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- Du Brul starts a Great Series!!!!!!
- The first installment
- Roller Coaster Excitement
- Slow but Good
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Vulcan's Forge (Onyx Novel)
Jack Du Brul
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Charon's Landing
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Pandora's Curse (Philip Mercer)
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The Medusa Stone (Philip Mercer)
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River of Ruin (Philip Mercer)
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Deep Fire Rising
ASIN: 0451412109 |
Book Description
It begins deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, where a nuclear bomb strikes at the fiery hot heart of the earth. Churning, spewing boiling lava, a volcano rises with unnatural speed from the ocean floor--the source of a new mineral that promises clean, limitless nuclear power.It continues in hot spots around the globe: Hawaii, where a secessionist movement is about to turn violent and the American Army may be asked to fire on U.S. citizens; Washington D.C., where the subway system becomes the site of a running gun battle; the Far East, where disrupted diplomatic negotiations jeopardize world peace; a rogue Russian submarine, circling the infant volcano.Caught in the middle if Philip Mercer, a geologist and a one-time commando with shady contacts in all the right (or is it wrong?) places. When Mercer learns that the daughter of an old friend is being kept under armed guard in a local hospital, he vows to rescue her, not knowing that this is the first step in unraveling the fantastic secrets of....Vulcan's Forge.
Customer Reviews:
Du Brul starts a Great Series!!!!!!.......2007-06-27
This is the first book in the Philip Mercer Series and the first novel I have read by this author. The format is very similar to the Dirk Pitt series by Cussler. Rough and tumble hero saves the day and wins the girl or girls. I thought the idea behind Vulcan's Forge was ok if not a bit far fetched but again there has to be a suspension of disbelief when reading these adventure novels. If you want profound characters and in depth dialogue then you are in the wrong place. This is a fast paced enjoyable book with lots of action. My only gripe would be Mercers sidekick Harry's connection to the story. I thought that was a little too neat for my taste but overall I enjoyed it.
The first installment.......2006-09-06
DuBrul does a decent job with his first book in the Philip Mercer Series. The action is little wan, and several situations that Mercer takes over, I found myself envisioning a guy in a blue suit, red cape, with a big "S" on his chest. Forge is not bad as a first book, but it certainly does not compare to later hits like, "Medussa Stone" or "River of Ruin". But good nonetheless. DrBrul does present a sense of history for some of his characters which flows through to other books, and gives the characters like, Harry and Dick Henna a sense of worth and understanding when they materialize in the other books. Overall, this is a good read, and one worthy of Mercer fans.
Roller Coaster Excitement.......2006-09-02
Geologist Philip Mercer is quite a guy. He's a likeable if not believeable hero. He engineers a raid on a KGB front office in New York, leads Navy Seals in a commando raid in Hawaii, takes over a submarine that is disguised as a boat at sea singlehandedly after being dropped by a helicopter into the ocean nearby. A non-stop action thriller.
Slow but Good.......2006-08-10
I thought the book was "Clancyesque". It took a long time to set the stage (about 2/3 of the book) but once the action got started, I couldn't put it down!
I liked, but didn't love this book.......2006-03-15
Having grown up on Clive Cussler and Indiana Jones, I was drawn to Jack DuBrul. This first effort was decent, but not great. The subplot dealing with racial tensions and secession of Hawaii from the United States was disturbing, most likely since I grew up in there. I did enjoy the Philip Mercer character, but as a geologist I found the science a little lacking. I certainly wish I made the kind of money he does. Overall a decent story and I am looking forward to future adventures since this was his first book.
Book Description
Just over a year ago, Captain James T. Kirk was lost to the Nexus while saving the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-B from destruction. Aboard the science ship Intrepid II, Captain Spock, commanding some of his old crewmates, must face the loss of his closest friend. But while still in mourning for one friend, he must come to the aid of another.
Decades ago, Spock had teamed up with David Rabin, the young son of a Starfleet Captain, to fight an attempted coup on Vulcan that would have turned the planet's people away from the path of logic. Now a Starfleet officer, Captain David Rabin has been assigned to a harsh desert world much like Vulcan, where the Federation is determined to protect the lives of the inhabitants. But Rabin's efforts are being sabotaged and he has asked for Spock's help against the unknown forces that may well destroy the society he had come to save.
While reflecting on his youthful adventure with David Rabin, Spock joins with Rabin to face and enemy out of their past and confront deadly Romulan treachery. In the process Spock will decide if the path of his life now leads back toward the family traditions he had once sought to escape.
