Product Description
In 1864 - two years before the publication of "The Communist Manifesto" and 21 years before the publication of "Das Kapital" - Karl Marx published an essay titled "Peuchet on Suicide." The essay was originally presented as a translation of excerpts from the memoirs of Jacques Peuchet (1758-1830), a leading French police administrator, economist and statistician. Plaut and Anderson reveal that Marx's "Peuchet on Suicide" is not a straightforward translation, but is an edited version in which Marx adds passages of his own, altering the emphasis of the text from a moral and psychological focus to a profoundly social one. Thus, the essay very strongly reflects Marx's own position on this controversial subject. Sociologist Kevin Anderson provides an extensive introduction situating the essay in the context of Marx's work, especially that on gender; Plaut's essay focuses on the psychological aspects of the work, in particular contrasting Marx's thoughts on suicide with those of Freud and Durkheim. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not so flattering Marx
What is more interesting about this slim text is not so much the content, although Peuchet's essay is in its own way perceptive, but the unintentional and not very flattering insight into Marx's method of selectively doctoring the original to say things it never intended.

For example, on page 50, Peuchet says, "I undertook a comprehensive study of this subject" to which Marx adds - in Peuchet's voice! - "I found that, short of total reform of the organization of our current society, all other attempts would be in vain," a sentence Peuchet, a police administrator, never would have written. Whether Marx is right is not the point; the point is he fabricates a sweeping social analysis and puts his words in someone else's mouth as an "official" translation. This is breathtakingly dishonest and makes you wonder how often Marx played loose with facts and figures in more significant works too.

Kevin Anderson Steals The Show In This One
The introduction of the book is more insightful than Marx's (Peuchet's) essay. On the other hand, being able to see how Marx approaches the issue of suicide makes this book very important. Marx uses his conflict approach to distinguish how suicide differs between the prolitariate and bourgeoisie classes; also, the anomic despair and objectification (especially of women) brought on by the impact of a capitalist ruled society is prevalent. I would recomend this book to the following groups of people: anyone interested in conflict theory pertaining to the topic of suicide; Anyone interested in understanding how women are objectified (more so than men and therefore more prone to commit suicide) under capitalist social conditions; and to anyone (students in particular, but not necessarily) who wants to start and finish a book in the same session (the english translation is only 60+ pg's), at the same time,learning something about the foundation of their own society (the economy) and the impact it has on them. Not strong academic material, but useful none-the-less.

A thought provoking analysis of exploitation
This essay is truly fascinating.The majority of it was actually written by Peuchet (a French statistician in the 1700s), but there are certain changes that Marx provides himself.Additionally, you can see undertonesof Marx's feelings in regards to exploitation of the proletariat.Hedoesn't argue that proles are the only ones who commit suicide, becausethat obviously isn't true; I think the point here is simply that societyneeds to be better examined.Check out this quote from the essay; it'spretty darn cool: "What kind of society is it wherein one finds themost profound loneliness in the midst of millions of people?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Un libro interesante.
Ya había leido otros libros de la serie Expedientes Secretos X, pero, creo que este es el mejor. Este libro tiene una trama bien construida, y ha sido escrito con un ritmo ágil que permite disfrutarlo comódamente, a la vez queinvita a continuar leyéndolo. Su descripción de los sitios en dondetranscurre el libro está bien documentada, y sobre todo nos hace sentir, lomismo en un hotel de lujo que en plena selva tropical. La sicología de lospersonajes principales, Mulder y Scully de ninguna forma resultacontradictoria con el canon de la serie de T.V. Aunque el autor cae enalgunos clichés que los extranjeros tienen sobre nuestro país, consideroque este es un libro interesante y lo recomendaría a una persona que quiereun rato entretenido sin complicaciones. ... Read more

