This book is better than others by or about Eadie, Brinkley, and Harris. There are a few too many details about Sawyer's early life and the ending is a little weird. But some things really grabbed me and it was curious how I met the subject

As a Catholic Priest who has been a friend of Tom Sawyer's for over 12 years I can attest to the absolute beauty of this book..and the joy Tom finds in Life. Tom is one person you will never forget..to be in a workshop with Tom is to jump from one subject to another..and back again. He touches in a special way everyone who comes in contact with him. When had my Near Death Episode 7 years ago..I finally came to know fully the truth he was sharing. I may be a Catholic Priest..but above all I am a beliver in Love and the Power of that love to transend all our limits and travails. Tom's insights found in this book will indeed remain with you the rest of your life. Fr. Jim Waters, D. Min.

This one really got me thinking. Dinosaurs infected with intelligent viruses? Like Dinotopia meets The Body Snatchers. Time travel. This one's got just about every sci-fi gimmick imaginable. A very intriguing read, but don't expect it to be very believable. Compare another recent dinosaur saga, Dinosuar Wars, and you get a very different take on what happened at the end of the Dinosaur Era. I think I enjoyed Dinosaur Wars better for its believable return of the creatures, and the fact that they weren't occupied, as in End of an Era, by intelligent viruses that controlled their activities. It's safe to say this book is far fetched. But it's fun.

Once again, Sawyer brilliantly melds a sympathetic character with an intriguing scientific premise.

If you love time travel and dinosaurs like I do, then read this book. But, more than that, if you're interested in the plight of a man who's been wronged by his wife and best friend, who is torn over the dreadful decision about a loved-one, then you really need to read this book.

And Rob's idea for the dinosaur extinction has to be one of the most fascinating and unique that I have ever read.

Unlike one of the other reviewers, I do not have a problem with the small amount of quantum mechanical "hand-waving" that occurs. After all, if you know anything about quantum entanglement or superposition, then you'll realize that quantum physics isn't very far from hand-waving itself.

Every time I see a picture of a triceratops now, I chuckle ... and wonder.

Pick up this novel. You're in for one hell of a ride.

This book was ingenius, easily outdoing any of Robert J. Sawyer's Quintaglio books (although not the trilogy as a whole). I was left in awe of the author's continuous demonstration of originality and imagination. The book is short but definitely very absorbing; if you love dinosaurs, time travel, or science-fiction in general, read it! (Also if you want to know what really happened to the dinosaurs, earth's second moon, why time travel is impossible in our universe, and where the future of the glass and steel industries lie.)

Tom Sawyer is the first great coming of age American novel. In addition, Tom Sawyer is one of the most endearing characters in American fiction. This wonderful book deals with all the challenges that any young person faces, and resolves them in exciting and unusual ways.

Like many young people, Tom would rather be having fun than going to school and church. This desire to enjoy life is always getting him into trouble, from which he finds unusual and imaginative solutions. One of the great scenes in this book has Tom persuading his friends to help him whitewash a fence by making them think that nothing could be finer than doing his punishment for playing hooky from school. When I first read this story, it opened up my mind to the potential power of persuasion.

Tom also is given up for dead and has the unusual experience of watching his own funeral and hearing what people really thought of him. That's something we all should be able to do. By imagining what people will say at our funeral, we can help establish the purpose of our own lives. Mark Twain has given us a powerful tool for self-examination in this wonderful sequence.

Tom and Huck Finn also witness a murder, and have to decide how to handle the fact that they were not supposed to be there and their fear of retribution from the murderer, Injun Joe.

Girls are a part of Tom's life, and Becky Thatcher and he have a remarkable adventure in a cave with Injun Joe. Any young person will remember the excitement of being near someone they cared about alone in this vignette.

Tom stands for the freedom that the American frontier offered to everyone. His aunt Polly represents the civilizing influence of adults and towns. Twain sets up a rewarding novel that makes us rethink the advantages of both freedom and civilization. In this day of the Internet frontier, this story can still provide valuable lessons about listening to our inner selves and acting on what they have to say. Enjoy looking for fun in new ways!

