Customer Reviews (5)

Caged in Chaos
I highly recommend Caged in Chaos because it is a book on Dyspraxia like no other.There are many academic "how to's" regarding this often mis-understood disability, but not one on what it actually is like to be dyspraxic.I really loved the fact that this book gives readers a snapshot into the dyspraxic child's (or teenager's) world.Caged in Chaos sets itself apart from all other books on the subject.How can we really help those with dyspraxia if we don't know what it feels like to walk in their shoes? Also, author Victoria Biggs' light sense of humor is very refreshing.She's an amazing person -- and terrific role model for my dyspraxic son.

Highly Recommended
As the parent of a dyspraxic pre-teen, I have found that while there is an increasing amount of information available about dyspraxia (a.k.a. apraxia), there is not much out there about dyspraxia in older kids and young adults.Not only is "Caged in Chaos" just such a resource, but it provides an insider's point of view, as the author is dyspraxic herself (an extra star for that fact alone.)

In addition to providing many helfpul coping strategies, "Caged in Chaos" also reaffirms that "you are not alone."I lost count of the number of times that that the author mentioned experiences that my child is going through, too.As the general public is largely unfamiliar with dyspraxia, it is quite comforting to know that there are others out there that are sharing similar things.

A wonderful book
This book is fantastic. It's positive, witty and full of practiacal advice for people with dyspraxia and related disorders. It is intelligently and sensitively written. Reading a book by a fellow dyspraxic, who has come through more than most people is really uplifting. Ms Biggs is well informed about dyspraxia. The book is realistic but optimistic about what is is possible for a dyspraxic person to achieve. I congratulate Victoria Biggs.

Buy this book!
Finally, a book that tells in simple terms what being Dyspraxic is all about.We have a beautiful 7 year old grandchild that is challenged by this condition.This book has given us wonderful ideas on how to make her life easier and help her along the way.This is a "must read" for families who have been touched by Dyspraxia.

The Best Yet?
A great book listing numerous coping strategies through "how it was for me" situations. Often funny, but never patronising, this book deserves to be the subject market leader for a long time to come. The section on bullying is particularly thought provoking. If you want to know what goes on inside a dyspraxic mind this is what you need! ... Read more

Product Description
Arranged For Guitar Tablature & Standard Notation With Lyrics, Chords & Chord Frames. Matching songbook to Dream Theater's 2007 smash album. Titles:In the Presence of Enemies Forsaken Constant Motion The Dark Eternal Night Repentance Prophets of War The Ministry of Lost Souls In the Presence of Enemies - Part II. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

That ROCKS !
This songbook looks very beautiful, the transcripion is perfect. If you want to play the real notes of DT's last album so buy it now !!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com
This is an attempt to understand Mexico's steep descent into turmoil, which happened rapidly after the uprising in Chiapas on New Year's Day 1994.Following the assassinations of a presidential candidate and then the congressional leader, President Carlos Salinas de Gortari had barely left office when the peso collapsed. Pursued by allegations of corruption, Salinas then fled the country. Oppenheimer, a reporter for The Miami Herald, argues that the crisis is the result of nothing grander than a turf war within a decrepit ruling party and that the Chiapas uprising is not something new, just another eruption of the Marxist intellectualism that has long flourished in Latin America.Book Description
This is an attempt to understand Mexico's steep descent into turmoil, which happened rapidly after the uprising in Chiapas on New Year's Day 1994.Following the assassinations of a presidential candidate and then the congressional leader, President Carlos Salinas de Gortari had barely left office when the peso collapsed. Pursued by allegations of corruption, Salinas then fled the country. Oppenheimer, a reporter for The Miami Herald, argues that the crisis is the result of nothing grander than a turf war within a decrepit ruling party and that the Chiapas uprising is not something new, just another eruption of the Marxist intellectualism that has long flourished in Latin America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Should be required reading
This book is so shocking, it left me hoping the author made it all up. It raises many important questions regarding the US relationship with out southern neighbor. A must read.

GOOD HISTORY, WELL RESEARCHED, FAST PACED READ
In Bordering on Chaos, Oppenheimer does a very good job of depicting the events and digging up the dirty that led to many of the most important events in mid-1990s Mexico, including the murder of the leading presidential candidate, the rise of the Zapatistas and the choice of Zedillo for president.

However, instead of pure history, we are presented with deep character development for the two main actors in this process, Zedillo himself (the president to be) and Subcomandante Marcos, the leader of the Zapatista movement.In this process, we learn of the political ploys adopted by the PRI, the almost monarchic party that led the country for most of the century.These include forays into education, health, and the most important social services.Another important area is the corruption going on at the top levels of the PRI, requiring, for example, that business people contribute a minimum of [several] million to participate in the government, or else be excluded, with all that it entailed.There is less than I would like to know on Carlos Salinas, the now disgraced but formerly darling leader.

Overall, a good history and a well written book.If you have an interest in Mexico, or in the crisis period of the mid-1990s, this may offer some of the pieces that build up a puzzle of it.

Facinating account
This is a great read for anyone wanting to know about Mexico during the 1990s.It's very indepth, at times it feels like maybe Oppenheimer doesn't have all the information to tell the story, but he sure tells a lot of it.It's also not overly biased, like many books about recent Mexican history. Oppenheimer does a great job of setting the scene, explaining who is who, and helping the reader get their arms around all the different factions that make for a volatile social environment in Mexico.I also read "Castro's Final Hour" which was informative, but not as good (especially since the "final hour" was somewhere in the early nineties, and now it's 2001).I'd love to read more of Oppenheimer.

Andresito has excellent contacts
Excellent book on recent Mexican history.

Excellent. Give Us More.
The dearth of good books on Mexico makes this one very welcome. It's architecture rests largely on two character portraits: one of Ernesto Zedillo, and the other of the man who calls himself Subcommander Marcos. There is some sketchy material, too, on Carlos Salinas, but it's the type of data that adds to the enigma of the man rather than to our understanding of him.

With Zedillo, one can see why two huge accomplishments coincided with his term in office, and went largely unlauded: 1) the payback of the bailout money ahead of time, and 2) the holding of real elections.

Oppenheimer shows Zedillo to be honest and smart--unlike many Mexican politicians, his degree from an Ivy League school was not just window dressing; he really is a trained economist. But he was not very popular. As an uncorruptible technocrat, he never would have gotten the nod to be the new president if not for the assassination of Colosio, whose campaign manager he was at the time of the murder. But once he was thrust in by Fate to the number one spot, he proved unusually effective. He was not fashionable or charismatic, and not very well loved by the electorate, which understandably blamed him for the devaluation which occurred at the very beginning of his term. Carlos Salinas was fashionable and charismatic, and there can be little doubt that the conditions necessitating the devaluation accumulated during his term.

Even now, with Zedillo gone, those two accomplishments loom over the future more powerfully than anything else that has happened in Mexico for many years.The payback of the bailout money signals that though there may be stumbles on the way to free trade with the US, a quick recovery is possible instead of a long Japanese-style tailspin. The bailout money could have gone into the pockets of well-placed Mexicans, (where now are the millions that the World Bank poured into Russia?) but it did not. I would guess that a lot of credit for that goes to the unfashionably honest Zedillo.

The conversion to a truly multiparty system where it is possible for anyone to win also bodes well for the future, both economically and culturally. Mexico could have started having real elections a long time ago, elections that were more than just costly and showy formalities, but it did not. They didn't have a real election until it was time to replace Zedillo. The irony is that a corrupt system put into power an honest man, who then reformed it.

