Product Description
A gay African-American fiction anthology features works by award-winning authors and promising newcomers including A. Cinque+a6 Hick, Bil Wright, Larry Duplechan, and Jaime Manrique, and pays tribute to a range of cultural events. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

an okay anthology about a great topic
This is an anthology about black gay men.Unfortunately, the tales inside are not as fierce or defiant as the title would suggest.In many of the pieces, issues of race and sexuality take the back seat to "l'art pour l'art", typical literature.The pieces near the back are better than the introductory ones.The piece by James Earl Hardy (who almost never writes short stories) is great.Jaime Manrique has a piece here and I've never seen him write about black issues (he writes almost exclusively of latino ones).I am glad I have a copy of this book, but I liked "Brother to Brother" and other books on the topic much better. ... Read more

Product Description
An accumulation of work done by the authors and their students over the past twelve years. Topics include: circular planar graphs, resistor networks, harmonic functions, recovering a graph, and more. DLC: Electric networks. ... Read more

Product Description
This collection continues the tradition of offering fiction not collected elsewhere by featuring an array of the best novelettes and short stories of the year. According to the editor, "Whatever their quirks and foibles . . . the majority of these works deal forthwrightly with what William Styron calls 'the appalling enigma of human existence.'" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Amusing, but half-baked.
James Morrow has been on my to-read list for quite a while. I picked Continent of Lies up in a used book store. Reasonably entertaining. Also, fairly disappointing. The concept of dream apples is interesting as is their potential for disuse. The critic-as-hero, Quinjin, is an interesting sketch. I quite liked him as a kind of slouching anti-hero. I wish that the rest of the characters had been as interesting. The female characters were particularly flat, and frankly grating. Quinjin's daughter was little more than a prop designed to behave like a teenager and be at risk.

My biggest complaint was with the plot-- there were gaping holes in the logic and story. I kind of get that the plot is not precisely the point, but still. Morrow is largely known for his sardonic humor and tone. That definitely comes across in Continent of Lies. I think that I would prefer it in the context of subject matter where it seems more applicable-- Towing Jehovah sounds as though it would be more up both his alley and mine.

A good read once you get past the first 30 pages
The Continent of Lies deals with a futuristic society where entertainment has evolved to an extreme level. Rather than watch TV or movies, you simply eat a "cephapple" and experience the story as a dream into which you are inserted as the main character. The cephapple--also known as a dreambean--is like a real apple (without seeds), and Morrow provides many examples that run the gamut of genre and type.

The central character, Quinjin, is a dreambean critic who comes across a bean so sinister that it has the potential to enslave humanity. He sets off on a quest to destroy the tree from which it sprang, along with his teenage daughter, his hedonistic "rich boy" friend, and his psychobiologist/dreamweaver girlfriend (not to mention a robot that longs to be a James Bond type secret agent).

Like his other books, CoL is funny, clever, and fairly well-plotted. I was put off, however, by the extensive "sci-fi-ish" vocabulary early in the book, and I almost put it down around page thirty. In fact, if I hadn't been a fan of Morrow's other works (especially Towing Jehovah), I probably wouldn't have continued. Still, once I got absorbed by the story, it was hard to put down, and there were enough twists and turns that I found I couldn't really predict what was going to happen.

All in all, a worthwhile and fun read, if not as "thinky" as some of his other books.

Morrow's first great book
Anyone who has caught up with James Morrow in the 90s, as I have, will want to check out this earlier work. This book shows the same skewed sense of humor he later put to more acclaimed effect in BIBLE STORIES FOR ADULTSand TOWING JEHOVAH. The story concerns Quinjin, a reviewer ofdreambeans--sort of a virtual reality device you consume. Someone hascreated a dreambean so horrible that the dreamers get trapped in thefantasy world, including Quinjin's daughter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

1991 Short Fiction Nebula Awards Anthology
It's the year the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) officially change their name to the Science fiction AND FANTASY Writers of America (with the F in SFWA changing from Fiction to Fantasy), but unofficially it had already occurred four years earlier in 1987.This means if your hoping to read science fiction in these anthologies after 1987, it's hit or miss.Fortunately the SF collections still have a few good science fiction stories for the following few years.Starting in 1993 or so the anthologies are to be avoided because by this time the SFWA unofficially changes their name yet again to the Speculative Fiction Writers of America (and it could be the official name now for all I know).Do you know what qualifies for speculative fiction... basically anything fictional.Pride and Prejudice has a protagonist and events speculated by the author, thus it's speculative fiction.Thus if you're looking to read science fiction, not literature or just plain old fiction, then the Nebula awards winners and anthologies are no longer a guide.But the anthology of this year, 1991, is good.