This is the classic tale of a boy's life in St. Petersburg, Missouri (based on Mark Twain's [Samuel L. Clemens] home town of Hannibal, Missouri), on the banks of the Mississippi River (I believe the time frame is pre-Civil War). The original manuscript of "Tom Sawyer" was the first American novel to be submitted to a publisher in typewritten form. Tom is living in the house of his Aunt Polly with the irritating Sid, who turns him in for playing hooky from school. Tom's punishment is to whitewash a thirty-yard fence, nine feet high. With legendary skill and deviousness, he is able to get his friends to complete the onerous task! Later, he and his good friend Huck Finn go to a graveyard to swing a dead cat (to get rid of warts). They witness Injun Joe murder the town doctor and see Joe set up the evidence to appear that the drunken Muff Potter is the assailant. The boys hide out on Jackson's Island and the town believe them drowned. Of course, at their funeral they appear, falling right into the middle of the ceremony. At the trial of Muff Potter, Tom proves Potter innocent; but, Injun Joe escapes. At a town picnic, the boys (as well as Tom's girl Becky Thatcher) get lost in a cave, find Joe's treasure, are rescued, and become heroes. And, unfortunately, respectable. Tom and Huck represent typical boys, having their own adventures and dreams. It is sad to think that, in today's world of behavioral psychologists, counselors, and some teachers, both Tom and Huck would be considered abnormal and some physicians might even prescribe certain drugs to "calm them down." And, they are just being boys. The adventurous spirit of Tom and Huck should be celebrated, not repressed! Not enough adults read "Tom Sawyer" or "Huckleberry Finn."

I would recomend Tom Sawyer to anyone around the ages of nine to twelve years of age.The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a book best for children. This is a book best for children because it is about a young rambunctious boy who gets into trouble all the time. Tom Sawyer is a normal boy.
Many exciting things happen in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In the beggining of the book Tom tricks his friends into white washing the fence for him.Tom falls in love,gets engaged with Becky Thatcher,and chases a box of gold. In church a dog makes a bad choice to bothera pinch bug and gets pinched and the dog runs around the church howling. And much more.
I learned that back then kids could be kids. Not like now when everyone expects you to act like you are twenty-five when your only twelve.The Adventures of Tom Sawyer tought me many things.

It is my 1st Meryl Sawyer book and I enjoyed it. It didn't go where I expected it to go and the story had many levels. The main characters were charming and likable. I'd recommend this book and I look forward to trying another MS book.

Alyssa Rossi fled New Orleans for Florence, Italy because her memories of her hometown are all ugly after the betrayal from her loved ones. She succeeds in opening Rossi Designs, a costume jewelry business that performs quite well Alyssa heeds her Aunt Theodore Canali's advice to sell her company to TriTech and go home as part of the purchase.

Upon returning from Patagonia, TriTech CEO Jake Williams is shocked to learn that minority business partner Clay Duvall purchased Rossi Designs. He needs to know why because the small company is outside the obvious profile of his firm's core competencies. Uncomfortable with this particular acquisition, Jake gets even more paranoid when he sees Alyssa is a dead ringer for Clay's wife. Though a relatively small venture for what TriTech normally acquires, Jake makes inquiries to better understand Clay's motive. As Jake and Alyssa begin to fall in love, everyone within their radar has their own dangerous plans that could harm either or both of them.

CLOSER THAN SHE THINKS is an exciting romantic thriller that runs on all cylinders from start to finish. The story line is filled with action and romance as the suspense and tension heat to the melting point. Jake and Alyssa make a delightful duo and the support cast amplifies the plot by fostering their own desires at the peril of the key couple. Meryl Sawyer exhibits why she is a New York Times best selling author with this extremely effective novel.

Harriet Klausner

This was a great book. Mrs. Sawyer seems to write nothing but great books. The story line is filled with action and romance, with some wit in with it. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly.

"Dealers of Lightning." is a very good book.

Hiltzik really succeeds at telling good stories. He gives a wonderful sense of the characters involved. This is not "you are there" journalism; it's clearly removed from the characters, but he gives you enough detail to give the stories life.