Customer Reviews:
Sarek's argument for peace is more convincing. .......2007-04-04
Sarek's wisdom was more profound, far seeing, and stronger than Spock's. Spock's entry into the Federation was a mistake. Spock desire for glory and power would make him famous. Jim Kirk like David Rabin would provide the stepping stones and alliances for his rise to power and the power would be self-assuming. Spock potential for intelligence and brilliance lost a web of deceit and corruption. The self-fulfilled Sareks predictions of aggression and violence associated with the Federation would stain Spock. "You are no part of me","Observe what you have done to your mother, to one of those humans among whom you will go. Your presence will damage them." So true.
Vulcan science is awesome. Federation first contact was with Vulcan. Vulcan practiced for the most part isolationism from Vulcan. Sered wanted Vulcan to withdraw from the federation. Sered's aggression in taking hostages was his painful flaw and other attrocities include radiation poisoning of his cult followers, of which McCoy medical skills coveted for a cure.
Spock's career with the federation was devoid of peaceful scientific discover; replete with acts of "Cowboy verses Indian" violence; and entangling in the internal affairs of numerous races. Sarek pleads with great love for his son Spock to remain peaceful, but Spock likes the power of violence, death, and destruction and yields to the temptation. Amanda knows Sarek loves his son. "Never that..The idea of my son, handling weapons, learning the madness of the ways of violence, is totally unacceptable." Sarek want's Spock to stay on Vulcan and gain mastery over his emotions, but Spock believes he has been betrayed by Vulcan tradition and seeks the wisdom of the Federation.
Spock asks, "Why would T'Pau give us swords if we are to shun weapons?" T'Pau herself said, "It is to remind thee not to deny the past, yes. But it is also to remind thee how narrow and sharp is the edge between chaos and civilization." T'Pau warning concidences with Sarek's plead for peace. The Federation is no bastion of peace. The federation maintains peace through political coercion, military power, and entangling hegemony. Membership in the federation is militaristic; the federation is at war with the Klingons and Romulans and very active in asserting its power. Sarek speaking to Amanda reasons "Spock has rejected thousands of years of peace to choose Starfleet and its ethic of war, it glorification of violence. How long can anyone survive that way?"
The prime directive can be preempted on will. The prime directive should be the supreme moral guideline governing the Federation interactions with alien planets, however, the prime directive has become more an ideal than a practical application. In large part, the Prime directive applies only too countries the federation has not interest in controlling or influencing.
Reunionification has good intentions but has produced no good fruit. Interaction between conflicting groups is the only way to break down the barriers between the two groups. Balance of Power creates short-term stability but over the long run fails because of its meddlesome nature. Containment is a futile doctrine and no group likes being governed against their will and so, colonization becomes a doomed endeavor.
Spocks disrespect towards Sarek is distasteful. "In all respect, sir, I do not require your consent. " A law unto himself, this lack of consent would constantly make Spock his own authority and self-governing law. Spock arrogantly and self-righteously believes his wisdom transcendent Sarek and Surek. Spocks reunionification with Romulan put him at odds with both the Romulans, who wanted him dead and the Federation, who wanted to protect sensitive information falling into the hands of the Romulans. In both cases of potential espionage and defection, Spock was a protected for his information. Spock's cowboy diplomacy had no affect on reducing military tensions between the Federation and the Romulan empire. Pardek did not become a significant political figure, nor did Runeak gain influence over the military.
Did Spock kill Sered? A fatal blow to the solar plexus. The author does not reveal that fact. Self appointed Spock leads a Sered following on Romulus in his own Romulan following during Reunification. Spock enters the cave proclaiming, "Are these your God's?"
Dull at best..........2006-11-23
The story never really picks up and for the most part it's written like a fan-fiction. Gene Roddenberry who was a very outspoken athiest would be rolling over in his grave at the Jewish references. It just doesn't feel like Star Trek and Spock isn't quite himself. The authors bend the Star Trek universe to their whim and it really doesn't work. Once again, you can find better writing and more interesting stories from fans on the Internet.
Spock - before and after Kirk.......2005-04-24
This novel opens in 2296, about a year after Kirk's death/disappearance. Spock is now captain of Intrepid II and is summoned to assist an old friend, David Rabin. The two had met many years before on Vulcan. The novel jumps between to two encounters which have many similiarities.
The action is intense throughout the book, depictions of both the new and familiar characters is handled well. For Spock fans (which should be just about everyone reading this book) it is a feast of background information on his teenage years and decision to enter the Academy.
