Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of David Gerrold, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 4977 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
This is nonfiction commentary. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: The War Against the Chtorr, the Flying Sorcerers, the Man Who Folded Himself, When Harlie Was One, the Dingilliad. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: The War Against the Chtorr is a series of novels written by David Gerrold. Although critically acclaimed as a superior example of science fiction literature, the Chtorr story is currently incomplete and is intended to be continued beyond its present cliffhanger ending. The Chtorr series was originally planned as a trilogy, but as the story became more intricate, Gerrold realized that three books wouldn't be enough for him to tell the entire story. For a time, he was uncertain how many books there would be in the end, but finally settled on a heptalogy. Currently, four books have been completed: In 2004, Gerrold announced the titles of the remaining three books: 5. A Method For Madness6. A Time for Treason7. A Case for CourageAs of 2008, Gerrold is nearing completion on book five, A Method For Madness (ISBN 0-7653-4038-0), announced date of delivery to his publisher -- Tor -- in October; with estimated release date of July 1, 2011. The last few chapters of A Case for Courage have already been written. Set primarily in a devastated early 21st Century America with logical expected advances in current technology such as a fledgling Moonbase, this series of science-fiction novels describe the invasion of Earth by an alien ecology. The story is unusual in that the tactics used by the aliens eschew the usual direct attack in favor of terraforming the ecosystem. A series of devastating plagues sweeps the world, killing 80% of humanity. As the survivors struggle to rebuild civilization, they discover that hundreds of alien plant and animal species have begun establishing themselv...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1882630 ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Stories for Children Magazine 4 Star review
Reviewed by: Nancy Messmore

Synopsis:The Crypt-Keeper returns with his GhouLunatics for the ninth incarnation of twisted tales and peculiar parodies.Three tales are introduced by the Crypt-Keeper and friends in ghastly good humor.

The first tale is a sequel.Because the parody of Diary of a Wimpy Kid was so successful, Glugg returns in "Dead Dog Dies!"Celebrating his one year death day isn't all Glugg thought it would be--zombies don't do gifts.Thanks to his one living friend, Crowley, Glugg may still have something other than dirt to open.

In the second story, nature takes revenge after an oil spill at an off-shore drilling rig."Kill, Baby, Kill!" pits big business, green advocates and a surprise avenger against each other.Who will win?The scariest part of this story is how close it hits home.

The graphic novel ends with the Crypt-Keeper's friend, the Old Witch, presenting a play."Wickeder" is based on "Frank N. Balmed's Wizard of Ooze."The story follows Dotty's trial in the murder of Alfalfa, the Wickeder Witch.All preconceptions are destroyed in this retelling of a classic story.

Overall thoughts:Because this graphic novel continues in the Tales of the Crypt tradition, readers will expect a bit of guts and gore with a lot of tongue-in-cheek.All of that is served with illustrations that seamlessly shift styles to enhance each story.Add text that delivers shocks and laughs simultaneously and you've got a fun read for older tweens.Parody fans of all ages will find this a satisfying read as well.

For me, the word play was most fun.The Crypt-Keeper's puns were fairly obvious but still made me chuckle.However, the witticisms in the three main stories often had me laughing out, (I apologize to the people sitting near me at library).That wittiness is why I like this book so much:I think humor is the best way to coerce reluctant readers into picking up books.With the humor and terrific art, I expect many reluctant readers will be making friends with the Crypt-Keeper and his GhouLunatics.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Keeps getting better
This series is so cool! It seems like this volume is a big improvement on the last, and the last was great. Amazing art, and a really cool story. if you're an sc fan, check it out - you get to see nova and tosh when they were in the ghost academy together.... makes the game so much more interesting when you see this. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

A stunning, if flawed, book
This is all together a strange book. It contains what survives Anne's original diary (minus just over 100 words removed on request) as well as her short stories and other writings, her own rewrites and the 1951 Barbara Mooyaart-Doubleday English translation. This in itself is a failing of a scholarly endeavour as Mrs. Mooyaart-Doubleday did not work from the original documents.

The vocabulary used throughout is British English and the spelling American English; this is somewhat confusing. The book is also riddled with many typographical errors.

