Amazing story telling, it was interesting reading a life and times so unlike the one I'm living. I enjoy historical novels and found "Moll Flanders," an enlightening source of courage in such hard times as the one she continued to find herself in. Loves gained and lost, children had and forsaken. Extremely interesting reading, especially, near the ending I couldn't put the book down, there was rhythm. To imagine such hard times and rough goings...I'm amazed that she continued to live so long. Happy reading!

I loved this novel, having read it for a classics book club. I probably would not have picked this up on my own, and I am thankful to the club for the selection. Moll was a sympathetic character in all aspects except for the abandonment of her numerous children. I especially enjoyed that she marked different periods of her life by the amount of money she had; money being the only safe form of love she knew. She reminded me of Tom Ripley in the Patricia Highsmith novels, extremely clever when extricating oneself out of touchy situations. I think this is a great choice for bookclubs as well, having sparked meaningful discussion in our group.

Daniel Defoe's 1722 novel, "Moll Flanders," remains a fascinating imaginative work, and is in many ways more interesting than his famous first effort, "Robinson Crusoe." Having seen bits of two recent film adaptations in the last couple of months on television, and being a budding 18th century scholar, I decided it was time I picked up my own copy of "Moll Flanders" and see the actual product on its own terms. A story no less about a castaway and delinquent than "Crusoe," in "Moll Flanders," Defoe attempts to set down the history of a woman with a wild and often desperate life. A character of infinitely more interiority and reflection than Crusoe, Moll gives us through a first person narrative, a look into various stations of life in 18th century England and America.

The novel begins with a tip of the hat to that fine progenitor of the novel, "Don Quixote," a Gines-like acknowledgment that Moll, as the author of her own story, cannot complete that story within the text of the novel, unless people can write when they are deceased. Amusements aside, Moll begins her story as Crusoe begins his, with an immediate acknowledgment of the instability of the modern self - the corruption of her own name. Born in Newgate prison, and having never known her mother, Moll finds herself among gypsies and landed gentry before settling in Colchester for the term of her youth. Here, she founds her sense of social ambition, unusual even for Jane Eyre in the 19th century, as one in which she figures to be a gentlewoman by earning her own living. Various mishaps and misadventures lead her through marriages, whoredom, and thievery as Moll attempts to find her place in the world as a woman of common birth. Early on she learns the lessons that will aid her on her journey, viz., the value of money, quick wit, and a sense of her own sexuality.

While Defoe certainly does not sugar-coat the wrongs of woman in the early 18th century - delving deeply into issues of feminine helplessness before the law, the difficulties of procuring stable employment, and various reproductive issues such as adoption, abortion, and infant mortality - yet he maintains a consistent character of Moll as an extremely strong, adaptive, and resilient female character. The most riveting facet of Moll throughout is her own sense of self-worth and importance, especially in her own history. For instance, while chronicling an encounter with a former lover, Moll tells us that while his adventures are worth their own narrative, this is "my story, not his." Moll's strength in the midst of doubt, desperation, and general loneliness keeps the reader's constant interest and admiration.

Defoe's exploration of inter-gender relationships are worthy of note themselves for the sheer variety of social, economic, and personal situations he includes in the novel. The economic theme stands out among these, and provides a link back to the preoccupations of "Robinson Crusoe." Like Crusoe, Moll is always aware of the value of her personal possessions, and conscious of how to exploit and husband her resources to best advantage. Also like Crusoe, "Moll Flanders" is keenly aware of the possibilities and drawbacks of English colonial ventures in America. Defoe's efforts to link all these themes to the lot of the English prison population, the family unit, and indentured servants and African slaves, are all managed extremely well within the text of the novel. For all this, "Moll Flanders" remains an entertaining, satisfying, relevant novel, and stands for me above "Crusoe" as a work of high literary value.

