As Michael Arnzen accurately notes in his enthusiastic introduction, most of the stories in Dark Demons seem to be inspired by loss, whether it be the loss of a loved one, a loss of identity, or perhaps most disturbingly, a loss of humanity. Thus, it's appropriate that a story like "Something Profound" opens this collection. The tale of a son coming to terms with his father's painful and difficult legacy, it deals with the myriad emotions engendered by the death of a parent, and how parents influence the lives of their children in countless (and, in this case chilling) ways.

"Something Profound' is only one example of Newton's seeming preoccupation with loss. "Angels of Mercy, Angels of Grief" tells the tale of a husband who gets an unwelcome glimpse into the workings of existence after his wife is killed in a car accident. "Work of Art" addresses the sacrifices artists make for their craft. "The Pit" deals with surrendering to the whims of the masses, and "The Banana Man" focuses on loss of sanity.

Along with the sense of loss, each story includes an odd sense of inevitability, a pervasive feeling that things will end badly. This is particularly evident in tales like "Waves," "The Mothering Hole," "Puppies for Sale," and "In the Name of Love," stories that would likely provide Newton's psychologist adequate fodder for multiple sessions, the (Clive) Barkeresque "Better Red and Diamond Eyes," and "The Mole Trap" which will probably remind most readers of Stephen King's classic, "The Ledge."

A handful of misfires blemish this otherwise worthy collection, most notably the simple minded "Do They Bury Their Dead," the brief, dismissible "The Face," and the familiar and predictable "Secrets...Like Bones in Slippery Dirt," 'The Afghan," and "The Bleeding of Mary Cross. " Although their presence diminishes the collection's overall impact, their negative effect is minimal, as Newton is worth reading even when he's not at the top of his form. He shows a fine eye for detail, populating his stories with edgy characters forced to handle the dark curves life hurls at them. Dark Demons artfully takes readers on a long, strange trip into the corners of a demented universe-arrange a visit soon as possible.

John Newton is remembered for writing the hymn "Amazing Grace", but the first part of his life was spent as a slaver, a murderer, a deserter, a liar and a violent man. Most of this book tells of his life before his conversion, and the author has a gritty, punchy and colorful style which brings it to life and keeps you on the edge of your seat as he barely escapes the perils of the sea, African jungle, and demons. Despite having a death wish and living such a dangerous life, it seemed that God always intervened just enough to make sure he didn't die! and finally the light dawned on him that being an awful sinner wouldn't prevent him from being forgiven and saved. A thoroughly absorbing read.

....easy-to-use dictionarylike reference book on alchemical symbolism. Pick it up if you see it somewhere. Not hugely comprehensive but a good quick resource.

This book has everything you need for drying flowers. I made my first arrangement last weekend and it turned out well. The photography is OUTSTANDING and is a real inspiration to create beautiful arrangements. My one complaint (and the sole reason I did not give this book 5 stars) is that it doesn't provide you with alternative flowers for the arrangement projects. I was unable to find a single flower that was required for one of the projects. More information about selecting flowers would make this book a 5 star.

Dynamic sumo is a pleasant book to read. It is a well-written introduction to the different aspects of sumo. It is a source for beginners and also for people with intermediate knowledge.

The history-section is especially good. The author has chosen essential parts of sumo`s history and spices it up with snippets of some spesific events. The descriptions of 20th century great wrestlers` careers is also included.

The photographs and drawings are high class. Photos of bouts catch the strength and skill of the wrestlers in crucial moments and some of the photos can be considered real masterpieces both in timing and angle. The written explantions are accompanied with graphical illustrations which makes it easy to follow the text.

In a nutshell Dynamic sumo is a very good book with interesting facts, good layout, excellent graphics and an ability to make one hungry for further information over the great sport of sumo.

There are various environmental chemistry reference books available in the market. However, this one is a good introduction for the new comers to understand this field.

This is a book with an excellent analysis of the reasons behind Goethe's attempt to discredit Newton's Opticks, specifically his work on the generation of colour in the spectrum obtained by the refraction of a "ray" of light (through a prism) emitted through a small pinhole. It must be remembered that Dennis Sepper is a philosopher rather than a physicist which means that the actual analysis of Goethe's work on 'Colour Theory' is not so deeply studied, although he does say just enough to give the impression all is not well with the standard Newtonian view and that Goethe's observations, especially the fact that the spectrum obtained by the above technqiue is a product of two spectra obtained at the edges between a dark and lighter surface e.g. a card with half black and half white colouring, remain valid today. The spectrum then only ever appears at the boundary between the two and only certain colours of the spectrum, reversing the position of black and white shows some more spectral colurs and the meeting of the two produces the green seen in standard spectra.

Sepper separates the book into sections with the first an introduction explicating both Goethe's and Newton's ideas followed by the second section on Goethe's first work on colour: "The Beitraege" and its differences to the later "Farbenlehre" and the reason for these differences. The third section discusses the inherent problems within Newton's views and his experimentun crucis. The remaining chapters discuss how Goethe was right and where he was wrong as well as his very sophisticated ideas on the philosophy of science which makes him one of the earliest student's of the discipline; something which was not fully investigated until the 20th Century.

Its a superbly argued book and Sepper never at any point verges too much in either direction. Both weaknesses and strengths are highlighted, in both instances, whether Goethe or Newton. Sepper makes the point that there is still much to colour science, even as it stands today, that needs to be more fully explored. Even with the tremendously successful wave theory which explains most of the phenomena of light and colour. I say most given that quantum theory was needed for some cases and who knows what still remains to be discovered. maybe even some of the observations of Goethe may still need to be explained.

I would say that of all the books written on the subject of the so-called non-scientific science of Goethe, this is by far the best. Having read both critiques of Goethe by scientists and other books by proponents of Goethe this one is very clear and gets to the bottom of often vague statements made by others. Only Bortoft's book on "The Wholeness of Nature" does the same kind of justice.

I first saw this book at my local library and this book is very good. There are some out dated items in the book such as cold cameras, but the ccd parts we well written. The book is well written and both authors I feel have done an excellent job.

This is a good book. Because I'm always in trouble. So I can relate.

In order to be better able to understand and interact with the technical aspects of our modern world, young people need to learn about the scientists whose work made it all possible. Sir Isaac Newton is generally acclaimed as the greatest scientist who ever lived, and this is his biography written at the level of the late middle school student.
While Newton's scientific accomplishments are covered in detail, the authors quite correctly also cover the major events of the time, such as the great plague that swept through England. It is ironic that such a tragic event helped push Newton out to a location where he could do his incredible work without distraction. Newton's battles with his colleagues over priority of discovery are also covered in detail. Scientists are often portrayed as unemotional, yet here you read about some of the petty battles that go on in the profession. Rather than distracting from the story, it makes Newton appear more human.
I found the book to be an excellent biography of Newton and his times. The writing is clear, sequential and it imparts the essence of Newton's discoveries without using mathematical explanations. I strongly recommend that it be included in all middle school libraries.