostile to creativity and deep thinking. Stapledon was a philosopher, not an ideologue, and his fully developed conceptions of the small place of humanity in the cosmos ultimately revealed his humanist faith. He achieved these philosophical insights with a science fiction vision of an immensity that has never been equaled in the genre.

Last and First Men (1931) gives a future history of the human race that is incredibly far beyond the few thousand years that most sci-fi writers can come up with. Stapledon maps out human progress and evolution over a whopping two billion years, with a narrative scope in which all of human experience as we know it can be glossed over in a single paragraph. Though Stapledon's predictions of future progress are hokey at times (for instance, he was a few hundred million years off on the first human space voyage), his vision is stupendous in its range and depth. The spirit of humanity survives through 18 different species, many near-extinctions and evolutionary dead-ends, and three different homeworlds.

Star Maker (1937) has, amazingly, a vision of universal history that is orders of magnitude beyond Last and First Men. That story's two billion years become but a single paragraph here. Via thought experiments in dream-like omniscience, Stapledon presents the history of the cosmos as a tragedy taking place over hundreds of billions of years, with the rise and fall of galaxies and dimensions serving as the action. Eventually Stapledon envisions the universe as a sentient deity of a vastness and complexity that even his nearly-omniscient narrator can't put into words. Stapledon's works are essential for big thinkers who are obsessed with understanding their place within the billions of years and trillions of light years of the vast infinite universe. Stapledon's ability to shed light on mankind's inconsequential yet fully worthwhile place in the uncaring cosmos was profoundly astonishing. [~doomsdayer520~]

communist diatribes, not novels.......2007-06-14

These books are fiction, but they are not novels. There is no plot, no character development, no dramatic tension. Nothing about them, structurally, is like a novel. There is a great deal of creativity, and the occasional dose of mysticism, but it is all bent in the service of an endless assault of over-the-top communist propaganda.

I was quite surprised by this, since I loved Stapledon's novel "Odd John", which is anything but egalitarian or socialist.

Human spiritual evolution is Stapledon's basic theme in all his works, but in these two, he went down the wrong road. Evolution takes place when individuals separate themselves from the unconscious masses. Socialism can only lead to the masses dragging conscious men down to their own level. Freedom alone can lead to evolution. Stapledon was a victim of the sick philosophies of his time, now, of course, utterly discredited. It clearly destroyed his later works, where he went against his every artistic instinct to pen this socialist tripe for transparent political reasons.

But do read "Odd John", which has none of this gobbledygook in it, is an actual novel, and indeed a bona fide classic.

This is my 5th copy!.......2006-06-29

Last and First Men has been my favorite book for almost 30 years. W.O.S. is my favorite author of all time. I find myself re-reading it every few years to marvel at the accuracy of his predictions. The chapter on the Americanization of the planet and the conflict with China is eerie in it's accuracy. This from a book written before WWII. I've loaned out several copies and they always wind up on extended journeys. I bought this paperback edition to give to my 17y.o. This book is a must for any serious SF fan!

Don rubber underpants before reading ..........2005-09-14

Last and First Men :-
One of the most succinct and accurate renderings of mankind's present state of mind and future progression. It documents the future of man from the start of WW2 and continues until the Sun engulfs the earth, and beyond. Considering this book was first published in 1931, it is remarkable, both in its honesty as regards human nature, and in its phenomenal span. By the time we reach chapter 3 of the 16 in this book, it is already 2300 AD and you feel like you have had the viewpoint of a God. So intense is the writing, that a few pages can take you hours to read and weeks to think about. What a writer, what a visionary. Of particular interest to me was the laconic way he can sum up an entire country's culture and people, and the accuracy of prediction in the first part of the book. Quotes from around what would be the back-end of the 20th century on his timescale (what he terms "Balkan Europe") :-

"... For love of France was the undoing of the French. They prized the truly admirable spirit of France so extravagantly, that they regarded all other nations as barbarians."

"... the practice of communism was gradually undermined. For the Russian state came increasingly under the influence of Western, and especially American, finance. The materialism of the official creed also became a farce, for it was foreign to the Russian mind. Thus between practice and theory there was, in both respects, a profound inconsistency. What was once a vital and promising culture became insincere."

