Customer Reviews:
Yqua - what?.......2002-03-22
A pivotal story involving the whole Compassion turning into a TARDIS arc. The Doctor has done something pretty drastic to Compassion to avoid detection from the Timelords. Compassion's reaction is to strand the Doctor on the planet Yquatine, take Fitz 3 months back into Yquatine's past and then leave. Meanwhile the Doctor has to deal with a mysterious killer black substance that is destroying Yquatine plus political tensions between alien races, and Fitz is in jail knowing of the disastrous events that will occur but can do nothing about it (plus his usual girl problems). Well written, very exciting, characterisation is spot on. RECOMMENDED to all.
Disappointing.......2001-09-20
THE FALL OF YQUATINE was a bit of a disappointment to me. While Nick Walter's previous book (DOMINION, his first solo work) created a very detailed alien race with a culture all its own, in this book the many details feel unnecessary. Rather than coming together and forming a coherent picture of a different society, it feels more like a list of trivia facts about a solar system that he made up. The things we learn about the alien life-forms don't hold together to form a greater story and this really is a great shame, because that is something that Walters had done extremely well in DOMINION.
The plot itself unfolds rather enjoyably and is one of the few examples in Doctor Who where time travel itself is an important element. Fitz becomes stranded a month in the past and is forced to live for that month knowing the future and being utterly unable to stop the terrible events he knows are going to occur. Unfortunately, while the story at times is rather interesting, the narrative suffers from a great deal of telling and not showing, which is something that I find rather annoying.
One of the complaints I have about the characters presented here is that not one of them notices the larger picture of what is going on around them. I suspect that this was done deliberately, and in fact this strategy does have some potential. For example, one of the characters is presented slightly different depending on whose point of view we are seeing him through. It's an interesting idea of how no one can truly know the objective nature of someone else; we've rarely seen in this sort of thinking in the book range before. On the other hand, it doesn't quite mesh with the rest of the book. If every character had been presented this way, it probably would have worked better, but to limit it to just one made that particular character seem a bit strange. While other characters were drawn fairly objectively regardless of what any individual thought of them, the one anomaly seemed inconsistent with himself and everyone else until I figured out what was going on. It just didn't seem to match.
Another problem with having characters that don't recognize the big picture is that all of them end up acting like complete morons. No one has a bit of common sense about what the consequences of their actions are. Unfortunately the characterization of the Doctor is one of the worst examples of this. At the very beginning of the book, having physically and mentally assaulted Compassion (albeit completely unintentionally), he doesn't go for more than a page before he's changed subjects and started wibbling on about ducks. Then he gets back to the subject only start yapping about the ducks less than two pages after that. While I don't mind the Doctor being easily distracted, it feels completely wrong for him to be unable to focus his mind after having made such an enormously negative impact on one of his traveling companions. This should be a major event in his relationship with Compassion, but he can't even concentrate on it for more than a few moments. It's very unsettling. Fortunately most of his worst qualities disappear after the first hundred pages or so, but it still does not result in telling a story about a character that I care enough to read about.
Fitz's subplot is familiar to any regular reader of the EDAs, so there will be no real surprises here. Separated from the Doctor, Fitz must learn to survive on his own in an alien environment. He finds a job and a gal and must then leave the planet and the girl before a giant catastrophe occurs. Those last two sentences could describe the Fitz subplot in at least three EDAs, though, fear not, I'm still reviewing THE FALL OF YQUATINE here. The Fitz sections aren't terrible, but they aren't especially engaging either. Unfortunately, the fact that we've seen this exact scenario played out many times in previous books works very much to this book's detriment.
All in all, this is a book with several interesting pieces, but a lot of little flaws. It's exciting in some places, yet it never really feels like it gets going. Although I've spent most of this review pointing out the things I did not enjoy, there are some very entertaining portions of this story. The parts of the book that deal with Compassion and the changes that have occurred are quite well written and are far and away the best sections.
