Product Description
With a unique three-part organization, this non-quantitative, carefully illustrated book introduces the scientific, historical, and personal safety aspects of earthquakes. It provides the basic scientific facts about earthquakes, explaining how the study of earthquakes has progressed through time, offering details on the development of earthquake instruments, and covering immediately practical aspects such as personal safety, building and living in areas prone to earthquakes, and earthquake geography. Earthquake prediction is discussed, including past and present attempts at prediction and the techniques available. A handbook for personal safety vs. earthquakes is provided, outlining the steps to take before, during, and after an earthquake. It assumes no scientific background.

Earthquakes: Myths, Legends, and Logic; Measuring Earthquakes; Faults and Earthquakes; Earthquake Size and Location; The Earthquake Process; Plate Tectonics; Journey to the Center of the Earth; Earthquakes and Tsunamis; Earthquake Triggering; Great Historic Earthquakes; Earthquakes in the United States; Earthquake Prediction; What to do Before, During, and After an Earthquake; Building for Earthquake Safety.

A useful reference for anyone interested in learning more about earthquakes.

... Read more

Product Description
The resurrection to immortality of:

Jesus Christ
The "many saints" of Matthew 27
The two witnesses of Revelation 11

What do they have in common? What does it mean for the future?

Within the pages of EARTHQUAKE RESURRECTION lies a model for future events that will challenge the traditional interpretation of the prophecies of the Bible. Discover a shocking link between the resurrection of the dead and earthquakes which has momentous implications for a near-future global catastrophe which, according to Jesus and the apostle Paul, many will not escape. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Buy THIS book!
This is probably the most amazing book on Bible prophecy that I have ever read!I have been studying the Bible for about 40 years, and have read every book that I could get my hands on concerning Bible prophecy, weather changes, microchipping, etc.David Lowe does a remarkable job in presenting historical facts in a way that allows the Bible stories to be better understood.I've found myself having to put his book down occasionally, just because each chapter gives so much to think about.

The idea of earthquakes occuring during certain significant moments in time had somewhat crossed my mind, but obviously not in the unique way that Mr. Lowe has presented it.Don't expect to read this book and then throw it on the bookshelf.This will be a book that you're going to want to refer to over and over again.

It is a book that gives us hope in Christ and God's Plan, and that is certainly not a bad thing in these days of doubt.

Another book that is worth investigating, and not as far off the subject as one would think is: "The Coming Global Superstorm", by Art Bell & Whitley Strieber.There are a lot of interesting correlations between our weather and the prophecies in the Book of Revelation.

A premise that digs in and gets serious.
Having studied Biblical Prophecy for well over thirty years, and read just about every contemporary work on the subject (and many pre 20th century ones as well), it seems unlikely that anyone could (or would) have the ability and insight to rethink the well established and widely held position of traditional Biblical eschatology.

There is no shortage of available material for insight or interest of the end times."Last days" novels and nonfiction have been a hot topic since the publication of Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth," a book that introduced an entire generation to the veracity of Biblical prophecy.

It had been said, "If you can't understand the correlation between Biblical prophecy and the every day news by chapter eleven, you most likely never will."Hal was right back in 1970, and the New York Time recognized "Late Great" as the No. 1 non-fiction bestseller of the decade."

Biblical prophecy uniquely sets its own standard: 100% accuracy and nothing less. The evangelical community has essentially followed a similar linear summary with division in minor areas of technical detail.

"Earthquake Resurrection" has boldly provided fresh and intriguing insight and is exceptionally intriguing and compelling.

18 months after my first reading of "Earthquake Resurrection" it seems to be becoming apparent that prophetic events are escalating and the tenets of David Lowe's presentation increasingly realistic and logical.

How about an audio version?It would be of such benefit for so many otherwise unable to appreciate the insights on the pages of "Earthquake Resurrection."

Eagerly anticipating forthcoming endeavors!
Thank you, David!

Ties up some loose ends in prophetic writings
Upside: Prophetically there were some very fresh and new insights that were well laid out scripturally. I have been studying biblical prophecy for many years...this book put some pieces in place, for example, who are the 144,000, the 24 elders, the rider on the white horse. All explanations were more insightful and more easily understood than anything I have read anywhere else.

Downside: Theology of man's salvation in the book is somewhat Arminian/Charismatic with dogmatic assumptions concerning the sovereign power of man's free will without any scriptural context. Explanation of the Olive Tree was less than edifying, implying that we Gentiles in Christ have Jewish Roots. The mystery of the Church is better understood by reading earlier authors such as William R. Newell.

Add This to Your Bookshelf
At a time when the most influential books on end times prophecy are found in the fiction aisle of your local bookstore, and those books spawn a mini-industry of spinoffs, movies, and, soon, video games, it is telling that the most original thinking and writing on interpreting biblical prophecy comes from authors who are publishing independently.Whether this is because they prefer to retain control over their ideas or because they weren't able to interest Tyndale House, Zondervan, or Nelson, I don't know.I strongly suggest, however, that anyone interested in putting the theology of Left Behind to the test look up Red Moon Rising by Peter D. Goodgame, The Nephilim and the Pyramid of the Apocalypse by Patrick Heron, or--if fiction is your preference--The Facade by Dr. Michael S. Heiser.

