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.

Average customer rating:

Thank you
The miracle worker
good book
You !#$!@#$!@#s!
"She knows!"

The Miracle Worker
William Gibson
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743457587

Book Description

NO ONE COULD REACH HER

Twelve-year-old Helen Keller lived in a prison of silence and darkness. Born deaf, blind, and mute, with no way to express herself or comprehend those around her, she flew into primal rages against anyone who tried to help her, fighting tooth and nail with a strength born of furious, unknowing desperation.

Then Annie Sullivan came. Half-blind herself, but possessing an almost fanatical determination, she would begin a frightening and incredibly moving struggle to tame the wild girl no one could reach, and bring Helen into the world at last....

Customer Reviews:

Thank you.......2007-03-23

Thank you very much/ this item was in perfect condition when I got it, it was received in a very timely matter, this was one of my favorite stories when I was little and I am glad to have it!
Thank you

The miracle worker.......2006-02-28

I chose this book "The miracle worker" because I knew it was going to be about the adventure of Helen Keller and the way she learned to communicate with her hands because she was blind and deaf. My feelings about the story after I read it was that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything. Yes, this book was what I thought it would be. I felt the same way about the book after I read it. My feelings didn't change because it turned out the way that I expected.

This story is about a teacher who had one of the same problems as the child she was teaching so she knew what her student was going through. The teacher and the child become the worst of enemies but then realize how much they really care about each other. They go through rough times but at the end everything falls into place. It is a true story of Helen Keller and Annie. The parents go through a difficult time watching the teacher, Annie, teach Helen as if she were a regular child. They think that the teacher is not a very good teacher. In the beginning, they want Annie to leave but later on they see that Annie is going to be the one who gets through to Helen.

Two reasons why I like this book is because it shows that anything is possible if you try hard enough and that you can get through to the most stubborn person in the world.

I think that this book is for the age of twelve years old and up. I chose twelve years old and up because you need to be able to understand what you're reading. Twelve year olds also have a good variety of vocabulary. So I suggest that you read this book because it will give you a great feeling inside!

I would give this book a five out of five rating because it is a very good book!!!

This book is about a girl who finds herself with the help of a teacher, everyone should read this book and I promise you that you will not waste your time!!!

good book.......2006-02-26

This is a very good book about the truth of a little who is in bad shape and then made it throuth with help. And parents who are willing to give for their little girl who is having a hard time and can't see or hear and speak.

You !#$!@#$!@#s!.......2005-12-06

Before I start the unpleasentries, I would just like to state that I enjoy reading this play, and am currently reading it again for my High School English class. Now, on with the beatings . . .
You idots! Going on about "CyberPunk" and all that crapola!!!
If you had any shred of brains in those empty heads of yours, you would have checked to see if this was in fact a "CyberPunk" book. I highly doubt that you've never heard of this play before, and I charge you not to scoff at others who enjoy this sort of literature! If you really don't like it, then say so, instead of comparing to some "CyberPunk" book. If you have read the book and honestly don't like it, then my humble apollogizes for my ranting.
~An Appalled 14 Year Old BiP

"She knows!".......2005-06-06

William Gibson's "The Miracle Worker" is as poignant and powerful today as it was back in 1957, when it was first performed on "Playhouse 90." Annie Sullivan is an "inexperienced half-blind Yankee schoolgirl" who attempts to reach seven-year-old Helen Keller, a child who became deaf and blind as a result of a childhood illness. Helen's father, Captain Keller, is a southern gentleman who is used to being obeyed. However, even he stands helplessly by in the face of Helen's violent and disruptive outbursts. Mrs. Keller, Helen's mother, is a sweet and loving person who pities Helen, and by giving in to her every whim, she helps turn her daughter into a demanding tyrant.

Annie Sullivan is only twenty when she comes to Alabama to become Helen's teacher. Annie had been blind herself, and although numerous operations on her eyes have restored some of her sight, her eyes remain weak and sensitive to light. Annie is appalled when she meets her volatile and undisciplined charge. The teacher sets out to civilize Helen by instructing her to eat from her own plate with utensils rather than grab food from everyone else's plate with her hands. This leads to an angry confrontation between teacher and student, which leaves both of them emotionally and physically drained. William Gibson's five page long stage directions describe in great detail this pitched battle between these two stubborn individuals. After this harrowing encounter, Annie realizes that only by separating Helen from her indulgent family can she ever hope to tame this brilliant but willful youngster.

"The Miracle Worker" is a beautifully constructed and concise play. Each act builds in intensity until the climactic scene when Helen associates the water that pours over her hands with the letters that Annie is constantly spelling into her palm. However, this drama is more than a heartwarming story about a dedicated teacher and her out-of-control student. It is a story about a family divided against itself. Captain Keller is an overbearing husband and father, Mrs. Keller is a mother in denial, and Helen's half-brother, James, never gets enough positive attention from his parents.

Gibson injects welcome humor into the play, as when Annie proclaims, "What good will your pity do her [Helen] when you're under the strawberries, Captain Keller?" In addition, Annie criticizes the family for treating Helen like a pet, adding sardonically, "Why, even a dog you housebreak." Some of the most resonant lines in "The Miracle Worker" deal with the importance of communication. Annie wisely observes, "Language is to the mind more than light is to the eye." If Helen is to ever function as an adult, she will need to learn sign language. To accomplish this, Annie seeks a breakthrough that will enable her to bring Helen's spirited soul out of the darkness of her isolation. When Annie drags Helen to a water pump to refill a pitcher she had dropped, Helen says, "Wah. Wah," remembering the word for water from babyhood. After the realization dawns on Helen that words stand for objects, Annie senses that, in the future, there will be no stopping this bright young woman from soaring as far as her lively mind will take her.