The Rise of Nick Walters.......2000-05-28
All I want to say is that The Fall of Yquatine by Nick Walters is a very good book. It far surpasses his previous Dr. Who novel Dominion in every category. This book is a must have for all Doctor Who fans. May Mr. Walters continue to write great Doctor Who!
A return to normal--with a twist.......2000-05-07
Following from the surprising conclusion of Shadows of Avalon, the Doctor attempts to avoid his pursuers by fitting a randomizer into the TARDIS. Of course, things don't go quite as planned (do they ever?) and the three time travelers are separated. The Doctor finds himself coping with the carnage unleashed by an apparent invasion of the planet Yquatine, while Fitz finds himself trapped a month in the past, determined to get off-planet and escape the future he has already seen. And Compassion? Compassion is . . . somewhere else.
I felt nervous as I began reading this novel. I hate trying to remember all the details about alien civilizations, and Nick Walters throws in so many names and descriptions of different races, I knew I'd get lost. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary to remember all that stuff to enjoy the story. Walters does a good enough job reminding the reader of the important stuff that I never felt lost or confused. He was also very good at keeping things clear, even though the story jumps constantly between settings and time frames.
Walters does a particularly nice job with Fitz's sections of the story. The characters Fitz interacts with seem fleshed-out and real, and I felt genuine concern towards them. I knew what was destined to happen to the planet they were on, and hoped that they would find some way to escape the destruction. As with his previous novel, Dominion, Walters accurately captures the character of the Doctor.
After a number of stories (Interference, Blue Angel, Shadows of Avalon) that have pushed the Doctor Who format envelope, Fall of Yquatine seems almost tame by comparison. While it definitely ties in to the ongoing series developments, it also tells a very traditional Doctor Who adventure. It's fast paced and fun, without being too taxing. It may not be an example of Doctor Who excercising its fullest potential, but it's still an enjoyable read.
Average customer rating:
- Not the usual Eddings
- Mindless drivel
|
The Elenium: The Diamond Throne The Ruby Knight The Sapphire Rose
David Eddings
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Eddings, David | ( E ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Belgarath the Sorcerer
ASIN: 0345500938
Release Date: 2007-09-25 |
Book Description
Now for the first time in one thrilling volume–the three magical novels that make up David Eddings’s epic fantasy The Elenium.
In an ancient kingdom, the legacy of one royal family hangs in the balance, and the fate of a queen–and her empire–lies on the shoulders of one knight.
Sparhawk, Knight and Queen’s Champion, has returned to Elenia after ten years of exile, only to find young Queen Ehlana trapped in a crystalline cocoon. The enchantments of the sorceress Sephrenia have kept the queen alive–but the spell is fading. In the meantime, Elenia is ruled by a prince regent, the puppet of the tyrannical Annias, who vows to seize power over all the land.
Now Sparhawk must find the legendary Bhelliom, a sapphire that holds the key to Ehlana’s cure. Sparhawk and his companions will face monstrous foes and evil creatures on their journey, but even greater dangers lie in wait: for dark legions will stop at nothing to reach the radiant stone, which may possess powers too deadly for any mortal to bear.
Customer Reviews:
Not the usual Eddings.......2007-10-01
I was introduced to David Eddings earlier this year and have since devoured the Belgariad and the Mallorean. I'm giving this 3 stars as it was quite a disappointment. The book was quite enjoyable until the very end. I was quite caught up in the adventure and the battle if you will in Azash's palace and couldn't put the book down because I couldn't wait to get to the next part - but found myself skipping thru (can't remember now if it was the second to the last chapter or just the last chapter) because it was all so very boring...don't really know what happened except that the end was just so different from the usual Eddings style that it does appear to me that he just up and left the room and left someone else tell the rest of the story. I had read other reviews of the Eddings' work and tend to agree that so far his earlier works - The Belgariad, The Mallorean are his best...the Diamond Throne and The Ruby Knight of this compilation of the Elenium are quite good - but the Sapphire Rose definitely is a washout for me.