This book is written for a broad audience and aimed at exploring one of the oldest and most persistent problems in American history; the proper role of the Federal Government. Simon frames this book as a conflict between Jefferson, representing those who supported a weaker central government and emphasized the importance of individual states, and John Marshall, the great Chief Justice who led the Supreme Court to establish its critical role as arbiter of constitutional questions. The Marshall court's work strengthened the importance not only of the Supreme Court but of the Federal Government in general. This is not a new story, indeed, most of what Simon describes is the standard understanding of this period of our history. Simon is a good writer who describes the politics and legal issues quite well. His description and analysis of the behavior of the Marshall court is shrewd, emphasizing Marshall's careful attention to both politics and crucial legal issues. For example, it is clear that Marshall worked very hard to maintain unanimity among the justices, even for difficult decisions. Similarly, many of his important decisions were crafted to simultaneously achieve the goal of establishing his brand of moderate Federalism while avoiding inflammatory political consequences. Readers will finish this book with an increased appreciation for Marshall's considerable intellect and remarkable political skills. Beyond this, the book is disappointing in terms of explaining the wellsprings of these conflicts and important aspects of the debate. I think the emphasis on the rivalry between Jefferson and Marshall, which Simon probably chose as a framing device, actually tends to limit understanding of the nature of this conflict. While I respect Simon's desire to produce a relatively concise and accessible book, some aspects deserve enlargement. For example, Jefferson found the Court's tendency to rely on Common Law traditions irksome, believing the Court should have been more deferential to the wished of state legislatures. Does this represent a conflict between individuals like Jefferson whose primary intellectual influences came from the British Enlightenment versus a legal culture that grew up in the shadow of the great British Common Law theorists? To what extent did individual experience of the Revolution influence subsequent political positions? Jefferson spent the war as governor of Virginia or abroad. Marshall, in contrast, was an officer in the Continental Army and experienced in very concrete ways the inadequacies of the confederation government that preceded the establishment of our present constitution. This book is a good point of departure for individuals unfamiliar with this period of our history but further reading will be needed for anyone who really wishes to understand our early history. I recommend the The Age of Federalism by Elkins and McKitrick, a superb treatment of the Federalist period, as a starting point.

The world needs a book about John Marshall's contribution to America. In my opinion, "What Kind Of Nation" by James F. Simon is it. Though the nature of the subject almost guarantees that the reading will be somewhat dry, scholarly, and lawyerlike, the author did a nice job with it. As a scholar myself, I recommend it. If you're looking for an easy read on Thomas Jefferson, I also recommend Norman Thomas Remick's excellent book "West Point: Character Leadership Education, A Book Developed From Thomas Jefferson's Readings And Writings", in which West Point is posited as a metaphor for Jefferson's worldview of the way America ought to be.

On a recent vacation to Colonial Williamsburg and Monticello, my 14-year-old nephew commented that Thomas Jefferson didn't get along with Alexander Hamilton. The four adults accompanying him replied patronizingly that Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr certainly didn't get along, but didn't remember anything between Hamilton and Jefferson...

Of course, my nephew was absolutely correct. In an effort to rectify my obvious educational deficiency, I immediately embarked on a reading plan which led me to "What Kind of Nation", where I discovered that Thomas Jefferson also didn't along with John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

By the time I got to this book I had a pretty good feel for the politics of the period, having read "Founding Brothers" by Joseph Ellis, "Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington" by Richard Brookhiser, "Alexander Hamilton: American" by Richard Brookhiser and "James Madison" by Garry Wills. I believe this background helped me to maximize my enjoyment of "What Kind of Nation" because I was able to focus on Marshall's brilliance and perseverance in establishing the authority of the Supreme Court on an equal footing with the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Jefferson's antics were amusing, but old news. The way that Marshall dealt with Jefferson who was, after all, the President of the United States during the first 8 years of Marshall's 34 years as Chief Justice, is fascinating.

James Simon does a great job of telling the story without getting overly technical with the legal side of things. I think he strikes just the right balance, so that the lay reader (i.e., non-lawyer) can appreciate the significance of Marshall's extraordinary accomplishments.

As the author of two successful novels, I didn't think I could learn much from a book about novel writing. I was wrong. Even experienced writers will find much to learn from Evan Marshall's clear-cut advice on pacing, plot, and characterization. For new novelists, his 16-step plan provides the structure necessary to avoid common pitfalls and critical mistakes, as well as invaluable advice on marketing and selling the work. In short, Evan Marshall has succeeded where so many others have failed. The Marshall Plan transforms a complex, often overwhelming, task into an understandable process - one which, when infused with creativity and talent, will result in a superior novel.

