Product Description
The nuclear bomb is the only weapon so terrible that it destroys not only the human body, but the human soul. But what of those souls that were not destroyed, but maimed and ruptured by the blast at Hiroshima? They are coming, across the Pacific ocean, leaving blood and destruction in their wake, searching for revenge. They are the Psychlone!

Larry Fowler is a scientist—he doesn't want to be frightened by things he doesn't understand. However, he can't stop asking questions—questions that will bring him face to face with psychlone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Lack of focus leaves this reader confused and disinterested
A mysterious force plays havoc in a remote community in this sci-fi/fantasy by Greg Bear.The opening section deals with a ghostly presence that draws energy from around an isolated cabin, freezing whatever life it finds; and in itself, this isn't a bad story, if only Bear had stopped there.But after that, the plot becomes increasing disjointed, with too many characters, many of whom don't survive long enough for us to get to know them.And who is the protagonist?Fowler?Or Jacobs?Or tiny Tim?And what real purpose do all these characters serve?This reviewer found it hard to care about any of them.

Bear's facile prose always makes for easy reading, and the short chapters make it convenient if you like to read in small bites, but when all's said and done, the plot is very shaky (almost insubstantial) the characters are wooden and wholly forgettable, and nothing really gels.There's a germ of an idea here about the souls of POW's killed by the atomic bomb during WWII, but instead of logically developing this concept, Bear relies on the sheer horror of it, which ultimately fails.Kind of like this whole novel.

If you're looking for something by Greg Bear, this reviewer suggests "Eon" instead; while not a perfect book, it has plenty of interesting ideas and holds together quite a bit better.

Intriguing Ghost Story
In the small town of Lorobu, New Mexico, a horror struck.For an unknown reason all but one of its more than eight hundred citizens wound up dead.But not just dead...they took whatever household objects they could find and in a fit of unspeakable madness, killed each other and themselves.

At an isolated cabin in the backwoods of California, a man took time off to visit his father for a few days.Later, the two men were found dead...the father killed his son and then himself.

The military, along with a few select "civilian contractors", (and the one survivor from Lorobu) begins to research the horrible events at these two places -- Lorobu and the cabin in California.What they discover may flip our whole world upside down and bring to bare some of Humanity's worst fears and most profound horrors.

Greg Bear's Psychlone is an interesting ghost story.What on Earth could turn hundreds of people so mad that they would kill themselves and others as they did.Psycholone explores a very tenuous ground for science fiction...viewing death from the spiritual point of view -- what happens to us after we die.(I say "tenuous" because science fiction is generally grounded in fact and then from those facts extrapolations are pulled.But with death and spirituality, there is very little hard fact.)Bear does a decent job of melding science fact with the realm of spirituality.The main problem with the tale was that there were just a few too many holes...how exactly were Lorobu and the cabin connected??Nonetheless, I applaud Bear's attempt at combining science with the world of spirituality.The novel is recommended to anyone who enjoys Bear's stories...but don't expect a literary masterpiece.

Easy to see that it is one of Greg Bear early works.
I have been a huge fan for Greg Bears books ever since I read the book Moving Mars.I have picked up several of his books.I love the Darwin's Radio and Darwin's Children books and really enjoyed them.I have also read some of the older books Eon and The Forge of God.

Psychloneis quite a bit different than several of the books that I have read by Greg Bear.It still has the tell tell signs that makes me really like his books.

Almost all of the time that I spent reading the book I kept on wondering if I really liked the book or not.A large part of the book is spent building the story.

This book is focused mostly around two characters Tim, the last survivor of a small town in New Mexico.All of the people that lived there died mysteriously one night. The second is an engineer named Fowler, that is invited to investigate some strange occurrences in a small cabin out in the woods.This leaves him in a position studying something that he does not quite understand.

Fowler finds himself living in the cabin of his friend that mysteriously died.The cabin is haunted by what the book calls an earth spirit.

It turns out that the earth spirit and the thing that killed all of the people in the town inNew Mexico did not have a lot in common other then they both hate humans and they both can be destroyed the same way.

So what caused the strange thing that is going from city to city killing people?The thing is called a Psychlone in the book because it is the psychic energy of all of the people that were involved in the explosions of the Atom bombs in Japan during WWII.