The main flaw, in my opinion, was that it drug on a bit. I think that it would have been better if it were about 50 pages shorter.
The same authors also wrote VULCAN'S HEART two years later, which contains references to this novel.
An Excellent Audio Book.......2005-04-19
This is to review the audio cassette version. Run time over 3 hours (2 cassettes). Nimoy does a very credible job in reading this and portraying the various characters in the story. Sound affects are excellent, and the music does not get in the way. The story line does a great job of tying together some loose ends of Spock's past. We find out what led to Spock joining Star Fleet and as an added bonus how he ends up in the diplomatic corp (sic. STNG - Romulans). Even with jumping back and forth between past and present the story holds together quite well. Anyway, I highly recommend this audio book, very enjoyable!
Good book, but must every Jew be a comedian?.......2005-02-13
This book was hailed in Jewish circles as the first Star Trek novel with a Jewish character. That's not exactly true, as I have demonstrated in my Trekmania list of "Star Trek novels with (maybe) Jewish characters." But it is the first novel with a MAJOR character who is Jewish. True, Captain David Rabin never actually SAYS he's Jewish, but on page 1 he is described as a man "of Earth Israeli descent" who grew up in the Negev, and he has Hebrew inscriptions on his walls. So nu --what else can he be? There are other broad hints, too, such as the use of "Shalom" as a greeting, and a discussion about "Never again" to explain why Israelis are not pacifists.
Overall, I liked the book, but there were a few things that really annoyed me, which is why I docked it a star. First of all was Rabin's constant wisecracking. Why, oh why, does every Jewish character have to be a comedian? For Jews to have "a good sense of humor" is as stereotyped as blacks having "a sense of rhythm." (This problem is not limited to this book. Whenever I mention my own research into Jewish themes in Star Trek, people invariably laugh. Would they laugh if I were researching African or Asian characters in Trekdom?)
My second annoyance was the idea that Spock had learned how to to "deadpan" jokes from Rabin in his youth. I have never seen Spock as a jokester. True, there is humor in the scripts, but this is from the POV of the audience, not Spock himself. We might laugh at Spock's literal interpretations of idioms and metaphors, but it is out of character for a Vulcan to be actually cracking jokes -- especially a young half-Vulcan who is trying so hard to fit into the Vulcan way.
Lastly, I found the constant references to "Lawrence of Arabia" rather strained. I realize this was an attempt to include Arabs along with the Israelis, but surely there is a better way to do this that by citing old movies. Would people in the 23rd century really pick up on obscure references such as "Aqaba by land"? And how do Arab readers feel about using a movie to define their culture? I would certainly be offended if a writer used "Fiddler on the Roof" to define Judaism.
In spite of these nits, I did enjoy the story. It provided some interesting background about why Spock chose to go into Starfleet, and some good conversations about war and peace. The characters were well-developed and the writing was excellent, especially for a first Trek novel. I look forward to reading more collaborative books by these two authors.
Average customer rating:
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The Adventures of Yoko Vic and Paul (Vulcans Forge 1)
Roger Leloup
Manufacturer: Catalan Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0874160650 |
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Star Trek Vulcan's Forge
Josepha Sherman
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000QV5ZN0 |
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Vulcan's Forge
Janine Wiedel
Manufacturer: London: Archetype
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IVLBQI |
Book Description
The Knights Templar
They had all joined taking three vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience…for they were monks: warrior monks, dedicated to theprotection of pilgrims in the Holy Land -- until stories spread by anavaricious king who wanted their wealth for his own destroyed the order.
There was one knight, however, who escaped the stake, vowing justiceas he watched his innocent brothers die.
In the Service of the Lord
Simon Puttock has not been bailiff of Lydford Castle long in this year of 1316, when he is called to a nearby village to examine a burned-out cottage and the dead body within. But it is the newly arrived knight, Sir Baldwin Furnshill, who discerns the deceased was no victim of a tragic mishap; he was, in fact, murdered prior to the blaze. Simon would be well-served by accepting further assistance from this astute, though haunted and secretive stranger. For a second fatal burning indicates that some harsh evil has invaded this once-peaceful place, and its hunger has yet to be sated.
Customer Reviews:
Only One Reason.......2007-04-05
THE LAST TEMPLAR is the first installment in what has apparently become a successful series. That fact makes the book worth reading if, like me, you have an interest in getting further into the series. If not, don't waste your time. On a stand-alone basis, THE LAST TEMPLAR isn't very good. It's main value is to introduce key characters and establish the setting for future installments. Hopefully, those future installments will show substantial improvement.