I've seen various treatments of PARC folklore over the years, and Hiltzak has done the best job I've seen yet.

I very much enjoyed his story how MAXC came to be built. Typical of his approach, Hiltzak talks less about the technical details of the project about more about the politics of why building a knock-off PDP-10 clone was such an affront to some in Xerox at the time. Hiltzak clearly spent lots of time talking to not only PARC scientists, but players from all over Xerox.

Hiltzik seems to have taken particular care with the oft-retold tale of the Steve Jobs visit to PARC. Hiltzik notes that none of the accounts fully agrees with each other, but Hiltzik has done his best to come up with the definitive story, and it is an enlightening tale.

Hiltzik's last chapter asks "Did Xerox blow it?" His answer is measured; he notes the important distinction between mistakes that could have been foreseen or prevented at the time (Xerox's delay in moving the laser pprinter to market) from events that were unforeseeable (how quickly lower-cost PCs would take over and leave the Star on the sidelines.)

Hiltzik's book surprised me. It was better than I had expected; *much* better than I remember "Fumbling the Future" to be. If you have any interest in the history of where personal computing came from, check out this book.

Hiltzik has done a superb job of bringing the story of Xerox PARC to life and placing it in the context of everything else that was going on at the time and the history that brought technology to that point. As someone who lived through that period, I found the book a much more objective and honest look at PARC and Xerox's role than Fumbling the Future or any other treatment. He doesn't let Xerox off easy by any means--in fact his treatment of Xerox's role has much more credibility than anything else I've seen, because it is so three-dimensional. Anyone who wants to understand today's technology, not to mention the role of Doug Engelbart and his lab, should read this terrific book!

Michael Hiltzik has done an incredible job in describing the context of the environment and the dynamics of the personalities as they interacted in the birthplace of computing technology. All of the computer interfaces that we take for granted today were developed at PARC. Hiltzik weaves a tale of the evolution of the group of geniuses and the obstacles that they encountered in dealing with the hierarchy at Xerox headquarters. In many ways, the top management at Xerox was the forerunner of the "Dilbert Boss Syndrome"--a total lack of appreciation and knowledge of what was being developed by these research magicians. It is a story of a very unique period in the history of technology and is very similar to what took place during the Manhattan Project of the 1940's. I for one am glad that Mr. Hiltzik did not spend very much of the book in explaining the technology that was developed for that would have distracted from the account. He did describe the essence of what was being developed in a brief, very excellent and informational manner--enough to let the reader know its importance. The book represents a milestone in relating the events that have brought us to our present state in the computing industry. Kudos to Mr. Hiltzik for a fine job of writing!

Considered by many to be the great American novel, Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is the story of a boy, Huck Finn, and a runaway slave, Jim, as they travel down the Mississippi River on a raft. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is the sequel to Twain's novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". Where "Tom Sawyer" was more a care-free children's book, "Huck Finn" is a far darker less childlike book.

Judging from my rating you can see that I do not agree that this is in fact the great American novel. Twain seemed far too unsure of what he wanted to accomplish with this book. The pat answer is to expose the continuing racism of American society post-Civil War. By making Jim simultaneously the embodiment of white racist attitudes about blacks and a man of great heart, loyalty, and bravery, Twain presented him as being all too much of what white America at the time was unwilling to acknowledge the black man as: human.

However noble the cause though, Twain's story is disjointed, at times ridiculous, and, worst of all (for Twain anyway), unfunny. The situations that Huck and Jim find themselves in are implausible at best. Twain may not have concerned himself too much with the possibleness of his story; but, it does detract from your enjoyment of a story when you constantly disbelieve the possibility of something happening.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is an important book in that it did affect much of the American literature that followed it. However, this is another novel which is more important to read for its historical significance than for its story.

