History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Feudal Society, Volume 2: Social Classes and Political Organization

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A review by a non-historian
The Evolution of Feudalism
Ian Myles Slater on: A Modern Classic, Not Yet Out-Moded
Feudalism as a social type
On the top ten list for medieval studies

Feudal Society, Volume 2: Social Classes and Political Organization
Marc Bloch
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0226059790

Book Description

"Few have set themselves to the formidable task of reconstructing and analyzing a whole human environment; fewer still have succeeded. Bloch dared to do this and was successful; therein lies the enduring achievement of Feudal Society."—Charles Garside, Yale Review

Customer Reviews:

A review by a non-historian.......2006-12-03

I read this book for a contemporary historiography class. As has been told by other reviewers, Marc Bloch is the founder (together with Lucien Febvre) of the Annales school. As a non-historian, I won't comment on its importance for historiography, but as a very valuable read for non-historians who want to understand the history of Western civilization reading the best books that have been written on the subject. This is my first book on the middle-ages and, although it took me quite a while to finish it (about a month) and it is definitively not an easy read, since it is an extraordinarily erudite work, it is a very worthwhile read. It provides a fairly good picture of how the feudal society developed after the Hungarian, Muslim, and Scandinavian invasions, which allowed it to flourish. I would point out two basic concepts that were of particular interest to me (although not explicit in the text). First, the concept of sovereignty. It is particularly interesting visually, since land was divided among an infinite number of lords as a bottom-up chain starting from the lowest peasant through the prince or monarch. So land belonged to everyone and to no one at the same time. This is a very original idea of sovereignty, rather opposite to modern sovereignty. The second concept is that of the "hommage", which I would call contract. The hommage between serf and lord was not that of subordination entirely, but it was neither that of equals--such as the contracts of the bourgoisie were, that we can trace back to the XIIth century, and personally I was moved by Bloch's analyses of this first contract among equals--, and it was originally voluntary. According to Bloch, this hommage influenced many other contracts we know of, namely marriage, courtois love, and even representative parliamentary governments.
To conclude with, I would say that my historiography teacher told me this is the best work on the middle-ages, so I decided to read it, and it wasn't easy, it took me a while, but it was very rewarding. I don't recommend it for people who don't read a lot, but if you enjoy history and want to know what the feudal society was all about, this is a very rewading book as an introduction to the middle-ages. I strongly recommend it.

The Evolution of Feudalism.......2005-06-02

Certainly an undeniable classic in the field of "history of the middle ages". As other reviewers have already noted, Bloch was one of the initial members of what grew to become the "annales" school of western history, though, to be fair, he died before you could call it a "school" or "movement".

Volume one of the two volume set looks at the growth of feudalism in western society, and by western I'm talking about Northern France, Western Germany, England and Northern Italy. Bloch's main concern in this volume is setting the conditions which led to the developmen of feudalism from 800 AD to 1000 AD and then describing the various forms that feudalism took.

The book is well translated, and I found it hard to argue with much of the thesis. I too have read Norman Cantor's "the Making of the Middle Ages" where he calls Bloch a Marxist (and maligns the entire Annales school). I've also read more recent productions from the Annales school. I have to say, based on this particular book, I don't really see where Bloch is a)romanticizing the peasant (another Cantor criticism) or b) a marxist.

It seemed to me that Bloch's explanation for the growth of feudalism was, basically, that central government decayed to the point where various muck a mucks needed to find an alternative way to "rally the troops" in the face of frequent small to mid size invasions. Feudalism, with its emphasis on individual obligation and quid pro pro, was an attempt to remedy the lack of communication over long distances and lack of central authority.

The peasants didn't really figure in this book at all, except near the end. Certainly, one wouldn't accuse this book of being filled with marxist/post-modern/decontructionist gobbeldy gook. This is a must read for those interested in the field, especially lay men.

Ian Myles Slater on: A Modern Classic, Not Yet Out-Moded.......2005-01-28

I suppose I should be of two minds about Marc Bloch's "Feudal Society," a French work from the late 1930s which became available in English in the early 1960s, and was still fresh and exciting back when I was taking a freshman course on "Western Civilization." In theory, the book (and it is one book, although published in paperback in two volumes) has two major drawbacks. In practice, I find it solid, admirable, and well worth reading.

