History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Under Saturn's Shadow: The Wounding and Healing of Men (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)

Average customer rating:

Painful but necessary reading
Under Saturn's Shadow
Understanding and appreciating men
Short, hard hitting, and to the point
One of the best books i ever read

Under Saturn's Shadow: The Wounding and Healing of Men (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)
James Hollis
Manufacturer: Inner City Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up

ASIN: 0919123643

Customer Reviews:

Painful but necessary reading .......2007-08-28

I am total James Hollis fan. I have now read four of his books and have found them liberating. Visit his website for a clue for why he is so effective - he is not 30 years of age with limited life experience. He commenced his training only after he completed another successful career in academia. Most would have been content to have lived the life he already had. He has the life skills and experience to help us all illuminate our lives.

The book concerns the burden of being a man, exposing some of the constricting myths that have made manhood so painful. It is a book about men but not necessarily only for men - my wife read it too and found it very moving. It is enriched by the signficant store of Hollis reading in poetry and literature. It is not an easy fix and like anything worthwhile requires your concentrated attention. Further, it is only a beginning rather than an end. Hollis says it himself when he quotes somewhere Jung's description of the psychoanalytical endeavour - it can provide insight but then there must come endurance and courage. You can have a vision of what you would like to be but then comes the fidelity to make that vision a reality.

I would recommend this book highly.

Rob

Under Saturn's Shadow.......2007-02-19

Hollis hits the nail on the head. I found this book to be accurate on many levels and I will benefit from it the rest of my life. How I view my relationship with my father has changed and how I interact with other men will never be the same. This should be required reading for fathers of boys.

Understanding and appreciating men.......2006-10-12

Absolute must reading for anyone who wants to understand the meaning behind what boys and men do and the reason behind their behaviors. A must read for wives and mothers.

Short, hard hitting, and to the point.......2006-08-11

This book is roughly 135 pages. It covers a wide range of relatively complex ideas presented in a clear, well organized manner. Ever notice that when someone really understands something they don't need 300 pages to explain it?

This book challenged many of my ideas about my relationships with parents, my ex-wife, and my life choices (since childhood... I'm 36). I recommend it to anyone who is in this field or just on their own personal journey to have a greater understanding of men and their wounds / healing...

Enjoy

One of the best books i ever read.......2006-01-19

Between an ex husband that dove off the deep end and a son living with two strong women and without an appropriate father figure, I have been wondering both what makes men snap like that, and what consequence living without a father might have on my son. How to be a mother and a father to him, how not to hurt my baby in the way I see people around me, and myself, hurting and thus hurting others. I believe every mother and father should read this. It truly spoke to me, and I would not put it down until I was done with it some time early this morning. Written in a language everyone can understand.
Collected exerpts, almost quoted, that I found most enlightening:
Greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of the parent. So each man must examine, without the motive to judge, where his father's wounds were passed on to him. Either he finds himself repeating his father's patterns or living in reaction to them - in both cases a prisoner. (..)
When we ask such questions, father becomes more a man like us, a brother who has suffered the same ordeal. If we are caught up in hate we stay bound to that which wounds us. (..)
We all develop a provisional personality in reaction to childhood experience. We set off into life with this false self and make choices that further estrange us, and by midlife we suffer growing split between the asquired personality and the natural self. (..)
The crux of the middle passage is the requirement that a man (AND A WOMAN, I WOULD ADD!), whatever his reason or station, pull out of his reflexive behaviors and attitudes, radicallyreexamine his life, and risk living out the thunderous imperatives of his soul. (..)
Being a man (AGAIN, I WOULD SAY NOT ONLY A MAN) means knowing what you want and then mobilizing the inner resources to achieve it. It is extraordinarily difficult to know what one wants. How does one separate the inner truth from personal complexes and cultural directives? (..)
Most men (AND INCREASING NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO LIVE AND SWIM IN GUY'S WORLD) use their job to validate themselves, but they do not feel valued even when they have achieved success. (..)
No man may leave home or be in the world without suffering grievous wounds to body and soul. He must learn to say "I am not my wound or my defense against the world. I am my journey".

Average customer rating:

new understanding
great for saturn types like me...
Saturn would be disappointed
Up close and very personal...
astrology classic

Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil
Liz Greene
Manufacturer: Weiser Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0877283060

Customer Reviews:

new understanding.......2007-07-28

This book is an easy read for the beginner astrologer, which is my level of prior knowledge. It is clear to understand, with lots of examples.

great for saturn types like me..........2007-07-24

From a psychological standpoint, it really can clear some strange things up for you, especially if you've got a million aspects to Saturn like I do. Totally clear, AND most importantly, she doesn't forcast the doom and gloom other idiot astrologers proclaim when talking about Saturn. Truth is, freedom isn't free, and if you've set yourself up to get it in this life, Saturn is your best friend. Yay!!!!! Liz Greene!!!!!!