Mindless drivel.......2007-09-25
Eddings writes mindless drivel, but it is ENTERTAINING mindless drivel - great for telling the world to go soak its head and just sitting back and having a good time.
Customer Reviews:
nice, fun collection of tales.......2006-03-07
A number of the stories in this collection were well written and all of them had interesting plots. My personal favorites were "Envoy" by Jeff Grubb, "The Land is in Our Blood" by Stan!, and "Essence of the Dragon" by Will McDermott.
These stories stood out because of the lessons they illustrated and their interesting characters.
One of the strengths of this anthology is it provided a somewhate different view of dragons than is typical of most fantasy and D&D-related novels.
The tales in this anthology were a fun mixture of action, adventure, and magic and many had interesting themes and lessons to think about.
If you are a fan of Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved RPG (or any other RPG for that matter) or are just looking for a fun set of tales you might want to pick up this collection.
Customer Reviews:
A nice introduction to the land of the Diamond Throne.......2006-01-05
As with any anthology some stories in this set were better than others. Some were average some were quite good. Most had interesting characters and lots of action.
The set also provided a nice introduction to the land of the Dimond Throne, the setting for Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed RPG.
My only complaint (and it is a minor one) is that the authors seemed to assume that the readers are familiar with setting and used races and/or monsters that are unique to the world. This is fine, but in some cases I would have liked to have a little more description of these races in order to know how they differed from other fantasy mainstays (such as humans, elves, dwarves, etc). But this did not take away from the stories which were enjoyable.
Good introduction to The Diamond Throne and Arcana Unearthed.......2004-11-17
As a stand-alone book, this book is certainly not one of the best fantasy books I've read ( Check out some Michael Moorcock books if that's what you're itching for. )
However, it is certainly a good introduction to the Diamond Throne setting for Arcana Unearthed, and it's in fact something I made part of the mandatory reading for my Diamond Throne campaigns. It is good, as it's full of suspense and action, and the fact that it imbues a feeling of verisimilitude, which is very good.
This book is, in my opinion, much better than most of the Forgotten Realms books released nowadays.
Book Description
Sparhawk, Pandion Knight, and Queen's Champion have returned to Elenia after ten years of exile, only to find young Queen Ehlanda trapped in a block of ensorcelled crystal. As Sparhawk sets out to find a cure for Ehlana, he discovers that only he can defeat the evil plots that threaten her rule....
Customer Reviews:
Sparhawk is Back.......2007-04-27
The Diamond Throne (1989) is the first fantasy novel of the Elenium series. At the dawn of time, a dwarfed and misshaped Troll named Ghwerig dwelt in a cavern beneath the perpetual snows of northern Thalesia. This ugly creature spent decades creating the Bhelliom, a sapphire blue gem in the shape of a rose, and infusing it with the power of the Troll-Gods.
Then the Younger Goddess Aphrael of Styricum stole the rings that controlled its power. Later the hero Adian of Thalesia stole the Bhelliom itself and incorporated it into the Thalesian crown. But this crown was lost over five hundred years ago.
In this novel, Sparhawk returns to Cimmura after ten long years of exile in Rendor. He almost gets a chance to dispose of Krager, but is interrupted by a courtier, who gains himself a case of the boils by his yapping. Eventually Sparhawk reaches the inn run by the Pandion Knights, leaves Faran in the hands of the knight porter, and is admitted into his room by the eldest -- and maybe the last -- Pandion squire.
Sparhawk inherited the responsibility for Kurik from his father. The Pandion Preceptor, Vanion, questions whether he should let the squire retire to his farm and family, but Sparhawk is very reluctant to bring up the subject with Kurik for fear of hurt feelings. Besides, Kurik has been keeping Sparhawk alive for a good long while and intends to keep doing it for the foreseeable future.
While removing his watersoaked clothing, Kurik briefs Sparhawk on the latest news. He tells Sparhawk of the illness that befell Queen Ehlana and the magic that keeps her alive, yet trapped upon the throne within a diamond casement. He also brings Sparhawk up to date on the machinations of the Cimmuran Primate Annias and Prince Regent Lycheas.
