Sterling Reviews

Black woman (ex elementary teacher, single, only child) in her forties starts working for a white male (mid-thirities) computer expert that has a physical impairment. Setting is in north Florida, families (black and white), sports, education, morals, holidays, computers. This was the unedited version with author's original thoughts and writing. The author used three narrators so it was a little tough starting out. I gave this book and the other book (Sister Planet Tara) three stars and was waiting on the edited version. Hope I'm not giving too much away but these unedited two books are actually part of the story itself and worth reading first to get the author's full message. Looks like the end of October 2002 before the one edited book comes out. 2002 edited revised expanded Paperback and hard copy not out yet (but e-book just released over with the publisher and it is AWESOME!!!). The author tells why the unedited books first and the story works. The entire love story and just everyday story is so believable beyond belief. And the characters!! The author worked out the problem with the three narrators you still have the three narrators but the story is captures you from page one. That entire book is worth 10 starsss! I have to admit THE BONUS is still my favorite and the BEST!!!

Short, neatly drafted (three narrators), and written in first person. Throws everything from travel (mostly a couple of states in USA), computers, money, sports, education, relationships, and more together for a supposedly what-if (fictional) story that began a few years ago. The fact that elements of the story are so closely related to what's actually happening in the world around us makes it slightly and eerily convincing. This was really part one of a two-part book drafted by the author. The final book containing both parts has recently been completed and published.

I don't usually read these contemporary stories but IMPRESSED with the way author pulled me into story (this one also the sci-fi one) after only the first few pages so that you're not sure if you're reading fiction or non-fiction. BUT STILL this book and 2nd book are unedited (straight from author)/non-advertised--reason supposed to come out in edited '02 verisons. PLUS I would've liked more sex between male/female charcters and understand new edited versions has it. And I'm curious how author will TOTALLY tie both The Bonus and Sister Planet Tara together. So really i guess I'm saying I'm now hooked into buying the edited version. LOOKING forward to author's five star 2002 edition!

This collection of short stories contains some interesting "hits" (Hollywood Kremlin, Storming the Cosmos, We See Things Differently, Are you for 86?) and some disappointing "misses" (The Sword of Damocles).

Sterling is at his best when he is discussing alternative futures close to our own, and he has done his homework in studying two rival cultures that play roles in his alternate universes -- the Muslim world and the world of the old Soviet Union. He creates memorable characters (the international arms dealer/hustler Leggy Starlitz, for instance) and generates a lot of thought-provoking ideas (Will Turing-conscious AI's embrace Islam? Was the Tunguska blast really caused by an alien speacecraft? Will Islam become the dominant superpower -- threatened only by American rock and roill? Will genetically engineered pets capable of human-like thought and speech exist?).

Sterling's prose here is not of the quality of William Gibson's, or indeed, as good as Sterling is in other works, such as Schismatrix, or The Difference Engine. It is a good collection of stories, for the most part, and makes a good companion on a trip to the beach.

Admittedly this isn't Sterling's best short story collection, yet it does contain an intriguing set of 11 tales which run the gamut from slightly hard science fiction ("Storming The Cosmos") to humor ("Hollywood Kremlin"). Sterling is at his finest writing lean, lyrical cyberpunk prose in the tales I mentioned. Yet anyone expecting a literary classic comparable in quality to William Gibson's "Burning Chrome" may be disappointed. Still, Sterling, as always, is intriguing to read for his ideas and his uncanny knack at conjuring plausible near future scenarios, as well as his fine writing.

In this book, you will find 11 stories by Bruce Sterling and two collaborations. All but one of the stories has prviously appeared in magazine form between 1985 and 1991.

Most of the stories here are well worth reading. Especially "Hollywood Kremlin" and "Are You For 86?" which introduce Leggy Starlitz, one of Sterling's enduring characters. Also, the two collaborations, "Storming the Cosmos" and "The Moral Bullet" respectively with Rudy Rucker and John Kessel, are very good.

There are also one or two stories here which quite fankly should not have seen the light of day. "The Sword of Damocles" is the sort of exercise often tackled in writer's workshops and that is where is should have stayed.

