Product Description
In the middle of the Pacific, a gigantic hurricane accidentally triggered by nuclear explosions spawns dozens more in its wake.

A world linked by a virtual-reality network experiences the devastation first hand, witnessing the death of civilization as we know it and the violent birth of an emerging global consciousness.

Vast in scope, yet intimate in personal detail, Mother of Storms is a visionary fusion of cutting-edge cyberspace fiction and heart-stopping storytelling in the grand tradition, filled with passion, tragedy, and the triumph of the human spirit.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

If you like pseudo-cyber-punk...
A nice ride... one of the books I decided to keep in my library and re-read from time to time, it's that much fun. The science is reasonable, not over-bearing and the images painted by the text are vivid. The characters take awhile to develope, but are memorable.

A Possible Near Future, Very Well Done
I started to give this 4 stars, but it really deserves 4.6 or so, so I had to round it off to 5.It does move a bit slowly at first, and is sometimes a bit confusing, with too many characters introduced too quickly.Barnes should reread and study the works of Isaac Asimov, who was THE master of clarity.In fairness, it should be said that Barnes descriptions of hurricanes and their genesis are reminiscent of Asimov; it is the cast of characters that is confusing at times.

Besides being an excellent story, MOTHER is a timely warning.The effects of global warming don't sound like fun.They probably won't be exactly as Barnes describes, of course, but they will be very similar, and very disastrous, if we fail to cut down sufficiently on deforestation and greenhouse gas production.

When reading MOTHER, it is best to have a map of Mexico handy.I referred to my road atlas frequently (the place-names Barnes mentions are real).

The descriptions of people weathering the superhurricane are very well done; one might have thought Barnes was expanding on eyewitness accounts of Katrina, but the copyright date is 1994.

The scene where Di learns the identity of his brother Jesse's new squeeze is priceless, and I don't mean worthless.

All in all, a very enjoyable read, if a shade below A Million Open Doors (Giraut) and Orbital Resonance (Meme Wars).

watziznaym@gmail.com

An entertaining SF book with some novel ideas
A friend suggested this book to read for a bit of relaxation and I wasn't disappointed. Though it starts a bit slow in order to introduce all the myriad characters, it builds up steam and does quite well to keep the attention there. Some of the scenario is not unlike the movie "The day after tomorrow", as the key element is a global superstorm, which effects the whole world, sparing no place.

John Barnes must have gone to a great deal of research as the scenario with massive amount of methane being released from the ocean floor is not so far fetched, as research in the last few years have shown the potentially devastating effect on the climate that this can have. I also liked his take on mass entertainment of the future, where people can plug in to a 3D type reality show, where the audience can experience all the emotions and sensations that the actors go through. Some novel ideas in there and some pretty creepy situations too.

An entertaining SF book with some novel ideas
A friend suggested this book to read for a bit of relaxation and I wasn't disappointed. Though it starts a bit slow in order to introduce all the myriad characters, it builds up steam and does quite well to keep the attention there. Some of the scenario is not unlike the movie "The day after tomorrow", as the key element is a global superstorm, which effects the whole world, sparing no place.

John Barnes must have gone to a great deal of research as the scenario with massive amount of methane being released from the ocean floor is not so far fetched, as research in the last few years have shown the potentially devastating effect on the climate that this can have. I also liked his take on mass entertainment of the future, where people can plug in to a 3D type reality show, where the audience can experience all the emotions and sensations that the actors go through. Some novel ideas in there and some pretty creepy situations too.

An entertaining SF book with some novel ideas
A friend suggested this book to read for a bit of relaxation and I wasn't disappointed. Though it starts a bit slow in order to introduce all the myriad characters, it builds up steam and does quite well to keep the attention there. Some of the scenario is not unlike the movie "The day after tomorrow", as the key element is a global superstorm, which effects the whole world, sparing no place.

John Barnes must have gone to a great deal of research as the scenario with massive amount of methane being released from the ocean floor is not so far fetched, as research in the last few years have shown the potentially devastating effect on the climate that this can have. I also liked his take on mass entertainment of the future, where people can plug in to a 3D type reality show, where the audience can experience all the emotions and sensations that the actors go through. Some novel ideas in there and some pretty creepy situations too. ... Read more

Product Description
Mark Strang is asked to travel far back in time to the period of Caesar and the great Roman Triumvirate, in order to investigate the disappearance of a fellow time agent. What he discovers is that Caesar has been subverted by a Closer representative and that the Triumvirate has been undermined with civil war, mutual destruction, and the rewriting of history looming in the near future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fun but flawed
This wrapped up the series and was entertaining. It was annoying that he made several mistakes - for example the character was back in the time of Julius Caesar and the civil war (pre Christ by several decades) and yet he is wandering around looking at the Aurelian wall (built in 271 -280 AD by the Emperor Aurelian) in Rome and also another wall built by a similarly late Emperor. So I would have to say this is sloppy.

stilla good read
The conclusion to the somewhat harrowing Timeline trilogy by Barnes, this is perhaps the weakest volume. The ubersadistic Closers go out perhaps a bit too easily, and this book should be definately read only after the first 2, but it is a satisfactory conclusion. The protagonist's leftist political outlook is perhaps more strongly underlined in this volume too, but does not substantially figure in the story.Recommended, especially for fans of the subgenre, and for others who enjoy laconic heroes in an ultraviolent setting.

Mark Strang is my boy!!
althrough this book had its made points let me say something in its defense first as always it was wonderful and provided an interesting story.I didn't like the fact that 10 years has passed between this book and the last book.I also thought that the evil "Closers" were deafeated too easily.

Very enjoyable, nicely written
I was given this book, so I have started the series here.I thought that is was a really good mix between going fast enough to keep you interested, and going slow enough to explain what was happening.I really like alternate history, but I get sick of reading about WWII all the time, and so this book was a nice break.

The book is written in such a way that if you didn't read the previous two, you can still understand what is happening and not feel lost.That is probably the reason for the other reviewer feeling that it repeats too much.But for someone who didn't read those, it is really helpful.

The only thing that I didn't like about this book was that it felt as if it ended too quickly.Almost as if the author decided that he was done writing, and slapped an ending onto it.I hope that this series is not finished, because I would really like reading more of these books.

Overall pretty good.Seems like the end though
I thought this book was passably good, if a bit short.I love thecharacters and the overall universe he created in this series.Read themin order and enjoy yourself. BTW, I'm not sure if this is the end or notit seems like it though, but it is open for a sequel. Overall this serieswas a lot of fun and I would recommend it to anyone. ... Read more

Product Description
Currie Culver is about fifty-five years old, in good health, living in a comfortable retirement in the Rockies with his wife. In the wake of the Meme Wars that swept the planet two generations before, Currie, his wife, and almost everyone on Earth have in their minds a copy of One True, software that grants its hosts limited telepathy and instills a kind of general cooperation.

In his younger days, Currie hunted "comboys"--people who had unplugged from the global net in order to evade One True, and who hid in wilderness areas, surviving by raiding the outposts of civilization. Now Currie is called back into service to capture the last comboy still at large, a man who calls himself Lobo. With his high tech equipment, thoroughly plugged into the global net, Currie sets out to bring Lobo in.

Instead, Lobo captures Currie, and manages to deprogram him. Thrown back on the resources of his own intelligence, courage, and wisdom for the first time in twenty-five years, Currie finds himself in a battle of minds with his captor . . . with results that will change the lives of everyone on Earth.

In the best tradition of John W. Campbell and Robert A. Heinlein, Candle is a novel about individualism and society that will leave readers breathless, arguing, and demanding more.
Amazon.com Review
It is the near-future, and in the wake of the Meme Wars, the world's population is much reduced, although, thanks to One True, the winning software meme, humankind is now a cooperative, noncompetitive species. One True manages the survivors by controlling both memory and the autonomic nervous system, and a copy runs in the mind of everyone on earth. Or almost everyone. Occasional cowboys, such as the one known as Lobo, purge themselves of One True, unplug from the global network, and survive by raiding civilized settlements.

Currie Culver is the bounty hunter who brought Lobo down--killing him, he believed, years ago in the Rocky Mountains. When One True informs Currie that Lobo survives, Currie must ride out once again on Lobo's trail. What follows is a splendid mix of Western, moral argument, and philosophical treatise. In a skirmish, Currie's copy of One True is damaged, and he is taken to a hideout where the wily Lobo begins to deprogram him. All, of course, is not as it seems.

It could be said that Barnes, best known for the juvenile space novel Orbital Resonance and the decidedly adult disaster tale Mother of Storms, occasionally allows his characters to degenerate into talking heads, but for most readers the meat of the matter will be the hugely enjoyable (if rather basic) examination of that place where the interests of the individual, society, and human identity collide. --Luc Duplessis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Great idea. Static. Talky. Unfaithful to its characters.
This novel depicts a future where almost everyone's running a meme (brain software) that provides limited telepathy and helps people cope with life's difficulties. The meme, Resuna, is in contact with a master program, "One True". Theoretically, it's for the greater good and individual satisfaction and isn't like 1984, where it's just to keep the masses in control.

Those not running the meme are "cowboys", living outside the boundaries of civilization, in hiding. Currie Curran is sent by One True to hunt Lobo, the cowboy who nearly did him in over a decade ago, but Lobo gets to him first.