The next morning Sparhawk attends court and quickly establishes his justification for returning from exile. Since he is the hereditary court champion, the queen is obviously in danger, and he has a signed and sealed order from the queen to return to Cimmura, all objections are crushed handily. Naturally, his enemies still want to get rid of him.
In this story, the Elene Church is nearing a crisis point, for the Archprelate is old, senile and unwell. Primate Annias now has control of the Cimmuran court treasury and is buying all available votes in the Hierocracy that will soon elect the next Archprelate. Obviously he has aspirations for that position.
Annias is the power behind the throne of Prince Lycheas, a whining, ineffectual fool. Annias has hired Martel -- an expelled Pandion Knight -- to neutralize the Church Knights while he is making his bid for the Archprelature. Martel has tried several times to kill Sparhawk and will try again. Martel also has other plans to keep the Knights busy.
Sparhawk confers with Vanion and Sephrenia -- the Pandion instructor in Styric secrets -- and learns more about Ehlana's illness and the time limits on the magic. They decide that he should travel to Borrata to consult with the medical faculty at the university. Sephrenia will accompany him to describe the symptoms and they also will take Flute, a young Styric girl who does not speak. However, Flute can accomplish amazing thing with her panpipes.
This story differs from the Belgariad/Malloreon series in at least one respect: Sparhawk is a tough character who hides his noble feeling beneath a rough exterior. He is much like his horse Faran, who delights in biting his handlers. In fact, Sparhawk and Faran seem to be able to read each other's mind; naturally, that is impossible, but still . . .
Highly recommended for Eddings fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of working knights, sardonic friends and high magic.
-Arthur W. Jordin
OVERALL SCORE: (A-/B+).......2007-04-17
The Diamond Throne (Book 1 of the Elenium)
OVERALL SCORE: (A-/B+)
READABILITY: (A-), PLOT: (B+), CHARATERS: (A), DIALOGUE: (B-), SETTING: (A+), ACTION/COMBAT: (B-), MONSTERS/ANTAGONISTS: (A-), ROMANCE: (C+), SEX: (Light), AGE LEVEL: (PG13)
This is a very entertaining fantasy story, by one of the best fantasy writers of today, while it may not be quite as good as his "Belgariad" or "Malloreon" series, it comes close.
The main character is Sparhawk, a militant knight, who is erasable and direct, (kind of like John Wayne playing a paladin). He and a group of Church Knights, his squire, a young thief, and a styric mystic, embark on a just to save the beautiful young queen, who has been poisoned by the evil Prelate. God's get involved and things get complex for poor SparHawk!
CONS:
Some of the characters actions aren't logical. They are very quick to kill minor character without much provocation, but major ones they let live when they should kill.
Too simple.......2006-10-02
With a book that's 400+ pages, you would think that there would be some depth to the plot of 'Diamond Throne'. But no - it's just 'go out and find this thing'. The villains in the book are too simple. They hatch the simplest plots, which are always intercepted or reasoned out within a matter of pages. And the reader sees the villains' schemes a mile away, though it usually takes a room full of characters to reason them out in the book. And those plots usually get thwarted in a page or so. All ambushes are easily seen or defeated. I expected some grand fight, a large battle, or a complex task that had the hero doing different tasks that led to a cure in the end. However, in this book, all he does is go from one place to another asking the same question - 'do you have the cure?' Also, every good guy in this book wants to kill Annais, and they have proof that he gave the poison to Ehlana, but nobody actually kills him or brings him to trial. If Eddings wanted to keep Annias around for the next book, he should have come up with a good, reasonable way for Annias to escape justice. Instead we get a token excuse for not killing him, which seems like it was almost put in there as an afterthought. By comparison, the part in the end with the meeting of Sparhawk and Martel is much better, as the reason for not fighting is a good one.
The reason I gave it even 2 stars is that Eddings does do a good job in describing the scene. There is adaquate detail in his book to make the reader feel he/she is there.