There is not as much hard science in here in some of Sterling's other books but that does not detract from this collection. Indeed, a number of the best stories would escape all but the broadest definition of SF.

In the Leggy Starlitz tales, Sterling lays out lots of technical trivia in the same style as do many thriller writers. His facts are often wrong and self contradicting. Often laughably so and that does detract from the writing.

This is not the best collection to introduce you to Sterling's short fiction. I would recommend "A Good Old Fashioned Future" as an introduction but if you read and enjoy that and want more, you will not be disappointed by this book.

If you enjoy this book and want to read something in the same vein, I'd suggest William Gibson's collection "Burning Chrome" or the anthology "Mirrorshades" edited by Bruce Sterling.

Of course, I'm just a beginning silver collector, but I spent hours trying to find matches in this book to the many pieces I have (50+). I was only able to find one match. I did not find this book helpful. Instead, you should go to Silverwarehouse.com and use their FREE identification service or buy "Silverplate Flatware" by Tere Hagan, as was recommended to me.

this book is a must. For the hundreds of sterling flatware patterns and makers that pass through my hands, this volume is the first resource book I open. Even though the patterns are line drawings, it is fairly easy to find and identify a particular pattern. First find the maker by identifying the mark on the back. Then flip to the section for that maker to find the specific pattern. This book is as invaluable to me as Rainwater and Redfield's "Encyclopia of American Silver Manufacturers".

This is truly my most useful identification guide. Very easy to use.

If this book has been recommended to you because you have enjoyed books by Earlene Fowler, Jean Hager, and/or Sandra Dallas, forget this one. I found the characters and the plot to be very predictable, and the style reminded me more of what one might find in a Harlequin romance. Very disappointing.

Gotta go with what the reader in Wilmington said. Too predictable, too slow, too blaa. Next time I'll read the reviews first. Aren't there any good books anymore?

I found the love story of Trace and Lucy very sweet. The main characters had good, strong pioneer qualities. Twila,Uncle Nate, Josh, Rye and Theresa were perfect in their supporting roles. I am also certain that surly people like Mr. Pollard and others who followed his lead were around after the Civil War. It was a time when wounds both physical and emotional were raw. However,I had several complaints about the book. In one area, Ms. Sterling did not do her homework. On page 45, she has Mrs. Sorenson buying quilts to send to Sweden to be sold in a shop there, because quilts are not available there. Apparently, Ms. Sterling has never seen the book 'Old Swedish Quilts' which documents and chronicles Swedish quilt making in the last two centuries. Among the special treasures are Swedish wedding quilts. I also was somewhat offended at the character of Mrs. Sorenson. She is made out to be rather greedy and unpleasant and being of Swedish heritage, I found the descriptions of her offensive. Her dialog is written more to the cadence of German and nowhere is the singsong Swedish dialect mentioned. Once again, a good read, but would hope for better research next time.

Two women (one Black and the other *Japenese-American & college friends) in their forties snatched from a Florida backyard ends up on Planet Tara. Become love interest of aliens (human looking younger men). This was the unedited version with author's original thoughts and writing. I gave this book and the other book three stars and was waiting on the edited version. Looks like the end of October 2002 before it comes out. 2002 edited revised Paperback and hard copy not out yet (but e-book just released over with the publisher and it is AWESOME!!!). The author tells why the edited book first and the story works. It is believable beyond belief. The *Japanese-American character is now Chinese-American but that entire book is worth 10 starsss! I have to admit THE BONUS is my favorite and the BESTTTT!!!

IMPRESSED with the way author pulled me into story(this one also the contemporary one--The Bonus) after only the first few pages so that you're not sure if you're reading fiction or non-fiction. BUT STILL this book and 1st book (The Bonus) are unedited (straight from author putting thoughts together)/non-advertised--reason supposed to come out in edited '02 verisons. Both 2002 versions will be in one book as a complete story. PLUS in the unedited version I would've liked more intimacy between male/female charcters and understand the new edited versions will have more detailed relations. And I'm curious how author will TOTALLY tie both The Bonus and Sister Planet Tara together in new book. So really i guess I'm saying I'm now hooked into buying/reading the edited version. LOOKING forward to author's five star 2002 edition!

