What would it be like to be the Charles Darwin of an alien world? Especially a world dominated not by thinking primates like ours, but by dinosaurs. Robert Sawyer's Toroca, son of savants on the Quintaglio world becomes just that during an expedition to the Southern Pole of his world. He wonders about the origins of the bizarre creatures he encounters there, arriving at the conclusion they are in fact birds - an unknown species except in the fossil record.

Toroca's father, Afsan, is meanwhile caught up in the defense of the Emperor of the Quintaglio. Facing more than simply a palace revolution, the future of the Quintaglio people may be hanging in the balance. Challenged by a brother to relinquish the throne, Dybo is coached by Afsan in preparation for a test of strength to answer the challenge. As so often happens, cunning, not strength, is the determining factor in the outcome. Afsan must also confront the novelty of murder, rare in Quintaglio society. Adding to the stress is the fact that the victims are his own children.

Sawyer develops the theme of a society alien to ours, but with significant parallels. His tactics in presenting the Quintaglio are effective. It's an interesting concept. The trilogy makes a good addition to any speculative fiction collection.

GREAT,GREAT,GREAT BOOK! One of the best science-fiction books ever; absorbing and endlessly creative. The "history of the current universe" is fascinating and well-blended with the central storyline; the psychological and historical theories created by the author are riveting. It's a shame the title and book cover are so bad, but it's what's inside that really counts!

This book is just as great as the first! I just can't get enough of roberts Far-seer series! Please buy this book!!! Its for your own good!

This book provides color photographs as well as a range map for each species listed. The detailed drawings on locomation and the different methods of movement also helps in understanding how snakes do what they do. The brief section on the workings of serpentine anatomy provide relevant information for those interested in the natural history and evolution of snakes. It also provides information for many of the sub-species found in Florida, which is something that other general field guides tent to overlook. This book came highly recommended by an expert florida herpetologist. The beginner will find the detailed photographs as well as the range maps a must for identifying the many species of snakes found throughout Florida. The intermediate hobbyist will find the taxonimic listing as well as natural history indespensible in the field when trying to locate the elusive varieties of serpents. This book is really somewhat of a natural history text, as well as a field guide wrapped up in one. Its small size makes it easy to carry into the field, where it would be used most. It could be considered slightly dated, as the classification of some of the snakes as endangered or species of special concern has changed, the identification information has not. I bought the book used, so an updated version may be out.

Provides color pictures, descriptions, range maps, and habitat information for each species of snake in Florida. The authors also describe similar species, natural history, and reproduction for each species. The book contains information (photos/description) of various FL environments (e.g. mangroves, cypress swamps,hammocks, pine flatwoods). Charts included provide abundance of each species in various environments. Good basic description on snake senses & locomotion. I plan to buy parts 2 & 3!

Allowed me to positively identify many species in my area -- far better descriptions and pictures than any other book I've seen.

This is an excellent tool to teach a young child one of the most popular children's Christian songs. It is beautifully illustrated, has a sound chip with the song and includes hand motions. Children and parents will enjoy the pictures and the music.

My 18 month old son loves this. He gets excited by the bears and loves pushing the button to activate the song. Beautiful pictures of bears.

This has been by son's favorite book for months. He is now 7 months old and will look through our books for this one. We recently took a long airplane trip and this was one of the items we brought along--it worked beautifully.

This book and disk together form an invaluable aid to nursing students. The book is written in a clear, quick and easy to follow note type format. It includes teaching tips, nursing notes and nursing interventions as well as critical thinking questions. The disk has a series of NCLEX type questions that can be accessed in either study or test mode. One of a series of worth-the-effort to own books.

Here is the lowdown. Medical-Surgical Nursing is alot of material. This book puts the Data in Outline Form and highlights critical and key points. It comes with a diskette, I find most helpful in verifying my level of understanding. I bought the Lipincott's series as well but this is the book I use. I rarely refer to my textbook, because the narrative sometimes gets to be too much, leaving me swimming in facts. This book will NOT do that to you.