One drawback is the author's romantic glorification of the medieval peasant -- Norman Cantor has called attention to this in his "Inventing the Middle Ages," pointing out that Bloch gave it Marxist trappings. I call it romantic because I suspect that Bloch owed at least as much to Jules Michelet's nineteenth-century historiography, initially with a veneer of "science" added. Of course, Bloch actually went out and did fundamental work in the archives, and tried to get a real picture of how, in the long term, life had been lived by ordinary people, instead of relying on Michelet-style suppositions. (Yes, Bloch's "Annales" school is supposed to be the antithesis of the enthusiastic Michelet; but, while Bloch established its methodology in reaction to existing approaches, in Bloch's last book "The Historian's Craft," Michelet is still among "our great forebears.")

The second is the concept of "Feudalism" itself, which these days makes anyone with a serious background in medieval studies very uncomfortable. A very good case can be made that "Feudalism" is largely a set of modern constructs, re-invented several times since the sixteenth century to suit different legal, political, and social purposes, and presented as an "Historic Fact" alongside contemporary and later "discoveries" such as "Anglo-Saxon Liberty," "The Norman Yoke," and "Our Ancestors the Gauls." (A short, pointed, introduction to one aspect of the problem is J.G.A. Pocock's "The Ancient Constitution and the Feudal Law: A Study of English Historical Thought in the Seventeenth Century.")

If it means anything for modern-day historians, the term applies to how control of land, and its revenue, was linked to social status, political authority, judicial functions, and reciprocal military obligations -- a large, messy, topic. So the feeling is growing that the word is best avoided, as carrying too much baggage, and too likely to be invoked as a substitute for thought.

Indeed, as picked up by Karl Marx, Feudalism, equated largely with landlord-tenant agriculture instead of sub-divided political and judicial authority, became a theoretical concept to be applied to a variety of extra-European societies, as a stage in an inevitable social evolution. In this role, it produced, or at least became a part of, bitter, and literally murderous, disputes over the nature of Russian and Chinese society, among others.

Even with all this in mind, and many years after first reading it, I find Bloch's emphasis on the material basis of medieval society refreshing, and think that he carried it out with reasonable consistency. Whatever his agenda, he went looking for real data, and adjusted theory to match it, which is where he parts company with both Michelet and Marx. That later work has revealed a more complex, and in some ways different, picture does not discredit his effort. And having the hardworking peasant as a sort of collective hero helps hold together discussions of things like field rotation, strip cultivation, and plough-teams, which most readers will not find all that gripping on their own.

More important, in some ways, Bloch presented feudal *society* -- not some imaginary entity called "Feudalism" or "The Feudal System" -- as a whole set of ways of ordering people and institutions, and making resources available to various parts of a diversified ruling class. The unsystematic nature of actuality is not denied, but it is classified in terms of common elements.

This getting down to practical realities may not sound so impressive, but a couple of generations of scholars had been smacking each other over the head (in this case, figuratively) in an argument of whether "Feudalism" was *really* Roman or Germanic, with partisan sub-divisions on whether either origin was a Good Thing or a Bad Thing. Somehow, figuring out how it worked had seemed less important than what Mircea Eliade called "The Prestige of Origins" -- a form of mythical thought as much as a topic of historical research.

So instead of a broad theory of a single "origin," we get "The Growth of Ties of Dependence" (volume one of the paperback edition), followed by "Social Classes and Political Organization," showing the extent to which the pattern of rural hierarchies did, or did not, carry over into "higher" or "more advanced" developments.

Although probably much more accurate for France than for other parts of Europe, and for some centuries more than others, the book does manage to present a (by and large) convincing picture of how Europe re-organized itself between the collapse of Rome and the High Middle Ages. A reminder of the people who made it all possible, but were usually left out of the chronicles, and certainly are missing from most of the chansons de geste and romances, is not a bad basis for a book.

Still, largely for reasons of documentation, Bloch is sometimes rather better at explaining how the military aristocracy was supported, than at presenting the daily lives of the people who were doing the work. His analysis of how some knights and officials had "fiefs" which were simply stipends, or even what we might consider cafeteria privileges, is an interesting sidelight to "life on a medieval manor" approaches. It also reveals that methods of supporting the clergy and the nobility were not all that different, which shouldn't be a big surprise, given the limited options available.

So I continue to think of Bloch's "Feudal Society" as a valuable contribution, to be read and pondered, although not taken at face value, by anyone seriously interested in medieval European society, or supposedly comparable systems elsewhere. Since it has also generated a half-century of follow-ups, attacks, and defenses, it is also a good book to have read as part of getting acquainted with a wider literature.