To this list, let me add Earthquake Resurrection by David W. Lowe.

In Earthquake Resurrection, Lowe presents a thoughtful study of the timeline of the apocalypse--with a twist.Choosing to build his thesis on a new foundation rather than choosing from the traditional pre-, mid-, or post-tribulation models, or even the newer "pre-wrath" construct, Lowe offers a well-reasoned argument for what he calls a "Pre-70th Week" rapture of believers in Jesus Christ.

Lowe makes a case for the first five seals of the book of Revelation being open today and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse already loose upon the Earth.Interestingly, he identifies the rider on the white horse not as the Antichrist, as do many students of eschatology, but as the spirit of conquering in the name of Christ; i.e., the Roman Catholic Church throughout most of the last 1,600 years (and, I would add, the streak of Dominionism or "Kingdom Now" theology that appears to have gripped modern American Christianity).

The twist Lowe presents is this:He suggests, based on the account of Jesus' resurrection preserved in the gospel of Matthew and the prophecy of the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation, that the energy released by the prophesied resurrection of millions into immortal, "glorified" bodies will be the catalyst that triggers the global cataclysm prophets said would accompany the "great and terrible Day of the Lord".Among his evidence is an interesting side trip through the history of and debate surrounding the Shroud of Turin.

Earthquake Resurrection is well organized and economically written, and Lowe presents a helpful timeline chart at the beginning of each chapter to help the reader assemble the narrative into a cohesive picture of the coming apocalypse.He doesn't try to speculate, avoiding the temptation to tie political predictions to specific prophecies.He simply lays out the evidence and draws logical conclusions.

All in all, Earthquake Resurrection is a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in a serious study of end times prophecy.

It makes sense of Revelation in a way no one can miss!
To make a long story short, I loved this book!

I've been studying Bible prophecy regarding the end times for a while, and there were always loose ends that would leave more questions than answers. I believe this author was given a word of knowledge to clearly describe what could happen at the time of the rapture of the church. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Terrific read; entertaining and educational
This book satisfies on several levels.It's wonderfully entertaining and at the same time manages to clearly explain important scientific concepts. I finished the book with a much better understanding of ecological issues - and a deeper appreciation for this marvelously complex world in which we live.

Unusual stories of animals and birds in the wild
Unusual stories of animals and birds in the wild form the foundation of professor H.H. Shugart's survey of ecology in How The Earthquake Bird Got Its Name And Other Tales Of An Unbalanced Nature. Ecology's most important principles are illustrated within these stories of selected birds and mammals and their fates and interactions with the environment in a discourse which seamlessly smoothes together such disparate topics as GIS prediction of environmental climate changes and species effects to complex disturbances in bird habitats.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Classic general earthquake book
"Earthquakes" by Bruce Bolt has been the classic textbook for many years for a non-technical discussion. The fifith edition properly orders the material, and tosses out some outdated material, on earthquake prediction and reservoir-induced seismicity, for example.

This book is California-centric, Bob Yeats has a more Pacific Northwest-centric "Living with earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest", Brumbaugh's "Earthquakes - Science and Society" is more rudimentary in both graphics and prose, and Yanev's "Peace of mind in earthquake country" is more engineering oriented and has been out of print. Susan Hough's "Earthshaking Science" is better written but with far fewer graphics.

It is fairly clear, contains colorful stories from Bruce's decades as Director of the Berkeley Seismological Station, and has a firm scientific grounding. Reading it is no walk in the park, as befits a subject of moderate complexity, but neither is it a dark and stormy night.The accompanying web notes are sketchy, and I just noted some stale links.

This edition seems nearly identical to the regular 5th addition Earthquakes, except for 12 extra pages on the 1906 earthquake and slight updating of the internet references and a $13 higher price tag, which seems steep for a paperback.I suspect a Google search would be more fruitful than using web links from 1995.

The 12 pages are notable for claiming to be written on the Centennial of the 1906 earthquake, although Prof Bolt passed away in 2005, and for arguing against the current estimated death toll in the 1906 earthquake of 3000+, plus a few interesting stories.Prof Bolt apparently lends more credence to a death toll of a few hundred, as was estimated prior to about 1980.

earthquakes: 2006 centenial update
very comprehensive look at the mechanics and effects of worldwide earthquakes. Easy to understand, and very readable. ... Read more

Product Description

This book focuses on the earthquake source materials produced or deformed by both seismic faulting and aseismic creep within seismogenic fault zones at different levels of the crust. In particular, the mechanisms and processes involved in the formation of earthquake materials are covered. The book is intended to help bridge the gap between seismology and geology and to encourage further studies of earthquake mechanisms and seismic faulting processes.