That all happens pretty quick. Then it's over a hundred pages of polite storytelling, usually in a hot tub, by these two men. This is followed by an abrupt and too-slick ending. In fact, most everything that happens in this story is Way Too Convenient(tm).

This story had so much promise, and Barnes tries to be even-handed in his look at One True vs. free will, but it seems more patina than true balance. Furthermore, his characters don't stay true to their own natures. They vacillate and don't behave in a consistent manner. When's the last time someone you hated talked you over to his point of view?

I believe it would have made an excellent short story. Novelizing it ruined the whole thing.

Entertaining, but not much more
Out of the mainstream SF writers to emerge in the last ten or so years, John Barnes has stood out for a number of reasons, notably his consistent quality (especially given how prolific he seems), his excellent storytelling abilities and his interesting extrapolations of new ideas without getting so far "out there" that he loses the reader completely.In a previous book "Kalidoscope Century", Barnes gave us an overview of his near future history, including a look at the "Meme Wars" where basically intelligent computer programs used people as pawns to take over the planet (that's oversimpifying by a bit, actually).In this novel Barnes takes us back to just after that time, where hunter Currie Curran lives with his wife in a world where the meme "One True" controls everyone through its program Resuna, adjusting thoughts and memories and emotions in order to make everyone more effective and happy.Currie used to hunt "cowboys", people who hadn't been "turned" by One True and lived independent lives on the edge of society.There's one still left called Lobo and Currie goes out to hunt him one last time.It doesn't go well and Currie ends up Lobo's prisoner with his link to One True missing and his copy of Resuna disconnected.Here the story actually begins as Barnes tries to use this as a backdrop to explore the meaning of individuality and what it means in a wrecked society that needs repairing, as well as showcasing his imagination.The problem mostly lies with the execution.After the initial rather thrilling sequence of Currie remembering the first hunt against Lobo and then going out and getting the guy again, the book sort of loses all momentum and stops dead while the two fellows swap stories about what they were doing during the Meme Wars.While Barnes can craft a good tale, these tales on the whole come off as rather static and it's hard to get any kind of suspense when you have two grown men drinking wine and sharing a bath in the name of male bonding.Some action starts to get generated towards the end but the ending itself pretty much comes out of nowhere and seems way too warm and cuddly as well as far too forgiving of a lot of things that Barnes himself brought up.All in all, somewhat disappointing given the premise, Barnes really doesn't make it as interesting as he could (as he's proved in the past) and that makes the book frustratingly uneven.Fans will probably enjoy it to some extent, since it's not bad, just average, but newcomers would be wiser to start with some of his earlier novels and work down from there.

A Badly Underdeveloped Concept
This book sets new standards for incomplete character & plot development. According to this book (written in 2000), all the major events in the book were triggered by the outbreak of widespread warfare using highly destructive and sophisticated bioweapons and the societal changes caused by this warfare. No mention is made of how these technologies came to such rapid fruition, since the negotiated peace that ends these wars occurs by 2002! The book then degenerates into generalities about ecological disasters, social decline, and wars between factions dominated by artificial intelligence programs. The whole book lacks focus, and the ending is just tacked on, as though Barnes became tired of writing. A thoroughly bad book, lightyears behind his Timeline Wars series.

I really liked this book
Good Points-As mentioned above I liked this book particularly the argument between Lobo and Curly and their sharing of experences of the Meme Wars.

Bad points-It does seeem to go flat towards the middle and don't even get me started on the ending

Overall it was a good book and what I didn't like about it didn't tarnish the overall book quality.
If you liked the the Timewar serise you will like these books.

A good idea is NOT a good story
There are many compelling ideas that are poorly explored in this novel. The theme of interaction between humans and "memes" is a great _idea_. Unfortunately, the author reveals no skill in writing a novel, and neither the plot nor the characters are convincing. By the end of the novel, I really don't care who succeeds or why.

The entire book is told in the style of a relentless past-tense infodump. An example: one of the characters tells of his memories as a six-year old child of the ecological disasters, wars, politics and unemployment lines in near-scientific detail... In another place in the book, he tells in incredible detail the memories of another man, including the background of other people with whom the other guy was acquainted. I would prefer some action.

The writing style in this book is hyper-immature. I don't know what the job of the publisher's editor is (Patrick Hayden from TOR), but I assume that if it entails anything more than running Word's spell checker on a manuscript, that the poor chap fell asleep at the wheel... It's not only that the style of this book doesn't work for me, but rather the implausability of someone with a meme-corrupted brain to be able to recall so many things in such great detail. That and, of course, the style sucks.

I've read the other reviews here, and I have to say, that I just don't get it. This book disappointed me at every possible turn. The story is neither convincing nor compelling, and though I'd love to read further explorations into the evolution of "memes" or something similar, it will have to be written by different authors, because I highly doubt that I will be reading any more John Barnes novels. ... Read more

Product Description
Some stupid chimp at your company has attached a series name, "Meme Wars" to the title on the web page.I don't use that series name and it's extremely misleading because it makes this sound like an action-adventure type sf novel when in fact it's more like "Little House on Mars."I do not understand why every few months you send your crew of monkeys crawling through the backlist titles to revise things that were right in the first place, but you've been doing that for at least ten years.You also make it extremely difficult for anyone to correct things once your monkeys get done doing them.Please correct the title on this web page.And if this is actually appearing as a book description, I suggest that all you readers have some fun down below.Amazon.com Review
"They don't make 'em like that any more!" say fans of the classic juvenile SF novels, Alexei Panshin's Rite of Passage (1968) and the run of Robert A. Heinlein novels that begins with Rocket Ship Galileo (1947) and ends with Podkayne of Mars (1963). Except--John Barnes has made one like that: The Sky So Big and Black. The book's brilliant teenage protagonist, hard science, brisk pace, didactic moments, and strong characterization make it clear that Barnes is working consciously in the tradition of Panshin and Heinlein (especially Heinlein's Red Planet [1949] and Podkayne of Mars). Like his models, Barnes does a superb job. The Sky So Big and Black is a classic. Read it, and give it to any smart, perhaps-outcast young reader whom you want to infect with the science fiction meme.

Terpsichore "Teri" Murray lives on Mars, an eco-prospector-in-training and the daughter of a widowed ecospector. Instead of gold, ecospectors seek underground rivers and gas pockets, which they blast to the Martian surface in hopes of earning fabulous wealth. The ecospector life is hard, primitive, dangerous, and perhaps doomed to extinction, as the Martian atmosphere thickens and the genetically engineered "Mars-form" humans increase their population. An Earth-form human, Teri doesn't want to give up ecospecting, which she loves as much as she hates the city and school where she's forced to spend part of every year. But she finds herself with new, far more ominous worries when a devastating planetwide disaster isolates the colonies from one another, strands Teri in the Martian outback with several injured young children, and opens the entire planet to attack by One True, the collective intelligence that rules Earth in a terrifyingly total dictatorship. --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

One of his best
I enjoyed this one as much as I disliked Kaleidoscope Century. Teri Mel is a great heroine and her adventures on the Martian surface, even when things get really unpleasant, are captivating. I hope Barnes writes many more of these, though it would probably be a good idea to leave One True and/or Resuna behind. He's got the imagination and skill to go many more places and I'm looking forward to it.

Immersive, Compelling Story-Telling
The Sky So Big and Black draws you in, much like its namesake.Even as one laying on his back staring at the stars may feel vertigo, so reading this story could convince you to fall into the world it paints.It immerses you.You will not be able to stop turning the pages.

Well I think most of John Barnes' stuff is sub-par.But this book moved me.Let it move you.

A Good Book with Scary Concept
I didn't know there's a four book story arc involved with this book until now, while shopping for this copy online for a friend. The book starts off with a young girl's perspective of growing up as a prospector on a colony, but the events which her life revolves around gets bleaker and more dangerous as the book goes on.The author eventually paints a terrifying vision of a near-future science fiction that made me recollect the nightmarish possibilities mentioned in Orwell's _1984_.

I spent several days, after finishing the book, thinking about how his concepts are currently used in current eventsas much as Orson Scott Card's _Ender's Game_ concept of exploiting children as soldiers in the future to highlight the use of children in combat zones today. That's a sign of a great sf writer: to provoke the reader into thinking of the implications of his concepts regarding our real future.

I must say the cutesy vocabulary used by the settlers are distracting, but I gotta give the author some slack in his effort to creating a unique, future world.I also forgive him for not revealing a bigger scope of the story in the book since its limited to the view point of the lone girl. I guess the bigger scope of the "Meme Wars" will come about by reading his other books in the series.

What a mistake!
This was an exasperating book to read! Barnes has tried to make the story interesting by telling the story through recordings made by a patient of a psycologist of some kind. He has invented a lot of words like "skosh", "roo", "kim" etc which is not explaned and continues to annoy the reader by his lack of ability to actually tell a story through first person.

The story can be believable at times, but pew, all these personal, non-relevant reflections only carry along an annoying feeling that the writer doesn't seem to have the nerve to write proper hard sci-fi. He seems to be hiding behind diversions, lame reflections and obviousness instead of driving the story forward.