Average customer rating:

Low on substance
IMPORTANT BOOK GREAT IDEAS.
Let Go Of Clutter
Letting go is hard to do....
GREAT BOOK!

Let Go of Clutter
Harriet Schechter
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0071351221

Book Description

Almost everyone struggles with clutter. Overflowing desks at work…overstuffed closets and piles of mail at home…overwhelmed minds all the time.… No wonder so many people say they are “drowning in clutter.” In Let Go of Clutter, organizing expert Harriet Schechter presents a fresh approach to overcoming the natural urge to accumulate objects and information. Dispensing equal doses of help, hope, and humor, she provides effective and realistic options for anyone who juggles too much stuff, too many decisions, and too little time. Featuring the innovative insights and time-tested techniques that have already helped thousands of Schechter’s clients and seminar attendees worldwide, Let Go of Clutter: - Shows how to shed sentimental stuff without fear of regret - Provides easy-to-use forms and checklists that help readers decide what to jettison and what to keep - Includes action plans with systems for conquering all types of clutter—past, present and future

Customer Reviews:

Low on substance.......2007-08-19

The reviews for this book are so overwhelmingly positive, I figured it *must* be good. Bad assumption! I gleaned very little usable information from this book. The author uses far too much space defining terms, relating her own experiences, and trying to be cute.

Even worse, as another reviewer noted, the author's tone is a bit condescending. Despite her purported years of experience as a professional organizer, she doesn't seem to have a good handle on what causes people to develop clutter problems. Her extensive use of coined words is annoying. The material is poorly organized, jumping around at times. Also, the writing drags in places; it could have used a more thorough editing. Overall, the writing and material presented is of low quality.

For example, in a chapter on how to clear out sentimental clutter, the author's advice can be distilled into one largely unhelpful sentence, "Save only objects that evoke pleasant or poignant feelings; don't keep anything that makes you feel stressed or upset." Okay, that makes sense, but is that really going to do me any good? I could have used suggestions on how to mentally unhook objects from memories. Then the author goes on to introduce terms such as "clutterabilia" and "memorabiliac." (And she's just getting started! Watch out for "paperosis" and "redundabundance.") Is having a coined word going to solve anything?

In dealing with the fear of getting rid of something and then regretting it, the author admonishes, "If you do find yourself grieving over the loss of something that was never alive to begin with, you need more help than I can give you, and I urge you to seek counseling." At this point, I think she has dismissed most of her readers. She continues without compassion, "Your regrets are...a poor excuse for you to keep hanging onto clutter." Tough love?

Some people might find the author's tone helpful, but I was totally put off by it. I would recommend a thorough perusal of the excerpt available online before investing in this book. It should have been a giveaway to me that so many copies are available used. Maybe the sellers took the author's suggestion to only hold onto things that are useful.

IMPORTANT BOOK GREAT IDEAS. .......2005-10-22

Well organized. Strong on the HOW TO. I purchased an additional 10 books to give to friends and family. Easy read. Importand information for my senior clients as well. Thanks for asking.

Let Go Of Clutter.......2005-10-02

Book arrived in a timely fashion and was in good condition.

Letting go is hard to do...........2003-08-19

Conquer your clutter. Stop being a slave to your stuff. Understand why it's so hard to get rid of things.

What would your life be like if you could accomplish these three things? How much happier would you be? How much more peaceful would your life be?

Author Harriet Schechter gives you a step-by-step solution in her book, Let Go of Clutter.

In the first chapter, Why Letting Go is So Hard to Do, Schechter explains why we may be biologically programmed to accumulate, why the fear of regret keeps us from discarding stuff, and how society encourages us to gather more and more.

Chapter 4, Purging Paper and Preventing Piles, is another favorite chapter. The author walks us through the method she uses with her clients to quickly sort and purge paper piles. She recommends a File Index, and shows you how to set it up for your household.

The last part of the book looks to the future and explains how to keep your home clean once you've decluttered it.

This book is filled with lots of fill-in-the-blank forms and step-by-step pathways to take you from clutter-filled to clutter-free.

If your clutter is taking over and you've reached the end of your rope with no idea where to start, check out Let Go of Clutter.

GREAT BOOK!.......2003-04-27

Got a kid, then you understand the true meaning of the word pandemonium. I bought it for the wife hoping we could figure out how to clean up after "the kid" our 3 y/o son, and organize her accumilated junk(wife's a pack rat). Needless to say, she nor i read it through to the end, but the bit i read was an interesting approach. I still trip over tonka trucks & lego blocks, the insects need a treadmill and the newspaper pile is now a permanent corner structure. Maybe one day I'll finish the book....its a step in the right direction. Buy it.

Miracle Workers, Reformers, and the New Mystics

Average customer rating:

Miracle Workers, Reformers, and the New Mystics
Excellent!
Miracle Workers, Reformers, etc.
Great
Great Book

Miracle Workers, Reformers, and the New Mystics
John Crowder
Manufacturer: Destiny Image Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0768423503

Book Description

Miracle Workers, Reformers and the New Mystics contains more than 70 photos, illustrations, and biographies of men and women whose lives have demonstrated the phenomenal throughout the ages. Let their stories inspire you to join their ranks as part of this coming revival generation.

