How gratifying to find an author who is obviously quite familiar with the world of "Charmed"; the powers & personalities of the Halliwells (& their friends & lovers) are depicted perfectly. While this should be mandatory for any author entrusted with a "Charmed" novel, it is, sadly (& infuriatingly), the exception in recent novels (the worst example being "Shadow of the Sphinx"; see my review of that book). "Something Wiccan..." has two main failings: one (I'll get to the other later) is that there is a paucity of humor--either situationally or in the witty dialogue that makes the TV episodes sparkle. However, the plot is complex and multi-layered, and filled with surprises; the ending features not just one, but two, surprise twists, neither of which I saw coming.
The biggest disappointment of the book (and what I consider the 2nd major failing), is the lack of insight into Wicca as a religion, and the differences between Witchcraft and Wicca (no, they are not synonomous terms or practices). The plot centers around a Wiccan retreat, which Paige is eager to attend in order to learn more about Wicca, while Piper & Phoebe reluctantly accompany her in the hope of catching whoever is kidnapping members of covens. While the book presents a reasonably good picture of a typical Gathering, and the diverse types of people who practice Wicca, it fails to give any real information as to just what Wiccans actually believe, their religious beliefs, holidays, rituals, etc. This plot presented a golden opportunity to enlighten readers who are understandably confused about Wiccans vs Witches, and a skilled writer (which I think this author is) could have slipped at least some basic info in among the action without sounding preachy.
A more general complaint (not aimed at this book exclusively) is that ever since Paige became a Charmed One, every subsequent novel has focused on her as the main character, with the main plot centering around her & told primarily from her viewpoint. In the earliest novels, the sisters seemed to take turns at center stage (e.g., Phoebe gets sent to the past, to old Salem; Prue's photo assignments have unexpected--and magical--ramifications; Piper volunteers her time with troubled, homeless teens, little knowing that the shelter is run by a warlock who brainwashes the teens to do his bidding) but they still functioned as a team, each of equal importance (i.e., The Power of Three, not Paige and her back-up group the Charmettes). Another stereotype the writers seem to be clinging to is Grouchy Piper and her Reluctance to Accept Paige as either a sister or a responsible adult (despite the fact that Paige, at approximately the age Phoebe was when they became the Charmed Ones, is obviously more responsible & goal-oriented than Phoebe was at that age). Granted, Piper is perhaps too anxious and even obsessed in her new role as the eldest sister, but since Piper & Paige now seem to be close on the TV series, showing mutual affection and respect, it's time that the books also reflected their current relationship. But ever since Paige's arrival, the writers seem mostly interested in her, content to sketch the other sisters as shadowy two-dimensional background figures. Phoebe has been the one most relegated to the background (though to be fair, this DOES reflect the trend on the TV show); it's natural that her divorce & new job have made her more serious, but the books haven't yet caught up with the tragedies in her life (e.g., in this book, she's still happily with Cole). Yet it's as if her role as the carefree, optimistic, effervescent free spirit has been arbitrarily re-assigned to Paige, while Phoebe has become a workaholic in her newspaper job.
But despite these flaws, the book does do a good job of portraying the Charmed Ones' powers and methods, without any embarrassing errors (at least, none that I caught). The dialogue rings true. And the plot is sophisticated and absorbing, a magical who-dunit, and I defy you to not to be surprised at the surprise double twist ending. (On thinking it over, I think that the ending was actually a little improbable--and more than a little confusing--but when I first read it, it had the wonderful quality of being both a total surprise and yet seeming perfectly logical in retrospect. Maybe any confusion I feel in looking back over it will be cleared up on a more careful second reading--which I definitely look forward to.

Anything about charmed is a must!! Charmed is the best series in the whole world! noone can beat it not smallville, not the ex-vampire slyer,buffy! No one!!! Charmed is the best!! this book is a must for all charmed lovers and also for magic lovers......
This is such a great book!! Its funny and cute and....exciting!

CHARMED CHARMED CHARMED CHARMED CHARMED CHARMED CHARMED CHARMED
THE B.....E.....S.....T SHOW ON EARTH!!!

Paige thinks it would be cool if she and her sisters went to a 'gathering of the covens' to learn more about their craft. Convincing them proves to be difficult--since they are 'the' witches. Inspector Morris shows up and asks them to help the police investigate the disappearances of several Wiccans. It seems that the kidnappers are taking the most powerful witch from each coven. Can the sisters save the day?