Points to note :-
All budding politicians should be forced to read this book. It should be part of any politics curriculum.
Strikingly accurate and plausible portent of homo sapiens future. Read in the context of 2002, it is easy to see mankind's current folly and the extrapolation of current scientific endeavours. For example, we may achieve global peace ("An Americanised Planet"") for a few millennia, but at the cost of spiritual and intellectual freedom and development. When the "Fall of the First Men" happened, recovery took a very long time :-

"Later, when the epidemic was spent, even though civilisation was already in ruins, a concerted effort of devotion might yet have rebuilt it on a more modest plan. But among the First Men, only a minority had ever been capable of wholehearted devotion. The great majority were by nature too much obsessed by private impulses."

Sounds like the malaise of current homo sapiens.
The theme of continual physical exertion and constant movement of attention as an underpinning for the lifestyles of all successful social inhabitants was beautifully described. This is so true of today's and future societies. No pause for reflection or contemplation. The abandonment of philosophy as a science in the future. The pig-headed clinging to pagan artefact or idol worship, rather than logic.
The brilliant description of the "Second Men", with his finer array of senses, and his natural propensity for altruism.
The plausible evolution of intelligent life on Mars in 10 million years time, with the subsequent misunderstanding of what is intelligent between Earth and Mars.
Man's creation of more evolved forms of man meshes brilliantly with current genetic research.
"Time travel" achieved by mental regression into past minds. The future remains unknown.
Conclusions :-
Apply common sense to the situation as it is now, to work out the best course of action. Never invoke traditions or old beliefs as these threaten your survival in an ever-changing environment.
Within the same species, organisms are equally complex biochemically. Therefore, any social structure that imposes arbitrary division within the species, is intrinsically flawed. This is true of current homo sapiens organisation, where certain people are far more highly regarded than others for stupid reasons, and divisions between cliques of people usually erupt in violence, rather than heated debate.
Just because someone cannot be convinced of your way of seeing things, doesn't mean that physical coercion becomes necessary.
"Live and let live" doesn't mean live it up and let the rest live in squalor.
Nothing should be regarded as taboo, save that which is unnatural.
There are absolutely no restrictions on what anyone can think.
If you can have it, then anyone can have it.

Star Maker :-
After reading "Last and First Men", I approached Olaf's next masterpiece, "Star Maker" ( first published in 1937), with some disbelief as to how on earth he could possibly better the span, pathos and magnanimity he had already laid out. A quick scan of the appendices yielded the impression that this book would embrace not just the tiny fragment of history that was mankind's stay in the universe, but that all history of the universe would be described, and that of other universes too. All of this in less pages than "Last and First Men"! My immediate reaction was simply, "No way, Jose" and I wondered how he was going to set about such an immense task. The vehicle used was, of course, the best man has going for him - his imagination. A contemplative man is whisked off on an imaginary journey through space and time by an ever-gathering mass consciousness. He describes how galaxies of stars formed from nebulae that were born flying apart from each other, how these cooling nebulae condensed into galaxies of stars, and how the rare occurrences of young stars that passed each other, formed planets, and how, on a few rare planets, intelligent life evolved. He shows how certain conditions inhibit the appearance of life, or intelligent life, and how certain evolutionary pathways cause life to stagnate or wipe itself out. He puts mankind's existence into perspective in both universal time and space.

There are touching moments and there are exciting battles. There is both tragedy and comedy. There are uplifting victories and crushing defeats. Far from being stuffy, this book is really a very good read indeed, considering the scope of its subject. The final few short chapters really have you reading a couple of paragraphs, and then putting the book down to have a long ponder over what has just been addressed. And the book's climax leaves you with lifelong matters to mull over - one of these being, "Boy, and I thought I was pretty intelligent..." ;-)

Here are a couple of lengthy quotes for your enjoyment :-
--------------------------------------------------------------
... The sequence of events in the successfully waking world was generally more or less as follows. The starting point, it will be remembered, was a plight like that in which our own Earth now stands. The dialectic of the world's history had confronted the race with a problem with which the traditional mentality could never cope. The world-situation had grown too complex for lowly intelligences, and it demanded a degree of individual integrity in leaders and in led, such as was as yet possible only to a few minds. Consciousness had already been violently awakened out of the primitive trance into a state of excruciating individualism, of poignant but pitifully restricted self-awareness. And individualism, together with the traditional tribal spirit, now threatened to wreck the world. Only after a long-drawn agony of economic distress and maniac warfare, haunted by an increasingly clear vision of a happier world, could the second stage of waking be achieved. In most cases it was not achieved. "Human nature", or its equivalent in the many worlds, could not change itself; and the environment could not remake it.