The other character that makes this book work is Rafael Guillen, AKA Subcommander Marcos, the leader of the Zapatista uprising, who turns out to be neither an Indian nor a peasant nor even a native of Chiapas, but simply a garden variety marxist from a middle class family in Tampico. An undereducated and underworked lout, he acquired a degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico with a dissertation on capitalist oppression (what else?). Employing in this dissertation a style reminiscent of the Unabomber, he revealed the family to be the first "unit of oppression", followed by schools, the second "unit of oppression", and so on. The only thing that can break this ubiquitous oppression, according to the budding Subcommander, is "proletarian politics".

Oppenheimer doesn't go into how this ideological huckster managed to convince the peasants of Chiapas he could help them--that would be an excellent and highly entertaining book in itself--, but he does show clearly what type of person cooked up the rebellion, which did no good for anyone. In short, it was the kind of person without enough sense to use something other than a ski mask (wool?) to disguise himself in the tropics.

By making plain the character of these two men, Oppenheimer adds much to our understanding of what has gone on in Mexico in the last few years. Still, much goes unanswered, such as the actual legality or illegality of the billionaires' banquet, where each of thirty rich men pledged $25 million to the PRI for the election of 1994. Oppenheimer tells of what a scandal there was when the publication El Economista broke the story, but doesn't say whether anyone was prosecuted or even had in fact broken the law. The implication of the secrecy of the banquet and the subsequent scandal, is that there are legal limits on campaign contributions in Mexico, as there are in the US. I'm not sure this is the case.

If in fact there are no legal limits, it becomes a question of whether Mexicans in general disapproved of their richest compatriots throwing their financial weight around. It's to Oppenheimer's credit that he notes the alternative to wealthy men giving dizzying sums to the PRI, which is the Mexican government giving dizzying sums to the PRI, which is the way it had been done since the Revolution.

Frankly, if I were a Mexican taxpayer, I'd rather the PRI got its money from the billionaires. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

The therapeutic possibility of Buddhist meditation
This book is a gem in that it shows how psychiatry and Buddhist meditation overlap and the integrity of Paul Fleischman, M.D., comes through in his words.

Freud and Buddha both agreed that only by directly confronting the source of our suffering can we be freed.Observing our minds or getting in touch with formative memories is frequently difficult and often impossible.According to the Buddha though, our thoughts become EMBODIED.

Like all mammals we strongly identify with the sensations in our bodies.We think we are responding to the people and events in our life but we are really responding to the physical sensations triggered in us by those events.Buddhist meditation (i.e. Vipassana) shows us how to transcend the automaticity of our animal existence by directly experiencing those bodily sensations.

Just like the people who lived 2,500 years ago, people today want ease, happiness and clarity in their lives.This excellent book points the way.

Ancient Doctrine Examined by Modern Theory
- - -
In Karma and Chaos a scholar (professor/psychiatrist/meditation teacher) and his son examine the ancient doctrine of karma in the light of modern Chaos Theory.Though most religious and moral philosophies express a belief in some law of "you reap as you sow," from the limited perspective of an individual this seems to be contradicted by accidents, luck, and an unscientific, mystical cosmology.The idea that there might be a higher moral law that functions independent of capricious, supernatural powers in a complex but rational way is intriguing.

In this book the complexities of karma are made more intelligible, even rational, by applying an overview of Chaos Theory.This helps one transcend the limited linear rationality of the individual and examine karma within a cosmic framework.

Whatever your views of karma, Karma and Chaos provides unique and interesting insights.And it's only one of seven essays in the book.It's worth a read.

Brilliant ideas, soundly reasoned and poetically expressed
Paul Fleischman's writing stirs more ideas than could be followed tghrough in the space of an essay. His language has a technical tone yet tends toward the poetic. Some sentences need to be read more than once. But forthose who find themselves drawn into his writings, these challenges fallaway to reveal a rare gem. His unique style is integral to the power itevokes, and he writes things I have always wanted to be able to read. Myfavorite was the title essay, Karma and Chaos, where he explains, andbetter yet, demonstrates, how a life in line with karma can yield abalanced personality without sacrificing intellectual integrity. To me thisbook exudes compassion, wisdom, and joy.

The Dhamma expressed as scientific poetry
This collection of essays is the most lyrically beautiful and forcefully personal account of the effect of the Buddha's teachings in real life I have ever read. Dr. Fleischman writes with the soul of a poet and thecritical thought of a scientist. His and his family's life and growthtogether in Dhamma shine through again and again as the real theme of theessays. Anyone who wonders about the amorphous interface between modernpsychotherapy and the Buddha's path should not miss the essay,"Vipassana Meditation: A Unique Contribution to MentalHealth."

And the title essay, "Karma and Chaos" is anamazingly fertile presentation of the ancient and timeless teachings of theBuddha in light of the cutting edge discoveries of western science.

MuSoeng, director of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, has said of it:"I just finished reading the essay on Karma and Chaos from your bookand I want to congratulate you on an extraordinary piece on Dhamma andscientific perspectives. I would like to say that it is one of the shiningmoments of how ancient wisdom tradition from the East is being received inthe West. The language is beautiful and there is a cogent and passionatecommunication of some very complex ideas in ways that do not oversimplifythem and yet make them accessible." ... Read more

Book Description

New York Times best-selling author revisits the universe of his half-million selling Circle Trilogy.

Deep in the mountains of Romania lies a fortress, and deep within that fortress a chamber. And in that chamber, ruling the dead for over two thousand years, lives one Shataiki bat, straight from the bowels of the Black Forest. If he has his way, no child will be safe by morning. But there are four who stand in the way. This is the end, a gripping finale to the search for the seven Books of History.

Customer Reviews (2)

The Whole Ashes Series
I have read every book of the series at least twice. I think the
series is one of the best. I have also read some of his other books.
I would like to know if the author ever comes to Portland,OR.

Another Great Novel in the Ashes series!!
"Chaos in the Ashes" is an action-filled novel in the continuing saga of thedynamic"Ashes" series and Ben Raines is the quintessential hero representative of the kind of leader we would all hope to have in the event of government breakdown ... Read more

Book Description
This updated and revised edition should please readers who have been buying this book ion great numbers over more than a decade,and help the book to an even larger readership in the future. John Polkinghorne is certainly a rare authority in his field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Chaotic expressions of quarky world
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Worship Quarks not dieties what kind of non-sense are we to swallow next.
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I can not get past the complete oddity and utter dull drum of all that is not in this book.
The belief that God is a statistician and that through prayer and meditation one or more people can produce a desirable outcome in a random universe thereby inducing a quantum of influence in an otherwise absurd existence. Quantumism rejects the insertion of an active interventionist deity but a subtle quantum statistical cosmic mechanic. The belief that a force set the physical system in motion and does not adjust the system whimsically but allows the system to be manipulated through quantum prayer at the whimsy of the systems own evolutionary dynamics.

The belief that any outcome is possible but highly improbable if it does not fall in line with the current state of energy and mass in any particular moment. These tenet makes it a more palatable system in a futile effort to satisfy both a deep inner desire to accommodate the traditional grandiose deity and the modernistic scientific explanations of the natural world.

Quantumism's growth remains, for the most part undocumented as it is more of a sub-particle of todays modern religions, and any religion or faction that has tried to measure it has cease to exist almost instantaneously. Leading to the primary paradox that believing in something and practicing it are inherently difficult. Which is believed to be the birth place of the saying "Practice what you preach", the "I told you so" retort.