Customer Reviews:

Miracle Workers, Reformers, and the New Mystics.......2007-06-10

This is an inspiring, uplifting, encouraging and well documented record of past and present miraculous healing ministries and predicts what can be expected in our future. I could not put it down and will use it for reference to encourage others. We have purchased several copies as gifts for friends, as we believe this book should be on every serious Christian's book shelves.

Excellent!.......2007-05-26

This is the best book i ever read. i really liked reading about the early mystics, their love for God and the miracles that God worked through them. Also, it was encouraging that we also will experience the greater works in these end times!!!

Miracle Workers, Reformers, etc........2007-05-12

This is a real blessing to find someone who has put together all this information. Very encouraging and inspiring.

Great.......2007-02-23

I really loved reading this book. It's full of historical accounts, documenting amazing supernational events surrounding real people, living real lives. I grew up in the church and was familiar with many names, but had no real understanding of who these people were or the context of thier lives. I was surprised at how quickly I read from cover to cover, bearly putting it down. I loved it and have given it as gifts since. Thanks to the author for a great work!!

Great Book.......2007-02-05

Awesome book that will inspire you to live a supernatural spiritual life. Good overview of all historical christian movements and radical people for the Lord. The author is a bit hard to follow at times and the editing could have been better, but it's all good and I didn't mind. I saw John Crowder speak and he's a wild man for the Lord himself. I never saw so many people slayed in the spirit before. When he got up to me I refused to go down unless the Lord put me down. This dude came up behind me and made the funniest most random noise in my ear and sure enough I went down laughing. I laughed for a good 10 minutes on the floor and that was just what I needed.

St Francis of Paola: Gods Miracle Worker Supreme

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Review from the Publisher
POWERFUL AND INSPIRING

St Francis of Paola: Gods Miracle Worker Supreme
Gino J. Simi
Manufacturer: Tan Books & Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Review from the Publisher.......2001-03-09

The first biography in English of this major saint (1416-1507). Cured the sick, raised the dead, walked on water, and prophesied the future. Having lived to 91, he influenced the reign of seven Popes and five kings, and was canonized just 12 years after his death. His life was a continuous stream of miracles, yet few in the English-speaking world today have heard of him, for which reason the authors have written this book. During the period of preparation of this manuscript, we heard of four remarkable cures through his intercession implored by the people working on the book. 165pp. PB. Imprimatur.

POWERFUL AND INSPIRING.......1998-09-23

THE AUTHOR BESIDE WRITING AN ACCURATE HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THAT TIME, IS ABLE TO GIVE YOU AN INSPIRING IMAGE OF THE SAINT AND OF HIS POWERFUL MAGNETISM THAT IS STILL WITHDRAWING HUNDREDS OF FAITHFULS ALL AROUND THE WORLD. AN INCREDIBLE AND TRANSPORTING ADVENTURE IN THE PAST YET FULLY MAGNETIC, DEVOTIONAL AND INSIPRING. I WILL RECOMMEND IT TO ALL!!!!!

The Song of Bernadette (Religious Miracle Fiction Series)

Average customer rating:

Initial misgivings overcome
Masterful and moving
I recommend this book to *you.*
Franz Werfel's Reflections on Two Moments of Grace
makes surprisingly good reading

The Song of Bernadette (Religious Miracle Fiction Series)
Franz Werfel
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312034296

Book Description

This is the famous and highly acclaimed classic work that tells the true story surrounding the miraculous visions of St. Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, France in 1858. Werfel, a highly respected literary writer who was an outspoken anti-Nazi from Vienna, became a Jewish refugee who barely escaped death from the Nazis in 1940, and wrote this moving story to fulfill a promise he made to God. Thus the story of how this book about a miracle came to be written is in itself something of a miracle.

As he and his wife were hiding out in the little village of Loudres while trying to escape to freedom in the USA during WWII, Werfel felt the Nazi noose tightening around them and realizing that they might well be caught and executed, he made a promise to God to write about the "song of Bernadette" that he had been deeply inspired by during their clandestine stay in Lourdes.

An amazing aspect of this powerful portrayal of a Catholic saint and an essentially Catholic story is that Werfel was a rather secular Jew, and yet he was so deeply impressed by both Bernadette and the happenings at Lourdes, that his writing has a profound sense of Catholicism's sacramental imagination about the world.

Customer Reviews:

Initial misgivings overcome.......2007-08-07

At first this book annoyed me. The reason was that, being cast in the form of a novel, the author has been obliged to invent conversations, thoughts, motives, situations, and details of personality.

Furthermore, he has probably introduced a fictitious minor character now and then. Specifically, he has cast Sister Vauzous, who was Bernadette's novice master when she later entered the convent at Nevers, as her unsympathetic school teacher in Lourdes.

Several scenes are set in the schoolroom, yet I suspect Bernadette never went to school. The only language she spoke before entering the convent was Gascon, and visitors from Paris who wished to interview her needed an interpreter. Had she gone to school, she would have been able to speak at least a modicum of French.

In spite of these initial misgivings, the sweep of the story and the vividness of the writing eventually drew me in, and I frequently found myself very moved by it. The story of the apparitions and of the stir they created locally and nationally is convincingly told, and the simplicity of Bernadette's character is beautifully presented. Furthermore, it is astonishing that the author, who was not a Catholic or even a Christian, has been able to enter so successfully both the spiritual and political worlds of Catholicism.