Product Description
Linking the writings of the great humanist psychologist Erich Fromm to criminology, this collection shows how viewing crime patterns and the criminal justice system from Fromm's humanist perspective opens a path to more effective and more humane ways of understanding and dealing with crime and criminals. Contributors to "Erich Fromm and Critical Criminology" draw on Fromm's writings on alienation, sadomasochism, and patriarchal/matriarchal values to assess the kinds of crimes being committed and the kinds of people committing them.They explore the spiritual and intellectual sources of Fromm's thought - including Jewish theology, Freudian psychoanalysis, Marxism, and Buddhism - and demonstrate how his socialist humanism points toward a society free of crime and violence. This volume also includes translations of two of Fromm's early articles on criminal justice, never before available in English, in which he develops a psychoanalytic Marxist critique of the role of criminal justice in a class society.At a time when American society seems bent, to an unprecedented degree, on imprisonment, executions, and other violent responses to the problem of crime, Fromm's humanist critique offers a unique vantage point from which to renew and develop a critical criminology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The legacy of dialectics
After reading a biography of Pol Pot I was struck by the need to grapple with the thinking of revolutionaries at the time of their crucial decision making periods, an obvious point in one way, yet crucial to any consideration of social change. There have been one too many disasters here, and the reason is defunct or dysfunctional theory. This work throws a good deal of light on the Lenin sequence, in the period just before he became such a powerful, and unexpectedly ruthless, leader.
A strong case can be made that the dialectic inherited from Hegel was the theoretical 'tragic flaw' of the Marxist left, such is the unending confusion over its usage, meaning, and significance. Correctly grasping Hegel is one thing, assessing Marx's version another, the rendition of Engels still further complicates the question. The dialectic of subjectivity versus the dialectic as natural process in Engels generates confused discourse that goes on an on. In this context Lenin is ambiguous, and the story retold here of his sudden interest in Hegel's Logic in the Swiss exile period is an important tale, for anyone trying to get to the bottom of his views, which underwent a sudden metamorphosis visible in his notes, which were not published until much later. The book makes the strong claim that Lenin was really the first of the Western Marxists, which is quite a revision of standard accounts. In any case, this history is important documentation of this quagmire subject, where a sense of profundity mixed with rank idiocy has too often vitiated leftist praxis. To posit dialectical negation in relation to revolution, with 'dialectical leaps' thrown in to give the subject a naturalistic or evolutionary justification, has always been dubious theory. This history, whatever its limits, fills an important gap in the record, although it is good to proceed with caution in this field, for there is a good chance the whole subject needs to be written off as terminal philosophic muddle.
... Read more

Product Description
Gree is a workaday Orc without any noble aspirations; he's as greedy and nasty as they come. But soon after he and his fellow Orcs lay siege to a human castle Gree comes upon a hidden treasure, one worth much more than just money—and one which will change his life forever. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Disappointing
I was dissapointed, but not due to the story line. I was expecting something else and got a short comic book version of a tale about an orc who comes to appreciate art. ... Read more

Product Description
An unidentified flying object has been shot down from the sky-and a single strange pod has survived intact.

Now Team Proteus-a U.S.-Russian crew of scientists, doctors and technicians-will be reduced in size using new miniaturization techniques and injected through the surface of the pod. So begins the most startling voyage of exploration in human history...

Inside the body of an alien.

Praise for Kevin J. Anderson:

Arguably the most prolific, most successful author working in [science fiction] today. (Algis Budrys)

The heir apparent to Arthur C. Clarke. (Daniel Keys Moran, author of The Last Dancer)

A rare combination of talent and practicality. (Starlog)

The hottest writer on (or off) the planet. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Really stupid ideas
I am willing to believe impossible things before breakfast, but not really stupid things.

All of the physical science premises of the book are ridiculous.Many of the other premises are silly:The Russians are going to fly an alien space capsule from Southern Russia to California, but only let the US have it for one day?Give me a break.

I didn't get past about 50 pages before I threw it away.

Fantastic Voyage = One Fantastic Yarn
I still remember watching the original 'Fantastic Voyage' on TV many, many years ago and found myself totally immersed in the adventure.I was thrilled to see the novel written by Isaac Asimov, although he based it upon the screenplay, which is something Isaac is definitely NOT known for doing.He then went on to write his own version: 'Fantastic Voyage: Destination Brain' which again was fun, but I found it to be not quite up to the usual Asimov level of entertainment and intellectual stimulation.Now comes Kevin J. Anderson and a version which takes us inside the body of a real alien.Could there be a better premise for a novel about miniaturization?

I am happy to say that Anderson does a Fantastic job of taking an idea originated by someone else, and taking it to a higher level of science AND entertainment.Now, it has been mentioned before that this book isn't going to make anyone smarter by reading it, but, it certainly WILL give you an entertaining thrill while you do.

I read some reviewers now and again who base a books readability upon an almost impossible set of statistics that virtually NO book will ever live up to...are the locations of each novel 100% accurate?Is the science verifiable and factual?I personally base MY enjoyment upon whether or not I actually ENJOY the story, NOT the messy details...not that they aren't important or appreciated when an author goes out of their way to do the research, but I personally don't believe miniaturization is possible--at least not yet anyway--and therefore NO amount of scientific explanation, no matter HOW plausible and sophisticated it sounds will suddenly sway my opinion on whether or not a novel is actually worth reading.However, Anderson has written the technical details in such a way that whether or not miniaturization IS possible, it sure SOUNDS possible.