I can hardly understand how this book can appeal to anyone looking for science fiction. On the front cover Arthur C Clarke is quoted "A master of the genre". Well, the quote doesn't specify which genre or even which author it relates to...

Intriguing and Surprising
This story is set on a future Mars.Earth is under the control of a group mind known as One True and Mars is slowly being terraformed by geoprospectors who are searching for and releasing water, CO2, methane, etc.

Our story centers around a young girl just as she becomes an adult.She and her father are geoprospectors and are very good at it.The story is told as memories she relates to a police shrink.This gives the reader plenty of foreshadowing for some of the later events but really leaves the ending as a surprise (although the hints are there, you don't realize it until after the fact).

The story moves quickly and you can really care about the characters.While most of the science is believable (no faster-than-light travel for example), much of the setting relies heavily upon synthesis and replication that may never be possible at those power levels (but it doesn't really detract from the book).

A fine book of hard science fiction with excellent character development.If you like that sort of thing, this one won't disappoint. ... Read more

Product Description
Fifteen hundred years in the future: after seven wars with the alien Rubahy, after settlement upon settlement and resettlement of every piece of dirt available, after every imaginable religious and political upheaval.Mars has been terraformed for a thousand years, glaciers cover Europe, central Africa is Earth's breadbasket, some space freighters have twentieth-generation crews.More people live in space than on Earth.And no one has found a way around the light-speed limit; the human race is still confined to one solar system, though now we share it with the Rubahy.

Six thousand human nations, ranging from the mighty Hive to puny tribes of a few thousand.Hundreds of zybots, secret conspiracies to reshape all of human history.Thousands of sovereign economic monopolies ranging from powerful the powerful Duchy of Uranium to the tiny Barony of Paper Clips. The complex faith of the Wager, with its hundreds of variants and heresies.A world of unimaginable complexity.

Into this world steps Jak Jinnaka, eighteen years old, a handsome intelligent natural athlete with secrets unknown even to himself in his past, and one thing on his mind:"Dude, where's the party?"

Then thugs kidnap Jak's girlfriend, beating Jak and his friends to a pulp, Jak's kindly old uncle turns out to be a spymaster, Jak is suddenly on a secret mission -- and then the weird parts begin to happen.Looks like he found the party .... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Sub-par
This book was disappointing.From the ho-hum characters to the deus ex machina finale, this book just doesn't have very much to recommend it.It is not unusual or above average as I have come to expect from reading some of Barnes' other work, and I don't have time to waste on average science fiction.Fans coming from the Meme Wars timeline will not find here the same level of quality that series offered.

Who is this Hack
Barnes compaired to Heinlein NOT HARDLY.I loved every thing Heinlein ever wrote.If this book is a true representation of Barnes work he is a short story writer.This book has to much usless dialogue and long descriptive detail that does nothing to advance the story.It is used as page filler to turn what would be a short story in to a novel.

A romp with nods to Heinlein
The Duke of Uranium is pretty much a romp (with hints of seriousness that increase in the sequels). Jak Jinnaka is a boy living in the Hive, a huge space habitat at the Earth/Sun L5 point. He is just graduating from school, and hasn't quite managed to qualify for the PSA (some sort of Space Academy). He plans to join the Army as a grunt, instead of just accepting life as a Social Parasite. (Echoes here of Heinlein's Starship Troopers.) But when his girlfriend is kidnapped, he learns that he really didn't know much about her, nor about his own family. His girlfriend turns out to be the Princess of a nation in the L4 habitat, and she was kidnapped for political reasons. His uncle and guardian turns out to be a secret agent for a political entity generally opposed to the kidnappers. So Jak is engaged to act as a messenger in an attempt to force the release of the Princess.

Jak's trip involves first an extended loop around Mercury in a sunclipper, a solar sail powered cargo/passenger ship. He makes friends with some folks aboard the ship, and learns a lot about the social organization of the sunclippers. (Slight echoes here of Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy.) Dodging various near disasters, he finally makes his way to Earth and his Princess, on the way meeting another important individual: a Rubahy, member of the alien species that centuries previously had tried to destroy Earth. Jak gets to engage in some derring-do, but the ending reveals that once again not everything was quite as he had expected.

The fun to this story is in the background. The future society, with a nearly devastated but now repopulated Earth, and colonies on various planets as well as the space habitats, is fascinating in its political/social organization. The further backdrop of the past war with the Rubahy, complicated again by the threat of extermination for both Humans and Rubahy if the Galactic Court rules against them (echoes here of Heinlein's Have Space Suit, Will Travel) is also interesting. The plot of this book kind of peters out, but the way it ends, and an odd prologue, strongly hint at future stories about Jak Jinnaka.

Duke is up-to-date, brisk, clever, sexy and fun
______________________________________________
Barnes has written a Heinlein juvenile for the early 21st century. He doesn't quite have the Master's grace, but updates the flavor of these fondly-remembered books nicely. Duke is up-to-date, brisk, clever, sexy and fun.

Barnes constructs his backstory with some care -- he's used it in three Jak Jinnaka novels so far, with more planned. By the thirty-sixth century, humankind has spread throughout the solar system. We survived an attempted genocide by the alien, retaliated by sterilizing their homeworld, and have settled into an uneasy coexistence with refugees occupying the Pluto and beyond.

Even in the 36th century, when "Duke" is set, fusion power has never been developed, so the Outer System still runs on fission, a rather charmingly retro touch.

The battered Earth has recovered, and shares power with two huge orbital stations at L4 and L5 -- the unified Hive, and the balkanized Aerie. The inner system runs on solar power, and the outer on good, old-fashioned uranium reactors (hence the title).. Interworld transport is by large light-sail liners....

As expected, the novel ends happily and with a moral:video games are a fine training-ground for apprentice heroes!

The Duke is the most fun I've had between book covers in awhile. Barnes has written a fast-moving book, and if some of the plotting doesn't stand up to close inspection, you won't care. Recommended for frivolous relaxation.

Happy reading--
Pete Tillman

The Education of Jak Jinnaka?
Our hero, Jak Jinnaka, seems to be more of an anti-hero. He is slightly likeable, but the foreward to the book makes it clear he is not the nicest guy in the galaxy. We see as he graduates from school he is self-absorbed and shallow, and apparently quite manipulative.

That being said, Barnes has created a nice universe, with slang as good as Burgess' in Clockwork Orange. True it can be a bit difficult to decipher but it does add a nice flavor to his creation.

Jak's friends are likeable enough, and they are, like Jak and his associates and enemies shaded with grey. Faults and virtues peppered throughout their character making them interesting though not really 3-dimensional.

There are really 3 parts to the book, our introduction to Jak and the world and the setup for Jak's mission. This is reasonably well done. Not necessarily easy to penetrate but well done. The second, and best part, is the leisurely space voyage to get Jak to his mission. Jak's worldview is challenged by the opinions of crewmembers on the ship he takes from his home to Earth. A sweet romance with a crewmember as well as Jak's joining with the crew and bonding shows Jak at his most sympathetic and likeable. The last and weakest part is the frenzied mission where things fall together very easily, for a reason it turns out. The best part of Jak's adventure is his being thrown together with an alien his culture has taught him to hate and his realization that what he knows isn't necessarily so.

Though not great, and a little slow-paced, this is a nice modern mature juvenile science fiction work also readable by adults. ... Read more

Product Description
Thisenjoyableand important newbook, Healing AncientWounds:The Renegade's Wisdom explores the intricacies of intuitiveawarenessand the dynamicmind/body healing principles of MyofascialRelease.

Myofascial Release is a mind/body therapeutic healing approach that issafe, comprehensive, and highly effective in relieving pain,headaches, and restoring motion.The goal of Myofascial Release is toreturn the individual to a pain-free, active lifestyle.

To the patient and public: do not let the talk of technique andtraining deter you, the message in this work is strongest for you. Itis you for whom this work is intended. Read this book to deepen yourparticipation in the treatment process and hasten the achievement ofyour recovery. In the process, you will discover a profoundunderstanding of who you are and how you got to where you aretoday. Through other people's stories, you will see that you are notalone in your struggle.

This important book is about your empowerment as a therapist, as apatient, and as a human being. This book offers you a glimpse into anew and expanded view and way of being in your world. These advancedprinciples and concepts will dramatically increase your effectivenessas a therapist and/or your treatment response as a patient. MyofascialRelease treats the "being" of the human being. This fascinating bookwill touch you deeply, guiding you into a unique way of enhancing yourpersonal power, intuition, and awareness that will help you reconnectwith your essence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Wrong spiritual path
Some very good and interesting "getting in touch with body and mind" destressors but in conflict with Christian sprituatlity.

A paradigm shift
This book really helps one to transition from what has been accepted as "truth" in the medical communtity to an approach that works and is based more on what is supported by quantum physics.It is also a very personal and spiritual book.
I highly reccommend this book

healing ancient wounds
This was a very informative book about Myofascial release. You do need an open mind to digest some of what John says but if you are open then you can also get results as a patient and a therapist.

