Next Stop Hollywood: Short Stories Bound for the Screen

Book Description

For much of Hollywoods history, short stories have been a major source of ideas for successful and significant films. Today, however, not as many short stories are being used as muses for major motion pictures. The reason is simple: the vast majority of magazines that published popular short storiesThe Saturday Evening Post, Look, Mademoiselleare gone. The outlets for commercial short fiction have evaporated and with them a wealth of inspiring movie material. This book picks up where those magazines left off: these terrific, thought-provoking short stories have been selected from more than 600 entries by an editorial board of authors, screenwriters, directors, and producers. These very same stories may be at a theater near you in the near future.

Customer Reviews:

next stop hollywood.......2007-09-14

an excellent collection of short stories that will make wonderful movies. standouts :gone to mum's
dirk snigby
some pig
waltzing matilda.
sit back with a long cool drink and enjoy.

About short stories that become movies.......2007-07-13

_The Hustler, It Happened One Night, High Noon, Minority Report_ and _All About Eve._ Quite an impressive list, but what do these movies all have in common? Give up? They all started as a short story.

Next Stop Hollywood is the brainchild of Steve Cohen and Jonathan Davis. Each year they partner with St. Martin's Press to publish original short stories that are judged by a panel of Hollywood insiders via an international contest, with winning entries compiled into the anthology. Their criteria? Finding stories that would make a great movie or TV project. More than 600 entries were submitted and narrowed down to a mere 15.

Using the same judging criteria, I chose three stories from Next Stop Hollywood to highlight.

Perry Glasser's "An Age of Marvels and Wonders," tells the story of a lonely old man slowly going blind and the young woman who comes into his life. Raylene is a walking hard luck story--with two kids, no money and an abusive ex-husband. Is it any wonder she's skeptical of an offer of help? Bob may slowly be going blind, but he sees far more than mere eyesight allows.

"Gone to Mum's" by Barry Simiana is a richly detailed and poignant story of missed chances, stolen moments, heartbreak and redemption. Simiana's narrator takes readers along on his journey of self-discovery amid the rugged backdrop of Australia. The author paints emotion on his canvas, stunning the reader with the simplicity and honesty of his prose.

"The Good Kid" by Brian Richmond, is a clever tale of deception. Marty is a bank robber on the run with nowhere to go. The kid is more than willing to help. But is he helping himself or Marty? O. Henry would have approved.

With Hollywood scrambling for fresh ideas, it's nice to know that the art of the short story is not completely forgotten.

Armchair Interviews says: Kudos to Cohen and Davis for their part in reviving an endangered genre.

Digging Dirk!.......2007-06-23

I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories, especially "Dirk Snigby's Guide to the Afterlife". Dirk and the devil would be a hit on the silver screen!

Glasser is a master at his craft.......2007-06-17

Perry Glasser is a wonderful writer and an inspiration in my own writing. His forthright yet crafty style will leave you complete. You won't be disappointed!

Perry Glasser -- rising star in the literary firmament.......2007-06-12

So far, I've read only the novella-length "An Age of Marvels and Wonders" and "Mexico," both by Perry Glasser. These two stories alone would justify the purchase of the anthology.

Perry has a narrative style and mastery of dialogue as smooth as the best of 'em. His characters come right off the page and into the reader's mind within a matter of paragraphs, and words (as challenge rather than as facilitator to the sheer enjoyment of the story) disappear within seconds. Higher praise I couldn't pay to any writer worth his nom or his plume.

If Perry's stories are any indication of the general tenor of the book, I very much look forward to reading the rest of it.

The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction

Average customer rating:

Definitely worth buying. It was my textbook for a class!
I know it's thirty bucks but it's worth it.
Very good and interesting

The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0393968332

Book Description

Acclaimed writers R. V. Cassill and Joyce Carol Oates have joined forces for this refreshed and updated edition. With 45 stories, 23 new to this edition, the anthology provides an abundant selection of fiction from 1960 to the present. Readers will appreciate newly included stories from their favorite authors such as Margaret Atwood, Ann Beattie, Gabriel Garca Mrquez, and Tim O'Brien, as well as the addition of sixteen new writers, including Julia Alvarez, Richard Ford, Jamaica Kincaid, and Bharati Mukherjee. Biographical notes on all the writers provide a valuable resource for the reader.

