Amazon.com
In 2005, two tragedies--the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina--turned CNN reporter Anderson Cooper into a media celebrity. Dispatches from the Edge, Cooper's memoir of "war, disasters and survival," is a brief but powerful chronicle of Cooper's ascent to stardom and his struggle with his own tragedies and demons. Cooper was 10 years old when his father, Wyatt Cooper, died during heart bypass surgery. He was 20 when his beloved older brother, Carter, committed suicide by jumping off his mother's penthouse balcony (his mother, by the way, being Gloria Vanderbilt). The losses profoundly affected Cooper, who fled home after college to work as a freelance journalist for Channel One, the classroom news service. Covering tragedies in far-flung places like Burma, Vietnam, and Somalia, Cooper quickly learned that "as a journalist, no matter ... how respectful you are, part of your brain remains focused on how to capture the horror you see, how to package it, present it to others." Cooper's description of these horrors, from war-ravaged Baghdad to famine-wracked Niger, is poignant but surprisingly unsentimental. In Niger, Cooper writes, he is chagrined, then resigned, when he catches himself looking for the "worst cases" to commit to film. "They die, I live. It's the way of the world," he writes. In the final section of Dispatches, Cooper describes covering Hurricane Katrina, the story that made him famous. The transcript of his showdown with Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu (in which Cooper tells Landrieu people in New Orleans are "ashamed of what is happening in this country right now") is worth the price of admission on its own. Cooper's memoir leaves some questions unanswered--there's frustratingly little about his personal life, for example--but remains a vivid, modest self-portrait by a man who is proving himself to be an admirable, courageous leader in a medium that could use more like him. --Erica C. Barnett
Book Description
Few people have witnessed more scenes of chaos and conflict around the world than Anderson Cooper, whose groundbreaking coverage on CNN has changed the way we watch the news. In this gripping, candid, and remarkably powerful memoir, he offers an unstinting, up-close view of the most harrowing crises of our time, and the profound impact they have had on his life.
After growing up on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Cooper felt a magnetic pull toward the unknown, an attraction to the far corners of the earth. If he could keep moving, and keep exploring, he felt he could stay one step ahead of his past, including the fame surrounding his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, and the tragic early deaths of his father and older brother. As a reporter, the frenetic pace of filing dispatches from war-torn countries, and the danger that came with it, helped him avoid having to look too closely at the pain and loss that was right in front of him.
But recently, during the course of one extraordinary, tumultuous year, it became impossible for him to continue to separate his work from his life, his family's troubled history from the suffering people he met all over the world. From the tsunami in Sri Lanka to the war in Iraq to the starvation in Niger and ultimately to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Mississippi, Cooper gives us a firsthand glimpse of the devastation that takes place, both physically and emotionally, when the normal order of things is violently ruptured on such a massive scale. Cooper had been in his share of life-threatening situations before -- ducking fire on the streets of war-torn Sarejevo, traveling on his own to famine-stricken Somalia, witnessing firsthand the genocide in Rwanda -- but he had never seen human misery quite like this. Writing with vivid memories of his childhood and early career as a roving correspondent, Cooper reveals for the first time how deeply affected he has been by the wars, disasters, and tragedies he has witnessed, and why he continues to be drawn to some of the most perilous places on earth.
Striking, heartfelt, and utterly engrossing, Dispatches from the Edge is an unforgettable memoir that takes us behind the scenes of the cataclysmic events of our age and allows us to see them through the eyes of one of America's most trusted, fearless, and pioneering reporters.
Customer Reviews:
Loved it!.......2007-10-09
Great book and highly recommended. I don't usually finish all books I start, but I loved this one and finished it very fast! I would recommend.
Honest, heartfelt, .......2007-09-29
Anderson Cooper has written some heartwrenching stories, his feelings
that make me feel like I am with him. Revealing his own history,
clearing some of his baggage, makes one want to look into their own.
Clean, well written reading, an excellant auto biography.
I only on page 60 but this book is so good!.......2007-09-25
Hi, I am Rachael, using mom acount (sorry useless information). Anyway awesome book I'm finished with it and I just want to read it again it is so good! He put so much emotion into it and describe the event so well that you can picture everything as you read. For some reason my favorite part of the book that I read to my mom was when about at the end when he was talking about his brother and the question "were you close". Him talking about Katrina and how it affected him, I wouldn't harely put the book down. The book was never boring to me. I love the picture in the middle of the book too. That really cool to do I love the picture of his dad, if you didn't look at that well, you would of thought it was Anderson. He look so much like him and him describing his father passing away. There wasn't a bad thing about the book in my opinion, never boring, kept your attention and kept you reading. Best autobiography ever!
OUTSTANDING .......2007-09-12
I remember watching the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina unfold on TV, I was stunned and couldn't believe it - untill I saw a correspondent on the verge of tears while trying to report what he had to witness, and finally losing it when a US senator tried to sugarcoat the tragedy just to look good on TV.
I had no idea who that reporter was but I remember cheering him on and thinking: Finally there's ONE reporter who doesn't think of his own career first but demands answers, ugly as they may be.
I admit I read a few reviews before I started writing my own one, and the two words that stick out are COMPASSION and COURAGE.
Compassion for the victims and their stories and the courage to tell it like it is and to demand honest answers, no matter who's toes you have to step on to get them.
Anderson Cooper may not realize it, but both traits are really rare these days and set him apart from most reporters - and they shine through every page of his book.
Reading about his family backround only makes him stand out more because given his family's wealth and fame he could easily have lived the meaningless, shallow life of one Paris Hilton...
Instead he chose a very difficult job, one which very few of us "normal" people would be able to stand.
(To be honest, even after reading his own words about the horrors he's experienced I have no idea how he manages keep going and to stay sane.)
After reading the book in one day (I just couldn't stop), if I had to summarize it in one word I'd say: IMPORTANT.
In the world we live in today, books like "Dispatches from the Edge" are important to remind us of what is happening beyond our own yards; and it's important to have people like Anderson Cooper out there, even if we sometimes prefer not to be confronted with the harsh reality.
great read.......2007-08-25
no nonesense story of major events in 2005 told by a sensitive reporter. Very fast and insighful read. He does write like a reporter and can sometimes sound very much like his newscast at times but it's his interactions with the people he meets and his internalization of these events that makes the book. Would highly recommend it.