I read this, since it was my school's outside reading assignment. The printing was so small, that I first thought it would be a boring read. But I soon figured that I was wrong. I found myself slowly slipping into the story as if it was all happening before my own eyes. The characters were very interesting. Especially Huck Finn seemed like a very likable person with a strong identity, wit, and a soft heart. He does not want to sit and let the world rule over him, but instead test his own ideas and proves to the world that he can be better than what the society expacts him to be. And although many say it is a racially biased book because of its frequent use of N word, nobody can deny that it was a commonly used word in the 1800 where the rogue institution called 'slavery' was considered healthy and inevitable. As a matter of fact, this is a book that actually tries to tell the world about the evilness of racial prejudice not promote it. One should read between the lines, in order to acknowledge Twain's subtle attempts. It was a thrilling experience and I recommend people to have for their own!!!!

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, was one of the best novels I have ever read. When I was a junior in high school, I had to get signed permission to read this novel. I never thought a book could be so controversial that something like that would be necessary. I am so glad that I read it then, and again during my freshman year of college, because I think it sends a powerful message. Written in the dialect of the deep south, Twain successfully gets the reader involved in the book. When I read this novel for the first time, I did not want to put it down. The character of Huck intrigued me. Though a young boy, he had more common sense than many people years older than him. He knew what he wanted and was smart enough to know how to go about getting it. When he befriends a runaway slave named Jim, social issues are brought up and Huck is forced to follow what his heart says, instead of what society says is morally acceptable. I enjoyed how Twain portrayed Huck and Jim's journey down the river and the adventures they shared. It was a symbol of their need for freedom. By sharing the same goals, Huck and Jim become true friends. They are beyond the color barrier and realize that a person is a person, regardless of what they look like or who they are. I think much of today's society could benefit from reading this book. It helps you put things in perspective and think about what is really important in life; what others think versus how you feel. If anyone is looking for a good novel to read, one that captures interest and provokes thought, Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is it.

Sawyer's novel deals with one of the biggest questions of all: do we have free will, or are our lives destined to go a certain way regardless of our wishes. A philosophical problem, you say? Appropriate maybe for late-night dorm room arguments? Sawyer shows us that modern physics actually has much to say about this issue. He presents a very interesting plot that explores this question, bringing in block universes, quantum uncertainty, and more. And yet this is not just a theoretical exercise. Sawyer writes about real people (there is one scene in this book involving a little boy who, through the mechanism of Sawyer's plot, has ended up seeing an autopsy that I don't think I will ever forget). Very well written sci-fi, very thoughtful, very entertaining. Five stars.

I am shocked and amazed at some of the reviews I have read below! I don't understand how some people are able to question the science used in science FICTION. Is Sawyer's science correct for finding a way to push our consciousness 20 years into the future? No, I guess, but it sounds decent and since it is fiction that works for me. Why do people get hung up on stuff that I really doubt they understand anyway? Probably because it makes them(and their ego) feel smart. As for Sawyer's style, again I am confused by people. I found the characters interesting and I was genuinely concerned as to what would happen to them. I think that's all I can ask for. This book did exactly what a good sci-fi book should do- it made me WONDER! Wow, how cool would it be if something like this happened! And every time I started to have questions about whether the plot would unravel, Sawyer answered them for me. This is a well-thought out and enjoyable novel, one that shouldn't be missed!

It looks like some science fiction fans here are looking for books with straightforward heroes and villains ... I suppose they acquired their taste for SF from TV and movies. Sawyer writes the kind of SF that ADULTS can enjoy, with complex characters who are neither all good nore all bad, who are at war with themselves as much as any external antagonist. FLASHFORWARD (why does the cover say FLASH FORWARD when the title page says FLASHFORWARD?) is a perfect expample. Lloyd Simcoe is warring with his belief that the future is immutable; Theo P. (can't remember how to spell the Greek last name) is warring with his contrasting belief that the future can be changed. Yes there is conflict between the characters, but the real conflict is internal and for my money, it is drawn very convincingly, in mature, adult terms. If you're looking for white hats and black hats, try someone other than Sawyer. If you're looking for SF as serious literature, Sawyer, Russell, Robinson and a few others are the ones to try --- and FLASHFORWARD is an excellent book to start with.

