This is a very fine novel by Clarke even if some of the science is now out-of-date. The novel is set several centuries in the future. There are essentially two "nations" remaining, Earth (which includes the Moon) and the Triplanetary Federation, which encompasses Mars, Venus, and some of the outer satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. The issue is that in this novel Earth controls most of the solar system's supply of heavy metals e.g. titanium, high-grade iron ore, etc. Therein lies the conflict.
After several centuries of peace, the possibility of war once again looms. Clarke creates the atmosphere for this masterfully.

The story is told from the perspective of an intelligence agent sent from Earth on a counterintelligence mission on the Moon. The storyline does not move at a breakneck pace by any means. Rather, the story moves in a leisurely fashion that gives the reader a fascinating look at what a Moon colony might one day be like. Despite this, the book moves to a climactic ending that is startling and absorbing. This book is an excellent read.

This is a book that might have been made into a movie. Clarke is one of the giants of science fiction. Highly recommended.

Clarke is famous for using a fictional premise as a vehicle for discussing scientific ideas, and rightly so. His ideas are so interesting, and his explanations are so clear that no one minds if the story sometimes takes a back seat to the science. In _Earthlight_, a secret agent visits the lunar colony to find the spy leaking classified material to Earth's other colonies. Clarke uses this premise to explore two main ideas: what life in an established lunar colony would be like, and how a conflict between Earth and her colonies might arise.

Clarke's description of a 200-year-old colony is fascinating. His discussions of the problems created by the hostile lunar environment, and his solutions to them, are clear and interesting. What was surprising to me is that these descriptions, written almost 50 years ago, haven't really dated. There are some anachronisms; all communications are auditory, for example - television wasn't forseen, much less the Internet. But the majority of the ideas are as plausible and compelling as when they were written.

The development of the conflict between the Earth and the Federation of colonies is somewhat less successful. The main reason for the conflict - competition for limited resources - rings true, and Clarke captures the feeling of life during a time of political tension leading to conflict. However, his descriptions of events and motivations feel a little too simple for what we'd expect to be a complex political situation. The concluding battle, employing highly speculative science, is a jarring contrast to the earlier, reasoned discussions of the science behind the lunar colony.

These are nitpicks, however. _Earthlight_ succeeds in the ways most important to Clarke and to his readers. If you're familiar with Clarke's other work, I think you'll enjoy this novel. If you haven't read Clarke before, this novel is a fine introduction, although you would do equally well with his better-known works.

I didn't like this one as much as I did "Tales from the White Hart", but it's still one of those books you just can't put down!

I've been catching up on Wells' work lately, and up to this point, I've been fairly impressed. His best work, written at the turn of the century, holds up fairly well: it's entertaining and thought-provoking (The Time Machine, War of the Worlds).

I wasn't very impressed with this book, however. It doesn't read like his other works. The story probably could have been told in 20 or so pages, definitely a short-story candidate. I was amazed that Wells stretched this out to its present length, as the middle 40-odd pages were quite dull and really didn't go anywhere.

The science behind the story (while iffy, of course), is fascinating. Griffin is a great character, but more could have been done with him, besides his spending so much time having to convince people that he IS, in fact, invisible ("I am invisible. I really am an invisible man", etc, etc). It gets mind-numbing after a while. I guess the biggest let-down of the book is the fact that the title gives everything away. Once you've seen the cover, you pretty much have it; no real surprises. Yep, he's invisible, and there ya go.

What a great idea to assemble scifi icons from Star Trek to perform various H.G. Wells's classics! Of the works they've performed are: The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, The First Men in the Moon, and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

This audio recording of The Invisible Man was easy listening, and fun too. It's definitely worth a listen. I'm going to have to check out the others!

One side note, obviously the original work was abridged and adapted for audio drama. You'll still want to read the classic.

Okay, so Wells didn't load the book with the violence seen in the recent movie Hollow Man. Consider when the book was written, and what was comparable at the time. I, for one, was engrossed in the book and read it in about three sittings.

Wells excellently portrayed Griffin (Invisible Man) as a man crossing back and forth from sanity to madness. You may catch yourself considering how you would overcome his difficulties, or how you might abuse his power.