Book Description
The Star Wars epic continues its dazzling space odyssey in The New Jedi Order–as Luke and Mara, Leia and Han, and others battle the mighty enemy from beyond the galactic rim.
The brutal Yuuzhan Vong are scouring the universe for Jedi to slaughter. With no help from the divided New Republic, the Jedi stand alone against their seemingly invincible foe. Han and Leia Organa Solo risk deadly consequences with their controversial tactics to bolster the Jedi resistance. After uncovering a new Yuuzhan Vong menace, Anakin and Tahiri find themselves wanted for murder by the Peace Brigade. To avoid capture, they jump into hyperspace . . . and into trouble far graver.
Hunted by the Yuuzhan Vong, wanted as criminals by the New Republic, and with unrest stirring within their own ranks, the Jedi find peril everywhere they turn. But even in the midst of despair, while the most fiercest battle of all looms on the horizon, hope arises with the birth of one very special child. . . .
Customer Reviews:
The New Jedi Order continues to impress.......2007-09-14
Rebirth is the eighth volume in the massive New Jedi Order saga, and the second book in author Greg Keyes' Edge of Victory duology. Unlike the first book (Edge of Victory I: Conquest (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, Book 7)), which was primarily focused on Anakin Solo, Rebirth reads more like a classic Star Wars adventure, with different groups of characters off on separate quests yet working towards the same goal.
Rebirth follows Han, Leia, and Jacen Solo as they embark on a campaign against the Yuuzhan Vong's Peace Brigade collaborators. At the same time, Anakin Solo, Tahiri, and Corran Horn infiltrate a Yuuzhan Vong invasion force to try and stop the next planetary conquest. Jaina Solo teams up with Kyp Durron and Rogue Squadron to take out what can only be the Yuuzhan Vong equivalent of the Death Star. As these conflicts occur, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker must battle for the very existence of their unborn son. Rebirth also marks the return of the mysterious Vergere to the NJO storyline.
Despite the numerous subplots, Keyes weaves them all together quite skillfully, showing both a real understanding of what makes this diverse cast of characters tick as well as the ability to tell a great story. He also continues to give readers a better understanding of the Yuuzhan Vong invaders, further developing characters like Nom Anor (don't you just love to hate this guy?), Nen Yim, and introducing (finally) Supreme Overlord Shimmra.
This is the second of two exceptional books by Greg Keyes. I think Conquest was a better book overall, but Rebirth is as good if not better than any other book (so far) in the NJO series.
One of the Best of the New Jedi Order.......2007-03-23
Greg Keyes' Edge of Victory II: Rebirth is one of, if not the,best of the New Jedi Order novels. It featured strong writing, a good storyline, a wider focus than its predecessor and was also very important to the storyline.
First, I want to discuss the quality of the Greg Keyes' writing. One of the greatest flaws with the massive collection of Star Wars novels on the shelf today is that the writing is inferior. The novels tend to rely on famous and popular characters and, with some exceptions such as Timothy Zahn and Michael Stackpole, tend to push quality writing aside. Star Wars novels may be written well enough for children but the actual merit of the writing will disappoint most adult readers. However, Greg Keyes' novels are a huge exception to this rule. He writes extremely well. His narration is top notch and his dialog is snappy and realistic. His writing is intelligent and engaging and pretty out of the norm for Star Wars novels.
Although Rebirth focuses heavily on Anakin Solo as its predecessor Conquest did, Rebirth widens its focus to include more of the galactic war. Keyes managed to make me like Anakin, even though the young Jedi was still portrayed as a way-too strong and intelligent young Jedi. I have always thought that Anakin was one of the weakest parts of the New Jedi Order series. He was too powerful, too-smart, he learned too quickly and adapted way too well. Aside from youthful overconfidence, he was an utterly perfect character, which lends an air of unrealism to the series. But Keyes works hard to make Anakin more human, even if he does not make any strides towards limiting Anakin's power.
The plot is rather typical of the New Jedi Order. Luke, Leia, Han and Mara are trying to rally the Jedi who are becoming more divided as pressure from the New Republic and the Yuuzhan Vong cause them to reach their breaking point. Despite the many redeeming qualities of this book, it is not a particularly important one, from the point of plot-advancement. However, it offers excellent character development and a solid build up for the next novel in the New Jedi Order series, Star by Star, which is probably the most important in the series.
edge of victory is great.......2006-08-02
Greg keyes did a good book he finally gave luke his son,Anakin is growing stronger and the battle with the yuuzhan vong continues,and thanks to mara's baby she is saved ,Han and leia were not mentioned much in this book and the Jacen Danni relation ship was over though it would have been good to become fruitful overall this is a great book read it and read the whole njo installment it's really good
#8.......2006-05-03
this is one of the best books of the first 8.a lot is going on in this one for such a short book.the republic want the jedis in exile.luke is on the run so as not to be arrested.his "unsactioned military actions" were acryaly the rescue and relocation of thousands of slaves.luke decides the jedi,being wothout friends,should band together like in the long long ago.the bounty hinyers going after the jedi are gargantuan so they randomly jump through hyperspace without rhyme or reason to avoid capture.mara jade skywalker finaly lets luke help her fight off the disease that is killing her to better save thier unborn child.jaona solo struggles with her place in rogue sqaudrin as it is hard on her.mara jade and lukes method works and she has a baby boy they named ben after obee who called himself ben while in exile.the peace brigade kill a jedi named kelbis nu.however anakan and tahiri chase them off before they can kill more jedi.anakan and tahoti are arrested as local police think they did it.jacens older brother and father could barely take down one gammorrean.[anakan once took 4 on alone].han,jacen and leia take the millenium falcon up and chase down the peace brigade and a big battle ensues.jacen decides to use thr force freely again after a important character from the movies gets thier legs hacked up and he needed it.jacen gets a crush on a 40 year old twi'lek[blue chick with tentacles for hair].anakan,the always busy builds remote droids that fight like the vong to pracrice against.although he has visions of tahiri going evil he treats her no different.anakan saved corrans life[a master jedi].soon enough they are in the space battle too.bad news for the vong as their world ships are getting old.a story is told of the reckless kyp durron once blowing up a planet a week after becoming a jedi.wedge antilles comes out of retirement and into the space fight too.kyp and jaina flirt a lot despite shes nor even legal at 17 and hes like 40.she is almost killed but not scared.however by books end she tells kyp "of you were dying of dehydration on tatoonie i wouldnt spit on you".so either thier courting is off or she really likes him.the vong sacrifice thousands of people a day to thier gods.dissention finaly breaks in the high levels of the vong.since they embrace death they use kamikaze type methods to fight with sometimes.a new vong female gets into the fray at the end who us some sort of seer.she sees the 8th vortex which only 4 people ever have seen,2 of which were gods and one was told by one of those gods.she predicts"now my shaping truly begins and the universe shall tremble at what i create".anakan challenges and kills a vong war captain-just another feather in his cap.he and tahiri share loves 1st make out errrrrrr kisses i mean.this was one of the best books of the series.it ties up a lot of unanswered questions and is really incredible from a sci fi fans point of view.everything youd want in a sci fi novel.