Saturn would be disappointed.......2007-03-21

This book has some serious weeknesses:
1. The author seems to be confused about the nature of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and thus she keeps on mislabeling the energies of these planets. She keeps on pointing out how misunderstood these planets are, and I think that notion applies to her first and foremost.
2. The book attempts to assimilate the occult perspective on outer planets, as it has been done by Alice Bailey, and the author seems to have bought wholesale into the Bailey's theories instead of developing her own understanding based on her own experience. Granted, that is hard to do with Saturn because of lengthy time-span involved into such a study, but the book would be a lot better had she done so. Unfortunately now it has a ton of hints and poetic allusions to the occult nature of Saturn and its myth, but severely lacks solid psychological perspective. A good book on Saturn, considering the natural Saturn-Moon opposition, would be an in-depth study of emotion and it's affect on how we function and build our lives. The author touches on it, but superficially. She talks about the pain of Saturn, but never explains why it is painful. She also talks about the rewards of Saturn, but doesn't give clues on how to turn Saturn into being rewarding. Where does it stop being painful and becomes rewarding? As a result, you find a lot of correlations to your life in this book, but absolutely no info on how to transform it. Thus Saturn will remain for you after reading this book what he has always been --"The Devil" and "The Great Malefic", something that will come and hit you on the head during the transit.
3. The writing style is nausating with "pie in the sky" metaphore. Saturn would appreciate a little more matter-of-factness and insight.

Up close and very personal..........2006-08-08

I managed to pick up this book on the tail end of my first Saturn return, and it took my understanding of this planet to an entirely new level. It reflects more of how this planet functions on a psychological level within (as you'd expect from Dr. Liz Greene) and the opportunities this planet offers us for growth in consciousness. You Jungians out there will not be disappointed, as our beloved Carl Jung is referenced rather often (re: archetypes, psychologial concepts of individuation, etc.). This book is an absolute must for anyone who wants to maximize the life obstacles they will inevitably encounter.

astrology classic.......2006-07-15

...it's certainly a classic in psychological astrology that teach people to respect the laws of Saturn.

Saturn Coupes, Sedans, and Wagons, 1991-98 (Chilton's Total Car Care Repair Manual)

Average customer rating:

Chilton's 1991-98 Saturn Coupes Manual
Don't knock Haynes book
A must have if you work on your Saturn.
This is a lot better than the Haynes Guide

Saturn Coupes, Sedans, and Wagons, 1991-98 (Chilton's Total Car Care Repair Manual)
Chilton
Manufacturer: Thomson Delmar Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Saturn Coupes/Sedans/Wagons, 1991-2002 (Chilton's Total Car Care Repair Manual)
Auto Repair For Dummies

ASIN: 0801989566

Book Description

The Total Car Care series continues to lead all other do-it-yourself automotive repair manuals. This series offers do-it-yourselfers of all levels TOTAL maintenance, service and repair information in an easy-to-use format. Each manual covers all makes format. Each manual covers all makes and models, unless otherwise indicated. :Based on actual teardowns :Simple step-by-step procedures for engine overhaul, chassis electrical drive train, suspension, steering and more :Trouble codes :Electronic engine controls

Customer Reviews:

Chilton's 1991-98 Saturn Coupes Manual.......2006-02-23

The main reason why I purchased the book was to aid me in replacing the clutch on a 1995 Saturn SL. As it turns out the section in the book about clutch replacement is very weak and they should really add much more detail on how to do the repair.

Don't knock Haynes book.......1999-11-20

Have a 1992 SL2 with an A/C problem Chilton had no information (as usual) Haynes had complete diagnosis and repair!

A must have if you work on your Saturn........1999-07-14

This book is a must if you plan on working on your Saturn. The book gives you step by step instructions, with illustrations, on how to do any repair to your Saturn.

This is a lot better than the Haynes Guide.......1998-07-25

If you own a later-model Saturn (1995 or newer), this is the manual you want to buy. The Haynes guide is only good through 1994, and it's not as detailed as the Chilton's manual. No offense to the good folks at Haynes, but as far as Saturn manuals goes, these guys have you beat. With all the things that go wrong with Saturns (yes, I'm one of the few Saturn owners who thinks the car is a typical GM piece of junk), a shop manual like this is a must have.