Customer Reviews:

Definitely worth buying. It was my textbook for a class!.......2002-02-27

What can you say about a fiction anthology that a teacher actually used for a college class? Well, for one thing, you can say that it is probably one of the best representations of contemporary fiction that you can buy at a reasonable price.

There are so many great authors on here, that I don't know where to begin. The editors basically took every great short fiction author, and popped one of their best short stories into this anthology. I've read the whole book cover to cover a couple of times, and it still manages to inspire.

The editors did a good job of selecting stories that represent a broad range of literary styles. Carver's minimalism is represented here, as well as stories from a countless number of his contemporaries. A well rounded collection over all. I think it still might be a little pricey for its size, but it may be well worth it for the present content, regardles.

I know it's thirty bucks but it's worth it........2001-01-25

This 550-page anthology provides the best introduction to modern short fiction writing available to readers. This is "the textbook" for short story writing.

Very good and interesting.......1999-06-18

Contray to what one review said this book is not dull and boring but autual fun and interesting. I recomened this book to people.

Book Description

Collects Daredevil #1-25.

Customer Reviews:

Look for entertainment---not inspiration.......2007-04-15

It's a given that the early FF and Spiderman hold up well, but I was surprised to see that Daredevil fares well. Having only read one of these early issues(number 8 with Stiltman), I didn't have the highest expectations. Maybe it was just because I've been so comic deprived these past couple months in college, but it didn't take long for me to see things through Matt Murdock's...eyes.

The early issues with Joe Orlando hold their own, but when Wally Wood comes around with Sub-mariner it gets even better. John Romita's first appearance in issue 12 with Ka-zar also improves upon his predecessor. There is nothing here that is going to take your breath away, but if villains such as the Owl, Gladiator, Electro, and the Fixer give you a warm fuzzy feeling, or at least some sort of memory, you need to have this. If you haven't really experienced the silver age of comics yet, you're probably better off starting with ol' Spidey and the FF first.

The major problem I have with these early issues is not so much the lack of originality or redundancy, it's the cliche love triangle and occasional inconsistencies. The first 3 issues show promise, with Matt aloof and uninterested in Karen's feelings towards him. But in the next issue, Stan Lee decides to make him into an old softie, something that really clashes with DD and Matt. The inconsistencies are more forgivable, sloppy mistakes, such as when Foggy later mentions his proposal to Karen that was turned down, when in fact he never went through with asking her in the first place. Ah well, the meat of what's here is still great, and will go great between Captain America and Defenders Essentials on your shelf.

What is it with superheroes and their secretaries?.......2006-07-07

I was born too late to buy the original, old-school comics, But I think this is suitable. Although I would have enjoyed the collection in color, reading them in black and white is OK as well. Also I liked Wallace Wood's Daredevil, because his style was smooth and not as sketchy as the eariler artists. Theirs were very good also, but Mr.Wood's was my favorite. I guess what I found particularly amusing was that unlike in the new comics (which I admit I have not read a lot of) Daredevil is a little more...how do I put this delicately...goofy? Not quite Spiderman goofy, (I swear he has ADD,) but he does chatter during battle. D.D also admits to himself once that sometimes he sounds corny.
I also see a kind of theme with these heroes. The guys with medical/health problems, Matt Murdock and Tony Stark, fall in love with their seceritaries! And then they come up with a reason why they can't be with the aforementioned beautiful secretary like 'I'm blind and my best friend loves her anyway' or '...I've got a heart condition...'Spiderman's probably the only one with an actual girlfriend!
Matt's friend Foggy isn't really anyone to complain about. A normal, superhero's best buddy guy. Karen isn't much different than Foggy, except she's not male. Even so, they're interesting enough characters.
The reason I gave Vol.1 4 stars is the assortment of 'villans'. To be honest, probably half of them are just plain stupid. Stiltman? Leap Frog? PURPLE MAN?!? Don't get me stated on him. Get the Purple Man together with some other Marvel villians like Mr.Doll (Iron Man), The Unicorn (X-Men), and Mysterio (Spiderman), and you've got the Effeminant Four! Anyhow, ignoring my rant, thre are some villians that are all right and some anti-heroes (The Sub Mariner& Ka-Zar, namely) that were definately appreciated after the Purple Man. If you miss the good old days when comics didn't take themselves that seriously I'd recommend this as a good read.