What really stood out for me was the tongue-in-cheek undertones Wells incorporated into the story, such as the cockney dialect and rustic behavior of the people of Iping. Also, consider Wells' narration during intense moments, such as the fight between Griffin and the people of Iping...
"...[Huxter's] shin was caught in some mysterious fashion, and he was no longer running, but flying with inconceivable rapidity through the air. He saw the ground suddenly close to his face. The world seemed to splash into a million whirling specks of light, and subsequent proceedings interested him no more."
Later elaboration of the events included the terrifying realization that Griffin was "smiting and overthrowing, for the mere satisfaction of hurting."

If you find the book difficult to follow, try the version adapted by Malvina Vogel, complete with illustrations by Pablo Marcos. It's not as powerful, but easier to understand.

It was about time somebody collected all of Clarke's short stories into one volume. I looked forward eagerly to re-reading them (I wore out my '50s and '60s paperbacks of Clarke's stories long ago). Sadly, the poor copyediting ruined this book for me. Tor must have hired some minimum-wage illiterate to keypunch the stories, then neglected to proofread any of them. There are mispellings on every page ("BEWARD OF LIONS"), and whole lines (or worse) are completely missing from many of the stories! (A whole *series* of paragraphs was missing from one of my favorite stories, "Superiority".)

I'm almost sorry I bought this book. You can buy it for its historical significance, but expect to be disappointed by its quality.

Finally, at long last, we get a (very nearly) complete collection of Arthur C. Clarke's short works all in one volume. This collection is very convenient to the ACC collector, because his short works are scattered across numerous volumes (many of which are out of print) and several are uncollected. 104 stories, nearly 1,000 pages... all classic Clarke works. His first published story Travel By Wire! (1937) is here, as is his most recent Improving The Neighborhood (1999), his only collaboration The Wire Continium (with Stephen Baxter, 1998), and similar novelties. The stories range in length from 33 words to over 18,000. There is also a nice introduction from Clarke. Prefaced to each story are notes on when and where it was first published (very useful information to the Clarke collector), what ACC retrospectives it has since appeared in, and (most of the time) some brief notes on the story from Clarke. The stories collected here are widely varying, from absolute classics of the genre like The Star, The Nine Billion Names of God, The Lion of Comarre, The Wall of Darkness, All The Time In The World, Breaking Strain, etc.; to "seed" shorts like The Sentinel, Guardian Angel, Earthlight, The Songs of Distant Earth, The Hammer of God, etc.; to light-hearted, hilarous SF romps like the numerous "White Hart" tales, Trouble With the Natives, How We Got To Mars (previouly uncollected), and more. With all these extras in mind, along with the fact that it contains several previously uncollected stories, this book is essential not only to the Clarke newbie, but also to the hardcore admirer who already owns most everything he has ever written. This long-awaited omnibus is truly an absolute must-own for any science fiction fan. Period.

This book is heavy and inconvenient to carry around. The spellings are all British. "The Curse" is inexplicably renamed as "Nightfall". "At The Mountains of Murkiness" is missing.--But none of these gripes matter at all. The fact is, this is a (nearly-)comprehensive collection of all the short fiction of one of the three greatest authors to write Science Fiction. It includes the stories that made the Science Fiction Hall of Fame ("The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Star"), stories that grew to more famous works ("The Sentinel," which formed part of the basis for Clarke & Kubrick's _2001: A Space Odyssey_ [both the novel and film]; "Guardian Angel," which grew to become Clarke's best novel, _Childhood's End_; and "The Songs of Distant Earth" and "The Hammer of God," which grew to the novels of the same name), light-hearted works (including all the classic _Tales of the White Hart_ and the more recent "Steam-Powered Word Processor"), and serious works (such as "Breaking Strain" and the aforementioned "Star"). This is surely the greatest single volume of short Science Fiction ever published. Recommended unreservedly.

This book is lovely to look at, with lots of information and well writen instructions. What I liked best was the beginning projects were easy enough to get me started, but the results look advanced. I especially liked the buttons--very creative and would look great anywhere.