A plan for writing a novel that fits almost everyone? My first impulse was to snicker, even to hoot out loud. What type of story could someone hope to create following a formula designed to accomodate every major fiction genre out there?
Yet I couldn't resist opening the book. After standing in the bookstore reading it for awhile, I knew it would go home with me, and I finished it that night (though it's destined to get read repeatedly!). Although I have written two complete novels, Evan Marshall's approach is so intriguing that I plan to adapt parts of it to my next novel. Why? Because my story lines are getting complex enough that I'm afraid I'll lose my balance, and his method of planning a book should keep the subplots and main plot flowing smoothly. So this book is helpful to more than beginning writers.
Yet I think the Marshall Plan is absolutely wonderful for any would-be author who isn't quite sure how to get his or her ideas shaped into a novel. Using the plan, a novelist will keep the action moving, learn to interweave story lines, develop interesting characters, produce good dialogue, and avoid the dreaded mid-story sag. Plus learn how to wrap up the ending, write a query letter, get an agent and (hopefully) be published.
Is Mr. Marshall teaching people how to write the Great American Novel? No, and I can think of several fine best-selling books that I've read in the past year that break many of the plan's guidelines. But this book will be very helpful to those who want to tell an entertaining tale that will be published. As an agent, Mr. Marshall knows what sells, and he sees where most budding novelists go wrong. Certainly his book is an excellent starting point, and probably more helpful to a beginner than anything else I've ever seen. I highly recommend this book.

I just had to thank Evan Marshall for giving me the opportunity to purchase The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing. It is a life-saver from beginning to end. Each step of the 16-step book gives suggestions and advice on how to. . . I have read this book many times and I am still amazed to find a chapter in Evan Marshall's Novel Writing to help me through that problem. For the little I paid for it, Marshall Plan for Novel Writing is as important to me as my dictionary, my thesaurus, or my word processor. I took a Creative Writing evening class and let others read the contents of the index. They liked what the book offered and bought copies as well. A while back I purchased Storycraft software. WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY. The Marshall Plan is available for a third of the price. I don't know if it's allowed to down Storycraft in this way but I wanted others to know. This 16-step program helped me decide the type of story I wanted to write, to how to finish a novel, along with how to write a query letter. Thanks a whole lot, Evan Marshall.

Attempt to slot this book to a a genre and it'll slither away - on speed. A coctail of dark fantasy, cyberpunk, sci-fi and a good old fashioned "whodunnit"; Spares takes you to a macabre world with no sugar on top, chillingly close to our own.

If you have the money, you can do anything - bash a few bones, burn off your face - no problem - because your "spare" is waiting to be utilised on a nearby farm. Jack Randall guards one of these farms run by SafetyNet, but in an uncharacteristic act of heroism - or insanity - he flees the Farm together with some spares.

This seemingly innocent start to the story leads the reader through a typically Marshall-Smith-esque maze of about-turns and stomach churning discoveries - all slipped to your subconcious while it was busy digesting the last few pages. This book isn't adrenaline packed. It's more like someone was slowly tickling your brain with a feather.

Must be read with an open mind. But it must be read.

"Spares" is Michael Marshall Smith's second novel, his first being the simply amazing "Only Forward". Like its predecessor, "Spares" is an unusual mix of Douglas Adams like humour, Gibson-esque science fiction, fantasy, action, philosophy, adventure, romance and horror that all combines to create something disturbingly familiar yet satisyingly unique. Set in a futuristic post-apocolypse America, "Spares" centers around the life of Jack Randall a down on his luck ex-cop who finds himself the guardian and protector of six spares; a group of cloned humans whos existance is due to a very sinister agenda by those in power. Having escaped The Farm with the spares in tow, Jack seeks refuge in New Richmond; an ex-flying shopping center made city, attempting to secure an escape vehicle for himself and his charges. But instead of salvation Jack finds himself confronted with his past and a frightening vista of reality known to Jack as The Gap. Stuck with no place to go Jack has no option but to fight the demons of years past. Starting off relatively light hearted and humorous "Spares" quickly darkens in tone until at last the horrors of The Gap along with the ravages of drug addiction are revealed to Jack. This novel is a much darker and disturbing work than "Only Forward" yet is just as satisfying as a peice of literature. The narrative is told by the central character himself and makes for an easier to read almost conversationalist tone. With this easily accessable style "Spares" can acurately be described as one of those book which is impossible to put down, despite its disturbing surreal overtones. "Spares", while lacking the commentary on the human condition shown in "Only Forward", still makes some very astute observations on the human psyche. With its crucible of concepts and styles "Spares" comes highly recomended and quite possibly will become the best book you have ever read, unless of course you have read "Only Forward" in which case it is a tie.

