Product Description
A wealthy corporation owner hires a space pilot to track down her insane brother, a man who might have just created the first fully conscious artificial intelligence. Reprint. NYT. K. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A Truly Delightful and Intelligent Read
Melissa Scott's Dreamships is one of my favorite novels and I return to it from time to read it again. However, if you are looking for fast paced action adventure this is not the novel for you. Scott's work is more character and idea driven, and I find her people and thoughts fascinating.

When Reverdy Jian and her co workers Imre Vaugn and "Red" agree to pilot the starship "Young Lord Byron" to an asylum planet called Refuge they get more than they bargained for. Not only is their employer less than honest about the nature of their voyage, but as events play out their trip will catalyze massive social unrest when it is learned that they may have a true artificial intelligence on board.

In a sense the book is not so much about artificial intelligence as it is about how the discovery of true AI might impact a society. So Scott takes her time building up our sense of the culture and world her characters inhabit. And to me, at least it is an intriguing world. Persephone where most of the action is set is a planet with a rotation of four standard days so that temperatures on the surface are always either too hot or too cold for comfort. The majority of the inhabitants live in an underground city which inverts our ideas of prestige and power in that the wealthiest classes live far below the surface. Scott has created an equally complex social and political world. The planet is owned by an offworld government, but actually governed by a corporate cartel and the political tensions created by this situation play out as the story unfolds.

Also as a person who grew up in Southeast Asia I have a great appreciation for the multicultural aspect that Scott weaves into her tale. So many science fiction novels I have read are simply projections of American culture into the future. While Reverdy Jian and her partner Imre Vaughn are "Yanquis" (caucasians) the majority of Persephone's inhabitants reflect a mixed Asian background, and Scott melds many elements together so that we are left with the sense of an authentically different culture.

Another aspect of Scott's work which I find apealing is her willingness to explore what everyday life might be like in a future society. Her characters have real jobs and do real work and Scott doesn't shy away from taking time to explore this aspect of things. Obviously this is not everyone's cup of tea, and I can understand how someone expecting a more plot driven story might be disappointed. On the other hand, I find that when the action beats in the story occur they feel much more real and generate much more tension than they would otherwise.

On the whole though, I think it is the people who draw me back to this novel again and again. Scott creates lifelike characters with real problems, hurts and needs. Although the people in the story occaisionally act heroically, they are not heros. They are ordinary working class people who are caught up in events that are momentous and beyond their control. Scott then sets them into her densely layered future world and the result is in many ways an extraordinarily touching story.

If you are interested in an intelligent well written thought provoking work of entertaining science fiction I highly recommend Dreamships and its companion novel Dreaming Metal.

Not Free SF Reader
A book that deals with the politics of Artificial Intelligence.The major question is whether or not Artificial Intelligences that pass the Turing Test should have the same rights as humans, or not.

A pilot and her crew basically are on an adventure mission, and her ship's computer just might qualify as an AI, so they become embroiled in the controversy.

Excellent Atmosphere, Politics
Melissa Scott creates a fantastic and compelx world in Dreamships, where hard science fiction meets dynamic social commentary. Scott weaves together characters and plots in a way that implies you are viewing only one sliver of a wholely realized world that could be explored for years to come. Scott's technology also has amazing sustaing power years later - her futuristic concepts still hold up as interesting and engaging, unlike other sci-fi that easily ages as technology passes by most author's dreams.

Unreadable
Melissa Scott has won a shelf full of awards and pulled in heady praise from serious science fiction critics.Perhaps her other books are worthy of it."Dreamships", however, lacks even the most basic building blocks of a good novel.Where to begin.That's Scott's problem to be sure.The plot, involving a spaceship's management software gaining sentience and a mysterious social activist who believes that thinking computers deserve legal and social recognition, doesn't even get started until the book is half over.The first hundred pages are the ship's crew wandering around a space station talking to various people.After that, we get almost another full hundred of space flight, and the main character admiring the ship's fancy decorations.Look, here's the problem.Bi' Jian and her comrades just aren't interesting.If you want to write a book about a living computer, then you have to write a book about a living computer.Tagging on five chapters of filler before the book's main issue comes up will sink just about any project.