A nice s/f love story between a African American, and Asian women and two alien men that is similar to human men, I would have liked to have seen a bit more interaction between these couples and there love interest, but all in all it was a guick read that was nice.

This book from begining to end is quite simply weird.
I was never really sure where it was going to go and perhaps in this instance the writer bit off more than they could truly chew!
None the less, an interesting first effort that attempts to grapple with the weighty subjects of transexuality, incest, adultry.

I guess I am going to go against the vote here and say that altough I found jonathon cole an interesting read it was by no means exceptional. I have decided to add my vote to these reviews just - I hope to give balance to an otherwise weighty argument that suggests jc is the best thing since sliced bread! It is a well narated story if sometimes disjointed and I am afraid I failed to related to any of the characters in a sympathetic way and the ending I found fustrating as it for me anyhow, raised more questions than it answered. A brave first and refreshing first attempt and yes, I look forward to more by this English Writer.

I believe this is the first or perhaps second book by this writer. As such it is a very good start to what may prove a very interesting debut to a writing career which if jonathon cole is anything to go by, will be full of possibilities. I enjoyed this book because it was different both in tempo and outlook from my usual reading and I particularly loved the undercurrent of tension that led to the various turns within the drama as it unfolded. A good read although the ending, whether this be good or bad left me desperate to read more. Like a fellow reader I suspect a sequel may at some point appear!

The Son of Tarzan deserves a strong 4 star rating. While the story shares a lot in common with much of Burroughs' early Tarzan material, isn't that why you like the Tarzan series? The Son of Tarzan also stands out among the early Tarzan series for its excellent characterization. The book's best feature is the relationship that evolves between Tarzan's son Korak and the kidnapped French girl, Meriem. It is much more satisfactory than the Tarzan and Jane relationship, which really fizzles after the first couple of Tarzan books. The reader sympathizes with Meriem from the onset of the story. Burroughs patiently develops her character throughout the book, creating an appealing feminine presence. The reader also sympathizes with Korak, who proves to be more than just a "Tarzan Jr." While the two share certain similarities, Korak is his own man whose ultimate fate hangs in the balance until the very end of the novel.

Alongside these two strong leading characters, Burroughs works in a number of foes that add significant interest to the plot. The character of Baynes is the most interesting among these, and the reader will appreciate how Burroughs expands his role. The plot does not get overly complicated, nor is the reader buried under an avalanche of endless characters. By the end of the book, Burroughs is able to tie up all the loose ends that he has created.

There is a certain amount of predictability, and Burroughs is unsuccessful in his attempt to cloak the identities of the "Big Bwana" and "My Dear." This does not greatly detract from the overall book, though. I found that the book's pace gained momentum as the story progressed, and found the conclusion to be very satisfactory. It is not a conclusion that merely baits the reader into buying the next edition, unlike the present "Lord of the Rings" movie saga, for instance. It stands on its own.

The 1917 version that includes many outstanding illustrations by J. Allen St. John is the best way to go on this one. St. John's only lapses are his inability to capture Meriem in "civilized" garb, the illustration in which Tarzan looks like a skinny 90-year old man, and the bizarre, strangely proportioned Quasimodo-ish picture of Baynes fighting the black. Aside from these glaring exceptions, his work is top-notch.

In the previous novel "The Beast of Tarzan," Jane and her infant son Jack were kidnapped by Tarzan's enemy Nikolas Rokoff and his henchman Alexis Paulvitch. Of course, Tarzan tracks down his wife and son and finally dispatches Rokoff. However, in this fourth Tarzan novel, "The Son of Tarzan," Edgar Rice Burroughs provides an adventure whose key point is: like father, like son. Paulvitch had survived the vengeance of Tarzan and now wants to even the score by luring young Jack Clayton away from London. However, his plan is foiled when Jack escapes with the help of Akut, the great ape. The pair flee to the same African jungle where Tarzan was raised a generation before. It there that young Jack Clayton establishes his own reputation as Korak the Killer. Not only does he find Korak find his own place in the jungle and amidst the great apes, he also rescues Meriem, a beautiful young woman, from a band of Arab raiders. Meriem turns out to be the daughter of Armand Jacot, a Foreign Legion Captain who is also the Prince de Cadrenet, and therefore a fitting mate for the son of Lord Greystoke.