The Collected Fantasies Of Clark Ashton Smith Volume 2: The Door To Saturn (Collected Fantasies)

Average customer rating:

Water-damaged
volume 2 contains two of the greatest weird tales ever written

The Collected Fantasies Of Clark Ashton Smith Volume 2: The Door To Saturn (Collected Fantasies)
Clark Ashton Smith
Manufacturer: Night Shade Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Lost Worlds (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)

ASIN: 1597800295

Book Description

Published in chronological order, with extensive story and bibliographic notes, this series not only provides access to stories that have been out of print for years, but gives them a historical and social context. Series editors Scott Conners and Ronald S. Hilger excavated the still-existing manuscripts, letters and various published versions of the stories, creating a definitive "preferred text" for Smith's entire body of work. This second volume of the series brings together 20 of his fantasy stories.

Customer Reviews:

Water-damaged.......2007-09-15

I returned this book, because it had some water damage. It was the first time I ever received anything from Amazon with a problem. The book itself looks like a good product... I have been refunded and intend to re-order it.

volume 2 contains two of the greatest weird tales ever written.......2007-08-10

although not all of clark ashton smith's weird tales are classics, almost all of them are worth reading. his best stories are terrific. this volume contains two of his very best; "THE CITY OF THE SINGING FLAME" and "THE TESTAMENT OF ATHAMMAUS". both stories rank with (smith's good friend) h.p. lovecraft's finest. "THE CITY OF THE SINGING FLAME" in particular is one of the most devastating short stories i've ever read. it will knock you out. many such stories (in volumes like this) promise weirdness, this one really delivers. it may also say something (by implication) about the source of weird tales in general. "THE TESTAMENT OF ATHAMMAUS" on the other hand, is a hilarious account of an executed criminal who won't stay dead. many of the other tales in this volume are quite good as well. CLARK ASHTON SMITH at his best is one of the greatest writers of weird tales that ever lived. this volume contains some of his very best. don't miss it.

Average customer rating:

An Awesome Account Of An Important Part Of American History
Saturn V undressed.
"3-2-1- Liftoff with this Book"
photographs
A great review of the Saturn launch vehicle family

Saturn (Apogee Books Space Series)
Alan Lawrie
Manufacturer: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1894959191

Book Description

The complete story of the Saturn V Rocket is presented in this detailed history of each stage of the construction and testing process. From the drawing boards of Boeing, North American Aviation, and the Douglas company, through shipping materials on massive Super Guppy air transports, prototype engine firings, and wind tunnel tests, and finally to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center, every stage of the planning, production, and actual flight of the rocket is meticulously documented. The lives of the first 45 rocket stages built for the Saturn project are charted, including unprecedented information on the dates, times, and performance parameters for each stage, the facilities used in production, rare documentation of the stages that malfunctioned and the engines that exploded along the way. Details on the development of the F1 and J2 rocket engines and recently declassified photographs of the Saturn project are also included.

Customer Reviews:

An Awesome Account Of An Important Part Of American History.......2007-03-29

This is what it was all about. It is so fascinating to read about the research and development, as well as the engineering behind the greatest most powerful machine ever developed by man. The book lays out all the details. There are lots great photos and illustrations that really explain how this complicated machine functions. One interesting aspect is the explanation of how the engines function. You don't find that in too many books about the Saturn V rocket. If the reader is interested in the engineering and pieces and parts of the Saturn launch system, then Saturn is a must read. I strongly recommend this book.

Saturn V undressed........2007-02-19

Here is a level of detail that has rarely been seen on the subject of the mighty Saturn V. Amoung all the hype of getting people to the moon it was the LEM, Service Module and Command Module that took centre stage because thats where the people sat. The other 365 feet of machine had simply been forgotten.

Finally this important part of the apollo program has been reported in detail. Each stage is described with engineering detail down to the location of data link antennas. The F1 and J2 engines are also described in engineering detail down to the types materials the components are fabricated from. The design, fabrication and testing facillities are also described for all three stages of the Saturn V.

Amazingly most of this material came out of an archieve in England! That's how much NASA divested themselves from the entire project once it was over.

If you are a detail monger then this book must be on your shelf. The attached DVD presents the assembly of the Saturn V at the VAB in Florida and the launch of Apollo 11. The remander of the DVD shows footage of live engine tests at the various facillities (and one really nasty failure).

"3-2-1- Liftoff with this Book".......2006-08-16

If you remember and enjoyed the Apollo program you will love this book.Best yet play the DVD and crank it up on your surround sound when they test fire the engines.

photographs.......2006-08-11

Very good photographs and diagrams of the production work involved. Also includes photos of the transportation equipment required to move huge rocket parts to the Cape and other testing areas. Text is minimal. The DVD is basic in scope.