The story is interesting and it keeps the reader wondering what is going to happen next.The description of what happened in the town in New Mexico is really interesting and I could see it being used in some movie because the description was scary thinking about what would make an entire town go crazy enough to kill each other.

I can't say that I particularly liked the ending of the book.It was not bad but not as good as I think it could have been.Of all of Greg Bear's books this one is the least impressive ones that I have read.Having said that, this book is still much better than several of the other books that I have read.I will give this a 3 out of 5 stars. Its a good read but not one of Greg Bear's best.

The book will most likely only appeal to people that are already fans of Greg Bear's books and like to see where a writer has started.Greg Bear is really good at creating very clear and vivid characters. Psychlone is no exception, the characters are clear and easy to understand.

Not Bear's best, but doesn't stink either
I read this book when it was re-released in 1988.It scared the pants off me then, and still does.It also indroduced me to the author, whose books I now eagerly collect.

maybe this was a contract book?
Greg is capable of much better (his short story "Petra" is a jaw-dropping standout, for example).The central idea is interesting, but the development into a story is contrived, choppy, and flows very unevenly.(I really feel awkward saying this, but the book would have been much better had it been written by Steven King.) ... Read more

Product Description

Corona

An awesome, sentinent force of protostars -- Corona -- has taken control of a stranded team of Vulcan scientists. The U.S.S Enterprise™ has come on a rescue mission, with a female reporter and a new computer that can override Kirk's command. Suddenly, the rescuers must save themselves and the entire Universe -- before Corona unleashes a Big Bang! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Impossible to believe that a computer could control the Enterprise
The Enterprise is on a mission to rescue a Vulcan science team on an asteroid where they are observing some protostars as they evolve to full status as a star. The Enterprise contains the regular crew and some significant additions. Mason is a female reporter who grew up on a small planet where prejudice against non-humans was prevalent. She is along to chronicle the performance of the monitors, which is a set of computer program created using the knowledge and experience of experts in several fields. There are separate sets of Star Fleet commanders and medical doctors encoded in the program. However, the programs are not there in an advisory role only, but are capable of taking control of the Enterprise's function in their area if the situation is judged serious enough. This can occur even if the captain or chief medical officer is still in full control of the situation.
This premise was one that was very difficult to accept. Space exploration is full of unknowns where you don't know what you don't know. To apply reasoning that has been effective in the past and to override the command judgement of the human in control and on the spot seems too far beyond what would be acceptable in Star Fleet. You would have thought that the lesson of the "The Ultimate Computer" would have lasted longer than it did. Of course, the monitors override Kirk at a critical point; in fact much of the storyline was based on whether altering or bypassing the monitors was accepted command procedure. Veblen is a crew member who is obsessed with maintaining the functioning of the monitors, even when it is evident that it is not in the best interests of the Enterprise or the Vulcans they are trying to help.
When the Enterprise arrives at the asteroid, the Vulcan science team has been taken over by Corona, a sentient force in the protostars. It is the goal of Corona to unleash another Big Bang, returning the universe back to an earlier time. The new Big Bang would wipe out the previously existing universe, destroying all life in the process. After some initial setbacks, the Enterprise crew learns the truth and manages to convince Corona not to move forward with its plans.This is due in large part to the information Corona receives when it enters the personality of Mason, taking partial control of her actions.
I found this episode to be good, but there were spots when I grew tired of the debates over the monitors. A large part of my fatigue was due to the fact that I could not suspend my disbelief over their very existence. I simply could never reach the point where I could believe that such a system would be installed on a Star ship. Install it and have it act in an advisory role would be acceptable, but to have it capable of taking total control with no manual override was far too much for my tastes.

Out of the ST universe, but still an average read...
While this story doesn't really follow ST canon, it still an average story on its own. Like a computer that can overide the captain's orders, or the ship exceeding Warp 9. Hhhmmm! I didn't like some of the new characters. I didn't think they fitted into the story. But, after saying all that I liked the moving of the story from beginning to end.

Average read!

Russ

Not even in the right universe!
Those of you who know me know that I like Star Trek because it's a visit with old friends. Authors who can give voice to the ST character, write so that I can hear their voices, are considered to me to be top of the line. Authors who have a grasp of the ST universe, who can write the situations well enough are also top dog. Greg Bear doesn't even come close!