Michael Marshall Smith is a great new writer with a very unique and invividual voice. Coming on the heels of his debut, _Only Forward_, _Spares_ confirms that he is definitely someone to watch!

Some reviewers have faulted Smith for attempting to shoehorn too many diverse ideas into a single book, or for creating such an unlikeable person in his protagonist, Jack Randall. Depending on your point of view, this may be a valid criticism. For me, the mix worked and worked in a magical way I come across all too infrequently in my reading these days.

Jack is a drug-addicted former policeman in the surreal future world of New Richmond, Virginia, a grounded MegaMall which has been taken over as the basis for a city. On the run with a group of spares he's liberated from a Farm, Jack comes up against the same forces which necessitated his escape five years previously. Throw in the Gap, a strange, interdimensional reality, not quite analagous to cyberspace but similar, in which a war was fought 20 years ago, a war Jack and several of the other characters are veterans of, and the book is almost overflowing with ideas, originality, and an amazing level of energy.

If you're a fan of cross-genre mixes, hardboiled/sci-fi, this book is definitely worth your while. Based on his first two novels and a number of his short stories, including "More Tomorrow," an excellent Internet horror tale, Smith has quite a future ahead of him and, for now, a dedicated new fan in this critic.

I think this book is well worth a read, just to see how we COULD get into space. Marshall Savage is very driven by his vision of how this could be done and I have to say his ideas are fascinating. Grow floating cities off the coast of Africa, build a laser based launching system in Africa to cheaply get into earth orbit. Create his unique orbiting space stations in earth orbit. Dome over craters on the moon and terraform Mars. Expand into the belt, and beyond. It's a great read.

But I've noticed all books on space exploration dance around the issues of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, genetics, and cybernetics. If we can do something, we will. And we will change our biology, create new lifeforms, and build intelligent machines as we go into space.

Much of what is in this extra-ordinary book won't happen because we, in 200 years, will have evolved ourselves into something unrecognizable.

This is a deeply inspiring book. Marshall Savage describes a series of steps to colonize our Milky Way Galaxy but also, at the same time, to clean up the Earth's ecosystems and feed (and bring energy resources to) the Earth's poor. The first step is "Aquarius" which involves building floating colonies on the tropical oceans -- colonies that use Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) to get enormous supplies of non-polluting, self-renewing electrical energy from the coldness of the ocean depths. In addition, this process raises huge quantities of nutrient-rich deep ocean water to the surface where (after the energy is extracted) it can be used for mariculture (ocean fish farming) to produce a variety of nutritious fish and sea vegetables.

Using the resources (including the finances and crucial technologies) gained in "Aquarius," Savage next describes space launch systems using laser and mass-driver technologies. This step is called "Bifrost." Then he outlines how we can establish colonies in orbit (a step called "Asgard"). Then on to ecospheres on the Moon (called "Avallon"), creating an Earth-like atmosphere (or "terraforming) Mars (called "Elysium"), and so on to the processes that might be used eventually to send giant spaceships to nearby stars ("Galactia").

This exciting book spawned "The First Millennial Foundation" (now called "The Living Universe Foundation"), an organization of people working to make this future pioneering the "high frontier" of space come true for humanity.

It is well worth reading.

When I bought this book, I had no idea what I was in for. Savage explains detail to detail about the construction of floating ocean cities, with unlimited power from the oceans. These islands might save Earth in the future. He describes a space launch system that can be much faster and cheaper than current launch systems. He makes the colonization of space very easy, using materials from the Asteroids and the Moon, to support a population of 7.5 quadrillion. This is not science fiction. Everything stated in this book has been tested in the laboratory. Order this NOW!!!!

"The Light and the Glory" is a beautifully written, well-researched book -- which I cannot recommend, especially as a primary homeschooling text, without serious caveats.

The positives: The authors, Peter Marshall and David Manuel have done enormous research. They have demonstrated that what is taught in the typical history book doesn't necessarily tell the entire story (witness the section on Anne Hutchinson). They have acknowledged the role of faith, and religion have played in our nation's early history. They have the gift of making characters "come alive" in a way that would interest a student -- even one who didn't care much for history.