Product Description
This multi-contributor book provides comprehensive coverage of earthquake engineering problems, an overview of traditional methods, and the scientific background on recent developments. It discusses computer methods on structural analysis and provides access to the recent design methodologies and serves as a reference for both professionals and researchers involved in earthquake engineering. With an entire chapter dedicated to seismic resistant design through supplemental damping and structural control, this volume includes important advances in the characteristics of earthquake ground motions, behavior and design of structures, seismic design of non-structural systems, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Must Have for Structural Engineers
This book is a must have for any structural engineer who does any type of seismic design.It's basically the encyclopedia of earthquake engineering. Some chapters are much better than others, and there is some overlap.However, this is still the number one reference for a broad range of earthquake related topics. Keep in mind it is not a cook book on how to design for seismic, but there are some design examples. Some of the best and most recent research in the subject at schools like U.C.San Diego and U.C.Berkeley is presented. Cant beat it... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

general discussion
Kusky provides a generally accessible discussion of earthquakes for the lay reader. No maths is used to describe the actual physical modelling of the earth's crust and its various plates. Also, only a deliberately minimal set of geological terms are proferred. Instead, we get a broad description of the theory of plate tectonics. The effects of various strengths of quakes is explained, along with possible countermeasures in terms of building construction methods.

A key idea is that the destructive effect of a quake often is in its lateral sideways motion, as contrasted to its strength in the vertical direction.

There is a discussion of the recent 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and how it originated in an undersea quake. Hopefully the tsunami warning systems emplaced after 2004 will minimise future tolls. ... Read more

Product Description
Two days before an earthquake struck Helice, Greece, in 373 B.C., the snakes, weasels, and worms deserted the city. Minutes before the Naples quake of 1805, oxen, sheep, dogs, and geese cried out in unison. A herd of horses tore loose and ran off in panic just prior to the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Helmut Tributsch thinks that these accounts are more than mere superstition and old wives' tales. In this book, he presents the first plausible explanation of why animals behave in unusual ways prior to the onset of an earthquake. Scientists and nonscientists alike will find fascinating reading in his unusual study. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fascinating, readable, paradigm-changing
Tributsch gives the reader a book that is based on both historical accounts and conventional/theoretical earth science.For me, having lived through upwards of several hundred minor and major quakes in my misspent youth, it provided tantalizing hints about the origin of earthquake precursors I repeatedly observed.Enlivened by personal accounts, by historical reports, and by the author's own thoughts on quake behavior, this is a rich and compelling read.

Thanks to Tributsch's groundbreaking work -- THE book that made it "okay" for scientists to publically express their own quake precursor observations -- studies continue to reveal the multifaceted nature of precursor events.

Excellent book for the literate lay reader, and a good paradigm-shaker for conventional earth scientists.

Helmut Tributsch---ahead of his time
Folks,
This book you must read and must possess whether you believe or disbelieve that animals can predict earthquakes.I have already worn out two copies of my own since it was first published in 1982.I am so pleased that it has been reprinted, although I do not know if it contains new information.I do know that as a geologic reviewer, I found no errors in the previous printings.

Tributsch was originally denied publication in the U.S. and Great Britain, with the mainstream critics claiming it was a collection of anectdotes.After publication in his native German it was deemed so valuable that it was translated by M.I.T. Press and published in English.

Tributsch is a true scientist and he does not claim to have all of the answers; however, in my 60 years of studying earthquakes, I have never found a more valuable study in unconventional efforts to anticipate some of the greatest examples of "unpredictable" natural phenomena.

Geologist Jim Berkland, MS, CEG 58, Fellow Geol. Soc. America

Thorough, earnest, but uncritical and based on a bad theory
Dr. Tributsch presents a dense compilation of a huge number of anecdotes of animal misbehavior before earthquakes.He then presents a discussion, nearly as comprehensive, of the ways cracking rock might produce physical changes in the ground and air to incite the animals.

The layman learns a lot about how animals behave and what bothers them.The stories come from around the world, and from prehistory up to the present.

Dr. Tributsch is clearly compassionate, and frustrated that few other scientists take his work seriously.

Unfortunately, the theory that pervasive cracking precedes most large earthquakes bit the dust in the early 1980s.Worse, many of the dramatic precursory phenomena described in ancient literature have revealed no analogs since scientific instruments have been producing vastly more accurate recording of events around the time of recent earthquakes, casting doubt on the veracity of such legends.

So this book is not promising for learning new earthquake science (also, it is now 24 years out of date), and it is too serious for a light read.Although his theories have not yet exhausted their most ardent adherents, this book is difficult to recommend to anyone outside of the history of science on the wrong track. ... Read more

Product Description
Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering combines aspects of engineering seismology, structural and geotechnical earthquake engineering to assemble the vital components required for a deep understanding of response of structures to earthquake ground motion, from the seismic source to the evaluation of actions and deformation required for design.

The nature of earthquake risk assessment is inherently multi-disciplinary. Whereas Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering addresses only structural safety assessment and design, the problem is cast in its appropriate context by relating structural damage states to societal consequences and expectations, through the fundamental response quantities of stiffness, strength and ductility. The book is designed to support graduate teaching and learning, introduce practicing structural and geotechnical engineers to earthquake analysis and design problems, as well as being a reference book for further studies.

Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering includes material on the nature of earthquake sources and mechanisms, various methods for the characterization of earthquake input motion, damage observed in reconnaissance missions, modeling of structures for the purposes of response simulation, definition of performance limit states, structural and architectural systems for optimal seismic response, and action and deformation quantities suitable for design. The accompanying website at www.wiley.com/go/elnashai contains a comprehensive set of slides illustrating the chapters and appendices, as well as a set of problems with solutions and worked-through examples.   The book, slides and problem set constitute a tried and tested system for a single-semester graduate course. The approach taken avoids tying the book to a specific regional seismic design code of practice and ensures its global appeal to graduate students and practicing engineers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not a book for "Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering"
If you plan to purchase this book, be sure to buy a magnifier (or microscope) at Amazon at the same time. The font sizes and symbols are extremely tiny in many of the figures and not too many human beings could see it (not exaggerated at all; for example: see Fig. 4.42 on page 250). The quality of most photos is bad, which lowers the quality of the book. On top of that, a lot of contents are collection of authors' own papers, publications, and dissertation. The title of this book should be called "topics on earthquake engineering" rather than "Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering". Not going into details of fundamentals. It might be suitable for those who know the topics well but not for beginners. By the way, Dr. Sashi Kunnath at UC Davis wrote good words for the book on the back cover. In the acknowledgements the authors said that they are grateful for a few people, including Sashi Kunnath at UC Irvine (Oops!)

If you really want to have a "Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering" book, go get Roberto Villaverde's "Fundamental Concepts of Earthquake Engineering (2009)". This is the best book so far to cover all the essential and state-of-the-art topics regarding earthquake engineering, such as earthquake mechanisms, basic soil dynamics, ground accelerations, Fourier spectrum (this is one of the best books to explain it), seismic hazard assessment, design response spectrum, structural response to strong ground motion and structural dynamics, code design concepts, soil-structural interaction, seismic response of nonstructural elements, base isolations, energy dissipating devices, to name a few. Much better figures/drawings and examples.

Most important: this book 347 pages-->$112, Roberto Villaverde's book 949 pages-->$103.........GO FIGURE!

Best Introduction to Earthquake Engineering Available
Book is designed for a graduate level course that introduces a "source to society" model for earthquake engineering that wonderfully captures the importance of interaction between the structural engineers (whom the book is primarily written for) and geologists, seismologists, geotechnical engineers, and public policy planners. The majority of the technical content focuses on the "source to structure" path of demand imposed by seismic events coupled with structural evaluation of the supply of buildings. This is a perfect introductory book to the topic, which covers selection of records for use in seismic analysis better than other books of its type. The book stops where the seismic codes start, so the text will not be outdated by future changes to codes. The author has put great effort into compiling a thorough list of top quality sources at the end of each of the four chapters (two focusing on demand and two on supply) that will be useful to the student desiring to delve deeper into various topics covered. Included with the text are access to powerpoint slides for all 4 chapters and 2 appendices, solutions to the example problems given throughout the chapters, and source data from several events discussed in the text. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a concise overview of the history of earthquakes and seismology, including topics such as geologic faults, intensity patterns, plate tectonics, side effects of earthquakes (such as tsunamis), and protection of people and property. The book contains descriptions of the 1995 Sakhalin and 1997 Assisi earthquakes, and others such as Northridge, California (1994), Kobe, Japan (1995), Chi Chi, Taiwan (1999) and Denali, Alaska (2003). The sequence of chapters has been re-organized for the fifth edition to better facilitate learning the broad concepts before the detail. New exercises and web references have also been added to give students the opportunity to think and use data the way field seismologists do. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Fifth edition brings a good book up to date
This book is readily available used.

"Earthquakes" by Bruce Bolt has been the classic textbook for many years for a non-technical discussion.The fifith edition properly orders the material, and tosses out some outdated material, on earthquake prediction and reservoir-induced seismicity, for example.

It is fairly clear, contains colorful stories from Bruce's decades as Director of the Berkeley Seismological Station, and has a firm scientific grounding.Reading it is no walk in the park, as befits a subject of moderate complexity, but neither is it a dark and stormy night.The accompanying web notes are sketchy, and I just noted some stale links.

This book is California-centric, Bob Yeats has a more Pacific Northwest-centric "Living with earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest", Brumbaugh's "Earthquakes - Science and Society" is more rudimentary in both graphics and prose, and Yanev's "Peace of mind in earthquake country" is more engineering oriented and has been out of print.Susan Hough's "Earthshaking Science" is better written but with far fewer graphics.

Reading this book remains the easiest way to understand earthquakes.The more recent Centennial addition adds little but extra cost Earthquakes: 2006 Centennial Update.

Good update, but illustrations are better in 3rd ed.
Well, the title says it -- I'm keeping my copy of the 3rd edition because the illos in the latest edition look soft and disturbingly unsharp.Maybe the publisher, having lost the original artwork for the 3rd edition, simply scanned a copy.Or maybe the quality got skimped when the work was made all-electronic.I don't know.

In any case, the content is fine.

Recommended: A verygood book on Earthquakes.
This book provides a very good coverage on Earthquakes, from how and why they happen to their effects and safety concerns. You can learn about faults, plates, how earthquakes are sized, how much can be forecasted, howstructures are affected, ground acceleration, soil conditions, etc. Thoughthere are numerous examples from California, this is not one of those books which try to provide earthquake checklists to Californians. The levelof technicality is one reason I recommend the book. You don't have to be aseismologist to understand the book, but you won't get bored if you aretechnically oriented. You will get a quantitative feel of concepts inaddition to the clear explanations.

