To begin with, "Beyond The Blue Event Horizon" is a very good continuation of the Gateway series (although this does confine the book at times). The book is "hard" science fiction (emphasis is placed on getting the science of the story correct, unlike Star Trek's "phazers" and "warp drives"), although there's never a real feeling that this overpowers the story. The only exception to this is the last chapter which is basically an epilogue that reads like a physics book. But otherwise, the story is what drives this novel, and what a story it is! The book continues the adventure of our returning heroes Robin Broadhead and S Ya, among several other very unique, interested and well-defined characters (such as Wan or the "Oldest One"). Pohl does an excellent job of making these characters real through their problems, traits, flaws and strengths.
However, the real reason I'd recommend this book is because of the way Pohl writes. He's very good at suspense, as shown in Gateway, and employs it better here. After every answer he gives you, he'll present two more questions. And EVERY chapter ends right when you're eager to find out more. In addition, the buildup for the story is brilliant, with pieces of the puzzle that are established early on in the book coming into play beautifully near the end.
Finally, the reason Beyond The Blue Event Horizon received only 4 stars is that, as almost any sequel, it builds upon what was set up in Gateway (which definitely deserves five stars). There are times that Pohl seems to lean too heavily on the previous book to fill in any gaps (unlike, for instance, "Speaker For The Dead" which, although it's a sequel to "Ender's Game," it never fails to astonish the reader with new concepts and ideas instead of simply being an expansion upon Ender's Game).
Overall, Beyond The Blue Event Horizon is an amazing book that is well worth the time. But not only that, it does something that only the best books can manage... it leaves you with a definite sense of satisfaction.

If you read the first book you have to read this one.
Again, like the first book, these stories are not "action" packed but simply the drama of the lives of the people in the story which keep you interested.

Suspense comes from the characters exploring the unknown and the threat and dangers of simply being in space all by themeselves.

In addition there is a nice splice of scientific theory thrown in for readers who like that kind of thing. Not everything is just "assumed" to be . . . the author actually does a little hypothisizing here and there.

Yay! More Heechee technology. 'nuff said!

I grew to like the character of Robin Broadhead even more than in the first book.

Great imagination and a very easy read.

Beyond The Blue Event Horizon chronicles the adventures of Robinette Broadhead (from the first book), as well as some of his associates. In the book, we learn that Broadhead is now a pretty successful businessman and is married. Though he is happily married to S Ya (whom we learn about in the previous book), he still has longings for his long lost love, Gelle-Klara Moynlin. Further insight into the Heechee is gained, particularly from the introduction of a huge spaceship that can produce a huge amount of food, and thus satisfy humankind's hunger indefinitely. Pohl introduces some ideas that make this book an example of hard science fiction. As in the previous book, artificial intelligence is dealt with, though the artificial Sigrid von Shrink is abandoned for a new 'friend' for Broadhead. The plot is interesting, dealing with none other than the origins and fate of the universe, based on cosmological theories. The ending leaves some to be desired, but overall, the book must be read in the context that it is the second chapter in an ongoing series. If you are interested in the world created by Pohl that is Gateway, Beyond The Blue Event Horizon is a must read.

E.F. Benson's books are as fresh and fun today as they were in the onset. We may not have sleepy little burgs with bridge parties being the height of the social warfare battleground, but we still have those hilarious people who can scheme and plot their way, unwitting of the itelligence of others, to what they see as the pinnacle of society. When Lucia meets her nemisis in Miss Mapp and moves into Miss Mapp's "territory" feathers fly, society scrambles, and their world rocks. I recommend this book, for if we don't see ourselves we will at least see some hilarious friends.

Well, after meeting Queen Lucia, I quite enjoyed learning all about Tilling and its dear Miss Mapp. You will wonder who she visited in Riseholm, and you will die from the anticipation of the two ladies meeting up in subsequent books (you won't be disappointed!). The characters are fantastic, the situations are comic, and I absolutely loved this book! I am officially hooked on the entire series! I hope you will try it and love it just as much as I.

