Book Description
At the end of Frank Herberts final novel, Chapterhouse: Dune, a ship carrying a crew of refugees escapes into the uncharted galaxy, fleeing from a terrifying, mysterious Enemy. The fugitives used genetic technology to revive key figures from Dunes pastincluding Paul MuadDib and Lady Jessicato use their special talents to meet the challenges thrown at them. Based directly on Frank Herberts final outline, which lay hidden in two safe-deposit boxes for a decade, Sandworms of Dune will answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades: the origin of the Honored Matres, the tantalizing future of the planet Arrakis, the final revelation of the Kwisatz Haderach, and the resolution to the war between Man and Machine. This breathtaking new novel in Frank Herberts Dune series has enough surprises and plot twists to please even the most demanding reader.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointed.......2007-10-10
This book was horribly disappointing. I only bought it to get closure on the series.
The writers seemed to me to not understand what DUNE was all about. The story is shallow, uninspiring and very bland.
Go back and read Original DUNE, you'll feel better after reading this trash.
Sandworms...a magical conclusion?.......2007-09-30
If you've bought and read Sandworms of Dune--you must be a REAL Dune fanatic--I am. And for the most part, I've been totally on board with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson continuing the saga. And you have to suspend a certain amount of belief with any sci-fi, but even moreso with "Sandworms." This book, more than any of their efforts seems to lose steam and even its "Dune" credibility with the "magical" wrapup at the end. If you've made it this far in this series...you HAVE to buy it; it just hasn't brought me back for "re-reads" like most of the others. But hey, genius and creativity aren't bottomless wells.
Excellent continuation of a classic story.......2007-09-27
It must be very difficult to write a continuation to a well-loved sci-fi classic even if your Father did write the original. Brian Herbert has succeeded, along with co-writer Kevin Anderson, to build on the original in an almost seamless manner. I have a few nagging doubts about certain developments but all in all this is the culmination of an excellent series of books. Brian and Kevin - well done!
An Editor would have been nice.......2007-09-27
Thank god (leto or duncan?) I'm done. In the end I was entertained, which is the purpose of reading. That being said, it was a tedious effort to get through this final, maybe?, chapter of Dune. There was a good story to be told in the end, but, it seems the authors were being paid for a word count. An editor should have reigned in the repetitiveness. How many times must they say the names of the reborn gholah's? They have a built in reader base that did not need the retelling of plot lines from five, six or nine books ago. The casual reader will not be reading this. KNOW your audience! It would have been much more compelling to have fleshed out characters (pick a ghola, any gholah..) than to keep retelling what the reader already knew by rote.
Others have posted on the many timeline/plot inconsistencies, but, the one I haven't seen is this....most "plot lines" were tied up in the epilouge save one....whatever happened to Paulo who was in a trance on the floor in synchrony? Is he still there in a trance? Did they rebuild around him? He just kinda got left there. Ooops. Indicative of the book.
I was entertained though.
An Ending You Can Live With........2007-09-27
If you haven't read most of the Dune series, Don't Read This or "Hunters of Dune."
This is the Companion Volume to "Hunters of Dune" and is the series finale. These volumes take place in the two to three decades right after "Chapter House" ends and could be viewed as a trilogy.
To make the most sense out of all three, you may want to first read the "Legends," AKA Battles, prequel books that cover material Frank Herbert only hinted at in his original 6 books.
It's an ending most Dune fans should enjoy.
Book Description
Hunters of Dune and the concluding volume, Sandworms of Dune, bring together the great story lines and beloved characters in Frank Herbert's classic Dune universe, ranging from the time of the Butlerian Jihad to the original Dune series and beyond. Based directly on Frank Herbert's final outline, which lay hidden in a safe-deposit box for a decade, these two volumes will finally answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades.At the end of Chapterhouse: Dune-Frank Herbert's final novel--a ship carrying the ghola of Duncan Idaho, Sheeana (a young woman who can control sandworms), and a crew of various refugees escapes into the uncharted galaxy, fleeing from the monstrous Honored Matres, dark counterparts to the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. The nearly invincible Honored Matres have swarmed into the known universe, driven from their home by a terrifying, mysterious Enemy. As designed by the creative genius of Frank Herbert, the primary story of Hunters and Sandworms is the exotic odyssey of Duncan's no-ship as it is forced to elude the diabolical traps set by the ferocious, unknown Enemy. To strengthen their forces, the fugitives have used genetic technology from Scytale, the last Tleilaxu Master, to revive key figures from Dune's past-including Paul Muad'Dib and his beloved Chani, Lady Jessica, Stilgar, Thufir Hawat, and even Dr. Wellington Yueh. Each of these characters will use their special talents to meet the challenges thrown at them.Failure is unthinkable--not only is their survival at stake, but they hold the fate of the entire human race in their hands.
Customer Reviews:
Hunters of Dune.......2007-10-04
First, I read Battle of Corrino by curiosity, a very bad book, the feud Atreides-Corrino very weak, the war machines and humans very long, and finaly , when the ship leaves the planet with a copy of Omnius, it was clear the link to the 7th Dune Book.
It was very convenient for the authors to "find" the manuscript of Dune 7, and wait several years to increase the curiosity of Dune fans.
I waited one year to decide to read Hunters of Dune, very disappointing, a lot of violence, planetary genocide, for Honored Matres and Bene Gesserit alike.
It is absurd to kill a 100 000 Honored Matres for 20 new members to the New Sisterhood. Destroying the Matres to fought the Enemy, what is the reason?.
The Symek empire waiting for the attack of the Matres to retaliate against the humanity?. They did'nt need a reason.
The authors are using Dune 7 to introduce as many of their own
creations as possible, like Omnius and Erasmus in the new novels.
Now is the season for Paul gholas, every one can have their own. How many Pauls are going to be created simultaneously?. The gholas acting and reasoning as adults?. It is not possible
Don't lost your money and time reading this book, the next, Sandworms of Dune, or any of the Dune books of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson.
it's okay.......2007-09-26
i haven't had time to read it completely yet,but it looks okay.
Good that the writters remind us of past stories in the previous books.
Lettertype was a bit small,but that's because it was a pocket edition.
I like the cover art well !
Reading time you never get back..........2007-09-14
Simply put, it's trash. As a long time reader of Frank Herbert's novels (not just his Dune work), I've come to expect a certain standard in the writing. As a writer, I've learned to be more cirtical in my reading of fiction. This book in no way meets the minimum standards Dune fans should expect from someone who actually puts "Herbert" on their work.
Phrases like "they collided like asteroids" are indicative of the authors limited imagination and tell us something about his discomfort with prose.