Beyond that, the discerning reader will notice something else missing: style.The Titans of cyberpunk, William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, are not universally liked; some folks find them long-winded.However, it's tough to argue that they don't have attitude."Neuromancer" and "Snow Crash" both deploy a tidal wave of frantic prose to match their frantic storylines, and scathing dialgoue for their scathing characters."Dreamships", in this regard, totally fails to deliver.It's clear that Scott has ideas.She has a picture of a highly concentrated, highly stessed futuristic society.But her writing just doesn't get that picture across to the reader, and the characters have no voice whatsoever.

The folks at Tor certainly aren't doing Scott any favors by hyping her as comparable to Robert Heinlein and Alfred Bester.At its best, "Dreamships" looks like a typical freshman effort by an author with a handful of ideas but insufficient experience.And at its worse, well, that's best left unsaid.

Amazing Utopia/Dystopia writing
Melissa Scott did an excellent job examining aspects of society and technology. Once you get past all the technical terms you can get so much out of it. I love the ironic ending as well. I had to reread it just tomake sure I had read it correctly. I highly recommend this book to peoplewho enjoy challenging their minds to comprehend things they've never eventhought of before. ... Read more

Product Description
6 working actors describe their methods and philosophies of the theater. All have worked with playwright David Mamet at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Cheap Guidebook for Beginners
I needed this as a textbook for my acting class. It's a good beginner book for the money, with basic information that I needed, but the teacher was still more important than the book.

A great starter for new aspiring actors
I can only review it as as an aspiring actor in his 30s who is just starting to explore acting techniques, this book is a good starter, offering brief, simple, easy to understand, practical step by step techniques to break down scenes and to perform.It is very well written, easy to read, and serves the purpose as a quick practical handbook.I enjoyed reading it, and will surely be using it as a small reference book again and again.I wish it could be more expanded, longer, or could include more tips and advice.But I guess aspiring actors will have to refer to many other books to gain more knowledge on various other techniques and styles to build our foundation, help us push further.I highly recommend this book.But I'm certainly getting a few other ones as well to broaden my scope.

Short but concise
Having read several books in recent years on Acting, "A Practical Handbook for the Actor" has more valuable, useful information in it than some books three times it's size and price. The subject matter is also current with todays standards and protocols in regards to auditions, monologues, being "on set"...etc. A quick, easy read for review from time to time. Sure to be my "last" purchase of any books on acting...thom b

A must read
In my opinion this is a great book for actors who already know at least the basics of acting.It is a very complete "guide" to help the actor understand better how to put together everything needed to accomplish a good performance.I think this book is great.If you need to go back every now and then and remember the technique because it is a very practical handbook for actors!

Very useful
I originally bought this item for a course but the more I used it and incorporated it into my lessons the more I realized how useful it really was. The concepts are pretty easy to understand and easily applicable to any beginner. ... Read more

Product Description
On the planet Idun, a computer tape of the uploaded mind of a prophet has been allowed to merge with an AI. The result is both a religious icon, a godlike being venerated by the faithful, and a powerful terrorist--with its computer avatars wreaking havoc off-planet. This is a god of whom many copies exist. Anton Tso is the human who must come up with a way to stop the terrorism without killing God.Amazon.com Review
John W. Campbell and Lambda Literary Award-winner Melissa Scott exhibitsthe hip-tech sensibilities of cyberpunk and the mind-blowing complexity ofSamuel Delaney in The Shapes of Their Hearts. This intricate novelintroduces the god (or is that God?) of the planet Idun (read "Eden"), whowas formed when the brain of a prophet was uploaded into the machinery ofan artificial intelligence. The machine can copy itself, and each copycontains self-will. Now the god's avatars are leaving Idun, and beginning acampaign to extinguish those parts of humanity it deems "impure"--clones, replicants, and others with sullied DNA.