On the one hand, "The Son of Tarzan" is a ERB adventure yarn that closely parallels many of the key elements of the original "Tarzan of the Apes." In that sense this is a fairly predictable story (almost from the moment we hear about "My Dear" we know who she will turn out to be in the end), but given all the speculation about what the Tarzan novels were saying about human society and evolution, it is interesting to note that we have the same relationship between "The Son of Tarzan" and the original "Tarzan of the Apes" that you find between Jack London's "White Fang" and "The Call of the Wild." In each we have the creature of the wild become civilized and then reverse the process in the second. Of course, London's novels have received a lot more consideration along these lines in terms of Darwinism and the whole nature versus nuture debate (effectively canceling the question out by taking it both ways in his two novels), but it is interesting to see Burroughs do essentially the same thing with his own two novels.

In the previous novel "The Beast of Tarzan," Jane and her infant son Jack were kidnapped by Tarzan's enemy Nikolas Rokoff and his henchman Alexis Paulvitch. Of course, Tarzan tracks down his wife and son and finally dispatches Rokoff. However, in this fourth Tarzan novel, "The Son of Tarzan," Edgar Rice Burroughs provides an adventure whose key point is: like father, like son. Paulvitch had survived the vengeance of Tarzan and now wants to even the score by luring young Jack Clayton away from London. However, his plan is foiled when Jack escapes with the help of Akut, the great ape. The pair flee to the same African jungle where Tarzan was raised a generation before. It there that young Jack Clayton establishes his own reputation as Korak the Killer. Not only does he find Korak find his own place in the jungle and amidst the great apes, he also rescues Meriem, a beautiful young woman, from a band of Arab raiders. Meriem turns out to be the daughter of Armand Jacot, a Foreign Legion Captain who is also the Prince de Cadrenet, and therefore a fitting mate for the son of Lord Greystoke.

On the one hand, "The Son of Tarzan" is a ERB adventure yarn that closely parallels many of the key elements of the original "Tarzan of the Apes." In that sense this is a fairly predictable story (almost from the moment we hear about "My Dear" we know who she will turn out to be in the end), but given all the speculation about what the Tarzan novels were saying about human society and evolution, it is interesting to note that we have the same relationship between "The Son of Tarzan" and the original "Tarzan of the Apes" that you find between Jack London's "White Fang" and "The Call of the Wild." In each we have the creature of the wild become civilized and then reverse the process in the second. Of course, London's novels have received a lot more consideration along these lines in terms of Darwinism and the whole nature versus nuture debate (effectively canceling the question out by taking it both ways in his two novels), but it is interesting to see Burroughs do essentially the same thing with his own two novels.

This book is fun, witty, and entertaining, and certainly will get you interested in playing serious checkers. But it won't help you very much.

The book mainly deals in a disorganized way with mid-game tactics and end-game situations. Interesting traps and shots are presented, along with problems that are too hard for most beginners. That's all there is; just a little about openings, for instance. I kept reading and rereading this book thinking there has to be more here, but I have yet to find it.

Read the book if you only wish to have your appetite stimulated, and then do your real study from a more complete book such as Reinfeld.

I am a regular at the MSN gaming zone (usually playing in rated room 1 or kings a competitive room) and before buying this book I had around a 1550-1600 rating which is not good at all. So I thought I would try reading a book and see what it would do to my game. A MAJOR improvement occured in my game after reading this book. My rating is now hundreds of points higher than before. I have beaten some of the best players and my recent statistics are 16 wins and 3 losses. Where would I be without this book? I dont think my rating would of moved a notch. This is clear to understand and I am buying it for my checker buddys. The board it includes with the 32 numbers is not only great for recording your games you play...but its great for mail play! I got 100 times more out of this book than what I payed. Thank you Mr.Pike...you really improved my game.

I got this book the second day I started playing checkers. I am now a serious checkers player and can improve my rating about 50 points in one day! This book was really helpful to a player like me and I would suggest it to a friend.