A great review of the Saturn launch vehicle family.......2006-06-16

The already impressive and prodigious output of Apogee has been further enhanced by this great volume on the Saturn launch vehicle program. The history of each piece of hardware is detailed along with each mission. As the distance in years between the events and our recollection of them grows, this volume preserves detail that may otherwise have disappeared into government archives or otherwise be lost forever before we return to the moon again.

Average customer rating:

Saturn
Very beautiful book
Breathtaking Visualizations of the Lord of the Rings
An Entirely Subjective Review
Wonderful Book, Breathtaking Photos

Saturn: A New View
Laura Lovett , Joan Horvath , and Jeff Cuzzi
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
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Book Description

After a journey of seven years and 2.2 billion miles, the spacecraft Cassini, with a probe named Huygens aboard, reached Saturn in July 2004, beginning a four-year tour to observe the remote planet, its rings, and its moons in depth. As a result of the spectacularly succesful Cassini-Huygens mission, photographs of astounding beauty have come streaming back to Earth, together with enough data to keep hundreds of scientists engrossed for decades. Reproduced here, in unprecedented detail and exquisite, high-quality format, are 150 of the best of those images, among them rings from the unlit side never visible from Earth and panoramas of the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.

This breathtaking volume, including authoritative essays on the planetary system and the mission, reveals the planet, its ethereally beautiful rings, and its 40+ moons in ways never before seen or recorded.

“Astonishing, amazing, and personal.”
— Dr. David Livingston

Host, The Space Show

Customer Reviews:

Saturn.......2007-06-08

For anyone who is interested in astronomy, especially when it relates to the planets in our solar system, this is a must have. The book beautifully describes and illustrates this elegant planet, providing detailed photos of it's body, rings and moons. I purchased this as a gift for my boyfriend and he absolutely LOVES it!

Very beautiful book.......2007-01-09

This book presents some very beautiful views of the Saturnian system as captured by the Casinni Spacecraft. It also provides some inciteful essays detailing the design, construction and operation of the spacecraft as well as the physics of the planet itself, its atmosphere and fascinating ring system and moons.

Breathtaking Visualizations of the Lord of the Rings.......2007-01-07

Lovett's Saturn book is a tribute to the Cassini mission science team in images. The visualizations tell so much about the new knowledge now being acquired from the spacecraft in orbit of the planet. While the book is short on scientific detail, it is not designed to be a scientific treatise. It will take years to digest what is now being witnessed. The many Saturnian moons hold so much new knowledge yet to be understood. The images only begin to tell the story but each is worth seeing while the experts struggle to explain their meaning. I HIGHLY recommend this book to the astronomer and the lay person alike. It is well worth every penny to share in the spellbinding images contained on nearly every page with a brief text description. This is a display of The Lord of the Rings!

An Entirely Subjective Review.......2007-01-06

My disclaimers up front. First, I have worked for JPL for close to 20 years; half of my career (including currently and during the entire period these photos were taken) has been spent supporting Cassini directly or indirectly. So there is no way I can even pretend to have an objective perspective. Second, this is my personal review and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cal Tech, JPL or NASA.

I love this book. It is so exciting as one small cog working on a mission to see the fruits of my labor being so prominently and publicly displayed. I put out semi-regular "astropics" newsletters to a group of family, friends, and now friends of friends who similarly love astronomy and JPL's missions. If I were to compile my favorite pics out of the years that I have been doing this, many of my favorites would be ones included in this book. I highly recommend this book to any lover of astronomy, old and new to learn the latest that is being revealed by this wonderful mission.

Chuck Kirby
Cassini Spacecraft Systems Engineer

Wonderful Book, Breathtaking Photos.......2006-12-27

Saturn, A New View

This book is perfect for the armchair scientist. I can't add much to the other reviews here, but will certainly add to the chorus of praise. This book is excellent. It is well-written, well-executed, and well-organized. Needless to say, it's the pictures that make the book so special. I get goosebumps thinking about the fact that there is actually a man-made spaceship orbiting Saturn RIGHT NOW. It's hard to describe the feeling. It's even cooler, of course, that we have a probe sitting on Titan!!!!!

Anyway, if you did nothing but bought the book for the pictures, it would be worth it. It's sort of designed as a "coffee-table book", but this one is actually worth reading and returning to. Thank you Lovett, Horvath, and Cuzzi! But mostly thank you Cassini and Hugyens for your fantastic, dangerous journey to Saturn [hey - if you can't anthropomorphize Cassini and Voyager and objects like that, what's the point of reading about science? :-) ].

