The Fires of Pride: A Novel of the Civil War

Book Description

As William R. Trotter once more takes up the stunning array of characters—Union and Confederate, fictional and historical, combatant and civilian—that he introduced in the inaugural novel of his epic series, The Sands of Pride, it is now the closing days of July 1863. Robert E. Lee’s army has been repulsed at Gettysburg, the tide of history has shifted, and the fortunes of the Rebel side have begun, inexorably, to decline. Featuring the brief but glorious career of the mighty ironclad ram, the CSS Hatteras, which emerges from the hollows and backwaters of North Carolina to challenge the might of the Union navy, The Fires of Pride is a richly textured, sweepingly dramatic epic, a towering work that combines deep scholarship with an intensely human understanding of the men and women of the period.

Customer Reviews:

A Fantastic Finish.......2004-05-21

This book has a darker tone than its predecessor, and is much more violent. Picking up where Sands left off, the reader is carried along by events leading to ever greater Rebel desperation which builds until the siege of Fort Fisher finally ends. Most frustrating, from the Rebel point of view, has got to be the inexplicable Braxton Bragg. He struck me as being as much, if not more of an antagonist than the Yankees.

Will Cushing's exploits are nicely told here, especially his daring raid on a Rebel ironclad and his first attack of fear when the sailors attack the fort.

The author does an amazing job of making you feel like you're there, in the midst of the gunfire and carnage. No punches are pulled here, whether the scene is a surgeon's room ankle deep in gore or is a Yankee surge of bodies soaking up minie balls right outside the sandy ramparts of Fort Fisher.

This is a fantastic story, and even though it's a big book, I was reluctant to finish the last page.

Book Description

An extraordinary discovery is waiting for you on these pages. Mythic lore and forgotten legends unearthed by Christopher Tolkien from his father's archives unveil never-before-told stories of the three ages of ancient Middle-earth.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Unfinished tales is a hodge-podge of stuff. There are bits and pieces
of lots of things, and it is not all fiction. You get notes, backstory,
comments, the odd essay type piece of writing, and other stuff. You
really want to be a pretty hardcore Tolkien type to want to buy this,
rather than borrow to flip through. A lot of people will find it very
dull.

Simply breathtaking.......2007-08-14

...because breathtaking is the one word I would use to describe this work. People who have already read the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and most especially the Silmarillion will have great appreciation for the further insight and mythology offered in the Unfinished Tales.

My favourite part has to be the story of Numenor; this is also the only collection of stories that contains a map of Numenor. It's my favourite because it ties in very nicely with the ending of the main section in the Silmarillion. I get the impression that Tolkien was figuratively "singing" of this fabulous and blessed kingdom of men which is referenced very often in the Lord of the Rings. So from the backward-looking perspective, it is very interesting as it gives the reader a much deeper, complex understanding of Aragorn, Elrond and the kindgom of Gondor in the Lord of the Rings. From the forward-looking perspective, however, it tells the story of a middle earth that has only just recovered from the ravages of the first age and the great wars therein.

Like other reviewers have mentioned, the other stories also serve to augment a Tolkien reader's existing knowledge of middle earth and the forces which have played a part in its history. While a very good (albeit complex) book on its own, it transforms into a consummate masterpiece when read with Tolkien's other stories.

Best For Those Who Treasure the Silmarillion.......2007-06-24

If The Silmarillion bored you, you won't like Unfinished Tales. For those who are fascinated by the lore of Middle Earth, Unfinished Tales adds breadth and depth to one's understanding of both elves and men. Tolkien's brilliance shines like a silmaril in these tales, some of which could stand as individual works. Thanks to Christopher Tolkien for gathering these tales and making them available to the legions of his father's fans.

JRR Tolkien: Unfinished Tales.......2007-05-19

I enjoyed the book... Quite a few stories that helped piece together other works from the author. For the more serious Tolkien fan.

Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth.......2007-04-14

This book is for those folks who read the Lord of the Rings all of the way through, including the appendices. It collects several different stories that do not really fit into a narrative of their own. Yet they're in a more cohesive state than the Silmarillion, which was also released posthumously. If you like to read all that you can of J.R.R. Tolkiens creation you'll want this book. It adds extra depth to the underlying themes in the Lord of the Rings.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting but confusing.......2007-08-18

This was my first 8th Doctor/Sam novel, and the first Doctor Who novel I've read that precedes the ones from the current series. At least the first in a long time--I read a few of the Target novelizations back in the day, and I can say that this is head and shoulders above those.

In this story, the Doctor and Sam are forced out of the time/space continuum into a standoff between two rival empires, those of Nimos and Emindar. An Emindarian luxury liner has been dragooned into standing watch over a bizarre ship/structure/derelict that appears to possess mysterious power and technology; the Nimosians have arrived in a military ship to press their salvage claim. As both groups attempt to land on and explore the craft, bizarre and frightening attacks on them commence from ghostly figures--attacks which soon spread to the two ships.

The book kept me reading well enough, and the plot setup is suitably creepy. Characterizations are quite thin and there are plenty of extraneous characters who didn't seem to have much to do except, eventually, go mad and die. It was hard to feel any sympathy for anyone. The most intriguing part of the plot turned out to be the most incomprehensible as well, as the source of all the attacks appears to be a vertible gordian knot of time paradoxes within paradoxes, all of which made my head hurt by the end and which I never really sorted out. Overall the novel was an interesting but not entirely satisfying experience, but would do as a stop gap between new episodes of the ongoing series. I would give another of the 8th Doctor novels a try.

DUTCH TREAT.......2001-11-04

With VANDERDEKEN'S CHILDREN, the 14th Eighth Doctor and Sam adventure, I'll be going against the rest here in saying that, while it had an interesting plot (if not overly repeated - this story is a cross between two Third Doctor adventures, DEATH TO THE DALEKS and part of CARNIVAL OF MONSTERS where the Doctor is caught in a time loop on a passanger ship, plus a dash of SPHERE by Crichton thrown into the mix), much of the book is listless, dull and adrift - much like the ship the Doctor and Sam encounter in this adventure. Everyone has their part to play and they never stray from it, leaving much of the mystery and suspense to be generated by the ship itself - which it does, but only to a point. The Doctor (again) knows more than he saying, and his ability to operate the ship is annoying (and a cop out for the writer who can't seem to get around paradoxes, time warps and hyper space without the Doctor being utterly brilliant at every moment). Plus, the Doctor's foil, Rexton, also knows more than he's saying, leaving the reader caught between the knowing and suspicious glances between the two. While action packed, it's merely sound and fury to cover the holes in the plot and in that the book excels. Good for a first time reader, but slow for established fans.

Great plot makes up for the shallow characters.......2001-06-05

VANDERDEKEN'S CHILDREN comes as a refreshing breath of air after the last few books that have been sacrificing plot for characterization (or just plain sacrificing both for nothing). Don't get me wrong now, I'd prefer to have both in a story, but if we're only going to get one at a time in this series, it is nice to mix them up every now and then.

This is the hardest Science-Fiction story that the Doctor Who series has had in a while. Derelict spacecrafts, time paradoxes, hyperspace tunnels, and echoes from the future all feature heavily. The Doctor and Sam get to play Sherlock Holmes and Watson while helping two different human factions uncover the mystery of an abandoned alien ship that's apparently home to some familiar ghosts. The plot is genuinely interesting and I was kept on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would unfold.

The characterization is uniformly shallow with one or two sections where it descends into tedium. I couldn't see how the subplot concerning the husband, wife and the other woman made any difference to the story. I realize that they were also experiencing the same sort of future echoes that the rest of the passengers were and I thought it was a good idea to show some of the other effects of the time loop. But while it made for a diversion from the main action, it was not an interesting one, and in my opinion it should have either been strengthened or cut from the book entirely. Every time that section came up, I inwardly groaned at the clichéd dialogue and the stereotypical "tough wife and passive husband" relationship.