Science fiction is a genre of ideas and no other author in the science fiction genre can claim to explore them so in depthly as Robert J. Sawyer. At the heart of Calculating God is a really good idea: aliens experience the same five major cataclysmic events at the same time the earth experiences them.

An alien targets the Royal Ontario Museum as a landing spot due to its multi-disciplinary extensive and accessible fossil collection unrivaled in the world. It was nice to see aliens land in a country other than United States of America. Sawyer is after all Canadian and he delves as deeply into Canadian society as an American author would American society, writing the equivalent story.

The story may seem frustrating for some because the ending is never really explained. Sawyer was strongly influence by 2001 and it shows in Calculating God more so than his other books. He doesn't explain it at all. He gives the reader credit for his/her intelligence and leaves it open ended.

The alien first contact scenes at the beginning of the book is met with humour instead of tanks for once. I found this really refreshing. If an alien actually landed on earth, nobody would believe it, then it would be a huge event, and then eventually forgotten as people continue on with their daily lives. Sawyer doesn't fall into the trap of dwelling on this. He's a smart enough writer to focus on the story. However I'm sure that it's more than a rudimentary coincidence that an alien is shot by an American.

Sawyer - an athiest/agnostic himself - covers all the theological and scientific ground thoughtfully and convincingly. Other books such as "Canticle for Liebowitz" have touched on religious themes but not quite this head on.

On the whole, a good Sawyer effort despite a jarring point of view change. There are some really moving moments involving the main character's wife and child and his struggle with illness.

Not as solid as 'Flash Forward' or 'The Terminal Experiment' but he's without a doubt, one of the most thoughtful, original and intelligent contemporary science fiction writers working today. He does have a tendency to fall in love with his ideas at the expense of the story so this book might not be for everyone hoping for a fast paced read. Recommended.

About one or two years ago, I discovered the books by Robert Sawyer and by now I've concluded that all the platitudes about Sawyer are correct: he is the best SF writer alive, he wonderfully manages to combine hard science with believable characterization and he does get better with every book he writes.

In Calculating God, an alien arrives at a museum in Toronto and asks for a paleontologist. After an extremely funny start, the major part of the book consists of a lively discussion between the alien, who is gathering additional evidence to prove the existence of God, and Tom Jericho, a paleontologist who is diagnosed with cancer and starts to wonder about some very basic questions.

Sawyer manages to squeeze in fascinating discussions about cosmology, paleontology, biology and evolution (Sawyer seems to be equally at ease with all these subjects!), and at the same time uses the alien to present some interesting perspectives on such issues as morality and abortion. Calculating God is a truly intellectually satisfying and fascinating read. It kept me up for a couple of nights, I found myself laughing out loud and quoting funny dialogue to colleagues at work and recommended it to lots of people. On the last morning, with just a few pages to go, I quickly fed my daughter, left her to her mother, and proceeded to finish the book. I ended up still in my bathrobe when mother and daughter left home and needed to hurry to get to work at a reasonable time... So, it if safe to conclude that I enjoyed the book tremendously. While the story didn't convert me, it did really make me think (and still does...).

Having said all this, I'm a bit surprised at some of the criticism from previous readers on this site. For instance, I noticed the inconsistency about Jericho's thoughts about cilia, but I just interpreted them as different musings at different times and why should they be consistent? And what's wrong with the ending of the book? I absolutely loved it! It is admittedly on a very grand scale, but it fits the book and is definitely better than the mystic hoopla in 2001. And taking the trouble to write a review and say that it should be This Kiss instead of The Kiss... Naturally, I really couldn't understand the reader who couldn't get through the book. But, hey, different people, different tastes. I absolutely loved the dialogues, the jokes, the science, the various musings and the great eye for detail. Absolutely wonderful. The only thing that bugged me a (little) bit, was that at several places in the book Sawyer mentions that Hollywood has always had a very limited idea of what an alien should look like. That they are definitely more alien than the movies show. But at the same time, he made his alien into a very human character, making human jokes ("this side up", indeed!) and acting very much like a human. To me, that's a bit strange and contradictory and I feel that the alien should be more alien. Of course, I realize that that would complicate the conversations with Jericho considerably, but nevertheless....