My Rating System for Amazon.com
---------------------------------
5 Stars -- The best of the best. Made a real impact on me and/or represents a classic of the genre. Would read it again and recommend it without reservation.

4 Stars -- Very good. Loved it, recommend it to all. Some issues and/or doesn't rise to the level of "classic of the genre".

3 Stars -- Okay. Wouldn't read it again, but enjoyed it. Usually some major flaws or just very pedestrian.

2 Stars -- Not good. Don't recommend it. Some redeeming qualities. May be desired by some.

1 Star -- No redeeming qualities. Will never touch again. Warn people away.

Average customer rating:

Bova knows his science, but doesn't really know his characters (or human nature) very well
Politics Within a Miniworld
Easy Read, Light on Plot - Borrow, Don't Buy
out of gas
Readable but not Great

Saturn
Ben Bova
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Jupiter: A Novel (The Grand Tour)
Venus
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ASIN: 0312872186

Book Description

n novels like the bestsellers Venus and Jupiter, Ben Bova has been dramatizing the latest discoveries about our own solar system, and telling the epic tale of our own near-future exploration and development. Now Bova turns his attention to one of our system's greatest mysteries. Earth groans under the thumb of fundamentalist political regimes. Crisis after crisis has given authoritarians the upper hand. Freedom and opportunity exist in space, for those with the nerve and skill to take it. Now the governments of Earth are encouraging many of their most incorrigible dissidents to join a great ark, a one-way expedition twice Jupiter's distance from the Sun, to Saturn, the ringed planet that baffled Galileo and fascinated astronomers ever since. But humans will be human, on Earth or in the heavens-so amidst the idealism permeating Space Habitat Goddard are many individuals with long-term schemes, each awaiting their moment. And hidden from them is the greatest secret of all, the real purpose of this expedition, known to only a few . . .

Customer Reviews:

Bova knows his science, but doesn't really know his characters (or human nature) very well.......2007-03-26

After reading "Saturn", I debated whether I was going to give it two or three stars; I debated whether I was even going to read more of the series (Grand Tour books: "Venus" (best so far), "Jupiter" (3 stars), "Saturn", "Mercury", "Titan" (same characters as "Saturn"), The Rock Wars books. Are the two Mars books part of this series? The two Moonbase books?). I will most likely at last read one more; and I gave "Saturn" two stars - but I want to believe that Titan will redeem this set of characters in Bova's Grand Tour solar system.

As with the other books in this series (at least the ones I have read), Earth is in the grip of governments controlled by fundamentalist regimes. The Space Habitat Goddard is launching on a one-way trip to Saturn orbit; it is full of scientists and technicians and support personnel with the purpose of studying Saturn and its moon Titan (which appears to have some simple life living on it), most of which are against the Earth's current rulers. But, is this habitat also a bigger social experiment being conducted by The New Morality, one of Earth's ruling regimes?

The Holy Disciples, another of Earth's ruling theocracies, recruits Malcolm Eberly, a believer and a successful conman, from a prison in Vienna to be the head of the Human Resources department and the mission of taking control of the habitat and ensuring a path of righteousness for its population. Of course, the habitat is full of spies - some Eberly is aware of and some he is not - and his failure would mean a return to Earth and prison.

Okay...so what? Too many characters, not enough depth, and the tiring of the theocratic government angle make this book mostly a disappointment. You can't even figure out who to root for...Eberly isn't really a believer, but his seeming megalomania and desire to be loved make him pretty flawed...Holly, his assistant, is pretty much vacuous...the other characters are obviously evil, small minded (or both), or not that interested in the larger picture. Not even the science, which you can usually rely on Bova making interesting and hold his books together, is minimal until the end.

At face value, I would say pass on this book, but the reviews for "Titan" imply that the science is good and more featured in the direct sequel (but the reviews also dismiss the characters and their storylines as pontless). And, the reviews are pretty favorable for "Mercury" the book published in between "Saturn" and "Titan". In the end, read the Ben Bova Grand Tour books for the science...characters are not his strong suit and they are usually shallow and stereotypical and must be endured for the interesting science.

Politics Within a Miniworld.......2006-08-10

Saturn (2003) is the third SF novel in the Planet Novel series, following Jupiter. In this novel, the Goddard habitat is leaving its lunar orbit and traveling to an orbit around Saturn. The largest minority group aboard the habitat is the scientists sent to study the Saturn system, especially the moon Titan. Although the sponsors are happy to see the last of this ungodly crew, the hidden purpose of the mission is really not to gather planetary data, but as an experiment in human society. The anthropologist James Wilmot is the project chief for this experiment and reports back to New Morality headquarters in Atlanta.