However, this book is stunning in the depth of its analysis and the breadth of its research. It covers the history of the Frank and Höllander families; the arrest, betrayal and deportation; the play and attacks on the authenticity of the diary. It covers the document examination and handwriting identification analysis.

The original diary writings give a better idea of the development of Anne as a writer, of the hopes and disappointments of being in hiding and the blossoming of sexuality. The other articles give context to Anne's situation.

In all, it's a fascinating work for people interested in the Anne Frank story although probably too technical and detailed to be of interest to the general reader.

Hard reading
This is not an "easy read" if that's what you're looking for.Plan to spend some time trying to get into this book.Way too technical for what I was looking for.

An ImportantAddition
I regard this book as an important addition to my collection of books written by and about Anne Frank.It is for study, rather than for casual reading.The front section of the book contains lots of information about the diary and how it was determined to be authentic.The back section compares three different versions/translations of the diary, page by page.The book contains all of the writings of Anne Frank in one volume.

Book lover but hard to follow
I loved the original Anne Frank I read well in High School. I thought this one would be really good now that I'm older. It was extremely hard to follow so I have had to put it down. I will try again later. It does have some very good parts in it and some pictures you haven't seen.

The Real Story
After reading many versions of the Diary of Anne Frank, it was great to finally see the original version Anne herself wrote, with no edits. The first part of this book details the verification process when the authenticity of Anne's diary was challenged. The second part takes Anne's original diary, her own edited version that she began just before discovery, and the published version that Otto edited and compares them in small sections together. Its very well documented and if this is an area of interest to you, I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Space Cadets - edited by Mike Resnick - 24 stories illiciting memories of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. The late Frankie Thomas, who died just as this book was going to press, thrilled a generation of future fans and writers as Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, in the early days of television. L.A. Con IV, the 2006 World Science Fiction Convention, selected Frankie as its Special Guest, and this book of stories about space cadets, each and every one of them inspired by Frankie's acts of derring-do on the small black-and-white screens of the very early 1950s, is the convention's - and Fandom's - tribute to him.In these pages you'll find stories by L.A. Con IV's Writer Guest of Honor Connie Willis, plus Mercedes Lackey, Harry Turtledove, Kevin J. Anderson, David Brin, Larry Niven, Mike Resnick, Gregory Benford & Elizabeth Malartre, Kristine Kathryn Rusch & Dean Wesley Smith, Josepha Sherman, Todias Buckell, Craig Miller, Ralph Roberts, Kay Kenyon, Catherine Asaro, Stephen Leigh, Nick DiChario, Michael Burstein, Barry Malzberg, Brad Sinor, John DeChancie, and the book concludes with a novella by David Gerrold. Before he died, Frankie wrote down some of his experiences as a young actor portraying Tom Corbett, and they are included here as well.The cover art is by L.A. Con IV's Artist Guest of Honor James Gurney. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What's with this book cover?
I own GLORY LANE in paperback with this exact same cover.The central character's name is Seeth. Is this a web error or has the same cover art been used on two different books?It's great art; I really enjoyed finding the characters from the story.So why is it shown under this title? ... Read more

Product Description
Star Trek: Constellations is a mind-blowing collection of specially-commissioned stories designed to go where no anthology has gone before. Featuring the iconic heroes of the Star Trek universe -- the legendary characters who were the inspiration for all those who followed -- this treasure trove of untold tales recreates all the sense of adventure that marked the original Star Trek when it first burst on to our television screens in 1966. Each story takes as its inspiration an element of 'unfinished business' from the original series so that they read like 'lost episodes' of the television show, exploring aspects of the Star Trek crew and their adventures which have intrigued Trekkers ever since the original series ended. The result is a magnificent tribute to the series that changed the face of television history and will have millions of fans worldwide feeling as though they have just discovered a whole 'missing' season of their favourite show. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Good, but not among the best
Given that David Gerrold participated in the introduction of this book, I had high hopes for it. The quality of stories varies widely, but I suspect that every Star Trek fan will find one that appeals to them more than others.

I enjoyed reading all of them to some extent, but only the last one, "Make-Believe", stuck in my mind...and heart. The ending really touched me at several levels. That story alone salvages this otherwise somewhat lackluster anthology from a 2-star review.