The authors inabiity to properly pace his stories, his knack for foiling epic drama in a single paragraph, and dragging out cliche and trite banter for unending pages, makes the whole experience stomach turning.
Taking the intricately woven universe of his father's books, and lacking imagination to come up with his own characters, Brian Herbert (and to an extent Kevin Anderson) employ the cheapest technique ever: Let's clone them!
Now, I could even believe, that in this far flung culture where Gholas are, if not common, at least not unheard of, that they might Ghola a Hero or two to help them out in the battle. But they actually Ghola Dr. Yueh? To give hima chance to redeem himself or to steal another one of Frank Herbert's excellent plot points? It's just not well thought out.
On top of the authors obvious lack of mastery in his craft, it's just not a very good story.
Would it have been better if this book hadn't been written?.......2007-09-14
The urge to read Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's continuation of Frank Herbert's Dune series is a bit like the urge to purchase a lottery ticket. Buying the ticket makes sense because what you're gaining is the thrill of anticipation. What makes very little sense is checking your numbers as your chance of being disappointed is infinitely greater than your chance of actually winning. Checking your numbers is frankly a complete waste of time.
Almost.
Frank Herbert died in 1986, one year after his sixth novel in the outstanding Dune series, Chapterhouse Dune, was published. Chapterhouse ends with a cliff hanger - it's clearly not intended as the end of the series but death has a way of stuffing up good intentions. Twenty years later Herbert Jnr and Anderson's Hunters of Dune picks up where Herbert Snr left off.
In the Authors' Note to Hunters of Dune we're told that in 1997 Brian and Kevin had discussed writing the fabled Dune 7 but that with no extant notes by Frank they would need to base the work solely on their own imaginations. For a number of reasons they decided to write a three book prequel to the series - House Atreides, House Harkonnen and House Corinno. Somewhere along the way, we're told, they made the serendipitous discovery of two safe-deposit boxes containing notes by Frank Herbert for Dune 7. And thus from the master's notes we have Hunters of Dune and its companion Sandworms of Dune (due out in August 2007).
I doubt whether Tor's marketing division could come up with a better idea than the serendipitous discovery of the note books, an implausible (but not impossible) story: in an infinite universe I'm sure there are several good reasons why an author would keep the notes for what was presumably a work in progress in a safe-deposit box with not even a single copy around the house in case he had a desire to do some writing.
Hmmm.
Hunters of Dune was released in August 2006 and for several reasons it's taken me almost a year to get around to reading it. For a start I hadn't read the Dune series for more than a decade and I was keen to read the whole thing from beginning to end. And the verdict: the whole series stands up extremely well. Dune itself really does deserve its ranking as the greatest SF novel of all time.
That was one reason it took me a while to pick up Hunters of Dune.
Another is that I'd already been burned reading House Atreides, the writing duo's first offering and one that I'd read with great anticipation on its release in 1999. And the verdict: I haven't been game to read House Harkonnen and House Corinno or, until now, anything else the duo has done in the Dune universe. To be fair to Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson, it's a tough task to pick up where the master left off, particularly as there are so many devotees of the master's work. Expectations are high and perhaps unrealisable even if you do a good job.
Unfortunately they don't even do a good job. Their writing is often poor and the complexity of plot, of ideas and of character that typified Frank Herbert's work and made the reading experience so satisfying is, frankly, absent. This is not the criticism of a Dune purist or conservative fan, jealous of Frank Herbert's legacy: if the new works were good, I'd be delighted.
My hope was that after honing their skills on six prequels (the three in the Prelude to Dune series and three others in the Legends of Dune series) Brian and Kevin would have improved enough to produce a worthy conclusion to the series. And there is definite improvement but in the end there really is only one thing to recommend Hunters of Dune and its companion Sandworms of Dune. I'll get to that one thing in a moment. In Hunters of Dune the prose is often flat, frequently reading like a stilted report about the protagonists. We're not invited to get inside these characters, and in any case they'd need to have an inside first: these characters might have the same names as they had in Chapterhouse, but they've lost the immense depth that Frank Herbert had bequeathed them and there's only surface left.
Also lost is any complexity and intellectual sophistication. Take this example of a discussion between mentat Miles Teg (a human computer) and Garimi, a Bene Gesserit. They've discovered a planet formerly belonging to the Honoured Matres, devoid of life although the infrastructure of civilisation is untouched (except by time). It's known that the Honoured Matres who invaded the Old Empire were fleeing something and that they wanted knowledge from the Bene Gesserit about how to manipulate and control their immune functions. So we have a planet with no living people but no obvious signs of destruction and a people seeking to control their immune functions as the Bene Gesserit do in order to overcome any pathogen:
Garimi held up one finger. "The whores came to the Bene gesserit demanding to know how we control our bodies. They were frantic to understand how Reverend Mothers can manipulate our immune functions, cell by cell. Of course!"
"Speak clearly, Garimi. What do you mean?" Teg's voice was abrupt, the hardened battle commander.
"She tuned a sour look on him. "You are a Mentat. Make a prime projection!"
Teg did not bristle at the scolding. Instead, his eyes became glazed for just a moment, and then his expression returned. "Ahh. If the whores wanted to learn how to control immune responses, then perhaps the Enemy attacked them using a biological agent..."
Frank Herbert's Miles Teg was a genius. Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's Miles Teg is a moron. A Sinclair ZX81 (circa 1981 with a huge 1K of memory!!) could have pulled that one out of the box.
So, the one thing to recommend these books: they are a continuation of Herbert's work, purportedly based on his notes and the loose ends will therefore be tied up. And sadly, that's sufficient reason to read them.
Although some (Leto II for instance) might argue that the uncertainty of non closure is preferable.
(This review first appeared on www.sffmedia.com)
Hunters of Dune.......2007-09-13
Very satisfying for fans of the Dune series with interesting plot twists and, of course, a cliffhanger to the next novel Sandworms of Dune
Average customer rating:
- Super Reader
- This book could have beneffited from some more creativity.
- The Legend of Dune Series Continues...