Anton Tso, a clone, is hired to steal a copy of the AI (known as theMemoriant), but first, he must get past the faithfully fanatic Children ofIdun and deal with rampant cyberspace personalities gone mad. Scott'sdescriptions of the complex world she's created are extremely detailed andatmospheric. Her characters are perfectly conceived and innatelymysterious--whether man or machine, ultimately human. This complex butrazor-sharp tale will please fans of William Gibson and Samuel Delaneyalike. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Not Free SF Reader
My least favorite Melissa Scott effort, it was not holding my attention much at all.

oh, come on, it wasn't *that* bad...
I was surfing to see what's new from Scott when I saw how few stars this book got, and felt I should drop in an alternate viewpoint... I have to admit, I didn't take a stand on theology or sci-fi genres before delving into it, I took it instead as a good fast read-- and really liked it for that!I thought it moved well, I got involved with the characters, & found the plot idea intriguing. Good entertainment value for the money...

Cyberpunk is dead, Melissa! Wake up!
This book is hard to even call a novel because, frankly, it isn't novel.The idea that enough computer instructions can be whipped up by a programmer to make a piece of code come to self-awareness is, frankly, long discredited, just like the idea that one can make a corpse come to life by pumping electricity into it.No, AI requires a new device that is intelligent, not a new program that pumps intelligence into a dumb device.Her book reads like she's mastered novel-writing-by-the-numbers, and took a novel skeleton for a crime genre, then filled in "computer program becomes AI" in the appropriate numbers.Who frankly cares if a couple of virus programs invade some net? ...The characters are not interesting, the plot not compelling, and this is not a page-turner - it's a yawner.The one thing she's good at is word pictures of imaginary virtual reality scapes, but we have to wait until the end for that. ...She raises far more interesting issues, such as whether clones have a soul, and what a soul is, than the AI-in-a-program issue, but she leaves these dangling, totally unthunk.Alas for that...

Zero content
This wasn't a book!It was a template for a book! There was some plot, consisting of "guy goes to another planet, gets kidnapped, and gets rescued."But there's no ideas here.The cover said that this wasabout god, cloning and free will.But it's not.The computer-god is acharacter, but a rather bland one.God brings up some sort of aphilosophical point, discusses it for a paragraph, and drops it.That'sit.The lesson I got from this book?Don't run windows or your systemmight get infected with something *really* dumb.Try another Melissa Scottbook - Shadow Man, for example, actually is good.

God in a Box: Shapes of Their Computers
This book is a curious mix.Melissa Scott has created an interestingworld of Eden.She's very good at creating suspense, mystery, and keepingyou wanting to turn the next page to find out the next wrinkle orrevelation in the story.The themes she raises are significant, althoughtheyappear to overwhelm her as an author -- she's bitten off a bit morethan she can chew.For centuries man has tried to put God in a box,contain Him within theologies and doctrines which are later outgrown.Fromthe old testament God of wrath to the new testament God of love, we haveseen how mankind's perspective of God has grown.To accept this novel, onemust have a decidedly old testament view of Deity, because the God of Loveis not evident.Much like the fundamentalist view of God today who believeany non-Christian or gay are condemned to the fires of hell, the"Children" of this science fiction world believe that clones haveno souls and genetically mutated beings called "Scatterlings" arepollution rather than simply different people.This could have been theframework of a tremendously interesting allegory about intolerance, andperhaps this is an angle a potential screenwriter could latch onto.Justlike men of the past have tried to put God in a box, the people of thisfuture have put the mind of God in a computer program.To buy the story,you must accept this premise.This is the inherent weakness of the bookbecause rather than a clash of views of faith, we are reduced to a spy-likeintrigue of the persecutors and the pursued.Even the spy chase seems toget drowned in the character Anton Tso's mind battle within the computerprogram with about a quarter of the book being his battle to find the rightcomputer icon to let his mind out of the program and back into his body.Thus, rather than calling this book "The Shapes of Their Hearts,"it would be much more appropriate a title "The Shapes of TheirComputers."The conclusion of the book happened all too quickly withthe events set up in the first several chapters being dismissed with apage's worth of outcomes.All in all, I was glad to have read it.It is apage turner.There are a number of characters who had they been fleshedout a bit more could have been even more interesting.If you're more intocomputers than into God, this book could be Eden for you! ... Read more

Product Description
The legends of Fairyland tell that one should never taste the food or sip the drink, or else risk being caught there forever. But the tempting morsels in So Fey are irresistible! Lambda Award-nominated editor Steve Berman brings together acclaimed fantasy writers with some of the brightest names in speculative and LGBT fiction to create tales that are moving and magical. These stories of romance and grief, adolescence and identity, struggle and hope will enchant readers who long for a fantastic escape—and a wonderful twist! One sample of this bewitching treat is sure to trap you in its pages!

