The Little Sparrows (Orphan Trains Trilogy, Book 1)

Book Description

Kearney, Cheyenne, Rawlins. Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco. At each train station, a few lucky orphans from the crowded streets of New York City receive the fulfillment of their dreams: a home and family. This "orphan train" is the vision of Charles Loring Brace, founder of the Children's Aid Society, who cannot bear to see innocent children abandoned in the overpopulated cities of the mid-nineteenth-century. Yet it is not just the orphans whose lives need mending -- follow the train along and watch God's hand restore love and laughter to the right family at the right time!

Customer Reviews:

Orphan Trains Triology, Book 1.......2007-08-05

The book arrived in great condition [NEW] and in respectable amount of time. I would not hesitate to order from this source again.

Thank you!

preaching overcame interesting subject.......2006-02-27

This book was so heavy handed with preaching that the characters, story and scenes were completely overwhelmed. It made what could have been an interesting story dull.

Spiritual Read.......2004-02-03

I really enjoyed this book, it was very uplifting and kept me coming back. I liked that there were several children involved in the story line and that you get to follow them to the end. I really look forward to reading the next book in the series and to more spiritual uplifting.

Couldn't Put It Down because...............2003-12-12

The story line kept me wanting to read about what was going to happen next. It twisted stories about several children and brought them all together. Sometimes I had to stop and remember each child's background, but as a whole I loved it. The stories where also surrounded by biblical references. Looking forward to getting the other 2 in the series for Christmas.

Book Description

Barely a Bride introduced the dashingly debonair--but staunchly single--men of the Free Fellows League. Now, in the second book, another confirmed bachelor is about to discover the unexpected pleasures of matrimony.

Customer Reviews:

Fluffy Fun.......2005-08-02

The Free Fellows league is a great fun beach book series. Like some of the better fluffy-romance genre, there's a sub-plot of intrigue and protecting the woman's honor in addition to two people falling in love. However...this is might be the weakest of the series.

Good - but not quite good enough for more stars!.......2005-06-18

For me this book dragged a little too much in the first half. Just too much repetitive discussion about the Freefellow works, too just general discussion without much intensity. Then Colin and Gillian finally marry and this couple that barely knew one another are passionate and quickly fall in love. I don't know it just did not quite have it for me. I think there should have been more focus on the end of the book and more reason to really feel the love and also more build up to the solving of the other Coin Fox mystery. Ok and I will read the others in the series but not quite more than 3 stars for me.

Loved her series, but agree with arguments.......2005-02-16

I've read all of her books, but I agree that the editing is flawed and the minor details are unresearched. I am currently trying my hand at writing a regency romance and I strive to find accurate accounts: such as when the little season begins, down to details of dress and eating. It's disappointing that Ms. Lee didn't put as much effort into it. But the story is very touching and I enjoyed both the characters. Don't analyze it too much and you'll be fine.

My New Favorite Book!.......2004-10-07

I thought this book was FABULOUS! I'm not a historian, so I did not pick up on any incorrect historical facts, not that it really matters. The book is fiction, and I enjoyed it for the incredible romance. Rebecca Hagan Lee does a great job telling the story--I felt like I was actually there, watching everything take place. When a book succeeds in taking me to another place, I consider it successful. I had a hard time making myself put this one down. In my opinion, it is a must read!

Don't bother!.......2004-08-14

I gave Barely a Bride three stars on a scale of five. I give this book one star, and that's generous. The author tossed this off and we dished out money for that lack of effort. It's an insult. Its enough to make one lose faith in the publishing houses. They have forsaken good literature in exchange for the almighty buck. Don't give in to them. Don't buy this book, even though this author was once great. In this book, the Author takes us on a multi-page excursion through a man taking off and then putting on a woman's corset as he plays lady's maid. Throughout the book, the conversation between the male and female lead characters is inane. The antagonist is not introduced until the second to the last chapter. Uneven, unbalanced, and idiotic. I skipped whole pages. It's a shame, because the protagonists in this series of books could have been extraordinary. But Hagen Lee will get a check for this sloppy work -if she even wrote it. I won't buy the sequel. Don't support this kind of pablum. Insist on excellence and intelligence and vote with your wallet. By the way, the publisher is Berkley. Keep an eye out for them. They are taking advantage of us. They do not have excellence as a goal. As we hate to go into a book store and see wasted shelves dedicated to Nora Roberts (not her again!) and Sandra Brown (groan!) and (God, forbid) Danielle Steele, so shall we also hate to see good book space taken up by Hagen Lee if she continues with this type of mediocre performance.