- Falling short of Dune
- The Rape & Pillage Continue
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The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2)
Brian Herbert , and
Kevin J. Anderson
Manufacturer: Tor Books
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ASIN: 076534078X
Release Date: 2004-07-29 |
Book Description
The breathtaking vision and incomparable storytelling of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, a prequel to Frank Herbert's classic Dune, propelled it to the ranks of speculative fiction's classics in its own right. Now, with all the color, scope, and fascination of the prior novel, comes Dune: The Machine Crusade.. More than two decades have passed since the events chronicled in The Butlerian Jihad. The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years, but the forces led by Serena Butler and Irbis Ginjo have made only slight gains; the human worlds grow weary of war, of the bloody, inconclusive swing from victory to defeat. The fearsome cymeks, led by Agamemnon, hatch new plots to regain their lost power from Omnius--as their numbers dwindle and time begins to run out. The fighters of Ginaz, led by Jool Noret, forge themselves into an elite warrior class, a weapon against the machine-dominated worlds. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history-a way to "fold" space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy. And on the faraway, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps to making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.Here is the unrivaled imaginative power that has put Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson on bestseller lists everywhere and earned them the high regard of readers around the globe. The fantastic saga of Dune continues in Dune: The Machine Crusade.
Download Description
The exciting sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Dune: The Butlerian Jihad.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
An group of outlaws lead by a Wormrider is increasing their numbers on Dune.
A couple of decades after the death of Serena's child, Xavier Harkonnen and Vorian Atreides are leading the human resistance to Omnius and the Cymeks, with assistance from their Priestess, but not suspecting that they are being duped by a leading politician.
This book could have beneffited from some more creativity........2007-07-30
We all know that this series is no match for Frank Herbert's work. So I will not beat that dead horse here.
Looking at this series as on its own, I have to admit, I liked Butlerian Jihad as a summer trash read. I picked this one up to complete the story and have to say to Brian and Kevin this: Give me a break! - A Human/Machine Hybrid that looks like a dragon and flies around the galaxy in an asteroid!!!!
This book does fill some holes of the history/mythology of the Frank Herbert Dune series which is nice, but this book lacks the creativity and imagination that one would expect in the Dune universe.
I would have prefered an encyclopedic chronology of this era of "Dune History". Perhaps if this book/series was written as if it were a history book, without the cheesy story line, it might have been more widely accepted by the die hard Frank Herbert dune fans. Alas, this is hand that we have been dealt and now must live with it for the rest of eternity.
This book/series should not ever be considered as required reading as the original series should be. Never the less, it is a somewhat enjoyable summer trash read if you are into spoon fed, paint by numbers plot and character development. No thinkers here please.
3 out of 5 stars (and that is really pushing it). I hope these two don't blow it with Hunters of Dune/Sandworms of Dune.
The Legend of Dune Series Continues..........2007-03-21
As with the other books by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, I believe this book is judged harshly based solely on the fact that Frank Herbert didn't rise from the dead and pen it himself. That aside, this novel is an excellent addition to the dune universe. This novel continues where The Butlerian Jihad leave off and is quite entertaining. Dispite being the middle book in a trilogy, this novel does resolve several plotlines and sets up a few more to come into fruition in the next novel. In all, a great set-up for continuing the plotline in The Battle of Corrin.
As a side note I do recommend before beginning here to read all six classic dune books, followed by the Dune Prelude Trilogy, and then The Butlerian Jihad. The background information found there will make this book a much more enjoyable (and considerably less confusing) read.
Falling short of Dune.......2007-02-03
Having read the original Dune novels by Frank Herbert I delved into the the Machine Crusade hoping to find myself reinvigurated into the Dune universe, but was sorely disappointed. I will read the Battle of Corrin in order to bridge the overall historical gaps in foundations that set the scene up for the original Dune novel but will not read the House books. The writting in these books is very formulaic, and as others have pointed out the author is constantly reminding you about past events which are about 4 pages back in the scene. Also I found it irritating that the legendary vendetta between House Harkonnen and Atreides seems to have been downplayed greatly. It seems destined to be as random as Xaviers fate in the novel. Heres a genuine good character, so its hard to believe that the next novel will provide me with the sufficient reasons behind the legendary grudge between Houses, if anything this book makes me symphatetic to the Harkonnens... whats that all about? Also, other central characters in the novel seem to converge on coincidental ends which seem more like cop outs rather than climactic endings. I could have gained the same amount of detail and information of the events and characters with having read appendixes and timelines. Read the original 6 Dune novels, thats what I plan to do just to filter out this bad taste in the Dune universe. A for effort, C for substance.
The Rape & Pillage Continue.......2007-01-23
There are too many things that don't make sense in this book to list here.
The lack of continuity continues. It's bad enough that Brian can't be consistent with his own writings, but he obviously either never read his father's books or ignores them completely.
Brian's insufficient grasp of religion, politics, and economics continues to be embarrassing. They were the linchpins of his father's books, he only shows his incredible lack of understanding of those topics when he attempts to address them.
Suffice it to say that Brian Herbert's rape, pillage, and dishonor of his father's fine legacy continues. I'm glad to know that Frank Herbert isn't alive to see the horror that his son has visited upon the Dune Universe.
Avoid these atrocities at all costs.
Average customer rating:
- Cultural beliefs over doctrine? Apparently so.
- Back to the Future
- Engage the Postmodern World
- A Total Church Makeover?
- The Postmodern Church
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Church on the Other Side, The
Brian D. McLaren
Manufacturer: Zondervan
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ASIN: 0310252199 |
Book Description
Tested strategies for pastors and churches that want to be somewhere else in the postmodern world and need reliable and practical help to get there. Now revised and expanded. Formerly titled Reinventing Your Church.
Customer Reviews:
Cultural beliefs over doctrine? Apparently so........2007-07-24
In this book Mclaren discusses his opinions of what the church should look like, and what is wrong with churches of the past. His main point seems to be that the church of the past (and those of the present which embrace what he considers to be modernistic philosophy) failed because of their arrogant idea that they could possess absolute truth. While it may be true that parts of the church have arrogantly done this, and I appreciate his recognition of this problem, his claim that the church of the last few centuries has failed is entirely unfounded.
His solution to the problem (which he has blown entirely out of proportion) is to accept postmodernistic philosophy instead. We should, he claims, be tolerant of others beliefs, and do away with "concrete" doctrines. Our doctrinal stances should always be tentative, and we should never claim to have "true" doctrine, as we will always be revising our beliefs. On top of that, it would be offensive to people if we told them that they had incorrect doctrine, and it would be offensive to unbelievers if we held doctrines like exclusivism, therefore we should not publicly hold them.
Mclaren's answer to the conflict between church and culture seems to be that the church should conform to culture, adopting the culture's philosophy and methods. The church is criticized for not embracing the "tolerance" of the surrounding culture. Such an outlook, I think, severely hinders evangelism. Indeed, these is little foundation for missions work, as culture, whether Christian or not, has been elevated to a position of such height that it seems it is more important that Christian doctrine. There is, then, little motivation to try to change the underlying ideas in a culture. If a culture is not even remotely Christian (like those in Africa), then the mission of the church in those cultures seems to be very confused, as Mclarens doctrine leads to one being torn between Christianity and culture.