But in a few worlds the spirit reacted to its desperate plight with a miracle. Or, if the reader prefers, the environment miraculously refashioned the spirit. There occurred a widespread and almost sudden waking into a new lucidity of consciousness and a new integrity of will. To call this change miraculous is only to recognize that it could not have been scientifically predicted even from the fullest possible knowledge of "human nature" as manifested in the earlier age. To later generations, however, it appeared as no miracle but as a belated wakening from an almost miraculous stupor into plain sanity.

and from later in the book :-

... The result of this extraordinary custom, of artificial fatherhood by "brute-men", which was carried on without remission in all countries for a generation, and in a less thorough manner for a very much longer period, was to alter the composition of the whole quasi-human race. In order to maintain continued adaptability to an ever-changing environment a race must at all costs preserve in itself its slight but potent salting of sensibility and originality. In this world the precious factor now became so diluted as to be ineffective. Henceforth the desperately complex problems of the world were consistently bungled. Civilization decayed. The race entered on a phase of what might be called pseudo-civilized barbarism, which was in essence sub-human and incapable of change. This state of affairs continued for some millions of years, but at last the race was destroyed by the ravages of a small rat-like animal against which it could devise no protection.

I must not stay to notice the strange fortunes of all the many other quasi-human worlds. I will mention only that in some, though civilization was destroyed in a succession of savage wars, the germ of recovery precariously survived. In one, the agonizing balance of the old and the new seemed to prolong itself indefinitely. In another, where science had advanced too far for the safety of an immature species, man accidentally blew up his planet and his race. In several, the dialectical process of history was broken short by invasion and conquest on the part of inhabitants of another planet. These and other disasters, to be described in due course, decimated the galactic population of worlds.

In conclusion I will mention that in one or two of these quasi-human worlds a new and superior biological race emerged naturally during the typical world crisis, gained power by sheer intelligence and sympathy, took charge of the planet, persuaded the aborigines to cease breeding, peopled the whole planet with its own superior type, and created a human race which attained communal mentality, and rapidly advanced beyond the limits of our exploring and over- strained understanding. Before our contact failed, we were surprised to observe that, as the new species superseded the old and took over the vast political and economic activity of that world, it came to realize with laughter the futility of all this feverish and aimless living. Under our eyes the old order began to give place to a new and simpler order, in which the world was to be peopled by a small "aristocratic" population served by machines, freed alike from drudgery and luxury and intent on exploration of the cosmos and the mind.

This change-over to a simpler life happened in several other worlds not by the intervention of a new species, but simply by the victory of the new mentality in its battle against the old.
--------------------------------------------------------------
To summarise, "Star Maker" is the best book in the whole world ever, and everybody should be forced to read it and understand it, at gunpoint.

Prentice Alvin (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
The story continues..
Great characters, good continuing story of Alvin Maker
The series continues with solid levels of quality
The Weakest of the Alvin Maker books (so far)

Prentice Alvin (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 3)
Orson Scott Card
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Similar Items:

Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 2)
Alvin Journeyman (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 4)
Heartfire (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 5)
The Crystal City: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Volume VI (Alvin Maker)
Seventh Son (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 1)

ASIN: 0812502124

Book Description

The Tales of Alvin Maker series continues in volume three, Prentice Alvin. Young Alvin returns to the town of his birth, and begins his apprenticeship with Makepeace Smith, committing seven years of his life in exchange for the skills and knowledge of a blacksmith. But Alvin must also learn to control and use his own talent, that of a Maker, else his destiny will be unfulfilled.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Yet more boring mormon wish-fulfillment fantasy. In this arena, David Gemmell he is not. If that is what you are after, then by all means get it, otherwise something like The Jerusalem Man will be much more appealing. You could, however, use them as a cure for insomnia, or sever lack of schmaltz.