HOWEVER: The authors have a fixed thesis firmly in mind and head toward that thesis without swerving -- and that thesis is one with which even most persons of faith would struggle. The thesis? A staunch Calvinist view of the role of America in the mind of God. As a believer -- who is adamantly NOT a Calvinist -- I cannot accept the particular (and peculiar) methods of exegesis which somehow create America as the new "Promised Land". Neither can most other Christians.

I fear that in their struggle to demonstrate their thesis, certain elements are glossed over; certain facts are whitewashed, etc. While it could certainly be argued that Calvinism played a major role in the establishment of the Colonies and in early America, it can also be argued that such did not have the salutory benefits which the authors suggest are there.

My advice to homeschooling parents, especially those who are not Calvinists, is to use this book with care, as a secondary source -- or not at all. The presentation given is far too biased to be reliable.

A very cautious three stars.

Peter Marshall and David Manuel have done their homework. There is no doubt about it. They have proposed a thesis - that America was discovered, explored, and founded as an explicitly Christian nation, and that God's hand can be evident in it's early history - and have defended it well. They have gone back to some interesting primary sources, which do, in fact, shed light on our nation's early history. As such, the book is a valuable read.

THIS BEING SAID, for the author's thesis to stand, one must comprehend and assume a totally Calvinistic understanding of Christian theology, AND assume that our Founding Fathers were working under similar paradigms. Such an historical point of view is difficult to defend. Some of our nation's Founders did indeed come from such a theological viewpoint. Many, however, did not. (And our two significant founding documents were penned by a Deist and an Episcopalian!) Such a point of view is also difficult, not only to those who do not profess the Christian faith, but for the enormous majority of those who do! (Catholics, Orthodox, many Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, some Baptists, etc.) If a Calvinistic viewpoint is removed from the book, the entire premise collapses.

Please don't get me wrong -- Marshall and Manuel have assembled a great deal of research, and have presented it in an interesting and entertaining fashion. The "facts" are there. It's just that I (speaking as both a committed Christian and a historian) can't buy their "interpretation" of those facts.

Marshall and Manuel have assembled a significant anount of material that has been written out of today's politically correct history. Starting with Columbus and working through to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the authors take details from newspapers, books, diaries and other materials of the times and weave a story of Christianity and the founding of the United States. They show that the two were intertwined and not meant to be separated. A drawback to this kind of writing is that it can not be taken as a serious history text, but rather as a historical overview or treatise. In other words, there is a significant amount of personal comment from the authors. I found quite a few places where the authors imagined comments or scenes about people; what they thought or did. This is unfortunate and caused me to downgrade the book slightly. However, these parts are well written (as is the whole book) and do not detract. Well worth the purchase price.

The spine of this book labels it as "suspense," and it certainly does share some aspects of that genre. It is also, however, a science fiction, mystery, fantasy, speculative religious thriller. This is both the joy of the book, and its curse. The joy is simply reading it for the excitement of not knowing what Smith is going to throw at you next. The curse is wanting it to coalesce into something besides the ephemeral pleasure of a roller coaster ride, and being disappointed when the coaster car simply comes gliding back into the station.

Hap Thompson is a petty con man who has fallen into the less-than-savory business of being a dream-washer and memory-holder. This would have likely been fine, except for his character flaw of being able to turn down wads of cash hovered virtually in front of him. He agrees to do a side memory job for a client so as to see all of the cash rather than just the skimmed bit given to him by his employer, REMtemps, and instead finds himself holding onto the memory of the murder, and if he doesn't get rid of it soon, LAPD will be on him. It doesn't matter that he didn't commit the murder--just having the memory is enough to set him up for life.

Smith hovers between writing like Raymond Chandler and William Gibson, and the result isn't as unpleasant as that match might seem (in fact, I've long thought Gibson's style of cyberpunk fit the early noir of Chandler, and only needed the psychological edge of James M. Cain to really perfect it). The book breaks down towards the end, however, when Smith starts trying to channel either Benny Hinn or Joseph Campbell. This is similar to the macguffin in Neal Stephenson's work, where he actually tries to make sense of all the fun and all it sounds like is pseudo-scientific claptrap.

Smith's an interesting enough writer to watch, however, and there are a number of science fiction/mystery novels that don't even come close to being as engrossing as One of Us. You could do much worse for pleasure reading, and there's not much better being published today.