Overall grade: D-
Back to the Future.......2007-06-23
I am a pastor approaching 60 years old. I have over 20 years of vocational ministry experience and nearly that much time as a lay leader. I remember my teens and twenties. How passionate my peers and I were for Christ. We fully expected to win the entire world for Christ in our lifetime and rather arrogantly published it to our congregations.
We were frustrated with the church. It was dead. It was comfortable. It was indifferent to the lost. Furthermore, we were not backwards in criticizing the church, its methods and its leaders.
We did not change the world. Under our leadership the church has gone into decline by almost all measures. There are times when the reality of our ineffectiveness mocks my youthful passion (which still remains) and I struggle with cynicism.
Today I have twenty-something children. My children are passionate about Christ and critical of the church - just like I was. At their urging I have read Blue Like Jazz and A New Kind of Christian. These are their heralds of the postmodern transition of the church - the church that will transform the world. More subtle in its arrogance. Perhaps a little more humble. Certainly more technologically savvy, but calling Christians to genuine authenticity and engagement with a hurting world. As I read their critiques of the church, Christians and Christianity I do not hear something new, but something old - a passionate love for Christ and a desire for the Church to live up to her ideals - just like we called for forty years ago.
In his book The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix Brian McLaren has helped the church at least begin to navigate its way into the future. It is well written and more understandable than some of the material on postmodernism. It is of use to any one who wishes to be effective in our world. But behind all of the practical advice is a centuries old passion for the Church to be the Church and live up to her ideals. John Huss would approve.
Engage the Postmodern World.......2007-04-16
There is little doubt left that the word in which we live is undergoing vast changes. The question is how we are to understand and respond to these changes. In The Church on the Other Side, Brian McLaren suggests that a new world requires a new church. McLaren provides thirteen strategies to guide church leaders through the transition from a modern to a postmodern world.
Especially helpful are chapters 12a, 12b, and 12c where McLaren equips readers to enter the postmodern world through understanding and engaging the postmodern world while leaving behind the problems of modernity.
This book is vital for any leader struggling to lead their church through changes in these times. Whether you agree or disagree with McLaren, his voice is one we must listen to.
A Total Church Makeover?.......2007-04-16
Brian D. McLaren's, Church on the Other Side: Exploring the Radical Future of the Local Congregation, is a disturbing book. Sometimes disturbance is a bad thing. Sometimes disturbance is a good thing. Either way, disturbance almost always creates some sort of change. And change is, after all, what McLaren is advocating throughout the book. It is little exaggeration, in fact, to say that he is convinced that nearly everything the church has been doing over the last several decades (and even centuries) must be radically changed in order to minister with any effectiveness in the postmodern world.
The ways, for example, that we have been preaching, teaching, programming, structuring, theologizing and evangelizing must change. The premise is simple: Postmodernism simply has no place for Know-It-Alls. When we believe that we have God all figured out and can package that understanding and present it with certainty and clarity in any and all situations - with little or no room for mystery and ambiguity, then we are acting as know-it-alls. When we believe, furthermore, that our ways of planning and organizing, growing and maintaining, catalyzing and facilitating ministry and mission are engraved in stone (so to speak) and that our systems are virtually unalterable (why, after all would we ever want to or need to change them?!) then we are acting as know-it-alls. Postmodernism reminds us all that we do not know it all. To act as though we do is pitiable, if not deceitful.
Herein exists the only major problem I see with McLaren's work. In order to say that virtually everything about the church is now (or will very shortly be) outdated and outmoded and should, therefore, be tossed out-the-window and replaced with postmodern updates, assumes that one is able to effectively and authoritatively make those sort of sweeping and all-encompassing pronouncements. Although McLaren casts his vision of the changing times and changing church in terms of prediction (what he believes is happening and will surely continue to come to fruition), I could not help but step away from the book, at times, feeling that everything could not possibly be wrong and in need of fixing. In the end, I wonder, can McLaren or anybody, for that matter, credit or discredit an entire way of being and doing church in one fell swoop? Does not that sort of pronouncement, of necessity, require that one have it all figured out?
Is Church on the Other Side, then, right or wrong? Is it worthy of reading and considering, or not? It is certainly worthy of reading (and marking and highlighting and discussing, etc.). Is it right or wrong? I would propose that it is exaggeratingly right in what it proposes (both concerning the current state of society and church as well as potential solutions towards helping the church to be more effective in its mission and ministry).
For example, I believe McLaren is correct in desiring for all Christians to work towards "a common fund of essential Christian beliefs" (60). Yet I believe that it is a gross exaggeration (accompanied by an apparent misunderstanding - or at least a misrepresentation of the history of the formation of Christian doctrinal systems of belief) to suggest that, "In the new church, we gladly trade our doctrinal statements - some wispy, some flabby - for a well-toned body of common sense: time-tested doctrine, lean and muscular, stripped of its fat and scrubbed clean of its cosmetics" (60). Did any council of believing Christians ever sit down to hammer out anything other than what they honestly believed to be what McLaren describes here? Furthermore, will any of us (even on the other side) ever actually reach the place where we can say we have arrived at such doctrinal understanding and perfection? And does such a knowledgeable (know-it-all?) position on doctrinal essentiality that, by admission, no one has reached until we reach it, not make us less postmodern than we want to be?
The Postmodern Church.......2007-04-15
The Church on the Other Side
Brian McLaren
There are only a few writers that really seem to understand how the church should respond to the postmodern culture. Brian McLaren is one who speaks with passion and understanding. In The Church on the Other Side, McLaren introduces the reader to "doing ministry in the Postmodern Matrix."
McLaren says that for a new world we need a new church. His book gives us thirteen strategies for creating the new church. Among his strategies are certain suggestions like, trade up your traditions for tradition, redefine your mission, and enter the Postmodern World. His explanations for what he means by these suggestions are the real strength of this book. They will challenge today's church leader to think in fresh new ways about reach this generation.
McLaren's final chapter suggests that we add to the list. His strategies are not a complete list, they are given to help the reader get started. In the last chapter McLaren gives some of his best advice to the Church On the Other Side. What is needed for the future is a church with flexibility and strength. This will allow the church to continue learning and applying new strategies.
This work is a must read for every church leader today. There is much that McLaren says tha I don't like and some things I don't agree with. However, he gives us new and challenging ways to see the church as she is becoming, like it or not.
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- Fantastic!
- The origin of all things Dune
- Excellent story.