With the first appearance of Gene COLAN.......2006-07-04

Another excellent item from Essential Series. Even if it is in black and white only, it is wonderful to read again these first issues of Daredevil. What a difference with stories of the present day ! In a Stan Lee story, we find action, caracter's personnality development, intelligent and super-powered vilain. It is not the case in the news stories, developped in more trouble situation, dark and where the hero is not the hero sometimes, with a lot of violence not justified.
Drawings are simple, but dynamic, in the first part. But with Gene Colan as penciler, what a pleasure! Daredevil is really born with Gene.

Great drawing, repetitive dialog.......2005-11-09

Having read the first 25 issues of Daredevil when they first appeared, I remember how much I enjoyed them. However, that was a time when I was younger and the audience was less sophisticated. In reading the dialog in this collection, I was struck by how repetitive it was. Matt Murdock is blind, yet possesses such heightened senses that he has an awareness of his surroundings that is superior to the sighted person. This allows him to function as Daredevil, a costumed crime fighter that must constantly remind the reader of those heightened senses. In caption after caption, Daredevil (Matt) mentions that he is blind, usually something like, "Imagine if they knew that they were fighting a man who cannot see!"
These reminders take away from the action, which is drawn with such skill. There is no color in the interior of the book, which limits what can be done, yet the level of detail is still striking. I also found some amusement in the verbal sound effects. Words like "Thum" and "Thud" for the sounds of a club, "Thik" and "Krrack" for the sounds of bullets and "Thak" and "Chupp" for the sounds of punching. At one point, Stan Lee pokes fun at that, informing us in one caption that the second consecutive n in a sound effect is silent.
This book is a walk down memory lane for me. As is the case with nearly all returns to your childhood, the memory is better than the fact. Nevertheless, this collection of the first 25 issues of Daredevil was fun to read and I recommend it to everyone interested in comics, especially how they have developed over time.

It's cool. Could use a little Bullseye, Kingpin, and Mr. Hyde, though........2005-08-04

This is a good book. It has great art, and the characters in it are pretty cool, especially people like Owl, Stilt-Man, Mister Fear, Electro, and Gladiator. Plus, it shows Daredevil's origin and his earliest and most surprising appearences and fights, including a fight with the one and only Spider-Man. It is a good collection, and it is a must have for any Daredevil lover. However, I can't give it 5 stars because it didn't have any of my top 3 favorite DD villains of all time in it-Mr. Hyde, my # 3 favorite, Kingpin, my # 2 favorite, and of course Bullseye, my # 1 favorite-none of those top and classic baddies were in this book. Otherwise, though, it is a nice piece of work and I like it quite a bit. It's one of the best Daredevil comics I'll ever own.

Average customer rating:

Great title

A disapointing view of Central Asia

Well Written But Light

Roads between nowhere and everywhere

Interesting, but a little superficial

The Dust of Empire: The Race for Mastery in The Asian Heartland
Karl Ernest Meyer
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
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Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game And the Race for Empire in Central Asia

The New Great Game: Blood and Oil in Central Asia

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia (Kodansha Globe)

Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East?

The End of Eurasia: Russia on the Border Between Geopolitics and Globalization

ASIN: 1586482416
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Book Description

A "rattling good"* inquiry into the historical impact of Western involvement with Central Asia, spelling out the implications for the United States and its allies today *(New York Times Book Review)

When Charles de Gaulle learned that France's former colonies in Africa had chosen independence, the great general shrugged dismissively, "They are the dust of empire." But as Americans have learned, particles of dust from remote and seemingly medieval countries can, at great human and material cost, jam the gears of a superpower.

In The Dust of Empire, Karl E. Meyer examines the present and past of the Asian heartland in a book that blends scholarship with reportage, providing fascinating detail about regions and peoples now of urgent concern to America: the five Central Asian republics, the Caspian and the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and long-dominant Russia. He provides the context for America's war on terrorism, for Washington's search for friends and allies in an Islamic world rife with extremism, and for the new politics of pipelines and human rights in an area richer in the former than the latter. He offers a rich and complicated tapestry of a region where empires have so often come to grief--a cautionary tale.