But as this was mainly a plot driven story, the characterization didn't distract from it all that much. There are a few places at the end where the explanation about the future time lines seemed to fall apart. I was especially annoyed at the eventual explanation for what the origin of the ship was. However, overall this was a very good book and I highly recommend it for fans of the book series or for people who are unfamiliar to the Doctor Who format. The book seems specially designed for beginners to the line and starts off with a short and unobtrusive introduction to the main characters, the TARDIS and the series particulars.

Very nice........2000-06-17

If a film company had to chose one of the new line of Dr. Who books to make into a movie, this would be the one I would chose. There's suspence, a gripping story line and a massive alien structure which has to be could, hadn't it? The only problem I have with this book is the end, I didn't quite get why everyone was turning into ghosts, and a time paradox turns up, which couldn't possibly happen in the real world. Appart from that, this book is a real winner.

A riveting, suspenseful science fiction novel.......2000-05-16

Too many of the Doctor Who novels have either been overly dependent upon past continuity, or have been set on 20th century Earth, thereby missing the numerous opportunities availible to the authors writing Doctor Who novels. Fortunately, Christopher Bullis doesn't fall into these traps. He has written an exciting adventure set in space, one that could never have been produced when Doctor Who was a television show with a limited budget. Bullis takes full advantage of the printed medium, offering up a gigantic alien spaceship, an army of mysterious phantoms, and a complex mystery. It's definitely an exciting, original read. The resolution is superbly thought out, and also rather chilling. Definitely one of the best novels to feature the Eighth Doctor. Highly recommended!

Book Description

The Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee was a watershed moment in the history of this country. The ramifications of those proceedings are still being felt today. However, it is not necessarily the arguments from the courtroom floor that are reverberating in the halls of America today. The way the entire event was conducted and perceived by the rest of the nation set the tone for how creationists and evolutionists have been viewed by society ever since.

Marvin Olasky and John Perry tell the true story in Monkey Business. Most people have a misunderstanding of what happened based on slanted newspaper reporting accounts of H. L. Menken, who made fun of creationists. As a result, the case for creationism has been crippled in the eyes of society. But this account of what happened is far from accurate. Monkey Business will offer the facts of the story and an apologetic for divine creation.

Customer Reviews:

A little "Intelligent Design" would have helped this book.......2007-01-02

This is a story that needed to be told from a new perspective, but, unfortunately, the execution of this idea could have been far better.

The story is important for two reasons. First, William Jennings Bryan was a truly great American, yet H.L. Mencken and "Inherit the Wind" make him look like a Bible-quoting buffoon. If you are not familiar with Bryan, ten minutes of research will reveal to you a very compassionate Christian, not the distorted cartoon drawn by Mencken and accepted by our popular culture.

Second, The Theory of Evolution has many flaws, yet the attitude of many adherents to this theory reminds one of some sort of blind secular faith. They seem to have an unwillingness to debate or discuss weaknesses in the theory. For them, the verdict is in and the time for debate is over. They feel that skeptics of their orthodoxy are either stupid or blinded by their own narrow religious beliefs. This unwillingness to address critics is unhealthy for science. "Monkey Business", especially in the chapters dealing with intelligent design, provides a much-needed challenge to evolution.

Unfortunately, the execution of the book suffers in three respects. First, the chapter design gets in the way of the narrative. Here is an outline of the chapters:
1. Context
2.-7. Trial narrative, including pre-trial.
8.-9. Context on evolution.
10.-13. Trial narrative continues.
14.-15. Context on battles over evolution up to and including 1950s.
16. Context on atheism and evolution.
17. Trial narrative, cross-examination of Bryan.
18. Context on journalists backing evolution.
19. Trial narrative, the last week and Bryan's death.
20. Post-trial narrative, consequences.
21. Contemporary opposition to evoluton.
22. Intelligent design.
23. Intelligent design vs. evolution in four states (contemporary).
24. Intelligent design advantages.
25.-26. Concluding chapters with "takeaways" for readers.

The organization of chapters is really messy and makes it hard for the reader to keep the story in the forefront. In general, it is a good idea to take readers away from the story for awhile to acquire some interesting context, but I felt really "jerked" away from the story and then back to it in this book. Chapters 14 through 16 should have been moved further back in the book, as this is too long of a break from the narrative and it deals with events that occurred much after the main story. Chapter 17 and 19 and 20 are surrounded by context chapters.