- The timelines are vast and the story oddly appealing
- Super Reader
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The Battle of Corrin (Legends of Dune, Book 3)
Brian Herbert , and
Kevin J. Anderson
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Similar Items:
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The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2)
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The Butlerian Jihad (Legends of Dune, Book 1)
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House Corrino (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 3)
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House Harkonnen (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 2)
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House Atreides (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 1)
ASIN: 0765340798
Release Date: 2005-08-30 |
Book Description
Following their internationally bestselling novels Dune: The Butlerian Jihad and Dune: The Machine Crusade, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson forge a final tumultuous finish to their prequels to Frank Herbert's Dune.It has been fifty-six hard years since the events of The Machine Crusade. Following the death of Serena Butler, the bloodiest decades of the Jihad take place. Synchronized Worlds and Unallied Planets are liberated one by one, and at long last, after years of victory, the human worlds begin to hope that the end of the centuries-long conflict with the thinking machines is finally in sight.Unfortunately, Omnius has one last, deadly card to play. In a last-ditch effort to destroy humankind, virulent plagues are let loose throughout the galaxy, decimating the populations of whole planets . . . and once again, the tide of the titanic struggle shifts against the warriors of the human race. At last, the war that has lasted many lifetimes will be decided in the apocalyptic Battle of Corrin.In the greatest battle in science fiction history, human and machine face off one last time. . . . And on the desert planet of Arrakis, the legendary Fremen of Dune become the feared fighting force to be discovered by Paul Muad'Dib in Frank Herbert's classic, Dune.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic!.......2007-10-09
Thank you, thank you. I've read all of the Dune books...the prequels and the sequels won't disappoint the Dune fan. They are well-written, thoughtful, fit in well with the original stories (how Herbert and Andersen pulled that off I'll never know). I'll never forget the day I heard Frank Herbert died...even though I didn't know him, I was truly saddened -- for selfish reasons: I thought there would be no more Dune. Brian and Kevin are keeping him alive while giving us their own voice. A rare ability.
The origin of all things Dune.......2007-09-12
This is the last of a trilogy (Legends of Dune) that sets the stage for many of the key elements in the original Dune series. I read the first book (The Butlerian Jihad) in early 2005 and the second book (The Machine Crusade) in late 2006. I've also read the first two "house" prequels (House Atriedes and House Harkonnen) but I don't think that series is as good as this one.
These are huge books (actually did them all on audio about 22 CDs each) but I can honestly say that I don't remember being bored at all while reading (listening to) them. In this trilogy you get the origins of the Mentat's, Suk Doctors, Spacing Guild, Swordmasters, the Atriedes-Harkonnen blood feud and the Bene Gessert!
Many reviewers have skewered these books but really that is so predictable. If you want to read -Dune- then read -Dune-, don't pick up the author's son's attempt to recreate the magic with a chip on your shoulder ready to hate it. If you don't want to like it then you won't.
The only negative thing I can say about this last book is that some of the origin stories were kind of crammed in at the end.
Also Vorien's reaction to Abelard's attempt to save the hostages at the end didn't really ring true to me. It seems like Vorien would have mellowed out after everything was over and forgiven him but they need him to hate Abelard so that they could start the Atriedes-harkonnen feud.
Excellent story........2007-09-06
This was an excellent ending to the prequel trilogy. The whole series was riveting, entertaining and filled in a lot of the background for the famous Dune trilogy. The only shortfall is the slightly rushed ending to explain the origins of the Bene Geserit, the Guild navigators and the explanation of the convoluted animosity between house Atreides and House Harkonnen. But, this is just nit-picking, this book was a great ending for the prequel trilogy to Dune.
The timelines are vast and the story oddly appealing.......2007-08-27
Is there a more romantic place name in all of science fiction than Salusa Secundus? Once again Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have created a compelling work of space opera. Yes you will have to willingly suspend belief and disbelief but nonetheless, the whole package works, albeit with the occasionally poorly drawn dramas and subplots.
Many odious comparisons have been drawn between the mature, deep work of the elder Herbert and the lighter, less focused stuff of his son and company but the overall effect for science fiction lovers such as myself (over 40 years) was pleasing.
I found the relationship between Erasmus and his "son" oddly compelling and parallel story between Vorian Atreides and his "father" peculiarly interesting. When man and sentient robots get together things, so to speak, happen. I'll say no more. Enjoy the story by not focusing on what might have been done better. The vast sweep of history is enough to make this an enjoyable read.
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
A little bit of an improvement on the last book in this series. I suppose some people may like these more than the denser Frank Herbert works. Maybe someone from Dimension X, or a Martian algae-beast. Again, interesting for the details, but that is probably about that, as we finally see explained what actually happened here. Corrin itself is of course referenced in the main series many times.
Book Description
James Whites novels and stories of Sector General, the outer-space hospital that treats humans and aliens alike, have entertained generations of SF fans. This omnibus includes the titles Hospital Station, Star Surgeon, and Major Operation, along with an introduction by Brian Stableford.
Customer Reviews:
Beginning Operations.......2006-08-05
The book began strongly. Often with books in which there are multiple species, it is difficult to keep up with the transitions. This is deftly handled by the author. The reader is drawn further and further into this world and attachments to characters are formed easily. I will need to read more by this author.
Think your friends are strange?.......2005-09-30
After spending some time at Sector General where the humans and aliens learn to interact with the main purpose being to give health and understanding to all; most of the people we meet on a daily basis here on earth who may have peviously seemed a bit strange are not so unusual any more. I love this author. He has a beautiful mind and develops interesting and unusual problems to be solved.
Three books in one........2004-04-01
James White is one of the first sci-fi authors I grew up with and in fact is one of the first authors, right up there with Zane Grey and Robert Heinlein, whose books I learned to read without being pushed into it by parents or teachers.
The first book in this omnibus is really a bunch of short stories put together. These stories help us to understand how Sector General came about and allow us to see where the main characters of Conway and O'Mara came from. It also allows the reader to get use to how the hospital deals with everyday problems, ill aliens and special VIPs.
The next two books are full length novels, one about war and the other is about one of the biggest patients you'll ever read about. A 511 pages full of humor, drama and optimism. James White believes that, not only can we all get along, even with aliens, but that we could thrive working together. He believed in the humanity in everybody, including aliens!
Great to see the beginning.........2001-06-26
I have read the later James White books and was pleasantly surprised to be able to pick up and read his early writing. You will find that the characters were the same back in the 60's as they are now, but it is wonderful to see how he came up with the "Hospital to Aliens" in space. If you have never read any of his books pick this up for an introduction, but I have to say his later books are still my favorites. He reminds me of the old style of writing in the 50's and 60's and it is wonderful that they have reprinted these older titles.
