The Art of Uncontrolled Flight: A Novel

Average customer rating:

Hope this helps

"She had fled, in that way, she was no better than him"

I loved Annie from the first page

Captures the imagination

A beautifully written, compelling, and complex novel

The Art of Uncontrolled Flight: A Novel
Kim Ponders
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000H2MJX2

Customer Reviews:

Hope this helps.......2007-07-31

but it probably won't help. I got bored half-way through this book and wanted to throw it in the trash can. She failed to keep my interest for some reason and I couldn't tell you what it was except that there was too much emotion and feeling to keep track of. This is why Kim succeeds at being a woman and does not succeed as a man - too much emotion and feeling which does not for me make a good story.

"She had fled, in that way, she was no better than him".......2005-11-12

Annie Shaw has always wanted to emulate her father. A pilot in the Vietnam War and an Air force Veteran, he was a formidable personality, controlling Annie's life from a young age, often cold and emotionally distant, but always full of love and respect for his daughter. As a little girl, Annie decides that there's nothing she'd rather do than become a pilot, just like the man she so admires; she seems born to fly and would much rather eavesdrop on war stories than pass hors d`oeuvres at her parents` cocktail parties.

Annie's father is also a bit of a philanderer, "her mother cried often for him to come home, and when he was home, she screamed at him to leave," his occasional infidelities perhaps responsible for her mother's untimely death. When a terrible house fire takes her life, Annie and her father become transients, living with a succession of his mistresses and wives, following her father into the houses of women he takes up with until he gets bored and then abandons them.

Annie freely admits that she listens for her father, "I was my father either way." All she wanted was to join with him even in spirit, and she still believed at a point in her life, by working hard enough to crack the code of shapes and numbers in his path, that she would. Of course, Annie achieves her childhood dream, and becomes an aviator in her own right, partly because she seeks her father's approval, but also because she has an ineffable urge to feel distance between herself and the rest of the world thirty thousand feet below.

After Annie becomes a pilot, she volunteers for any new place - Izmir, Dhahran, the Azores. She'd always be gone, gone before Dexter, her husband could stop and ask her or even ask why. She thinks she's going to catch her father, but she ends up forming a friendship with Jago, a fellow pilot. Jago is convinced they are living history; he's young and tantalized by glory, but her ill-fated romance with him threatens to bring Annie's personal and professional lives to a collision point.

When Iraq invades Kuwait, Annie finds that she is deployed to Saudi Arabia, waiting for the Gulf War to begin. A tough, and independent woman, Annie holds her own inside the elite, male-dominated alliance of flying. Some of her fellow pilots want her to succeed, and some want her to fail, "but everybody looks at her as a woman first." Her life at the flying Academy was not so different from anywhere else, except that the expectations there were constant and clear.

While her father thought she would fail, Annie becomes weirdly enchanted with schedules, and with details, seeing how they could be used to an advantage, demonstrating competence, and filling the vacancies left by an ambivalent heart. When a critical error places her crew at risk, Annie learns that flying in wartime carries a shadow far greater than the mystique it held for her when she was a child.

Annie believes that the love of flying was like any other love affair, with its raw beginning, "when the feel of an airplane's controls is enough to keep the pilot awake at night, when he learns the planes strengths and weaknesses and he begins to love them." This tale of uncontrolled flight is contextually rich, constantly jumping backwards and forwards in time, layered with the weight and scope of a life of a young and independent woman who is determined to make the most of her world.

Drawing on her experiences as a female combat pilot, author Kim Ponders, paints an exquisite portrait of the tough, disciplined world of military flight. Essentially a story about the lives of women, love, loss and one's place in the world, like the aircraft that she pilot's, Annie lifts into fluid air, moving towards the promise of some vague destination, always wanting something beyond her grasp. It is only through her affair with Jago, that Annie discovers a sort of "symphony of flight," in which the mind movies two steps ahead of the hands, in concert with another pilot. Mike Leonard November 05.

I loved Annie from the first page .......2005-10-09

The details of military life are shared in a unique way, from a primarily female perspective, mixing snippets of death and devastation with love and passion. Ponders' writing is rich and textured. It demands a stong mind to read and makes no excuses. It was great to have a book ask for something back from the reader.

Captures the imagination.......2005-10-09

The story took me back to my own childhood. Kim has a way of using few words so well that the story pours out before you. She is a great new talent in writing.
I loved the shift from first to third person that gave the many complex views of a complex yet touching tale.
It is a must read.