I got so much inspiration from this book just from leafing through..then upon further inspection, I just can't wait to try some of the designs within my crazy quilt projects. I took a beading class from the author so I had an idea the book would be useful. It it well organized and wonderfully done. I recommend it highly!

Wonderfull source of inspiration and very clear how-to explanations to get started in beading embellishments. This book could be usefull for every person interested in textile art, embelished artquilts or crazy quilts. It worth every dollars spent and much more !

I ordered this book right after failing the OS part of the A+ test, in spite that I already had planned it, boo. I like this much very much because the chapters are quite short, about 15 to 20 pages each, something that help me keep focus on the subject. It comes with several questions at the beginning and at the end of each chapter, labs and scenarios. Includes nice pictures of peripherals but could've used more in the other chapters given that there are a lot of visual learners out there including myself. The companion CD is kind of ok, I'll give it 3 stars because practice questions are limited, 75 max for some and 10 for others. It contains a couple of different software testing engines but none really provide strong aid for the test. The book only weighs 3lbs which isn't a bother to carry around with you for studying in your spare time. For me it was a pleasure to order and read this book since that a lot of things that weren't explained at length in the A+ Certification Training Guide by Charles J. Brooks(which I also have), were in this book. I strongly recommend this book as preparation for the real thing. I did indeed a good addition to my bookshelf by buying this great book.

The A+ Certification Bible is an addition to the rapidly expanding bookshelf of study guides which aim to address the new A+ objectives set out by the compTIA.

Each chapter within this book, targets specific objectives by providing comprehensive information on the relevant technologies, end of chapter questions, scenarios, and a number of lab exercises.

By injecting an element of personality into its text, avoiding technical waffle and making liberal use of photos and diagrams, the A+ Certification Bible is as pleasurable to read as it is informative.

Due to its comprehensive and accessible content I recommend this book as an essential purchase for those who want a resource which will serve as a useful reference in the future as well as providing the necessary knowledge to pass the A+ exams.

CompTIA has released the newest version of the A+ exam and it is very important to make sure you stay on top of the objectives in order to ensure you pass both exams on the first go round.

In this 1,150 page book there is seven parts, each part taking a piece of the exams and breaking them down in a manner that makes it understandable and covers the exam objective very well.

From part 1 - Hardware like CPU, motherboards, RAM, CMOS to part2 - installing and configuring hardware, peripherals and portables. Part 3 is the troubleshooting section. While part 4 deals with the OS basics in the areas like commands and file management.

Part5 is the installation and configuration of Windows 9.x, NT Workstation and 2000 Professional followed up with part 6 as the troubleshooting section for the Operating systems. Finally Part 7 - networking. There are labs; review questions step by step instructions and cd with test question using the Boson engine.

Overall I would say the author has put together a real winner.

A Fall of Moondust is another one of those personal survival stories in the middle of disaster. Unlike most of the movies made from this kind of story, this one works well. Clarke draws each of his moon carrier passengers well, and better yet, they are believable people. The basic disaster scenario is based on an idea that over the eons, meteors and temperature variations have broken down some of the lunar rocks to such a fine powder that it acts almost like a liquid, which collects in somes places as a hidden 'pool', which our lunar vehicle manages to crash into. Although to date no such dust material has actually been found on the moon, there is no intrinsic reason that it could not exist. Clarke's final resolution of his disaster scenario makes scientific sense, which is probably why Hollywood has not tried to make a movie out of this one. Good reading.

The book is worth reading not so much for the science element but for the characters and situations in it. The plot is a little weak at places but the whole novel still makes for great reading. The story-telling is fairly realistic. Don't expect too much from it - and you will enjoy it.