Classics reissued.......2001-05-24
This omnibus collects the first three Sector General books--Hospital Station, Star Surgeon, and Major Operation. White's Sector General books exemplify the medical subgenre of the SF puzzle story--what weird E.T. thing is going on and how do we solve the problems it presents?
This series is part of my personal "Golden Age" of science fiction and I'm delighted to see it back in print.
Product Description
The Transformation of a New Age Medium and His Warning to the Church; Running Against the Wind is a relevant and crucial warning to believers and an evangelistic tool to those caught up in New Age and Eastern spirituality.
Customer Reviews:
A MUST READ FOR ALL CHRISTIANS!.......2007-09-05
This book is a must read by all Christians!!! Today, churches and bookstores (even Christian bookstores) are full of non-biblical, New Age ideas and authors that are doing a great job of leading believers off the narrow path and onto the wide path that leads to destruction. Brian Flynn does a great job of exposing the New Age practices and concepts that have infiltrated Christian theology. Not only does he give you his view (as a former New Ager), but he also gives the reader lots of examples, along with references, so that his statements can be verified. I couldn't put the book down! Fast and easy reading...Buy two or three so you can give copies to your friends!
Jesus said many will be misled..........2007-06-07
Brian Flynn's background as an avid New Ager, then becoming a born-again Christian, makes what he has to say fascinating and eye-opening. He describes how Eastern spiritual practices and concepts are seriously spreading through the Church. He shows how they do not enhance the gospel of Jesus Christ, rather they oppose it and destroy. His logic is pointed and down-to-earth. For example, he says if Eastern prayer methods never brought a Hindu or Buddhist to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, then how could they bring a Christian closer to God? They will not. Instead we hear of Christians receiving revelations that all paths lead to God and God is in all! Brian also "names names", which has brought him rejection from some pastors. However, teachers can say so much that sounds Christian and "good", that one can assume the teacher is really OK unless they are named and the error specified. One teacher whose writings he discusses is Richard Foster, who was an instructor of mine while I attended George Fox College in Newberg, Oregon from 1975 -77. This was before his first book came out, "Celebration of Discipline". He was quite popular with the students and I liked him as well. I remember him leading our cass once in a guided imagery session. We were directed to picture ourselves traveling in our spirits above the clouds, meeting Jesus, and listening for Jesus' word to us. I felt a little uncomfortable, but I did do it. It seemed a little "weird" and unnecessary, so I never pursued it. It wasn't until years later when I read Dave Hunt's book, "Seduction of Christianity", that I realised something was actually wrong with it. Brian's book further clarifies how this is an unbiblical and very dangerous method of "prayer" to God. It is so easy to overlook error when it is mixed with Truth. It is easy to dismiss it as a mere disagreement than as the serious danger it is. I remember Foster's appeal in college being he wasn't stuffy, and he was a seeker for more of God. He certainly seemed Christian. He was thought-provoking, kindly and wanted our lives touched with the gospels. But I still should have evaluated his teaching by God's Word. We should do that with anyone's teaching! "Running Against the Wind" definitely helps us do that. King David Said, "From thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:104,105.
A warning to all spiritual aspirants.......2007-04-21
I am rather surprised at the lack of critical reviews of this book, so I will offer one of my own. My own experience is quite the opposite of Mr. Flynn's. I am a former fundamentalist Christian whose eyes were opened to the truth of the mystical, pluralistic path and the dangers of fundamentalism. Brian Flynn is a dangerous fanatic who seems bound and determined to bring out the worst in Christianity and to suppress everything positive the Christian tradition has to offer. He fails to realize that the true essence of Jesus' teachings is quite harmonious with eastern spiritual practices. He tirelessly advocates the futile attempt to know God on a purely intellectual level, while condemning as dangerous and demonic any effort to truly know God on an experiential level, as Jesus himself did. If you would like to read a book that more accurately represents the true teachings of Jesus, I would recommend Paramahansa Yogananda's "The Second Coming of Christ."
Putting on the Armor of God.......2007-03-20
This former New Age leader found God as a witness and renounced his pagan ways. Now, in earnest, he is preaching what the New Age does not tell you ... and why Churches must do a "call to arms" and defend from within from pagans in the pews. This is a testimony to read and heed. The New Age is now mainsteam and the danger is real of spiritual tampering from the very people who claim to help lost souls.
Please read and use your own counsel but remember .... not all things of light are good for you.
Learn why some of the most popular writers on New Age, despite their seeming sweetness, will confuse you if you are not careful: such as Doreen Virtue, Carolyn Myss, Sylvia Browne, and many others who portray themselves as guides for the weary.
A Call to Arms.......2006-12-28
This book is a wake up call to Christians. The emergent church and purpose-driven movements are more dangerous than people realize. Like a disease, they are infecting Christendom with pagan rituals and preaching another gospel that varies drastically from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By telling his personal spiritual journey, Brian Flynn describes his encounters with the New Age and critical degrees of the paranormal, ultimately leading to his being born again in Jesus Christ. The emergent church has already infiltrated countless churches around the world; Flynn sounds the trumpet call to arms.
Book Description
Teens love this Bible because its articles are more indepth, it touches on topics deeply important to them, and it speaks in language they can understand. This revised edition includes a concordance, sixty more articles to help young people pray, study, and live the Bible, an expanded lectionary reading plan, nine full-color maps, eight reading plans, four special indexes, a full-color timeline, and four pages of full-color maps.
Customer Reviews:
Catholic Youth Bible.......2007-10-10
This is an awesome Bible for kids- especially young teens. We give them to our 6th graders each year and they use it for study through high school.
We have always purchased them through the publisher and they have become quite costly. By buying through Amazon, I saved over $300.00! Yes, I will check here for purchases in the future.
Not only for youth!.......2007-09-29
We have been using this version of the Bible for people entering into the Catholic Faith (RCIA). Everyone loves it. It not only explains the meaning of passages but offers insight into the teaching and traditions of the Catholic Faith and has prayers tucked here and there. Also, it applies the biblical message to different situations, cultures and ethnicities. Add all that up and you have a bible that is easy to read and understand and a way to understand Catholic teaching.
Great Bible!
Ordered for school.......2007-09-20
I ordered this book last minute for my daughter (who didn't know it was a requirement until after school started.) It came in a timely manner which is what we needed. The book stores in the area did not have it on hand.
The Catholic Youth Bible Revised.......2007-09-10
My son needed this book for school and we received in time for school. Great service!