Greg Bear is a marvelous sci fi author. Sadly, I'm afraid, he cannot recreate the Star Trek Universe. Now mind you, he was writing _Corona_ before TNG came out so I tried to give him some slack. But the technology they were installing into the Enterprise was far advanced of anything in TNG. Eventually that fact got on my nerves.

But the worst thing of all is that he had no grasp of the characters, how they speak, what they would do. Captain Kirk would never have ignored another crew member's warning the way Greg Bear has him doing.

I could not and finally did not finish this book. As I was not really visiting old friends or the ST universe, it was a waste of my time. If you want to read a good Greg Bear book.... any other book he's done is heads and shoulders above this one.

Pretty poor attempt.
In my reviews of Classic Star Trek novels, it must be understood that I adhere to the original canon
as invisioned by Gene Roddenberry, and not the "Star Trek" universe accepted by Rick Berman and company.

I generally rate a classic novel thus:

Adherence to Canon -- does this novel adhere to the vision of the original Star Trek?

Marginally.

Believability (within the confines of 23rd century Star Trek viability) -- is this novel well-plotted and well-written?Can I picture this novel or imagine myself in it?

No.Sorry, but no.A group of sentient PROTO-STARS with an affinity for young Vulcans?

Coherence and Consistency -- does this novel internally consistent?Is it consistent with other Star Trek novels by the same author?Is it consistent with what is known of the CLASSIC Star Trek universe?

Nope!Warp factors in excess of 10?A new (hostile) alien empire that isn't used by anyone else?A computer which can override command decisions?(Hasn't that theme been beaten to death already?)

Mitigating Factors -- pluses or minuses which dramatically affect the enjoyment of this book

Sorry -- this one is just plain bad.

Not Bad...
This book was short, but full of action.A few chapters in the middle of the book were a little slow going due to the amount of technobabble, but the ending was unexpected.I like the way the reporter in the story is weary of Vulcans and all aliens at first, but is the one who ends up saving the day.It's a good moral at the end of the story type book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

some good ones, not thrilled with narration
"Hardfought" is a fascinating, imaginative story about humans and their eternal battle with the Senexi aliens, a serious work that deserves recognition and dominates this collection. My second favorite was "Scattershot", with its strong lead female character and (to me) a somewhat confusing ending. These two were narrated by a woman, whose performance I enjoyed, whereas the other four had a male narrator whom I found rather dull, without a lot of variation in his presentation, enough for me to knock down the overall rating for the collection.

"The White Horse Child" doesn't really fit as a fantasy entry, although it's relatively modest and interesting enough. The title story may be the weakest of the set. The key concept is fair, with a modified asteroid driven toward Earth as a weapon, but the main character and the interaction between the terrorist (?) and the leaders doesn't engage.

The other two have religious themes, or at least overtones. I never felt comfortable with "Petra", perhaps missing the obvious.

3.5 stars

Unexpected pleasure in early Bear Stories
...I figured that Amazon had made a slight goof, for how could a17 year old hardcopy version of the book still be in print when thepaperback is out of stock?So I decided to order it anyway.

Imagine my surprise when I received notice when it shipped and it arrived.

This collects several early Bear Stories, including the title story (which serves as a prequel to the Eon stories), The White Horse Child (a rare fantasy entry), Hardfought (1983 Nebula winner), Petra (a Nebula Nominee), Scattershot and Mandala (part of his novel Heaven's River).

It's a strong "first stories" collection, and if you can grab it and are a fan of Greg Bear, then you should certainly do so. ... Read more

Product Description
Collecting six stories in old paradigms, Sleepside features Greg Bear's outstanding fantasy writing: "Webster," "The White Horse Child," "Sleepside Story," "Dead Run," "Through Road No Whither," and "Petra." This edition also includes the special introduction by the author: "On Losing the Taint of Being a Cannibal." ... Read more

Product Description
John Butler introduces his beloved baby animals to a new setting in thisbook, creating inviting scenes of a new day dawning in a forest. All of theanimals, from cuddly bears to tiny, furry mice, wake up in their differentnests and homes and then gather together to welcome a newborn fawninto the world. With a lively rhyming text and beautiful, textured paintingsthat fill every page, this is sure to become a favorite "good morning" book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

My 10 month old's favorite
This is one of our favorite books.
I love the illustrations.
My son loves to touch the pages, and loves looking at each page.
He sits through this book, loving the catchy meter and rhyme of the words.It is just so cute, you want to reach out and pet all the animals.I have since purchased and have been enjoying the John Butler books.So cute!!!