The updated and expanded Fourth Edition just published
The new 4th edition has a new chapter on Plate Tectonics,recent earthquake descriptions,connections with Web pages,and colored illustrative plates.Fresh historical text has been included and more help with seismicsafety.

If you only buy one earthquake book, this should be the one.
I spent a lot of time searching for a book explaining earthquakes that wasn't too simple or a text book. Bolt's book is more toward the textbook end of the scale, but is still quite readable. This is not a simple"what to do" book but an explanation of how quakes happen, howthey cause damage, what we can do, etc. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
You never know when disaster is going to strike. It happens when John Jacobs accidentally knocks over his ant farm, causing an "earthquake' that endangers the lives of his buddies Big Jim, Digger, and Pea Brain. It happens again with a second "earthquake" of a different kind: John's all-time favorite teacher, mrs. Lucas, announces that she's moving. John and his friends Buzzy and kate try everything they can think of to keep Mrs. Lucas from leaving. They even concot a daring plan to sneak into the teacher's lounge while avoiding Mrs. Washburn, the biggest and meanest teacher in school. Will it work? If not, will they be able to deal with the consequences? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very interesting
I thought this book was fasinating.I learned more about volcanoes and earthquakes.Your book was the best ... Read more

Product Description
Janis Cordelia Plumtree has killed the King of the West--or at least one of the personalities in her head has killed him, and the other personalities are resolved to restore the king to life. But first Plumtree must escape from a mental hospital with ally Sid Cochran, a winemaker who believes that his wife was killed by Dionysus, the Greek god of madness and wine.

Their quest for redemption and vengeance leads them to San Francisco, where they find themselves in the midst of a supernatural battle among several magicians-who-would-be-king, and finally to a tumultuous face-to-face confrontation with the god on the cliffs below the Golden Gate Bridge.Amazon.com Review
The Fisher King of the American West, Scott Crane, has been killed,and 14-year-old Koot Hoomie Parganas's perpetually bleeding wound makes himthe most likely candidate for a supernatural successor. But the king'sbody has not yet begun to decay, and as long as there is a chance that hecan be restored to the throne, his right-hand man, Archimedes Mavranos, iswilling to risk all to revive Crane. But to do that he'll need the help ofthe woman who killed Crane, plus that of a recently widowed winemaker whohas been touched by the god Dionysus, and the cooperation of Parganas'sreluctant foster parents. Chances are they'll all die in the process, butunless Crane can be revived they'll probably all die anyway. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Don't forget to pack your .45 and your palindromes
Ordinarily, when I write a review -- and I write a great many of them -- I try to summarize at least the salient points of the story and the plot, both to identify the book and to try to rope in potential readers. But I'm having a hard time doing that with this book; there's just so much story here. It's the third volume of a trilogy: Expiration Date was not a sequel to the award-winning Last Call but a work parallel to it; Earthquake Weather is very much a sequel to both the earlier works at once. Scott Crane, who won the poker game of a lifetime to become the Dionysian King of the West, is dead, murdered by Janis Plumtree -- or by one or all of the entities with whom she shares her head. Nature abhors a vacuum and the Earth needs a King, and it had better happen fast or all of the West Coast will be paying the price with, droughts and earthquakes and phylloxera. Will the new King be Kootie Parganas? He's now living with Pete Sullivan and Angelica Elizalde and he's matured considerably in the past couple of years, mystically preparing himself for the job. Or can Scott Crane, somehow, be summoned back to this world? Sid "Scant" Cochran, whose wife died in extremely strange circumstances the same night the King was stabbed in the throat with a trident, meets Plumtree in a psychiatric ward run by the sanctimonious Dr. Armentrout (an unlikable villain who is new to the story but who has much in common with the ghost-eaters of the previous book), and the two escape to join -- or be drafted into -- Scott Crane's tiny army of loyal retainers. And that's only the tiniest tip of this literary iceberg. The myths come thick and fast, the landscape of San Francisco has never been stranger, the Zinfandel is ready to be decanted, the old truck changes from blue to red, and the Old Gods are waiting in the cellars of the Winchester House. You'll have to pay attention to get every last drop of enjoyment out of all this, but it's definitely worth the effort. But I warn you: Don't even think of picking up this book until you've consumed the previous two.

Every heavy reader -- even those who depend on published book review sources to pick and choose among all the newly released titles -- nevertheless will admit to having several authors whose newest works they pick up automatically, without recourse to reviews, or even public relations jacket copy. I'm no different and up near the top of my own short list of "automatic" authors is Tim Powers, the master of the "secret history." Whatever bizarre take on our theoretically real world he's about to embark on next, I wanna be there.

Super Reader
I definitely didn't know when I read this that there were other related books, I just picked it up as the title looked interesting. It didn't leave me too hopelessly lost or anything, as the main plot thrust was having to replace a dead guy as the Fisher King.

The new one is a kid everyone is looking for, complete with supernatural type weirdness around.

An unworthy sequel to Last Call
This novel sucks. That's all I'm going to write about it.