Good book.......2006-02-13
I loved this book. Thought it was better than Conquest. I really did not like Mara's birth being felt by half the family. That is my only issue with it.
Book Description
The dazzling Star Wars space adventure continues in The New Jedi Order as Luke Skywalker, Anakin Solo, Mara Jade Skywalker, and others battle their deadliest enemy in a tale of nonstop action, shadowy evil, and spectacular triumph . . .
No longer content with the destruction the Yuuzhan Vong have already sown, Warmaster Tsavong Lah has demanded the heads of all the Jedi. Now the Jedi Knights are in terrible danger–and none more so than the young students at the Jedi academy on Yavin 4. Already the sympathizers known as the Peace Brigade are in the Yavin system–and a Yuuzhan Vong fleet is not far behind.
At Luke Skywalker’s request, Talon Karrde mounts an expedition to rescue the young students. Anakin Solo has his own ideas. Impatient, and figuring that forgiveness is easier to come by than permission, he takes off for Yavin 4 in his X-wing.
When it comes to confidence, courage, and raw Force talent, Anakin has few peers. But when his friend Tahiri is separated from the other academy kids and captured by the Yuuzhan Vong, even Anakin may be in over his head. For the aliens have a different future in mind for Tahiri, and they will stop at nothing to achieve their horrific ends . . .
Customer Reviews:
Key chapter in the New Jedi Order saga.......2007-09-13
Conquest is the seventh volume in the massive New Jedi Order series, and is the first book in author Greg Keyes' Edge of Victory duology. If found Edge of Victory an interesting title choice for this series-within-a-series, since by the end of Conquest I was still unable to see which faction in this galactic war - the New Republic/Jedi Order or the Yuuzhan Vong invaders - was supposed to be poised for that victory. My guess is that it's the Yuuzhan Vong, since despite some setbacks, their push towards total domination of the galaxy continues unabated. The Jedi Knights and the New Republic government aren't faring nearly as well, with planet after planet falling to the invaders and the general public turning against the Jedi and in many cases hunting them down to appease the would-be conquerors.
Then again, Edge of Victory could refer to Anakin Solo's personal journey as a Jedi, which is the main focus of this book. Anakin, with the aid of a renegade Yuuzhan Vong warrior (!) invades a Vong stronghold on the ruins of the Jedi Academy to rescue his friend (and fellow Jedi) Tahiri, who is held captive by the Yuuzhan Ving shapers. Anakin's journey through the jungles of Yavin 4, going without food and sleep and totally immersing himself in the Force makes for powerful reading, as does the shapers' attempts to turn Tahiri into a dark side-wielding Yuuzhan Vong warrior.
Conquest may just be the finest volume to date in the New Jedi Order saga. Keyes does a fantastic job with this story, showing us not only the major character development of Anakin, but giving plenty of new insights into the Yuuzhan Vong, particularly the warriors, shapers, and Shamed Ones. It's good to know that behind the religious fanaticism and pain obsession, the Yuuzhan Vong are also subject to internal strife, politics, and the kind of personal baggage every flawed individual comes with.
Exceptional Work! An asset to the Star Wars Legacy!.......2007-05-07
I have read almost the entire series of NJO,(Currently reading "The Unifying Force) and this book and its counterpart, Rebirth are the some of the best books I've read. This book fleshes out the relationship between Anakin Solo and his best friend Tahiri, setting the stage for a stronger relationship in future novels like Rebirth. Mr. Keyes does an excellent job of using plausable dialogue and creating a history of the friendship of the two characters and turning Anakin into a hero rather than a side character.
Ok, on to the specifics. The whole book is about Anakin and Tahiri fighting on Yavin Four. After a failed attempt to get all the younger students off the planet as the Peace Brigade invades and tries to hand over the young Jedi to the Yuuzhan Vong, Tahiri goes back from the shuttle she tries to use to escape and is captured. Anakin, later returning, uses every skill he has to try to rescue her from the Master Shaper, Mezhan Kwaad who is trying to rearrange Tahiri's mind to make her think she was once a Yuuzhan Vong. Anakin sides with a shamed warrior, abandoned by his clan and hunted by them as well, he seeks vegeance against the other Yuuzhan Vong shaper, none other than the Mezhan Kwaad who captured and tortured Tahiri. In the meantime, Jacen and Jaina search for Booster Terik who has a giant red Star Destroyer that could change the flow of the war.
As Anakin reaches the end of his journey, he may have sacrifice some dignity to hide his true Jedi identity as he sneaks into the Yuuzhan Vong camp where Tahiri is held.
This book also sheds more light on who the Yuuzhan Vong are as a species and gives them a more "human" light as Anakin spends more time with the shamed one, Vua Rapung.
Greg Keyes is an exceptional author worthy of note and I highly reccomend his other two books in NJO "Rebirth" and "The Final Prophecy".
Keyes kept the heroism and uplifting theme of the original series alive in his first two novels here, and managed to recover some of the lost ground later in the series. Hats off to Mr. Keyes.