Other reviewers have discussed some of the problems with this book, such as the many typos and the historical inconsistancies, so I won't belabor those issues. I'll just add my view that, beyond those issues, is the larger consideration that the story, itself, is weak. The plot involves three sets of killings, and all three are essentially unrelated. The first, the death of a peasant, is the only one that needs much solving, but it's treated as a side-plot and unravels easily as the facts surface. The second killing, that of the Abbot, is immediately transparent although it's the storyline that is most central to the plot (nor was I, like some, put off by the nature of the killing -- it was richly deserved, I thought). The third killings are uncomplicated and involve simply running the perpetrators down. There's little tension for the reader as you wait for the story to play out.
I found the characters somewhat engaging and the historical set-up of THE LAST TEMPLAR interesting. As mysteries go, however, this one leaves a lot to be desired. If you're planning to go deeper into the series, you'll probably want to read it, but if you're just looking for a good story to pass a rainy afternoon, look elsewhere. I've given it three stars because I didn't actively dislike it, but this is a weak three.
This was appalling.......2007-02-27
I completely agree with all the reviewers who thought this book was terrible. The characters are like emotional dervishes, and Jecks has this thing with anger that, by the middle of the book, crops up about every third sentence. Not only the characters, but the writing itself, is very immature. How did this ever get published? If I had read this book first, I would never had read any of the others in the Knights Templar series.
Not what I hoped for............2007-01-09
I was really looking forward to this book and reading the entire series but after this first one I will have to hold off on the rest.
The mystery itself was OK at best but what really bothered me was the supposed historical setting. The characters are far to progress and "PC" for the 14th century. There is a whole section where the villagers are being questioned about what they were doing one evening and over and over again they refer to time like "seven o'clock", "a little past eleven" and "couldn't have been later than eleven thirty"....sorry but villagers in 1316 didn't think in terms like that. They knew sunrise, sunset, moon rise and moon set they would be lucky to have ever seen a clock or time candle. BTW this isn't London this is a village of 7 homes in the middle of nowhere. That really bugged me and showed no research was done on this.
I agree on the typos comments and the phrasings used again and again.
Finally what I really didn't understand was when the author used terms from that time period but then dropped it without explanation. An example was when he talked about a character's daughter's favorite game; he named the game and then moved on. I would have loved to have heard a little about the game. He could have easily slipped in a brief description of the game. "The pegs tumbled as my horse piece moved over the wooden tray." Instead we're left wondering what the heck this is. It would have added a lot to the book.
I will probably read the second in the series but I'm in not rush. (I didn't like O'Brian's first book but ended up loving the series)
First Knights Templar Mystery!.......2006-11-04
Having sampled other Sir Baldwin Furnshill/Baliff Simon Puttock mysteries, I felt the need to find out how the Furnshill/Puttock saga got started. LAST TEMPLAR has been out since 1995 and many others have reviewed the book so, for what it's worth,...
As the story opens, a villager has been found burned to death in his home and newly-appointed baliff Puttock, with the assistance of the knightly Furnshill, who has returned to his ancestral home, are unsure whether it's accidental or murder. Then a second, horrifying murder of an abbott followed by equally savage attacks by wandering bands of brigands leave Puttock with a full platter.
Puttock occupies stage center in this book unlike succeeding volumes. What we see of Furnshill however makes for a fascinating character nevertheless, a man of of mystery still troubled by past events.
As first novels go, I thought LAST TEMPLAR was great. I was hooked from the start. Jecks' recreation of 14th century English life was wonderfully done. I enjoyed learning about the characters. I thought the plot moved along nicely. I tumbled to who killed the abbott about 1/2 way through the book but kept reading to make sure I was right.
Other reviewers have picked out various flaws which is well and good. But I enjoyed the book and wanted to read more of the same after I was done.
At $7.50, how can you go wrong?
Great attempt with some first-book flaws.......2006-09-01
The Last Templar was first published in 1995, but I only came across this series recently. I have always been interested in medieval mysteries (a la Cadfael) and in Templars in particular, so this immediately struck my attention. I have no doubt that this series was restocked on bookshelves due to the Da Vinci Code book / movie and subsequent interest in this topic.
This is clearly a "setting up" book - i.e. you're introduced to the main characters, their relationships are established, their world is established. I was willing to cut the book some slack therefore, in the sometimes tedious descriptions and motive-explaining. Like with any series, you have to learn who the people are in the beginning, so that their actions and reasons in subsequent books make sense to you.