This is somewhat of an anamoly in Clarke's canon. At a contrast to his usual philosophical-tinged works, this is an honest-to-goodness thrill machine. Fortunately, Clarke's pen is as mighty as ever, and we are spared the usual, dime-a-dozen, run-of-the-mill action stories of this type that pollute the science fiction landscape. Here we have a suspenseful narrative that is both well and tightly written, while also being scientifically strict. While it is true that the "dust" that Clarke describes does not exist on the Moon-at least not that we know of-it is still very plausible, and there are no leaps of faith that need to be made during the course of this book, in terms of its climaxes and resolutions. This has all the intelligence that you would expect from Clarke. He also did something here that he has not always done, but which was fortunat here because it was essential to the story's being good, and that was including an interesting and believable cast of characters. These are not cardboard cut-outs, and they bring the human element into hard science fiction, which, unfortunately, is often all too lacking. This is a classic. If you are tired of the cornball, cliched type of SF "disaster" story that is all too prevalent and want something better, then look no further.

James "The Amazing" Randi does not have much good to say about the charlatans who pedal their supernatural wares before the public. Unlike the books written by the credible, Randi provides many valuable accounts of how famous seers and magicians have hoodwinked the public.

Randi's research is sometimes flawed and his accounts sketchy, which leads me to reduce the rating I give for this book. For example, he does not realize that the Necronomicon was a Twentieth Century invention of horror author H.P. Lovecraft and he falsely implicates Increase Mather as a proponent of the Salem Witchcraft trials. (Increase was off in England when the whole thing started and was shocked to find it underway upon his return.) He is also coy about revealing details of certain trade secrets used by stage magicians and bunko spiritualists. These flaws detract from an otherwise marvellous and valuable reference.

With all the mindless new age claims and so-called paranormal tripe being uncritically accepted by a naive public, James Randi has done a great service in writing this excellent and enjoyable book. While Randi is bound to upset some, this book is a first rate source of information about crop circles, channeling, Kirilan photorgaphy, dowsing, and other assorted tripe. I would recommend this as required reading for all interested in occult claims. My only complant is that many of the entries and too short and insufficiently developed. Greg Klebanoff, Ph.D. philosophy

James Randi is one of the most respected writers giving a skeptical view of claims of the paranormal. In this book, he covers a huge range of topics and hence cannot do any in detail. But there's enough on each topic so you have a single reference where you can do a quick check and then go to more detailed books (like some of Randi's others) for the topics about which you want more. This knowledge needs to get out - or people will go on believing the pseudoscience because there is a lack of alternative explanations. I hope Randi keeps writing and making a noise around the world on this crucial topic.

This is my second novel by Arthur C. Clarke and this book was not bad, but it wasn't as good as other science fiction novels that I have read. "The Hammer of God" would have been much more enjoyable if it was cut down to the size of a novella, or even a short story. The book is very, very heavy on science, which is a wonderful thing as I learned a lot. But ultimately, the book is not as good as it promised to be. Hopefully rhe following will give you an understanding as to why I feel this way.

This novel takes place in 2110 in a future that is very possible. An asteroid that is about the size of the state of Colorado is flying towards Earth and if nothing is done to stop the asteroid mankind on planet Earth will probably be no more. Captain Robert Singh and his crew on the space shuttle "Goliath" have been given the task to steer the asteroid out of its course towards Earth. This plot is very interesting and fun but it takes a very long time to finally get to the good parts.

The whole novel starts off well and Clarke is a very skilled writer so the book is a pleasure to read because of his writing skills. However, during the first half of the book all that you read about are scientific facts, which are fun, but it gets to a point that you want some action and you are not getting any. That is why I think that the book would have been much better if it was cut in half. If this was done their still would have been lots of science in the book and the plot and characters would have been more focused on.

One great thing about the book is all of the scientific facts that are present in the book. You mostly learn about astronomy in the book, but you also learn a little on subjects such as physics and geology. The novel is mildly entertaining but don't go into this science fiction expecting a tour de force. A loyal fan of the genre would mostly enjoy this book. The book is fun when you get to the plot, but if you want to be entertained from start to end steer away from this.

Happy Reading!

Just to declare my interest up-front, I'm a professional astronomer who observers comets and asteroids and has observed quite a few asteroids of the type that could impact the Earth. That's why I bought this book!

I've read a number of books that use well-aimed comets and asteroids to bring universal doom - it's a subject which has been well-exploited in the last few years. Some books, like "Lucifer's Hammer" (by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle) are far superior in detail, although set in the present, rather than Clarke's far future. Compared to some of the books that I have read, the Hammer of God was disappointly light-weight.