Feudalism as a social type.......2002-07-15

This book might be the most widely read among Bloch¡¯s works who is the pioneer of Annal school. This book typifies the methodology of Annal school. History as a science took off in the 19th century. But Bloch argued that it was not history but just chronicles of events and political episodes. Bloch posed the fundamental questions: ¡®What is the history?¡¯ and ¡®What does history serve for?¡¯ To be a science, the object of history should be not the particular but the universal. Bloch did not think the universal law is possible in history. Then, the object of historical research should be the relation which may refer not to the law but to structure. This structure sets the boundary (or in Braudel¡¯s word, the possible and the impossible) on the everyday life, and has the not-so-easily changeable long-term duration (or in Braudel¡¯s term, longue duree). Whereas Braudel¡¯s trilogy, ¡®Civilization and Capitalism¡¯ is about the capitalism as longue duree (for more detail, see my reviews on those volumes), Bloch¡¯s ¡®Feudal Society¡¯ is about the feudalism as longue duree.
Marxists and others maintained the feudalism originated from the sudden and violent collision between Roman society and German society. It¡¯s the child born from the violent and coercive marriage. But Bloch argues that resulting form of feudalism had its origin not directly in German invasion but in subsequent invasions of the Moslem, the Norman, and the Hungarian. These added up to the uncontrollable chaos all over Western Europe, and ended in the collapse of effective ruling of the state. Feudal system as we know emerged in this stalemate which Frank empire and other states of the time faced. State apparatus could not be maintained for state could not pay bureaucrats salary. Frank empire pioneered the alternative system which was later known as feudalism. What characterizes feudalism is the unique social type based on the principle of subordination and custody. The principle is similar to the patron/client relationship of Roman age. But feudal one is based on the principle of contract which is premised on reciprocity. Put another way, feudalism is the network of reciprocal relationship of rights and responsibility from king to serf. Ruling class could not wield power over serf in unilateral way. In this vein, feudal system is both social (between classes) and political (among ruling class) relationships. Bloch maintained this relationship should be called as feudalism. It¡¯s a social type which is not limited to the economic terrain as Marxists argued.

On the top ten list for medieval studies.......2002-07-13

Bloch's work is one of the ten most important and influential books on medieval Europe. Bloch displays true excellence in sholarship and narration. Nothing is stated without factual documentation to support it, and no information is carried beyond its logical conclusions. It is essential to read this two volume work before moving too deeply into medieval studies. Combine this work with Strayer's Feudalism (out of print, unfortunately) and you will have a good understanding of what society was like in a good portion of the Middle Ages.

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Well written explination of Japanese Feudalism
Well Presented

Feudalism In Japan
Peter Duus
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0070184127

Book Description

This book offers a systematic comparison between Japanese and Western political institutions in the premodern period. It offers a brief discussion of the meaning and significance of the term Feudalism, and it suggests ways in which the term might be used for explorations in comparative history. Because of its brevity, it can be used as one of many paper backs in the premodern Japanese history course, or as background reading for courses on modern Japanese history and modern Japanese politics. Given its comparative approach, it can also be used as supplement in Western or world civilization course.

Customer Reviews:

Well written explination of Japanese Feudalism.......2003-11-29

I read this book for a class entitled, "The History of East Asia before 1800." This book details from 6th century Japan up until the Meiji Restoration. The epilogue contains some useful insights into modern Japanese culture.

It's very well written, and outlines the rise and fall of Japanese Feudalism. To be sure, it's a broad overview of the rise and fall of Japanese Feudalism. It covers the broader details, and paints a good historical view of Japan.

Well Presented.......2003-01-26

Concise,well presented view of the dynamics of Japanese Fuedal structures.

Warrior Rule in Japan (Cambridge History of Japan)

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Excellent book on medieval Japan
Wow what a price!
Serious book on Institutional History of Bakufu (Shogunate)
A great thorough Sengoku Jidai book
A thorough book

Warrior Rule in Japan (Cambridge History of Japan)
Marius Jansen
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521484049

Book Description

Japan was ruled by warriors for the better part of a millennium. From the twelfth to the nineteenth century its political history was dominated by the struggle of competing leagues of fighting men. This volume, comprised of chapters taken from Volumes 3 and 4 of The Cambridge History of Japan, traces the institutional development of warrior rule and dominance. Although samurai influence waned with the development of constitutional government, warrior values remained central to the ethical code of modern Japan.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book on medieval Japan.......2004-06-14

This book is a must buy for those who are interested in medieval Japan, but can not afford the Cambridge History of Japan. This book consists of a articles written by such luminaries as Jeffrey Mass and John Whitney Hall. Taken together, their articles trace the political history of Japan from the Genpei War to the formation of the Bakuhan system under the Tokugawa. Essentially, it traces the political eveolution of medieval Japan.