I recommend the book highly. Catholic readers will find their faith deepened by it, but others will still find it a compelling story well told.

Masterful and moving.......2007-03-02

This book should be THE standard for religious fiction. Rarely have I read a book in which the subject is so excellently handled. The story is interesting and very moving, without being melodramatic. It begins with Bernadette in a sort of wide focus. The narrator does not make the claim that Bernadette's visions are authentic,but rather allows the story itself to slowly show the truth of the situation. As the plot progresses, the focus narrows, and we see just who and what Bernadette really is. By the end of the book, we, the reader are convinced (without being forced) that Bernadette is an authentic visionary of the Blessed Virgin. This is probably the finest novel that I have ever read, and I am a prolific and avid reader. One caveat- the historical details in this book are not 100% accurate. If one wants to find a more historically accurate account of Saint Bernadette, read Bernadette Speaks, which is also a brilliant book.

I recommend this book to *you.*.......2004-08-18

My title of this review, "I recommend this book to *you*" may seem rather bold; after all, I don't know who may or may not come along and read this review.

But I stand by that title. Whoever you are, gentle reader, I recommend this book to you. It is one of those universal classics that powerfully, skillfully, and with thoroughgoing integrity, addresses a truly universal phenomenon: the encounter of mortal, corporeal, limited human beings with the numinous.

That's something we all share, no matter our language or religion. One day we are walking along, leading our workaday lives, and -- something happens. Something that just does not fit in what we can conceive of as real. We have a dream, we see, however fleetingly, a ghost, we know something we should not have known.

How do we respond? What is the proper response?

A related question: Human suffering. Why? What is God *thinking*? Or, isn't human suffering proof that there is no God?

Franz Werfel's "Song of Bernadette" takes up these questions, questions that every sentient creature must ponder at least once in his or her lifetime. And Werfel does a bang-up job.

Werfel himself was no stranger to either phenomenon. He knew suffering, and he knew the numinous. He had previously written of the Armenian genocide. He was a Jew escaping from Hitler when he, inspired by a trip to Lourdes in his escape, undertook to complete a vow and write something that would honor what he experienced there.

I was wary of this book. Mindful of the Jennifer Jones - Vincent Price movie (what a combo), I expected a spongy, pious, icky book. Boy, was I wrong.

From the start, the reader realizes that no matter what else he is, Werfel was an excellent writer. Born in Prague, he was a peer of Franz Kafka and had an established reputation before he began "Song," having been voted the most popular author in the German language in 1926, and having won the Grillparzer Prize, the Schiller Prize, and the Czechoslovakian State Prize, among others.

One of Werfel's great gifts is that he doesn't try to sell you anything that you don't want to buy. He uses his literary skill to recreate a humble peasant's life for you, to drag you into a grim dwelling where an ordinary peasant girl is doing her chores, and coughing asthmatically. Believe me; this is not a child you feel any temptation to worship. She could be anyone, anyone. From these particulars, Werfel creates a universal tale.

Now, the tough part. Werfel, of course, is writing about GOD. That topic that makes people get crazy with each other. And he's writing about a miracle, an event that, by its definition, defies human belief.

I'll be frank. I'm a lifelong Catholic. And *I* find Bernadette Soubirous' story hard to believe. Were I sick, I would not seek healing at Lourdes; I'd go to a medical doctor.

This is where Werfel's skill as a writer really shines. He does not even attempt to describe the miracles in a believable way. Rather, he describes the *reactions* of observers in a way that I found completely believable. I believe that average people, when confronted with the numinous, would react exactly as the characters in Werfel's book are described as reacting.

Werfel never converted to Catholicism. After reading his masterful book, I, a Catholic, have more questions than answers about what really happened - and about what really continues to happen - at Lourdes. Indeed, those not at all Catholic, but interested in the power of the mind to heal the body, have included Lourdes on their research itineraries.

It was Werfel who first gave me pause about Bernadette, and about Lourdes. Without having read his book, I think I would have dismissed Bernadette, had I given her any thought at all, as a hoaxer, or as someone with some mental disability. Isn't that how we usually respond when confronted with the numinous, but at a distance? Werfel provides us with portraits of people who respond exactly that way, and others who have to handle the numinous when confronted with it at first hand. The contrasts are wonderfully drawn, as are the occasional conversions.

As Werfel so wonderfully says, "for those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible."

We all, at some moment or another, wrestle with ourselves to discover on what side of that line we take our stand. At such moments, we could do worse than pick up Werfel's "Song of Bernadette."