Dividing this book into four parts might have helped: Part I - The Story of the Trial - every chapter through 20 with the exception of 14-16; Part II - The Early Fight Against Evolution and Atheism - Chapter 14-16; Part III - The Contemporary Fight Against Evolution (including intelligent design) - Chapter 21-24; Part IV - Lessons for Readers (Takeaways). Since this is the history of the Scopes Trial and later battles against the theory of evolution, why not use time as your organizing principal?

Second, the writing style could be more lively. I'll leave this up to others to judge, but I felt the style could have been more appealing.

Lastly, Over 80 pages of Appendices seemed to be "filler", that I did not want to pay for when I purchased the book. Appendix C and D are related to the trial, but Appendix A and B are a transcript from a radio program and reprints from "World" magazine. Their inclusion seemed excessive.

This is an important book on an important event (Scopes Trial) and a vital issue (the question of human origins). I wish the execution had been better, but anyone interested in these two topics would still make a good investment of their time by reading "Monkey Business".

Duh!.......2006-06-02

The author essentially used the Scopes trial as a cover, because standing by itself nobody would buy or show interest in this poorly written, poorly thought out piece.

The only thing this book is REALLY about is selling "intelligent design" theory, which is as much a "scientific theory" as Flying Spaghetti Monsterism.

Can science be value-laden? Sure. (The quest for discovery of antibiotics is value laden, the value being that humans are more valuable than bacteria. Does that invalidate antibiotics?) Does science provide mechanisms to test and re-assess those values? Sure.

Does intelligent creation provide such tests? No. Hence, it is not a science.

End of story. And see? It was so much less painful than reading the circular reasoning of this dishonestly packaged work.

How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot 101.......2006-02-16

The first problem with this book is that it isn't quite what it seems to be.
The second problem is that the authors start out making a valid point - but end up shooting themselves in the collective foot.

The book isn't what it seems to be because it has a very strong subtext, which actually becomes the main text for more than 80 of the 326 pages (plus notes, bibliography and index).

Olasky and Perry start out with a reasonably interesting, readable but hardly inspiring account of the events surrounding the Scopes "monkey" trial of 1925. It covers the facts fairly competently, but adds very little of any consequence to the material which makes up the far more interesting and comprehensive account of the trial to be found in "Summer for the Gods" by Edward Larson.

But then, having presented this as a piece of genuine scholarship, the authors mutilate their collective foot by sliding off into the subtext: The Scopes Trial has been grieviously misrepresented in the plays and film versions of "Inherit the Wind"; and on page 181 we come to what seems to be the primary motivation for writing the book - a critique of evolutionism as a religion and the comparative value of the concept of intelligent design.

Hold it!
Where did that come from in an account of the events of 1925?

The front cover of the book says this is "The true story of the Scopes Trial". There's nothing about this being a defence of intelligent design except for the rather ambiguous final sentence of the back cover blurb:

"[the authors] show that advocates of creationism and intelligent design have nothing to be ashamed of."

How about the fact that this book is a real "pig in a poke"? In my personal opinion someone ought to feel some regret about that for a start.

My recommendation to anyone interested in the Scopes Trial would be to give this book a miss. There's plenty of information on the web about the myths surrounding the Scopes Trial. And as far as books are concerned, in my opinion you'd be a whole lot better off with Larson's "Summer for the Gods" where you'll get what you've paid for.

Of Monkies and Un-Evolved Humans.......2005-11-24

A false dichotomy has been built in the non-scientific Creationist camp, and with it is implicit the assumption that if Evolution - though a Fact of Science - could, nonetheless, be disproved, then (by default) this proves the existence of an almighty, omniscient, benevolent Creator.
"But wait...!!" They shout, "Who are you to say that the THEORY of Evolution is a fact of science?" This question stems from an unfortunate, common misunderstanding of the word "theory". "Theory" merely refers to a framework by which processes can be explained. Thus, we have the uncontested Theory of Gravity and the Theory of Plate Tectonics. Now - we all know gravity exists, and we should all be aware, at this stage, that Evolution does too. Creationists (now re-marketing themselves as the more scientific Intelligent Design advocates) are growing exasperated by the Scientific Community's growing refusal to let their misinformation stand unchallenged. Creationist pseudo-science has been soundly beaten and the answers to all supposed "Questions Darwinist's Would Rather Avoid" are available to anybody honestly seeking the truth rather than a convenient belief that will compliment their religious convictions.