I picked this one up on a whim. I had never heard of Mr. Smith, and I certainly hadn't read anything by him prior to this. Talking, walking alarm clocks? Roving bands of coffee makers? Is this book for real????? Luckily I continued reading despite my initial reaction to the story. I am so glad I gave this book a chance. It is bizarre, it is surreal, but somehow it all works.
Hap Thompson narrates this story about how he came to be employed as a dream and memory receiver, and how this line of work quickly puts him in danger. On the sly, Hap decides to accept a memory (which is illegal work) from a client who then refuses to take back the memory; Hap is in danger not only of going to prison for life but of being killed for this memory. He then sets out on a roller-coaster adventure that addresses ethical, philosophical and theological issues....but it's done in such a tongue-in-cheek, film noir style that it avoids being preachy.
The setting is sometime in the future in a world where humans share space with appliances that not only talk but have attitude. Surfing the internet takes on a literal meaning in this story, and computer hacking is central to the plot. This is a quick, funny, suspense story, and I enjoyed it immensely. Sometimes I'm totally surprised by a book....this one surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. I described it to a friend as Mickey Spillane meets Alice in Wonderland meets the X-Files meets Brave Little Toaster.

One Of Us is a very well crafted novel featuring modern-day humanity in a not-too distant future. I love Smith's knack for twists on technology - the talking appliances (also seen in Spares but less developed) add quite a bit of humor to the reading. Smith also has a fabulous way of describing the ordinary that will make you chuckle.

I found myself drawn in throughout the book in a similar way to the first two. I say one only must read it once as a comparison to Only Forward, and even Spares. With Only Forward, I immediately turned back to the first page and started reading the entire book again, having so many questions. What drew me in was Smith's ability to make you think - and though there are signs of it in One Of Us, it lacks some of the power in Only Forward. Still, it is a complete book and one I would highly recommend!!

I just finished this book this morning and enjoyed it immensely. The Straw Men are literally the most frightening and evil people in modern suspense novels. The idea of organized mass murderers is sadly not quite as unbelievable in the aftermath of September 11. I won't give away much more than to say that there is one twist and turn after another, shocking revelations and the ending is left open to make a sequel. Hopefully, there will be one.

So why the four stars? Most people might disagree but the main character, Ward, was unsympathetic. He made constant insults about almost every human being he saw which would be the last thing I would do if I was mourning the death of my parents even if they were estranged. The social commentary is sometimes dead on, but abrasive and it detracted some of the enjoyment for me. It came across kind of smart mouthed which nearly made me put down the book. Towards the end, I was glad I stayed because I started to like Ward a little more. A friend of mine hated this book because of that.

Other than that, its worth a read and if you are a real cynic, you will probably come away with a different opinion. I still gave it four stars due to its intense and unstoppable action. A great book, a little flawed but worth your time. Almost a masterpiece.

Mr. Marshall tells an enthralling story about seemingly unrelated and violent random events that become entertwined through good plot twists and great character definitions. This is a great book if you like conspiracy theory meets psychosis kind of fiction. I, personally, do. Besides the characters which I felt were well done, if slightly stereotypical, the plot of this book kept me guessing. I couldn't figure it out. I was very excited when I realized the bigger picture this book shows to the reader piece by piece. I really didn't want to stop reading until I was through.

Of course there are downsides to the book. Among these are the disjointed way that the writer changes point of view. Many times I found myself having to reread sections to figure out what I had missed. I also found some of the dialogue to be a little too tongue-in-cheek. Sometimes the witty banter between the two main characters overshadowed the excellent story line and sometimes simply annoyed. Finally, I didn't like the ending the reader was left with, although I would be hard-pressed to suggest any alternatives.

Overall, I recommend this book for an interesting read -- whether you're on the beach or just needing a little escapism at home. I also think it would make a great film. I kept visualizing what actors would play the characters. I'd certainly go see it.