Average customer rating:

Merely the Groom

Manufacturer: Recorded Books, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1419346075

Average customer rating:

Merely the Groom
Rebecca Hagan Lee
Manufacturer: Berkley Sensation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000J32LQO

Book Description

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
Haunting and Mesmerizing
Humans In Decline
Great Sky River - the Middle of the Series
Mediocre Sky River

Great Sky River (Galactic Center)
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: Aspect
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

High Tech | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0446611557

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-04

Mechs are bad, okay.

A rag-tag fugitive bunch is trying to survive on a planet. They meet a group who have apparently cut a deal with the enemy to assure their survival. The enemy in this case being one of the Mechs. You know how this sort of story usually plays out, deals with the devil and all that sort of thing. Just not too interesting this book, as everything of course gets worse from there.

Haunting and Mesmerizing.......2006-05-13

Over the last 20 years or so I've attempted to read all of the great Sci-Fi. The first time I read this book was about 15 years ago and at that time I felt that it was the best Sci-Fi novel that I have ever read. Clarke, Hebert, Asimov, Card, none of them have ever written as original and compelling a story as this one. I recently read it again and it was just as enthralling as the first time. Buy this book!

The jargon is a little challenging, but it adds to the authenticity of the novel. Once you get the feel for it, will seem natural.

The plot is flawless. Man has populated the stars and in doing so, crossed paths with a race that is so advanced, man hardly rates a second look. Unfortunately, this species requires a dry, almost waterless world, so as a result, humans find themselves on the brink of extermination at the... hands?, of a heartless, ruthless species.

Constantly on the run, reduced to a mere vestige of their great past, humanity is again a tribal unit of hunter/gatherers, scraping out an existence beneath the... radar?, forced to utilize the alien technology to their own ends, man searches for hope on the edge of extinction.

Humans In Decline.......2005-09-10

This is the third in Benford's "Galactic Center" series, and the first of the novels to actually merit the name. The other books are "In the Ocean of Night" (1977) and "Across the Sea of Suns" (1984), set in the near future not far from Earth, and "Tides of Light" (1989), "Furious Gulf" (1994), and "Sailing Bright Eternity" (1995) set, as is this one, about 30,000 years later.

This is a time when humans have settled the central regions of the galaxy and have entered a period of decline forced on them by mechanical intelligences, robots who long preceded them. The middle two novels tell the story from the point of view of the
man Killeen Bishop, starting on the planet "Snowglade" where humans (heavily genetically adapted and plugged in to electronic devices) live as scavengers among mechanical constructions, a world near the galactic black hole's accretion disk. Benford's treatment of the human augmentations as something they take for granted and use with considerable skill is an interesting adaptation of "cyberpunk" ideas, though he does expend many words in the novel discussing the technical details.

Most of the machines ignore the humans or treat them as simple nuisances, but the terrifying, powerful and seemingly indestructible "Mantis" pursues and haunts the Bishop family from this novel to the end of the series, ostensibly trying to understand humans better, and in particular why they are so horrified by its sense of "art".

Another entity appears in this third novel and remains through the end - a "magnetic" life-form of vast extent, with roots in the black hole accretion disk and strands reaching to nearby stars. Benford's physics blends with poetry in describing this and many other wonders he imagines for the cosmos.

The character development here is reasonably well-done, though not as convincing as in the later "Furious Gulf". Killeen starts out as a sharp but unreliable member of the clan, growing and maturing as tragedy surrounds him. Benford seems to have a relatively limited range of primary characters: once again Killeen is the rebel, suspicious of authority and the good intentions of others, yet he ends up leading a band toward new horizons at the end.

It would have been more satisfying to have other books spanning the vast gap between the end of the second novel and the beginning of this one - rather that time period appears in flashbacks from the electronic "aspects" the humans carry, always showing nostalgia for times past. This leaves the novels rather open-ended (many threads not nicely cloesd) - but life is like that too. The breadth of Benford's scientifically plausible imagination in these novels is amazing in itself; read these novels to gain a perspective on life in the universe and what a sufficiently advanced civilization might do with a galaxy such as our own.

Great Sky River - the Middle of the Series.......2003-10-19

This was a great sci-fi book. Keep in mind it is also one book in the middle of a series of books dealing with the conflict between the creator and created. I would not recommend reading this book out of context. The earlier books must be read first to avoid confusion!

In this book Gregory Benford explores the human society that was so dependant on technology, that it became almost a magic art, a mystery to those using it. The basic principles of technology were buried in the distant past. When confronted with disaster, the survivors started looking for a "holy grail" of technology that would enable them to escape. A minor theme could also be how so much alike the mechs and humans were. However, at some point the human population stopped contributing to the goal of all life: survival. They ceased being "players" in the advancement of technololgy and so became prey. The book also explores how in any disaster, someone always "fills the gap" and provides leadership. The book explores the fight against an implacable enemy as well as dispair.