Franz Werfel's Reflections on Two Moments of Grace.......2002-05-06

The Jewish author Franz Werfel wrote this novel after stopping at Lourdes on his way out of Nazi-occupied Europe. Impressed by what he observed at the famous shrine, he vowed that if he ever reached "the saving shores of America", he would do his best to "sing the song of Bernadette". As his wish was granted, his vow was honored. Interestingly, during the course of the novel, published at a time of extreme religious intolerance in Europe, we learn that Protestants as well as Jews also make pilgrimages to Lourdes.
The story is about the life of Bernadette Soubirous, an asthmatic fourteen-year-old peasant girl whose family have fallen on hard times. Noteworthy is the fact that Bernadette's mother, Louise, had a gift for healing the sick as other women of the Saint's matrilineal line.
The first apparition takes place on February 11, 1858 after her father has a lamentable day doing menial labor, and she, her sister, Marie, and friend, Jeanne Abadie are sent to collect firewood for their home. The ailing Bernadette stays on one side of the freezing pond water to prevent her asthma from becoming worse while the other go ahead, and in a frightening, tense moment, she is greeted by a pixie-like lady with a white veil,a white gown, dark hair, blue eyes, and a blue sash with a gold rose on each foot who smiles consistently.
In the days and weeks that follow, Bernadette's friends and foes align themselves either in her favor or against her. But miracles in the grotto take place when a blinded stonecutter and an ailing infant are among the first to be healed by water from the spring that the Lady told Bernadette to dig. However, moments of vindication for Bernadette come slowly. Eventually, she even wins the approval of the Empress Eugenie, who dispatches her son's governess to get some of the water to help heal him.
With the words "I am the Immaculate Conception", the Apparition of 1858 also answered the issue about how the Mother of Christ had to be conceived without sin at a time when the Catholic Church had begun to discuss that topic at length.
The Lady promises Bernadette that she will not be granted happiness in this life, but only in the next. Indeed, the story follows Bernadette through the 13 years she spent in the Convent of Nevers (where her incorrupt remains are on display to this day), being tormented by a jealous nun, and helping to nurse soldiers during the Franco-Prussian War. The ailing soldiers called for her more than any other nurse.
After dealing with many ailments and tragedies(her mother died shortly after she entered the convent in 1866), Bernadette, who never loses her sense of humour through it all, dies of tuberculosis at the age of 35 in 1879. She was canonized in 1933 and is one of the favorite modern Saints of the Catholic Church.
When Franz Werfel's own story becomes intertwined with Bernadette's, we realize that we are presented with two stories about moments of grace; that of a humble peasant girl's priviledge of seeing the Mother of God face to face, and of a non-Christian's finding solace in the Visionary's native village, and ultimately escaping his persecutors.
Werfel, in fulfillment of his vow to write about the young Seeress if his own mortal life was saved from the Nazis, has done Bernadette great justice, exposing more people to her life story in an entertaining and engaging way.

makes surprisingly good reading.......2002-01-16

Catholic or not, you may be amazed at this story of the eccentric teenage girl who unwittingly initiates a spiritual movement. She's only doing what her vision of "the Lady" tells her to do, from eating dirt to putting her face into thorns.
It is a difficult but well-crafted novel. I read the Ludwig Lewisohn translation from the original (there may be others).

While Bernadette and her family suffer harrassment from the authorities, they are supported by the people of the community, who wish so badly to believe in a miracle. I enjoyed the scene where, secretly and after dark, the workmen construct a basin to contain the trickle of water discovered by Bernadette. It miraculously is a flowing spring!

Book Description

This brief biography of Padre Pio is designed to introduce readers to one of the most popular and beloved saints of the 20th century. The book presents a life sketch of the famous mystic and miracle worker that is laced with quotations from his writing and that describes his spirituality.

Customer Reviews:

A Man of Wonder, A Beautiful Book.......2006-12-10

At the age of ten, I discovered the stigmatist, Padre Pio - a man of many wonders. To a ten year old, he was a super hero, a man of many powers. As an adult, he is still a super hero to me, but in another way. Padre Pio embodied all that is holy and was yet so human.

Meet Padre Pio is a wonderful book. We see Padre Pio as a human, not just a saint and a holy man. This book takes us from his early days as a child all the way to his death and beyond. We meet a charming man with a beautiful soul. We experience the first appearance of his stigmata and the many miracles that follow. Many of his relationships with friends and family are intimately revealed and show a very caring man with a wonderful sense of humor.

Whether you consider yourself religious or not, pick up this book. It is a wonderful read which introduces a marvelous man to it's readers. You can't help but smile when you read this book!

AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK, AN EXTRAORDINARY SOUL.......2001-11-08

Here is another book, about an extraordinary person, Padre Pio, by Patricia Treece, an extraordinary writer!

With clear, precise, telling strokes, Treece makes us see, and feel, who Padre Pio was and how he lived according to the divine light that infused his whole being.

As with other saints Treece has profiled, we are again amazed at how a person can live with great pain and physical frailties, and, because of them or in spite of them, reach incredible spiritual heights and demonstrate incredible spiritual powers.

The author?s words prove equal to the task and do honor to Padre Pio, as when she writes: ?God definitely toys with those He loves in games of spiritual hide-and-seek, or a kind of spiritual yo-yoing that is meant to make a soul utterly pliant in God?s hands.?

I found Padre Pio?s own words deeply thought-provoking, as when tells Padre Eusebio: ?Listen, my son, you think, like many others, that sin is the breaking of the law, but it?s not that but infidelity to love.?

Ultimately, it is not words, but a person?s life that matters, and the author has captured Padre Pio?s most instructive and inspiring life poignantly.

Rolf Gompertz, Author of 'A Jewish Novel About Jesus' and 'Sparks of Spirit'

Meeting Padre Pio.......2001-11-05

Patricia Treece gives us a well-written and easy-to-read insight into the life of Blessed Padre Pio. Though it is a short book, it nevertheless leaves you with an appreciation of this significant figure of the last century. I lived in Italy some fourteen years and came to hear about him (through Italian relatives who visited him), though I never met him. I now have met him through this book! The author handles the controversial aspect of his life well; and I do remember that. It is a book well worth reading and passing along to others.