Great book, beautiful illustrations
This book is a favorite naptime story of my 2 year old daughter's. She really seems to enjoy the cadence of the story and looking at the sweet, soft pictures. It's fun to read and the perfect length for a pre-bed book!

Beautiful. A joy to read.
A beautifully done book.The pictures are adorable and the story of animals in the forest waking up is done with a repeating meter the children will quickly pick up on.I teach pre-school and bought this book for my preschool children.It is sure to become a firm favourite. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Creation of a unique new mythos
"The Serpent Mage" picks up shortly after Infinity Concerto leaves off.Michael Perrin is back home, living with his parents and continuing his training.Arno Waltiri has left his estate and the disposition of his papers and recordings to Michael.Waltiri has also left his house to Michael and eventually Michael moves in and begins to go through the papers.

Michael's desires for normality are shattered, however, when he reads a news story about strange bodies discovered in a nearby hotel - one grossly obese, one strangely mummified and in a party dress.Other news stories speak of "hauntings" around the world - Michael suspects that the Sidhe are coming to Earth.If that isn't enough, he is contacted by a musical faculty member from UCLA named Kristine Pendeers who is looking for the Infinity Concerto - Opus 45.She wants to discover and perform it; and she has a friend who, with the help of letters and papers they hope to discover in Waltiri's estate, hopes to finish Mahler's unfinished Symphony.And then play the two pieces together.Once the decision is made to start looking for these materials, Michael begins to fall under various attacks to stop him from completing these tasks.

Hopefully the bit of plot I outlined above doesn't spoil the book for anyone - I could hardly outline less without being so vague about the basic plot of the book as to be basically providing you with a meaningless synopsis of the plot; however, there is so much more to this book than the above.Greg Bear weaves through this story a fascinating new mythos about the creation and evolution, de-evolution and re-evolution of man and the universe that I found to be quite astonishing in its depth and breadth.He weaves in references to several world religions and ties them in to his mythos, showing how the original truth was "twisted" over the years to conform to what would best serve those in power.It's a really interesting device and I enjoyed the way it was woven in throughout the story.

There was only one thing about the story that bothered me and I'm not sure if it was because I misinterpreted what I was reading or if it is because of some sort of misogyny on the part of the author.It is mentioned several times through the course of the book that "magic is carried by the woman."However, not one single mage shown is a woman.If women carry the magic, why aren't there any female mages?Or, as I said, perhaps I am misinterpreting it, and by "carry" they mean like a recessive gene - they carry the magic, but cannot use it.

Whatever the case, "The Serpent Mage" nicely finished up the story begun in Infinity Concerto, creating the full story of Songs of Earth & Power: The Infinity Concerto and the Serpent Mage.I strongly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted fantasy/magical realism story.Very well done!

A fun action-packed ending to an interesting series
This is the 2nd book of a 2 book series.The first is The Infinity Concerto. My detailed rating would be 4.5 for this book. The main character (Michael) has completed his magical training, and now he has to use it.There is lots more of a story to this book compared to the first. What withmeeting a nice girl, training an apprentice Sidhe, trying to force a peacebetween Sidhe and humans, and trying to save the world, Micheal has much todo. The main problem in the book is that the Realm, created by Tonn as ahome for the Sidhe, is literally falling apart. So everyone there needs tofind a new home, quick! And considering the history of this universe, therewill obviously be cosmic problems with that. The book also includes a lotof film/film score/classical music scholarship. It doesn't interfere TOOmuch with the story. The book DOES answer some questions -- what IS theLoch Ness monster? But at the end I still have a few. What happened toMichael's horse? Why did saving Tonn's wife fall to Michael, not the CraneWomen, or the Ban? In any case, this pair of books is quite satisfying whenyou reach the end. If you can't find the first book, this one stands on itsown fairly well.