The story continues.........2004-08-08

After the interruption andAlvin's kidnapping in the Red Prophet, this book picks up with Alvin learning his trade and turning into the man he is destined to be. We follow Alvin as he grows up and befriends the people of Hatrock.

Again he battles the Unmaker and fights to build the world that he saw in with the Red Prophet. Peggy continues to watch Alvin from a far and she herself grows into the woman that Alvin will turn to in and love.

This book starts the story of Alvin the Maker. This is where the boy turns into the man he will be and brushes the soot from his face to see the future he will be creating.

Great characters, good continuing story of Alvin Maker.......2004-01-26

I originally read this several years ago, but decided to re-read this when I got the new book in the series. This book was very good, both as the continuing story of Alvin Maker as well as the new story in this book with Arthur Staurt.

I really enjoyed the new depth to some of the characters that were introduced in previous books, but were more central to the story in this book. Also, the new characters, such as Arthur Stuart and Mock Berry were very good as well. The only thing I didn't like about this book was there is a point where Alvin has to do something very difficult, and while it is a very clever solution to the problem at hand, it seems like there was a much easier solution available that was not even mentioned. But that was just a minor problem, and didn't detract much from a great story.

If you've read Seventh Son and Red Prophet, you should definitely continue the story with this book.

The series continues with solid levels of quality.......2004-01-11

Alvin has begun his "prenticeship" and though he comes to Hattrack river mostly to speak to the girl, Peggy, who, as a torch, had the ability to show him his futures and is likely the only person who can help him figure out how to be a real Maker, she flees before he even arrives.

This is a split story for most of the duration, flickering from Alvin on one side, to Peggy on the other, and converging near the end. Alvin's apprenticeship is very interesting, but it is Peggy's story I'm really starting to enjoy more. Peggy is a torch - someone with the knack to see futures in the heartfires of folk, and her own future is intertwined with Alvin's. But when she sees that her own future is a loveless one if she waits for Alvin to arrive, she does the unthinkable - she runs away, to find a way to at least have love for Alvin, if not love from him. Her determination to thwart her own gifts of futuresight is a joy to read, and her strength of character - somewhat rare for female characters in a lot of fantasy works - is a nice change. Very enjoyable.

So is where the tale ends, with a bit more magic than usual, and a set-up for the next story that I'm glad I didn't have to wait years for - like all the other folk who've been reading this series since book one.

'Nathan

The Weakest of the Alvin Maker books (so far).......2003-01-09

Enjoying the first two Alvin Maker books I was disappointed in the third. It's not a bad book, it just lacks the energy and thoughtfulness that pervaded the first two. In Prentice Alvin, Card seems at a loss how to further the character of Alvin. The first book introduced us not only to Alvin but also to his world, an alternate America where hexes work and everyone possesses a "knack," or paranormal ability. In the second book, we're told the story of the Prophet, a variation of Tecumseh's brother, and his effort to form a Native American safe haven. Here, Alvin apprentices as a blacksmith and his hopeful wife (introduced in the first book as a young girl when Alvin is born and fully aware of Alvin's abilities) learns how to be a lady only to return disguised as a teacher. When and where she "learns" Alvin is a maker and "decides" to teach him is surprisingly bypassed in the storyline. One minute Alvin is learning geometry, the next he's getting maker advice.

Book Description

Alvin is a Maker, the first to be born in a century.Now a grown man and a journeyman smith, Alvin has returned to his family in the town of Vigor Church. He will share in their isolation, work as a blacksmith, and try to teach anyone who wishes to learn the knack of being a Maker. For Alvin has had a vision of the Crystal City he will build, and he knows that he cannot build it alone.But he has left behind in Hatrack River enemies as well as true friends. His ancient foe, the Unmaker, whose cruel whispers and deadly plots have threatened Alvin's life at every turn, has found new hands to do his work of destruction.

Customer Reviews:

a lot of reading for little substance.......2005-06-03

The Alvin Maker series starts off with a unique and fascinating alternate history of a world where people have "knacks" which allow them to do what would be considered "magic" to most of us. Alvin's knack is "making" and the first two books explained his world and shaped his character through some interesting and unique experiences.