What I will acknowledge it the future setting which Arthur C. Clarke invents and which is far more interesting and realistic in many senses than the Earth-impact part of the plot.

I'd settle for Rendezvous with Rama over this book any time. I enjoyed the read, but as light entertainment. It isn't one of Arthur C. Clarke's great books, but it's fun if you don't take it too seriously. Frankly though, I don't understand the multiple 5-star reviews that appear above.

Clarke's use of short chapters adds to the breakneck pace of this book. Clarke's use of genuine science has always struck a chord with me. As a result, I read his books not only for recreation, but for the learning experience which usually accompanies them. The subject matter has received recent exposure with a pair of films regarding the approach of an asteroid, so it's interesting to see how Clarke handles it. The only negative? I thought the characters were a bit flat. Otherwise, if you like Clarke, give this one a look.

I finally was able to read a book about a huge influence in my life. I would rather really have a drink with MacGowan, but the odds are not very good, so i'll settle for the text. The text is mostly written by Shane's wife/Girlfriend. What I got from this book was a huge eight part interview between Victoria, and Shane. The interviews varied from a cottage in Ireland, to a conversation at a pub. The book starts out with Shane reflecting his childhood in Ireland, and how his family moved throughout England, and how much he hated leaving Tippary, Ireland. I thought that was by far the best part of the book, and not the rantings and ravings about how bitter he seems about the breakup of The Pogues, or how he got nicked by the coppers, or sent to the looney bin. It was a good read, but not a great one. Some of Shane's answers vary from question to question, and Victoria even reminds him about it. I feel Mr. O'Hooligan (MacGowan)comes across as a brilliant, yet moody, sensitive poet/songwriter, who has been a part of a great period in music, from the beginning of U.K. punk, to the beginning of Celtic/Pirate/Punkrock. instead of the more traditional Celtic music, Shane helped the world hear Celtic music from a more modern punkrock type of angle. And look how far that "type" of music has come!!! From The Dropkick Murphys in Boston, To The Flogging Mollys In L.A., via one lead singer from Dublin. The Book is something every Shane/Pogues fan should have, but then again as a fan it's the only book I have(On the subject of Shane) A word of warning; I feel like Shane really didn't talk about the upside of being in the Pogues, because he seems to almost knock the other members of the band more than once. (Although he does have a Handwritten Apology on the last page in the book that says something like "I was only speaking from the Heart..." A heart still bitter about the breakup of The Pogues. The most important part of the book is when Shane explains how much he really truly loves his emerald isle of Ireland. That part was the best part of the book. Do give it a read!!

A Drink with Shane MacGowan is a great read not only for fans and those curious about the break up of the Pogues but those who enjoy a bit of craic or great storytelling. One gets a peek inside a very unique and brilliant mind and also gains knowledge of interesting bits of Irish and punk era history. The somewhat maligned question and answer format is, in fact, an engaging way to shed light on the relationship between MacGowan and his closest companion. While leading to a greater understanding of the man himself, it acquaints the reader with Clarke, an interesting character in her own right. An established writer, she peppers the banter with lighthearted sarcasm, humorously toying with writing styles much in the way of Joyce (another first year English lit. groupie!)
All in all it is a great book with a pint in a quiet corner of your favorite pub but works as well with tea and flannel pajamas - highly recommended!

This book is a series of interviews/chats conducted by Shane's wife(Victoria Mary Clarke). The format allows for some great storytelling about his past and family and helps to understand how he is the way he is. Great read for any fans of the shane MacGowan, the Pogues, or Ireland in general.

I enjoyed most of the book.... but by far the one I enjoyed most was the story by Betty Blue. *whew*!

Every taste seems to be covered in this book. It was fun to simply open the book and pick a new story...you don't know where you will be led but most of the stories take you to a new and fun place your mind dares not to admit.

This book was the best book that I have ever read! Second to, "The Old Man and The Sea." I found it very erotifying. The pictures are fantastic, so are the articles. They are chalk full of sexxy details..and naughty secrets! It has succeeded to fulfill my cravings!