Start to Know a Great Saint Friend.......2001-10-19

If you don't know much about Padre Pio here is a great way to get started. Patricia Treece, author of numerous popular books about miracles and saints, has an engaging journalistic style vs. a gooey sugary style that might turn you off. Divided into paragraphs with sub-titles it lets you read as if it were such classics as The Little Flowers of St. Francis.
If you do know Padre Pio well, as I do, it is still delightful to hear about him again - like hearing a favorite love-song replayed after many years to a new beat.

Kathryn Kuhlman: A Spiritual Biography of God's Miracle Worker

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A Woman Who Changed Lives!
Nice book
BUY A DIFFERENT BOOK!

Kathryn Kuhlman: A Spiritual Biography of God's Miracle Worker
Roberts Liardon
Manufacturer: Whitaker House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0883688379

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A Woman Who Changed Lives!.......2007-04-25

Have you ever heard a talk or read something written by a person who made an indelible impression on you for the rest of your life, even long after you forgot the name of that person? That's the effect of the dynamic, Spirit-filled messages of the late Kathryn Kuhlman on thousands and thousands of people throughout the United States in the middle and latter half of the twenty-first century! May 9th is the 100th birthday of Ms. Kuhlman, and so this reissue of her biography is a welcome and, indeed, vital text for our times!

Roberts Liardon, notable spiritual historian, has provided a succinct but pivotal biography of "God's miracle worker," as Ms. Kuhlman was and still is called. Not surprisingly, Kathryn Kuhlman hated being called a "faith healer." Author Liardon carefully, in agreement with Ms. Kuhlman's faith focus, emphasizes her total reliance on Spirit's lead and her humble stance of knowing only that could make possible the miracles that people of all denominations experienced during her lifetime.

Paying the cost and abandoning the self-centered life are the other central tenets of Kathryn's walk with God - a total offering that the Body of God might be blessed!

This is a small but power-packed biography with the addition of several of Ms. Kuhlman's sermons and radio talks. Timely, thrilling, straight-talking, and inspirational, Roberts Liardon has given readers a phenomenal birthday gift from Kathryn Kuhlman! Read it and relish the reality that may open you to a miracle!

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on April 24, 2007

Nice book.......2006-02-07

This updated version of Robert Lairdon's previous edition is a really nice improvement. Great photos from the Kuhlman Foundation. All in all a nice book about a fascinating faith healer and well worth the price.

BUY A DIFFERENT BOOK!.......2006-02-04

Other than recommending that Witaker House (publisher) employ an editor to attack the oh-so poorly written copy before the next printing, I recommend that they choose which of the following photographs OF THE SAME VENUE is correct - I believe that Carnegie Hall (New York) is no-where near Miami:-

Page 25 top plate, given as Carnegie Hall 1975, but on page 99 bottom plate, the SAME CRUSDAE MEETING is given as Miami 1975.

I cannot believe that I actually paid money for this book which is not only poorly written but carries the same photograph as if it was of different crusades in two different cities.

I would like to return the book to Amazon for a refund but that would mean wasting money on postage - I feel enough has already been wasted on the book.

Before you jump out of your chairs and brand me an unbeliever... I am a Pentecostal Christian and I believe in TRUTHFULNESS and accuracy, unlike this book's publisher, author Roberts Liardon or the Kuhlman Foundation which endorsed the book (without reading it obviously).

DON'T BOTHER BUYING THE BOOK. BUY ONE FROM ANOTHER PUBLISHER INSTEAD.

Victims of the Chilean Miracle: Workers and Neoliberalism in the Pinochet Era, 1973-2002

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Victims of the Chilean Miracle: Workers and Neoliberalism in the Pinochet Era, 1973-2002
Peter Winn
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 082233321X

Book Description

Chile was the first major Latin American nation to carry out a complete neoliberal transformation. Its policiesâencouraging foreign investment, privatizing public sector companies and services, lowering trade barriers, reducing the size of the state, and embracing the market as a regulator of both the economy and societyâproduced an economic boom that some have hailed as a âmiracleâ to be emulated by other Latin American countries. But how have Chile’s millions of workers, whose hard labor and long hours have made the miracle possible, fared under this program? Through empirically grounded historical case studies, this volume examines the human underside of the Chilean economy over the past three decades, delineating the harsh inequities that persist in spite of growth, low inflation, and some decrease in poverty and unemployment.

Implemented in the 1970s at the point of the bayonet and in the shadow of the torture chamber, the neoliberal policies of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship reversed many of the gains in wages, benefits, and working conditions that Chile’s workers had won during decades of struggle and triggered a severe economic crisis. Later refined and softened, Pinochet’s neoliberal model began, finally, to promote economic growth in the mid-1980s, and it was maintained by the center-left governments that followed the restoration of democracy in 1990. Yet, despite significant increases in worker productivity, real wages stagnated, the expected restoration of labor rights faltered, and gaps in income distribution continued to widen. To shed light on this history and these ongoing problems, the contributors look at industries long part of the Chilean economyâincluding textiles and copperâand industries that have expanded more recentlyâincluding fishing, forestry, and agriculture. They not only show how neoliberalism has affected Chile’s labor force in general but also how it has damaged the environment and imposed special burdens on women. Painting a sobering picture of the two Chilesâone increasingly rich, the other still mired in povertyâthese essays suggest that the Chilean miracle may not be as miraculous as it seems.