Enlightening read
My introduction to John Barnes came through my physical therapist who was using some of the techniques, developed by Barnes, to treat my injuries. As she worked on me, she talked of attending one of Barnes' retreats, his treatment methods, the retreat agenda, etc.It all sounded so interesting and I asked if she knew whether he had written any books.She recommended that I take the clinic copy of "Healing Ancient Wounds" to read.I agreed, though fearing it might be too technical for me to really get into.Was I wrong!!From the opening paragraph I was hooked!I hated to put the book down, and devoured it in a weekend.It was easy to read and understand, and was packed with information about the bodies' fascia system and how it relates to the entire body's workings.I wanted, so badly, to highlight portions as I read, but knew I had to return the book to the clinic.As I neared the end of the text, I decided I had to have a copy for myself, and ordered my own book through Amazon.I consider this to be a valuable reference/resource book as I deal with the pain and dis-ease in my body.I hope to some day be able to attend one of Barnes' seminars and experience the healing therapy of MFR.

Amazing Insights into Body and Spirit Issues.
Because I have had treatments by students of John Barnes, I wanted to learn more.John Barnes must be an amazing man and I thank him for sharing this information.We can be in charge of our own bodies and health if we learn to pay attention.I really liked this book because of the stories people told about their experiences with myia facia release.Nobody has all the answers but because I am interested in taking care of my health, I appreciate learning and this book was helpful to me.Hope it is to many more. ... Read more

Product Description
Wednesday, September 5, 1973: The first day of Karl Shoemaker’s senior year in stifling Lightsburg, Ohio. For years, Karl’s been part of what he calls “the Madman Underground”—a group of kids forced (for no apparent reason) to attend group therapy during school hours. Karl has decided that senior year is going to be different. He is going to get out of the Madman Underground for good. He is going to act—and be—Normal. But Normal, of course, is relative. Karl has five after-school jobs, one dead father, one seriously unhinged drunk mother . . . and a huge attitude. Welcome to a gritty, uncensored rollercoaster ride, narrated by the singular Karl Shoemaker. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Why price the Kindle version HIGHER than the paperback???
I realy wanted to read this book on my Kindle, but I can't justify paying MORE for my Kindle edition than the paperback edition! I know the publisher set the price, and usually I approve of that (writers have to make a living too). However, by setting the price for the e-book version higher than the published version, the publisher is pretty much guaranteeing that no one is going to buy it, thereby depriving the author of income from the e-book. Very shortsighted, and a disservice to both authors and readers. Come on, publishers - stop pushing readers in the direction of illegal downloads and set reasonable prices for your books through legitimate outlets!

Nicely done coming of age novel
This is a pleasant read.The author develops characters nicely.Although a few characters act out of character on occasion, this may be intentional because, after all, we are dealing with unpredictable teenagers.Overall, the novel takes us on an interesting look into one teenager's angst dealing with troubled family life.Nothing too earth-shattering here, but an enjoyable book to spend a few hours with.

A Warning--Not for the Faint of Heart
I have read virtually all winners of the Prinz Award since its inception.This book is not appropriate for many of the target audience.You will have to search hard to find a page without repeated use of the "f" word.Barnes has pushed the boundary on what is acceptable as Young Adult Literature.I am even concerned about the makeup of the Printz Committee as both the Winner (Going Bovine) and this Honor book are strange beyond measure.Please be cautious in reading this book.

Madman is authentic
I thought this book would be my kind of book and I was right. This coming-of-age story set during the first six days of the school year in 1973 in a blue-collar town in Ohio had everything I like in a YA novel: angst-ridden teens who are actually trying to better their lives; superb writing which is humorous and poignant in turns; historically accurate; characters who are multifaceted-- not just one-dimensional; and dialogue which seems real and well-timed.

Karl Shoemaker wants his senior year to be 'normal' rather than one dominated by the drama associated with the forced therapy group he has been a part of since 4th grade. As he tries to distance himself from the group he realizes that he can't and doesn't want to distance himself from the friends he has made in the group, The Madman Underground. This rag-tag group of kids who all have pretty hefty problems are truly his support network. Adults, like his hippie, cat-loving, alcoholic mother, may let him down but the members of the Madman Underground never do.

The subtitle of this book is: A Historical Romance, 1973. I was in high school in 1973 so I was on the lookout for authentic, accurate cultural references and the book was full of them. Here are a few that I found charming/funny: Karl sprayed his pits (he put on deodorant); the hoods came in the bathroom to smoke (the drug-users, hard-core kids--most schools at that time period had a smoking area but often the hoods would come inside and smoke in the bathroom when the weather was bad outside); Marti drove a Ford LTD (I think half of my friends' parents had LTDs when I was in high school); she was such a J.D. (juvenile delinquent); platform wedges (shoes that gals wore that made them about five inches taller); references to Kent State and Vietnam (The National Guard killed four students on the campus of Kent State who were protesting the Vietnam War.) Barnes did a great job placing the plot accurately in the early 1970s.

Common Sense Media, an organization which reviews books and films and gives them an age-rating for appropriateness (rather than ban or censor them), grades this book as 16+. I would agree that this is a book for a mature, older teenager. There is quite a bit of profanity and talk of sexual issues. But I think that readers of Marcus Zusak (I Am the Messenger); John Green (Looking for Alaska; Paper Towns); and Libba Bray (Going Bovine) will enjoy this book also.

This book is 530 pages long but it felt like a short book. I didn't want it to end. It's that good.

[...]

Tales of the Madman Underground

A really great read!
From the very first paragraph, this book really grips you!Filled with humor and even a cerain degree of tradegy, this book will keep you turning pages wondering what will happen next. A great little book! ... Read more

Product Description
Whether in business, politics, or the community, today's leaders have more in common with their legendary predecessors than they may realize. Intensely scrutinized by their constituents, colleagues, the media, and the public, leaders make decisions that affect lives far beyond their immediate surroundings.Perhaps no figure in recent memory more fully personifies leadership than President John F. Kennedy. Leading the nation in a time of unprecedented turbulence, challenge, and opportunity, Kennedy led his administration (and the country) with a courage and determination that even his harshest critics respected.

John F. Kennedy on Leadership identifies eleven core principles that made Kennedy, both before and during his presidency, a unique and dominant force who would serve as the standard by which future leaders would measure themselves-and by which they would be judged.Current and aspiring leaders would do well to adopt these principles, which include:

* Questioning the status quo: Progress is change, and no leader ever became great without breaking rules.
* Turning liabilities into pluses, making the best of miscalculations and misjudgments, and staying educable: There is value in mistakes, and there is always more to learn.
* Making decisions: Although you solicit and incorporate many viewpoints, know that the buck stops with you.
* Presenting an idealized view of what the future can be: Some may feel that "vision" is a tired concept, but properly crafted and communicated, it is a powerful motivator.
* Finding your own "Bobby": In building your team, surround yourself with people who not only are trustworthy and competent but who also make your job easier.
* Being the coolest person in the room: In times of crisis, take the reins. Your people will be looking to you; give them confidence.

John F. Kennedy on Leadership doesn't shy away from the well-documented darker side of Kennedy's life: the seemingly nonstop parade of lovers and the chronic and multiple illnesses. Every leader faces personal challenges that affect the ability to lead. This book shows how legendary leadership can exist even in the face of substantial limitations.

Kennedy led his nation through some of its most extraordinary challenges, from the volatile civil rights movement to the nearly catastrophic Cuban missile crisis. The extraordinary skills he exhibited in bringing America and the world into a new era are yours to embrace, emulate, and employ as you take your people and your vision forward. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Brief sumary, little detail
If you are like me and have read quite a bit regarding JFK, you will also likely be disappointed in this book. It is a brief summary of certain management techniques and little flourishes, (e.g. "find your Bobby"), that may have some historical reference but serious litle duplicative managent skills.
If you're a new reader to this fascinating period of presidential history and world politics, you might find this boook interesting reading.

weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org
Some of the most effective books to read on leadership development are biographies that examine historical characters. One of the most popular was Donald Phillip's Lincoln on Leadership which became a best seller. John F. Kennedy on Leadership falls into this category and illuminates the
leadership skills of JFK in a way seldom appreciated.

Most people think of Kennedy as a privileged son of a wealthy businessman with powerful political connections who used his good looks and charisma to ultimately achieve the presidency. However, little attention has been given to his difficult struggle with a chronic disease, a severe physical
handicap and personal shyness. Further, few authors have closely analyzed how well Kennedy mastered the new medium of television, or fostered teamwork within the Whitehouse. What about the leadership skills that inspired him to create the Peace Corps, or the way he cautiously maneuvered during the Berlin crisis or the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962?

Author John Barnes deftly covers various attributes of sound leadership like vision, resilience, communication, team building, decision making and crisis management. He takes each of these qualities and weaves them into actual historical episodes within Kennedy's brief life. For example, Barnes clearly demonstrates JFK's powerful use of vision from his proclamation of America entering a "New Frontier", his remarkable Inaugural Address and his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech of June 1963. At the conclusion of this chapter, Barnes offers the reader some thoughtful ways to create their own vision using the lessons learned from Kennedy's example.

This is an excellent book and is a pleasure to read. John F. Kennedy on Leadership is not a book that simply idolizes the achievements of JFK. Kennedy is honestly examined and all his personal strengths and weaknesses are frankly revealed. The final chapter entitled, Faults and Failures strips away the veneer of the Camelot myth. But even here... there is much for the reader to learn from JFK's unpleasant character flaws.