From the pains of loss in Holly Black’s “The Coat of Stars” to dealing with issues of identity in Richard Bowes’s “The Wand’s Boy” to Melissa Scott’s look at the dangers of love in “Mister Seeley,” So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction takes you into worlds that are at once amazing and familiar. With tales that tear and tug at the heart but never cease to enchant, this exciting and unique collection will long last in the minds of readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Delicious Sampler
I really enjoyed this collection. Some of the stories were quite original while others were contemporary takes on the Thomas the Rhymer and Tam Lin legends. Holly Black's "Coat of Stars" was a standout - how have I never read any Holly Black?Laurie Marks' "How the Ocean Loved Margie" was creepy and disturbing in a very good way, while Christopher Barzak's "Iris in Darkness" had a deliciously Bordertown feel to it. (And I see that he'll have a story in the upcoming Welcome to Bordertown book - hooray!)

The thing I love about anthologies is how they provide tasty samples of wonderful writers' works for me to try. I definitely hit the jackpot here.

So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction
I was so excited when this book came in the mail!I've been a long time fan of the Fairy Tale anthologies put out by Ellen Datlow and Terry Windling, including their similar offerings in the Young Adult market.The way those authors took the old fairy tales and reinvented them in each volume was always so satisfying to me, every story was a jewel.

Steve Berman's SO FEY reminds me very much of those anthologies and is now high on my list of fairy tale retellings.For me, as a gay man, it was truly wonderful to see fairy stories and queer fiction woven together to create shining, new takes on the old familiar themes.I thought this was an outstanding collection and want to congratulate Berman and all the authors on their beautiful work.

Here are some of my favorite stories from the collection:


"A Faun's Tale" by Tom Cardamone is a short but sensual story about a faun's romp in New York's Central Park...

"A Bird Of Ice" by Craig Laurance Gidney, where a spirit falls in love with a mortal...

"Three Letters From The Queen Of Elfland" by Sarah Monette, where a woman is torn between her duty to her husband and her attraction to Nyx, the Queen...

"Detox" by Elspeth Potter is a hilarious story where a brownie turns the tables on his mistress...

"The Coat Of Stars" by Holly Black has a gay, Latino man returning home to find his long lost love...

"Year Of The Fox" by Eugie Foster is a beautiful story of a princess in exile who turns hate into love...

and "Ever So Much More Than Twenty" by Joshua Lewis features a gay man who travels with his daughter back to the cabin of his youth, and the memories of his fairy lover...

Again, I thought this was a great collection of stories and I hope Mr. Berman will bring us another volume some day.It is a must read for lovers of fairy stories and for fans of gay fiction.

So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction with a Unique Breath
Steve Berman has gathered an imaginative collection of exceptional stories, deep-rooted in the fields of traditional folklore and recognizable themes of contemporary adult tales that bleed through the conventional fairy stories of the early twentieth century. Many of the tales featured in So Fey explore well constructed elements of gay discovery as well as awe-inspiring characters with romantic yearnings and unmerciful hounds and inquisitive young men. So Fey is a unique anthology of some of the most haunting and remarkable fairy stories concerning characters of the same-sex.After reading the tales, I discovered a complex and beautiful tapestry of interconnected themes and beauties that allowed So Fey to crawl out from the waters of traditional themes found in folklore and to pierce the heart of So Fey's distinct structure. Holly Black's tale, The Coat of Stars, hammers away at the exterior wall of long-established elements of fairy folklore, but cracks the wall and beneath it there are characters that no imagination has yet to indentify. In Richard Bowes' wonderful story, he highlights various societal realities that often plague the youthful soul with a witty jolt of attraction and fantasy. Because Bowes' story pushes the reader to sympathize with the protagonist's fear of going on the run, we are reminded that we all have to make solemn decisions in life and fear is often wrestling with many of those difficult and frequently necessary pronouncements of modification.
This collection of fairy stories will certainly appeal to readers of gay fantasy. However, the essential focus of the tales collected here by Steve Berman would undoubtedly inspire all readers. Some of the stories here are funny, somber, passionate, and idealistic. So Fey is a work that crawls through the doorway of creativity and literary exclusivity.