#7.......2006-05-03
in this one luke is pretty dormant.anakan solo can read his mind.and as powerful as lukes mind is,the kid is really mastering the force fast.a story is told where a snake was near him and he stopped its heart as a child.his r2 unit i mentioned in my last review is dubbed r-5.he uns into his childhood playmate tahiri and the seeds of great things are planted.she thinks hes hot and he likewise at her.actualy all the girls like anakan.especialy the young jedi chicks so he had his pick of the place.they[anakan and tahiri have a truly unique love scene where they dont touch but use the force to do the work.soon enough thier feelings come out slowly.master ithrik predicts great things for the 2 as he dies.anakan does not take his death well and gets arrogant and mean.then she is captured bu the vong.geez i better stop going on about these 2 b4 you think this is a romance novel.this is a SCI FI book.the jedis are betrayed far and wide to appease the vong and to keep the peace.even the peace brigade and local police get in on the act.the peace brigade even attack the jedi children and turn them in,knowing full well of the 1984 like methods the ving will use on them.so needless to say the peace brigade and vong are both horrible beyond words.even on the republic there is dissention as a high up allows vong to enter planets.kyp,an older jedi,gets support from other jedi about a new more affressive philosophy.more sith-like.anakan solo is still making headlines as he finds way to sense the vongs presence.he destroyed a spaceship,more vong,got his shoulder injured,went indercover as a vong slave all too rescue his love.his methods are not only truly remarkable but uniqye and way cool.the vong hate tech in any form.on one planer they go genocidal on all the droids.thier definition of peace is "willing sibmission".so you can tell theyre not right in the head.the vong also kill eachother and thier peace brigade allies for failure.thier bio-engineering is really neat.stuff like growing moons.they tortured and brainwashed tahiri before anakan got to her.a high up vong admits in ftont of a large crowf that there are no vong gods and all the stuff they know was implanted by them.that is virtual suicide in the geavily religous vong society.even the dirty old repuclic calls for the arrest of luke skywalker for unsactioned military actions.in other words its a world full of chaos and no one can trust anyone.
Anakin the hero.......2006-01-13
I really liked this book because how Anakin saved Tahiri from her capture and how he helped the shamed ones get their courage back, what i saw in this book was Anakin developement in the force such as the lambent in his lightsaber but the whole book is great from start to finish i recomend you read this book.
Anakin the hero.......2006-01-13
I really liked this book because how Anakin saved Tahiri from her capture and how he helped the shamed ones get their courage back, what i saw in this book was Anakin developement in the force such as the lambent in his lightsaber but the whole book is great from start to finish i recomend you read this book.
Book Description
The War on Terror . . . with a little more firepower
Violence and tensions along the U.S.-Mexican border have never been higher, sparked by battles between rival drug lords and an increased flow of illegal migrants. To combat the threat, the United States has executed Operation Rampart: a controversial test base in Southern California run by Major Richter and TALON, his high-tech special operations unit.
Their success is threatened by a drug kingpin and migrant smuggler named Ernesto Fuerza. In the guise of Mexican nationalist "Commander Veracruz," he causes a storm of controversy on both sides of the border, calling for a revolution to take back the northernmost "Mexican states"—the southwestern United States. His real intention is to make it easier to import illegal drugs across the border. This sets off a storm of controversy that's being stirred to a fever pitch by a popular right-wing radio talk-show host who calls for the complete militarization of the border. Soon Richter and his force are reassigned to the FBI to investigate the murders of several Border Patrol agents—a deadly mission that will bring him face-to-face with Fuerza and set off a wave of bloodshed that threatens to become an all-out guerrilla war. Lurking behind Fuerza—and possibly calling the shots—is Richter's nemesis, former Soviet nuclear forces commander turned terror mastermind Yegor Zakharov, who is set on revenge to the very end.
In Edge of Battle, bestselling author Dale Brown stays a step ahead of world events. Don't miss this sensational ride!
Download Description
"
The War on Terror . . .
with a little more firepower
Violence and tensions along the U.S.-Mexican border have never been higher, sparked by battles between rival drug lords and an increased flow of illegal migrants. To combat the threat, the United States has executed Operation Rampart: a controversial test base in Southern California run by Major Richter and TALON, his high-tech special operations unit.
Their success is threatened by a drug kingpin and migrant smuggler named Ernesto Fuerza. In the guise of Mexican nationalist ""Commander Veracruz,"" he causes a storm of controversy on both sides of the border, calling for a revolution to take back the northernmost ""Mexican states"" -- the southwestern United States. His real intention is to make it easier to import illegal drugs across the border. This sets off a storm of controversy that's being stirred to a fever pitch by a popular right-wing radio talk-show host who calls for the complete militarization of the border. Soon Richter and his force are reassigned to the FBI to investigate the murders of several Border Patrol agents -- a deadly mission that will bring him face-to-face with Fuerza and set off a wave of bloodshed that threatens to become an all-out guerrilla war. Lurking behind Fuerza -- and possibly calling the shots -- is Richter's nemesis, former Soviet nuclear forces commander turned terror mastermind Yegor Zakharov, who is set on revenge to the very end.
In Edge of Battle, bestselling author Dale Brown stays a step ahead of world events. Don't miss this sensational ride!
"
Customer Reviews:
Very Disappointing.......2007-08-19
I cannot think of anything to recommend about this book. Several of the authors that I have enjoyed reading in the past have disappointed me lately. "Edge of Battle" is the most disappointing of all. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
Very soon into the book I found myself skimming lengthy, uninteresting dialogue by uninteresting characters. Worse yet, I didn't even find any of the thinly-developed characters particularly likeable. There was very little coherence to the storyline and, overall, I found it a struggle rather than a joy to read.
I'm sorry Dale, but you just lost me as a reader. (Note to one reviewer: maybe it was just a typo, but you are right, this wasn't written by Dan Brown, but Dale Brown. If not just a typo, the confusion is understandable: not only are their names very similar, but it just so happens that Dan Brown hasn't done a very good job with "present-day techno-thrillers" either. Case in Point: "Digital Fortress.")
I gave this book two stars only out of respect for Dale Brown's early work. It would be interesting to know why so many "established" writers seem to end up writing and publishing uninteresting, uninformative, and unimaginative negative contributions to literature. Are they under contract to produce so many books within a certain period of time? Is it just for the money? Do most writers only have a few good books "within them"? Fortunately for readers, there are always new authors to explore--and lots of older ones that we never got around to reading who await our discovery!