Customer Reviews:

Great title.......2007-06-19

This book gives a brief overview to an area with many geographic, economic and historical complexity. The author provides good coverage of how portions of the Great Game have been played out in the Central Asian states and the current statuses of those nations. If a quick glimpse is all that is wanted, then this is the right book.

A disapointing view of Central Asia.......2006-12-15

This is a book that tries to bring the events of the great game to the present day. It looks at the remains of empire left by the British and the Russian and talks about how the countries have come together. Overall it is disappointing and drags on. The prose is horrendous and does not hold the readers interest taking far to long to describe an interesting history. It is really hard to imagine how someone could have butchered this history but here is the proof.

Well Written But Light.......2006-10-09

Meyer did history a service when he reopened the classic account of the struggle for central asia through the ages in his rather more famous "Tournament of Shadows." This, more slender, volume is written in less grandiose style, but still is a call for the greater world (and especially Americans) to understand the region as a whole in its historical, cultural and geopolitical context.

The style is more of a Cook's tour with chapters dedicated to each of the states in Central Asia.

I found however that Meyer offers enough to tease and entice on each country, but not quite enough to satify... just when the going got more in-depth and intriguing, it was time to move to another country. For those liking imperial 19th Century "Great Game" narratives, there is precious little in this volume. History is only a prop to put the country into its current context of understanding in the realm of power politics -- which it should be said, Meyer utlises both classical power politics and liberal theories in his explaination of how the world relates to central asia.

The one good thing I would add is this: instead of the current fashion of American historians and currrent events commentators concentrating on American interpretations -- American Oil, beltway politics, and the endless citing of each Presidential Administration's response to the politics of the region -- there is a general eagle-eye view that keeps the general interests and threats of all major actors in mind. He does this while reminding us of the human cost in terms of lives and lost rights, most often taken by states from their own people. As such morality looms large in his descriptions, though not necessarily proscriptions for the region.

For those who are interested in real analysis of world affairs and sick of the usual talking head suspects on the left or right, then this is a very intelligent, considered, and interesting overview.

Roads between nowhere and everywhere.......2006-06-18

Few parts of the world are as unknown to the modern world, yet as influential as Central Asia; that stretch of land starting at Iraq in the Southwest, going up thru the former USSR republics in the Northwest, and extending through Mongolia in the East. Yet this area of nowheres is laced with roads that lead to every great empire on the Eurasian continent. For centuries great empires and conquerors have blindly entered this vast land of deserts, grasslands and mountain ranges. Their purposes were varied; outflanking enemies, establishing trading outposts, seeking new allies, or searching for oil. But in all cases, they often got a lot more than what they bargained for. This is the fundamental thesis of this book. The second, unspoken theme is that Westerners never seem to learn their lesson.

Starting with Alexander the Great, continuing with the British and Russians during the great game of the 1800s, and now with America in the late 20th and early 21st century, western governments have often gotten involved in this region, usually without consulting or even letting their populations know what they were doing. The most recent adventures by America during the Afghan war of the 1980s led to the rise of the Taliban and Al Queda, and eventually the 9/11 attacks. This book's author lightly veiled opinion is that America has not learned the lessons of Britain and Russia. The author surveys the region, country by country, and provides a historical summary of the West's and more recently, America's involvement in each place. The list includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, and Iran. In each place, the author traces out America's involvement and alliances with some very unsavory characters, usually to the detriment of human rights and freedom within that region. Most of the major individuals are described, such as Osama bin Laden, President Musharaff in Pakistan, Omar Mullah in Afghanistan, and recent dictators of the various "stans" of the former USSR. And the most important character of all, oil, always lurks in the background.

The emphasis of the book is on recent history, and America's involvement. Hence there are some important backstory that is not elaborated on; such as America's overthrow of Mossadegh in the 1950s. There is a lot of material on America's formation of military alliances with the border states of Russia. Overall, the book is great. Its reading level is appropriate for college students on updwards, and the text flows quite easily. The style is a mix of textbookish history and journalistic writing, which together makes for enjoyable reading. I highly recommend this book.