One thing about this book annoyed me a little. The title has been used before. It was the title of the pilot episode. One other thing annoyed me a little bit more. This story is long overdue considering that these events would have taken place during the fourth season. You get past it though.

"Spacefaring: The Human Dimension" is Albert Harrison's look at the many factors which affect the experience of humans in space. Harrison considers not just the physical and intellectual demands of spacefaring, but also the psychological ones as well.

Often overlooked by avid space enthusiasts is the fact that space travel is conducted by human beings. Humans have very real limitations and frailties which affect our ability to not just function in space but to merely survive. Space is such a forbidding environment that difficulties which appear minor on Earth can have deadly consequences in space.

Harrison goes over a wide range of potential problems that spacefarers may have including poor training, bad group dynamics, wide mood swings, medical emergencies, lack of things we take for granted on Earth, and potential exposure to extremely lethal environments. Harrison most often focuses in "Spacefaring" on the mental and psychological aspects of space travel.

Harrison also considers the potential effects of spacefaring on 'regular' people as opposed to just highly trained astronauts. If mankind wants to colonize or economically exploit space, we have to take under consideration that most future spacefarers will be poorly trained by NASA's standards and may cause problems in space not currently envisioned.

I found Harrison's treatment of the subject matter to be less than thorough. "Spacefaring" had the feel of an outline or paper instead of an in depth study. I felt that Harrison could have gone into much greater detail for almost every chapter he wrote. Perhaps he will do so at a later time but, as far as "Spacefaring" goes, it leaves a little to be desired.

Like many of you, I'm a total advocate for human space exploration. Sure, robots are great, with their industructability and unquestioning loyalty, but there are times when you really need to get some human hands and eyes on location to provide some solid data and deal with the unexpected. But humans are soft, fragile, and can sometimes get a little grumpy.

Spacefaring: the Human Dimension by Albert Harrison helps fill a niche that I've found largely unfilled in most of the space exploration books I've read - how to keep humans alive, and stop them from killing each other during long space trips. And by focusing only on this aspect of space travel, Harrison gives the subject matter the time and respect it deserves. Each element is covered in tremendous detail, including the basics of food, air, water, heat, etc. but also the more psycological elements of coping with stress, group dynamics, training, and dealing with mistakes and disasters. Harrison throws in a plenty of anecdotes to give real world examples to the topics covered.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who finds this aspect of space exploration fascinating. I'd especially recommend it to folks like the Mars Society, as many of the issues have been largely ignored by NASA so far. And I'd force scriptwriters and directors to read this book before they make another Mission to Mars. Great book!

Al Harrison's book "SPACEFARING" has the qualities of an instant classic. It deals brilliantly with the central element in our ventures into space, the human being. It is a book about human factors in space. The work has the thoroughness and completeness of an academic treatise, but still reads easily. It is packed with little-known anecdotes and many cool historical and technical facts. The book's clear organization is particularly helpful, not just for guiding the layreader through a complex subject, but also for serving as a quick reference for space exploration professionals needing to read up on a specific topic. The book offers both a summary of lessons learnt and an analysis of our possible spacefaring future. For planners of a human mission to Mars, this is an ideal synthesis of where we stand on the subject of human factors.

Chuck and Jerry didn't know what to expect when Jerry put cheese in the particle accelerator, but they surely didn't expect to have to end up saving the galaxy from the mind controlling Lortonoi.

This is a fun farce, though not nearly as shocking and titillating as it must have been when it first appeared in 1973.

Still, a good read.

I am prompted to write because I just finished reading a comparable book, Douglas Adams' Hitch Hikers' Guide to the Galaxy, after hearing the radio shows many years ago. THHGTTG doesn't make its way into prose very well, and seems really dated.

By contrast, Harrison's is really sharp satire, and he uses the liberties that science fiction gives him to make his points with great force and absurd humour.

If we discover a species is stupider than we first thought, can we eat them? Who should one side with in a war; a cruel democracy or a kind dictatorship? And when does hero-worship cross the line into homoeroticism?

Harrison raises issues of politics, racism, sexism and a thousand other touchy subjects in a hilarious and outrageous book.

The galaxy's star-fleet being led by a souped-up 747 is a delightful image which sticks in my mind from this book.

Oh, and I think Harrison raided his legal textbooks to name the aliens. A garnishee is a claim you can make over someone's wages or property, and Lord Percy was an English Judge.

This book deserves to be in print again....and, especially, tobe made into a high-budget movie.