The third book signalled the beginning of a decline in the series as Card moves toward his favored story of a main male character (Alvin) who is supposedly noble and good above all else. The third book is saved by an interesting and appropriate storyline about slavery but the same cannot be said of the fourth.

Unfortunately, in the fourth book, he makes the Alvin behave so stupidly as a means of attempting to martyr him that the reader soon loses respect for the main character. There is honor in self-sacrifice but not in someone who thinks that covering up the lies and misdeeds of others is a form of "good". Doesn't Card ever think it might be interesting to explore the theme of fostering positive character growth in others by having their lies and misdeeds dealt with directly by the person who they have harmed? I'm not talking about Rambo-type behavior but the fact that the Ender's series, the Homecoming series, and now the Alvin Maker series have pathetic men who believe bad decisions make them strong and noble is getting tiresome.

The worst part isn't the retread of the same old story but the fact that this story simply goes on and on and seems to have very little point other than to drag poor undeserving Alvin through the muck and have him sit by and do diddly about it. This is not only uninteresting for the reader but actively annoying.

Other reviewers have pointed out that this book brings together a cast of characters that will eventually serve a purpose in future novels in the series. I believe that those characters could have been brought in through a much less drawn-out and tedious storyline. Essentially, a few chapters of a novel which continues the move toward building the Crystal City (Alvin's ultimate goal as outlined in The Red Prophet) should have done it rather than subjecting us to no less than 3 separate liars accusing Alvin of various misdeeds and us having to suffer through excruciating details.

I decided after reading this book that this would be absolutely the last series of Card's novels I'd ever read. He's an excellent writer but he needs to tighten up his writing and get a new character or two. Ender, Nafai and Alvin are all just too similarly spineless.

Slow but worth it.......2004-09-10

This novel was an interesting story to the Alvin Maker series. I did enjoy the story and the adventures that Card told but I felt that this story was a stopping point-a temporary detour as he regrouped. I felt that this tale was an attempt to finish the story he started and gather the characters he needed to reach the Crystal City.

This is a very important book in the series. It introduces characters that I feel are going to be fundamental to the conclusion of the Alvin Maker series. If have been enjoying this gift from Card, you need to pick this book up and struggle through the slight lulls and finish this one.

Another great story within a story.......2004-02-03

I originally read this several years ago, and re-read it recently after getting the new book in the series. As I read this series as a whole, I am staring to notice that the individual stories form each book (The war in Red Prophet, the story of Arthur Stuart in Prentice Alvin, and the trial in this book) and the new characters that keep coming along, are starting to overshadow the overall story of Alvin's quest to build the Crystal City.

This book started a little slowly, so I thought it might not have been as interesting as the previous books in the series, as often happens once you get this deep into a series. But with the introduction of Verily Cooper and Alvin's trial, the book really picks up the pace. I look forward to re-reading the next book (Heartfire) followed by the The Crystal City, which will hopefully conclude the series.

If you've enjoyed the other books in this series, you probably won't be disappointed by this one.

Maintaining the decline.......2003-02-16

The positive: Affable characters, fast moving, easy to read.
The negative: Uninteresting plot.

Although slightly better than the previous book in this series, Card still doesn't manage to recreate the magic of the first two. In this book, the bulk of the tale is involved in Alvin facing trial for being wrongly accused of theft. Many characters are introduced based on characters created in an AOL chatroom by Card's fans and this book gives the impression much of it was written to coddle those fans and feature their characters. Not an entire waste of time but don't go into this series thinking each of the books will be as entertaining as the others.

Thief!.......2002-12-11

Alvin is accused of theft by Makepeace Smith, his former Master. The book explores what happens as Alvin tries to clear his name.

Much happens in this book, which is a continuation of Card's "Alvin Maker" series. There are some real surprises and some characters I didn't expect to come back, which come back in unexpected ways.