Interesting, but a little superficial.......2006-02-14

The Dust of Empire deals with the vast region of Central Asia and the impact that empires of the West, from England to America, have had on the people who make their home there. Both the past and present are discussed as Meyer examines how politics and geopolitics have affected and created many of the characteristics and problems in this part of the world.

The countries that are covered in the book include Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the former Central Asian provinces of the Soviet Union, the Caucasus region, and a country that is an empire itself, Russia.

Overall, I found the book to be interesting, with each section on each country offering an effective summary with all the relevant facts included. However, I felt there was not much beyond that. While I was engaged, I really didn't learn very much more. I also found (and I realize this might be due to the main thrust of the book itself) that analysis of the countries themselves and their domestic issues was often lacking, with more emphasis placed on the role these nations played in superpower and imperial interactions.

I would recommend reading the book as an introduction to Central Asia and the impact of the West there, but not if you are already somewhat familiar with the subject.

The Stars, Like Dust (The Empire Novels)

Average customer rating:

Interesting early Asimov "Empire" novel
Great series and, yes, sadly out of print...
Undemanding fun
WoW!
Foundation basics.

The Stars, Like Dust (The Empire Novels)
Isaac Asimov
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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

ASIN: 0553293435
Release Date: 1991-12-01

Customer Reviews:

Interesting early Asimov "Empire" novel.......2007-09-09

This is a very early work by the great Isaac Asimov that is set in the same Universe as his Foundation series. In this work, Mankind has colonized far and wide in the Galaxy, but there is no Galactic Empire or other unifying political entity. Planets are organized in small "kingdoms" of one or more planets, warfare is common, and humans still remember that Earth is the original planet of humanity. Thus, this novel is set in a time long after the 50 Spacer Worlds era, but long before the Foundation series, and even before "The Currents of Space" (where man had mostly forgotten that Earth is humanity's home world, and the Trantorian Republic is evolving into the Empire).

This is a rather basic story of a young nobleman who is opposing a tyrannical star system and searching for a secret document which his late father (murdered by the tyrants) believed would put an end to the totalitarian governments in the Galaxy. More would be telling.

The writing in this one is not bad, if one's expectations are not too high, and there are some interesting twists and speculative concepts woven into the story. There are some quaint anachronisms, like the complete absence of computers for tasks that even in our day would be computerized, but overall this novel has aged well and holds the modern reader's interest.

A good read and an early work by one of Science Fiction's giants.

Great series and, yes, sadly out of print..........2006-08-11

To correct a few people here, there are (were) actually three books in the 'Galactic Empire Series'.

The Stars, Like Dust: A novel of the days when warring star kingdoms wrought havoc, before Trantor gained ascendancy in the galaxy.

The Currents Of Space: A novel of the period when Trantor ruled only half the galaxy, and every independent kingdom guarded it's right to corruption.

Pebble In The Sky: A novel of the time when Trantor ruled the galaxy, while Earth dreamed of it's ancient glory - and plotted revenge.

From the '87 and '89 Ballantine/Del Rey printings of the series...

IF you can find them, and read them, you would enjoy them... I think the series is a great 'pre-Asimov' set for readers new to his writing. IMO...

Undemanding fun.......2005-02-02

Many of Isaac Asimov's novels and short stories were actually mystery tales dressed up in the veneer of science fiction. But THE STARS LIKE DUST reminded me of a genre that I had not yet come across in his fiction: the thriller. The influences aren't enormous, but they're present. There's a hunt for a secret document, a political power struggle, and a puppet master directing the action from behind the scenes. And as successful as Asimov had been at incorporating the fundamentals of the detective novel into his own, he is similarly triumphant here. While there are definitely some rough spots, they come more from the pulp origins of this kind of story than from any other genre it incorporated.

First of all, this is a typically engaging and engrossing story. It's not Asimov at the absolute top of his game, but it's easy enough for the reader to keep turning these pages. Even when he's running on autopilot (as one suspects during part of the plot's introduction and some of the later, quieter moments), it's nothing short of fun and enjoyable.

Asimov's plotting is again quite good. Indeed, there are some elements of it that reminded me of portions of his other books (for example, there's a character who makes bold and logical predictions about the movement of individual important people -- a very small scale version of the psychohistory that would appear later in his FOUNDATION series). But as with most of Asimov's work, while I did find it to contain a lot of familiar touchstones, it still felt very fresh.