A beautifully written, compelling, and complex novel.......2005-09-28

The cover of Kim Ponders's debut novel shows a little girl, arms outstretched, chasing a model airplane that flies just outside her grasp. The image is strong but not particularly original; indeed, it seems almost obvious and perhaps a bit clichéd --- a girl chases a dream, the memories of her mother and the truths her father hides from her, all symbolized by the gliding, soaring, elusive object. It's a lovely image, but its sweet and simple symbolism does not do justice to the complexity of Ponders's themes and the stark unsentimentality of her prose.

THE ART OF UNCONTROLLED FLIGHT is Annie's story. It begins when she is six years old, watching her mother emotionally disintegrate as they wait for her father's intermittent and brief returns from his service in the Air Force. And while cameo appearances by Annie's father only strengthen her adoration for him, they drive her mother slowly mad, to the point where she can no longer survive the perpetual state of emotional and physical limbo he has left her in. After her mother's death, Annie and her father bounce from town to town, woman to woman, family to family, and Annie's young adulthood is marked by perpetual movement. Her father may have left the Air Force but he remained always on the verge of takeoff.

Annie's character is marked by a core determination and a sense of resolve. Her steely nature and adoration of her father lead her to pursue a career as a fighter pilot where she matter-of-factly suppresses any remnants of femininity in order to succeed.

It is in the descriptions of Annie's military training, her relationships with her fellow pilots and the one event that almost destroys her that the novel itself really takes off. Annie's reflections on war and fear, on courage and sexuality, are distinctive and refreshing; her steely courage and unsentimentality mark her as an atypical brand of female narrator.

Despite the novel's pretense to be a work of fiction, a quick scan of Ponders's bio reveals her own aviary and military history; we as readers can only imagine that much of Annie's vividness, the way she leaps off the page, is a testament both to the author's skill and to her very personal connection to Annie's military and emotional struggles. But the narrative appeals of the book are also due to Ponders's technical skill as a writer. The novel is short and spare, but never feels incomplete; despite her brisk and unsentimental narrative tone, Annie is a fully-drawn and compelling character. Through her penetrating, un-shirking gaze, we see both familiar themes of family and sexuality, guilt and past, as well as the unfamiliar themes of the early-'90s Middle Eastern conflict and the role of women in the Air Force. Finally, the novel itself is tightly woven, marked by moments of startling lyricism and lovely thematic symmetry.

THE ART OF UNCONTROLLED FLIGHT begins and ends with an act of flight --- one unexpected and desperate, the other planned and prepared; one driven by anger, the other by love; both marked by the strange incongruous freedom of soaring into the unknown.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Krieger

Book Description

Since the spring of 2001, millions of people worldwide (1.2 million in the U.S. alone) have shown Mom how much they love her by giving her the remarkable New York Times bestselling book Dear Mom. Now, it's Dad's turn.

Perfect for those who struggle to find the right words to tell Dad just how they feel, Dear Dad is a masterful blend of poignant pictures and special thoughts that will convey to Dad how much he means. BTG's witty and whimsical, yet moving, pairing of thoughts and images will effortlessly communicate your appreciation and love for all Dad's efforts over the years. He points out that dads might sometimes be far from perfect, but by embodying the fatherly paradox of strength through gentleness, they are still and always the beloved anchor, safely holding fast to all that "family" means today and in the future.

Internationally successful author Bradley Trevor Greive, whose previous seven books have already sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, has again captured magic in book form. With its infectious humor, poetic insights, carefully chosen words, and charming animal photographs, Dear Dad gets straight to the heart of the role fathers play in our lives. Dear Dad is proof that the most truthful, meaningful things are best expressed simply, and with a chuckle.

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL.......2005-10-09

This is one of the best books I have ever read. My friends teased me because I took it every where and wouldnt put it down. It is the kind of story that makes you want to luugh one minute and cry the next. You feel the hurt the pain and the love. Marta Perry is a wonderful story teller and I am looking forward to reading more books by her.

More Sparks Fly with the Flanagans.......2005-09-26

Photojournalist Julie Alexander found life easier when hidden behind the camera lens. When she decides to check on the well-being of her nephew, the son of her estranged late step-sister, she not only uses the camera as a prop to keep things from getting too personal, she arrives at the Flanagan home and into their lives under false pretenses.

Julie uses the half-pretense of a photo story on fire-fighters to insinuate herself into the lives of the Flanagan family. She uses her camera and cover story to get close to Seth Flanagan, father of three-year-old Davy, her sister's child. She hadn't planned on falling in love with her pint-sized nephew, nor did she count on the attraction that grows between herself and Seth. And Seth, still grieving over the loss of his wife, tries to fight the pull of Julie's presence.