Meeting Mr. Eddings.......2005-10-15
This was the first fantasy book I read as a child. I remember sitting at my mother's bright red kitchen table and reading this for the first time. The very first page grabbed me. It was the description of the rain and the smoke; the beauty of the writing entranced me. I went on to read all about Sparhawk, Flute, Sephrenia and Kurik, and they became as close to me as any family. I still carry them fondly around in my head. The Elenium is David Eddings' finest work-and I'm glad I read it first. It's here that his stock characters come to life as vivid, breathing people-it's here where the setting is real and the danger is omnipresent.
As I read his other books, it was difficult not to draw parallels between corresponding characters-Sephrenia and Polgara, anyone? But in The Elenium, David Eddings did it right. It's not high literature, but it's a fun story, and it's compelling. If you haven't read it yet, you should take with you to the beach or on your next road trip. Have it keep you company at the airport. You'll have a blast-I know I did, and I still read the occasional fantasy because of this book.
Magical!.......2005-08-29
This was the first David Eddings book I have read so I am probably going to be a little biased. I loved it! This book seemlessly blends action, romance, drama and comedy. I was left in stiches by the things that were written and caught up in a world filled with intrigue. I won't be able to capture with words what this book is about, so I won't even try. Aside from the fact that this is obviously a fantasy novel, I really connected with the characters and felt like I really understood them. By the time I had finished reading this book, I was left hanging, wanting, waiting for more. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would REALLY recommend this to ANYONE who was thinking about reading this book.
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Customer Reviews:
Sourcebook before the dragons came back.......2005-06-21
This is the original background material to Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed core setting, The Diamond Throne. This material has been updated and included in the Arcana Evolved book, so unless you are looking at a good bargain, you should pick up the latest one.
It is wonderful stuff though!
Average customer rating:
- Inspirational reading for shaping our children's future
- A good overview of the current state of the art
- robotics for the new millennium
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Robots for Kids: Exploring New Technologies for Learning (Interactive Technologies)
Allison Druin , and
James Hendler
Manufacturer: Morgan Kaufmann
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ASIN: 1558605975 |
Book Description
Within the sphere of children's learning and play, the concept of robot and the application of actual robots are undergoing a dramatic expansion. Here the term "robot" refers to a growing range of interactive devices-including toys, pets, assistants to the disabled, and overtly educational tools-which are being used in ways that are expected to have profound and beneficial effects on how our children develop and grow.
Robots for Kids: Exploring New Technologies for Learning opens with contributions from leading designers and researchers, each offering a unique perspective into the challenge of developing robots specifically for children. The second part is devoted to the stories of educators who work with children using these devices, exploring new applications and mapping their impact. Throughout the book, essays by children are included that discuss their first-hand experiences and ideas about robots. This is an engaging, entertaining, and insightful book for a broad audience, including HCI, AI, and robotics researchers in business and academia, new media and consumer product developers, robotics hobbyists, toy designers, teachers, and education researchers.
* contributions by leaders in the fields of human-computer interaction and robotics
* product development stories told by leading designers and researchers in organizations such as Microsoft, MIT Media Lab, Disney, and Sony
* product application stories told by educators who are making robots a central part of kids' learning experiences, both in and out of the classroom
* essays by kids-some, users of robotic technology, and others, designers in their own right
Customer Reviews:
Inspirational reading for shaping our children's future.......2004-05-17
Wow! I just got done reading this book for the second time in a row. I loved it! I also would like to add that I just got done with my Senior thesis of "Robots: America's Answer to Dwindling Math Scores". (I also just sent it in to be published! ;D) I admit, my first reading was for content. The second reading was solely for pleasure. Of the 20 sources I used on my 23 page case study, this book became my 'bible.' Nothing I found on this topic compares.
This book is an assortment of well chosen essays in which Druin and Hendler are the editors. My favorite essay regards the FIRST robotics competition. Everything is detailed from the educational impact, mentor how-to's, and student development to gaining corporate sponsorship, student interviews, and a winning team's success story. The book is worth buying just for this essay alone.