Edge of Battle.......2007-07-30
Not up to par. Poor disorganized unbelievable plot. Hard to believe written by Dan Brown.
The old Dale Brown is gone..........2007-07-10
Once upon a time, Dale Brown was one of my favorite authors. OLD DOG was a great, and HAMMERHEADS is one of my all-time favorites. That Dale Brown is gone. The stories that appear instead are campy, overly dramatic, and highly unbelievable. On top of that, character development has all be disappeared. This novel does a poor job of using established TALON characters in a scenario involving immigration issues and a potential war with Mexico. Overworked, overdramatic, overdone. Just plain "over."
WOW, what a read........2007-06-05
Is this book fiction--or current-day reality? The border between the U.S. and Mexico is filled with tension. A citizen group known as the American Watchdog Project is assisting the Border Patrol that is spread too thin. An ultraconservative radio talk show host, Bob O'Rourke, rails every day about illegal immigrants breaking the law--and the government turning a blind eye.
An ideal combination of circumstances exist for a drug smuggler, turned so-called "hero of the people." Ernesto Fuerza, calling himself "Comandante Veracruz," calls for all Mexican immigrants, both legal and illegal, to rise up and take back the southwestern United States. And he has a global terrorist committed to destroying the Talon group and its leaders on their payroll.
His incendiary words cause the Talon Group, led by Major Jason Richter, to be called into action to support the Border Patrol. National Guard units build more detention facilities along the border. The highly effective and visually intimidating Cybernetic Infantry Devices (C.I.D)--ten-foot-tall exoskeletons for infantrymen--capture more than 300 illegal aliens in short order. The press in helicopters invade the air space overhead in violation of no-fly orders, the Mexican Vice Consul, brought to the site in an unmarked helicopter by a deputy U.S. attorney general grabs a bull horn and encourages the detainees to escape--and all hell breaks loose. Detainees and soldiers are killed as detainees destroy the fencing that surrounds them. One of the C.I.D. operators can't handle what he sees happening and the part he played steps out of his suit and blows his brains out on camera. And America is under siege from within and without.
His incendiary words cause the Talon Group, led by Major Jason Richter, to be called into action to support the Border Patrol. National Guard units build more detention facilities along the border. The highly effective and visually intimidating Cybernetic Infantry Devices (C.I.D) capture more than 300 illegal aliens in short order. The press in helicopters invade the air space overhead in violation of no-fly orders, the Mexican Vice Consul does something stupid--and all hell breaks loose. Detainees and soldiers are killed as detainees destroy the fencing that surrounds them. And America is under siege from within and without.
More concerned with political advantage than what is true or right--various factions within both governments try to turn the situation to their advantage. Convenient assassinations and attempted assassinations, selective telling of truths and outright lies, come easily to many of the principal characters in this story. And even those committed to doing the right thing have secrets come to light that prevent them from being effective.
Brown shows us petty politics at its best and worst within both the U.S. and Mexican governments.
Armchair Interviews says: (Exciting) fiction that's too close to reality.
Edge of Battle - it could have been worse.......2007-05-17
Like a couple of other reviewers, the Dale Brown I grew to enjoy wrote books like Flight of the Old Dog, Day of the Cheetah, and Battle Born. He wrote detailed accounts of dog fights between MiGs and bombers, and had excellent characters that I for one actually cared about. The main character McLanahan was a great leader whose men and women would die for him.
Edge of Battle had none of that. Richter, the Major in charge of Task Force TALON (the super cool robots), annoyed me at every turn. He whined, he complained, and worst of all he was completely paranoid. I didn't (and won't) read Act of War so maybe he has the right to be paranoid about the enemy Consortium. But were they the main bad guys? Not in this book.
I could have lived with all that had Mr. Brown at least made the CID (Cybernetic Infantry Device) more "front and center" in the story. I lost count, but I think the CIDs got maybe 6 scenes? And each scene was maybe 3 or 4 pages. So give it 30 pages total. 30 pages out of 437?
I think this book was more about immigration than Task Force TALON which is too bad. Because TALON is more interesting to me than the Tinman armor is. All Brown's books in the past have had some kind of political intrigue, but it never overshadowed what his reader's wanted (IMHO) - excellent prose about high tech toys and nail biting scenes of action about how those high tech toys saved the day.
Average customer rating:
- Black Humor Meets The Right Stuff
- A Good Man; A Good Read
- Great Stories - Great Pilot!!!
- After the reviews, a real disappointment...
- There are aviation memoirs...
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The Wrong Stuff: Flying on the Edge of Disaster
J Moore
Manufacturer: Specialty Press
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Forever Flying
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FIGHTER PILOTS HEAVEN PB
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Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail
ASIN: 188380910X |
Book Description
Author John Moore is the "cat with nine lives" of the aviation fraternity. From his early days as a Naval Aviation Cadet he had a knack for flying but seemed to be in the neighborhood of disaster. Through two Korean combat tours, Navy test operations, his years as test pilot for North American Aviation, and the space program he was associated with many near and some real catastrophes.
Customer Reviews:
Black Humor Meets The Right Stuff .......2007-02-20
A great story of flying during the transition from the great piston powered aircraft of WW2 to the jet age.
Also a good reminder that the most dangerous words in aviation are often an engineer saying, " I have a great idea." For them the danger of the first flight is that they will choke on their coffee. Such was the case of one project to rid carrier aircraft of their landing gear and to have them land on a rubber "bed" . Somehow I get the feeling that the engineering team never spent any time at sea, certainly not on a dark stormy night.
While it lacks the polish and emotional content of Stranger To the Ground, it packs more of a flying punch. And the author also pulls no punches when it comes to the so called Tailhook incident for which senior naval aviators were punished for simply being at the same hotel. All in the name of political correctness.
A Good Man; A Good Read.......2007-01-18
Cdr. John Moore gives a unique insight into the life of a naval aviator of the 40's through the 60's. Certainly not an easy life but one filled with its share of challenges and danger. Pretentious in no way, John Moore tells it like it was. And there is the added insight into the life of a naval aviation test pilot. If you have ever tested a plane, or would like to, you can gain some insights from this book. After his naval aviation and test pilot career, Mr. Moore ran operations and testing for the Apollo program and later became mayor of Cocoa Beach (home of Ron Jon's Surf Shop). Not your typical man; not your typical book.