I loved this book as a teenager in High School. It was a very hard book to put down. Very entertaining, funny and full of fast paced sci-fi action. Though as much as I loved it back in 1987, I daresay I'd probably find it a bit dated now. But there were twists and turns that still made it a fantastic adventure story

ALL RECIPES VERY HARD TO MAKE. TOO MANY STEPS & EXOTIC INGRIDIENTS.

This beautiful book is loaded with exciting recipes that will make you famous at your next dinner party.

The best recipe book I've ever bought. You'll be more than satisfied with this creation. If only everyone could cook like Alan Wong. Here's your chance!

Alan Wong does a great service to all of the culinary professionals out there such as myself by nearly creating a cuisine. His interpretations of hawaiian regional cuisine meld flavors together like no other....each recipe is described for the layperson and the pictures of the final products make one's mouth water. BUY-THIS-BOOK!

It's hard for me to review the language of this book, since I actually read it in Esperanto rather than the original English ("La Kaptita Universo"). There are, however, many images from this book that will stick in your head. The vultures eating a man-sized piece of meat, the Aztec human sacrifice, and the main character "walking on the sky." Some of the science is dubiable, at best, and parts of the "Konceptisto's" (English:
Conceptualist? Visionary? I don't know what term the original used) vision are hard to fit in with human nature. The plot is average for science fiction. The visual imagery, however, is worth the trip

I originally read this book over 20 years ago while I was in high school. Despite the time that has passed and the thousands of books I have read since then, I still remembered the plot and memorable elements from this book. I recently found it again on Amazon.com although I had to purchase it used since it was out of print. Needless to say I very much enjoyed rereading it.

Although written as an exciting sci-fi adventure, the book examines in the role of religion, intelligence and culture in regulating human life. The book follows a life of Chimal a boy born a genius amongst a civilization of below average intelligence Aztecs. The boy continually questions the cultural traditions and sometimes barbaric religious rules that his village has followed without question for hundreds of years. To his elevated intelligence some of those rules make no sense at all.

Needless to say his questioning gets him into trouble and on a series of adventures which reveal the true nature of the world in which he lives.

I find great parallels between Chimal's situation and those in the world today. Entire populations are being led by the teachings of religions. Many follow blindly while others question, some in secret in fear of their life. How many of us really know the reality of the world and universe out there.

When my dad used to read to us kids 'way back then', I remember Captive Universe as one of the more graphically vivid stories. Years later, I started looking for it in bookshops here and there -- no where to be found. I finally found an old paperback in a used book store. Just as fun as I remembered! For every nerdy kid (or adult) who felt the powers in charge were slow and didn't understand, we could see ourselves in the frustrations of the hero. Can't describe the story without giving away too much.

For years I could imagine Captive Universe as a great movie. I sometimes wish it were made into a movie, but after what they did to Starship Troopers, maybe not...

This book takes in the experiences of a WW1 Canadian soldier during the mustard gas, lice, trench warfare, flame throwers, snipers, and other assorted horrors.

At times, it is not an easy read due to the candid and almost non-descript accounts on the battlefield. He has little prose and even less flowery description - everything is to the point, which further reinforces the terror of all he sees. At certain points of the story, it can also be incredibly sad as well. Not an easy story to read.

The description of his bayonett being stuck in a live german boy while his brother watches on in terror is one of the most candid and sad experiences ever read. As well, when Charles is wounded, it is written almost in a surreal fashion, as he hallucinates and falls in and out of consciousness.

Pick this one up. It's a true account from the writer (meaning he was there), and it's a story that isn't easily put down.

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This is the greatest book i have ever read in my life. The story takes you, hits you in the stomach, and never lets you go.

I have used the other editions mainly as a reference to many medical conditons which I hear about in my practice as a psychiatrist. As usual,the latest text provides the information but there is no attempt to bullet or separate out the most important stuff - and no beautiful color diagrams as in Cecil's. Of its many strengths, the HIV chapter is authored by Anthony Fauci at NIH, a renowned international AIDS expert. If you want to keep up to date the ...price is a bargain. If you are a student choose what is most helpful to your style and use the study guide for board practice.

Big, complete and one of the most renowned books of internal medicine. Only the index could be more completely and the pictures could have been coloured. Instead of showing the genetic background
some practical approaches should sometimes have been emphasized more.