Any who miss Star Trek will want this book!
Fans of Star Trek can't get enough, and STAR TREK: CONSTELLATIONS is a collection of stories that adds to the adventures of the cast of the Star Trek universe. Here are untold tales from such notable contributors as Stuart Moore, Jeff Bond, and more. There's even a story from Tokyopop's latest Star Trek manga. Unlike other single-book stories this is designed as part of the series' fortieth anniversary celebration and gathers new original tales designed to feel like 'lost' episodes - and in this endeavor it succeeds well: any who miss Star Trek will want this book!

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

An OK Collection of Star Trek Stories!
It's hard to accept that 40 years have gone by since James T. Kirk and the stalwart crew of the USS ENTERPRISE swept into American consciousness. What a handsome, endearing bunch they were...and what exciting, often uplifting adventures they had! Assembled to promote STAR TREK'S 40th anniversary, this short story collection advertises itself as being "...in (the) grand STAR TREK tradition"(that) "recaptures the magic of the world-renowed television series..." Sorry folks, I don't agree.

I gave this anthology three stars for several reasons. First, I wouldn't rate any of these stories as page-turners. Most are workmanlike efforts but none captured the spirit of excitement or wonder generated by the televised episodes as in "BOLDLY going where no man has gone before." Obviously different readers have different tastes but none of these stories had me going "wow, what happens next!?!"

Secondly, very few of these stories captured the lightning in the bottle -the nuances of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy relationship - correctly. By that I mean, getting so in tune with those characters that the reader thinks "gosh, that's just how McCoy would say it and how Kirk would respond" and so on. 'Fracture' and 'The Leader' come closest but the rest read like generic science fiction tales where you could change all the names of the characters, ship names, etc. and still have a perfectly acceptable science fiction yarn.

Having said all that, I don't doubt devoted Trekkers, perhaps trying to savor once again the excitement and wonder and good feeling of the original series, will buy this book no matter what the reviewers say. That's why I bought it but no such luck.

Some great stories with the original Star Trek heroes
2006 is the 40th anniversary of the entire Star Trek phenomenon.Much like the last couple of years, which have had anniversary anthologies for various Trek franchises, Pocket Books has now published one for the Original Series.Once again, editor Marco Palmieri has chosen from the stable of current Trek writers as well as some up-and-comers to put together a very nifty group of stories that holds your interest throughout.While some are certainly weaker than others, I can honestly say there isn't a bad story in the bunch.All of the stories take place during the original five-year mission, and few of them are "sequels" to episodes, trying to explain a discrepancy, or anything like that.I found that refreshing, actually, with continuity references kept to a minimum.

Probably the best story in the bunch is the last one (except for the TokyoPop Manga story that ends the book, but that story is actually a promo for the comic anthology) is "Make-Believe" by Allyn Gibson.It's about what Star Trek is to us regular people, not a story about Kirk & Spock.A young boy, whose father has been killed in Iraq, has lost himself in the fantasy world of Star Trek, even going so far as to throw a fit when his teachers try to take away his action figures.Something is going on inside his mind, something that his harried mother, who doesn't understand neither her son's nor his father's interesting in all this sci-fi stuff, can't quite figure out.When she finally does, though, maybe both of them will begin to heal and be able to live again.This is almost a warning story, in a way, telling us not to lie to our kids when we don't know what's going to happen. It can have great and horrible effects if you're not around afterward to discuss it.Gibson does a great job with this one, and it definitely brought a tear to my eye.One political statement (though understandable, considering it's uttered by the mother) seemed out of place in the rest of story about emotions, but that's the only thing that came close to marring this beautiful story.

Another wonderful story is also near the back."Where Everybody Knows Your Name" by Jeffrey Lang.This story is an outright comedy, and it's a pretty funny one too.The Enterprise is near the end of the five-year mission, and it's starting to get really stuffy, no matter how good the air filtration is.McCoy's beginning to go stir-crazy, wondering what he will do once the mission's over.But first, Kirk convinces him to accompany Scotty to a conference while the Enterprise goes to investigate something, and their trip back to the Enterprise is priceless.They find themselves on Deneb (the home to the Denebian Slime Devil) where a local shady character tries to ingratiate himself with a disgraced Klingon by capturing the legendary "Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock."With alcohol flowing everywhere, you know chaos is going to erupt, especially when the mistaken identities become known.This story was enjoyable from beginning to end, and while the local thugs aren't that interesting, the rest of the story easily makes up for them.I loved the conversations between McCoy and Scotty about what's going to happen when the ship returns, and the Klingon is just priceless.You won't be able to help grinning.