You have a Templar who has hidden out after the infamous Friday the 13th mass destruction of his order. He's returned to his family holding in England to retire there in anonymity. You also have a 30-something local authority person who is married with a young daughter, who handles all law issues in the land. Just like in Cadfael and other mystery series, the two team up to figure out "who done it". The Templar - Baldwin - is world wise and very intelligent. The local - Simon - is a bit dense but has a good enough heart and wants to plow through to bring justice.
I love the medieval era so I did have several issues with historical accuracy here. I like to be immersed in the "time culture" when I read about olden times - but it's often more like modern people had time-travelled to the past and were living there. The wife harasses the husband for doing his job - tracking down a murderer, remember - rather than playing with the daughter. People always seem to know exactly what time it is, when many people didn't have access to a town clock, never mind personal timepieces. There are many other issues like this. It's not that they were huge, gaping holes - but it was more like water torture where each little thing struck you to build up.
I did notice the typos and such, but I don't mind those. It did seem to indicate that a better editor was needed for the series.
In general my big issue is how characters quickly dismiss important clues, or completely give up on certain issues, when we're talking about murders which are very rare (according to the characters). Surely they should care about each clue! Also, the Abbott's murder seemed rather extreme in the context of this situation. The long winded explanation for it was also a bit much. I agree that the Abbott needed to be punished, but I can imagine many scenarios where his punishment was done in a way that was proper for the story setting, instead of coming across as a raving lunatic attack.
In any case, I do like the setting and always have hope for an author to learn as he goes, so I will plow ahead with the series!
Product Description
Set of 3 paperbacks - first 3 in the Knights Templar series. The Last Templar, The Merchant's Partner, & A Moorland Hanging.
Average customer rating:
- Sequel to The Wooden Sword
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Beneath the Web
Lynn Abbey
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Abbey, Lynn
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ASIN: 0441000843 |
Customer Reviews:
Sequel to The Wooden Sword.......2000-04-05
It is in 'Beneath the Web' that the whole story really gets going, as set up in 'The Wooden Sword'. In the world patiently crafted Lyn Abbey lets her characters lose to solve the mystery of 'Dart' and wether he is man, demon, fetch, or who knows what. Berika the sheperdess came off relatively poorly in the first book, still gaining her feet. As she finds her power that changes. The obsessive reader of science fiction for some thirty five years, I rarely find a book who's ending I can't guess, but Lyn Abbey makes the whole thing a unique experience with her depth of detail and characterization. I only wish I could say of her that 'she doesn't know when to end a series', as two books seems to be her limit. A pity, because the rich worlds she carves out have the potential for much more. These two books are worth finding.END
Product Description
Silen, usually unseen, uncountably numerous, plant roots are the hidden half of nature's kingdom. They are among the oldest living things on earth, yet they remain unendingly new and are the hope and promise of sustenance for the future in a world where "the stork continues to win over the plow". Roots have been called the prime decision-makers for life on this planet, and the study of them has in large part been responsible for the agricultural revolution that has already taken place. This is the story of roots, and in it the reader will discover many amazin, often delightful, facts, which vividly demonstrate that roots truly are "miracles below" (The natives of a South Pacific island, to cite but one example, price their banana trees. But, unlike the rest of the world, they eat the roots of the tree, no tis fruit.) Roots: Miracles Below ranges from the earliest prehistory to the future, from the mountains of southern China to the plains of Iowa. It is a fascinating jouney which shows, instance by instance, the vital place roots have in the scheme of life. In clear, straighforward prose, Mr. Wilson relates the idea of ecology, a naturally balanced environmnet, with its most fundamental aspect: roots themselves. He concludes with a picture of an ideal garden world in which Man and Nature have, at last , come to terms. "With each passing year," the author writes, "the criterion of man's survival and well-being goes more and more decisively underground. For sustenanace of the spirit.... he may still look up, but for sustenance of the body, he loos down to the roots" A strange and lovely book written with a great affection for life and the mysteries of growing things.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Other Side, published by The Other Side on November 1, 2002. The length of the article is 2302 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: By the sword: dig beneath the surface of U.S. militarism, and you'll find a web of corporate economic interests and injustice. In such a context, the church must reclaim its role as peacemaker.