Wow what a price!.......2002-09-22

Don't be shocked of the thickness of the book. I still have my (paperback) copy from '95,and flipped when I saw the price on Amazon.Com. Exellent book,and very deep and thorough information on (Sengoku Jidai era) 16th century Japanese history. This book is for the serious history student,and I mean money no object. Book talks about the military government of Kamakura, Muromachi, and Edo Bakufu's.

Serious book on Institutional History of Bakufu (Shogunate).......2001-09-07

Warrior rule in Japan is a compilation of essays by well-known authors on history of Japan: Jeffrey P. Mass, Ishii Susumi, John Whitney Hall and Harold Bolitho. This is a serious academic book on history of institutional development of Bakufu (the warrior government, or, as it is widely known, the Shogunate) in Japan from the times of Minamoto Yoritomo through Tokugawa Bakufu). In contrast to books by, for example Steven Turnbull, who wrote extensively on military strategies, tactics, campaigns and concentrated among other things on personalities of samurai leaders, this author goes into the in-depth analysis of the development of Bakufu as an institution and describes governance of Japanese society, gives some insight into economic and judicial powers of its branches.

"Warrior rule" is a serious reading for a serious scholar. Due to abundance of Japanese terms, it is not easy to read. However, without getting an exposure to the subject of this book, it is not possible to understand, what really stood behind many military campaigns and moves famous people of those turbulent times and feel the atmosphere of samurai age. The life of famous daimyo was not 100 per cent war, but also administration, politics, influence, economics, rituals, law and justice.

In addition, Harold Bolitho provides a general outline of the concept of Han, or local government, or the government of a daimyo, his area of administration and source of power and structure of loyalties. One learns here concepts of local samurai, fudai (or hereditary retainers, although this concept is quite described by other authors as well), shugo, jito and other concepts necessary to learn history of this legendary age.

A great thorough Sengoku Jidai book.......2000-08-01

This is a great alternative for those who wants to get the extensive "The Cambridge History of Japan Vol.3" Most of the contents were culled from the later. I find this book very helpful, and concise. It offers alot of good information of the Kamakura Bakufu and the invasion of the Mongols. Plus it's priced moderately. A must for students of the Sengoku Jidai.

A thorough book.......2000-07-31

This book is best suited for readers looking into specific topics of the vast Japanese Medieval history. For those, who is looking for another affordable alternative to the excellent "Cambridge History of Japan" series, I would recommend this book. It devotes a section to the Mongol Invasion and the Decline and Fall of the Kamakura Bakufu. This was culled from the Cambridge History of Japan and is very informative. The book is thorough and it should be among your collection of Sengoku Jidai books.

Conqueror's Moon (The Boreal Moon Tale, Book 1)

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Saddened by a fading Julian May
To the "yawning" critics, I say go piffle yerself!
May should go back to the Pliocene!
Yawn.
Strong writing overcomes unsympathetic characters

Conqueror's Moon (The Boreal Moon Tale, Book 1)
Julian May
Manufacturer: Ace Hardcover
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0441011322
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Book Description

From Julian May, author of The Many-Colored Land and one of the world's most original and imaginative fantasy writers, comes an all-new saga of a land beyond the horizon, where the quest for power is eternal, where magic and mystery are feared above all, and one man sought to reign...

Prince Conrig of Cathra-who waits patiently as his father the king wastes slowly away-has hatched a plan in league with his lover, the seductive sorceress Princess Ullanoth of Moss. And if their secret alliance succeeds in its goal, the warring kingdoms of High Blenholm will be united once and for all-under the iron hand of one supreme rule...

Customer Reviews:

Saddened by a fading Julian May.......2006-09-30

For years, Julian May was my favorite author. Her Pliocene Exile tetralogy remains the pinnacle of epic fiction in my mind. I enjoyed the Galactic Milieu tetralogy as well, and attributed some of my small disappointment to the sheer scope of the tale. Finally, the Rampart Worlds was entertaining, tongue-in-cheek with fleeting moments of the type of musical prose that had enraptured me with her writing years before. But now... now I must admit that I think Ms. May is fading from her peak.