This book is informative in many ways. It lends the reader a valuable insight into the world of small-arms, but I feel Edmiston concentrates rather too much on himself, and so denies us of perhaps more snippets of information regarding the arms trade. While I acknowledge that the book is autobographical, Edmiston himself is not the reason one reads it while his involvement with Sterling is. This book was interesting and, despite an obvious lack of detailed technical knowledge and Edmiston's keeness to tell us about himself a very informative and stimulating read

I thought that this book was nothing more than an ego boost for a man who guided one of Britain's finest companies into ruin and then tryed to shift the blame in this autobiograohy. Edmiston obviously has very little idea about small arms, and his record as a businessman shows that his management skills are poor too. The most obvious flaw of Edmiston's tirade is his astonishingly pompous repetition of the word "I" within the book. If one counts on page 16, the word I or "my" is repeated a total of 18 times. Edmiston suffers from bouts of arrogant declarations and abusive 'ad-libs'. Having said that, it's otherwise ok on page 34

Having read this masterpiece of social observation, I was awestruck at the way this colossal mammoth of a work seemed to transcend all class boundaries completely. Edmiston is obviously a gifted and buoyant writer and the fragile beauty of his prose seems to fit the subject perfectly. It seems this work is a shining beacon in a world of desperate glory and pernicious authors.

It may not be Edgar Rice Burroughs at his best but, The Land that Time Forgot is great adventure. This book contains the three Caspak novels; The Land that Time Forgot, the People that Time Forgot, and Out of Times Abyss. Three stories that chronicle the adventures of three different men on the Antarctic sub continent of Caspak; a volcanic depression that supports a diverse and dangerous prehistoric eco-system. Bowen Tyler, the hero of the first story, leads a disabled German U-boat and English survivors into the isle of Caspak where they need to fight for survival and try to find a way to back home. In the second story would-be rescuer Tom Billings crash lands in Caspak and meets the prehistoric woman Ajor. Together they fight their way back the Ajor's home territory. The final Story, and perhaps the best is about English lieutenant Bradley and his capture by the highly evolved Weiroo men. His story shows the best of Burrough's rolling adventure style complete with unbelievable coincidences and narrow escapes only to be caught again to prolong the story. So suspend your disbelief and plunge into the world of 1914, fighting the Kiaser's men, Dinosaurs, and strange cavemen. The back drop and story line more than make up for the dated romantic ideas. Not as tight and focused as Tarzan, but where else does one get submaries and dinosuars?

It is hard to know exactly how to review this trilogy by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I remember being given the first book, The Land That Time Forgot, by my father and devouring it, followed quickly by the next two volumes. My tastes were not sophisticated but my eagerness was in the extreme and these three books took me away to a place of dinosaurs, evil Germans, stalwart heroes, beguiling animal-skinned beauties and a mystery that defied evolution (or, more precisely, any known logic or science). I was truly in the land before time: childhood. Imagine my joy on discovering all three very short books wrapped in a modern new package that I could feel confident reading on a commute to work without undue embarassment. These books are still fast paced and have a truly pulpy, nostalgic feel to them. They can grow repetitious read all at once and perhaps the border between pulpy and musty is a fine one. They are more adventure and action stories than tales of the imagination (although the third installment does conjure quite a number of interesting images). The writing is simple and the dialogue is ludicrous. But the whole experience is still a delight as I was transported back and for that I am thankful for this wonderful new edition.

While Burroughs was denigrated as being a "pulp" novelist for most of his literary career, he was clearly a better writer than the vast majority of genre writers who publish today, and he was also a better story teller than most. The complaint of a reviewer that Burroughs was an obsessive racist would be hilarious if it weren't so ignorantly misguided. Similarly the complaint that Burroughs had no ear for dialogue is drenched in ignorance. The dialogue of early 20th century America is not the dialogue of late 20th century England, a fact that should not need explaining, but unfortunately explication is needed for those who who lack the most rudimentary of analytical faculties. I find Hemingway to have a tin ear for dialogue because the people I grew up with didn't speak like Hemingway characters at all, but I don't criticize Hemingway for that and suspect that he accurately recorded the cadence of his fellows. Burroughs had a good feel for the common man of the early 20th century, which is one reason his books still sell.

The Land That Time Forgot is a great adventure by a very good fantasy writer. Check it out while it's still in print.