Book Description

Basic Game Design and Creation for Fun & Learning teaches you how to make your own computer games-- no programming skills required! Whether you're a game player who wants to try making your own games or a teacher who wants to provide a new way for students to learn, you'll find everything you need to get started! Basic Game Design and Creation for Fun & Learning breaks the complex process of game design into an easy-to-follow, step-by-step format. Each chapter helps you create a 2D game using the popular game development software, GameMaker 6.1, and each game project provides reference figures and sample demonstrations, so that you can track your progress as you go. Throughout the book, you'll find real-life examples to explain advanced concepts that would otherwise frustrate beginning game designers. This storybook approach allows you to learn just what you need to get started making your own games quickly, while giving the basic skills you need for creating any kind of game. So if you want to get started turning your own game ideas into reality, or you're thinking about a career in game creation, this is the place to get started!

Customer Reviews:

Good starting book to learn GameMaker.......2007-08-06

I bought this book for my kid to learn GameMaker. A very good book for beginners.

Book VB.......2007-02-18

The book did finally arrive 3-weeks after school began., which at that point it was not help to me. It did arrive in good condition as stated, but the shipping was ridiculous. I would not order from this seller again.

Good Way to Get Started.......2006-03-28

This is a welcome addition to the game development bookshelf. It is oriented to having youngsters begin designing games. If you have a young boy or girl, and they are into playing games on a PC, this book is intended to get them into designing their own games.

The book uses, and supplies a copy on the CD-ROM, Game Maker software. This is a 2D game development system that allows for the creation of games without requiring programming. Building a game, hoever, is not unlike programming. You have to define what the characters look like, you have to define what they can do. You are doing a lot of the same logic that programming requires.

Perhaps your little game player can be made into a game maker. And just possibly he or she will learn something about computers while they are developing their own game. Possibly this will give them an introduction into what they want to do later in life, not necessarily design games, but almost any task in the computer industry.

I know of no other books that take this approach, and I like it.

Excellent Book.......2006-03-23

Tired of your kids playing video games? Buy this book.
Easy to follow, my 10 and 14 year olds are using this book and having a great time. It is has step by step instructions. They are having fun designing and creating their own game.
No prior experience necessary.
I hope that more books like this are in the works.

Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
The Seventh Son gets darker
Greatly expands the scope of the story.
American Fantasy
Fantastic tale and shining star of Tales of Alvin Maker Series

Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 2)
Orson Scott Card
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Crystal City: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Volume VI (Alvin Maker)

ASIN: 0812524268

Book Description

Come here to the magical America that might have been, and marvel as the tale of Alvin Maker unfolds. The seventh son of a seventh son is a boy of mysterious powers, and he is waking to the mysteries of the land and its own chosen people.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Dull, mormon wish fulfillment just fantasy. Card may have come up with some clever and complex science fiction, but he has also accomplished some terribly turgid fantasy. A suggestion and loaned from a friend, the stinking rotter. :)

The Seventh Son gets darker.......2007-08-26

More of a continuation of Seventh Son than a sequel it actually begins some time before the first book ended. The story starts at a meeting between Andrew Jackson and William
Henry Harris, talking about the removal of Red (or Indians) from newly acquired lands in the West. From there the story follows two Red brothers; one is Lolla-Wossiky, who starts out as a nearly insane and eventually becomes a great spiritual leader advocating peaceful co-existence with white settlers. The other is strong warrior Ta-Kumsaw who wants to lead the Reds in revolt against the expanding white men with the help of the French and Napoleon Bonapart. In the middle is young Alvin Miller, the Maker. Alvin is still learning how to use his magic for good, and has a bad feeling about helping Ta-Kumsaw in rising against his own, but helps none the less because he knows the Reds cause is right, if not the means.

I must be honest I didn't like this book as well as I did "Seventh Son". First it was a lot bigger in scope, which I understand was the idea, but I liked the last books focus on Alvin and his private war with The Unmaker. Also I didn't like the attitude Scott had against white people spoiling everything they touch. I know this was a prevalent attitude that the Native Americans had (and some still do), but I thought that the sentiment was taken too far, and made me uncomfortable while reading "Red Prophet". Also the battle scenes are barely described in any detail; not the massacre at Prophetown or the battle at Detroit.

I did like the characterizations of the people involved though. They all rang true, especially Ta-Kumsaw. Alvin is a sweet young kid with powers he doesn't understand, and that seemed real as well.

All in all, I just didn't care for this book. I hope you'll enjoy it more than I did.