While Conqueror's Moon was a solid work from the genre perspective, she fell far short of my lofty expectations. She's a good writer, that much is certain. Better by far than Jordan or Goodkind or Newcombe... and there is always the possibility that her editors have hacked and slashed some of her narrative. But her "decline" is not dis-similar to that of Terry Brooks'. "The Sword of Shannara" was fine, lively, colorful writing. Subsequent books, while perhaps more intriguing from a conceptual and storytelling standpoint, lost the magical descriptions and mood-setting narrative of his first work. He succumbed, IMO, to the commercial muse.

May's latest work is not that corrupt. The world is interesting, original. The magic is fresh and new (for the genre-- although I can't help thinking it is the watered-down "fantasy" version of the space opera metapsychics from her Pliocene and Milieu series). But the storyline is fairly ordinary otherwise, and her characters (usually one of her great strengths) are quite uninteresting, almost cardboard thin. There is little evolution in them, little growth in this first book... They just are, and static, and not that interesting.

Moreover, the music is seemingly gone. In her "Pliocene Companion" May was interviewed as saying that she heard music in her head when she wrote-- different pieces that helped her feel the mood of the scene in the book she was writing at the time. I could tell what she meant when I read it. Her words were Joycean-- they reached out and stimulated all five senses in harmonious rapture. Not so, anymore. For the genre, her prose remains above-average, but without an enthralling storyline, this book is just OK.

It's good enough to finish. I'm steadily making my way through the second book, "Ironcrown Moon" as we speak. I've been on a fantasy binge of late-- seven other books, most of which I'll not review. I lament that the Julian May of old has not been rekindled thus far here.

If you were looking for a synopsis in this review, I apologize. To me, this book was more about the author than the story. I guess that really says it all about this book.

To the "yawning" critics, I say go piffle yerself!.......2005-09-18

Egad,

If I could only get one good cudgel swing at every critic out there w/ little to no support for their worthless opines...

Folks, May is the "real deal": Her plotting is tight, her characters are fun (and flawed), and her dialog is very good (and often funny!) As others have mentioned, the magic "system" in this book is one of the best, period. Finally -- and so FEW of her contemporaries seem to be able to do this -- this is not another trite GoooD vs EeevilL tome. That's right, May is capable of creating sympathetic characters on both (even many!) sides of a conflict. This was one of the many virtues of her Many Colored Land series -- one of the most underrated sci-fi/fantasy series of all time.

I take away one star from this tale because the main character does come off a little contrived (particularly in the beginning), and quite frankly, I couldn't stand his name. Other than that, bloody good fun. I wish I could write one-tenth as well.

May should go back to the Pliocene!.......2004-08-24

This novel had a fascinating world and an intriguing system of magic and sorcery.

But the story itself was weak, and the characters uninteresting.

I've read and loved everything else May has written, but this series just stinks to high heaven.

Yawn........2004-03-28

Boring, contrived, simple and uninteresting. I could not wait for this book to end and won't be purchasing the sequal.

To my chagrin, yet another orphan boy with great powers tale. Yawn. The entire book had exactly zero characters that I enjoyed. In fact, I was hoping that they would all die at the end and May would reboot the entire series. Maybe that would have caused me to think about picking up book 2.

Folks below wrote that this book was well written, and that May is a "world builder". I didn't see any of it. World building is Erikson and Martin. Read those.

Strong writing overcomes unsympathetic characters.......2004-03-08

When Didion not only rejected Cathra's claim of sovereignty, it executed the ambassadors, Prince Conrig of Cathra decides to claim the sovereignty by force. Of course, there's the little matter of getting an army across the high and well-defended mountains that separate the two nations, but Conrig has a plan for that--a plan based on the magical powers of the beautiful Princess Ullanoth. In return, she asks his support in her plans to be the next Queen of her own kingdom and plenty of money. Of course, a more fertile relationship isn't to be ruled out either--if Conrig's current wife can be dealt with.

Conrig's plans would have failed quickly if not for the efforts of a young servant--Snudge. Snudge has a wild magical talent--one that even practiced mages cannot detect. The talent allows him to detect enemies spying on the prince--and track them to their hiding places. On one spy he discovers a stone that allows invisibility--a powerful tool for a spy or for a commando.