Malcolm Eberly was recruited by the Holy Disciples to accompany the ten thousand persons on the habitat. He is a former swindler who has been released from prison for the trip. He and others of the fundamentalist cadre are supposed to take over the administration and impose an authoritarian government. His primary assistants are Ruth Morgenthau, Sammi Vyborg and Leo Kananga.

Susan Lane, Pancho Lane's sister, decides to leave Selene and travel to Saturn orbit on the Goddard habitat. She is enamored with Eberly. With encouragement from Eberly, she changes her name to Holly Lane.

Two other members of the Saturn mission have been sent by Pancho Lane to keep an eye on Holly. Manuel Gaeta is a stuntman who hopes to the first man on Titan. Kris Cardenas is a Nobel Prize laureate for her work on nanotechnology; she was instrumental in the death of Dan Randolph and has been in self-exile in the Belt. Both are accepted by Eberly, but are having problems with Edouard Urbain, the chief scientist.

Eberly was appointed as Director of the Human Resources Department of the Goddard habitat, with Holly as his assistant. They screened all ten thousand of the inhabitants from volunteers selected by the project sponsors: the New Morality, the Holy Disciples and the Sword of Islam. For the most part, these volunteers have been released from prisons where they were sentenced for political crimes: secularism, political agitation, and free thinking.

While Holly is the main protaganist in this novel, Eberly is the chief character. With his vices and virtues, he is the primary driving force in the storyline. All the other characters are fanatics or show little personal development; for example, Holly is an adolescent fixated on Eberly as a form of rebellion against her sister. Like Hamlet, Eberly never really does anything decisive, yet his feeble attempts at personal freedom set the stage for what little action occurs within the plotline.

This novel continues the tale of an Earth devastated by Global Warming and ruled by a coalition of religious fundamentalists. The natives are revolting and the fundamentalists are finding pure force to be less effective. Now they are trying subtle force and planning far ahead. The Goddard habitat is only one aspect of this plan.

Recommended for Bova fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of personal liberties, political manipulation, and social development.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Easy Read, Light on Plot - Borrow, Don't Buy.......2005-10-17

Bova's book Saturn describes the numerous plots and internal shenanigans of a crew headed for the ringed planet. We have the religious fundamentalists, the cynical politicians who try to manipulate everyone to their will, the spacy academics who focus on hard science and little else, and the anti-establishment folks who are trying to escape a cloying religious fanatic-led environment on earth. Needless to say, nearly every one of these characters has a very predictable role to play. There aren't any surprises on the USS Goddard, the giant exploration ship that takes this motley crew to Saturn. Its an easy read with fairly decent character development. More like a John Grisham novel than sophisticated science fiction. Buy it (better yet, borrow it!) for the beach.

out of gas.......2005-09-09

Dismal writing performance. Just as blah as Clarke's Rama series. The good SciFi writers have all run out of gas. I picked up the book thinking it would be a science adventure like Foster's The Dig, only to discover it was about politics as usual, and maybe 10% reference to things of science. The characters were stereotypical, and you could match item for item how the story was put together with his own SciFI writing method he published. For an early teen audience.

Readable but not Great.......2005-08-24

Saturn tells the story of a scientific expedition bound for the planet Saturn for the purpose of scientific exploration and colonization. Along the journey, various political factions emerge among the crew, and a group of outlaws attempts to democratically take over the colony and to establish a dictatorship.

Saturn is the first novel by Ben Bova that I have read. It is readable, but it is certainly not great. For one thing, the characters are generic, boring and underdeveloped. For another, some elements of the plot are just not credible. For example, Bova would have us believe that the colonists get so worked up about naming various buildings in their habitat that they hold colony-wide democratic elections to resolve this "grave" issue.

Nonetheless, the book is surprisingly readable. Saturn is written in flowing style and the plot is constantly moving forward. I never found myself bored, but was never really engaged either.

I read a lot of sci-fi and this book is not one of the better pieces in the genre. Bottom line, I don't recommend this book, but if you happen to get it and have nothing better to do, it's an ok way to pass a few hours.

Saturn Coupes/Sedans/Wagons, 1991-2002 (Chilton's Total Car Care Repair Manual)

Average customer rating:

Good, but the older one is better....

Saturn Coupes/Sedans/Wagons, 1991-2002 (Chilton's Total Car Care Repair Manual)
Matthew E. Frederick
Manufacturer: Haynes Manuals, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Actron CP9125 PocketScan Diagnostic Code Reader for OBDII (Post-1996) Vehicles

ASIN: 156392563X

Book Description

Total Car Care is the most complete, step-by-step automotive repair manual you'll ever use. All repair procedures are supported by detailed specifications, exploded views, and photographs. From the simplest repair procedure to the most complex, trust Chilton's Total Car Care to give you everything you need to do the job. Save time and money by doing it yourself, with the confidence only a Chilton Repair Manual can provide.