Author: Jack Nelson Pallmeyer
Publication:
The Other Side (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2002
Publisher: The Other Side
Volume: 38
Issue: 6
Page: 24(5)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Applied Soil Ecology, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
Biological soil crusts are key mediators of carbon and nitrogen inputs for arid land soils and often represent a dominant portion of the soil surface cover in arid lands. Free-living soil nematode communities reflect their environment and have been used as biological indicators of soil condition. In this study, we test the hypothesis that nematode communities are successionally more mature beneath well-developed, late-successional stage crusts than immature, early-successional stage crusts. We identified and enumerated nematodes by genus from beneath early- and late-stage crusts from both the Colorado Plateau, Utah (cool, winter rain desert) and Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico (hot, summer rain desert) at 0-10 and 10-30cm depths. As hypothesized, nematode abundance, richness, diversity, and successional maturity were greater beneath well-developed crusts than immature crusts. The mechanism of this aboveground-belowground link between biological soil crusts and nematode community composition is likely the increased food, habitat, nutrient inputs, moisture retention, and/or environmental stability provided by late-successional crusts. Canonical correspondence analysis of nematode genera demonstrated that nematode community composition differed greatly between geographic locations that contrast in temperature, precipitation, and soil texture. We found unique assemblages of genera among combinations of location and crust type that reveal a gap in scientific knowledge regarding empirically derived characterization of dominant nematode genera in deserts soils and their functional role in a crust-associated food web.
Book Description
Swimming is one of the best, most enjoyable, and most effective forms of exercise available, and this is the classic guide for beginners and expert swimmers alike, completely revised and updated for the '90s.
B & W line drawings throughout.
Customer Reviews:
dont go without it.......2006-03-09
This book by jane katz is awesome and is flexible both for use of professionals trying to sharpen performance etc or the beginner with just the basic knowledge on the skill. I would definetely recommend it to anyone interested in making themselves fitter,faster and swim smart.
Best ever!.......2005-09-15
I have carried this book around with me for weeks, have been swimming laps since late June. Lost 8 lbs (so far and today is Sept 14). Don't believe those websites that say swimming laps does not burn fat. I have lost 2 inches of fat just from my waist and 2 inches from my back.... SO, get this book, read it and get in the pool! Swimming is great for the body AND the mind... (-;
Excellent Confidence Builder.......2004-08-07
Excellent book for those of us adults who are timid about the water, but want to learn how to swim. I especially like how she has you practice exercises on land 1st, then apply them in the water. It gave me so much more confidence when I approached the pool. And I also recommend the "swimmers shape-up" exercises early on like she introduced as I found they really helped keep my muscles loosened up and avoid undue muscle soreness and stiffness after swimming. I also like that she doesn't assume the simple things come naturally (ie., even how to wipe the water from your face). I look forward to seeing how far along I can get with her progressive fitness programs at the end of the book once I'm comfortable with all 10 swimming lessons.
Great inspiration - - discover the joy of the sport!.......2003-01-20
I bought this because I wanted a better understanding of swimming as a sport. I had learned the skill of swimming like most people do in their youth, but since I wasn't very interested in or good at sports my learning stopped as soon as lessons did. In adulthood I rediscovered the joy of swimming and I wondered how I could develop more sophisticated skills. I also wondered how "real" swimmers think and feel about their sport and how they go about their training: what challenges them, what kind of routines do they use.
This book was perfect for me. The author began with the absolute fundamentals of having a relationship to the water and went on to suggest basic routines for the beginner like me. She then took her descriptions to routines for those on the advanced competitive level. I liked being able to see where a more talented person could and would go which is in itself very interesting even though I'll never reach that level; this insight puts my own beinning work into perspective.
After reading this book I was inspired to swim and continue improving my routines. I would never need another book on this subject after this one, it's that all-encompassing for the amateur.
fewer injuries, more joy.......2002-06-01
After years of aerobic dance, running, and weight lifting, I wanted to find an aerobic activity that was less injury-prone. I turned to swimming, and found it to be the perfect alternative. An avid childhood swimmer, I just needed some tips for refining my technique--it wasn't until I picked up this book that I discovered that my breathing technique was all wrong! I also liked the ideas for progressively more intense workouts that went beyond just endless laps. This book gave me all that and more--I'm now doing flip turns and as Katz says, my joi de vivre now includes joi de l'eau!
Product Description
Everything you need to enjoy nature's perfect exercise. Fundamental and advanced techniques. A progressive swim-for-fitness program. Plus hydrocalisthenics, dry-land exercises, questions and answers, swim equipment, workout logs, and more.
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Books Index
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