However, with that being said, this anthology is almost superfluous since the key science fiction story of this collection, Beggars in Spain, and the only reason I still have my copy, can be found elsewhere.This novella can be found in New Hugo Winners IV currently in print and offered by Amazon.com.Included in that book are the novella, novelette, and short story winners of the Hugo awards for three complete years, a much, much better value than the Nebula anthologies which are for only one year and the winners are HUGO winners which considerably increases their chances of being actual science fiction.So if you're able to get a copy of that, then you've obtained the basic necessary story. Nebula Awards 27 is out of print anyway, but if one gets their hands on it and has some extra time, there are a few stories that are worthwhile reading.

The Nebula short story winner, "Ma Qui" by Alan Brennert, is fantasy not science fiction and falls under the Vietnam subgenre fantasy.From the late 80's to early 90's were a flurry of fantasy stories on Vietnam. This subgenre was so influential it even culminated in giving the 1989 Nebula award for NOVEL to The Healer's War, which is absolutely not science fiction and is to be avoided.The thing about reading this story, even though it's not science fiction, is that it's a good representative of this subgenre in the history of the Nebula Awards and doesn't take a lot of time to read (as opposed to a novel.)So you get to read what all the fuss is about.If the subgenre is still interesting definitely read "The Dark" also included in this anthology which is a good story to read anyway.Of course trying to understand the Vietnam War is worthy and there are several documentaries that one can probably find at a movie rental store or local library.However, if you want to *read* science fiction there are other stories out there.

"Guide Dog" by Mike Connor, the Nebula novelette winner, is again another Nebula winner that's disappointing to read the first, but is better the 2nd time once your expectations are lowered.It's about a human who is basically the `guide dog' for an impaired alien.It is also about asymmetric power relationships.There's a lot about art, painting, etc that I thought was a bit dragged out making the story seem longer than necessary.The part I found frustrating the first time was that it was difficult to imagine the alien race since so little information was given.What helped immensely the 2nd time was imagining the creatures looking like the flying bugs and their interactions shown at the end of the movie Star Wars II.

The novella Nebula winner, Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress, is a tour de force and I would say is almost necessary reading for any science fiction reader. The title is a bit misleading, although philosophically important, in that the story is about a Sleepless race, genetically modified humans, that have the need to sleep removed as well as having other modified advantages, some expected and later a key unexpected offshoot from the lack of the need to sleep.The story then evolves into a conflict of envy from the Sleepers to the Sleepless.Personally, I've found that when there's a subgroup that's considered better/higher in status many people don't necessarily want to destroy them but rather become them.It's when a subgroup is considered to be a lower social status that a lot of ugliness can come in.Also the Sleepless is Corporate America's dream/fantasy/wish come true.In reality, every relevant company would be scrambling against each other to snap up the Sleepless into their employee rolls.It's not unknown in the corporate world that the main cost of an employee to a company is paying their medical insurance, vacation days, and sick days (if they can use them) and thus once that's paid, every minute more they squeeze out of an employee to work more is almost pure 100% profit.But Nancy Kress's world is certainly believable enough and works as a cautionary tale.Kress did expand the novella into a full length novel, which was nominated as a Nebula finalist a few years later.I'm not sure if the novella is the first few chapters or so, but the novella does end in the middle of events and one almost wants to read more, so the novel may be worth picking up.However I've just read that there's now a Beggars in Spain trilogy so there could be a lot more reading involved, may or maybe not worthwhile.Certainly though, this novella is a minimum requirement.This story keeps reminding me of some other story, but I just can't place offhand anyone else that wrote about sleepless people, which is amazing since it's a relatively straightforward idea.The general tone of the struggle between the Sleepers and Sleepless though mildly reminds me of the conflict in the Planet of the Apes.

"Standing in Line With Mister Jimmy" could be called a pseudo-cyberpunk story.You can take it or leave it.The most interesting part of the story, and maybe it's main reason for being, is it's parody of rock songs, and the hilarious band names, Barking Fish, Round Women Square Men, Vinnie's Ear, which is well taken to point since they could very well be rock band names.The title of the story is taken from an actual rock song (the Rolling Stones maybe), but in the story Mister Jimmy is the protagonist's musical Walkman, instant access computer, personal assistant, and self-serving friend.