Briefly speaking: this book is for people who are familiar with the field of Medicine. Every few years I have to get a new edition as medicine is developing so rapidly. As I am now out of the mainstream of Medicine, when I want to look up something I read this book and the Merck Manual and I look up words I don't know in the on-line medical dictionary. That provides a fairly good intro. If I want to know more I go into the papers on PubMed. As far as I'm concerned, this book is a must-have, if you want to try to keep up with the field.

this book's hard to describe and define....its beguiling. Lots of people I know have read it and no-one has the same response, some are total devotees thereafter, others just don't get it. I just keep going back to it and it takes me somewhere different each time. ...

This is a fairly old book but it is just as relevant now as when it was written. I recently rediscovered it on my shelves and on re-reading it have realised that it was the turning point in my life. It is direct, sensible, open, honest, and more helpful than anything I have come across since. It enables the reader to understand themselves and their relationship with their health without feeling either guilty or powerless. It helps you see the way forward and encourages you to go for it. To my chagrin I have not found anything else by this author.

This book was first published in 1984
I've read hundreds of self help books since and none of them are in the same league as this book
It has a handle on health and well being that is just so commonsense and non-political. Even though it is clearly the most gender neutral book out there, I hear the feminazis of the Australian health authorities crucified this guy. Shame on you.
Clear, insightful and absolutely beautiful.

Football player Michael Hennesey has bid $15,000 for a date with Carolyn Hardy at a charity ball. Anyone else would be happy. However, Carolyn does not like football players especially Michael Hennesey. But he does not care, he likes and wants her. Carolyn does not know that Michael has made it impossible for anyone else to beat his bid. He is aware of how Carolyn feels about him and is determined to change her mind. Carolyn a successful engineer from a wealthy family s not impressed with the bid. She is annoyed that she was pressured to get involved as a participant and further annoyed to learn who the highest bidder is. Later Carolyn is surprised to find, by accident, a different side of Michael one that she can relate to and love. When Michael is approached and threatened by corrupt sources he does what he feels is necessary to protect Carolyn and those he loves. Now he has to rise above a scandal that can destroy his good name, career and Carolyn's love. He has to regain Carolyn's faith in him as she struggles to continue to believe in him. Carolyn is not sure who or what to believe. Was she right in her earlier of assessment of Michael or should she listen to her heart?

THE PROPOSITION is light reading but you can feel the sexual tension between the characters Carolyn and Michael and the suspense and mystery is real enough that it could have been taken from today's headlines. Enjoyable Reading.

Vannie(~.~)

Funny book. I am glad she did not accept the proposal. Strong woman. When they both meet again-We see 2 people who has grown up. A good story to read. Be ready to relax....

Ms. Harrison revisits the central family form her first novel, The Hardys. In this novel we learn more about the clan through Justin Hardy's sister. The characters are all explored with a depth that makes you really understand this family. The romanctic mystery style that Ms. Harrison is known for is here at its best.
In the past, I've been an avid E. Lynn Harris reader, but after reading Ms. Harrison's books, I was actually bored with his! I much prefer her beautiful narratives, sensual (not raunchy) love scenes, and her dedication to creating prose that is free of profanity--it's such a welcomed style. I can't wait for her next one.

Deals with the problem of how human mutants, superior to their fellows, might seek to bring about a better world. Simak offers many interesting ideas and a good overall plot, but the book has a bit of a cardboard, comic-booky feeling to me, with the characters and their actions and dialogue a little cliched. Entertaining, but I don't think it is as good as his "Way Station."

I read this Simak offering so many years ago that I honestly can't recall how long it's been. All I know is that I really NEED to read it again. Simak was one of my all-time favorite SF writers. It helped in no small way that he lived and worked in my hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and that his fictional settings were so familiar to me because he wrote of places I could see just down the road. His gentleness, good humor and his graceful way of writing only endeared him to me more. Please, Mr. Publisher, see your way clear to reissuing this grand old piece of fine science fiction!

Once again Clifford D. Simak shows us the depth of his imagination. Drawing you in to a very familiar world, with superbly crafted charters and Simak's cosy style. Then when he has you where he wants, you suddenly, along with his charters, realize that things are not as they seem. Then you get to see why Simak is one of the most unique and imaginative authors ever. He is able to open the limits of human possibility in ways that few others explore. This story is the story of one very ordinary man and his role in events that change the world. This is a common Simak theme. Simak's heroes are heroes in the way that any of us could be heroes in the right circumstances, not supermen. Like many Simak books this will leave you thinking and enriched.