Remember going through nursing school and the MOUNDS of reading to be done? This book is the best thing since sliced bread! Very to the point, great to do care plans by. A short sentence on patho, obj and subj signs and symptoms, tests related to illness; medical, pharm, and nursing care, I could go on and on. Great job on this one. I wouldn't do without it.

"This illuminating, real-life story is not so much about Cobble's struggle with death, nor is it about the twists and turns of dying. Instead, it's about her journey toward joyful living in the shadow of a life-threatening cancer. With her thoughts and insights recorded with reverence and grace, the book is a reminder that hope is ever viable no matter the circumstance."

"This moving memoir of physician Nancy Cobble, who, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, offers to others "the gifts of what God has shown me about living, dying, and moving forward." She set out to write a book about what it is like to die and ended up writing a book about what it means to truly live. This book is an inspiration to those facing terminal illness and anyone who wants to live life more fully."
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I lost my Dad to this dreaded disease in September, so this was a book I just could not put down!! It helped me to understand what he must have been feeling and thinking, especially about leaving his loved ones behind. Also, throughout the entire book, I kept thinking about a friend who lost his wife at the same age....I gave the book to him to read, although I think it will take him alot longer to read!!

This book is available from just about every book club out there, so I thought there must be something to it, but no. It's interesting to read, and you gain an appreciation for warfare of that era, but there's nothing you can take from it an apply your life (beyond some common sense you should already have). This version is nice in that it gives you historical information too. If you're just curious about SunTzu's words - that section actually isn't very big at all, and you could probably get through it quickly in a bookstore/library.

This is the best translation of Sun Tzu's work on the market. Sawyer is a deft scholar with the ability to approach the meaning most carefully in his text. Moreover the lenghty introduction to the text (three-quarters of the book) gives one a good description of the evolution of warfare in the the major dynasties of Classical China. Descriptions of everything from the development of the sword, chariot, and military organisation is included, all aspects of the the major military engagements described.

The text should therefore appeal to both those who wish to get a general outline of Chinese military history and the context that Sun Tzu (and other writers described in the book) defines his concepts of strategy.

This is a serious scholarship and there is numerous references to non-translated Chinese and Japanese first sources on the subject. Sawyer knows his stuff! There is also a full index with Chinese character translations of key concepts, events, people and places (since as any reader of Chinese script knows, there is no way the phonetic romanised spelling can convey adequate meaning). It is always good to have reference to the Chinese characters. .....

This is the translation for those who hope to take a whack at Chinese classical scholarship and military history.

There are two critical things to consider when deciding to purchase a book such as the Art of War: the first being the content / author of the book and the second being the translator. This book deserves 5 stars for both. Sun Tzu's Art of War is the de facto standard on military strategy, and Sawyers translation and reference material take the work to new heights. Sawyer has a strong grasp of the material -- and discusses (through the introduction and footnotes) the times and military methods that brought about this brilliant work. The book has a number of minor typographical errors (such as lines of text that appear as the last line of one page, and the first line of the next) but overall these errors are minor annoyances at worst.

Last Night By talented writer Meryl Sawyer is a romantic mystery you will not want to miss! A story that you will think about time and again--long after you finish the book!

I have just got hooked on Meryl Sawyer, and have devoured two of her novels in just a few days! Last Night is about a Dana Hamilton, a judge who is being blackmailed over a "secret" she has. She enlists the help of ex cop, Rob Taggett, who is also hiding a secret of his own. Both believe the blackmailer could be Dana's sisters father in law, so when Dana goes for a vacation to her sisters house, Rob comes along. They pose as lovers while trying to get info on the father in law, which guess what? He's also hiding a secret! While acting as lovers they both discover they like each other more than they thought. If you enjoy mystery/romance Last Night is a great read!

This book is a definite keeper. You can feel the sexual tension between Dana and Rob. The secondary characters of her sister and his best friend proved to be a romance that deserves a story of their own. Romantic settings, great romance, twisted minds, and thrilling outcome will keep you reading until the last page,still wanting more.

This is a fairly good and helpful book on gardening in Maine. Being a citizen of Maine myself I know a thing or two about gardening up here, for instance there is a very short season here. If you have trouble gardening, no matter what type, being herb, vegetable, spices, fruits, or even trees this book will most likely give you some long awaited answers. This book even shows you how to garden indoors for those times you don't feel like getting eaten by bugs. So if you love gardening then this is a fairly good choice, but look into some other books first.