Quantumism has a long history and came into existence due to the letters between Bohr and Einstien and the many discussions about the ramifications of new realities, relationships and discoveries in the field of physics and impact on society and religion. The belief system has not been well documented or debated like nihilism or existentialism because of the spin. No one is certain of quantumism exact location on the ism scale due to the lack of instrumentations but though it may have a low profile it could simply be due to its existence not being percieved in this dimensional plane.


A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. (Albert Einstein)
I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it. (Albert Einstein, 1954)
I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings. (Albert Einstein)

Which brings me to my 2nd great epiphany.....

I was hoping to introduce another ism that I am researching.... Quantumism has been linked to another belief system based on massism. Spawned from the theory of relativity. The massism movement is the belief that nothing exists but energy. Time and Mass are simply a result of forms of energy like forms of water. The foundation of the belief is that "God is Mass" and the more massive something is the more godly. As entropy increases the universe cools, and god will reveal himself. Everyday becoming more and more apparent. (i.e. recent polls showing a religious appetite of Americans becoming more godly at the waist line could result in an alteration of Earths spin. As the planet begins to wobble on its axis creating a warping effect in the julian calendar unless a new adjustment variable is added to the already queer formula. The Earths wobble affect is believed to act as a butterfly effect on the whole solar system creating a ripple, the ripple growing into a wave pushing on the whole galaxy. At current estimates and todays weight growth rate in approximately 33.333 billion years (without calendar adjustments) this solar system will act on the entire milky way galaxy moving it out of the way of another galaxy today on a collision course with the milky way therefore avoiding a cosmic disaster.

HOW God acts in the world today
I highly recommend this book for Christians who are seeking to better understand HOW God acts in the world today and/or seeking to better understand the effectiveness of our prayers, which of course is related to the first issue.

Polkinghorne's answer is summed up in Chapter 5:"Can a Scientist Pray?," which alone is more than worth the price of the book and the time required to read it.His answer, BTW, is yes.

Disappointing
I found this book to be confusing and contradictory as if the author doesn't really believe what he's saying. I will say that there are many good points made, especially in the first couple chapter. Then in "Whats Been Going On" onward the quality dropped sharply. Here are a few problems I saw reoccuring.

-He makes the point that `Chance" is how nature gains an independence from the strict `laws' of nature.
However, chance may be just more reliable strict laws that we don't understand.

- Having 5 fingers was happenstance, but not being able to worship, consciousness etc. However, he also says that there is no magic ingredient to make life. However when did the worship characteristic come in for humans?He seems to be saying that it is much different than physical attributes which happened by `chance' but also that God does not enter in one day and give humans consciousness (evolution was a continuous process p. 52).

- P. 52, we hope to one day understand the biochemical pathways that got life going, but consciousness is a different story (centuries away from understanding). If we one day understand consciousness too, how is he not being a reductionist?

- He uses chaos theory as a stab against reductionism. Just because we can't take into account every variable does not mean it is not a reducible system. `Clouds' are still mechanical creatures even if we can't predict them. The mechanics is just very complex.

- Can Scientists Pray has a plethora of obvious theological problems dealing with God's will and the future.

- Things not made clear: Where does are self-awareness come from? Some things are determined by evolutionary chance and others not? How do you differentiate between the two?Why does chance give us metaphysical maneuvering? Just because we don't understand something we're going to bring metaphysics into it? Isn't this God of the gaps?

- Overall, this book was not very convincing of any of the points he was trying to make. To the Christian, he seems to want to put God into the box of science. There must be a better approach to the God/science question.

I'm sure if I reread it, some of these might be cleared up, but there's many more books of more worth to read first.

"a leap into the light, not the dark"
I'm guessing that Polkinghorne wrote this book around the same time he was preparing and presenting the Gifford Lectures (1994) as this book and the text of those lectures (published as "The Faith of a Physicist") cover some of the same themes rather closely. While that volume (FP) is broader in scope, this one sets its sights more narrowly. Neither book precludes the value of the other; both are interesting. QC&C is a rather quick read by comparison, so if theology and physics are not your usual cup of tea, this may be the right choice for you.
Sir John Polkinghorne, for those readers who might not be familiar with him, is acclaimed as both a quantum physicist and an Anglican priest/theologian (and he's been knighted [KBE], but isn't everybody on that side of the pond these days?). He has won the Templeton Prize and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. His theological thinking is, for the most part, quite classical, although he conspicuously also holds some process ideas regarding God's relationship to 'time' (this is an area in which many readers -- me, for example -- will respectfully disagree with him). His views are perhaps slightly different from the usual perceptions of the ID school of theistic scientists, which alone might be seen as recommending him as an interesting author.
My impression is that the target audience for this book is the Christian reader interested in the science-religion dialog and in questions of freedom and the 'problem of evil.' But I also think this might be a valuable book for agnostic scientists and anyone else interested in these topics. Polkinghorne says, "Many people seem to think that faith involves shutting one's eyes, gritting one's teeth, and believing X impossible things before breakfast . . . Not at all! Faith may involve a leap, but it's a leap into the light, not the dark. The aim of the religious quest, like that of the scientific quest, is to seek motivated belief about what is the case . . . "
Polkinhorne's style is both highly learned and gentle, balancing confidence with cognizance of humanity's unknowing. He is one of several important voices in the science-religion dialog.

Good, though Polkinghorne has better
Polkinghorne writes a book with remarkable ideas though not without weaknesses. He doesn't view religion as our internal response to an external world, but considers science and religion intellectual cousins, each providing answers. He goes some distance, surely to be misunderstood and misused, in showing the malleability of practicing science "an act of intellectual daring" when viewing fact and interpretation, experiment and theory as independent while they are actually mixed up in perspectives we bring to nature. This is more about scientists as humans than science as flawed. Science invites challenge, inherently policing itself, sometimes scientists do neither. Though bias is present, this is not the end point as open publication, debate and test are always available. Science is refutable. He touches upon absurdities proffered by "modern philosophers" who state we invent theories of nature, we do not discover them. As Polkinghorne notes, our theories wouldn't work if they didn't represent part of the truth. Nature continues to impose itself as final judge, regardless of fashionable politics.

Given that unpictureable electrons provide surprises, Polkinghorne is not surprised to find an unpictureable God to do the same. He accepts the oddness of quantum like he accepts the oddness of Jesus as simultaneously man and God. We're not sure how the oddness of say, astrology, with a longer history, many texts and practitioners may fit this view. To Polkinghorne the issue is not fact vs. opinion but interpreting our experience of the way the world really is, without adding "to us", which without the verifiability science bears, may have less to do with reality outside our minds while much to do with what it means to be human. He views God as "faithful". The natural gift of a faithful God being reliability of his creation's operation. Ignoring tribal aspects of the Hebrew God, God is also loving, thus granting independence, which by itself is disarray, so both order and independence in the universe. "Chance is a sign of freedom, not blind purposelessness." (Take that, Creationists.) "Shuffling explorations of chance lead to deterioration and fruitful novelty."