Halfway through his Lucia series, Benson, probably realizing what a tedious phoney Mrs. Emmeline Lucas was turning out to be, decided to fashion a worthy adversary for her: a formidable old fadge named Miss Mapp. This required a change of venue, as well: from Olde Englysh Riseholm to the seacoast hamlet of Tilling. It's an inspired move (possibly due to Lucia's conspicuous absence; she does not lock horns with Mapp until the next book, Mapp & Lucia). Benson dissects a small sector of the British upper-middle class -- monied drones -- with such surgical skill that it's like sitting down to a strawberry high tea. From Major Benjy to Diva Plaistow and Barbara ("I think we can all squeeze into the Royce") Wyse, O.B.E, these self-infatuated twits spin out their days doddering from bridge game to garden party, from fad to diversion, all deliriously anxious about their place in the town's, and the Empire's, pecking order. This is a trival subject treated as drily and wittily as one could hope for, and written as the sun began to set on England's ambitions and literary heritage. Biographical note: Benson bought Henry James's house in Rye (the model for Tilling), and when showing it to visitors used to announce, "This is Miss Mapp's garden room. And I am Miss Mapp."

This book consists of ten eerie tales of the supernatural--begging to be read Alone on "a dark and stormy night," or retold around a friendly campfire. These tales present Black protagonists from the slave era, throughout American history, right up to the present. The title refers to the half hour of semi-darkness which precedes true nightful--when all tales seem spookier because of the shadows and rustling of nocturnal creatures.

The stories vary greatly in subject and style: slaves atempt to escape rather than be sold off, or they invoke ancient voodoo rituals to punish a cruel master. A callous bus driver gets a ghostly brand of justice; an old pullman porter tries to cheat death aboard the 11:59; a man uses ESP to try to
save his family. A distraught mother encounters a sasquatch; a little girl has an unreasonable terror of a monster in the chicken coop, and more.

My personal favorite presentsa Nigerian legend about the Dark Women who tried to cheat a goddess; they exist solely to trick unwary moderns into inviting them into their homes, where they wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting tenants who naively think they are safe in the 90's. Only the Gingi can protect these hapless souls from such vindictive spirits. Like Dracula lore, which insists that the victim must cross the threshhold of his own free will, the evil visitor must receive an invitation before entering. An entertaining and chilling anthology--for those with a premonition of disaster. There are no references to Halloween, yet this book makes for perfect October reading. Are you brave enough to finish it? BOO!

The Dark-Thirty was great because of how McKissack told stories that were based true happenings in the world with racisim. I strongly suggest that any type of reader read this book. The pictures by Pinkney were brilliant, so dramatic. I loved it. The Legend of Pin Oak is the best story in it.

I am a middle school reading teacher who was given a copy of this book when it was first released. I fell in love with the stories as did my students! Each school year I start by reading "The Chicken Coop Monster" with every emotional fiber in my body. I require my students to write down the 10 rules randomly disclosed in the through out the story. This school year the book is completely worn out and I purchased another! No story will disappoint you in this book. This book leaves my students in awe as I read the stories each year! Equally pleasing is the art work by Brian Pinkney.

I have read this book 3 times in as many months, and I will be reading it again. The first time I read it, I was swept away emotionally and ended it feeling totally wrung out, yet still uplifted. The second time I began to understand the meaning. The third time I was able to integrate emotion and thought, and I finally grasp what he means by (1) the truth being found in silence, (2) tragedy as an inevitable part of life, when God seems absent and the world is dark and empty, (3) comedy as the unexpected event, God making himself present in unlikely and unanticipated ways, (4) the fairy tale, too good to be true, where good overcomes evil, light overtakes darkness, and people are transformed; but in the gospel it really is true--and here is joy, but a joy accompanied by tears.

Still there is more to be learned. This book is absolutely a masterpiece of interwoven themes and images, thoughts and emotions, reality and imagination, literature and life.

When I took a class in "Christian Mythopoeic authors" I had to give a presentation on an author not discussed in the class. I presented on Frederick Buechner. My focus was on his novel, On the Road with the Archangel. While preparing for this, I found myself reading seven of his other books. Once I picked him up, it was hard to put him down. One of the books that I read was Telling the Truth. I have recently had the pleasure of re-reading it.

Buechner is a shameless recycler of themes and material (King Lear references are found almost everywhere in his writings). Most of his books don't even break one hundred pages. Still, I'd rather sort through Buechner's recyclables than the seven course meals of a lot of other writers.

Telling the Truth is the printed form of lectures Buechner gave on what it means to preach the gospel. He argues that the gospel must be presented in terms of tragedy, comedy, and fairy tale.

The gospel is tragedy because life can be exceedingly dark. We spend so much time trying to pretend, and sometimes believing that everything is fine and dandy. Yet sin is real and it causes death. We all live under the horror of a death sentence that will not be commuted. We live in the valley of the shadow of death. To try and deny this is not to preach but to play games. Too many Christ-followers try to skip over this integral part of life.