This is a model garden book. The superb photographs provide the backbone of the book. The text is short, not filled out with unecessary words copied from other garden books as is often the case. The photos show what is working in other peoples' gardens and are replete with good ideas.

This book is very inspiring, brilliant and incredibly colorful. It showcases some of the great variety of gardens, and also points out the challenges that face the gardener in this northern most New England state. It is well designed, with many large photos, and the reading is very easy, but informative. The photos have been choosen to inspire and delight, and the captions are hardworking-explaining tasks and identifying the plants. A very beautiful piece of work!

This book is definitely not one of those "Woo Me" stories. Instead it's an inspirational story of one persons experience with manic-depression. The author brings not only her remarkable compassion and but also a bit of research to bear on this devastating dilemma.


I read the book in one day. I shared with a friend, and he read it in one day. Therefore, I would say this is not one of those books full of unnecessary detail, yet the author holds you with an interesting story. Akilah, shares with you her life with manic depression, with clear and precise events that takes you into her life. It doesn't get too technical in regards to mental illnesses or depression. If you have background knowledge on depression and mental illnesses, you could probably relate more. However, if you haven't, it explains enough to move you along. The author gives you enough background to understand how manic depression alters one's life.


I encourage persons living with depression, to share this book with close friends to help them gain a better understanding of how depression can alter your lifestyle. Reading Akilah's story will help close friends understand 'What Not To Say'to a person with manic depression, and how to recognize the signs. Many peoples first reaction dealing with loved-one with depression is to attribute all their actions to being depressed. Ultimately, those loved ones make the mistake of assuming they amplify all feelings and emotions.

Much more than the dull, ubiquitous "let me tell you my story" books weighing down shelves at the bookstores, Akilah takes you on a life journey with her through some personal, emotional and mind blowing experiences. Her detailed accounting of events leaves you never wanting to put the book down to see how she triumphed or fell prey. She has demonstrated her ability to bring you into the life of a diagnosed Manic Depressant and help you to understand and read the symptoms leading up to such a diagnoses. I truly enjoyed the education and research she provides to help someone else who maybe having some of the same challenges. She should be praised for her accomplishments in spite of her circumstances. Most of us couldn't have done it in our right minds!

This book is truly a success story. Akilah takes you inside her life, mind, and heart. I feel it an honor to have had the opportunity for Akilah to share her personal story with me. Akilah not only addresses the issues of being afflicted with Manic-depressive illness but shares her intimate thoughts of self-doubt and the feelings of inadequacy in addition to how men attempted to manipulate her in to believing they were some extraordinary men and the only one willing to take on the burden of this illness with her. My heart went out to her when I read the part regarding the lack of support she recieved from the person she probably needed it most from, her mother. How could a mother make a child feel less of a person? How could a mother justify those actions? How could a mother contribute to these feelings of inadequacy supporting a man who is too weak and pathetic to assist a woman in becoming stronger because her weak moments are his only security, wishing them never to leave for fear that she may realize she could do a lot better than him in the selection of a partner. That isn't love. There is no justification for it. I salute you Akilah. I am also afflicted with manic-depressive illness and refuse to allow anyone to use this illness to mask their own inadequacies. The love of God be with, comfort, guide, and protect you always.

I have two corp fin books by Ross and company. This book was purchased while studing for the Level I of the CFA exam. The other book was used in graduate school. Both books are sub par in quality and were not cheap either. Save your money. Don't use this text.

I have a master degree in finance and I believe this is the best work from Stepehen Ross. The book can be utilized for graduate students as well as undergraduate. If you are looking for a book which is extensively comprehensive and at the same time friendly you are looking for this book. It also contains diverse examples involving the use of financial calculators and software. It furnishes a preview on mergers and acquisitions and constantly tends to go beyond corporate to multinational

I have used this text in two corporate finance courses that I have taken at university and it was very helpful in allowing me to understand the concepts that were being presented in class.