Does a world with concentration camps look like the creation of a powerful, loving God? With this we meet the "free will defense" the potential for moral evil is price paid for the greater good of human freedom. And what about natural disasters like quake fallen churches killing 50000 in 1755 Lisbon, or cancer? Polkinghorne provides the "free process defense", God faithfully letting nature follow nature's laws. Perhaps violating his own reasoning by allowing answered prayers through adjustments to chaos theory's great attractors, he notes, through "free process", the same biochemical rules allowing evolution also enables cancer. It's a package deal. Natural disasters are not gratuitous, but a necessary cost of life, though not alleviating tragedy of either. Disregarding what need an all knowing God would have for experiential suffering, Polkinghorne supplies the relieving Christian view - God is not simply a pitying, compassionate spectator but a fellow participant in the world's suffering, known through the experience of Jesus. ... Read more

Book Description
Theologian, mother, and writer Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore gives us some answers to this question and shows us how to integrate and strengthen the practice of faith in the everyday (and often mundane) experience of raising children. In the Midst of Chaos reveals what it takes to find the spiritual wisdom in the messy, familial ways of living. By rethinking parenting as an invitation to discover God in the middle of our busy and overstuffed lives, it relieves parents of the burden of being the all-knowing authority figures who impart spiritual knowledge to children. Finding spirituality in family activities such as reading bedtime stories, dividing household chores, and playing games can empower parents to notice what they are already doing as potentially valuable and to practice it more consciously as part of their own faith journey. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Spirituality of Parenting
Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, In the Midst of Chaos: Caring for Children as Spiritual Practice (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2007)

Who will think of parenting as a spiritual practice? Who will think of parenting as being spiritual? For most of us parents, parenting is just basic survival, living day to day. Bonnie Miller-McLemore's book catchy title, In the Midst of Chaos captures the messy aspect of parenting exactly. It also throws a new perspective on parenting.

Bonnie is no ordinary mum. She is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Pastoral Theology at Vanderblit University Divinity School. I wonder what it will be like to have a theologian as your mother. In this book, she invites us to "...(by) rethinking parenting as an invitation to discover God in the middle of our busy and overstuffed lives..." Taking the ordinary task and routine of parenting, Bonnie shows us how to be "contemplating in chaos." She invites us to take kids seriously, dealing justly with them, playing the field (x-box, soccer etc) with them, read from Seuss to Scripture and finally to blessing and letting go.

This is a good read for parents who are struggling with being parents in the midst of chaos. God, have mercy.
... Read more

Book Description
1942. The Nazi hammer is about to fall on the beleaguered city of Cairo. As tension mounts, a key British officer is found brutally murdered. Nobody can fathom the motives behind the killing, and it is certainly the wrong time to
start asking questions.

Former New York cop Joe Quinn is a maverick whose methods run against the grain of the British military police. But he is tasked with uncovering the truth and in spite of the circumstances determines to do so — in his own way. Is this
merely a straightforward case of espionage or something rather more intimate? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Be Sure to Read This One!
The first of Bradby's novels that I read was The White Russian, which I really enjoyed.The God of Chaos is the second I've read, and it's even better.Bradby really introduces the reader to the sights, sounds, and even the smells of Cairo in 1942.In addition he also is very good in tightening the tension and fear (or hopes) of the city's inhabitants on the brink of the battle of Al-Alamein--even the British expecting that the Germans will win--even getting the reader to forget what she knows about history. On top of all of this Bradby adds the murder of a key British intelligence officer, the first of a series.The Royal Military Police officer assigned tothe case is an American, who lost his job with the NYPD for digging too deeply into matters the powers that be wanted hidden.He's tackling the murder case(s) in Cairo exactly the same way, even when everyone tells him "Why bother?The Germans will be here shortly."There are enough red herrings here to stock an aquarium. The identity of the ultimate villain is a shocker.Be sure to read this one.I can't recommend it enough.

his best
This is his best novel to date.
I like his historical settings.

Page turner
For those who like a good mystery with a little history mixed in, this was an enjoyable read.I had never heard of the author but thought the book looked interesting while searching the English section of a German book store.It didn't take long to get into and I found myself still reading as my plane pulled up at the gate in Washington, D.C.

I love to read but with 3 kids, if a book doesn't keep me going, I move on to the next one.This was one of the best I'd read in awhile with interesting characters and a well paced plot.Can't wait to read his others... ... Read more

Amazon.com
Ghanaian-born economics professor George B.N. Ayittey takes a hard, unsentimental look at the continuing economic, cultural, and political downfall of African countries. While Africa is the world's second-largest continent, containing 770 million people and much of the world's natural resources, he contends that the postcolonial African nations cannot reconcile what he calls "the two Africas," one traditional and one modern (or "Western"). That split, he says, wreaks havoc on the African people, and he comes down hard on "the elites, the parasitic minority group [that operates] by an assortment of imported or borrowed institutions." Africa in Chaos examines the collapse of Nigeria's civilian-led democracy, as well as the anarchy in Liberia, the former Zaire, and Sierra Leone, outlining the suicidal quest for power that hinders Africa's growth. Ayittey, unlike many Afrocentric apologists, does not lay all of the blame for Africa's predicament on the West, but he does insist that solid, long-term investment from Europe and America is needed to lift the motherland out of its mire. His "Ten Commandments for African Intellectuals," intended to lead the way to success, include calls for an embrace of the African past, a relationship with the private sector, and consistent freedom of expression. --Eugene Holley Jr. Book Description
In a follow-up to his ground-breaking Africa Betrayed, George Ayittey takes up the plight of Africa at the end of the twentieth century. Former UN Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Ghali once said that Africa was 'in danger of becoming the lost continent' and, on this point, Ayittey thoroughly agrees. As he begins to see countries like Nigeria go over the edge of economic and social disaster, Ayittey uses his formidable powers of analysis to look at the political economy of Africa, the incursion of foreign powers and the relationship of Africa to the world market. He contrasts the indigenous systems of government that existed in Africa before the arrival of Europeans with the colonial and post-colonial systems that were forced on the country and the effect these systems have had on Africa's inability to move forward. Ayittey's view is dark and, as always, his stinging conclusions will infuriate some and invigorate others. Certain to create controversy, Africa in Chaos is a must-read for fans of Ayittey's earlier work as well as anyone interested in the world economic scene today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

What is wrong with Sub-Saharan Africa ...
People of the world do not have much knowledge on what is happening in Africa today or what happened in the past, especially here in Latin America. I know a few things about Africa and to tell you the truth, I always try to watch BBC World News in order to know a little bit more of Africa's current affairs. When you know about Rwanda genocide or todays Mugabe Zimbabwe's, you begin to wonder about what is wrong in this part of the world, why these people cannot organize themselves, why is so easy for these people to corrupt themselves and kill others with such savagery. Even the Afican populated country of Haiti, here in the Caribean, one of the poorest countries in the world, cannot improve its situation.

Well, this book explain very eloquently the problems of Africa, I cannot say that was a fluid reading though. But I learned some facts about this continent, even a country I did't know of its existance ... Central African Republic. But what is wrong with Africa? In my opinion, the problem is their people and please and I am not being racist (here in Latin America we also have some problems related to the people that inhabit it), just that is the people who choose their liders, the people is involved in civils war, the people who so easily corrupt themselves and the people who have a high developed self interest (self enrichment) with total disregards of their fellow countrymen. I know this does not sound very diplomatic, but I think it is time to be honest with the problem, so in this way solutions can be found. I also must say that for instance, the current president of Liberia, Mrs Ellen Johnson, seems to be doing a really impressive and hopeful job as President ... the "Iron Lady", and I hope for her the best...more women like her are needed in positions of high responsability in Africa and the world.