The picture Buechner paints of Jesus' silence before Pilate is jarring. It makes me uncomfortable. It must have freaked Pilate out too. This silence and the silence before the preacher speaks are the personification of what the tragedy of the Gospel is. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wage of this "missing of the mark" is death.

The Gospel is comedy because God's provision for those who are his enemies is beyond the pale. It is in this hour of death--in the hour of our just execution--that God comes and gives us a life beyond all of our dreams and expectations.

The picture of Sarah's laughter at God's promise is the picture of our reaction when we first truly encounter the Gospel. A woman giving birth as she enters her second century of life looks easy compared to a God that we have slandered, rebelled against, ignored and even crucified loving us and redeeming us.

It is the hyper-reality of this comedy that makes the Gospel a fairy tale. We live in the drudgery of our everyday "real" lives. Yet the Gospel is more real than any of the fleeting, fading images that pass for our reality.

Buechner uses the picture of the Great Oz to convey the fairy-tale aspect of the Gospel. Just as Oz turns out to be a little old man behind a curtain, so the preacher's proclaiming of the wonder of the Kingdom looks insignificant, a lot of the time ridiculous, compared to the truth they bear.

The fairy tale of the Gospel is that all us, though seemingly frail and cowering behind the curtain of our lives, turn out to have power through Christ. The things we say and do while carrying the Gospel do indeed have eternal impact.

The Gospel must not be neutered by the understatement or ignoring of any of its elements. Sin has made our situation dire. God's provision has given us joy. The entire story offers us wonder.

I appreciate Buechner's Telling the Truth because he is creative in the making of his points. He paints vivid pictures. He does not soft-sell any element of his argument. This is a great book.

I give it my full recommendation.

Frederick Buechner's 'Telling the Truth' is one of those little books, so packed with great things, it needs repeated reading. Not that it is difficult to read, it is just full of huge ideas and grand truth.
Buechner revisits various aspects of the gospel. But his first challenge to the reader is to confront the silence of truth. Using as an example the silence of Jesus in response to Pilate's question "What is truth?", Buechner suggests truth may not be far from the ordinariness of our everyday lives - if only we would pause to realise.
'Telling the Truth' uses the recurring picture of a preacher getting up to preach. Buechner describes in detail the scene in the church, the congregation who have come to the church for so many different reasons and the inadequacies the preacher feels but, as the preacher lays out his notes "like a riverboat gambler, the stakes have never been higher."
'Telling the Truth' considers the gospel as "tragedy, comedy and fairy tale" in turn and ultimately Buechner finds the gospel "a tale that is too good not to be true."
If you only read one book each year, make it 'Telling the Truth' this year - and next year.

This and Aftermath SHOULD be required reading for AP High School history courses or at least college level. You will understand and "appreciate" the Vietnam war experience of the combat soldier during this harrowing time both at home and away. As stated previously, the book(s) are very well composed and easy to read!

This was the first book on the Vietnam War that I ever read. Since then, I've read ever other book that has come across my path. Mr. Downs' book was a landmark in Vietnam War literature simply because he downright tells it like it was for him. Having sustained extreme wounds, he managed to survive and write this book aswell as one called "Aftermath", which I strongly recommend aswell.

I read this book quite some time ago, not long after I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a school function on the Vietnam War. I have been fascinated by the Vietnam War ever since meeting the author (who happened to grow up in my hometown). I found the book eye-opening and easy to read, especially for those of us who do not have a military background. I felt his platoon's pain, as well as their excitement. All in all, what this man, and thousands like him went through is something that each American should appreciate.

Some years ago, during an annual pilgrimage to Branford, CT to pay my respects to a lost loved-one, I noticed a gravestone adorned with shell offerings in St. Agnes Cemetery. Knowing of my Branford connection, an old friend recommended this book, which reveals that these shells were left by the author, Julia Mary Collins, at the grave of her father, Jeremiah Collins.

The author evokes the deep roots of her family in Branford, a coastal New England town that was in the autumn of its economic prime, yet still suffused with the natural beauties of sea and shore, and sustained by family trees and traditions. Despite a childhood tempered by the Great Depression and fading family fortunes, Jeremiah Collins nonetheless believed in a brighter future and a share of the American Dream.