John F. Kennedy on Leadership is a readable book that beautifully merges real historical events with a man whose leadership skills changed the world we live in today. This is the kind of book that provides a satisfying rumination of thought when the back cover is eventually closed.

Marketing, not leadership
The Kennedy presidency is a great example of modern day marketing--not leadership. The book, John F. Kennedy on Leadership, by John A. Barnes is a textbook published by the American Management Association. Each chapter contains short chronicles of the Kennedy presidency combined with academic management lessons.
Barnes reveals the hidden, behind-the-scenes activities that promoted and projected Kennedy's public image while concealing the not-so-attractive underbelly. More than 40 years after his death, recent polls rate JFK as the second-greatest president of all time. His approval rating at 70 percent is the highest average approval rating of any president ever measured by Gallup.
Kennedy's leadership is not something to be admired. During WWII, JFK was reckless and frequently jeopardized his PT crew needlessly. General MacArthur and others say he should have been court-martialed. By some miracle, his misadventures in the South Pacific turned heroic and propelled him into a national figure.
During the 1960 presidential election, Kennedy harped on the "missile gap" that did not exist and repeated the slogan "getting the country moving again" when the national economy was healthy.
In the 1961 Inaugural address, JFK read a highly crafted speech:
Let the word go forth from this time and place...let every nation know...that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty...
On the 62nd day of his presidency, Kennedy made a forceful speech declaring the nation would acknowledge its treaty obligations and support the goal of a neutral and independent Laos. In an extraordinary move, Kennedy bypassed Secretary of State Dean Rusk and the traditional role of the State Department when he appointed his man, Averell Harriman, to negotiate a toothless treaty with the Communists. Within a short period, Laos fell to the Communists. The Ho Chi Minh Trail, constructed on Laos territory, gave North Vietnam the logistical avenue to sustain its aggression in the south.
Kennedy viciously attacked the Eisenhower Administration for their "weakness" in dealing with the Cuban situation. Instead of helping to come up with the best plan to overthrow Castro and evict the Communists, Kennedy and Schlesinger devoted their efforts to disassociate the Presidency from the conspiracy--plausible deniability. Kennedy ordered changes to the CIA plan that crippled its effectiveness, and in the last hour, Kennedy dealt the deathblow. Although Kennedy wanted to blame the CIA and the military, the failed mission was the result of Kennedy's actions.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 would not have occurred if the 1961 Bay of Pigs plan had succeeded. Instead of immediately ordering a blockade, JFK formed a special committee to examine the options and reach a consensus while he went on a campaign trip. JFK again bypassed normal State Department channels and worked a secret agreement with Khrushchev that called for the removal of Jupiter IRBMs in Turkey and pledged never to invade Cuba.
Back on the subject of leadership and management, JFK relied on a "kitchen cabinet" similar to that of Andrew Jackson in 1829. Although cabinet officials were selected by him, Kennedy stifled the cabinet as a major decision-making body. Truman's Secretary of State Dean Acheson was returned to the White House as a special advisor to the president. Instead of using the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired General Maxwell Taylor was returned to provide personal military advice to the President.
The West Wing of the White House was unofficially promoted to policy-makers and the cabinet secretaries had to compete in meetings on a level equal to the staff. The author noted Vice President Johnson was never taken into Kennedy's confidence, and was excluded from some of the most dramatic moments.
Landing an American on the Moon didn't make the South Vietnamese fight any harder and it didn't cause any Viet Cong to change sides. Kennedy ignored good advice from his Presidential Science Advisor and accelerated the manned space program for the sole purpose of upstaging the Russians. The author admires Kennedy's efforts to seek outside advice, but he limited his consultations with space enthusiasts such as Wernher von Braun, who were willing to underestimate costs and forecast overly optimistic schedules.
When Kennedy went before Congress to call for landing a man on the moon "before this decade is out," one wonders if the arbitrary deadline was the result of a speechwriter's quest for bumper sticker slogans.
The book John F. Kennedy on Leadership makes a good textbook on leadership and management--it is just unfortunate John A. Barnes chose JFK as a standard bearer for leadership.

JFK ADOPTED WINSTON AS PATRICIAN???
I hate reacting to another post but to say that the VERY Irish JFK turned to Winston Churchill as spiritual father is a tale from another planet. It's like saying Oliver Cromwell inspired James Joyce (well, actually the EFFECTS of Cromwell's genocide inspired Joyce's suppressed rancor). Read JFK's Why England Slept? to find how he forever incurred ultimately fatal British enmity. Read the speeches in Ireland a few months before his murder by British intelligence services.

That poster daring to breathe W in the same sentence as JFK recalls what this book most clearly delineates and contrasts with current commanders: JFK's brilliant and sharp intelligence and leadership and how we may apply that today. Simply replay the JFK Inaugural and ANYTHING since. THe greatest speech you will never hear is the Second JFK Inaugural. La lucha sigue!

I realize this is no BLOG, but come on already!

A Real Gem
This is a fascinating work of history as well as a superb business book. Among other accomplishments John Barnes reveals that JFK - who seems to us today to have been a natural-born political star - began his career as 'an awkward, self-conscous young man' who actually looked too youthful to impress prospective voters. His extraordinary charisma was in fact the product of an astonishing process of self-invention, one that required an enormous amount of work by Kennedy and those around him. He consciously made himself into the first 'movie-star president' and he did it after discovering through his own Hollywood contacts that many cinema stars had been formed out of materials rather less promising than his own.
A former political speechwriter and columnist, Barnes' chapters on communications and speechwriting are especially good.
Those who seek success cannot do better than by studying the efforts of those who have succeeded -- and this book is packed with valuable lessons for anyone interested in business and politics. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (11)

Interesting Read
Interesting read.Strange sort of immortality what with downloading copies of yourself.
It ends but the war is looming, at least they know what they are up against and have begun to put their own house in order.
It was original though the head eating enemy processing memory was just goofy. I kept thinking it would end up being a ruse by the AI's that came about from our own world.

Absolutely brilliant
Can't say enough about what an excellent piece of writing this is.The expositories are both fascinating and much more realistic than any other future sci-fi scenarios I've run across (as one might expect from the Keynes quote at the beginning).The physics are truly captivating.The characters are immensely enjoyable.The plot keeps you turning the pages long after you should have put the book down and gone to sleep.

This might be the best sci-fi ever written.

Best of the "Giraut" books thus far
Just finished this, and it is easily the best book I've read this year.My previous favorite in this series had been the 2nd book, "Earth Made of Glass," until I read this one.This book addresses a few threads delicately dangled in previous books (sometimes in the form of maybe 1-2 quick throwaway lines), and certainly makes up for the somewhat aimless "Merchants of Souls," which while the the weakest entry in the series is the direct setup for this entry.

Good end to a good series
The Armies of Memory is a bit different than the other books in this series.There's more action than the other three books, but then again, it seems almost incidental to the introspective nature of the rest of the novel.The core of the novel examines the implications and morality of sentience and its relationship with physicality.But with that said, The Armies of Memory has spies, robots, AIs, laser/maser guns, martial arts, babes, cool characters, political intrigue, cults, aliens, and mass decapitations -- what more could you want?

An old-fashioned SF novel of ideas that never quite jells. 3.7 stars
ARMIES is an old-fashioned SF novel of ideas:what will Artificial
Intelligences be like? What will human society be like, with long lives,
FTL space travel, easy wealth without work? Plus, it has that frisson of
the strange which is a major reason why I read SF....

These ideas are important in the same sense that a college bull session
is important -- BIG ideas, fun to talk about, absolutely no effect on
your everyday life. But they make for an intriguing SF novel, the fourth
in a loose series starring Giraut Leones of Nou Occitan, musician,
composer and Council of Humanity secret agent man.

This one never quite jells (for me, anyway), but is still a fun read,
and it's pretty upbeat (for Barnes) -- the genocides are all long past,
and offstage. The whole "Thousand Cultures" device is a pretty big lump
to swallow in the WSOD dept -- this is a synthetic reproduction of
various Old Earth cultures on the new colony-worlds, for no other reason
than to provide grist for Barnes' fiction-mill, sfaict.

There's a nice primer to Barnes' Thousand Cultureverse online; I'll post the link as a comment, since Ammie censors them here (weird, huh?).

My fave is still the first, A Million Open Doors (Giraut) (1992), coming-of-age
and finamor among the jovens of Nou Occitan, nicely based on the
medieval Provencal culture.

There's one more Giraut book to come, per a news item I saw at SciFi Wire.
I'll also post the link as a comment.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman ... Read more

Product Description
The fascial system surrounds, infuses with, and has the potential to influence every muscle, bone, nerve blood vessel, organ and cell of the body. This book is about treatment of the fascial system. This book offers explanations of how myofascial release works so consistenty and effectively; to suggest a new expanded model of how the body functions; to describe the charactersitics of the fascial system; and to provide healthcare providers with excellent techniques that will allow them to treat the whole person. ... Read more

Product Description
The first book in a new post-apocalyptic trilogy from "a master of the genre"

Heather O'Grainne is the Assistant Secretary in the Office of Future Threat Assessment, investigating rumors surrounding something called "Daybreak." The group is diverse and radical, and its members have only one thing in common-their hatred for the "Big System" and their desire to take it down.