This is NOT for the beginner
I'll say this now, if you're sitting here shopping for new books and you've heard a little bit about this Tim Powers guy and you want to give him a shot because everyone says he's really good (and he is) and this is the book that you want to use as an introduction to him . . . you're doomed.There's just no good way to put it.For the newcomer, unless they're really good at reading between the lines, this book is going to come across as impenetrable.Not that it isn't good, but new readers are going to feel like they've missed something.Powers doesn't do many sequels to his books, most of his stuff is standalone, but this time he decided to merge some threads from other novels.In the novel prior to this Expiration Date, he introduced some urban fantasy stuff about ghost swallowing and the general rules about haunts and so on, as well as introducing Koot Hoomie and his adopted parents, Pete Sullivan and Angelica.Meanwhile in the now classic (and written some time ago) Last Call, Powers told the story of Scott Crane and how he became the Fisher King, the ruler of the West Coast (and so on and so forth).So this novel is basically a sequel to both those novels as Powers rams the two plotlines together.What happens is that Scott Crane is murdered by a woman apparently possessed by ghosts and Kootie is tapped to be the next king.However he's too young and not really prepared for it and so one of the Crane's loyalists, Arky, comes up with a plan to restore him to life.Confused yet?What follows then is a narrative that seems both ponderous and breakneck as new characters start to mingle with old, with two new catalysts for the plot, Janis Plumtree (the murderer) and Sid Cochran, who just lost his wife and has some history with the god Dionysus.Plumtree is supposed to be possessed but is mostly just someone with Multiple Personality Disorder, constantly switching from one to the other (in a way that reminded me of Crazy Jane from Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run, except that Plumtree's don't have superpowers).The two of them meet in a mental hospital, but escape due to a convenient earthquake and from there hook up with the rest of the cast.It's hard to review this book without describing most of the setup of the plot because if I don't I feel like I'm losing context but at the same time there just seems to be no way around it.Powers' streamlining of the two earlier books is neat and fairly seamless but all the fancy stuff just seems to come at the expense of his normally complex plotting and we're left with something turgid, with the characters lurching from one scene to another.As long as you keep a handle on the main plot, you're all right but once sideplots start getting dragged in things start getting confusing since it's hard to say how relevant they are.Plus, a lot of the plot seems to consist of "plot coupons" where the characters have to gather special objects that will help them for no other reason than the plot requires it.Some of this confusion might be because I haven't read Last Call in years (or Expiration Date, though that was sooner), so that the stuff with the god Dionysus isn't too clear and I really wasn't clear what significance Armentrout had to the plot, except he was somebody to chase the other characters around (and that mannequin thing was weird), and I really don't know who half the other nameless people who were chasing the cast around were, either.Basically this is a book where you just have to "go with it" and hope that it will all make sense by the end and Powers is enough of a professional to keep things moving adequately so that you don't spend too much time worrying about the stuff that just doesn't seem to work.But while his other books felt tighly constructed and taut, this one has a more rambling feel to it and suffers a little bit for it.Not that there aren't bright spots, the relationship between Cochran and Plumtree (and her several personalities) is cute, the constant barrage of nifty ideas about ghosts is always fun, and I like how Powers does urban fantasy effortlessly, so that you could believe all this magic stuff is going on right alongside the "real world".The down side to all of this is that instead of getting a dazzling book (which is what we're used to) we get something that's merely "good".And as an introduction to the world of Tim Powers, it's terrible, but as a nice continuation of the lives of characters we've already met, it does that well and for longtime readers it might be worth it just for that.

good - but I expected more....
I loved his previous two books -- Last Call and Expiration Date -- but found Earthquake Weather, where the ghost gobbling and Fisher King storylines have been merged, heavy going at times. Set in the American West, this book still manages some classic Powers moments and should still be read if you're a fan.

Ensure you read Last Call and Expiration Date first - both are highly recommended. If you don't really enjoy them, you'll probably want to give this one a skip. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Very interesting and informative!
I found this book to be quite interesting and easy to read.It gives a detailed eye-witness account to the destruction caused by the series of earthquakes in the early 1800's.If you are looking for a technical bookabout the Rift Zone, this book is not for you because it does not go intomuch detail about the fault itself.However, it does tell of the relationof the current geology and how it was effected by the earthquakes. Generally, I found this book very enjoyable and I suggest it for anyone whois interested in the learning more about the potential hazards that liebelow the Mississippi Valley. ... Read more

Product Description
The great New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-12 were thegreatest release of seismic energy in the history of the lower 48states. More than 2000 shocks in five months, five of which were atleast 8.0 on the Richter scale. Located along the central MississippiRiver valley, these quakes were felt from the Rockies the EasternSeaboard, from Canada to Mexico. The Mississippi River ranbackwards. Five whole towns disappeared. Gapping crevasses open andpeople were swallowed alive. Hundreds of chimnies were thrown down inCincinnati 400 miles from the epicenter while church bells rang inBoston, 1000 miles from the source. Every man, woman and child livingthe United States at the time felt these temblors. This book tells thepersonal stories, both heroic and tragic, and discusses in detail whenit will happen again and how to be ready. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Cornucopia of Circumstances and Consequences
If this book doesn't shake you up, nothing will - except maybe a real earthquake, and it would have to be a strong one at that.Here is a book that has everything.History, adventure, inventions, folk lore, scientific revelations, and earthquakes of course.All of it told very well.