"The Dark" by Karen Joy Fowler, a short story finalist, is a fascinating story.It touches upon a lot of topics, a sign of a great story: the several plague epidemics, fleas as disease carriers, the tunnel rats of Vietnam, the worth of actual rats, even teenage attitudes.I learned more about the tunnel system and tunnel rats of Vietnam, the soldiers who searched the incredibly extensive tunnel system used by the Viet Cong (North Vietnamese) soldiers, than all other sources combined (that is if it's factual).And it's not like I shun info on the Vietnam War, it just seems that moderately available sources of information on them is lacking and in it's place is yet another movie/PBS documentary/news story on Columbine High School or something similar.In the story the author asks if you've ever heard of the Vietnamese district Cu Chi, and if not why not?Yes the answer is, *why not*.If it was the most bombed district in the history of warfare, then why was it bombed, why was it worth bombing?In the story is yet again another statement: "Maybe you think the CIA would never have killed a policeman or tried to use a little child in a black war, even though the CIA has done everything else you've ever been told and refused to believe."It's frustrating to read yet again statements like this over and over, directly or indirectly, when there is full access to information contained in libraries full of the incredibly atrocities committed by and by order of the Communist Russians during the Soviet Regime.The Liberals backed the side of this horrible, brutal system, despite what beautiful ideology they may think is contained at it's heart, and don't have the guts to admit this openly and willingly in anywhere near the same level of exposure as anything on the CIA or Columbine and thus continues the rift between themselves and those that Understand this aspect of world history.However, with that aside, this is still a fascinating story and is the next best story after "Beggars In Spain."

"They're Made Out Of Meat" by Terry Bisson clocks in as one of the shortest SF story I've read at 3 pages, and yet it still felt like a waste of time to read.Basically it's about contact made with an alien race made entirely of meat.That's all you really need to know about it.

The essay, "Precessing The Simulacra For Fun and Profit" by Bruce Sterling is one of a continuing number of essays on the comparison between SF and mainstream writers.Sterling writes perhaps most honestly and forwardly about SF attitudes on this that I've gleaned from many other essays written over the years since at least 1979.He comes right out and writes: "...the traditional SF attitudes toward `the mainstream': pugnacious defensiveness, sneaking suspicions of inferiority, chest-pounding overcompensation..."The essay has also the only direct critical statement on Marxism I've read in the Nebula anthology series and I almost fell out of my chair in astonishment.I reread and reread the few sentences over and over looking for a trace of sarcasm, which is often the case when something like this is written, and I could detect none.This gives hope in some SF writers that there are those that openly recognize and iterate this acknowledged aspect of history.

The three remaining fictional shorter stories are John Kessel's "Buffalo", a story of a meeting between his father and H.G. Wells (which didn't happen), Susan Shwartz's "Getting Real" a 1980's-ish tale on temporary employees (temps) being semi-real people, barely noticeable in the `real' world, and W.Gregory Stewart's "the button, and what you know", a somewhat part poetry, part prose science fiction story and enjoyable to read.

There is a summary of the movies released in 1991, and the SFWA reestablishing an award for best movie script, which the winner for this year is Terminator 2.The winners of the short and long SF poems are included which for this year are good and, um, quite poetic.Lastly are excerpts from the Nebula award winning novel, Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick which is a phenomenal actual science fiction novel. ... Read more

Product Description
This eclectic group of short stories traverses time, place, and genre to deliver vivid accounts of captivating worlds, both real and imagined. By weaving together the historical and the fantastic, the stories in this collection produce fascinating narratives that remain deeply human. The startling title story, "Thumbprints," explores the darker side of the book business when a literary agent goes too far to ensure that his author’s fees are paid in full. "Erdeni’s Tiger," a historical drama, features a young wife in twelfth-century Mongolia who must master the spirit world to save her tribe. "Climb the Wind" revisits Mongolia in a modern-day setting as the country’s military past haunts its current inhabitants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very Little Science Fiction
That collection of short stories displays PS's talent for writing and nothing else. All stories fail to grab the reader's attention. Either they are rehashes or long boring descriptions going nowhere. Yet I plodded through, always expecting the next story to be better than the previous one but never was I rewarded. Being a talentuous writer is not enough when imagination leaves you, indeed.