Now, seemingly random events simultaneously occurring around the world are in fact connected as part of Daybreak's plan to destroy modern civilization-a plan that will eliminate America's top government personnel, leaving the nation no choice but to implement its emergency contingency program...Directive 51. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

good book!
This was a good book.Well worth the money and time to read.I can't wait for book 2 in the series.I was kind of suprised where the story is headed about who/what caused the problems!

Decapitating the Executive
Directive 51 (2010) is the first SF novel in the Daybreak series.Set less than a decade in the future, it is based on the current provisions for restoring the constitution after loss of the President and Vice President.

In this novel, Roger Pendano is President of the United States of America.He has known his Vice President since his college days.

John Samuelson is the Vice President of the USA.He is a very good negotiator and willing to take risks in such negotiations.

Graham Weisbrod is Secretary of the Future in the President's cabinet.He was a friend of Pendano and had taught both Allie and Heather.

Cameron Nguyen-Peters is Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security as well as the National Constitutional Continuity Coordinator.Cam is responsible for implementing Presidential Directive 51.

Allie Sok Banh is Chief of Staff at the Department of the Future.She had been a student of her current boss.

Heather O'Grainne is an Assistant Secretary of DoF.She too was a student of Weisbrod and heads the Office of Future Threat Assessment.

Arnie Yang is senior analyst in the OFTA.He is using a new form of threat analysis that indicates that Daybreak is a new kind of threat.

In this story, Samuelson is camped in a 787 at Sentani International Airport near Jayapura.He is has presented an offer over the past few days, but does not yet have any agreement.He notifies the President of the failure and prepares to depart Indonesia.

Then a van pulls up alongside the 787.The occupants claims to want to extent the negotiations.Samuelson takes the risk of letting them enter the plane, but these people are not negotiators.The plane flies away with the Vice President and his people as captives.

Arnie is pushing Heather to spread word of Daybreak to other Federal agencies.Allie agrees with Arnie.So Heather holds a meeting with the other two DoF assistant secretaries.

Heather's peers take the news with a minimum of arguing.They even works out some analogies of their own to the methodology.Later DoF briefs other Federal agencies on Daybreak.

Things are going well before Weisbrod pulls Heather out of the meeting and sends her to another called by Cam.That meeting concerns the capture of the Vice President.Heather decides that the timing is not a coincidence and suggests that the Daybreak conspiracy was involved.

This tale follows an international search for Air Force Two, the Vice President's plane.The President activates a contingency plan to block aircraft entering from the Pacific.Then an A-10 Warthog shoots down Air Force Two when the captors fail to respond to orders to change their course.

The President is emotionally distressed at the death of his old friend.He declares himself to be temporarily unable to perform his duties.Cam has to supervise the appointment of an acting President.

The Daybreak conspiracy is destroying America's technological base with biotech and nanotech sabotage.The next installment in this series is Daybreak Zero.Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Barnes fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of presidential assassinations, political follies, and loyal citizens.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Direct 51
This book is about a techno apocalypse and what happens in its wake. I enjoyed the book quite a lot, though some bits seemed really scattered. I think my biggest problem with this book is that it had few characters that were well-developed. However, I think the book was more about "Daybreak" (the non-organized group that caused the apocalypse) and it's resulting aftermath, so that wasn't really a huge issue. I've waffled back and forth between rating this one a three or a four, finally settling on three. Good book, would recommend to others who enjoy the genre, but I don't think it'll be a re-read for me

Third rate Crichton
This book is really a third rate Michael Crichton type thriller. It's got intrigue, strange technologies and long-winded technical expositions but the storytelling is featureless and trite and filled with ridiculously politically correct characters -- pretty much everyone is a minority, handicapped or a woman.

The core idea is good but poorly told and with too many plot holes.

Hang on to Your Hat for this Wild Ride in Eco-Terrorism
Government cover-ups, eco terrorism, nano-technologies, blind obedience to mass destruction; what if it was all true? //Directive 51// reveals in vast fictional detail the terrifying possibility. John Barnes makes it conceivable with his knowledge of interior government strategies and terroristic mentality. He portrays relatable, unaware Americans, the deeply diminished mental thinking of terrorists. and our nation's current process for dealing with heightened government threats with political savvy. Barnes's ability to intricately weave a complex storyline with multiple characters adds credence to the plausibility of something this devastating happening to our country and our government. While admittedly, he dispels the likelihood, he aptly plants the seed of doubt and allows the reader to become engrossed in this terrifying story. Impressive attention to details and his inside knowledge of government workings, Barnes brings this tale to modern-day life with uncanny realism. Named "the thinking person's technothriller" //Directive 51// does not disappoint. This will be a book to read many times over to capture all the nuances missed the first time through.

Review by M. Chris Johnson ... Read more

Product Description
Ada 95, the enhanced version of the Ada programming language, is now in place and has attracted much attention in the community since the International Standard ISO/IEC 8652:1995(E) for the language was approved in 1995. The Ada 95 Rationale comes in four parts. The introductory part is a general discussion of the scope and objectives of Ada 95 and its major technical features. The second part contains a more detailed step by step account of the core language. The third part consists of several annexes addressing the predefined environment and specialized application areas. Finally, the three appendices of the fourth part are devoted to the upward compatibility with Ada 83, a few changes since the drafts of the standard were made public, and a summary of requirements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Companion book to the standard, by the same folk.
There is the official Ada 95 standard, and then there is this campanion book that explains WHY the various parts of the standard are as they are and what other options were considered.

But this is *NOT* a beginnerbook. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An entertaining series, but a serious publishing error in my copy
This series is one of the earlier "alternate universe" genre examples.

It is very entertaining - focusing on how small changes in specific situations might change future history. Similarly the series focuses on a number of notable historical figures removed from the specific circumstances by which they are known in present history (and universe).

The errata: pages 379 to 402 are replaced by a duplicate of pages 283 to 306. Fortunately this isn't in the beginning or end of the story, but is still annoying. ... Read more

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The second volume in the time travel/parallel universe series sends Pittsburgh private eye Mark Strang, trained with nightmarish weaponry and teamed with the woman of his dreams, to an alternative 1776, where he becomes his own worst enemy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

"An OK Story That Could Have Been Better."
Mark Strang was a pretty decent character, but I felt there was a lot of untapped potential that Barnes did not bring to the surface.He did do a good job with the scenes where Strang questioned his lust for killing anything associated with the enemy Closers.I also did not get a sense of any great crisis as Strang fights to keep this alternate 1775 on its intended track.The changes to this timeline were pretty cool.I am a sucker for time travel/alternate Earth stories.I liked the introduction of steam engines and dirigibles to 1775.And George Washington, Duke of Kentucky?Neat twist.The action scenes were OK, but tended to get a little too wordy at times.

Not my favorite but...
Here Matt and a co-agent travle to an alternate america where King George III offered consessions to the American Founding Fathers and so the american revolution never took place.Matt also comes to another realization that is both chilling and brilliant at the same time.While this book is not as action packed as the others it is still a worthy edition to the serise.

Not my favorite but...
Here Matt and a co-agent travle to an alternate america where King George III offered consessions to the American Founding Fathers and so the american revolution never took place.Matt also comes to another realization that is both chilling and brilliant at the same time.While this book is not as action packed as the others it is still a worthy edition to the serise.

Not great, but a good read...
Most of the time this felt like an action adventure movie rather than a SF book.I found it rather annoying too how the author continuously went back and explained things which are clearly laid out in the first book.I don't see a problem with dropping clues and background info from the previous story, but you shouldn't continually launch into paragraphs worth of "the exact same stuff."The beginning of this story was good with the fight scene, however, the ending left a little to be desired.Though it may sound like I'm complaining, I still think the book is a good read and hopefully the 3rd in the series finishes strong.

Good adventure and reasonable heros
This is the weakest of the three books in the series but only because it lacks the excitting beginning and the strong ending of the adventure. The plot and the heros hang together well even if you haven't read the previous book. Barnes does a good job of exploring what might have happened if many scientific advances had come along centuries early. His science is reasonable, and the story flows very well. ... Read more

Product Description
The House with a Clock in Its Walls; The Figure in the Shadows and The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring are three magically eerie tales gathered in this one-volume edition. The series opens as Lewis Barnavelt, a newly orphaned ten-year-old, comes to live with his Uncle Johnathan. Little does Lewis know that Uncle Johnathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman are witches. Lewis finds that he himself owns magical powers, and soon is thrust in a supernatural battle between good and evil. The second tale focuses on Grampa Barnavelt's old coin. Lewis thinks the coin is an amulet, but when he starts to wear it around his neck, bizarre things start to happen - and not all of them good. The last tale shifts the focus to thirteen-year-old Rose Rita, who is embittered because she cannot go to camp like Lewis. so Mrs. Zimmerman offers Rita an adventure of her own. But when a magical ring disappears, Rita gets more of an adventure than she bargained for. John Bellair's vivid characterization and and excruciatingly suspenseful plots make this series a thrilling ride! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Awesome
I loved this collection of this authors books and cannot wait to read more works by him. The book was in almost new condition and I enjoyed it greatly!! I finished the whole book in six days! Thanks!