Oh yeah, one more thing:This story MOVES.Yes, it DOES take a chapter or two before the plot really unfolds, but trust me, when it finally takes flight, make sure your seatbelt is fastened and your tray is in the full and upright position 'cuz you suddenly go super-sonic super fast.The imagination alone it took to craft this story is worth the price of the novel...but the fact that Anderson has given us a great story as well certainly underscores his raw talent at storytelling.Buy this book and set aside an afternoon of virtual adventure in Innerspace...you won't be disappointed.

Mediocre sci-fi thriller that touches on some high points
Immediately after reading the blurb on the back, I realized that the idea has some inherent limitation, and it would take a lot of doing to pull it off. I decided to go ahead and read the book, and see if Kevin J Anderson's reputation as a good writer would hold up.The book does have it share of action and highlights that makes it worth the time spent reading it, but I'm not sure if it was worth the money.

As far as science-fiction goes, most of the science that Anderson uses to explain the technology in the book is solid, but somewhat shallow.There is a lack of depth in the biological description of the alien body: the details Anderson uses consists primarily of very elementary biological terms.Furthermore, this book lacks a strong underlying meaning or message that can be found in great sci-fi.In this respect, it comes off as little more than a sci-fi thriller filled with some fancy terms.I am not even sure if the science (especially the physics aspect) or the logic for that matter is very sound.

In my opinion, the characters are paper-thin and rely on mostly character sterotypes to carry them through.I could not relate to the characters and did not feel emotionally attached to them when something happened to them.Anderson choose to place his character description in the weirdest place, often inserting them in the middle of an action scene.His characterization also lack subtlety; he tells the reader what the characters are like rather than revealing them within the plot or dialougle.

Speaking of dialouge, the lines exchanged between character are often corny and used at utterly inappropriate times.Failed attempts at humor punctuating scenes seem out of place and make the characters (especially the Mote's crew) seem like they aren'tfacing grave danger.

Summing it up, the novel does what it sets out to do (excite the reader with lots of action) relatively well without doing much more.For me, much of the plot was predictable so the book didn't intrigue me as much as it could have, but I did enjoy the end.The nanotechnology twist breathe additonal life into the novel, but it was excessive towards the end (how smart can those nanocritters be with microscopic brains?). I think this book would be a lot better as a movie especially with special effects.The abundance of action, plot, characters, and lack of deeper meaning makes it like the movie, Armaggadeon.

You will probably enjoy this this book if you liked Armaggadeon, but I am somewhat of a sci-fi purist which explains the negative tone of my review.It's a also good book if you're bored or need something to fill time on a long trip (like me).

Lots of action
This story spends about a hundred pages developing diverse intersting characters and then BANG sends them on a fantastic voyage.While I did not find the actual voyage into the alien that exciting, it was definitely suspenseful.What was more interesting to me was the story that was happening outside the alien among the politicians, diplomats, and the poor doctors.This was page-turning stuff!I think that the problem with the voyage inside the body was that it plays better on the big screen where one can visualize the suspense among the myriad of special effects.The narrative does just not do it justice.Great characters, a mysterious alien, and a good tale make this a four star book.

none
What Asimov's 'Fantastic Voyage' did for the human body; Anderson does for the alien. 'Microcosm' is at once filled with chilling alien exotica, fraught with danger, speculation, and awe,for that edge-of-your-seat ride. Anderson has written an exhilarating and fast-paced thriller that is a welcome companion to Asimov's original novel. Gary S. Potter Author/Poet. ... Read more

Product Description
It is the year 10,154 of the Imperial Calendar, and for four decades the planet Arrakis - called Dune by its inhabitants - has been ruled by the Harkonnen family. But the seeds of change have been sown. On Arrakis, an idealistic young planetologist, Pardot Kynes, goes out into the desert to learn the secrets of its giant sandworms and the priceless Spice they create. And on another planet, Caledon, young Leto Atreides is nearly ready to become duke. The blood feud between House Atreides and House Harkonnen is about to begin. Drawing on notes, outlines and correspondence Frank Herbert left behind at his death, "House Atreides" is a breathtaking story of war, treachery, decadence and steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Super Reader
The Tleilaxu are working on a artificial version of melange, the longevity drug, and fuel for the Guild navigators.

A great house is destroyed through these machinations to allow those in power to seize more control of the distribution.