Contributors.
Paul Drake
Volker Frank
Thomas Klubock
Rachel Schurman
Joel Stillerman
Heidi Tinsman
Peter Winn

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"Cold Fusion" Review. DS9 episode 3 Season 8.
Continued Good Reading.
Another great short story set in the Star Trek universe!
ST-SCE Book #2 Miracle Workers
As enjoyable and even more satisfying than the first

Miracle Workers, S.C.E. Book Two
Keith R.A. DeCandido , Kevin Dilmore , David Mack , and Dayton Ward
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743444124

Book Description

STARFLEET CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Their motto: Have tech, will travel

Need to build a subspace accelerator while under attack by a deadly local predator? Need to rescue a starship from interphase without getting trapped there yourself? Call in the Starfleet Corps of Engineers team, specifically the crack team from the U.S.S. da Vinci. Under the guidance of Captain David Gold and his first officer, former Starship Enterprise™ engineer Commander Sonya Gomez, the crew of the da Vinci can construct six impossible things before breakfast.

Overseen by Captain Montgomery Scott from his office at Starfleet Headquarters, the S.C.E. crew put their lives on the line to rescue a space station from catastrophe, and face off against a deadly alien race of technology thieves with the aid of Lieutenant Nog from Space Station Deep Space 9 ™.

Customer Reviews:

"Cold Fusion" Review. DS9 episode 3 Season 8........2004-02-06

Reading the DS9 Relaunch novels? Want to learn how Nog brought Empok Nor over to DS9? If not, you can skip the story in this novel that I am reviewing. If you want to know all the intricacies, then this short story is worthwhile reading.
This is a review only for "Cold Fusion" and how it ties in with the DS9 Season 8 Relaunch novels.

I bought this SCE book not as part of the SCE collection, but for the short story, "Cold Fusion" with Lt. Nog that occurs between the events of Avatar Book 2 and Section 31:Abyss. At the end of Avatar DS9's fusion core is lost, and so Nog comes up with the idea of salvaging the fusion core from Empok Nor. It is his idea, and he wants to implement it.
What stands in his way? A group of cocky, condescending SCE engineers and an alien race based on some sort of perversion of Plato's Republic (with an elite, officer and worker classes).

DeCandido is one of my favorite Trek authors. This short story is interesting, yet I think too short to really develop much.
Those wanting to get some filler between Avatar and Abyss could read this if they choose, but they really are not missing much.

What I did like about this story is how it admittedly does make one want to know more (read more) about the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. Read as only part of the DS9 Relaunch, I really didn't care or understand about who was sleeping with who, but I bet if I was into the SCE books I'd have enjoyed this novel more...and reading about the other characters, some very interesting such as an Insectoid and a sole Bynar (who has lost his partner) definitely intrigued me into learning more about the SCE. Not to mention a brief yet comical visit by Scotty.

Although I had no background to this book, I found that both DeCandido's writing of filling in some stuff briefly and the Minipedia at the back of the book helped orientate me towards these brand new characters. I bet DeCandido was betting some people would read the story as part of a DS9 book, and hoped he could catch some more people into his SCE web...I must say I am quite interested to read more about the SCE, and just may well do so after finishing the DS9 relaunch books.

Being introduced to these characters for the first time I felt rather like Nog did. And the condescending attitude of the SCE towards a fellow Starfleet Lt. was despicable I thought. They wouldn't even hear him out, even though his plan had been approved not only by Colonel Kira, but also Commander Vaughn (a man who all respect). Right away I disliked a few of these SCE people because of their unprofessionalism.

Anyways, the story is short, involves a really cool alien race (Androssi) that I would love to see more of. I really thought that Nog would snap and tell these arrogant SC Engineers to listen to him. I really wanted him to come into his own and confront the discrimination he constantly feels for being Ferengi. In a way he does. He does offer the winning solution to their problems, but I wanted to see him explode at them. As it is, it appears he won the respect of the SCE, although I felt it was a little contrived. Granted, Keith only had 90 pages to develop all of this, but something was missing if one is to read the story as a stand-alone episode. I did find that he did a decent enough job developing (or explaining) some of the backstory to these characters.

The story itself was short, with the action very condensed. Description was good, but I just didn't feel completely into the story as if I were ON Empok Nor.

I guess I should state that my bias won me over. This is NOT a DS9 story, but an SCE story with a continuing cast. It would be like watching "Relics" (TNG) for Scotty, only to watch this other crew you know nothing of. To his credit, the author made me care somewhat for these (to me) new characters. It must have been very difficult trying to write a story that continues the development of SCE characters, while integrating Nog into it. He did a decent enough job, though something felt off. His Gateway book by comparison not only fits in with the Gateway books, but also furthers the DS9 Relaunch books. I guess I was just misguided in expecting a DS9 story when it's really a SCE story with a guest star.

One other complaint. As seen at the start of Abyss, Nog gets 9 Starfleet Captains to help out with his plan. What angered me beyond belief was how it was set up so that the captains had the option of declining or accepting the plan. DS9 is in shambles and mere days away from evacuation, yet Starfleet brass don't even bother ordering the ships to help Nog! Instead, he had to use his Ferengi skills to NEGOTIATE THE COOPERATION of one of the captains! The Captain actually had the nerve to ask, "What's in it for me?" [to help save DS9]. I was like, HOW ABOUT YOU'RE A FRIGGIN STARFLEET OFFICER!!