Julie, coming from a disturbing, unloving family background, is unprepared for the over-flowing warmth and open arms of the sprawling, rambunctious Flanagans. Still, she feels certain that Seth, working in a dangerous occupation can't possibly provide the safety and security she believes Davy needs. Determined to be objective about what she observes, she continues to protect herself from the ever-increasing pull of the unconditional love offered by the Flanagans.

What happens when they discover Julie's deceit, and the subsequent dangers imposed on everyone when Julie's controlling father learns about the boy will keep you totally immersed in HERO DAD. Can God's love bring these two together? Can they sort through the hurt and deceit caused by Julie's lie? Both Julie and Seth must come to terms with their own feelings of guilt over the death of Lisa, Julie's dead step-sister, Seth's wife.

You will love the Flanagans and find yourself wishing for more. And there IS more. Other titles by Marta Perry and the Flanagans are: HERO IN HER HEART, and UNLIKELY HERO.

Hero Dad.......2005-09-09

If you believe that God is REAL & works in mysterious ways this book is for you. God has a plan for all of us & this book reiterates this concept. I have just started back reading books after about 10 years & Ms Perry has done an excellent job I have read all of The Flannigan's series. Ms Perry keeps you wanting to know more & makes you feel like you are right there with them as all of this is taking place.

I liked it.......2005-04-20

But where normally it takes me a day to read a book this size, I've had this one about a week and a half. Almost every page was ear-marked because I couldn't stay with it to get interested. Toward the end, it got good. It should have had more "up front" so a reader would be tempted to finish it!

Average customer rating:

Dad: My Hero
Dan Zadra , and Kobi Yamada
Manufacturer: Compendium Publishing & Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Fatherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Personal Transformation | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1932319484

A Father, a Hero: Inspiration and Insights for Every Dad

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A Father, a Hero: Inspiration and Insights for Every Dad
James C. Dobson
Manufacturer: Multnomah Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1414317433

Book Description

Confidently, humbly, faithfully. A father often serves behind the scenes. But younger generations are watching, and his example sets the course for a bright future. His role is irreplaceable, his leadership commendable. He’s a commonplace hero deserving nothing short of noble recognition.

Average customer rating:

Just missing dad
Filled with Emotion
A lot of feeling

Just Like Dad: A Poetic Life
Bradley S. Hartman
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 142417841X
Release Date: 2007-05-07

Book Description

Just Like Dad is a story told through the rhythmic flow of poetry. It is the continuing story of the greatest man I ever knew, told through the many traits that he passed on to me. Here you'll see how he influenced not only the lives around him, but especially the life of his son where through his words you'll find new and unusual ways to see our world. This selection of poetry is a heartfelt tribute to a man that became more than just a father, he was also a friend, mentor and my idol. Thanks to him and the other people that have influenced my views and opinions over the years, these poems are for you and dedicated to all the readers out there with poetic hearts.

Customer Reviews:

Just missing dad.......2007-06-29

My father died nearly 20 years ago, as the years have past this poetry book has taken me right back there. I'd forgotten many the feelings I had then. Thanks a million towards evoking memories! My dad really loved James Bond movies as well, in fact that was the last movie we saw together.

Filled with Emotion.......2007-06-29

I, for one, enjoy poetry. This collection of poems is fantastic! Every poem has heart and is just filled with emotion... some make you cry, others have you laughing out loud, and some really make you think. It is easy to connect to the poems and pertain them to situations in your own life. This author has a way with words and it shows! I highly recommend this book. Great gift idea too!

A lot of feeling.......2007-05-18

My name is Bradley S. Hartman and I am the author of this book. I just wanted to take a second to let you know that this is a poetry book filled with 51 or is it 52 of some of my favorite poems. It is dedicated to my Dad, that's him on the cover and me at the bottom, but it is also dedicated to you the reader. There are poems in here about my Dad that I hope you'll be able to relate to yours as well as some for Mom, family and friends. For those of you that just want a fun poem, I put them in here too. I hope you enjoy every one of them and thanks from the bottom of my heart for letting me do what I love to do.
God Bless,
Bradley S. Hartman

Average customer rating:

My Dad My Hero
Michael Bentinck
Manufacturer: Michael Bentinck
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Prisoners of War | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0952615711

Average customer rating:

THE book for every military child
Great New Military Story Book for Young Children

My Dad's a Hero
Rebecca Christiansen , and Jewel Armstrong
Manufacturer: Word Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1595712097

Product Description

A children s book with war as a backdrop is not an easy subject to pull off. But the creators of Is Your Dad a Hero have found just the right approach. The reader they address is any child whose father is serving in the military, far away from home. These are children who miss their dads, worry about them, and have lots of conflicting emotions and unanswered questions. The authors know this is a tender subject for young readers and have kept the book uplifting and free from scary words like guns, war and fighting. The book gives kids permission to be happy and proud of their military dad.