Myth and Wonder
Berman. Steve (editor). "So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction", Lethe Press Reprint, 2009.

Myth and Wonder

Amos Lassen

Steve Berman and Lethe Press have rescued "So Fey" from obscurity. Originally printed in 2007, the book soon went out of print because of a limited printing run but it is back with its 22 stories of the Fey Folk. This is a compilation of tales of fantasy. It looks at the definition of the word "fairy" by looking at folklore and then giving us stories that have meanings for our lives today. There are stories by 22 different authors who gives us adult fairy tales that run the gamut of light to dark, male to female and human to creature as well as from whimsy to quite disturbing. Some of the stories are set in modern urban settings while others are set in the realms of the mythical. This is not just a collection of short stories but rather it connects us to folklore and each story is captivating. There are stories for everyone from searching for identity and pain and loss, hope and struggle, adolescence and love. It is so good to have this book back so that those of us that missed it can now enjoy it.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent story with unusual premise
I originally read this book (trilogy) several years ago, but recently picked it up again. It is a well-crafted story with some unusual plot devices.It tells of the adventures of Silence Leigh, a female starship pilot, who - among other things - is trying to discover the lost star-road to Earth.

Ms. Scott skillfully weaves a story which incorporates elements of both science fiction and fantasy.Although the setting is typical sci-fi (far future, space travel, alien worlds, a corrupt galactic empire, etc.), many of the "technologies" are based upon magical arts and a manipulation of materials of heaven, purgatory, and hell.

The story contains plenty of action, suspense, politics, interpersonal relationships, and attention to detail which are the hallmarks of a good storyteller.Ms. Scott incorporates the unfamiliar technology unobtrusively, weaving it into the story in a believable fashion.

If you are looking for science fiction with an unusual twist, or fantasy with a realistic edge, this is worth your time.

The trilogy in one book
This is the combined publication of Five Twelves of Heaven, Silence in Solitude, and Empress of the Earth. This is a great series, based on an unusual method of star travel, and I highly recommend it.

Amazingly Good!
This is my new favorite book, actually it's three books put together to tell the story of a female starship pilot named Silence.Early on Silence is saved from a bad situation by a mysterious older man, a captain with a questionable past, who asks her for a favor.He wants her to enter into a three-way marriage of convienience with him and another man, his engineer.

In this universe starship travel is possible by making use of a type of science known as High Art.High Art is the work of Magi, the gifted and powerful wizards who can use their minds to do amazing and terrible things.Harmonics and symbolism play a large part in the High Art and it's very intersting learning the details which are meticulously explained throughout the book.

Silence doesn't care for the Magi, who she views as selfish, power-hungry, and unfeeling.But she ends up very involved with them in her many adventures.She gets into more than a few very very perilous situations throughout these books.

I think this book would appeal to anyone who likes Science Fiction or Fantasy.It's heavy on action and suspense as well as technical aspects.Also, although some outlandish things happen they are all very well explained and seem believable within this universe. ... Read more

Product Description
As research emerges on the effectiveness of psychological therapies for bipolar disorder, this is the first manual guiding the treatment of those in adolescence and early adulthood, taking into account the developmental issues which can have significant impact on therapeutic outcomes. Core issues covered include engagement difficulties, how cognitive therapy should be adapted for adolescents, the impact of the disorder on the person's psychosocial development, managing comorbidity (particularly alcohol and substance use), medication adherence, the impact of family dynamics, and issues around control and independence in the therapeutic relationship. The manual is illustrated with case studies and text boxes describing tips and techniques for the therapist. Providing clear clinical guidance, backed by an extensive literature review and theoretical overview, this is essential reading for all mental health specialists implementing psychological interventions for young people with bipolar disorder. ... Read more