Customer Reviews:

Good, but the older one is better...........2006-08-15

A decent book for the motivated do-it-yourselfer. I am definitely glad I bought this book, as there were several key things I hadn't considered - like disabling the airbags before working on the electrical system in the console. Pretty easy to read and follow for a non-auto-mechanic.

I accidentally bought the 1991-1998 version of this same manual, although I have a 1999 Saturn. Even though the 1991-2002 version of this book covers more model years, it is thinner and has less detail. There are several points where I find myself referring back to the previous book (1991-1998) for pictures or a more detailed description of something.

Average customer rating:

Very Fine
Self-analysis
Indispensable
Read it
Pretentious, high-brow, dribble

Under the Sign of Saturn: Essays
Susan Sontag
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Against Interpretation: And Other Essays
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ASIN: 0312420080

Book Description

This third essay collection by Americas leading essayist brings together her most important critical writing from 1972 to 1980, in which she explores some of the most influential artists and thinkers of our time.

Customer Reviews:

Very Fine.......2006-06-19

Sontag has once again compiled an intelligent collection of essays on widely varying aesthetic topics. Though she begins with a rather artificial and patronizing obituary for the late man of letters Paul Goodman, whose body of work she is evidently less than enthused with, though she feels obliged to compare him to Sartre. The essay rings of false piety.

She moves into an expansive and favorable essay on Antonin Artaud, the great playwright and artist of the avant-garde movement. Sontag reviews the developments of his great career within the context of moralistic philosophic aesthetics, liking him with Nietzsche, then Sade, then Breton.

Yet the most impressive essay in Under the Sign is titled `Fascinating Fascism,' and it is truly fascinating. In it, Sontag overviews the work of filmmaker, actress, and photographer Leni Riefenstahl, the Nazi propagandist whose body of work includes the esteemed documentaries Triumph of the Will, and Olympia, the latter about the 1936 Olympic games. Sontag reviews Riefenstahl's book of photography on the Nuba tribe in Sudan, which is apparently breathtaking. Sontag concludes that Reifenstahl, despite her `de-Nazification' and renunciation of her political past is still enamored with a fascist ideal, valuing the masculine strength of the male Nuba and placing their bodies in the foreground, while the women remain vulnerable and tucked away in shadowy corners. The essay is highly provocative.

The title essay is about the great philosopher and literary critic Walter Benjamin, whom she reviews favorably. This essay provides some interesting tidbits of information that Hannah Arendt neglects to include in her introduction, such as Benjamin's apparent hatred for Heidegger's philosophy.

Also included in this volume is an excellent and terse review of Roland Barthes, and the fine novelist Elias Canetti, whom she holds in great esteem.

Self-analysis.......2004-11-21

This volume has been reread by me more than once. Sontag explains that her piece on Paul Goodman is being written in a small room in Paris. The author states she was not a friend of Goodman, although several of their worlds coincided with each other. She admired Goodman's work immensely. She describes his voice as cranky, egotistical, American. She finds him comparable, a unique voice, to D.H. Lawrence. Goodman wrote poetry, plays, novels, and social criticism. After the publication of GROWING UP ABSURD in 1960 Goodman was no longer an obscure writer. Sontag complains that he was often taken for granted, even by his admirers. She deems his amateurism identical with his genius.

Susan Sontag asserts that Antonin Artaud failed in his work and his life. His work consisted of a vast collection of fragments. Artaud described intellectual distress. He considered consciousness as process. A leading theme was the link between suffering and writing. All of Artaud's writing was in the first person. He welcomed Surrealism. Artaud's idea of revolution diverged from the Surrealists. He started in poetry. By 1926 in his search for the total art form, Artaud was doing theatrical work. Sontag holds that Artaud offers the greatest quantity of suffering in literature.

The author produces a devastating analysis of the pretensions of Leni Riefenstahl. Sontag's discussion of Alpine movie epics is engaging. Riefenstahl is identified with the Nazi era. Sontag contends that her pbotography book, THE LAST OF THE NUBA, completed thirty years after that era continued to exemplify Nazi ideology.