However, the various essays regarding Lego Mindstorms are superb as well. One essay details a step-by-step process of how to mimic her "Robocamp." Another from MIT profs explains how Mindstorms came to existence. There are also various case studies regarding the educational research with children and Lego's done in different parts of the world. One can't help but walk away from this book thinking that our "old school" curriculum must be updated with these new enticing technologies!
A good overview of the current state of the art.......2002-05-13
This is a very decent collection of individually authored chapters from various groups of educators and engineers working in the field of robotics for teaching and for play. Most of the information presented is anecdotal and case-study, giving what seems to be a good overview of the current state of the art (particularly the state of the art in schools). Some of the reference sections at the end of the chapters point to very good articles that help ground one in the theory of techno-literacy.
robotics for the new millennium.......2000-05-14
With inexpensive yet powerful computing power and electronics, autonomous robots find a plethora of applications: toys, entertainment, education, and interactive services. Robots for Kids comes at the right time of this new application era. This book focuses on the roles of robotics in education. The first part of the book contains four chapters on the new robotic technology for the kids. As a robotics researcher, I am delighted to read the development history of the LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System starting from its incubation period in MIT's Media Lab. The chapter on Sony's AIBO provides inside look on the hardware and software design and integration of this popular robot. For people interested in developing intelligent robots, this is a very informative chapter. The chapter on a robotic storytelling environment showed how to incorporate state-of-art technology to elementary school education. However, the chapter on the story behind the scene of a high-tech toy product development is the most intriguing experience. One can never expect the product development cycle for those high-tech interactive toys, such as the Furby, to be so complicate.
The second part of this book contains five chapters on using robotics in education, from elementary school teaching, high school robotics competitions, university outreach program, to robotics summer camps. For educators, this part of the book provides quite detailed descriptions about how the robotics activities are organized, responses from the students and the impact of using robotics in modern education.
One interesting part of this book is the inclusion of kids' responses to using robots as educational tools. The perspective of children on the educational robotics is invaluable as it provides the first-hand user experience of technologies developed by adults.
In summary, I think this book is a very good reference for robotics researchers and educators who want to explore the new possibilities and potentials of robotics. It is also well organized and very delightful to read.
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- Hilarious, Delightful Early Bruce Sterling Novel
- Good idea poorly executed
- It's the Def, Bruce!
- Not bad, entertaining
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The Artificial Kid (Context (San Francisco).)
Bruce Sterling
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Amazon.com
The entertainment industry rules on the planet Reverie, a world founded by Moses Moses as an experiment in corporately controlled equality. Instead, the experiment has caused Reverie to mutate into a landscape of decadence and class separation. Miles above the surface, the ultra-wealthy live in orbital homes, watching the surface citizens' home-produced videos of sex and extreme violence. The title character of The Artificial Kid, Arti, is the most popular of the Combat Artists. These futuristic mirrors of professional wrestlers or American Gladiators confront each other in superhero-esque battles (although the Combat Artists' contests are real) within a complex system of honor, ritual, and conduct. Arti has reached the height of his fame--equally loved by his fans and friends and despised by his competitors. However, he is not entirely who he seems to be, and when the planetary founder mysteriously returns, The Artificial Kid finds himself embroiled in a battle for power that's not ready for prime time. Bruce Sterling, best known for his nonfiction work, The Hacker Crackdown, and the classic cyberthriller, Islands in the Net, presents a seminal, vivid, and turbulent future in The Artificial Kid. The Artificial Kid is a work of satirical social commentary with the breakneck pace of a Hong Kong action film.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-25
A wealthy man indulges in a sociological experiment, but creating his
own personal corporate society. The incredibly wealthy live above the
planet, those not so, on it.
The media is king, and a reality violence show is the main
attraction. This is sport by way of Rollerball and The Running Man, and
the best protagonist of this mayhem is The Artificial Kid.