So, to sum up. Nog gains more confidence, though not in a way that entirely pleased me. He never really stood up for himself, which is what I wanted to see. The new alien race was awesome. Some of the SCE crew were arrogant and didn't make it easy for me to like them. Yet, the crew, especially its alien races, fascinated me. It had me thinking that I would probably enjoy the SCE series if I got into it. For this reason I give the story 4 stars (especially given the addition of the Minipedia to help people like me out).

Only read the "Cold Fusion" story if you are a perfectionist and want all the details, or if you want to get into the SCE crew. Otherwise, easily skip this and read Abyss as the continuation of Avatar.

Continued Good Reading........2002-02-20

I can't say much in this review of Book 2 of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers that I didn't already say in my review of Book 1. That is, it's great! Well-written, believable, and very entertaining, with nods to continuity throughout. If you're not reading these, or the DS9 re-launch, then you're missing out on some great stuff.

An added bonus in the back of this publication is the S.C.E. Minipedia, written by one of the good ones, Keith R.A. DeCandido. Set up like the Star Trek Encyclopedia, it contains all you'll need to know and more about the persons, places, and things in the S.C.E. universe, which includes, of course, plenty of the canon stuff we've come to know and love. And for those of you who favor nitpicking, there's an e-mail address where you are invited to send in errors, corrections, or comments if you wish.

Win-win, if you ask me.

Another great short story set in the Star Trek universe!.......2002-02-09

Picking up where we left off in "Have Tech, Will Travel," this series of short stories of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers is collectively titled "Miracle Workers."

First, the "Interphase" tale is completed, and I was quite impressed with the tone and pace of the second half of the story. It had a rare amount of nostalgia to it that didn't suffer from being trite or overwrought. As always, the characters shine - again proving that in the Star Trek universe, the depth of the character is what matters, not how much screen time they might have had on the television shows or movies.

From there, while there are less stories in this package, the tales are of such high quality that you don't suffer from the lack of them. Nog, as a lieutenant from the DS9 Books set in the "Avatar" and "Abyss" timeline, guest-stars in one of the stories, and doesn't distract from the overall story. The authors really have a deft touch with these shared characters: I have never noticed a character to act out of character from previous stories - quite a feat!

The only negative I can mention from the reading was the inclusion of the "Androssi" as a villain race that the S.C.E. have previously battled - but we have never seen. It was a bit awkward, and made me wonder if I'd missed a story somewhere - the aliens were spoken of as something I should know, but no real details were given. I enjoy good backstory, but there was too much left to backstory in this case.

The inclusion of a "Minipedia" - an encyclopedia of all the information from the various stories in the S.C.E. series, and it was well received by this reader. It was good to look up minor characters and events and have them on hand.

Grab it folks, Trek fans of all kinds will be happily surprised...

'Nathan

ST-SCE Book #2 Miracle Workers.......2002-02-07

To all who read Star Trek, you will find that the second SCE book to be well written and an excellent read. Starfleet Corps of Engineers journey through adventures that include rescuing a ship trapped in interphase, help Deep Space Nine get a new power core, and put together a subspace accelerator.

We have a collecton of short compact stories that being the Corps together in time pressed situations and get results. Perils and alien interference along with mystery and uncertainty all are part of the mix when dealing with the galaxy's wonders.

Miracle Workers in their own right the Corps solves the problems in each of the short stories. First off there is the continuation of the story left off in book #1. Interphase by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore.

Interphase is about extracting the U.S.S. Defiant fron an interspatial rift. The unusual tenuous connection that the rift created betweeen the two universes causes problems, but the Tholians are a bigger problem. The adventure is well written and this conclusion was worth the wait. A good well written story and the characters are fleshed out here.

Cold Fusion by Keith R.A. DeCandido is the Corps next adventure.
Lt. Nog is in this one but Sonya Gomez is not, we will find out why in the third short story Invincible. DS-9 needs a new power core so, the Corps is sent to an abandoned Cardassian station in the Trivas system known as Empok Nor. When they arrive they run into an alien race of technology thieves. The adventure is well written and the character Lt. Commander Duffy leads the away team to the station. Duffy's character gets fleshed out in the story as the XO is not on this mission. Well written and the alien Androssi are introduced in this story.

Invincible is the third story, by David Mack and Keith D.A. DeCardido is a story wriiten in personal logs, first officer's logs, letters to home and family etc. This is an evolving story as the logs continue. Sonya Gomez is sent to a far remote region of space to help out in a engineering project on the planet Sarindar. Captain Scott had read a paper that Gomez wrote about subspace accelerators and recommended her for the job. Sarindar's completely scan and transporter proof due to the very high ore concentration of Chimerium.

Silicon based life forms exist on the planet of crystalline snowball appearance. Now the story is told and you will want to see how this story plays out.

There is a "Minipedia" in this book to help in explaining the characters and places etc.

In enjoyed these Trek adventures as I hope you will. Very well witten and each story in this series builds upon the last adventure told so you have a sense of continuation.

As enjoyable and even more satisfying than the first.......2002-01-26

"Miracle Workers" was as enjoyable as "Have Tech, Will Travel". The conclusion to the Interphase story was worth the wait. The Cold Fusion story is set between DS9's Avatar and Abyss and filled in some plot points. Overall well worth reading.

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