Great Stories - Great Pilot!!!.......2004-09-20
This was a great tale of a pilot coming of age in the early jet days, when engineering had more to do with airplanes, than marketing.
The author is self-effacing, doesn't take himself or his (actually quite impressive) career too seriously.
Loved it!
After the reviews, a real disappointment..........2003-03-26
A friend of mine has praised this book to the skies, so I bought a copy, expecting cover-to-cover laughs and revealations. Instead, what I got was a -very- disorganized, rambling series of partial recollections which were, despite the disclaimer in the introduction, the memoirs of a single pilot. Most of the stories failed to be funny in any way and were only moderately shocking.
Most irritating of all was Chapter Twelve, which dealt with the author's anger at the Tailhook scandal/witchhunt and which had absolutely, positively nothing at all to do with anything else in the book. The chapter didn't belong. It was a distraction. Had any editing been done on the book, it should have been deleted entirely.
There were some good parts, and the first two-thirds of the book would be quite nice with some serious re-arranging and reworking to present a coherent and orderly progression of events. The material about test-flying the Cutlass and the obscenely stupid FlexDeck program are must-reads, but the section on Apollo 1 adds nothing to the reams of material written about that tragedy, and the material on Mr. Moore's training runs hot and cold. As a minor note, the tendency to use technical terms without explaining them to the casual reader makes for difficult reading in some spots.
All in all, if I'd found this in a library first, I never would have bought it; now that I have it, I can't recommend it to others, but I won't be giving my copy away either.
Kris Overstreet
There are aviation memoirs..........2001-12-05
... and many of them have honored places in my library: Colonel Robert Scott's "God Is My Co-Pilot", Heinz Knoke's excellent and sadly unknown "I Flew for the Führer", Bob Hoover's "Forever Flying", Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger's "Lost Moon" (which is as much an autobiography of Lovell as a recounting of the Apollo 13 incident)...
... and then there's this book. If you go into "The Wrong Stuff" expecting another self-congratulatory throttle-jockey memoir (not that there's anything wrong with those :), you'll be sorely disappointed, because John Moore isn't the self-congratulatory throttle-jockey type. He seems frankly surprised that he survived his aviation career, and his tongue-in-cheek delight at being alive permeates the work. Somehow, this man managed to wind up involved in some of the wackiest projects in aviation history, and his wry reminiscences make this the funniest flyboy book in history. I'm just amazed, with his karma, that Moore didn't end up testing the Pogo Planes.
Highly, highly, highly recommended.
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In 1926: Living on the Edge of Time
Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
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Production of Presence: What Meaning Cannot Convey
ASIN: 0674000560 |
Book Description
Travel back to the year 1926 and into the rush of experiences that made people feel they were living on the edge of time. Touch a world where speed seemed the very essence of life. It is a year for which we have no expectations. It was not 1066 or 1588 or 1945, yet it was the year A. A. Milne published Winnie-the-Pooh and Alfred Hitchcock released his first successful film, The Lodger. A set of modern masters was at work--Jorge Luis Borges, Babe Ruth, Leni Riefenstahl, Ernest Hemingway, Josephine Baker, Greta Garbo, Franz Kafka, Gertrude Stein, Martin Heidegger--while factory workers, secretaries, engineers, architects, and Argentine cattle-ranchers were performing their daily tasks.
Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht opens up the space-time continuum by exploring the realities of the day such as bars, boxing, movie palaces, elevators, automobiles, airplanes, hair gel, bullfighting, film stardom, dance crazes, and the surprise reappearance of King Tut after a three-thousand-year absence. From the vantage points of Berlin, Buenos Aires, and New York, Gumbrecht ranges widely through the worlds of Spain, Italy, France, and Latin America. The reader is allowed multiple itineraries, following various routes from one topic to another and ultimately becoming immersed in the activities, entertainments, and thought patterns of the citizens of 1926.
We learn what it is to be an "ugly American" in Paris by experiencing the first mass influx of American tourists into Europe. We visit assembly lines which turned men into machines. We relive a celebrated boxing match and see how Jack Dempsey was beaten yet walked away with the hearts of the fans. We hear the voice of Adolf Hitler condemning tight pants on young men. Gumbrecht conveys these fragments of history as a living network of new sensibilities, evoking in us the excitement of another era.
Book Description
The weapon is codenamed "Razor"—the brainchild of the brilliant minds at Dreamland—a mobile chemical laser system with a range of 600 kilometers capable of downing anything that flies. The destruction of an American aircraft over northern Iraq suggests the inexplicable and unthinkable: a vengeful foe now possesses the lethal technology. It is fear that draws a retired warrior back to the battlefield, and sends Dreamland's best pilots to the skies to determine what the enemy has and to help take it away from him. But politics threatens to crush a covert engagement that must be won in the air and on the ground, unleashing a devastating rain of friendly fire that could ultimately annihilate a nation's champions ... and perhaps Dreamland itself.
Download Description
Dale Brown: The Novels Death of the Dogfight: An Interview with Dale Brown. The third installment of New York Times best-selling author Dale Brown's Dreamland series. This adventure features a battle in the skies over Iran and Iraq.
Customer Reviews:
Razor's Edge CD.......2005-08-27
this is just another outsatnding audio book if you are in to The dreamland books I just wish there were more of them.
Great Action But . . ........2004-05-21
I made it through the first Dreamland novel due to fast paced, well described aerial combat, an offering of terrific high tech weaponry, good solid plot, and for the most part, interesting characterization; however, by the end of book one I was praying for the slow horrible death of Jeff "Zen" Stockard. A guy who is not only a main character, a romantic lead, but, I think, one of the heroes of the series. Who also happens to be a Class A Schmuck.
We are told Zen was an ace pilot, then a crash causes him to become wheelchair bound. Not a bad concept, could have made for some excellent twists. And indeed, in the beginning of the first book, the anguish/anger/mistrust/fear that Zen illustrated felt real. However, after reading 2/3 of the book I was getting just a tad grumpy that Zen was still piloting the pity pot plane. And his engine was in full whine mode. Well, I finished the book. Forgave the writer. Bought the 2nd Dreamland book.