Author Julian May offers a fascinating world and magical system. The political infighting and backbiting all ring true. Unlike much fantasy, May doesn't portray a battle of good against evil. All of the major characters, with the possible exception of the thief/spy Snudge, are morally ambivalent. Cathra's desire to conquer its neighbor may have been motivated by Didion's murder of the ambassadors, but Conrig would have attempted the conquest without the excuse. Although May's world is more real as a result of this decision, it also distances the reader from the action. Since we don't really like any of the characters (again with the possible exception of Snudge), it is hard to care too much whether Conrig's military adventure is successful or not.

The sympathetic character of Snudge and May's strong writing work, however. I found myself getting emeshed in the story and wanting to find out what would happen next--even when I found the characters largely unsympthetic.

Average customer rating:

I Have the Columbia University Translation, But I Recommend The Story in Any Edition

Only the Hardcover edition is available; good for you!

A true classic that is actually fun to read!

The Scholars
Wu Ching-Tzu
Manufacturer: Foreign Languages Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 7119012134

Book Description

An eighteenth-century satire, it is outstanding among Chinese classic novels. The author mercilessly exposes the decadence of the literati produced by the feudal examination system, the disastrous effects of that institution, the corruption of the feudal regime, and the darkness of the feudal society. The Yangs are also the translators of the most famous Chinese classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions. Illustrated

Customer Reviews:

I Have the Columbia University Translation, But I Recommend The Story in Any Edition.......2007-07-18

I have just begun reading, but I am totally encapitvatd. This is a very amusing tale, rather in the humorous spirit of "Journey to the West" (another which I've only just begun reading), and I am surprised how enjoyable they are. I was afraid it would be like reading Beowulf or Shakespeare, but the story was quite "modern" for the most part. That's what I want to say about this story: it's social satire and reads very well (likely due to the translation in many ways, no doubt; I have the Columbia University edition, which I suspect may be more lively than the one put out by the Bejing Foreign Languages Press). Reading this story is a wonderful and most educational contrast to learning about classical China in school. History is written by the elite, but this story has an Everyman's sensibility and pokes great fun at Chinese conventions and customs, many of which persist to this day.

Only the Hardcover edition is available; good for you!.......2003-12-23

I must confess that I read with pure, unadulterated JOY this masterful tale of Wu Jingzu. "The Scholars" is an incredible work, and the translation presented here is masterful.

I can add little to the excellent review below. "The Scholars" is a well-crafted satire displaying the virtues (few) and vices (many) of the Confucian scholar-officials of the early Ming dynasty. The tales are often humorous (sometimes, even slapstick), and though many of the conventions will be unknown to the general reader (such as wedding and funeral ceremonies, adoption principles, host-guest relationships, etc.), the gist of the novel cannot be missed.

The good news here is this: now, only the hardcover version (available through FLP, Beijing) is available. This version has nicer paper, and the illustrations are much more clearly rendered (and there is a print-quality rendition of the author to lead off the text). Oh, did I mention that the hardcover version is fifteen dollars less than the paperback? Do yourself a favor and give this excellent collection of tales a try!

A true classic that is actually fun to read!.......2000-12-17

I think it was Mark Twain who said that a classic is a book that everybody wants to *have* read, but that nobody wants to read. The Scholars is an exception to this generalization. It is one of the masterpieces of the Chinese novel, but it is as fun for a contemporary American to read today as it was for Wu Ching-tzu's contemporaries to read in imperial China.

This book is an incisive satire of hypocrisy and corruption among Confucian intellectuals. Although the circumstances of the stories will be unfamiliar to the general reader, this translation supplies supporting material that will help explain the context. And we immediately identify with the cast of characters and their catalogue of vices: arrogant officials, obsequious would-be officials, impoverished students who become exactly like those who exploit them as soon as they are given a chance, etc.

Wu Ching-tzu's worldview is not wholly negative, though. There are characters in this world who have honor. We get the sense that the author believes that the true spirit of Confucianism is very different from the debased institutional form it has taken in his era.

One brilliant but challenging feature of this work is that it is not a simple linear narrative. Wu Ching-tzu weaves the stories of individuals in and out of one another. One storyline will abruptly stop, seemingly abandoned; another storyline will begin; then the characters from the previous storyline will reappear in the new story. This is dazzling narrative, but sometimes a little hard to follow: I recommend that you scrawl some brief notes in the margins or the back of the book so that you can remember who a character is when he or she reappears somewhere down the road. (I did a chart myself.) Believe me, though, it's worth the effort to fully appreciate this book.