Sargent's newest collection distinctive as a thumbprint
Pamela Sargent is one of the most gifted writers of speculative fiction and fantasy working today.Her readership is privileged to have this new collection out now, showcasing twelve fine stories. "Thumbprints" spans early work such as the classic love story "If Ever I Should Leave You," right up to the brand-new title tale, a black comedy of literary bad manners.There are several stories from her "Mongolia" tapestry, including the modern-day "Climb the Wind" and the Genghis Khan tales "Erdeni's Tiger" and "Spirit Brother."There is a new "Venus" tale, the prequel "Venus Flowers at Night".There are tales of familiar family dynamics in strange situations -- "Amphibians," "Gather Blue Roses" -- and strange futurities driven by familiar human frailties -- "Originals," "Shrinker."Most of all, there's heart and soul, for Sargent prefers to tell us about people, rather than technology.Sargent's distinctive voice is alive in these stories, and endlessly expressive.

Exciting and mystical tales
Pamela Sargent is one of today's most imaginative and talented fantasy writers. Thumprints is an anthology of twelve of her short fiction pieces -- each of which is a minor gem of creative story telling. Some of the tales take place in twelfth-century Mongolia; one in present day Mongolia; one follows a charcter from Sargent's "Venus" trilogy; a title story that delves just how far a nearly demonic literary agent will go to ensure that his fees are paid; and several more. Exciting and mystical tales, steeped in the resonance of culture and defying prediction until the last page is turned, Thumbprints is highly recommended, especially for fans of Sargent's other works.
... Read more

Product Description
Written by two IBM insiders with heavy involvement with OS/2, this book examines truly advanced level OS/2 topics for experienced developers. Clear, concise, and fully functional programming samples illustrate each advanced programming topic. Concepts discussed include Workplace Shell and SOM, DDE, printing from Presentation Manager, and multimedia programming. ... Read more

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Discusses the geography, history, economy, government, religion, people, foreign relations, and major cities of Algeria. ... Read more

Product Description
In the editor's words, "If Paradise Lost or The Odyssey were written today, they'd be considered speculative poetry." Some years in the making, The Stars As Seen from this Particular Angle of Night brings together the best in speculative poetry-in other words, science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic realism or any of their myriad genre byblows. An eclectic and fascinating collection, The Stars contains award-winning works from numerous veterans packed cheek by jowl with emerging talent. This is an anthology full of whimsy and deeper meaning that will delight not only the literati and other poets, but also those who have always squirmed and muttered that they have never liked poetry! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Garbage
One of the few books in my life I have thrown in the trash.There is no reason to read this book.

This is an awful book
I give this book one star only because zero and negative stars are not an option. This is a terrible book. The plot is far-fetched even for bad science-fiction. I gave this book to three friends because I couldn't believe how awful it was; two finished it (one of whom cursed my name), the other used it to prop up a bookcase for several years. That was the most use anyone got out of this book.

Can pacifism be taken too far?
Morrow has a gift for an unforgettable image.In Towing Jehovah, we have God's 2 mile long rotting corpse being towed by a supertanker, and here we have a river of liquefied hate.If you think the book is totally unrealistic (even by sfnal standards), you're right.But that's not the point-- read the cover: it's "A Science Fiction Fable."In between the satire runs the very serious question of how far we should bow before the altar of expedience.This book is deeper than it seems.

Eh.
This is certainly a pretty good book. However, it also certainly has some problems. Personally, I feel that the book is basically completely pointless. The plot is interesting, to a point (...) The last part of the book is basically completely linear and boring, (...)

Anyways, now that I am done dissecting the plot, it is time for the theme. I find that the theme of the book is more like 'agression vs. pacifism'. However, if the book was supposed to be an arguement for pacifism, it did not work very well. If it was supposed to be an arguement for agression, it did even worse. It did not seem like it was an argument for anything, however.

The characters were kind of piddly-ish. Burne especially was flat and kind of lame (although he was the coolest character). He was also the least believable. I mean, come on, he is archaelogist! Who does he think he is, Indiana Jones? :D

To sum it all up, this is book without any sort of external motives for being written or read. It is purely a story, although it (is bad) (somewhat). In short, do not expect anything amazing. I wouldn't pay more than 5 bucks for this - and I doubt you could get it for that much. Just borrow it.

One of the most abysmal books I've ever read
The plot is ludicrous.The characters are completely flat.The science and nature described in the book are so incredibly bad as to be absurd.The only thing that kept this book from being a complete waste of paper is that it serves as an object lesson for how not to write. ... Read more