Hilarious, Delightful Early Bruce Sterling Novel.......2007-09-15
With "The Artifical Kid", a young Bruce Sterling demonstrated his excellence in writing comedic novels, to which he would return much later, in full force, in novels like "Holy Fire" and "The Zenith Angle", among others. While his second novel isn't nearly as polished as his later classic "Schisimatrix", it does explore in embroyonic form, some of the same issues of identity and what it means to be human, that he did quite remarkably well in his mid 1980s work. I couldn't help but laugh as I worked my way through the pages of Sterling's early novel, observing that it's nearly as funny as some of Harlan Ellison's best satirical short fiction. For anyone who wishes to understand Sterling's development as a leading member of the cyberpunk literary movement, then this early novel of his is required reading.
Good idea poorly executed.......2005-12-10
I'm a complete geek and avid reader of hard sci-fi. I like Neuromancer from William Gibson, Snow Crash and Diamond Age from Neal Stephenson, and Diaspora and just about everything else from Greg Egan.
But I can't recommend "Artificial Kid" by Bruce Sterling. The ideas behind the story are good. His descriptions are visibly good, but it reads neither like a good story, nor like a tech manual.
The problem isn't isolated to this book either. "Difference Engine" also reads slowly. I can't even pinpoint exactly what it is, other than Bruce Sterling's writings are VERY slow to read and hard to stay focussed on the story. It's almost as if the acting is poor. Dialog, inner and outer, just seems adolescent.
It's the Def, Bruce!.......2004-10-01
The only problem I had with this book is that the exclamation of "Death!" and/or "Thank Death!" was not slurred as in "That's the Def, man!" which is a common slang term heard on New York City playgrounds.
Other than that, I was gripping the pages wide-eyed in fear for my life at whatever was going to happen next. For real.
Not bad, entertaining.......2000-08-23
The Artificial Kid was a fairly short but fun read. The Kid himself is a great character and his friends were all pretty original as well. For the first few chapters it looks like it might be a highly entertaining adventure. After that it gets sort of bogged down and takes a new direction, but on the whole I found it worth the effort. I liked the various warring clans, the individual combatants, the follicle mites and the whole concept of televised (or the equivalent) combat art.
Things I didn't like about the book (don't worry, nothing really revealing here): the Flying Island, Crossbow and the Chairman's transformation, a climax you wouldn't exactly call exciting. Also, the Crossbow Body was a pretty shaky and only vaguely accounted-for concept.
Average customer rating:
- Lovely story of acceptance between older people & children
|
ARTIFICIAL GRANDMA, THE (Condo Kids)
Judy Delton
Manufacturer: Yearling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0440403154
Release Date: 1990-07-01 |
Customer Reviews:
Lovely story of acceptance between older people & children.......1997-07-24
When a special program matches older people from cities with suburban families during the summer, the "artificial" grandmas and grandpas find the cooler, cleaner environment they seek and children to nuture.
In this particular story, Delton explores the growth of a relationship which begins when a child has to give up his room to accommodate the guest. From a rough start, the hostility quickly turns into a game as the youngster tries to drive the guest out of the house. Delton applies her wonderful sense of human interactions and humor in creating this story of learning to accept one another. The pictures she creates textually give the reader empathy for both "sides" of the awkward situation.
Unfortunately, this easy chapter book for readers 7-12 is out of print. As a teacher of reading, I advise other teachers to encourage a reprinting. The story is perfect for group literature study where feelings, cause and effect, and inference can be explored-- often based upon students' real-life relationships with grandparents or older people.
This is a MUST for your library! Let's get it back in circulation.
Average customer rating:
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Biode: No Kid on Earth ever Brought his Computer to Life. Until Justin (Contemporary Classics (Uncle Henry Books))
Uncle Henry
Manufacturer: Uncle Henry Books/DBA Haller Schwarz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
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Humor
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ASIN: 1932568026 |
Book Description
Everyone tells Justin that he can'st bring his computer to life. But Justin just tries harder. Then one stormy afternoon lightning strikes the Barton residence somehow fusing all of the diodes and triodes in Justin'ss smoking computer into an intelligence no one has ever imagined. A bright green face appears on Justin'ss monitor, blinking and looking around. It'ss a Biode!