Excellent Bible for Youth.......2007-08-08
I highly recommend the Catholic Youth Bible as an inspirational and formational resource for our young people. The design is engaging and the articles and resources speak to young people in a very user-friendly manner while not compromising substance. Getting the Catholic Youth Bible into the hands of our young people will help ensure that the next generation of Catholics will not grow up "biblically deprived" as many in previous generations did!
Joe Paprocki "Catechist's Journey"
God's Library: A Catholic Introduction to the World's Greatest Book
The Catechist's Toolbox: How to Thrive As a Religion Education Teacher
Living The Mass: How One Hour A Week Can Change Your Life
Amazon.com
As many earthlings already know--including more than 2 million computer users with firsthand experience--our best hope for finding extraterrestrial intelligence might just lie with an ingenious little screensaver. So it's not surprising that this introduction to searching for and communicating with intelligent life begins with some of the details behind UC Berkeley's groundbreaking, massively distributed SETI@home project, which processes intergalactic noise for pennies on the teraflop. But that's just the start of the story. Inventor and software developer Brian McConnell continues with an overview of whether and why we might find something out there, who's doing what to look for it (including the folks at Berkeley), and--once some ET picks up on the other end--what we might say and how we might say it.
This last problem, which occupies the final half of the book, proves to be the most thought-provoking, and McConnell has put together a methodical, nuts-and-bolts walkthrough of both the challenges involved and how binary code might be enlisted to solve them. If you've taken even a single computer-science class in your life, you'll probably skip ahead through explanations of data structures and Boolean arithmetic, but McConnell doesn't want to leave anyone behind in fleshing out his alien-friendly lingua numerica. The book's first half surveys various SETI projects, past and present, and includes generous sections on signal processing, what sort of radio and laser hardware has been mobilized for the search, and how exactly SETI@home works. (So, if nothing else, now you can know how your computer decides if it's talking to aliens while you're off having lunch.) --Paul Hughes
Book Description
"What do we need to know about to discover life in space?" --Frank Drake, 1961 In the early 1960s, Frank Drake, a young astronomer with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, West Virginia, developed what is now known as the "Drake Equation" in an effort to determine how many intelligent, communicative civilizations our galaxy could harbor. For forty years, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has combed the skies in search of signals from star systems within the galaxy. In Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations, author Brian McConnell goes behind the scenes and examines what goes into the search for intelligent life. SETI is a four-step process. First we have to know where to look; then we must be able to send and receive signals to that star system. Once signals arrive, scientists then need to be able to interpret those signals into something that can be understood. And although we haven't yet received any signals (except for our own Earth-based transmissions), we'll eventually have to figure out a protocol for responding. Beyond Contact introduces you to:
- The history of SETI research, including the early searches of Project Ozma, traditional radio astronomy, the search for intelligence in optical wavelengths (known as Optical SETI, or OSETI), and the SETI@home project.
- An overview of the Drake Equation and the Rare Earth Hypothesis, which scientists use to estimate the number of planets in our galaxy that could harbor intelligent, communicative life forms.
- How signals are sent and received over interstellar distances. The author explains the principles of signal and image processing, and how SETI researchers identify and process analog signals using Fourier transforms to see how the power in a signal is distributed across different frequencies.
- How to build a general-purpose symbolic language for sending signals, and even computer programs, with present-day SETI equipment. The ability to transmit computer programs enables us to let another civilization know about our knowledge and technological capabilities.
The author also shows how SETI research--though often thought to be a mere flight of fancy--has spawned technological improvements in astronomy, computers, and wireless communications. Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations sidesteps the "little green men" approach to take a hard, realistic look at the technologies behind the search for intelligent life in our universe.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome!.......2007-07-12
This is the kind of book you need to understand the details of SETI, how does it work, what its limitations would be, and what technology is behind. It is an excellent addition to your personal library if you are a tech-savy and enjoy learning about science and technology.
Get's down to the skinny when it comes to communicating with aliens.......2007-06-20
This is a very all-encompassing book about extraterrestrial communication, and goes to considerable length explaining how it would be done through binary language. It is a very intelligent book about life on other planets, The Drake Equation, etc. People need to know what they're getting into if they buy this book - it really is for those who have a more technical/scientific bent towards the whole SETI process. If you think Speilberg's ET or Sagan's Contact are the bees knees when it comes to intellectual sci-fi, then this book is definitely not for you. I should point out that there is a direct correlation between a person's IQ and how high a score they give this excellent tome.
can't take it seriously.......2002-04-15
Here's a book that superficially looks like a serious technical discussion of SETI, even to the point where many potential readers may be intimidated by the diagrams, equations, jargon, and so on. But in reality, it's very lacking in solid scientific information.
For example: On page 116, one of the factors mentioned as a limit to OSETI (finding laser beacons and such) is extinction--the attenuation of light due to dust in the intersteller medium. This, it is said, limits our ability to see laser beacons to "a few dozens light years" for visible wavelengths. Really?? Then how come you can go and see stars farther away than that with your naked eye? Oh, because they're brighter! Well, how bright does a laser beacon need to be? How much attentuation is there, in per cent, dB or whatever, at, say, 100 light years? How much does a beam spread out over, say, 100 light years? How much variation in the signal is there over time as a result of dust? Not a BIT of quantitative data on this stuff!
Like all other SETI enthusiasts I've seen, they also ignore another issue: As communication techniques get more advanced, they look more and more like random noise. Our millions of chattering cell phones and internet hosts will almost certainly be undetectable to anyone outside the earth environment, let alone the solar system: Those transmissions have no directionality, they are low power precisely because they are efficient and advanced, and their advanced modulation causes them to look like white noise. Consider a 300 bps modem, with its old-fashioned tone signaling; then listen to a 56k modem, which, except when it's hooking up, sounds almost like rushing steam. It's hard to escape the idea that we will only pick up radio from ET if he intentionally beams it at us, a doubtful proposition unless he's within 60 light years, as he has no way to know of OUR radio transmissions.
A final word about copy editing: I've yet to read a book with absolutely no errors, but at least they could get three-letter words like "its" right. There are other serious errors, such as missing words, the ubiquitous "different than," and other less glaring mistakes. If they can't do better than that, perhaps they should just record audio tapes.
All in all, about a third of the way through, I decided that other books must surely be able to better satisfy my curiosity on this subject.
A decent review of the basics, but more than a little dry.......2002-03-13
<.>
I like the idea of this book, but the execution left a bit to be desired.
The first two sections ("Are We Alone?" and "Getting a Dial Tone") do a passably good job of introducing some of the basics of interstellar communication, ably introducing both the fundamentals of radio and optical technologies and the unique challenges of communicating a signal (any signal; the details of the signal to be sent are reserved for Part III) across interstellar distances.