Walter Benjamin is the subject of the title essay. Benjamin found Saturnine elements in Baudelaire, Proust, Karl Kraus, and even Goethe. To him, subject to melancholy, solitutde appeared to be the fit state of man. Benjamin collected emblem books. His relations with others were complex, veiled. Benjamin felt an affinity to the baroque and the Surreal. He had a microscopic gaze. Benjamin was a wanderer and a collector. By miniaturizing things they became portable. Benjamin wrote that the melancholic permits himself the pleasure of allegory. His characteristic form was the essay.

The piece on Elias Canetti stresses the writer's acquisition of languages. German became the language of his mind. As a child he had spoken Ladino. He had a taste for fanciful blends of knowledge. Canetti was rather close to Freud in technique and interests, but not Freudian. Sontag describes CROWDS AND POWER as an eccentric book.

The essays in this volume are both serious and lively.

Indispensable.......1999-11-24

There are many reasons to read Susan Sontag. Two of them are her brilliant essays on Walter Benjamin and Elias Canetti that appear in this volume. Both works suggest as much about Sontag and her intellectual and moral values as they do about Benjamin and Canetti. If you care about twentieth-century European intellectual history, don't miss Sontag on Benjamin and Canetti.

Read it.......1999-10-27

Susan Sontag is "highbrow." Her essays have scope and intellectual ambition, which readers who have an allergy to these qualities may find "pretentious." She can almost mercilessly point out when something is derivative, weakly conceived, or a sell-out. She has a commitment to cinema as High Art; she takes the contemporary novel to task for being complacent and reactionary; she has a particularly sharp eye for intellectual fraud. Readers who are only interested in marching under one banner or another, or come equipped with biases or blind spots they are proud of, will probably find her annoying.

Sontag may be guilty of "neglecting to take into consideration" entertainment or commercial value, but I'm not sure why it necessarily is a requirement for her to take these things into consideration, since so many others are happily doing so. The fact that a film enjoyed great commercial value does not necessarily exempt it from being an example of "fascist aesthetics"; it simply may mean that it was a fantastically successful example of fascist aesthetics. Sontag was writing at a time when many used the word "fascism" in a very kneejerk way, as though it was this mysterious bad thing, an unknowable plague. Sontag doesn't allow herself such a simplistic attitude. She shows that in fact fascism has many attractive aspects, which is why its aesthetic still turns up everywhere, from Michael Jackson videos to Pink Floyd's The Wall to the WWF. I'm not sure she necessarily thinks this a bad thing; Americans, as we always like to remind the world, are free to enjoy whatever we enjoy, but at least we should not be dishonest about giving things their true names.

The judgement that this writer is a product of "1960s anti-establisment, feminist movement that views anything organized or male-oriented as fascist" is just a inaccurate, vague generalization whose purpose is to dismiss Sontag without having really read or thought about what she is saying. Sontag has skewered "anti-establishment types" and various feminists with the same lack of mercy she dispenses to Arthur Miller and Norman Mailer. Nobody's obligated to read Sontag or like the kind of criticism she practices. But for anyone really interested in cinema, art, theater, the novel, and related subjects, she's essential.

Pretentious, high-brow, dribble.......1999-05-24

When Sontag analyzes the film making style of Leni Riefenstahl, she makes numerous references to the use of the "fascist aesthetics." Sontag's book, Under the Sign of Saturn, drones on about the use of this style of filmmaking employed by both fascist and communist regimes. This genre displays a "preoccupation with situations of control, submissive behavior, extravagant effort, and the endurance of pain; they endorse two seemingly opposite states, egomania and servitude. The relations of domination and enslavement take the form of characteristics pageantry: the massing of people/things around an all-powerful, hypnotic leader figure or force. The fascist dramaturgy centers on the orgiastic transitions between mighty forces and their puppets, uniformly garbed and shown in ever swelling numbers. Its choreography alternates between ceaseless motion and congealed, static, 'virile posing. Fascist art glorifies surrender, it exalts mindlessness, it glamorizes death" (New York: Doubleday, 1980, p. 91). To her credit, Sontag goes on to point out that films such as Disney's Fantasia, Berkeley's The Gangs All Here, and Kubrick's 2001 all fit the fascist art form. At least, she admits that not all films that fit this style are made under dictatorial governments. The tone of her attack on this genre of film would lead one believe, that she was a student of Siegfried Kracauer. Someone blindly lumping all film together as commentary on their society and neglecting to take into consideration their entertainment or commercial value. In fairness to Sontag, one must consider when she made her observations of Riefenstahl. In 1980, the United States was still reeling from the affects of the Viet Nam conflict. Susan Sontag is most probably a product of the 1960's anti-establishment, feminist movement that views anything organized or male oriented as fascist. In the 1999, Sontag's self serving opinions and criticisms seem as antiquated prohibition was as solution to public drunkenness.

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