Customer Reviews:

THE book for every military child.......2007-10-01

This is a perfect book for the 4 - 8 year old child whose father is called to deploy overseas.

Written in a simple and elegant style that young children can read (or have read to them ); the accompanying pictures just beg to have Billy or Betty color them in and personalize the story. The two authors, one a mother of a deployed soldier, and the other a teacher, have collaborated on producing a book that is designed to explain, if not comfort, Dad's absence to his children.

While the term "hero" is grossly overused, if this book can help comfort a young child on dad's second, third, or forth deployment, then the book has done it's job.

Not only is the book highly recommended, but it would be certainly be helpful if the book was distributed to the children when Dad goes off on yet another deployment.

Great New Military Story Book for Young Children.......2007-09-02

If you are or have a military dad who is serving overseas then the book " My Dad's A Hero" is a perfect gift for his children. It will help you with your young children in understanding where daddy is and what he is doing. It is an uplifting little book with wonderful illustrations by Jen O. Robertson and a nifty little story line by Rebecca Christiansen and Jewel Armstrong.

I would think that even the youngest child could get something out of this book if read to them as they looked at the pictures on each page. Second to 6th grade students could read this book but all children will enjoy looking through it. The message is positive and comforting to small children.

I highly recommend this book for military families. It is a good little book and will be read over and over by small kids. I give it a children's book rating of FIVE Teddy bears!

My Dad, My Hero Thoughts on Fatherhood (Words of Wisdom)

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My Dad, My Hero Thoughts on Fatherhood (Words of Wisdom)

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0760740615

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My Hero Thanks Dad- For Everything

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1586608959

Average customer rating:

Space Falls a Little Flat

Not quite top-drawer Rucker, but clever and fun. 4.6 stars

Interesting yet confused

Plot secondary to concept

A sprightly homage to Abbott

Spaceland: A Novel of the Fourth Dimension
Rudy Rucker
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0765303671

Amazon.com

The product manager for a Silicon Valley startup, Joe Cube thinks the best way to enter the new millennium is to stay safely home with his wife and watch the year 2000 come in on an experimental television/interactive device "borrowed" from work. His wife, however, is less than pleased. And after Jena passes out from too much New Year's imbibing, Joe discovers the undertested device has opened a gateway to a new universe: he is contacted by a fourth-dimensional woman named Momo....

Usually, tribute novels are like movie remakes: a bad idea. However, this tribute to Edwin A. Abbott's classic novel Flatland works wonderfully. This is because Spaceland is written by Rudy Rucker, a Silicon Valley professor of mathematics and computer science who is also a hard-SF writer with the most gonzo sensibility in science fiction.--Cynthia Ward

Book Description

Joe Cube is a Silicon Valley hotshot--well, a would-be hotshot anyway--hoping that the 3-D TV project he's managing will lead to the big money IPO he's always dreamed of. On New Year's Eve, hoping to impress his wife, he sneaks home the prototype. It brings no new warmth to their cooling relationship, but it does attract someone else's attention.When Joe sees a set of lips talking to him (floating in midair) and feels the poke of a disembodied finger (inside him), it's not because of the champagne he's drunk. He has just met Momo, a woman from the All, a world of four spatial dimensions for whom our narrow world, which she calls Spaceland, is something like a rug, but one filled with motion and life. Momo has a business proposition for Joe, an offer she won't let him refuse. The upside potential becomes much clearer to him once she helps him grow a new eye (on a stalk) that can see in the fourth-dimensional directions, and he agrees. After that it's a wild ride through a million-dollar night in Las Vegas, a budding addiction to tasty purple 4-D food, a failing marriage, eye-popping excursions into the All, and encounters with Momo's foes, rubbery red critters who steal money, offer sage advice and sometimes messily explode. Joe is having the time of his life, until Momo's scheme turns out to have angles he couldn't have imagined. Suddenly the fate of all life here in Spaceland is at stake.Rudy Rucker is a past master at turning mathematical concepts into rollicking science fiction adventure, from Spacetime Donuts and White Light to The Hacker and the Ants. In the tradition of Edwin A. Abbott's classic novel, Flatland, Rucker gives us a tour of higher mathematics and visionary realities. Spaceland is Flatland on hyperdrive!