So what to do with Africa? In my humble opinion, instead of lending money to countries with no future, I think the UN should involve itself in the problem more deeply by creating a transition government, and this is the difficult part because I am not talking about democracy. If you had the chance to watch BBC Series Why Democracy, you realized that some countries are not really prepared for democracy. So in this transition government, everything is managed by three persons, two appointed by UN and one from the country (to say something), where their duties are to restore order, to restore the economy and to improve education .. and here, all the countries of the world can help Africa by receiving people and offer them a job and, maybe, scholarship education, so they can grasp the culture for a year. But those are just words, a difficult task indeed, so for now we only have to wait that at least one country of Africa make the difference (not counting South Africa).. everybody is waiting for that. Read something about Africa, anything!

Nkrumah, Nyerere, Kaunda failures all
Excellent book by Ayittey showing the yet again the failures of the liberal-left vision, and its cynical collaborators in business and government bureaucracies. Yet again and again Western taxpayers are called upon to prop up these vampire states- money down an endless rathole.
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The "leaders" of many of these failed states have been feted and celebrated in the liberal West, none more so than Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Kaunda. Buit it is all hypocrisy and delusion. Some claim glowing accomplishments by these leaders, but in fact things like high literacy rates are carry-overs from the colonial administrations. In short, the literacy rate and educational opportunities were ALREADY rising rapidly when the colonialists pulled out, rendering claims of "improvement" in these areas suspect. The same pattern is repeated in economic development. Agriculture and industry were ALREADY expanding when the kleptocrats and dictators took over. Under them this progress not only declined but in many cases simply vanished.

As for Nkrumah's or Nyere's much touted educational "progress" and "free" medical care, it was neither progressive or free. What use is "free" when your "health" clinics are chronically short of medicine, and competent staff? Just how much "improvement" is there when you don't have enough money to staff or maintain your "free" institutions to even minimal standards? What use is "education" amid cruimbling schools and unpaid teachers, or when you are herding forcibly herding people into dirty, poverty mired "ujamma" villages to be harangued by party hacks about "African socialism"? When has "socialism" fed starving people?

Ayittey exposes the bogus claims, and nonsensical fantasies, and cynical self-serving by Western elites and their vampire-like African compradors. A great read, but of course- no one will lesson while even yet more millions of Africans are needlessly sacrificed to fulfill the greed, corruption and self-congratulatory fantasies of Western elites and their African lackeys.

All true, but...
Ayittey has written an excellent book. In fact, I'm just as critical of Africa's despotic and kleptocratic regimes in all the books I have written. But I don't entirely agree with his assessment of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Kenneth Kaunda.

He says his focus is not on the leadership qualities of any of the African leaders but on their policies. It is true that socialism failed to fuel economic growth. But an objective evaluation of what Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Kaunda did, shows that they had some success in a number of areas. Yet, Ayittey has almost nothing good to say about them in his book, "Africa in Chaos." In fact, these are the three leaders of whom he's most critical in his book, devoting several pages to them more than any other African leader.

Under Nkrumah, Ghana had the highest per capita income in sub-Saharan Africa. It was Nkrumah who laid the foundation for modern-day Ghana. He built the infrastructure that has sustained and fuelled Ghana's economic development through the years. It is true that there were also many failures under Nkrumah, and after he was gone; for example institutional decay and crumbling infrastructure. But who built those institutions and the infrastructure?

Nkrumah built schools, hospitals, roads, factories, dams and bridges, railways and harbors. Tens of thousands of people in Ghana who are lawyers, doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, accountants, agriculturalists, scientists and others wouldn't be what they are today had it not been for the educational opportunities provided by Nkrumah.

Ayittey talks about quality, saying that what mattered during Nkrumah's reign was quantity, not quality. What's the quality of the Ghanaian elite, including Ayittey himself, educated under Nkrumah? Are they not as good as anybody else? What was the quality of education at the University of Ghana, Legon? Did it admit and train students of mediocre mental calibre? Did it have inferior academic programmes? And an inferior faculty? Were more people dying in Ghanaian hospitals than they were being saved? Did the schools, hospitals, factories, roads and other infrastructure Nkrumah built do more harm than good? Would Ghana have been better off without them like Zaire under Mobutu?

In Tanzania, Nyerere also built schools, hospitals, clinics, factories, roads and railways, dams and bridges, hydroelectric power plants and other infrastructure. Although his policy of Ujamaa (meaning familyhood in Kiswahili) was not very successful, it did enable the country to bring the people together and closer to each other in order to provide them with vital social services. The people had easier access to schools, clinics, clean water and other services provided by the government, than they otherwise would have been, because they lived closer to each other; which would have been impossible had they been spread too thin across the country, living miles and and miles apart.

Also under Nyerere, education was free, from primary school all the way to the university level. Medical services were also free, in spite of the fact that Tanzania is one of poorest countries in the world. Still, under Nyerere, it was able to afford all that. Everybody had equal opportunity. Under his leadership, Tanzania also made quantum leaps in education. It had the highest literacy rate in Africa, and one of the highest in the world, higher than India's which has one of the largest numbers of educated people and the third largest number of scientists after the United States and the former Soviet Union.

One of the biggest achievements under Nyerere was in the area of adult education. Tanzania, on a scale unprecedented anywhere else in the world, launched a massive adult education campaign to teach millions of people how to read and write. Within only a few years, almost the entire adult population of Tanzania - rural peasants, urban workers and others - became literate. Almost everybody in Tanzania, besides children not yet in school, was able to read and write. And the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania became one of the most renowned academic institutions in the world, in less than ten years, with an outstanding faculty including some of the best and internationally acclaimed scholars from many countries.

Provision of vital services even to some of the most remote parts of the country - far removed from urban and social centres - was not uncommon although the services were, I must admit, curtailed through the years because of economic problems. Yet, all that was achieved under Nyerere who sincerely believed, and made sure, that everybody had equal access to the nation's resources. I know all this because I am a Tanzanian myself, born and brought up in Tanzania, and was one of the beneficiaries of Nyerere's egalitarian policies.

Tanzania has come a long way, and still has a long way to go. But give credit where credit is due, in spite of failures in a number of areas, and which must be acknowledged by all of us. I even admit that in my books. But also look at where we were before: At independence in 1961, Tanganyika (before uniting with Zanzibar in 1964 to form Tanzania) had only 120 university graduates, including two lawyers who had to draft and negotiate more than 150 international treaties for the young nation and handle other legal matters for the country. With 120 university graduates, Tanganyika was, of course, better off than the former Belgian Congo which had only 16 at independence in 1960, and Nyasaland (now Malawi) with only 34 at independence in 1964. Still, that was nowhere close to what Tanganyika would have been had the British tried to develop the colony; which was never their intention. None of the 120 university graduates got their degrees in Tanganyika. There was no university in the country. The British never built one, and never intended to build one. Tanganyika built one after independence, and it became internationally renowned as an excellent academic institution in less than a decade.

The 120 university graduates Tanganyika had at independence was nothing in terms of manpower for a country; not even for a province or region. As Julius Nyerere said not long before he died:

"We took over a country with 85 percent of its adults illiterate. The British ruled us for 43 years. When they left, there were two trained engineers and 12 doctors. When I stepped down there was 91 percent literacy and nearly every child was at school. We trained thousands of engineers, doctors, and teachers."

Nyerere stepped down in 1985. And all that was achieved within 24 years since independence. No mean achievement.