Average customer rating:
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EYES ON THE SKIES.(children work on Starshine 3 artificial satellite, which will be launched into space): An article from: U.S. Kids
Manufacturer: Children's Better Health Institute
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ASIN: B0008HZ5DC
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from U.S. Kids, published by Children's Better Health Institute on June 1, 2001. The length of the article is 968 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: EYES ON THE SKIES.(children work on Starshine 3 artificial satellite, which will be launched into space)
Publication:
U.S. Kids (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2001
Publisher: Children's Better Health Institute
Volume: 14
Issue: 4
Page: 2
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
Heartbeat treat.(dog receives pacemaker; how a pacemaker works): An article from: U.S. Kids
Manufacturer: Children's Better Health Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B0008F0R28
Release Date: 2005-07-30 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from U.S. Kids, published by Children's Better Health Institute on June 1, 2002. The length of the article is 432 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: Heartbeat treat.(dog receives pacemaker; how a pacemaker works)
Publication:
U.S. Kids (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2002
Publisher: Children's Better Health Institute
Volume: 15
Issue: 4
Page: 8(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Plastics Engineering, published by Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. on March 1, 2000. The length of the article is 999 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: Kids' Feet Won't Freeze in PUR Snowshoes.(polyurethane snowshoes by Bayer Corp.)(Brief Article)
Author: Hope Molinaro
Publication:
Plastics Engineering (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2000
Publisher: Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc.
Volume: 56
Issue: 3
Page: 6
Article Type: Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on April 12, 2007. The length of the article is 552 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: Kids' science better than fair; Natural and artificial intelligence on display.(City)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication:
Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 12, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: B4
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
A new touch.(artificial limbs): An article from: Science News for Kids
Emily Sohn
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B000O76HRE
Release Date: 2007-03-12 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Science News for Kids, published by Thomson Gale on February 14, 2007. The length of the article is 464 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: A new touch.(artificial limbs)
Author: Emily Sohn
Publication:
Science News for Kids (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 14, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Customer Reviews:
Living Buddha, Living Christ.......2005-12-01
I received the book as a gift. I found it thoughtfully written, well intended, and engaging. Having more than a passing acquaintance with "indigenous Buddhism" and having lived a few blocks from one of the largest Buddhist Temples in North America ( a Thai Temple in L.A.)the author puts a very different "Nouveau/California/New Age face on Buddhism. His quotations from the Bible are out of context and misapplied. I commend him for his desire to get along with others peacefully but his understanding of Christ, what Christ claimed about himself and other concepts from the Bible are flawed. His version of Buddhism, with a decidedly post modern flair is a far cry from what is practiced around the world, including Tibetan Buddhism.
The best things come in small packages.......1998-06-02
I passed by this book four times, picking it up, and putting it down - three times. It seemed too much money for so little book. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are someone who can think and read between the line(s) (as many of the exceprts ARE just one line!) then this will be a very fulfilling book for you. If you need a framework to support the observations, then maybe you should get the full book. Either way, it's a wonderful way to spend many a half an hour, reading and re-reading.
Books:
- The Haunted Doll's House and Other Ghost Stories (The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James, Vol. 2)
- The Heartsong of Charging Elk: A Novel
- The Journey of the Stone Man
- The Last Samurai Official Movie Guide
- The Linnet's Tale
- The Lover's Path: An Illustrated Novel
- The Noodle Maker: A Novel
- The North China Lover: A Novel
- The Piano Teacher: A Novel
- The Portage to San Cristobal of A. H.: A Novel (Phoenix Fiction Series)
Books Index
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- Vermont Business Directory 2001
Dominion (Doctor Who Series)
Doctor Who: Frontier Worlds (Doctor Who (BBC Paperback))
Doctor Who : Coldheart
The Space Age (Doctor Who Series)
Doctor Who: The Shadows of Avalon