Customer Reviews:

Space Falls a Little Flat.......2007-03-05

I'm a big fan of Rudy Rucker, and the sheer power of his imagination continually blows the reader's mind. Unfortunately, this novel overdoes the imaginative science at the expense of a readable story. Granted, the backdrop of this novel is quite fascinating, as the misguided dot-commer protagonist Joe Cube finds himself in the fourth dimension. Rucker does an amazing job with prose, because he himself is exploring what 4D would look like to us spacelanders who are hopelessly stuck in 3D. It's also true that Rucker has engagingly built upon the influential "Flatland" by Edwin Abbott, which concerns a 2D person in our third dimension. But while the science of this novel is mindbending, and the 4D characters and their climactic battle are freaky, you eventually get the impression that Rucker was so interested in exploring his concept that he didn't get around to a useful plotline or likeable characters. The personalities of the characters and their interactions are either stereotypical or implausible, and the love story subplot is poorly constructed and dangerously close to sappy treacle. Rucker also dabbles briefly in some pseudo-religious big thoughts that go nowhere, and the storyline wraps up very awkwardly with implausible resolutions for everyone involved. Of course, this book is still a fine display of Rucker's remarkable imagination, but the story is what matters. And here that story is disappointingly two-dimensional. [~doomsdayer520~]

Not quite top-drawer Rucker, but clever and fun. 4.6 stars.......2006-01-22

____________________________________________
This is a clever takeoff on Flatland, starring Joe Cube, done up in the inimitable Rucker style. Joe, an employee of a Silican Valley startup, gets a visit from Momo, a pushy broad from 4D Klupdom, with a business proposition that he absolutely, positively can't refuse. Momo gives Joe an enhancement, a third eye that can see in the fourth dimension -- and a whole stack of hyperspace cellphone antennas. Can you guess that Momo doesn't have Spaceland's best interests at heart?

Not quite top-drawer Rucker, but clever and fun. Recommended.

Book's HP: http://www.cs.sjsu.edu/faculty/rucker/spaceland.htm
CAUTION: heavy SPOILERS

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman

Interesting yet confused.......2004-03-06

A sequel, of sorts, to Edwin Abbott's classic novel, 'Flatland'. Joe Cube is a high tech executive waiting for his company to be IPOed. One night, while playing with his company's product (a TV screen that turns standard television broadcasting into a 3D image), Joe is contacted by Momo, a creature from the fourth dimension. Momo 'augments' Joe, giving him the ability to see into the fourth dimension, and also the ability to see into our dimension using a four dimension perspective. This gives Joe the unique ability of seeing inside people and objects, naturally, Joe tries to use this to make money... Momo only asks (demands, to be more exact) that Joe start a company that will create a specific product that she will supply. The plot gets complicated when another race of four-dimensional creatures, the Wackles, seem intent on stopping Joe. What is going on? Try the book and see.

This sounds like a very cool premise and it really is. The author truly captured the feeling of a 4D universe, a 3D universe from a 4D perspective, as well as a one dimensional and a two dimensional universe. The book is worth reading if only for this.. or perhaps, only for this: The book suffers from the worst characterization I've ever read in a book. The characters are completely unbelievable, obnoxious, annoying, self-contradicting. They are ridiculous. It feels like a cartoon of a cartoon. Maybe that was the purpose? I've never read any other book by the author, so I can't really say if it's his style. It's a pity, because the book could've been so much better. At the end I couldn't stand any of the characters (including the protagonist). Another weakness is the plot itself: Until the middle of the book it's really quite a good story, but then the quality goes downhill from there.. Shame. I'm giving the book 4/5 stars, but if I could, 3.5/5 would be more appropriate.

Plot secondary to concept.......2003-11-22

I enjoyed this book, but thought that the fourth dimension concepts somewhat overpowered the plot. I found the Flatland references appealing, but readers who have not read Flatland may find this book difficult to enjoy. On the other hand, serious Flatland students might find this too lighthearted.

At times Rucker over-explains the science; at times he under-explains the science; and sometimes he makes significant plot twists without enough context. That said, this is a very creative story. The silicon valley references, and its characters, are amusing. I also appreciated Rucker's sketches sprinkled throughout the book.

I think this book would be most appealing to casual Flatland readers looking for a light, humorous read.