Enchanting horror and a little bit of kid angst
John Bellairs is a master of children's horror that I'm afraid the world has forgotten in the Harry Potter rush. As much as I love all that good stuff, nothing beats Bellairs' aura on a little town in 1940's Michigan where anything spooky can happen.

The three novels in this volume ("The House with a Clock in its Walls", "The Figure in the Shadows", and "The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring") focus on a orphan boy named Lewis who has come to the town of New Zebedee to live with his eccentric uncle who just so happens to be a wizard. What proceeds is various dippings into the supernatural.

And these are not the "cute" supernatural, at least in the usual sense. Sure, Stephen King and Anne Rice would probably consider these adventures kid stuff, but they are they are perfectly creative enough for kids; honestly, I think they're more creative than most of the adult horror out there. Bellairs deals with necromancy, Biblical prophecy, possession, the whole nine yards, but all very tastefully done to be suitable to this age group.

Besides the horror, these are books about what it's like to be a kid. Bellairs gets into the heads of his characters with their thoughts and worries and hopes like few do whilst balancing another subject.

His writing is also absolutely enchanting. Without being flowery, he is a master of description with exellent pacing and a storytelling voice that just draws you in.

I know these are a couple decades old, but I adored this mans' works as a kid, and even now I can't think of many things better to do than curl up with these stories.

Still A Good Read
I read these books years ago, found them creepy, and forgot about them until recently.These are aimed at a young adult reader, but they're atmospheric and well written, and definitely make enjoyable adult reading.Check out the pages on the individual books for more info, but the three books in one edition is a great deal.These are also excellent for pre-teens and older who enjoy books on the supernatural.They do deal with themes of witchcraftand magic, but otherwise, contain no objectionable content.

Bellairs' Barnavelt/Zimmerman Trilogy
This volume contains:

The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973)
The Figure in the Shadows (1975)
The Letter, the Witch and the Ring (1976)

I have not read all of Bellairs' novels, so I cannot say whether these three are really his "best".But the grouping is appropriate for other reasons:These are in fact the first three of Bellair's supernatural horror novels for kids; each is a sequel to the last; and all three feature the characters Lewis Barnavelt, Jonathan Van Olden Barnavelt, Mrs. Zimmerman, and (in the last two novels) Rose-Rita Pottinger.Moreover, the collection is more-or-less complete, since these are the only ones featuring these characters that were written entirely by Bellairs and published during his lifetime.The "next" in the series, entitled "The Ghost in the Mirror" was published posthumously after being completed by Brad Strickland in 1993 (after a gap of 17 years, during which Bellairs switched to writing about Johnny Dixon and Anthony Monday).Strickland has gone on to write his own adventures in the series (with what success I cannot say).

HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS begins with the orphaned Lewis Barnavelt, aged 10, being sent to live with his crazy Uncle Jonathan, and his batty neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman.The Uncle and the neighbor both turn out to be magicians (of the benevolent sort), and the grand old house they inhabit is filled with magical artifacts and mysteries, including a strange ticking sound reputed to come from a hidden clock.Matters get serious after the insecure Lewis, in an attempt to impress a friend, ignores his uncle's warning that he should never attempt magic.Creepy, scary fun ensues.

The next two novels in the series are just as well written, and every bit as creepy and scary as the original.However, the grimness becomes a little more unrelenting, and some kids may even find it depressing.One reason for this is that Bellairs seems to have somewhat regretted sending mixed messages in his first book, by his positive portrayal of magic as practiced by Mrs. Zimmerman and Uncle Jonathan.In the course of these volumes Mrs. Zimmerman is almost completely deprived of her powers.Bellairs continues to pay lip service to the idea that they are both benevolent minor magicians, but he ceases to show them using magic to positive effect.Magic use becomes, for all practical purposes, almost entirely associated with evil, and any dabbling therein leads only to horrific consequences.

I don't think Bellairs is necessarily wrong to want to discourage kids from seeking occult powers.However, it is a possibly unintended effect of this decision that the stories become increasingly and unrelentingly horrific.While the first volume made it seem as though there were powerful forces of Good to compete with those of Evil, the two sequels start to seem a bit like reading H.P. Lovecraft, wherein Evil has all the power.

This edition contains the original illustrations for all 3 books.This means we get Edward Gorey for the first novel, which is good.Unfortunately, other artists illustrated the 2 sequels.The latter pictures do not enhance the stories, which would be better off without them.

Three tales in the Lewis Barnavelt series
John Bellairs is best known as the author of sixteen gothic mystery novels for young adults comprising the Lewis Barnavelt, Anthony Monday, and Johnny Dixon series. The three stories in this book are the first three in the Lewis Barnavelt series, although the last has more to do with his friend, Rose Rita.The tales collected in this book are "The House with a Clock in Its Walls," "The Figure in the Shadows," and "The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring."

So far from what I've read of this author, his characters tend to be elderly eccentrics, or ordinary children (no superkids, here).Lewis is resourceful, but with a child's fears and limitations.Most especially, he is afraid that his uncle won't like him, that the kids in his new school will make fun of him, and that he'll never have a friend.His uncle, Jonathan and neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman are very likeable magicians.They play poker with Lewis and make him chocolate chip cookies and cocoa, and generally treat him as a small adult.

The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973) - illustrated by Edward Gorey

Lewis is a newly orphaned, plump ten-year-old, who wears "purple corduroy trousers, the kind that go `whip-whip' when you walk."The author often claimed that his imagination got stuck at ten, and here is Lewis, age ten, going to live with his Uncle Jonathan in New Zebedee, Michigan.The year is 1948, and New Zebedee bears a strong resemblance to Marshall, Michigan, where the author was born--- The Cronin House and the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) Hall still stand in Marshall, just as their counterparts do in New Zebedee.

The only thing Uncle Jonathan is reluctant to talk about with Lewis is the ticking noise within the walls of his old mansion, recently acquired from a deceased magician.

Lewis discovers that his uncle makes midnight excursions throughout the house, stopping and restarting all of the old clocks.He slowly gets involved in the mystery of an undiscovered clock.The wizardly Izzard couple who used to live in the house are both dead, but what did they leave behind and why?

There are some genuinely frightening scenes in "The House with a Clock in its Walls"---most especially when Lewis tries to impress a new friend by stealing one of his uncle's magic books and taking it to the graveyard at midnight on Halloween---but I don't want to spoil the story for you (Hint:there's a scene straight out of "Count Magnus" by M.R. James when the lock pops off of the crypt).Let me say that this is a truly scary book, and if the author's imagination got stuck at ten, he must lived an awesomely spooky tenth year.

"The Figure in the Shadows" (1975) - illustrated by Mercer Mayer

Lewis wants desperately to believe that an old coin belonging to his Great-Great-Grampa Barnavelt has magical powers.He is being bullied at school and starts to wear the old Civil War coin around his neck for protection.Finally Lewis turns on the bully and beats him up, but he soon learns that the coin has other, even darker powers.

When Lewis begins to see a shadowy figure in a long coat and starts to get scary messages, he asks his friend, Rose Rita to take the coin and throw it away.She wrestles the coin away from him, but instead of throwing it into the storm drain, she hides it.

The bully starts in on Lewis again, and he decides he'll do anything to get the coin back again, even steal it from Rose Rita.

This story has a very spooky climax that will scare even the grown-ups who are reading it to their children.

"The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring" (1976) - illustrated by Richard Egielski

Rose Rita is mad at the world.Her friend, Lewis Barnavelt is going to Boy Scout camp for the summer, and he is the only one who appreciates her for what she is:a tomboy with a great pitching arm who has no interest in growing up into the world of proms and pretty gowns.When Mrs. Zimmerman offers to take her on a trip to see the farm she just inherited from her cousin, Oley, Rose Rita jumps at the chance.

Unfortunately when Mrs. Zimmerman and Rose Rita arrive at the farmhouse up in the woods of Northern Michigan, it has been ransacked.The ring that Oley had found and believed to be magic has been stolen.

When Mrs. Zimmerman herself disappears, it is up to Rose Rita to solve the deepening mystery.

Don't expect milksop magic or easy solutions from this author.Rose Rita has to confront both interior and exterior demons, and comes very close to death before Bellairs winds down to his usual cocoa and cookies (well, roasted marshmallows in this story) ending.
... Read more

Product Description
Hardback commentary which includes English text and abundant scholarly commentary (interacting with the original language). This set has long been considered a standard. ... Read more

Product Description
Written by a key member of the original Ada design team 'Programming in Ada 95' and its predecessor, 'Programming in Ada' have long been established as the definitive texts on Ada. Now John Barnes has revised and updated this classic book to enhance its value to both Ada newcomers and veteran Ada programmers alike.
Ada 95 is the first fully object oriented language to become an ISO standard, its power and flexibility make it suited to a wide range of complex applications, from process control and industrial design to telecommunications and diagnostic analysis.This book provides complete tutorial coverage of all the core features of the language, illustrated throughout with extensive examples.
Key Features

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Six new examples of complete programs included as distinct chapters, with commentary

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CD featuring special edition of ObjectAda compiler, including online Ada Reference Manual

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More on overall program structure, child units and object oriented programming

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Further detail on the predefined library

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New edition also features a broader overview in the introductory chapters and further discussions of advanced topics such as storage pools and an extended index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Good book for C++'er learning Ada
Man, these Ada books are expensive! But this was 1/2 of most others. The paperback cover is kinda flimsy, but it'll just make me look like a more experienced programmer as it gets doggeard '-)

I'm a long time C++'er but knew nothing about Ada, which 95% of my new job involves. So I needed something to bring me up to speed quickly. I find this book very readable and pretty well organized. The first few chapters teach you the 10% you'll use 90% of the time and the other 90%, if you need it, is covered in depth later in the book. I think those that don't like this book probably don't like Ada (but who does?) because I find this book great, Ada is just a tough language that you just can hack with like C++.