Perhaps it is for this reason that Marvin Olasky reaches into the past and attempts to breath honour and nobility into the ignorance that brought us the Scope's Trial. Here he presents the Prosecution as both the majority view and the underdog, victimized by a Liberal Media. No amount of spin though, can put a positive light on the absurdly simple William Jennings Bryan ("associated prosecuting council") who, under cross-examination from Clarence Darrow, made the mystifying claim that "If God had wanted a sponge to think, a sponge could think." He also asserted that humans are not mammals. Bryan further displayed his utter stupidity by expressing his belief that the world couldn't possibly be older than five thousand years. This Literalist Biblical interpretation puts Scope's Trial creationists not only at odds with Biology, but with History, Geology, Common Sense and Decency as well. How could the media, liberal or otherwise, do anything other than laugh at this flagrant buffoonery?

The title of the book, Monkey Business is, itself, a rather annoying reminder of red-faced rants I've heard in which an indignant Creationist will express his disgust in the idea that Man was born of Monkey. It's worth mentioning that this isn't, nor has it ever been, the claim of Darwinism. Darwin never asserted that Man was spawned from Monkey, but rather that both species evolved from a common ancestry. The fossil record now clearly indicates that this is correct. Creationists like to claim that there are inexplicable breaks in the fossil record. They are behind the times. The gaps have since been filled, proving Evolution (again).

What makes Evolution worth fighting for? Simply: Our understanding of Evolution determines our future progress. Viruses grown immune to antibiotic treatment can not be understood outside of an evolutionary context. Genetic diseases must be understood in an evolutionary context. As acclaimed geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky said, "Nothing in Biology makes sense, except in the light of Evolution." We all stand to lose if Evolution is marginalized in American schools.
There are those who like to try and turn the tables with the claim that Science itself is the dogmatic religion and that the Intelligent Design advocates are merely trying to promote "open-mindedness". This implies a mis-understanding of what Science actually is. Science isn't an arbitrarily chosen belief system, like a religion, based on bias, superstition, fear and ignorance. Science is a system by which we test, observe and conclude based only on reproducible experiments that are then subject to rigorous peer-review and validation. If a piece of the puzzle doesn't fit, Science will not distort it to make it fit or omit its presence to pretend it doesn't exist. Individuals who do this will be found out - by Science.

The Blurb for this book makes the astonishing assertion that modern creationists have nothing to be ashamed of.
Let us think on this. If it is not the believers of creationism that should bear their shame who, then, should? Perhaps it is the propagators of pseudo-science - who have led people to believe that there is some type of debate in the Scientific Community when there is not - that should be ashamed. And as for this book, Olasky should be ashamed. Ashamed of his poor hack-work, ashamed of his plain ignorance, and ashamed of his own un-evolved mind that has left him far behind; somewhere in the Dark Ages.

Debunking Debunkers: A Solid History of the Scopes Trial........2005-10-17

Many years ago as a young undergraduate in college, I read a collection of H.L. Mencken's articles. Included as a matter of course were his dispatches the 1925 Scopes trial in Tennessee. Like many readers before and since, I revelled in Mencken's portrait of the intellectual giant Clarence Darrow, and chuckled appropriately at his elitist view of Dayton residents as ignorant backcountry yokels and hicks. I also, like many readers before and since, I mistook his reporting for historical fact. It was not. Mencken, the great debunker, had his own agenda and was rather careless in his reporting of the substance of the trial. Unfortunately, his views have subsequently become the dominant interpretation among historians and journalists alike. 'Monkey Business: The True Story of the Scopes Trial' re-examines the Scopes trial and the events which led up to it. It also provides a broad discussion of the issues at stake then and now.