Guess what? Pain-in-the-ass Zen is still around - kinda like the whine of that mosquito in the middle of the night that won't let you sleep. He detracts from the book. He has caused me to forego the rest of the Dreamland books. A damn shame.
Brown Bores with Rich Military Details, Poor Characters.......2003-11-05
This is a review of the book on tape. The plot was solid and brought with it a sense of authenticity, especially in terms of how problems arose and were solved. To a degree the details about military hardware were fascinating, but they soon overran the book and distracted from the characters. There was only one character who truly mattered, and he was a side-show for most of the novel. The rest of the book was filled with people whose only purpose seemed to be populating the chain of command or demonstrating prowess under fire. A good example of this is Dog. He is some sort of Colonel, and his only role is to talk to the Whiplash team, pace around the room, and then relay the information to some General. Then he gets back on the phone with Whiplash. For all I know this type of exchange may be a normal part of military operations, but its appearance not once but several times in this novel was baffling. Ironically the character's name was well-suited to his part. As my sarcastic girlfriend fake-narrated: "Dog paced around the room and pissed on the carpet."
The cheesiest line of the book: "If the pilot was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen - and she was - then she was second."
C'mon.
Brown scores again.......2003-02-14
Dale Brown's still the champ, and he proves it in this latest thriller. The weaponry, as usual, is top notch, and the story moves along faster than ever. I think, though, that he should consider giving Col. Bastan a promotion - he really has a lot of responsibility for that rank. Besides, he's conceited enough to be a general.
Average customer rating:
- Another Worthy Installment
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The Sabre's Edge
Allan Mallinson
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
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A Regimental Affair
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Rumours of War
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An Act of Courage
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Nizam's Daughters
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A Call to Arms
ASIN: 1585675334 |
Book Description
The most exciting adventure yet for Matthew Hervey and the Sixth Light Dragoons.
1824. The Sixth Light Dragoons are still stationed in India and the talk in the officer’s mess is of war.
The Burmese are encroaching on Company land and skirmishes are common on India’s borders. Meanwhile, across the country in Bhurtpoor the succession to the Raj has been usurped. The rightful claimant Balwant Sing has been forced from the throne by the war-mongering Durjan Sal. The conflict looks set to flair up into bloody conflict, taking the surrounding provinces with it. With the threat of war on two fronts the British troops must intercede.
The trial ahead will test Hervey and his newly blooded troop to their very limits, for Durjan Sal has taken refuge in the infamous Bhurtpoor -- a fortress surrounded by a deep moat almost five miles in
perimeter, with thirty-five turreted bastions and the Tower of Victory built with the skulls of Lord Lakes’ defeated men. Hervey can be sure of one thing: the siege of Bhurtpoor will be hot and bloody work. Once again, the fortunes of Matthew Hervey and his courageous troop will be decided by the sabre’s edge.
Customer Reviews:
Another Worthy Installment.......2004-07-09
Another worthy and recommended installment to the Matthew Hervey series - the study of the life and culture of a post Napoleonic-era British cavalry officer.
A brief synopsis - the setting of this book confines itself to India and Burma. Again, the sights and culture of India, are vividly described, and serve well as young Hervey wades through the trials and tribulations of both troop life and British governance. Again, there are encounters with noteworthy characters from history. The story culminates with the siege of Bhurtpore fortress. Hervey is less tolerant, more cynical, and much less spiritual - a logical result from Mallinson's previous storylines. He exhibits a natural confidence in his abilities, particularly in dealing with regimental affairs. Again, the action scenes are very well done, especially in regards to the siege of Bhurtpore.
In sum, Mallinson again provides an interesting depiction of India and Burma during the time period, with all its politics and military governance baggage. This book does requires a little more reader patience, as they must wade through a lot more history, historical characters, and the realistic portrayal of the monotony of occupation life. But, the story is well paced, and balanced with new and old characters. There is sufficient military action to keep the reader's interest while he or she wades through the associated items of historical context.
If you enjoy historical fiction of the Napoleonic era, especially the cavalry - try this book, you won't be disappointed.
Postscript: This reviewer was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of Mallinson's latest Hervey installment - "Rumors of War" - which is highly recommended.
Hervey back in England with his regiment, contrives to advance his career further. Hervey over the years has become less naive, wiser, and much more of a 'hardened' professional. His flirtation with Lady Greville advances to the next level, as he contrives - with her able assistance - to gain posting to a 'military assistance and evaluation' mission being put together for Portugal. Upon arrival, Hervey is reaquainted with some characters hinted at in previous books. Most notably, a competing romantic interest by a young widow from a noble family, in whom he had an infatuation as a young cornet. Throughout, Hervey draws parallels between his current and past experiences in Portugal. Most notable, are reflections of his coming of age as a young cornet and soldiering during Sir John Moore's Corunna campaign.
This slice of history from Hervey's perspective was very much enjoyed by this reviewer. The 'gems' are well worth the slow-going of Mallinson's writing style, which is consistent in the context of the historical time period.
Book Description
"Edges" takes the reader to an Israel in 1963, before high walls formed a border, when, instead, metal wires hung "like hosiery lines" across the land. Liana Barish is fourteen years old when the suicide of her American father forces her mother, mourning, in despair back to her family--to Jerusalem where she grew up. For Liana it is the place where the powerful interdependence of mother and daughter--physical and spiritual--ends. It is the place of her sexual awakening.
Customer Reviews:
I really enjoyed it...lyrical descriptions of the land.......2007-08-28
I really enjoyed the book. It's got a lot of tension and I felt I kept wanting to read, wanting to find out what was going to happen. The characters are totally alive and your descriptions of the land are so lyrical! It makes me want to ask--did this really happen to the author herself? So real! And at the same time surreal, suffused with the limited perceptions of a young girl. It made me think a bit of Ghost Dance, by Carole Maso. It is also about an odd relationship between a mother and daughter, told from a perspective skewed by the oddness.