Product Description
Persephone is a planet wracked by class struggle and economic and political upheaval. Celinde Fortune is an entertainer, an illusionist who makes good money but plays the Empire theater, a venue prone to bomb threats. When she combines two advanced computer chips in a new way to sophisticate her act, the resulting form of computer life seems awfully like a true artificial intelligence. And this is beyond controversial--it could get her killed.Amazon.com Review
In this sequel to Dreamships, MelissaScott tackles the concept of artificial intelligence and how it willimpact society. Not the theoretical society of chess playing and supercomputing, but the gritty society where coolie laborers struggle forexistence, and where political groups fight their battles on thestreets through protests, riots, and bombings. Scott uses threecharacters--a high-tech stage magician, her deaf cousin who plays in astruggling band, and a starship pilot with a deep distrust for theartificial constructs she must work with--to explore her intense, ifslow moving, future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

One of My Favorite Novels
I had read Dreamships a number of years ago and it has become one of my favorite novels over the years, so I was delighted to find that Melissa Scott had written a companion novel set in the same milleu.

Dreaming Metal is not a traditional sequel, and can be read without any prior knowledge. However, it is a follow up to Dreamships and I think a reader who has read the earlier work will have a greater appreciation.

The novel picks up some 5 years after the events of Dreamships, and chronicles the creation and growth of an entity which may be an artificial intelligence. The cast of characters is slightly different, and the writing is in some places extraordinary. Like Dreamships this is a slow paced character driven novel of ideas rather than an action packed adventure story.

I think it compares favorably with the finest SF novels, and is one of my favorites.

My favorite sci-fi
I have read both Dreamships and Dreaming Metal, and Scott is now one of my favorite authors. Science fiction is hit or miss for me, I either love a book or can't stand it. If this sounds like you, read both.

Not Free SF Reader
Another example of Melissa Scott's ability to produce an interesting setting almost immediately, surrounding people's daily lives.

A few years after Dreamships, a young woman is basically a magician/illusionist, working with high tech robot type bodies.Her use of them, with some grey technology seems to cross the artificial intelligence line.This sort of thing has caused violence to erupt before, and the protagonists find themselves in danger again.

Very good read.
This was the first Melissa Scott book that I have read, and it definitely won't be the last.She is able to draw the reader into her worlds very easily.The atmosphere of this book is very very good.This is seriously one of my favorite books.

The birth of AI
This book is excellent.It fits into the cyberpunk genre and runs alongside authors such as Neil Stephenson and William Gibson. The story is set on Persephone, where everyone lives under the planet's surface, except for outcasts and interplanetary cargo ships.Various castes, characters and lifestyles are clearly portrayed.Vivid imagery is presented surrounding the birth of true digital sentience. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Melissa Scott, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 3688 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Customer Reviews (1)

My Thoughts on Francis Scott Key
I thought that this book was really good.I did a research paper using this book and I'm sure I'll get an A.The beginning of Francis Scott Key's life was interesting.I was surprised to learn that Francis Scott Keydefended Aaron Burr.The book gave perfect information on how he got hisidea for his poem that became The Star Spangled Banner.I thought thepictures were good and I promise that anyone else who reads this book willlike it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Book for a reader who wants to delve a little deeper into the battle
This book is for the reader who wants to delve deeper into the Battle of Little Big Horn.For this reader, I would give the book four or five stars.However, for the casual reader of the battle, this is not the right book for you. For this reader, I would give the book two stars.I recommend Philbrick's or Donovan's book for the casual reader.

However, as I mentioned, for the reader who wants to dig a little deeper, this book has a lot of interesting facts to share like: (1) the average age of the 7th cavalry trooper was 27 years old and (2) the average years of experience was 1 to 5 years.These facts debunk the belief by some that the 7th cavalry was beaten because it was filled with young troopers of little experience.In fact, only 20% of the 7th cavalry troopers were less than 21 years old.