Anyway, in my opinion Calculating God is an impressive achievement and from now on I'll buy every new book by Sawyer as soon as it appears!

A while ago I read another book by Robert J. Sawyer, "Flashforward". Despite the fact I liked that book, I can't believe the same author wrote book, because "Calculating God" is considerably superior. It is written in a very clear and funny way, yet still is a very, very serious book.
The permise of the book, in my humble opinion, is probably one of the best I have ever read. Imagine this: An alien spacecraft lands near the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada (the time setting for the book is the present). A spider-like creature comes out of the craft, walks into the lobby, and in perfect English asks the guard for the location of the nearest Paleontologist. The shocked guard directs the creature to a paleontologist, and an interesting conversation starts between the two. Apparently, in both the alien's world, our world, and another alien world, there were 5 great extinctions (the last 1 occured 65 Million years ago, and is the most famous one here). The interesting fact, is that all occured exactly at the same time. Our protagonist, the paleontologist asks, But how can this be? All these worlds are very distant. So the alien replies, it could only have happened because that is the will of God. The paleontologist seemed taken aback by such religious opinions, so the alien says - but how can you not believe in god, for his existence is a scientific fact. According to the alien, the purpose of all modern science is to discover god's reasoning, and his methods of operation.
That's the premise. It all happens in the 1st chapter, so I don't think I spoiled anything. This is superb hard core science fiction, filled with scientific theories. I must say, I have never heard a more convincing argument for god's existence than the book's. The first 150 pages are literally among the best I have ever read. Then the book starts to lose focus, fills with rambling thoughts of the main character, and I really didn't like the ending. Nevertheless, the first half is SO good, that the book still gets 5 stars from me.

I have not read a Robert Sawyer book before, so I took a chance and tried this out. He did an excellent job at immediately immersing the reader into the plot right from the beginning and I had a hard time putting this book down. Literally a page turner, I went through this book much faster than I usually do.

Sawyer touches on a wide assortment of issues: AI, quantum computers, the meaning of being human, and many more - all tied together with suspense and intrigue.

At times, the book gets a bit too "new-agey" perhaps, and I found the drama to reach points of corniness. Moreover, it was several times suggested that Cheetah was to clearly an Ai and not human, yet "he" acted with such feeling and apparent emotion that Sawyer seemed wildly inconsistent on this point.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this novel. I may be biased since it is located not only in the city in which I live, but at the University of Toronto, where I study. So it is fun to read a book where I can identify all the locations (though he forgot about the Catholic seminary also being associated with the University). A fun read!

Sawyer seems to like writing about the near future --- say, 10 to 20 years down the road. The effect is to ground his work in the everyday, in settings people can easily grasp. The setting of this novel, at the University of Toronto, should be familiar to anyone who has ever attended (or taught!) at a big city university. The details of academic life ring true ... but even more so do the details of Sawyer's characters personal lives, despite the horrific things that happen to them. Of course, this is SCIENCE fiction, and there's plenty of science, too: quantum computing, artificial intelligence, SETI (indeed, the SETI subplot, really relatively minor, is quite wonderful, especially for any fan of Alan Turing), and more. And the ending has that "sense of wonder" that is the hallmark of the best SF from the classic age. I've also read Sawyer's FLASHFORWARD, and gave that five stars, too, but between the two, this is my favourite, although both are excellent novels. Enjoy!

Words simply cannot express how much I enjoyed reading this novel. Sawyer is unbelievably talented and "Factoring Humanity" is only one of the many reasons why he is the ONLY author to have won all four of the worlds most prestigious SF awards. I can't believe some of the comments I have read about his characters being underdeveloped. Are we reviewing the same book here? Heather Davis and Kyle Graves (even Cheetah for crying out loud) could not have been more endearing and beloved. I extremely enjoyed his take on humanity and how our selfish nature is finally overturned. "Factoring Humanity" is worth 5 stars, it contains a thick, juicy plot with many themes that overlap, yet perfectly come together by the end of the story. As a result, my fingers kept turning the pages to satisfy the suspensefull nature of this sci-fi wonder.