Michael Marshall (a.k.a. Michael Marshall Smith, author of SPARES, ONE OF US, and ONLY FORWARD) has written one of the best novels of 2002-THE STRAW MEN. Unlike his previous futuristic novels, this one takes place in the present day with flashbacks to the past. It's actually two stories (each story could have easily been turned into a successful novel) in one, which come together in the last hundred pages to create an ending that will scare the living daylights out of you with regards to the evil that mankind is capable of perpetrating. The first story deals with Ward Hopkins, ex-C.I.A., who returns home to Dyersburg, Montana to attend the funeral of his dead parents, both of which were killed in a tragic car accident. What Ward eventually discovers while going through his old home is that his parents may not have been who he thought they were and that quite possibly they may still be alive, but in hiding from a deadly organization that refers to itself as The Straw Men. With the help of his good buddy, C.I.A. agent Bobby Nygard, Ward starts searching for answers and inadvertently sets in motion several attempts by The Straw Men to eliminate both him and his friend. The second story deals with a serial killer known as The Upright Man who takes his victims from the Los Angeles area of California. When young Sarah Becker disappears one evening while sitting in front of a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Santa Monica, waiting for her father to return, F.B.I. agent Nina Baynam realizes that The Upright Man has returned after being dormant for two years. She enlists the help of ex LAPD Homicide Detective, John Zandt, who'd once helped her to hunt this serial killer, until his own daughter became a victim. John, however, is determined that Sarah Becker isn't going to die. He's going to do everything in his power to save her and to kill The Upright Man in a final act of revenge for destroying his life two years before. Both stories will slowly converge into one as Ward, Bobby, Nina and John discover that's there something much more deadly out there than just a single serial killer, and that it's going to take all of their strength and courage to fight this force of evil that's killing our children. THE STRAW MEN is a tour de force for Michael Marshall. The plot is intricately woven with strong, compelling characters that drive the story forward like a battering ram. Mr. Marshall knows how to end each chapter with a hook that keeps the reader glued to every single page in a frantic attempt to find out what's going to happen next. The last forty pages of this novel blew me away and will leave you literally speechless, not to mention fearful that the possibility of what the author suggests is, in fact, true. I sincerely hope that Mr. Marshall is already at work on a sequel to this breathtaking, utterly scary novel about man's capacity to commit evil and that Hollywood, if it has any sense, has already picked up the screen rights. THE STRAW MEN is one of those tremendous surprises that all readers of suspense crave from the inner sanctum of their souls. Buy it, read it, pass it on to your friends, then see if you can sleep at night without having nightmares that The Straw Men may be coming for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

How can you not love a book with a first chapter entitled "In Which I Don't Eat a Rat"? Fascinating and funny, "Nameless Magery" is one of the most original fantasy novels I've read in a long time (and my current collection boasts over 700 fantasy novels). The plot was entertaining enough, though the last few chapters seemed pretty rushed--the author could have added another 50-100 pages without going overboard. But this book would have been great if the plot involved nothing more than the characters sitting around clipping their toenails! I mean, EVERY character in the book was interesting--I'd be happy to read a novel dedicated to each one: Simon, Detter, Kaihan, Jens & Annesil, Charonne, and Gelmas. Not to mention the whole story of Mennenkaltenei and the Enforcers. Just SO much here! Lisane is the type of heroine found too-rarely in fantasy literature: strong, sensible, able to see the humor around her. And the rendition of magic in this novel is nothing short of brilliant: the same magic, viewed through the eyes and cultures of two different worlds. What to Lisane is a sentient natural being, a religious entity almost, is simply raw magical, mysterious power to the mages. Thus, Lisane's friendly communication with the magic succeeds where the mages arcane rituals fail. Amazing, and totally original! As an English major, I also have to applaud the author for the creation of a unique pronoun to refer to the sentient engery force: lle. Creating a nominitive (lle) and an objective (ller) case for the energy worked wonders in communicating just how much the force is a part of the Mennenkalts' world. Magic, in their world, is not an "it". It is "lle." And that's all that need be said of ller. Brilliant! I await Marshall Turner's next novel with great excitement!

Lisane crashlands her spaceship on an unfamiliar planet when she is forced to flee for her life from the Enforcers on her home planet. She was the princess of her old world and destined to rule her people for the rest of her natural life, but all that is gone now. Lisane is not sure what to make of the new world and is slowly starving to death when Simon finds her. Simon is a wizard and a teacher at a school where other wizards are trained. He is unaware that Lisane is a girl and takes her to the school, where all the other students are boys. Lisane doesn't exactly fit in on this new planet, but she refuses to let the others get her down, especially the sadistic Detter, who looks like an angel, but must surely be a demon in disguise. When her education is complete, she leaves the school with Simon and Detter to journey across the land to face the Beast and win her magebands. The lands through which they pass are varied and some like wizards and others hate them. Along the way, Lisane has the opportunity to grow up and realize that this world is no less complex than her old world. As she struggles to find a place for herself and to figure out her feelings for Kaihan, the acknowledged head of the wizarding world, she discovers that her unique way of looking at magic, or ller, may be all that can save her newly adopted planet from the Enforcers, who are heading down to destroy them all...