The Harkonnen schemes are seen, as is the Bene Gesserit manipulations behind the scenes, one of the results being the Lady Jessica. Along the way, Leto Atreides generally tries to do the right thing for his own people, and his friends in the fallen house.

Its an SF book, but it hasnt got much to do with DUNE.
Firstly, as SF books go, this is better than many ... if only the authors had left the universe of Dune alone.

Frank Herbert managed to create a Universe populated by big people with grand schemes, sharp intellects, deep motivations, and competing philosophies, all locked in a deadly eons long battle for supremacy and survival.

This book is populated with dim wits with petty concerns, short term goals and shallow desires, all bouncing along fairly aimlessly and counting on luck and coincidence.

No gravitas. No substance. No imagination.This book is to Dune as lift music is to a Beethoven symphony.

Pleasantly Suprised
If I'm correct, then you are reading this because, like me, you are a big fan of Frank Herbert's Dune series and you want to know more about this prelude series. If you thought you would never touch this book, then you are in similar company. It took me about 4 years to have the desire to even investigate "House Atreides" despite favourable reviews from friends.

OK, "House Atreides" is no "Dune", but how many novels are? Not even Frank Herbert's follow-ups can match the brilliance of the original. That was the problem for me - would this new series not written by the master harm the franchise? My answer is no - the series has not been harmed.

"House Atreides" IS faithful to the Dune series by providing a well-written and entertaining storyline which takes nothing away from the original. There is no conflict with characterisation, in fact, I think the characters are perhaps a little too stereotypical. For example, the Atreides are ALL honourable, the Corrinos are ALL malicious, etc, but this is my only gripe. It didn't bother me after a while because the political intrigue really dominates the second half of the book, and this is where the great houses and other factions have to show their true colours (although, I expected more involvement from CHOAM).

An indication that "House Atreides" is worthwhile is that I went out and bought "House Harkonnen" the next day. If you are a Dune fan, then you should at least try the prelude series. Like me, you could find it an entertaining read. ... Read more

Product Description
A well-rounded source for all network needs, whether upgrades, troubleshooting, expansion, or repair. General "buyer's guide" information helps the reader make decisions while the abundance of how-to and troubleshooting tips helps with the day-to-day maintenance and operation tasks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Worth the extra effort to obtain
This book has left a bizarre legacy. Que's "Upgrading and Repairing Networks, Second Edition" is written by a different author (Terry Ogletree, though it bears Scott Mueller's name in significantly larger type), and its true sequel ("Upgrading and Troubleshooting Networks" by Craig Zacker) is published by Osborne. One can only imagine the intrigue that gave birth to these two rival heirs, and one can only wish that such events had not taken place, as this book is far better than either of its descendents.

Though a few years past its prime, Craig Zacker and Paul Doyle's "Upgrading and Repairing Networks" remains one of the best, broadest, most authoritative and most comprehensive guides to local area networking in print. Published prior to the certification frenzy, this book was designed to teach the journeyman technician both the theory and practice needed to perform effectively in a crisis situation. Subjects covered range from "the stuff in every book" (like the OSI model, hardware, and a plus/minus analysis of operating systems) to arcane but incredibly useful information for those new to the care and feeding of LANs (such as a chapter each on UPSes and tape drives).

I strongly urge beginners to the networking field to put in the extra effort necessary to get this book; its scope all but guarantees that you'll learn new and valuable information, and its tone and style make this knowledge fairly painless to obtain. Seasoned networking professionals might also consider picking this one up (especially at marketplace prices)... that is, if the copy they've relied on since 1996 has worn out.

Must not be the only book about networking you have
This book brings uncountable information not only about network operating systems, but also about network hardware. It is very easy to be read. But if you really want to learn about networks, this must not be the only book to buy, of course. Since it is written in an easy language, it can be read not only by the ones who already works with networking, but also by the ones who are willing to enter this field.

An excellent book, but not for everybody
This book provides an excellent treatment of network fundementals from the perspective of a person designing or repairing networks.It is a good book for a person with little or no network experience.

However, there arelimitations to the book that are not apparent from the description. First,the book is primarily about Novell networks. If you are looking for anin-depth treatment of other networks, this is not the book for you. Second,the specific hardware and software recommendations are few and far betweenfor a book of this type.

I recommend this book for people wanting tolearn about installing and repairing networks, particularily Novellnetworks. Just be aware of its limitations.

Great general networking book
Anyone serious in getting into networking should read this book.I read this book before becoming a certified network engineer and I recommend buying it before taking any networking class (MCSE or CNE). ... Read more