I'm very pleased with this "bargan" book and think it'll be the only Ada book I'll need to buy. Strongly recommend

OK, but not for beginners
Like the Ada language itself, I find this book wordy and repetitive, but complete. It really does seem to have full descriptions of all the language features. I'm not sure, because I have to flip to so many different sections to see one feature described, that I really don't know whether I found everything.

This book reads like a standards document, designed by commitee. (If you're never read standards, imagine reading 'War and Peace' by selecting pages in random order.) In the bigger standards, any given component tends to make sense only when you've mastered all other system features, so you understand how that component fits the system as a whole. That means the learning curve includes a jump discontinuity, from zero up to where you've absorbed some critical mass of information. That's what this book is like.

Yes, Ada is a complex language, so a truly brief description is impossible. A better writer knows, though, that brevity (to a point) improves clarity, and that the organization of content is at least as important as the content itself.

The one real strength in this book is the many examples. They are sometimes over-long for the points they make, but seem to demonstrate most of the important language features.

If you already know a few languages including at least one with object orientation, you should be able to hack a trail for yourself through this thicket of information - the author has not paved a clear path for you. If you are a beginning programmer, you're likely to have a hard time of it.

This is NOT visual Basic
This is not a begginers guide, or a "for Dummies" book either. You are not going to be spoon fed here. To get the most from this book you need to do a bit of poking around on the internet concerning the "Hello world" of Ada95, also the structure of Ada programs, interfaces, bodys, then jump in to this work. You will find all you need, but this is not an ARM (annotated reference manual). Be ready to jump around in the text. Use the included Aonix compiler, or the one that comes with Linux. Rememeber this is a small book covering a big subject.

very bad
An awful book. I could barely understand anything, as no examples were complete. The object oriented section was incomprehensible at all.I would recommend leaving this book aside and get a real Ada teaching book. ( )

The "Bible" for serious Ada users
This should be one of your books if you are really serious about Ada.The author was one of the leaders of the small team that actually designed the Ada language and does a great job of presenting the essentials of thelanguage in a easy to read format.While more complete examples would havehelped, this is still the book you want to have on your desk when creatingan Ada program. It should not, however, be the only book.Ada is a complexand beautiful language - it helps to see it from more than one view.Manyreviewers of this book who gave it a poor score appear to be students orpeople who don't like the language in any case.If you don't see the valueof learning Ada, no book will help that much.Some reviewers could noteven spell the language (i.e. it is Ada,named after Ada Lovelace Byron,not ADA as in the American Dental Association).Ada is not as highly usedas some other languages but is still a very popular language in certainsegments and can provide a rewarding career for the serious student.Ihave been steadily employed for over 10 years using only Ada and have notrouble makinga six figure income.I certainly don't see Ada as a 'deadlanguage'! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (14)

Not to be missed
I saw this book in the library and recognizing a few of the writers, thought I'd give it a try. I couldn't put it down.The novellas were written 2 years apart yet the story easily flowed. I loved the way each writer moved the story in another direction, leaving the following author to pick up the plot and add his/her own twist. Jeffery Deaver wrapped up both stories. Now I'll be looking for books by the authors I didn't recognize and I hope they'll do this again.

Good Stuff by Some Game Authors!
When you see a group of authors featured on a book, a lot of times it means that each of them wrote a short story. Well, thanks to an idea by Jeffery Deaver, as well as all the authors who contributed to this, we get two thrillers in one package that promises to deliver. The question is, with all these authors, is this going to be the best we've ever read? I didn't think it was, but I did think it was pretty good. Was it close to the worst thing out there I've picked up? Not by a long shot!

THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT and THE COPPER BRACELET, both thrillers featuring a man named Harold Middleton. Both with a little something to hide that could threaten the lives of many and cause some chaos.

THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT has the musical quality, and introduces us to Harold Middleton. It hints at a piece of music by the great composer, Frederic Chopin that could possibly have a message within handwritten notes. Middleton is being chased after in this, all the while trying to solve the mystery, and accomplish his mission at the same time. And while trying to keep certain family safe at the same time.

THE COPPER BRACELET takes you into shark-infested waters as well. It never claims to stay safe, and plays with the head. What is this copper bracelet, or who? We once again find Middleton in the mix, this time with possible nuclear proportions. Middleton proves to be tough, while his enemy proves to be equally wily. And it gets wilder by the minute.

I've read some of the authors who were dedicated to writing these chapters. I've read Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Joseph Finder, David Liss and Gayle Lynds. I found myself very impressed by Joseph Finder's chapters in both, while thinking that Liss could've done better. Deaver is always a master at his craft, and that doesn't change when it comes to simply a few chapters. As far as who I might read further? Peter Spiegelman is a name that really impressed me, with the possibility of P.J. Parrish, Lisa Scottoline, David Hewson and possibly David Corbett and Jon Land.

There was really nothing to complain about on my part. I'm glad I got to see what this was all about!

Satisfaction and appreciation.
This cd arrived in time for our car trip to Arkansas and was totally satisfactory.Thank you.

Non-Stop Action
The two "serial thrillers" offered in "Watchlist" are the product of the collaborative effort of 22 of the finest thriller writers in the world.Among the authors participating in the project are: Linda Barnes, Lee Child, Lisa Scottoline, Erica Spindler, David Hewson and Jeffrey Deaver (who created the basic characters and wrote the first and last chapters of the two novels)."The Chopin Manuscript" was first offered as an audio book and was named 2008 Audio Book of the year by the Audio Publisher's Association.Its follow-up, "The Copper Bracelet," throws several of the same characters into a new adventure some two years after the conclusion of the first book.

And as bad as "The Chopin Manuscript" is, "The Copper Bracelet" is equally as good.

The two books have much in common but one gets the sense that the authors did not really hit their stride with the concept until the second book."The Chopin Manuscript" reads less like a cohesive novel than it does a competition among its 15 writers to ensure that their individual chapters contain more outlandish action than the chapter immediately preceding theirs.So little time is spent on character development that the rapid-fire adventure seems to be happening to cartoon characters rather than to real people - and the constant losing-and-regaining of the upper hand plus last second rescues of main characters will test the patience of readers.

"The Copper Bracelet," authored by 9 of the first book's 15 writers, plus 7 new ones, spends more time developing characters and explaining their motivations.As a result, although much of the action in this second book is every bit as wild as that in the first, readers will find it easier to suspend their disbelief because of the emotional attachment they will feel toward this story's characters, hero and villain, alike.

Harold Middleton, a former military intelligence officer who has more recently functioned as a war-crimes investigator, is the main character in both books.Other recurring characters include Middleton's daughter Charlotte, a talented young Polish violinist called Felicia Kaminski, and several members of what Middleton calls The Volunteers, a small group of trusted colleagues who help him in his investigations and who are willing to share the violence directed their way by those wanting to stop their snooping.The collection's finer villains, in particular, Devras Sikari, his son Archer, and their female accomplice, Jana, are reserved for the second book.

"Watchlist" transports its readers from Virginia to Washington D.C., Poland, Italy, Pakistan, Kashmir, London and Paris, among other stops, with much violence and nonstop action sure to be had at each location.Despite the unevenness of the two stories, this one will appeal to thriller fans and readers intrigued about the process by which the two books were written.The second book is such a huge improvement over the first, in fact, that I find myself hoping that the authors will collaborate on a third.

Authors of The Chopin Manuscript: Jeffrey Deaver, David Hewson, James Grady, S.J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, Ralph Pezzullo, Lisa Scottoline, P.J. Parrish, Lee Child

Authors of The Copper Bracelet: Jeffrey Deaver, Gayle Lynds, David Hewson, Jim Fusilli, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, David Corbett, Linda Barnes, Jenny Siler, David Liss, P.J. Parish, Brett Battles, Lee Child, Jon Land, James Phelan

Okay if you like stew
I love the novels of many of the contributors to WATCHLIST, but failed to realize in buying this book that what I love is their skill at plunging the reader into a credible world for several hours. The individual chapters in WATCHLIST are quite good (and it's fascinating to see how different writers tackle a situation), but overall the two novellas suffer from coitus interruptus. Just as you begin to get into one writer's tale, you're interrupted by somebody else's take on the story. It's entertaining, and Jeffery Deaver does a great job with the setup and wrapup, but you just can't be thrilled (the point of a thriller, no?) when the timer is going off every 20 minutes for another writer to step in.

I understand this was initially an audio book. It actually would work quite well as a serial story (audio or in print), where the passage of time would tend to erase the reader's/listener's immersion anyway. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "John Barnes," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have John Barnes in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with John Barnes when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name John Barnes, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more