Book Description

Contrary to the idea that the United States was liberal from its inception, Orren argues that both capitalism and constitutionalism proceeded upon a remnant of ancient feudalism. This was the common law of master and servant, embedded in the judiciary, cutting off the fundamental area of labor governance from democratic politics. The fully legislative polity that defines the modern liberal state was brought on through the industrial actions of trade unions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and was established with the institutions of collective bargaining under the New Deal. The book represents a reinterpertation of American political development and of the role of the labor movement as a creator of liberalism, not a spoiler of socialism.

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Fantastic Read
All's fine in War and religion, as long as you don't live it

The Worlds of Medieval Europe
Clifford R. Backman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0195121694

Book Description

The Worlds of Medieval Europe updates and revises traditional textbook representations of the Middle Ages by balancing the conventional focus on political affairs, especially those of northern Europe, with equally detailed attention to medieval society as it developed in the Mediterranean. The result is a nuanced portrayal of a multifarious western world that was sharply divided between its northern and southern aspects. By also integrating the histories of the Islamic and Byzantine world into the main narrative, the text brings new life to the continuum of interaction--social, cultural, and intellectual, as well as commercial--that existed among all three societies. In addition, it describes ways in which the medieval Latin West attempted to understand the unified and rational structure of the human cosmos, which they believed existed beneath the observable diversity and disorder of the world. This effort to re-create a human ordering of "unity through diversity" provides an essential key to understanding medieval Europe and the ways in which it regarded and reacted to the worlds around it. The Worlds of Medieval Europe is an ideal text for undergraduate courses in medieval history, Western civilization, the history of Christianity, and Muslim-Christian relations. It also serves as an excellent supplement for courses on the history of a specific country in the medieval period, the history of medieval art, or the history of the European economy.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Read.......2005-08-16

This was not only an INTERESTING history book, but Backman is just a very funny guy and that completely comes across in his writings. The footnotes, typically a skipped portion of my reading, became my favourite details.

The man knows his stuff and likes to engage; there's no reason NOT to read this book.

All's fine in War and religion, as long as you don't live it.......2003-02-11

I'll admit it. I had to read this book for class. But if you think of it as just another textbook, you're sadly mistaken. Backman's ability to catch you off guard and pull you past the standard mythos of the Medieval world makes this book enjoyable and the least likely to put you to sleep of any history text you may be forced to read. Not only does he manage to cover both religious and secular history without having you feel the need to chuck said book at the wall, he manages to poke fun at his topic and put the world into understandable language. How many books have you read admit that a previous quote was christian snobbery and then goes on how the man misquoted anyways? He strips away the stiff grandeur and manages to make history into a story with both events and characters that are relatable, if not a bit humorous. And definiately readable.

So, yes I recommend this book, not only if you're a history major looking for a good text, but someone who wonders what really happened when the world went from order to chaos just 'cause a guy started preaching on a rock.

Average customer rating:
Negotiating Space: Power, Restraint, and Privileges of Immunity in Early Medieval Europe
Barbara H. Rosenwein
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0801485215

Book Description

Why did early medieval kings declare certain properties to be immune from the judicial and fiscal encroachments of their own agents? Did weakness compel them to prohibit their agents from entering these properties, as historians have traditionally believed? In a richly detailed book that will be greeted as a landmark addition to the literature on the Middle Ages, Barbara H. Rosenwein argues that immunities were markers of power. By placing restraints on themselves and their agents, kings demonstrated their authority, affirmed their status, and manipulated the boundaries of sacred space.

Rosenwein transforms our understanding of an institution central to the political and social dynamics of medieval Europe. She reveals how immunities were used by kings and other leaders to forge alliances with the noble families and monastic centers that were central to their power. Generally viewed as unchanging juridical instruments, immunities as they appear here are as fluid and diverse as the disparate social and political conflicts that they at once embody and seek to defuse. Their legacy reverberates in the modern world, where liberal institutions, with their emphasis on state restraint, clash with others that encourage governmental intrusion. The protections against unreasonable searches and seizures provided by English common law and the U.S. Constitution developed in part out of the medieval experience of immunities and the institutions that were elaborated to breach them.

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