Greatly expands the scope of the story........2007-08-06

The scope of the Tales of Alvin Maker series greatly expands with this book. New characters and places, as well as much deeper insights into the political landscape of the [imaginary] time make this story so much more than the telling of a special child growing up in Vigor Church. Characters familiar to us from our own world history play a much larger role in this book, with William Henry Harisson and Napoleon having the most impact. As with 'Seventh Son', Card relies heavily on vernacular from "Ol-timey America" to emphasize and bring to life his characters. This also influences the naming of geographical features like rivers and mountains (with the Big Muddy being referred to as the Mizzipy). Some reviewers have complained about this, saying they get tripped up over the vocab, but IMHO it works great and adds life to the story.

One very noticeable difference between this book and the previous one is the escalation in the amount of and the explicit nature of violence. OSC has a gift of being able to portray feelings and emotion in a powerful way, as well as being able to paint extremely vivid pictures with his words. A couple of scenes in this book (especially revolving around Mike Fink and Measure) are very graphic and brutal. Some of this material may not be appropriate for young or sensitive readers. This book is definitely more mature and darker than any other OSC books I've read (Ender and Homecoming series). Just a warning.

'Red Prophet' opens up by telling the story of the Shining Man that appears in 'Seventh Son', who is known in this book as Lolla-Wossiky, Tenskwa-Tawa, or simply The Prophet. In fact, the first quarter of this book has an overlapping timeline with the first book, telling of broader events occurring while the more personal events of Alvin growing up are happening. The story eventually catches up to where 'Seventh Son' ends, with Alvin setting of to apprentice as a blacksmith. Instead of that, he and his brother Measure find themselves captives of some pretty evil Reds hired by the even more evil William Henry Harisson. The majority of the book follows Alvin as he learns more about his abilities and about Red-magic from a powerful new character named Ta-Kumsaw. Meanwhile, grand events are taking shape that will lead to a major confrontation between the Reds and the Whites that could shatter hope for a peaceful future.

All in all, this book does a great deal to progress the overall theme of the series, with Alvin undergoing much maturing, and the world around him being shaped by many powerful forces. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

American Fantasy.......2007-04-05

I love the concept of an alternate American History that the author uses. The story is amazing and I can't wait to see how it unfolds.

Fantastic tale and shining star of Tales of Alvin Maker Series.......2006-06-21

Red Prophet picks up where Seventh Son left off and shouldn't be read without previously reading the latter. Set in fictional colonial America, this is the land of alternate history where Americans have "knacks" or ability to do specific and limited magical acts.

There are various sub-plots throughout Red Prophet that include Napoleon, Andrew Jackson, and the infamous William Henry Harrison. Most of the story continues the story of Alvin, a seventh son of a seventh son who has peculiar powers and is befriended by the famous Indian leader, Tecumseh.

I felt this was the strongest book of the series and really separated itself from the rest of the pack. There are lots of elements going on and they all work. It's an exciting page-turner with a brisk pace and lots of action. It's a coming of age story where Alvin is learning to find himself and his abilities. It intelligently looks at American Indian's oppression by white colonial Americans. It has political intrigue elements wrapped up and brought together in the WHH and Napoleon sub plots. It also intelligently uses alternative history in a clever and satisfying way and at times is very dark and heartbreaking.

The sequels are worth reading (well at least the next two) but unfortunately don't achieve the same level as Red Prophet. It's a shame that you must read Seventh Son (although not a bad read at all) to really understand this properly because this book could of reached a much larger audience if it was a stand-alone.

This book was nominated for a Hugo and a Nebula award in 89'. It didn't win either, losing to Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh in the Hugo and Falling Free by Bujold (also nominated for a Hugo) in the Nebula. I haven't read Cyteen but this book was far superior to Falling Free in my opinion in what was an overall below average year for the awards.

Also I noticed a new reissue of the paperback coming to Amazon in August. Of course they jacked up the price to RIDICULUOS 14.95 list price, and seem to be discontinuing the mass-market version (only 5 left as of this review). Almost as appalling is the new cover art which is not only ugly, but is inappropriate for the mood of this book (compare it to the old version) and really is aimed at the "young adult" crowd which is limiting for a book like this.

Bottom Line: Card at his best here in what I believe is his 3rd best book after Ender's Game and Speaker For The Dead. Worth reading at least the first 3 of this series.

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