An interesting action-packed finale to a good series
This is the 2nd book of a 2 book series.The first is The Infinity Concerto. My detailed rating would be 4.5 for this book. The main character (Michael) has completed his magical training, and now he has to use it.There is lots more of a story to this book compared to the first. What withmeeting a nice girl, training an apprentice Sidhe, trying to force a peacebetween Sidhe and humans, and trying to save the world, Micheal has much todo. The main problem in the book is that the Realm, created by Tonn as ahome for the Sidhe, is literally falling apart. So everyone there needs tofind a new home, quick! And considering the history of this universe, therewill obviously be cosmic problems with that. The book also includes a lotof film/film score/classical music scholarship. It doesn't interfere TOOmuch with the story. The book DOES answer some questions -- what IS theLoch Ness monster? But at the end I still have a few. What happened toMichael's horse? Why did saving Tonn's wife fall to Michael, not the CraneWomen, or the Ban? In any case, this pair of books is quite satisfying whenyou reach the end. If you can't find the first book, this one stands on itsown fairly well. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction by Greg Bear
Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz

The giant prehistoric gorilla King Kong is one of the most recognized images in our culture. So great is the mighty Kong’s hold on the popular imagination that his story–a gripping yarn of man versus nature, coupled with a fantastical update of the Beauty and the Beast legend–has been thrice made into a motion picture (most recently in 2005) and referenced endlessly in every medium, from books to prime-time sitcoms.

Beneath King Kong’s cultural significance, however, is a tense and surprisingly tender story. One cannot help but be frightened by Kong’s uncontrollable fury, be saddened over the giant’s capture, mistreatment, and exploitation by venal showmen, or sympathize with the beast’s ill-fated affection for the down-on-her-luck starlet Ann Darrow.

This Modern Library edition of a true colossus among adventure stories is reprinted from the original 1932 novelization of the movie script, and includes a Preface by Mark Cotta Vaz, the preeminent biographer of Merian C. Cooper, producer of the original 1933 classic film. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Original King Kong A Real Page Turner!
I just finished reading the original "King Kong" novelization by Delos Lovelace, and I have to say it was very entertaining.Very similar to the 1933 film, the book takes the reader to Skull Island in the Southwest Pacific along with Carl Denham, Ann Darrow, and Jack Driscoll.Although Denham is looking to make a movie using Darrow as his starlet, they get more than they bargained for when they encounter Kong and the prehistoric inhabitants of the Skull Island jungle.Although some of the language in the book may seem somewhat dated, I thought the book was more entertaining than most of the books I've read recently.A real page turner as the phrase was originally intended.Probably influenced by Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World," "King Kong" is a story that will hold your interest all the way through.I give it 5 stars.And now to see the 2005 remake...

Pulp Style fun
This couldn't have been one of the best works ever pulled from a screenplay, however it's still a fun read.The pages keep turning because you want to know, 'What happens next?'

Written in a pulpish style which means long on action and short on characterization, this astonishingly fast read kept me on the edge of my seat, even though I knew how it all ended.Reading about the missing spider footage leads me to agree that the scene stopped the film dead in its tracks and wasn't needed.It was a wise choice to delete it from the final version.

If you like novelizations of movies, this book should be great fun for you.

Great!
I have always loved King Kong and this novelization of the film is wonderful. It captures the true essence of King Kong. Considering that King Kong was not origanially a book, the author did a great job with the book. Highly recomended book for those of you out there are huge King Kong fans like myself. ... Read more

Product Description
Ein Massengrab in Georgien, in dem die Leichen mehrerer schwangerer Frauen entdeckt werden - und eine Verschwörung mit dem Ziel, diesen Fund der Öffentlichkeit vorzuenthalten ...Eine aufregende Entdeckung hoch in den Alpen: die gut erhaltenen Körper einer prähistorischen Familie - mit einem Neugeborenen, das verwirrende biologische Merkmale aufweist ...Eine rätselhafte Krankheit, die nur werdende Mütter befällt und zu Fehlgeburten führt ...Drei scheinbar isolierte Fakten, die in diesem Roman zu einer wissenschaftserschütternden Wahrheit zusammenkommen. Das Darwin-Virus ist ein raffiniert angelegter Thriller, der alles in Frage stellt, was wir über Herkunft und Schicksal des Menschen zu wissen glauben. Die Evolution konfrontiert die Gesellschaft mit einem nächsten erschreckenden Schritt. Dieser grimmig-intelligente, fesselnde Roman voller Abenteuer und Ideen um Genetik und Evolution, dieser temporeiche Thriller, der um so zeitlose menschliche Fragen wie Kampf, Verlust und Erlösung kreist, zählt gewiss zu den gelungensten Wissenschaftsromanen der letzten Jahre. ... Read more