His aspirations, along with his innocence and idealism, perished in the fiery crucible of the battle for the Pacific Island of Okinawa, in which over 250,000 soldiers and civilians perished. Cast adrift with his altered worldview and survivor's guilt in his unchanged hometown of Branford, Corporal Collins existed in a tenuous state of suspension between the still living and the dead.

The author, who became her father's confidante, perceptively and movingly captures his physical anguish and psychic pain, as well as its lasting impact on her family. Her book serves as a deeply human counterweight to the sea of books that celebrate the triumphs of WWII, but assiduously avoid the incalculable costs for "the greatest generation."

Julia Collins writes "let me bring back my dad, the way he was when I was seven, just before I began to lose him for good." She has not only resurrected her father, she has delivered the eloquent eulogy he deserves, and has gently and lovingly laid him and his anguish to rest, finally at peace in the earth of his native Branford.

The sunbleached shells she leaves at her father's grave, washed ashore from the Atlantic ocean of Jeremiah Collins's childhood, but resonant with the Pacific ocean where he fought his greatest battles, bear silent witness to her enduring love.

At first, I could only read this book in bits at bedtime, but by the time I hit chapter four, I could no longer put it down and finished it in the middle of the night. I wept long and hard. Sadness and overwhelming joy. Ms. Collins - no, Julia - thank you for having the courage to share your story with us and for telling it so even-handedly. I felt like my grandfather, a storyteller whose quiet voice used to gather amazingly large crowds, was telling a tale of that Great Generation, of the tribulations faced not just a war but at home. And I feel sorry for anyone who has not heard this tale of yours and had the chance to share its epiphanies. Thank you again.

Without 20:20 hindsight or wishful thinking, Julia Collins has written a graceful and moving work that stares straight into the failings of her father as a war hero, husband, breadwinner and parent and somehow manages to elevate and dignify the person her dad was. This challenge made all the more difficult by having Jeremiah Collins pose for a portrait that in life, he would never have held.

“My Father’s War” is not the retelling of one ex-Marine’s pointless miseries but wisdom collected from the perspective of the point-blank battles that raged on the homefront long after the formal surrender of any proclaimed American enemy.

From the very first page of The Nomination, you will find yourself asking questions. Slowly, Williams weaves a tale that will ultimately provide the answers you are seeking. The book opens with an election celebration party. As a result of the election, new political opportunities emerge for several African American politicians.

Through this enjoyable novel, Williams addresses a myriad of serious political issues, especially those relating to African Americans. He also explores such issues as crime, substance abuse, and family values. Ultimately, this is a story about choices and sacrifices that will have you wondering whether political success is worth it's price tag. I was impressed by how well the author was able to demonstrate how the character's personal lives were influenced by their career choices or the career choices of family members. I also appreciated the fact that although this book had it's share of scandal and characters that seemingly did not have a moral bone in their body, the author also included a primary character that acted on his beliefs and values. This provided a wonderful balance among the male characters in the book. The only thing I disliked about the book was the fact that there were so many weak female characters. In spite of this, I felt I could understand, relate to and feel for all the characters in some way.

Williams has written a sharp political mystery that is indeed a page turner. It is pleasant to read a political novel featuring a cast of African American characters. Even though this was a work of fiction, I felt as if I got an inside look at what African American political life is like. Read this book with caution, because once you pick it up you will not want to put it down until you have read the last page.

-Reviewed by Stacey Seay

I was pulled into the characters, events, locations and was kept on edge. The story line had movie rights written all over it. I could visualize everything I read and I am a first time reader. With the current events that is going on in the Whtie House and the Washington Metropolitan Area, the author captured the political climate in the African American community as it exist across the country, the essence of the drug culture and street life. Although "The Nomination" is a fiction, it is quite believable. This is a must read. Looking forward to the author's next novel.

In The Nomination, author Frederick Williams pens a gripping tale that weaves drama, intrigue, love, and politics into a wonderfully entertaining mystery.

Mr. Williams' vivid character portrayals and descriptions of our Nation's capitol demonstrate his mastery of the artform as well as his extensive knowledge of Capitol Hill and the Washington, D.C. area.