You would like to know about the largest U. S. earthquake in modern history, of course, or you wouldn't be looking at this review.But would you also like to know of the connection between a Roosevelt and the first river steamer?Would you like to know about the overall relationship and some particular relationships between American Indians and the settlers?Or a lot more about Thomas Jefferson?Would you like to know what life was like on the western frontier near the Mississippi?Or a lot more about the Richter scale?Or probably more about geography than you might know now?And of course more about geology?I could continue this inquiry for much longer.But why should I?Just get the book and read it to take a delightful journey through Americana while learning about earthquakes (as well as what you can do about them).

A Cornucopia of Circumstances and Consequences
If this book doesn't shake you up, nothing will - except maybe a real earthquake, and it would have to be a strong one at that.Here is a book that has everything.History, adventure, inventions, folk lore, scientific revelations, and earthquakes of course.All of it told very well.

You would like to know about the largest U. S. earthquake in modern history, of course, or you wouldn't be looking at this review.But would you also like to know of the connection between a Roosevelt and the first river steamer?Would you like to know about the overall relationship and some particular relationships between American Indians and the settlers?Or a lot more about Thomas Jefferson?Would you like to know what life was like on the western frontier near the Mississippi?Or a lot more about the Richter scale?Or probably more about geography than you might know now?And of course more about geology?I could continue this inquiry for much longer.But why should I?Just get the book and read it to take a delightful journey through Americana while learning about earthquakes (as well as what you can do about them).

A book everyone in the central U.S. should read.
Gives a chilling account of the most powerful series of earthquakes to rattle North America and warns they will come again. Told in the context of how the temblors effected contemporay people, places and events, but alsooffers an excellent historical perspective.Contains startling informationthat more people shouldknow.A text book that reads like a good novel. ... Read more

Product Description
On December 15, 1811, two of Thomas Jefferson's nephews murdered a slave in cold blood and put his body parts into a roaring fire. The evidence would have been destroyed but for a rare act of God -- or, as some believed, of the Indian chief Tecumseh.

That same day, the Mississippi River's first steamboat, piloted by Nicholas Roosevelt, powered itself toward New Orleans on its maiden voyage. The sky grew hazy and red, and jolts of electricity flashed in the air. A prophecy by Tecumseh was about to be fulfilled.

He had warned reluctant warrior-tribes that he would stamp his feet and bring down their houses. Sure enough, between December 16, 1811, and late April 1812, a catastrophic series of earthquakes shook the Mississippi River Valley. Of the more than 2,000 tremors that rumbled across the land during this time, three would have measured nearly or greater than 8.0 on the not-yet-devised Richter Scale. Centered in what is now the bootheel region of Missouri, the New Madrid earthquakes were felt as far away as Canada; New York; New Orleans; Washington, D.C.; and the western part of the Missouri River. A million and a half square miles were affected as the earth's surface remained in a state of constant motion for nearly four months. Towns were destroyed, an eighteen-mile-long by five-mile-wide lake was created, and even the Mississippi River temporarily ran backwards.

The quakes uncovered Jefferson's nephews' cruelty and changed the course of the War of 1812 as well as the future of the new republic. In When the Mississippi Ran Backwards, Jay Feldman expertly weaves together the story of the slave murder, the steamboat, Tecumseh, and the war, and brings a forgotten period back to vivid life.Tecumseh's widely believed prophecy, seemingly fulfilled, hastened an unprecedented alliance among southern and northern tribes, who joined the British in a disastrous fight against the U.S. government. By the end of the war, the continental United States was secure against Britain, France, and Spain; the Indians had lost many lives and much land; and Jefferson's nephews were exposed as murderers. The steamboat, which survived the earthquake, was sunk.

When the Mississippi Ran Backwards sheds light on this now-obscure yet pivotal period between the Revolutionary and Civil wars, uncovering the era's dramatic geophysical, political, and military upheavals. Feldman paints a vivid picture of how these powerful earthquakes made an impact on every aspect of frontier life -- and why similar catastrophic quakes are guaranteed to recur. When the Mississippi Ran Backwards is popular history at its best. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Book about Mississippi earthquake
Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it appears to be a good purchase.It was sent promptly and is in excellent shape.

Perhaps my expectations were amiss?
53.[When The Mississippi Ran Backwards] by Jay Feldman.

Well, I guess I expected the book to start with the earthquake, more or less, and go forward. This was not the case. The line A billion years ago, The present continent of North America I was beginning to think that the quakes themselves were not going to be mentioned. This line was on page 135.

Up until then, it was all history from about 1777 and forward. There was a bit of jumping back and forth, so a time or two I had to look back a few pages and see what I had missed.

I did find it interesting to find information on the bearers of some familiar Pittsburgh names, Such as Latrobe, Fitch and Smallman. It was interesting to see where their influence had begun.

At one time in the early 1800'sthe main industry in Pittsburgh was shipbuilding.The riverboat New Orleans, departed from Pittsburgh and caught in the turmoil of the earthquake on the Mississippi. On board were my two favorite figures Lydia and Nicholas Roosevelt, who was the great grand uncle of Theodore. Nicholas was a metallurgist, mechanic, machinist and civil engineer. He was the foremost engine maker in the country in his time. He was also an adventurer. Lydia his wife was at least as much of an adventurer as he, and my favorite anecdote was of her bailing water from a sinking boat while seven months pregnant.