There were a few points that prevented me from placing this among the very top of Asimov's novels. Characterization is something that Asimov himself said he didn't always get right (though I will sometimes give him more credit than he gave himself) and, unfortunately, it's difficult to believe in the romance between the male and female leads. He usually stayed away from this kind of coupling, and it seemed clear that he seemed a lot less confident writing about male/female relationships than he did about molecules, planetary movements and other science facts.

Speaking of science, it's also easy to see why Asimov's non-fiction writing was so effortless to read. He's quite good at making potentially intimidating science speeches seem clear and simple. Of course, what he isn't always quite so good at is incorporating them seamlessly into his plots. This book more so than most of his that I've read seemed to have a bit too many places where the characters suddenly deliver science lectures to other characters for no real overriding reason (yes, they related to the plot, but could easily have been removed with no loss of reader understand occurring). It's not that they're confusing -- far from it. It just made me think that they were included mostly because Asimov liked talking about science more than for any other reason.

On the other hand, I did like the fact that the science was important to the story. Oftentimes in science fiction novels, the actual mechanics of life in the future is hand-waved away. While that is sometimes desirable (if the author is more interested in plot and character than scientific speculation), I do occasionally enjoy the type of conjectures on display here. During the story's chase/traveling sequences we get some fun thinking from Asimov about how future space travel will work. It's fascinating, if only to see what the cutting edge of thought was in the early 1950s. Asimov puts a lot of thought into how faster-than-light travel will take place. But, amusingly from a modern standpoint, he missed out on computers completely, having the mathematical calculations of interstellar travel taking place by hand using libraries of reference books!

At the time of writing this review, THE STARS LIKE DUST would appear to be out-of-print. Which is a shame because it's a nice, enjoyable story that doesn't deserve relegation to hard-to-find status. This isn't top-tier Asimov, so I can't truthfully recommend spending a lot of money. But if you find a good, cheap, used copy, it's well worth purchasing. I read the bulk of it while airplane traveling and it made for a very happy, undemanding companion.

WoW!.......2004-01-01

I think it's a matter of taste - vive le difference and all that. For me, personally, this book, as part of the Empire series actually knocks the socks off the Foundation series, but no matter.

Its very nice that you CAN get this second hand fairly easily, if it was scarce, I could see some case for banging it out and issuing it on the net. But that would be very undesirable.

This book really does rock. I read this when I was 15, and that was a good time to read this kind of stuff. Very happy memories.
In fact, thinking about it, there is a huge swag of books that I saw in that period, authored by Bob Shaw and Asimov and a whole load of others. Why is it that these people are not being printed? I find it very difficult to understand. There is a peculiar theory though. I don't really know if I believe it or not.

Together with the Tom Swift books, these authors have managed to paint a picture of some sort of alternative America / Britain. Lets see. In this world, the space race didn't end in the 70's, and Vietnam did not happen, or the Iran Contra thing. Instead, there was a joint effort (while there were the natural resources to do it) to launch an international space station in the late 70's, a colony on the moon in 1994, and the first landing on Mars in 2002. Incidently this first landing was a one way ticket, the astronaut in question volunteering to die over there 'cause there wasn't the technology to get back.

Etc.

But that did not happen, ergo, this fiction is redundant, the future did not happen. So now we have this kind of Gothic horror stuff about nano technology uber alles, the great enthusiasm of exploration zipped in favour of commercial expansion and militarism, and a dumbing down of science. How many teenagers want to learn about non linear differential equations? Where are our scientists going to come from, if no-one likes this stuff nowadays?

It's the latter that really frightens me. Beagle has landed but has either been shot down by the USA or just malfunctioned.

And it's 2004 now for goodness sake. We should be FAR more advanced than this!

Why did Isaac Asimov have to go when he did... We really do need this guy now,or someone with the same kind of vision....

Foundation basics........2003-12-20

After reading Asimov's Foundation and Robot Novels I decided to read the "hard-to-find" Empire novels, which are always referred to as mediocre.
On my opinion, this first part of the series shows much of the content that Isaac Asimov would use for it's Foundation & Robots series; I can't qualify it as mediocre, it's a fine book to read and the proof of the evolution in the career of a science fiction writer. I recommend it.