I read this story and straight away went to search for the sequel!

Mediocre Sky River.......2003-08-04

"Great Sky River" is hyped as a masterpiece of "hard" science fiction, and undefined term to be sure. I thought that "hard" meant examining true science, but this doesn't fit since the word is applied to everything from Arthur C. Clarke's near-future works to Frank Herbert's far-future "Dune". Reading "Great Sky River", I've come to the conclusion that "hard" means "complicated"; too complicated.

Imagine reading a fantasy novel. Now imagine that you are a person who has been living under a rock, and has no concept whatsoever of magic, dwarves, wizards, elves, or medieval times and settings. Everything would be fresh and new to you, making the novel very complicated to get through. That's a fair assessment of "Great Sky River" applied to a sci-fi world; everything is new, difficult, and challenging to the reader. My tastes are very diverse, and maybe it's been too long since I read a book from the "complicated" sci-fi genre, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as most people who have reviewed it here.

In the far future, a planet colonized by human beings has come under a siege. The machines have taken over, leaving a few bands of humans to run for their lives or face annihilation. The remaining men and women have banded together into clans, and fight back as best they can against impossible odds. These characters oppose the machines, but there's a problem: each person is also fitted with their own performance-enhancing machines embedded into their flesh, and implanted into their minds.

Once I got through the early confusion, "Great Sky River" seemed like it was going to captivate me. There are plenty of ideas from the imagination of Benford to go around. However... it just doesn't click with me. Example: each human is fitted with Aspects, which are microchips containing the memories and thoughts of long dead human beings, and their thoughts are transmitted to their carriers. The Aspects seem to be able to communicate with the enemy, and also come across as more human than their carriers. All good things. Benford, however, drops the ball, and doesn't develop the idea that these Aspects are more human than the living. The reader is left to infer this.

Sometimes, an inference is more satisfying than an over-descriptive dive into ideas like these; not so here. The problem is the author has spent hundreds of pages describing, expanding, and describing again (from a faux-historical perspective) the gadgets and gizmos to such an extent that it envelops the entire novel. The story gets buried beneath a barrage of technical mumbo-jumbo. As a result, the plot ideas are never brought to light. Most authors with complicated subject matter will create the setting early, and let the story flow once the essentials have been grasped by the audience. Benford seems to think that keeping this book difficult to the extreme is his top priority, but he lost me halfway though. I finished this book while waiting for a revelation that never came. I understood the ending, but by then I didn't care.

It is possible that my tastes have turned away from "hard" sci-fi over the years. I almost considered not reviewing this novel for that reason. Then I remembered the joy of reading "Dune" (Frank Herbert) and the "Hyperion" novels (Dan Simmons), which are equal to "Great Sky River" in complexity, but have an important difference: a compelling, human story featuring characters that live and breathe. Benford can be a fine author, as evidenced by "Heart of the Comet" and "Timescape". Try those books instead, and skip this one. I give "Great Sky River" 2 ½ stars, rounding down to 2.

Average customer rating:
Great Sky River
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K8XT0K

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Great Sky River
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: VGSF
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M67YBA

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Nightfishing in Great Sky River
David Lunde
Manufacturer: Anamnesis Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1892842149

Book Description

Nightfishing in Great Sky River is award-winning poet David Lunde's strongest collection to date. Includes two Rhysling Award winners.

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Gran Rio del Espacio / Great Sky River
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: Ediciones B
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

The Galactic Center Saga - In the Ocean of Night, Across the Sea of Suns, Great Sky River, Tides of Light, Furious Gulf and Sailing Bright Eternity (set of 6 books)

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The Galactic Center Saga - In the Ocean of Night, Across the Sea of Suns, Great Sky River, Tides of Light, Furious Gulf and Sailing Bright Eternity (set of 6 books)
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: Dial / Timescape / Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SMFP6Y

Product Description

The complete series (6 books), published by various publishers between 1976 and 1995.

Galactic Center Series, 3 Book Set: In the Ocean of Night + Across the Sea of Suns + Great Sky River

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Galactic Center Series, 3 Book Set: In the Ocean of Night + Across the Sea of Suns + Great Sky River
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: Bantam / Aspect
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000WU7QEG

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Great Sky River
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VARBUG

Great Sky River: Galactic Center Series, Book 3

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Great Sky River: Galactic Center Series, Book 3
Gregory Benford
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KDU48U

Book Description

What do a nun and a priest know about sex? The authors share the stories of hundreds of people who feel they have compromised their faith by living what is in their hearts.

Customer Reviews:

wonderful spiritual uplife.......2007-10-02

I wish everyone could gain an appreciation of their sexuality as this book presents it. I also wish that we could all channel our divine energy as well as this book recommends.

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