Readers will find this book thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

Overall, an excellent novel. I've read many of Sharpe's adventures, and have enjoyed them all. This particular story deals with the siege of Badajoz. It has everything we've come to expect from a Richard Sharpe novel: action, mind-boggling battle scenes, and the occasional romance. My only complaint sounds kinda dumb, even to myself-- the villian, Obadiah Hakeswill. Every so often an author comes up with a villian that he can't bring himself to kill. Even, as in this case, when it goes against all common sense. The character, Sharpe, simply would not allow an enemy to escape as many times as Hakeswill does. I know this is nit-picking, but having some experience in the military, I can safely say that an infantryman does NOT leave an enemy behind him. Not alive, anyway. Okay, enough whining from me. Again, this is an excellent read. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction, action, or military history.

is great.

I own all the Sharpe novels, and this is one of the best. Sharpe's exploits on the Iberian Peninsula rank alongside those of Horatio Hornblower at sea - except that Bernard Cornwell's writing style is probably more accessible for the modern reader.

The Sharpe stories follow the exploits of a poor officer in the British army as it battles Napoleon's Marshals in Portugal and Spain. Badajoz was a pivotal battle in the campaign, and the seige was a masterpiece of engineering, and a triumph of courage and spirit.

Naturally, Sharpe is in the thick of things, battling not only the French, but his enemies in red jackets: the malicious Hakeswill being chief amongst them.

But Sharpe, and his ever-trustworthy partner, the huge Irishman Harper, fight through one of the grimmest descriptions of a battle you're ever likely to read.

A great episode in the lives of Richard Sharpe, Patrick Harper - and the man who relies so much on them: Arthur Wellesly, the Duke of Wellington.

What are some of the reasons why you read books?

* Do you like adventure? * Do you like romance? * Do you like action? * Do you like history?

If you answered yes to the above then you will enjoy Sharpe's Company. I started reading these books and I find myself having a hard time putting them down.

Sharpe's Company by Bernard Cornwell is an exciting rip-roaring adventure addition to the Sharpe series. You can see Bernard Cornwell's extensive research come to life page after page. The setting is 1812 and the British forces are re-grouping in Spain to repulse the dreaded French juggernaut led by Napoleon. Sharpe's challenge is to defeat the French forces at Badajoz, retain his rank and marry the girl of his desires. All of Sharpe's soldiers are in attendance and ready for battle.

Sharpe lost his rank due to a clerical error in England and is now a mere lieutenant. He answers to a commanding officer that has never led a battle command. The captain who replaced him is a well meaning light-weight who lets his sergeant give the orders.

Additionally, the evil Sergeant Hakeswell is back in Sharpe's life again and up to his old tricks. I don't think I can imagine of a better villain than Hakeswell. He is ugly, twisted and thoroughly evil. There are no redeeming values to his character. He wants to kill Sharpe and ruin his career. Even Sharpe's friends are in danger from this psychopath.

Where Cornwell shines is the description of the battle. He paints a picture of the siege at Badajoz so realistic that you visualize the battle and all of its horrors. His details are fascinating. For example, the advantages and disadvantages of a rifle and a musket, the uses of cannon to reduce castle walls to rubble and the siege warfare techniques of 1800s.

I wholeheartedly endorse this book.

The plot assumes that ships could land passengers at St. Helena in 1820 to interview Napoleon. Such was not the case. The British fired on any unauthorized ship attempting to approach the island including, in one case, a ship in distress. Other than that, it is an interesting tale.

This is the last novel, chronologically, in the Richard Sharpe series. Sharpe is separated from his wife and living in France with his latest mistress and their two children. His shortage of money indicates his wife in England has everything he stole in Spain. When the Countess of Mouromorto shows up to hire Sharpe to find her missing husband in Chile, his mistress is very receptive to the sight of the money (needed to improve her farm). Sharpe finds himself on his way to Chile with his old friend Patrick Harper, and makes the aforementioned stop at St. Helena to see Napoleon.

Sharpe and Harper become involved, unwillingly, in the civil war raging in Chile between the Spanish royalists and the rebels under O'Higgins (supported by Lord Cochrane). Sharpe's fortunes take some twists and turns, as does the plot. The involvement of Lord Cochrane in Chile is described fairly accurately, including the action at Valdivia. Sharpe, of course, gets his share of the spoils. One can hope that Sharpe will fare better with his latest mistress than he has with earlier women in his life. Having Sharpe acquire bags full of loot always creates the possibility of further action (after all, Lord Cochrane did invite him to go along, and we know from history that Lord Cochrane later served in Brazil and Greece).