Average customer rating:

The Empire Novels
Isaac Asimov
Manufacturer: Science Fiction Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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

ASIN: 0739431056

Product Description

Ominbus of "The Stars, Like Dust," "The Currents of Space," and "Pebble in the Sky." Special publication of the Science Fiction Book Club.

Average customer rating:

The Stars, Like Dust (Empire Novels)

Manufacturer: Fawcett Crest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0449023737

The Foundation Trilogy: Foundation, Foundation and Empire; Second Foundation - The Stars, Like Dust, The Naked Sun, I Robot -

Average customer rating:

Fabulous REAL-FICTION stories

The Foundation Trilogy: Foundation, Foundation and Empire; Second Foundation - The Stars, Like Dust, The Naked Sun, I Robot -
Isaac Asimov
Manufacturer: Heinemann Octopus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature & Fiction | Bargain Books | Stores | Books

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 1)

ASIN: 0905712617

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous REAL-FICTION stories.......2004-06-17

Asimov did a hell of a job gathering all his stories in a series of books. In The Complete Stories Vol. 1 his handwrittings from the 1940's just up to 1967 are printed in a wonderful science-fiction masterpiece. Asimov is well reknowned as the father of SciFi, and this stories demonstrate how he can write about politics, medicine, science, anthropology, or even sexuality. This book gives you down-to-earth, really involving stories, that will surely catch your attention. You'll find stories about the gigantic Multivac predicting electorial votes from just one person; a robot flirtering his bosses' wife; a super-intelligent computer who wants to comit suicide; and lots of different stories in a wide variety of topics, but all related to SciFi.

Foundation; Foundation and Empire; Second Foundation; The Stars, Like Dust; The Naked Sun; I, Robot

Average customer rating:

Foundation; Foundation and Empire; Second Foundation; The Stars, Like Dust; The Naked Sun; I, Robot

Manufacturer: Amaranth Press; Masters Library Ser.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Bonded Leather
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Prelude to Foundation (Foundation Novels)

ASIN: 0706421973

Average customer rating:

The Dust of Empire
Karl Meyer
Manufacturer: Abacus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0349117438

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Dust and ashes of empires,
William Arthur Shelton
Manufacturer: Pub. House M.E. Church, South
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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DUST OF EMPIRE, THE
Karl Meyer
Manufacturer: Public Affairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NTIA28

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Empire in the Dust
D. S., Jr. Halacy
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

A classical treatise of yoga practices and philosophy according to the Kashmir tradition of Saivism. It studiously eschews mechanical worship, external rites and ceremonies and goes directly to the heart of the problem of the union of human consciousness with the Divine. This very ancient book on Yoga describes 112 types of yoga. For this purpose, it makes full use of all aspects of human life--prana, manas, imagination and intuition. (reprint)

Customer Reviews:

To touch the face of God and be in His Space.......2002-06-18

This book is like a Rosetta stone of all of yoga condensed into 108 dharanas or centering techniques. When I first bought this book, I found some of these dharanas were very easy; others I found obscure. The deeper my practice has gone the more I learn.

The key is to absorb the dharanas (centering techniques) that are obvious. Over time, as one's yogic study deepens, many of the others will become apparent. The Vijnana-bhairava was written as the original home-study, Self-study course revealed by Bhairava (God). The practice of any tantric technique is by it's very nature done by oneself as each of our relationships to the Divine is a personal affair.

The amazing thing that this book conveys is a deep understanding of how we can find our connection with the Divine in our moment to moment existence. For the serious student there is no book I recommend more strongly.

A Dense Treasury of North Indian Yoga Techniques.......2000-03-30

The Shaivite tradition of India is unknown to most Americans. It is an intense, tantric school of consciousness development that grew up in conversation with Buddhism and later with Islam. The Vijnanabhairava is a collection of the techniques these Shaivites have used, each presented concisely with some indication of its usefulness. Probably not too good an idea to use these without a spiritual director to keep an eye on your development...

VIJNANABHAIRAVA, or Divine Consciousness: A Treasury of 112 Types of Yoga

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VIJNANABHAIRAVA, or Divine Consciousness: A Treasury of 112 Types of Yoga
Jaideva Singh
Manufacturer: Motilal Banarsidass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H049UK

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