We are also treated to stories of Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, otherwise known as The Prophet, who was one of the most influential Indians of his time. This was after his conquering his dependence on alcohol and formation of a new pan Tribal religion. This was very much in line with Tecumseh's organization of a pan tribal confederation. His hope was to prevent the United States from expanding farther to the west, and taking more land from the Indians, despite treaties and promises. WE all know how that went, however. It was interesting to me to know that some believed Tecumseh was responsible for the disastrous quake. I believe he was content to take responsibility.

Although it dragged in many places, it was worth plowing through those bits to get to the meat of the story, and to see the affect the earthquake had on New Madrid and other places along the Mississippi. I admit to feeling disappointed that the Utopian view that Morgan had when he set out to build New Madrid failed even before the first trembles were felt.

So, here it is. Three stars for being interesting, and a decent read. I subtracted two stars for they dryness and what I felt was the length of time it took to get to what the title led me to expect. Recommended only if you have a deep interest in history.

Uncertain if the River or the Book ran Backwards
Unfortunately, this book's Title is a misnomer as it promises so much and goes backwards from there. It is as if the author were unsure - did he want to write about an historical period in time (1800 to say 1815), or about some very important events (the first steamboat down the Mississippi which just happened to coincide with one of the New Madrid Quakes), or about the not as important but certainly tawdry tale of a failed branch of the Jefferson family. It seems he chose to weave the tales together and, by doing so, did justice to none. He does explore some interesting historical events that coincided in time with the quakes, but fails to make any of the events real or meaningful, leaving the reader wondering why he bothered to write this ultimately superficial book.

A bit confused
I would have liked to have given this book more than a two star rating.However, for those who wish to discover more about the New Madrid earthquake, you probably won't find it here.Somewhere between steamboats on the Mississippi, relations with local Indian tribes, and the War of 1812 the story of the quake is minimally told.

A glaring error is found on page 227 where the author states that at the Battle of New Orleans the British troops fought with Wellington at Waterloo--a battle that occured six months later.This type of mistake is untenable in that it draws a conclusion within its assertion and suggests the possibility of other errors throughout the text.

Readers of history would be better served by David McCullough or Joseph J. Ellis.

Writing About An Earthquake While The Walls Are Shaking (from Ahadada Books)
Well, speaking of earthquakes...this is one book that I've meant to review for quite a while and now, with a typhoon set to arrive atany moment, we'll begin.

Jay Feldman has written a fascinating study of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811--1812 which takes us through the politics of Native-American removal, the advance of the industrial revolution, internationsl politics, the horrors of slavery, the science of geology, the physics behind it, and all points in between.Not only does he give us a look at first-hand accounts of the tragedy itself--in which a series of quakes (some of which would have measured a mind-boggling 8 or higher on the Richter scale!) refashioned several hundred miles of the American frontier, and explains in a cogent fashion the arcana of seismology so that a layman can understand exactly what happened; but he gives us four focci through which we see how the quakes impinged on society, impelling savants, scoundrels and even seers to their peculiar destinies.He deftly interweaves the stories of Tecumsah, the gifted orator who attempted to set up a pan-tribal league to oust white domination of North America; the first riverboat, built and piloted by Theordore Roosevelt's great uncle; the grisly death of a slave at the hands of Thomas Jefferson's nephews and the consequent frontier justice; and the career of a scoundrel who plotted against American shipping interests, yet still managed to attain high distinction in the military, and was not found out until after his death.Each of these turbulent stories happened at the same time and reached their crises and denouements as Nature turned herself upside down and islands disappeared, new lakes fashioned themselves in front of disbelieving eyes, columns of water and sand blew into the air and wild birds were so frightened that they alighted on the arms of astonished on-lookers.

Feldman is in complete command of his sources, and recounts the various stories in a gripping manner.It's rare for a book of history to be a page-turner, but this one certainly is.

I guess the saga of Nicholas Roosevelt and his wife Lydia gripped my imagination the most.Nicholas designed and built the New Orleans, the first steam-boat to navigate the Mississippi.As fate would have it, Nicholas unwittingly chose the year of the quakes to test the New Orleans against the potentially murderous waters of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.As anyone who's ever read Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi knows, the river was filled with perils for those who were fortunate enough to captain river boats in more cultivated times; but can you imagine navigating the "American Nile" for the first time ever?In addition, Roosevelt's wife insisted on coming along, even though she was due to give birth during the trip.Roosevelt's little girl was also with them as well as the family dog.Moreover, the Mississippi was the haunt of river pirates, the war-gound of Native-Americans, and the catch-all for all manner of rough and tumble individuals who lived comfortably outside the reach of the law.But the crowning danger was the night that the Mississippi did indeed flow backwards!Did the Roosevelts and their ship survive?

Read the book. ... Read more

Product Description
Contains stories of destruction by the powers of Mother Nature. ... Read more

Product Description
Graphic accounts of this most awful catastrophe in which two hundred thousand people lost their lives, illustrated with reproductions of photographs taken especially for this volume. Also containing a h istory of Italy and Sicily ... Read more