Africa is Chaos
It has been said that there is nothing new in this book.Africa indeed has problems.That is exactly the point of this book and Keith Richburg's "Out of America."Africa has problems and it is not up to AID agencies (USAID could not fix anything even if they wanted to) or foreigners to fix those problems.It is up to "Africans" to fix their problems.

ALL nations have problems.The difference between most nations and the African continent is that Africa just gets worse, and worse and worse.I've lived there. I've lived it.I will never return.

As a black American that lived in Africa over a period of twenty years, I find the state just gets worse and worse and most African people continue to blame their problems on colonialism, they defect to Europe or the US or just take what their dictators dish out.A Kenyan friend of mine who was MD of the Kenyan Human Rights League, tired of being jailed and tear gased while the people he was demonstrating and fighting for looked on and pointed, said: "Kenya and Africa will never change until the average Kenyan or African is prepared to die for his freedom."

No, there is nothing new in "Chaos" or the other books on this subject.Again, that's the point.Contructively Africa: fix your problems.That's what these books are all about: YOU need to fix YOUR problems.

This is a great book.I will keep it and others like it for my children to read.

Good Start but more is needed
I have to commend Mr. Ayittey for writing from fresh point of view. I liked the fact that he emphasized that Africa has to look inwards to solve its problems. I have two problems with the booka) Small factual mistakes which may not be serious but never the less undermine the confidence in the author's littany of figures and facts. One such example is the dedication toMr. Joe Modise which the author claimed to be dead but an other reviewer mentioned that he is well and alive. One mistake Inoticed is that the author said that North Somalia was colonized by the Italians and Southern Somalia by the British when the fact is exactly the opposite. b) The Author built a good case that African leaders are to blame for the misery in Africa. I kept asking myself through out the book "but what caused the majority of African leaders to take the wrong path?" I waited and waited for an answer throughthe whole book but the only explanation that Mr. Ayittey could come up was to fall back to the very thing that he claimed very vociferously at the start of the book that he is against, toblame colonialism. He explained the failure of African leaders is due to the fact that they are product of colonialism.I believe that Mr. Ayittey did dileneate the problems clearly and he did offer the obvious solutions but his analysis of the causes of the problems were not deep enough, even though I believe is started the right discussion, the debate of interaction of western/alien ideas and African ways of self rule. Also as an other reviewer put it, the Author should put himself in the shoes of millions of Africans who fight daily ( and lose their lifes often) for the ideals he is spousing. ... Read more

Book Description
Chaos is everywhere as the Lord of the Nexus orders his servant Haplo and the human child known as Bane to further their master's work on Arianus, the realm of air. But their one time companion Alfred has been cast into the deadly Labyrinth. And somehow the assassin Hugh the Hand has been resurrected to complete his dark mission. More important, the evil force that Haplo and Alfred discovered on Arianus has escaped. As Haplo's doubts about his master grow deeper, he must decide whether to obey the Lord of the Nexus or betray the powerful Patryn...and endeavor to bring peace to the universe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

The Hand of Chaos - clever title now that I think about it....
The Hand of Chaos - Book Five of Seven in the Death Gate Cycle series. This book is another excellent addition to the series, and also necessary to read, no matter what other people say. It is very action packed, and brings back some of my favorite characters (Ex: Bane, Hugh the Hand (shocker...I know!)and Iridal). The book does have its shortcomings, but otherwise it is very good.

This installment starts off right where Serpent Mage ended, with Haplo trapped in the room and the water starting to flood the Sartan City. Haplo escapes (without magic) and heads through Death's Gate, but not before finding out that the evil dragon-snakes have also headed through. He heads to the Nexus, but is beaten there by the Dragon-Snakes, who have already found Xar and pledged their allegience to him. Xar says he is happy to have them on his side. Haplo comes and tries to convince Xar that they are evil, but Xar doesn't believe him. Haplo leaves for a walk as Bane (remember him from Dragon Wing?) walks in and begins chatting to his adopted "grandfather". Meanwhile, as Haplo accidentally meanders infront of the Final Gate, Zifnab comes. Zifnab, while rambling, tells Haplo that he is Sartan, and that his "wife" never died and is still in the Labyrinth, with his child. Haplo is startled by this news, but what is even more startling is that Bane overheard this all.He reports back to Xar, who tells Bane that he is sending him to Arianus with Haplo to continue stirring up unrest and to activate the Kicksey-Winsey. As soon as this task is accomplished, he is to kill Haplo. Bane agrees, and the both of them leave.

Thus the plot is set for The Hand of Chaos, along the way, Hugh the Hand comes back from the dead, We learn a LOT more about the Brotherhood of the Hand, and more about King Stephan's empire. This is a very good book, with only one major shortcoming, Alfred's disappearance. At the end of Serpent Mage, Alfred was being cast into the Labyrinth, yet in "Chaos", we have no news of what is going on with him. This is the only real shortcoming of the book, and it is an excellent, fast paced read. Pick up and read it now!

Totally not necessary
First, I will tell you how to get the most enjoyment out of this series.Start with going to the library and renting all of these books.Do not buy them as they are not worth it.Then read books 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 without reading the footnotes or the appendixes.You have the option of reading books 2 and 5 if you are really enjoying the series, but they are only filler and do not even need to be skimmed.Finally, accept the fact that Weis and Hickman may only be one hit wonders and move on.

Second, I write reviews for those who seek good fantasy and not for the zealots who hang on every Weis and Hickman word.You would think from some of the reviews of this series that these books were greater than War and Peace and written by Bronte and Conrad.In reality, this series is not very good.I am not trying to trash Weis and Hickman, I found the Dragon Lance series to be extremely enjoyable and would give at least the first two series of that line four stars.This series deserves no more than 2 stars.The books are incomplete thoughts that may have been much better had the authors taken more time to flesh out the story.Beware of fantasy books that contain footnotes and appendixes.Usually, these are the telltale signs of poor writing.Having said that, I did manage to read most of these seven books and here are some thoughts.

Many reviewers have made a lot of the fact that Xar is actually tsar or czar.I fail to see the significance here.Xar is a ruler and a tsar is a ruler.So what?What I found to be much more interesting and ultimately distracting was the use, by the authors, of the word mensch.Mensch is a Hebrew word.It is not close to a Hebrew word, it is a Hebrew word.If you look it up, mensch means a person of integrity and honor.What are the authors trying to say here?That all people without ambition or power are full of integrity and honor.I read all seven books trying to understand the use of this word to no avail.

Not surprising considering the books are filled with errors and inconsistencies.Some of these errors and inconsistencies are no doubt addressed in the footnotes and appendixes, but it would take an additional seven books to address all the problems.I believe that most of these problems occurred because the authors did not take the time to complete their work. Perhaps they were pressured by their publisher.

Most of the characters are thinly veiled shadows of those characters from the Dragon Lance series.Only, these characters are not as interesting or as engaging.Part of the problem is that Weis and Hickman never determine where they want the story to go.They blur the line between good and evil, then they erase the line, then they re-draw the line in bold.In Dragon Lance, it was intriguing to see how the characters dealt with the discovery of the duality of their own nature.In this book it is just confusing.

SO REAL!(Is it prophecy?Historical fiction?)
This is probably the best series of books I have ever read (I haven't read Tolkien yet.I KNOW, I'm sorry!).I just cannot say enough good things about this book series.I literally read it 3 times through, and each time I can relate to a different character and come to see it from their perspective.