Most of the other stories are also quite good, though they all have either a minor problem or just aren't as good as these two.However, there were a couple weaker ones."Chaotic Response" by Stuart Moore is probably the weakest of the bunch.Spock has been the victim of a Klingon Mind Sifter, and his thoughts are in chaos.He keeps flashing back to his childhood but can't seem to bring himself out of the coma that he's in.However, the Klingons who had kidnapped him in the first place are still buzzing around, and the Enterprise is heavily damaged.McCoy enters Spock's mind to try and draw him out, and then, when Spock reacts badly to it and almost dies, both Kirk and McCoy do it.Will they save Spock in time to help the ship before the Klingons destroy them?While I loved the "logic game" that Spock played in his childhood, the rest of the story didn't do much for me.It was fairly standard "Klingons are the evil bad guys, and we have to do something before they destroy us" storytelling, and I didn't find the exploration of Vulcan logic within Spock's mind to be that interesting.The characterization was fine and the storytelling was ok, but it didn't hook me at all.

The book begins with an interesting introduction by David Gerrold (writer of the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles") where he talks about the history of the show a little bit, the effect it's had on popular culture as well as scientific advancements (who could have foreseen how much like communicators some of our current mobile phones look?).He also mentions each story in the book and tells what the main theme of each story is.While I did find this list intriguing, it would have been nice to leave that determination to the reader.Even so, it's a nice way to start the book, and it's the beginning of a wonderful anthology that any fan of Trek fiction (especially the Original Series) needs to pick up.

A Poor Anniversary Present
This collection begins with an intro by David Gerrold, one of the writers for the original show, reminding us of what it stood for. It gave me very high expectations for this anthology, which the stories could not match. The first story is about reasons for breaking the Prime Directive. It is a good but not great story. The second story is about Sulu's first landing party command. It is mechanistic and there is very little feeling in the writing. In the third story, Chekov and McCoy visit Iraq, and are of course shocked by the behaviour of the soldiers. Technically, it is set on a different planet, but other than changing guns for phasers, the author made almost no changes in describing an American army unit. You can't simply slap a delta symbol and a red shirt on an American G.I. and call him Starfleet Security, the behaviour patterns and mindset are too different. It is not a Trek story. Plus it is just not a good story. To top things off, this was written by Howard Weinstein. I was certain that he, of all these authors, would have written an enjoyable story, and instead I get this.

The fourth story is a considerable improvement. It is that Star Trek standard, the crew caught between two feuding parties until they can figure out enough to bring the two sides to the negotiating table. I love this type of story. Plus, there is some great sense of wonder stuff too. It's a little metaphysical for me, but is very well written. However, this story was for me marred by the gratuitous inclusion of another "American Empire" Starfleet officer, commanding the station the Enterprise visits. There is no reason to include such an attitude in the story. The fifth story is a genuinely good story. The ship's in trouble, Spock's in trouble, and McCoy and Kirk have to save both. The next story is Christopher Bennett's. The idea is interesting, but this guy just has no subtlety. Everything is right in your face, with no depth. The next story isn't much better, too short and too simplistic.

Then comes Dave Galanter's The Leader, starting an end run of five good stories. The Leader is probably the best writing of the whole collection, and leads all categories except most entertaining and most moving.The next story features Scotty and Sulu sharing command of the Enterprise. It is the story with the coolest sense of wonder features, and is a very good story overall. The tenth story is a bit of a look into Spock's past, and the specific circumstances that led him into Starfleet. It is also a story about how people change, for better or worse. It is a quite good but not great story. The eleventh story is Jeffrey Lang's, of Immortal Coil fame. It's the humour story, and he does a wonderful job. The final story is one of the most moving Trek stories I have read.

The Original Series is, to me, a setting about hope and idealism and exploration. I would not recommend this book to fans of the Original Series. This is a very dark depiction of the Federation. The post-Dominion War setting is dark, moody and introspective, and much more appropriate for these stories. So much for the intention to celebrate 40 years of Star Trek. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes the conclusion of Niven's "Ringworld Engineers". ... Read more