A sprightly homage to Abbott.......2003-09-25

Spaceland isn't the first attempt to honor Abbott's classic "Flatland", it won't be the last, and it probably won't be the best. And it isn't, by a fair stretch, Rudy Rucker's best novel. But it's a rollicking comic strip of a ride. It's every bit as good at teaching neophytes about the fourth dimension as its model, and (dare I say it?) in prose that's far less tedious. (For one thing, Rucker's hero Joe Cube unabashedly explores the sexual possibilities of every dimension he enters. Don't assign this text for extra credit to your sixth grade math class.)

It's superior to most other updates of "Flatland", in that it captures the full flavor of the original, which was one third math instruction, one third humane philosophical musing, and one third sharp social satire. As a professional mathematician, and perhaps the best popularizer of math around today in nonfiction, Rucker is more than equal to the first task. The war between the sort-of-animals living on one 4D "side" of our universe, and the Loki-like sort-of-plants dwelling on the other, takes on a nearly theological dimension before it's through, although it's a zany kind of Pixar-production theology drawn in primary colors. Rucker's satirical target is less timeless than the simple bead that Abbott drew on heirarchy and stratification: Silicon Valley society at its frenetic dot-com peak. Better read it now while it's still funny - but it sure is comical now.

What Rudy Rucker does best is to take a premise, build consequences on it, then tease out meta-consequences and meta meta consequences in a dizzying tower of speculation. His fiction can be pretty mind blowing. He doesn't build his tower all that high in this effort. But maybe he just didn't feel it was fitting, in a tribute, to upstage old Edwin too far.

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.

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A theological discussion
A theological discussion
An insightful introduction to critical religious studies.

Critical Terms for Religious Studies

Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0226791572

Book Description

A century that began with modernism sweeping across Europe is ending with a remarkable resurgence of religious beliefs and practices throughout the world. Wherever one looks today, from headlines about political turmoil in the Middle East to pop music and videos, one cannot escape the pivotal role of religious beliefs and practices in shaping selves, societies, and cultures.

Following in the very successful tradition of Critical Terms for Literary Studies and Critical Terms for Art History, this book attempts to provide a revitalized, self-aware vocabulary with which this bewildering religious diversity can be accurately described and responsibly discussed. Leading scholars working in a variety of traditions demonstrate through their incisive discussions that even our most basic terms for understanding religion are not neutral but carry specific historical and conceptual freight.

These essays adopt the approach that has won this book's predecessors such widespread acclaim: each provides a concise history of a critical term, explores the issues raised by the term, and puts the term to use in an analysis of a religious work, practice, or event. Moving across Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Native American and Mayan religions, contributors explore terms ranging from experience, territory, and image, to God, sacrifice, and transgression.

The result is an essential reference that will reshape the field of religious studies and transform the way in which religion is understood by scholars from all disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, gender studies, and literary studies.

Customer Reviews:

A theological discussion.......2001-01-06

This book provides a theologian with a nice summary and dialogue of 22 concepts related to religious inquiry. The various authors draw on Tillich, Hegel, Heidegger, Kant any many other scholars to provide a format or review of the term being discussed. This is not a book meant for a lay person or beginning college student. A graduate theological student may find it appealing as an aid for her/his own research. As a college religion instructor, I had hoped this book would be a helpful tool for my students. It is too advanced.

A theological discussion.......2001-01-06

An insightful introduction to critical religious studies........1999-05-14

Critical Terms for Religious Studies is a wonderful introduction to religious studies. It uses interesting examples drawn from a wide range of religions to make its points clear. Topics are drawn from both obviously religious terminology, such as belief and God, to seemingly non-religious terms, such as culture and experience. The result is a deeply insightful book that gives the beginning student a lay of the religious studies landscape.

Critical Terms for Religious Studies.(Review): An article from: The Review of Metaphysics

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Critical Terms for Religious Studies.(Review): An article from: The Review of Metaphysics
Paul J. Levesque
Manufacturer: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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This digital document is an article from The Review of Metaphysics, published by Philosophy Education Society, Inc. on September 1, 2000. The length of the article is 557 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: Critical Terms for Religious Studies.(Review)
Author: Paul J. Levesque
Publication: The Review of Metaphysics (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2000
Publisher: Philosophy Education Society, Inc.
Volume: 54 Issue: 1 Page: 173

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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CRITICAL TERMS FOR RELIGIOUS STUDIES.
Mark C. (editor). Taylor
Manufacturer: Univ. of Chicago Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ON6RYQ

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