The way that Tracy and Margaret bring the characters to life significantly contributes to the reason this series of books is so great. By the end of the 1st book, Hugh the Hand (Best Assassin in the world), Alfred(Sartan Mage), Haplo(Patryn Mage), Bane(son of most powerful human mage alive), and the rest of the characters have almost come to life in your mind.

If you're going to read Fantasy(Or SciFi) start with this!The sense of depth these books have to them makes you wonder if it's actually historical fiction that Margaret and Tracy are writing about and the index each book has is absolutely amazing.Whenever you're confused about something the characters are making reference to (or if you 'missed' [skipped, lol] the part when the character's were discussing it) you can simply look it up in the back index and you'll understand it better than you would have just reading straight through.(THEY EVEN HAVE DIAGRAMS OF EVERYTHING!)

Margaret and Tracy together are unparalleled writers equal to only a few such as Tolkien, Piers Anthony, Knaak, Louis Lamour(SP?) and the like.

I won't be suprised when this series becomes the next movie series.Except for the fact that since the book's environs are so diverse (they 'literally' create whole worlds with flora and fauna and a whole system of language [actually I think it might be latin]) the movie industry right now might not be up to it.

Finally, if you're worried about it being too advanced or too intellectual, don't.The characters are incredably deep, but like real people, are revealed to you slowly through the actions they take and throughout the series, so you're not overwhelmed all at once.

All the books are great, and I will read the series a 4th, 5th, and maybe a 6th time.Although one of the middle books does drag a little because it's mostly about the humans, dwarves, and elves (Mensch: Patryn/Sartan(Magus) word for humans, dwarves, and elves or anyone else who doesn't live thousands of years).

5th Book in a Very Good Series
In all probability, people who read the first of the Death Gate Cycle books and like it, are going to want to read all of the books in the series (regardless of any flucutation in the individual books' ratings).Ditto for the reverse:if people don't like the first book, then they're probably not going to want to read any of the other books in the series.Thus, instead of individual book ratings, I've rated the whole series and given a short blurb on any specifics for each book.

Overall, this is a very good series.The authors were amazingly creative in coming up with this concept and the books are well-written, extremely interesting, and internally consistent (mostly -- see below for some exceptions).I highly recommend this series of books for everyone.My comments for the indidual books follow:

Vol. 1 -- Dragon Wing:This book covers the exploration of Arianus:the realm of Air.It introduces us to the two main characters (Haplo and Alfred) and many of the recurring characters throughout the series.It's a well-paced, well-written book that's an excellent reresentation of what to expect in most of the rest of the series.Essentially, if you like this book, you'll like the other six books.If you don't like this book, then there's no sense in reading any of the others.

Vol. 2 -- Elven Star:This book covers the exploration of Pryan:the realm of Fire.Alfred is entirely missing from this book, and Haplo isn't really the centerpiece.Instead, the book is mostly written from the perspective of the mensch and of the newly introduced (and recurring) Zifnab.The one possible weakness in the book is that Weis/Hickman wrote it such that the structure of Pryan itself is more of a mystery than Arianus was in the first book.

Vol. 3 -- Fire Sea:This book covers the exploration of Abarrach:the realm of Stone.Once again, both Haplo and Alfred are present.The characters and areas presented in this book are key elements for the entire series.An interesting book, but not a very happy one at all.

Vol. 4 -- Serpent Mage:This book covers the exploration of Chelestra:the realm of Water.Both Alfred and Haplo are on this world.But, for the most part, they follow separate plot lines.There's a lot of action taking place throughout the book and Weis/Hickman introduce some actual Sartan (besides Alfred).They also bring in an ancient evil to balance the ancient good introduced in the previous book.The most irritating thing about this book is that it ends in a cliff-hanger.The previous books tied up their worlds' activities fairly nicely.Not so in this book.It ends at a very inconvenient spot.

Vol. 5 -- Hand of Chaos:This book returns Haplo to Arianus and the people he met there earlier.Whereas the first four books of the series cover the exploration of the four realms, this book starts the synthesis of the various threads from those books into a movement towards closure.It's a good book, but, unfortunately, it doesn't do anything with Alfred.The previous book left Alfred heading towards a bad end.This book doesn't do anything with that.So, while reading the book, you constantly have this little voice in the back of your mind going "what's happening with Alfred?"Irritating.

Vol. 6 -- Into the Labyrinth:This book ranges across just about all of the worlds of the Death Gate.It brings all of the various threads from the other books to a head.Most importantly, it finally does something with Alfred.The unfortunate thing about this book is that it contains a lot of technical errors (or, more specifically, contradictions).For instance, in Dragon Wing, we're told that a person needs to be familiar with an area to use a transportation spell to get to that area.Yet, very close to the beginning of the book, one of the characters uses such a spell without ever having been to her target location.There are also several instances where the characters COULD have used such a spell, but don't.Likewise, there are problems with replication spells.In Fire Sea, Haplo and Alfred use such a spell to replicate enough food for a large group of people.Yet, in this book, no one seems to consider using a replication spell to produce more of some food.But, later on, those same people are using that same spell to replicate weapons.Plus, at one point, Xar uses a spell to just materialize both food and drink for a party.But, if such a thing is possible, why do the Patryns hunt and, apparently, farm in the Labyrinth?Also, the size of the Labyrinth seems wrong.From the previous books, it's taken hundreds (if not thousands) of years for various Patryns to traverse the hundreds of Gates in the Labryrinth.Yet, in this book, from the very beginning of the Labyrinth they can see the results of things happening at the Final Gate.There's also the problem of how people at the center of the Labyrinth would know anything about the Final Gate.

Vol. 7 -- Seventh Gate:This is the conclusion of the Death Gate series.Unforunately, I didn't much care for it.Basically, it comes across as being pretty sappy.All of a sudden, Haplo and Alfred are best buds and want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.Most of the various threads are tied up adequately (if not very satifyingly).But, the sudden push towards liberal "peace, love, and harmony" is trite.Of the seven books in this series, this one is the least good.Once again, I didn't much care for the tone of this book.But, since it adequatly ties up most everything that needed tying up, I'm not going to downgrade the whole series because of that.

Chelestra, the Water World
I liked this book because I got a close up look at the Sartans who had sundered the world and enjoyed the character development of the dwarven main characters, Grundle the tough female dwarf being my favorite.

The giant dragon-snakes were introduced here and it was in this world that Alfred showed some potential as the Serpent Mage.

Chelestra's realms are now being flooded by the dragon-snakes who wish to escape Chelestra through the Death Gate to reek havoc in the other realms as they have done in Chelestra. Haplo has been imprisoned by the Sartans but because of the flood can now escape and travel back through the Death Gate, hopefully to convince Xar that he is not a trader and to warn him about the dragon-snakes.He also has a desire to find and help Alfred some how.

Alfred and his lover had been at first imprisoned by Samah in Chelestra because Alfred had found out Samah had lied about being aware of the higher power that could have prevented the sundering of their world, and feeling threatened that Alfred had this knowledge, had thrown Alfred and Orla into the Labyrinth.

The strange properties of the water in Chelestra canceled out Patryn rune magic and Sartan mind magic which I found an interesting development.

We also look in on Bane, the nasty widdle kid Xar found potential in and who now calls Xar Grandfather and Hugh the Hand, an assisin hired to kill Bane.Hugh now only wants his own true death and is looking for the only one who can give it to him, Alfred, an exceptional necromancer who had raised him from the dead giving him a strange and intolerable kind of immortality; he could die in a sense, feeling all the pain and suffering of his death only to be ressurected and with an added, sneaky twist...he can no longer kill."A hell of a note for an assisin" he said.Things get complicated when Bane's mother, Iridal, and the woman Hugh loves, shows up wanting to hire him to find Bane who is being held by the elves.