Problems with the first two sections are:
(1) inconsistent readability: the author seems not to have found a consistent tone for the book, and wanders between wide-eyed pie-in-the-sky speculation and bone-dry technical detail;
(2) organizational flaws: the author routinely discusses a concept or entity throughout early chapters without a decent introduction or explanation, only to treat the subject in question at length (with the proper explanatory introduction) later in the text -- the discussion of the SETI@home distributed computing project is particularly guilty of this;
(3) lack of investigative reporting: almost every piece of information in these sections could have come out of a textbook or a web search, and it's clear that the author hasn't bothered to interview the movers and shakers in the SETI community and find out anything much about the "story behind the story," which might have made for some interesting reading;
(4) bad editing: there is a typo every few pages, which is a minor beef but in the age of spell-checkers hardly excusable.
Nonetheless, if you've never read a "Scientific American" article about SETI, the first two sections of the book would be educational. If you have any exposure to SETI prior to picking up the book, chances are that you won't learn very much (except possibly about optical SETI/CETI, which relies on the production and/or detection of laser light aimed at a specific star system, and which is grossly undertreated in the literature).
The third section ("Communicating with Other Worlds") treats the specifics of the author's ideas about what sort of message could be sent by us (or, by extension, might be received by us from others). The author makes an analogy between modular messages encoded in binary code and genes encoded by DNA, and sets up one potential system that might be used to send a complex message from star A to star B. This section is definitely the weakest in the book, for the following reasons.
(1) It treats at punishingly great length only one possible system of a presumably great many for communicating with alien intelligences, glossing over other approaches in favor of a detailed treatment of the author's pet approach. While I don't have a specific complaint with the approach described, I will say that as a working biologist, I found the author's biologically motivated analogies ("igenes," "binary DNA") strained and in some cases laughable. It probably makes the material "sexier" in the computer-science and SETI literature, but as a life scientist I mostly winced a lot.
(2) In part because of this, the author doesn't put his approach in any kind of context -- e.g., how else might we do it?
(3) It's way too long and inappropriately detailed: a great deal of theory of computation stuff that's not at all unique to SETI or the challenge of communicating with a non-human intelligence ends up in this section, and I don't think that benefits the reader more than just saying, "We'll send computer programs using the benefit of knowledge reaped from the maturing fields of cryptography and computer science and our impressive knowledge of the physical universe," and focusing more on reasons why any approach like this has shortcomings and might not work regardless of how clever you are.
All that having been said, this is an OK book. I wouldn't recommend that it be the only thing that you read about SETI, nor would I recommend that you read it cover-to-cover (unless you have troubles with insomnia), but if you're an avid reader of the SETI literature, it certainly can't hurt to pick this one up.
A highly technical book on interstellar communication.......2002-01-15
Readers who want a general introduction to questions related to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence should look elsewhere. This is a highly technical book on the techniques and problems of communication across interstellar distances. People with strong backgrounds in science or engineering may find this material fascinating, but general readers soon will get lost. Overall rating (for techies): four stars.
Book Description
From today's sex-scandal headlines to tomorrow's battlefield disasters.
Customer Reviews:
factual errors abound.......2007-09-04
The majority of the arguments presented by the author, while backed up by statistics and numbers in the text, are skewed to represent the authors opinion. the author writes about womens motivations, not based upon interviews with women in service, but based on his own opinion.
Two Thumbs Down.......2007-08-30
Disguised as a scholarly effort, this book reeks of chauvinism. Mitchell distorts the truth (something he ironically accuses feminists of doing) and makes claims for which he has no basis. For a more accurate look at women's role in the military, see D'Ann Campbell's "Combating the Gender Gulf" (about women's military service in the first Gulf War) or Judith Hick's Stiehm's Arms and the Enlisted Woman. Both works bring to light the complexity of women's roles in the military and give a much more balanced assessment of their history and future in the Armed Forces.
outstanding.......2007-03-22
Insightful, evocative and direct...trust a former soldier to get right to the point. With a seemingly endless number of statistics and various investigative committee results, Mr. Mitchell makes such a case against the extensive use of women in the service that it begs the question why we are even still entertaining the notion that they can pull their own weight. As a deployed soldier, I can attest with first-hand experience to the veracity of Mitchell's conclusion that the presence of women is hampering our fighting ability. Thankyou to the author for saying what needs to be said in an age where effectiveness of military units seems to play second fiddle to the desires of political constituents.
It is sad we need such books, but need them we do. .......2005-11-07
This is an excellent book which details in a very entertaining, but accurate way, the fact that women's inferior strength and robustness is a hazard to not only themselves but also jeopardises the safety and undermines the morale of those who are forced to work with them - which obviously has potentially very serious repercussions for the effectiveness of all branches of the military. In my own country, the UK, the politicians, at the request of the UK's armed services , have finally been forced to admit defeat on this issue after a decade of 'gender blind' egalitarianism imposed upon them by politically correct fantasy. As from April, 2006, women will be removed from many positions and placed in their own platoons, and their training regime and subsequent duties will be "sustainable and commensurate with their physical profile". Kind words and gentle diplomacy indeed. But, alas, it seems that is what is necessary in the contemporary world at present, to merely state the truth and declare what is blatantly obvious to all but the most idelogically brainwashed. And this applies to many other fields of human endeavour besides the military.
So true about what is happening.......2005-10-23
This book tells the truth that others are afraid to tell simply because telling the truth nowadays puts people's job on the line. Many people bash this book because they don't like the fact this is what is going on right now in our armed forces. My father served in the military for over 20 years as a combat aviator and also feels strongly about the issue. Not only him but also his brothers who also served as well as some friends of mine in the service who are actually serving in Irag and Afgan right now. It's sad to see the greatest military power that the world has ever seen is being destroyed from the inside and the attitude of the warrior must be lost because of political correctness.
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Recommended Books
- Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny
- The Betrothed of Death: The Spanish Foreign Legion During the Rif Rebellion, 1920-1927
- Roberto Rossellini: Magician of the Real
- Picasso: Life with Dora Maar
- The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient
- The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and Their Colorful, C
- Plant Clinic Handbook
- Audit Sampling: An Introduction to Statistical Sampling in Auditing, 5th Edition
- Strategic Supremacy: How Industry Leaders Create Growth, Wealth, and Power through Spheres of Influe
- International Bank Accounting Vol. 2
Hunters of Dune
The Elves of Cintra (The Genesis of Shannara, Book 2)
The Road to Dune
Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales
The Children of Húrin