I enjoyed the story and thought that Delia Marshall Turner was very creative in her treatment of magic and the different planets. This book is a unique blend of science fiction and fantasy that actually worked really well. I felt that the beginning of the book was a bit slow and then it was a huge rush at the end, but the storyline itself was good. This book is well written and Turner's descriptions are quite clear, although sometimes a little dry. However, the reason why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that I really hated Lisane. I know that it is good to have a strong female character in a book, but I just couldn't relate with Lisane and found myself really disliking her at times. I hated Detter, of course, but Turner portrays him in a way that you have to hate him. I was also disappointed at the lack of interaction between Kaihan and Lisane. It was like Turner was building up to the moment when the romantic tension between them would come to a head and then it is over in one page! What is up with that? I would definitely have liked to read more about Kaihan and how he fits into the world there, but he was left a shadow figure in the background. Very disappointing. I think that the book is appropriate for mature teens and adults, but I would be careful about recommending it to all young adults (even though it is considered a young adult book) because the book deals with quite a bit of sex, including homosexuality, S & M, etc. and is not for all readers. Also, bear in mind that this book is rather hard to get into at first, it took me weeks to get through it, and that is very unusual for me. A good book, but not necessarily likeable, if you know what I mean.

This is a wonderful book. It kept me interested and snickering the whole way through. When I finished I felt energized and yearning to read something else by this author. The only reason I didn't give the book five stars is that the end felt rushed and Kaihan wasn't developed enough. If for no other reason, you should read this book for Detter. Absolutely fascinating character - I'd love to read an entire book about him! Or this book from his point of view.

Sorry Rinamu was born and raised on the Bikini Atoll. When he was 16, the United States came to Bikini and asked the people to leave so that they could do nuclear testing on the island, promising that they would be able to return at least 2 years later. No one wants to leave, but they trust the Americans and go along with their plan. Sorry knows that he has to stand up to the Americans to save his homeland- even if he has to stand alone. Sorry and his uncle, Abram, believe that they can stop the U.S. from dropping the atom bomb on their homeland. Abram has a plan, but is unable to help Sorry go through with it. After a lot of thought, Sorry decides to carry out his uncle's plan because he knew he had to stand up for what was right. I did not like this book, mostly because of the ending. I also had a hard time remembering the meaning of the words that were in the Bikinian language. In my opinion, the U.S. was not justified in using the Bikini Atoll as a test site for nuclear weapons. They could have chosen a different island, one that wasn't already inhabited.

I liked the book because Ithought it used many facts. It taught me things like we only know what our government tells us. It's like speaking part of the truth. They only say what makes them look good. You wouldn't want someone thinking badly of you so sometimes you stretch the truth a lot. Sorry is a boy who is soon to be a man at the age of 14. He has things that he will fight for and one of those things is home no matter how good the odds are because there is always a chance to win. He fought against the U.S. Marines because they wanted to test their weapons on their land called Bikini Lagoon. Sure the U.S. Marines rescued them from Japan, but they weren't expecting compensation for their actions. Sorry's Uncle Abram is the one who got him to help fight against the U.S. Marines in the first place. Will the U.S. Marines have their way with the people of Bikini Atoll? This was the question I asked after the first 30 pages or so.

The story takes place on Bikini Atoll in the Western Pacific in the late 1940's. Sixteen year old Sorry Rinamu,his grandfather Jonjen and Tara Malolo,the school teacher are caught in the middle of government experiments on atomic bombs. The government was testing atomic bombs on Bikini Atoll, but before the first test began the government relocated all of the inhabitants of the island to another island in the Atolls.

As the government prepares to begin the first atomic bomb test, Sorry, his grandfather and Tara Malolo sail back to Bikini in an attempt to stop the tests.

I thought that this was a well written book about an actual event combined with the creativity of Theodore Taylor's mind and his experience. Theodore Taylor was in the Navy and a part of the experiment at Bikini Atoll. He thought that the experiment was pointless and that it ruined a culture. I agree.