This was yet another well-done book in the series. ... Read more

Book Description
There exists a limbo realm where the cost of admission is death! Here a new battlefield is populated by the most powerful and fearsome martial artists the world has ever known. Time holds little importance as fighters from many eras and periods of history - living or deceased share the same timeline. This is the playing field for SNK vs. Capcom! In this final volume of SVC Chaos, do Kyo and Ryu have any possibility of winning when they're facing the greatest power of the universe - Akuma and Mr. Karate! ... Read more

Book Description
The life and work of those who guard our borders

As the 110,000 residents of McAllen, Texas, sleep soundly, a small number of U.S. Border Patrol agents wait in dark shadows on the northern bank of the Rio Grande. Those thinly spread watchers are the first line of defense against a chaotic tide of undocumented workers struggling to cross the river to El Norte and small, fiercely determined groups of drug smugglers with huge sums of money at stake.

Patrolling Chaos is based on extensive ethnographic field work focusing on one station of three hundred agents over a two-year period. It follows twelve typical agents, men and women, as they go about their regular ten-hour patrols along the border. It describes the daily challenges and risks they face and the perspectives and insights they hold as a result of their extensive, first-hand experience with the hard realities of immigration policy, the war on drugs, and the threat of terrorist infiltration.

Robert Lee Maril writes about the surveillance and apprehension of thousands of undocumented workers, drug interdictions involving huge quantities of marijuana and cocaine, the deaths of illegal immigrants by drowning and as a result of high-speed chases, corruption among law enforcers, and other events that shape the work lives of agents. The book also describes the impact of the 9/11 attacks on border security and on the personal lives of the agents and their families.

This account of the world of U.S. Border Patrol agents will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of our border with Mexico, the people and the resources of the borderlands, the constant flow of illegal immigrants and drugs, and new challenges confronting the enforcement of laws and policy in light of international terrorism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The insights are clear, hard-hitting and document border patrol encounters and issues alike.
Any interested in border issues, especially since it's been in the newspapers as headlines lately, must have PATROLLING CHAOS: THE U.S. BORDER PATROL IN DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. An initial glance might deem it a specialty item for either college-level holdings or Southern libraries - but it's also a recommended pick for any general-interest collection strong in immigration issues. Chapters focus on one station of the three hundred Border Patrol agents over a tw--year period, following twelve typical men and women as they conduct their ten-hour border patrols. The insights are clear, hard-hitting and document border patrol encounters and issues alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Book Description

"Jean-Claude Izzo's . . . growing literary renown and huge sales are leading to a recognizable new trend in continental fiction: the rise of the sophisticated Mediterranean thriller. . . . Caught between pride and crime, racism and fraternity, tragedy and light, messy urbanization and generous beauty, the city for [detective Fabio Montale] is a Utopia, an ultimate port of call for exiles. There, he is torn between fatalism and revolt, despair and sensualism."-The Economist

Customer Reviews (6)

A Mediterranean city is really my culture
Zinedine Zidane

Jean-Claude Izzo, like French footballer Zidane, is a native of Marseilles.He was born in Marseille in 1945.Because he was the son of Spanish and Italian immigrants, Izzo was streamed into vocational school where he trained to be a lathe operator. After serving in the military he returned to Marseilles where he eventually turned to writing.His books have been remarkably successful in France and have been the subject of films and t.v. shows.He died, at age 54, in Marseilles.

"Total Chaos" is the first volume in the aptly-named "Marseilles Trilogy".The second, Chourmo, and third, Solea (Marseilles Trilogy)complete the triloy.There are two primary characters in Total Chaos.The first is Fabio Montale.Montale is a cop.The child of immigrants, Montale had a hard life growing up on Marseilles' mean streets. He ran with a "bad-crowd" a crowd that included the two friends. Manu and Ugu, with whom he shared a bond cemented by petty thefts and days spent in an around the harbor.There is also the girl, Lole, who they all loved in one way or the other.Montale escaped his childhood, joined the army and ended up a cop. The others never left escaped the life they were born into.That life results in Manu and Ugu both being killed. Montale spends the rest of the book seeking answers to the question of who killed Manu and Ugu and why. He is a cop and that is what he does.Montale knows there is no justice in the criminal justice system. He knows that life is nasty brutish and short.He knows that, even as intimate as his feelings for his city are that generations of immigrants to Marseilles from around the world (particularly now from the Middle East) are treated in much the same way as the children of Sicilian immigrants used to be treated.Montale (and Izzo of course) is both cynical and fatalistic but, nevertheless, he plods on.

The other primary character is Marseilles itself.I think it fair to say that Izzo loved his native place.Izzo's love for Marseilles imbues Total Chaos almost to the point of consuming it.However, Izzo's feeling for his city does not preclude his viewing his love through rose-colored glasses.Izzo's love for Marseilles is not the puppy love that a teenager has for his first real girl friend. No, Izzo's feelings are more those of someone who has lasted through a long marriage, who has hurt and been hurt. He sees the flaws and the pain but still can see the beauty and the passion.

I very much enjoyed "Total Chaos".This is noir, Marseilles style.While Izzo is a bit more expansive in terms of setting out in print the thoughts and feelings of his characters than a Georges Simenon for example, he does not get excessively florid. He is terser than most and that is to his credit.Izzo also provides some nice atmospherics.His references to both food (its preparation and its consumption) and to music (Montale's taste in jazz and music in general s both provocative and scene-setting) add some very nice touches to the writing.At the end of the day I think a reader's feeling about Total Chaos will depend on whether or not they like the idea of a city playing a central role in the story.It worked for me.Izzo does a remarkably good job of giving the reader a sense of place. You can almost feel the dark streets and smell the aromas of the cafes in the harbor as you read the book.In that sense Total Chaos reminded me of Naguib Mahfouz's The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street (Everyman's Library) which left me feeling I'd actually been to the alleys in Cairo Mahouz wrote about with such passion. Comparing any writer to Mahfouz is higih praise.

Highly recommended. L. Fleisig

Superb trilogy
Total Chaos is the first installment of the Marseilles Trilogy and is the best.Izzo's storytelling of immigration's impact to Marseilles is just spot on.

Hats off to Howard Curtis for his flawless translation evident in the fluidity of all three books.

Makes you wish Izzo were still alive to write more of these.

Gritty noir with a sentimental twist
You want gritty noir with a sentimental twist? You've got it! This is the first volume in a masterful trilogy by French author Jean-Claude Izzo (unfortunately deceased). Taking place in and around Marseilles this story involves a retired cop, French mafia, North African immigrants and more. The main character, the retired cop Fabio Montale himself the son of Italian immigrants, has to deal with the death of a friend as well as unresolved childhood issues. While doing this he introduces us to Marseilles and we can almost smell the sea, the "pistou" soup and the mandatory pastis apéritif. The feelings are strong, the story is hard and people are hurt. If you like this book keep an eye out for volumes 2 and 3 of the trilogy which have now been published in English.The French title: "Total Khéops" comes from a Marseilles rap group called IAM. Highly recommended!

Atmospheric but uncompelling
Picked this up on the strength of the reviews and in light of a general interest in police procedurals. The fact that the book was written by a French