The final novel in the Richard Sharpe series, (thus far,) has retired Lt. Col. Richard Sharpe undertaking a mission to find an old friend in revolutionary Chile. With Patrick Harper at his side Sharpe first visits the isle of St. Helena with it's one tourist attraction: the Emperor Napoleon. After a brief audience with Bonoparte Sharpe heads to Chile where he faces the local Spanish Captain-General Bautista. Eventually Sharpe and Harper throw their lot in with the rebels and their rogue of an Admiral, Lord Cochrane. This novel is yet more proof of Cornwell's ability to tell an exciting story while at the same time evoke with absolute vision the early nineteenth century into the reader's mind. I hope this isn't the last book in the Richard Sharpe novels but if it is it is a fitting ending to a series that rank among the great adventure stories of modern fiction.

Although I enjoy history and historical novels, I've never particularly cared for military history. But as anyone who has enjoyed the "Sharpe" television (& video) series will attest, there's so much more to these stories than mere military history. This is the first Bernard Cornwell novel I've read, and it certainly won't be the last. Without a doubt, fans of the show will not be disappointed with this novel; in fact, it is a must-read as it is the very last Sharpe novel, and it has not been dramatized (so far).

As for the story (without giving anything away--this is all in the prologue), it is 1820 and Sharpe & Harper are reunited for an expedition to Chile in search of an old friend. En route, they visit St. Helena and have the honour of meeting the imprisoned Napoleon, who entreats Sharpe to convey a gift to an admirer in Chile.

This novel is an absolute page-turner, and Cornwell is truly a master storyteller. Suffice it to say that no knowledge of military tactics or manoeuvres is necessary in order to fully enjoy this gem of a novel. Any action or suspense is seasoned with liberal doses of humour, and there is a most delightful array of entertaining characters. Lastly, the story is made all the more memorable by the historical afterword.

This novel is sure to please. Highly recommended to anyone who loves a thrilling, action-packed read, and particularly to aficionados of historical fiction.

Morison was both a true sailor and a true writer. This, his pre-war masterpiece (his WW2 history of the U.S. Navy being his other) was intended for the 450th anniversary of the First Voyage which, sadly, was overshadowed by other events. It remains the standard English-language work on the four voyages of the Admiral (as Morison likes to call him), and it reigns supreme over all other Great Explorer books as the one tome which is doubly literate - both well written and fully conversant in sailing lore. The first point Morison makes is that Columbus did, after all, discover America: Africans, Chinese, Vikings and (obviously) the Indians had encountered it before 1492, but only Columbus got back home to spread the word. Discovery is not just finding something, it's telling everyone else about it. The other early point debunked is that Columbus never "proved" the world was round, as no-one ever doubted it was: his thesis was that the world was not as big as everyone said - therefore China was only a month's sail away. In this, he was utterly, utterly wrong, but the by-product of his error was the unfolding of the New World. Finally, Morison comes to Columbus the man. He was no saint - his treatment of the Carib peoples is a terrible stain on his and his masters' reputations - but as a navigator, few approach his skill, and none his achievements.

What other Author on Columbus was also an Admiral? ... and sailed the same pathways on a clipper ship?... Morison has written many books on Cristobal... and this one is the cadaliac. I have a slip-covered collectors edition, but have bought many used copies to give to friends as gifts (plus a few for myself). If you like truthful history written with style and professionalism... this in a book to own.

This remains the definitive biography of Columbus. Morison was one of the greatest historians ever to practice the craft--his scholarship still holds up today. He was also a master of the written word, unlike most professional historians today.

Morison enumerates the reasons why he admires Columbus, but he also catalogs the man's misdeeds--for example, Morison uses the word "genocide" to describe Columbus's treatment of the Indians as governor of Hispaniola. Morison gives his readers the facts they need to form their own opinion of Columbus. (I do not share Morison's admiration for the man.)

I must correct the astonishingly ignorant remarks of the reviewer who identified himself as "A reader from New York City" and entitled his review "So much ignorance my God..."

Here goes:

1) The reviewer asserted that Morison was not, in fact, an admiral. Actually, Morison did receive the title. FDR made Morison an honorary admiral when he commissioned the scholar to write the naval history of the US role in WWII. (Morison produced a 12-volume epic. It's still in print.)

2) The reviewer regurgitates a number of questions about Columbus's origins that he apparently drew from another book by a revisionist historian (Kirkpatrick Sale?). The questions the reviewer repeats are good ones, but they are questions that remain open because the evidence to answer them conclusively probably does not exist. If the reviewer were a trained historian, he might understand that.