"...the place of her sexual awakening....".......2007-08-28
"Edges" takes the reader to an Israel before high walls formed a border, when, instead, metal wires hung "like hosiery lines" across the land. Liana Barish is fourteen years old when the suicide of her American father forces her mother, mourning, in despair back to her family--to Jerusalem where she grew up. For Liana it is the place where the powerful interdependence of mother and daughter--physical and spiritual--ends. It is the place of her sexual awakening.
This can happen when Liana escapes across the border with the missing son of an American diplomat. They are made closer by the death of a young Palestinian boy. They move deeper into the world of Palestinian fields, olive orchards, villages.
The novel is set in the Israel of the early '60's. Liana's mother and aunt tell lively stories about the 1940's, their young guerilla-like struggles against the British particularly, the mother's memories of growing up in a shared land in the old city before it was divided."
from GRACE PALEY, writer and editor of novel
Intimiate and Compelling portrait.......2007-08-28
"This is an intimate and compelling portrait of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary time and place. This first publication from Glad Day Books, Grace Paley's new imprint, is a promising debut."
Quoted from Robert Gray (REAL NAME), author of Publisher's Marketplace and Fresh Eyes
This slim novel has wonderful images and evocative writing. It.......2007-08-28
"This is an intimate and compelling portrait of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary time and place. This first publication from Glad Day Books, Grace Paley's new imprint, is a promising debut." Robert Gray, author of Publisher's Marketplace and Fresh Eyes
Review:
"Ms. Skolkin-Smith's first novel is a captivating story giving the reader a view into a land and culture of another time...This slim novel has wonderful images and evocative writing. It is a novel about coming-of-age and about family and love. I imagine it is one that will stay with me for a long time."
Quoted from www.Bookgirl Nightstand
A feverish, sensual, remarkable book.......2007-08-28
from the tinyl Glad Day Press founded by Grace Paley and Robert Nichols is EDGES: O ISRAEL O PALESTINE by Leofra Skolkin-Smith, and it's not a book that you lie back and sink into: it takes some concentration for its rapid and realistic changes. The situation is that an American girl Liana's Israeli mother takes her back to Israel in the early nineteen sixties, and yes, there was a shooting war going on then too, albeit generally with smaller arms. There are deaths: the girl's father is a suicide, as is her mother's beloved brother. A small naked Arab boy is shot to death in a skirmish between Israeli soldiers and snipers from the Jordanian side. Liana's mother is a full figured ripe woman with whom she is passionately connected, rich with smells and embraces. Liana wants to run away to Paris which she associates with her father, but instead she finds an American diplomat's son who has gone missing. There are illicit forays into Jordan; Liana runs away. There is sex, there are smells, always smells and fabrics. There is a rejoining with the family..
--Meredith Sue Willis (REAL NAME) REVIEWER FOR BOOKS FOR READER
Product Description
This book is subtitled Risking All for the Gospel in War-Ravaged Vietnam An awful time . . . An awesome God Again and again it happens. Bombs fall in a nearby shopping district. Enemy soldiers terrorize neighboring homes. Crossfire decimates civilian cars at a roadblock. War infuses every qurater of Vietnam. Most Americans long ago have left for safety. The James family remains. Sam James and his wife and four children sit tight in ravaged South Vietnam to share Jesus when the Vietnamese most need ministry--as the country falls to communism. Even during the frightening Tet Offensive, Sam communicates Christ's love and peace as he helps Vietnamese believers start churches and gird up spiritually for the dark days ahead. What makes one man willing to stare death in the face to obey God's call to serve the Vietnamese? And what becomes of all the seeds planted among these fledgling Christians as communist oppression advances? Noted Christian author and teacher Henry Blackaby wrote the foreword. Dr. Keith Eitel, director of the World Mission Center at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is one of numerous Evangelical Christian leaders who have already endorsed this book. Eitel said, "This book is spiritually spellbinding, historically fascinating, and written with a flow and ease that made me not want to put it down. Generations down the line, these words will still be challenging. I fully recommend it to others, especially my students, so that they can catch the passion of a lifetime lived out as a Servant on the Edge of History." Dr. John Floyd, administrative vice president and professor of missions at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, also endorsed the book. He said, "Sam James is a missionary extraordinaire, but the God he serves is the One he puts in the spotlight. In reading his book I feel as though I have been to Vietnam. Through it I have met some new brothers in Christ, almost tasted the food, seen the sights, and been on the 'inside' of a devoted missionary and his family. The greatest joy in reading this book was hearing how a number of individuals trusted Christ and the careful giving of credit and glory to the Lord. The insights into culture and decision-making will be a significant aid to my students as they look forward to international missions.
Customer Reviews:
Serving in Faith.......2007-01-21
Reading this book enlightened my view of foreign missions and educated me on the courage and faith that a family like this one has to have to serve God and bring His word into a country many of us would be fearful even to visit. I began the book thinking that I would read a bit daily for a look into the world of a missionary. Instead, I could not put it down and read it within two days intrigued by the story and the emotional experiences between this family and the Vietnamese people they touched and changed.
Missionary's view of fall of Vietnam.......2007-01-05
The missionary in this book gives a wonderful and very personal insight into life in Vietnam leading up to the war. A good history or missionary study book.
Loved it!!.......2005-12-15
This book is awesome. I have read it over and over and it keeps getting better. The author is a gifted storyteller and his writing style makes this book a very enjoyable read. The part at the end of each chapter where he reviews his experiences and draws out the lessons learned was particularly helpful for me. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Couldn't put it down.......2005-11-25
As the title of my review suggests, this was definitely and interesting read. I really hope that others have a chance to take the time to read this book. With so many accounts of Vietnam from the soldier's perspective, it's definitely a unique view of the war and why someone would voluntarily go and risk everything to help the Vietnamese people. The author himself is a veteran of the Korean War, which most likely helped him deal with so many of the the tragedies, as well as triumphs, of the Vietnam War.
Interesting Perspective.......2005-11-25
I picked up this book because I've always wondered how missionaries can take their families to such dangerous places, far away from loved ones. This was a great first-hand account of a missionary who did this and the mindset that it takes to risk your life for something you believe in. I actually couldn't put it down. I recommend it for anyone -- christian or not -- because it gives you a personal view of someone in extraordinary circumstances going through very human emotions and managing to come out on the other end a better person for it. It's definitely a must-read.
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