The bulk of the book is devoted to refuting a number of myths that continue to flourish about the trial. Scopes was not a science teacher and in all likelyhood had never taught evolution in the classroom. Indeed, the whole trial resulted from an effort on the part of some citizens in Dayton to bring national publicity to their town in the hopes of revitalizing the local economy. The ACLU, which "defended" Scopes, was in fact simply looking for a test case on the question of teaching evolution, largely because the organization had lost its main rationale for existence (defending opponents of the draft in World War I) and needed publicity to continue. The "trial" for its part, was largely conducted out of sight from the jury, and the townspeople of Dayton were quite hospitable towards both Bryan and Darrow. In the end, Scopes was found guilty, fined $100, and his case was overturned on a technicality, much to the frustration of the defense, which had hoped to have the question heard before the Supreme Court. Alternately amusing and lively, the historical recreation of the trial is the heart of this book and alone makes it worth the purchase price.

The authors, however, are no more free of bias than Mencken was. They hope their reappraisal of the trial will also rescue Christians, especially Creationists, from the charges that they were (and are) ignorant fearful haters of the truth. Toward this end, they note that the triumph of Darwinism as scientific orthodoxy following Sputnik and the release of the film "Inherit the Wind" led philosophers such as Julian Huxley and Richard Dawkins to proclaim an end to religion and the triumph of materialism. Such ideas have consequences and the authors blame the fall of moral standards and the rise of ideas like pornography as a form of free speech upon such views. They also favorably review the work of Intelligent Design theorists like William Dembski and Michael Behe. Some readers will be disappointed with this partisanship, or at least claim that it goes to far. Intelligent Design, whatever its merits, was not at issue in 1925. But other issues were, and it is here the book makes its strongest points.

Scientists often like to portray themselves as objective observers of data unlike their academic colleages in "soft" disciplines like history. Their commitment to the scientific method, they believe, somehow insulates them from the passions and biases of other areas of study, particularly fields such as philosophy and theology. And they are simply wrong. As the authors demonstrate, Darwin and his followers did not propose evolution in opposition to religion. Instead, they argued for it as a result of particular religious understanding. Christians in Victorian England believed God would not have created imperfection. Rather than simply suggest they did not fully understand God's purpose, as previous generations had, they sought to divorce creation from God. Darwinism was successful precisely because it appeared at a time when this religious view was prevalent. Indeed, Darwin's work was guided by this view of God. Even today, as the authors note, many biologists such as Stephen Gould argue that a "sensible" God would not produce or create the arrangements found among various living organisms. It's not clear what criteria Gould has for a sensible God, but whatever they are, such criteria are clearly theological and not scientific.

In the final analysis then, the real benefit to this book is to point out that science is not free from religious values and opinions. No matter how well established Darwinian Evolution may be in the scientific community, its representatives are being dishonest when they claim that it is scientific and therefore in opposition to Intelligent Design which they mistakenly (or perhaps deliberately) equate with religious fundamentalism. Both are grounded in theology and no amount of name calling or lawsuits will change that. The days when Mencken could summarily dismiss all those who disagreed with him are over.

Inherit the Baloney: creationists try to settle a score with Darwin.(Monkey Business: The True Story of the Scopes Trial)(Book Review): An article from: Reason

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Inherit the Baloney: creationists try to settle a score with Darwin.(Monkey Business: The True Story of the Scopes Trial)(Book Review): An article from: Reason
Chris Lehmann
Manufacturer: Reason Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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This digital document is an article from Reason, published by Reason Foundation on November 1, 2005. The length of the article is 2513 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: Inherit the Baloney: creationists try to settle a score with Darwin.(Monkey Business: The True Story of the Scopes Trial)(Book Review)
Author: Chris Lehmann
Publication: Reason (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2005
Publisher: Reason Foundation
Volume: 37 Issue: 6 Page: 58(5)

Article Type: Book Review

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Monkey Business: The True Story of the Scopes Trial

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Monkey Business: The True Story of the Scopes Trial
Marvin & Perry, John Olasky
Manufacturer: Broadman & Holman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJ0C0K

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