The main part of the book goes through an anthropological study of the bones of some of the 7th cavalry troopers coming up with an interesting conclusion that Custer may not be buried in West Point, but may still be buried in the Little Big Horn cemetary.Of course, that will never be confirmed (unless DNA testing can do this but I'm sure that won't be allowed).

There a lot of little known facts like this in the book, and for this reason it is a useful book for the individual who is studying the Little Big Horn battle.

Good, but repetitive in places
This is a very interesting and engrossing analysis of the skeletal remains from the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The authors have handled their material well, except for the repetitiveness. It's as if each wrote something for the book and everything was then used somewhere in it instead of being edited to produce a comprehensive whole book. The section on comparison of the skeletal remains from the Battle with skeletons from other contexts from the Old West was a bit of a drag and perhaps overanalyzed. I didn't see how it was terribly relevant to the who or the what of the Battle bones. But the authors are good writers and this was worth the read. I would have liked to know more about the Native casualties, but this receives short shrift in a couple of paragraphs. Also there was no discussion about the remains of G. A. Custer and the other officers or how their bodies was identified.

A Very Thorough and Precise Study
Among all of the books I have on the archeaology of the Little Bighorn, my library would not be complete with out this one concerning the findings from those digs.

It is well written.It is very technical and not the kind of book a causual reader would enjoy.It is , however, the kind of book a very serious student of the subject will enjoy.Although I was not present for any of the digs as a volunteer, I have kept up with them by purchasing many other books related.I have visted the battlefield several times of the years and even met a few of the poeple mentioned in the book.This all of course, makes it of special interest to me.I would highly reccomend this book to anyone with a very serious interest in the anthropology concerning the members of the 7th U.S. Cavalry who participated in the battle in 1876.There are some very important comparisons with other remains that were studied from several other areas of the Western expansion to arrive at a picture of what these men were really like.As the book concludes, this was not a period that was quite so romantic as many people have imagined.It was a very tough life in a harsh environment.For the advanced "Custer Buff" or historian, this is a must have book.

They Died With Custer
Very interesting book. Learned a lot. Some information was repeated (word for word) in different sections of the book. Seemed like it was added just to stretch the size of the book, or at least someone wasn't paying attention. What was new was interesting, what was repeated was boring. I would recommend this book, it is definitely worth reading.

Bones Can Talk
Who knew that old bones could give us as such quantities ofinformation?
This book is a captivating and absorbing account of many of the cavelrymen who rode against the Sioux at Little Bighorn.
I enjoyed the little snippets of their lives that were discovered by comparing historical documents with the anthopological evidence found on site. A good addition to my library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

What if Alexander had...?
Melissa Scott has created an amazing book here.Historical fiction concerning Alexander the Great has recently captured my attention and I have been eagerly devouring anything to do with the subject.This book, unlike the previous ones I've read, takes Alexander on a different route.What if Alexander skipped India? What if he went towards Rome? What if he had an heir before he started his journey?All of these questions and more create an interesting and exciting story.

I would definitely recommend this story.I thought Melissa Scott captured Alexander the Great's character very well.Hephaistion also plays a large part, and even Bagoas is mentioned.I've never thought about what Rome would do if Alexander came calling, and the author has written a very plausible theory.

Again, I recommend this story.If you're interested in other historical fiction concerning Alexander the Great, I recommend Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy: Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy, and Funeral Games.I also just finished Lord of the Two Lands by Judith Tarr and would recommend that if you'd like to see Alexander from an Egyptian point of view.

I'd also like to note that I was a bit put off by the cover art showing what looks like outer space.The majority of this story takes place in Alexander's time period.There are a few short chapters (only a few pages long) which are spread throughout the book, and take place far in the future; they deal with what is left with Alexander's empire.Not something I particularly cared for, but they did not take away from my enjoying the story.

5 stars for the story, but 2 for what history is in it...
This is a very good read that looks at what may have happened should Alexander the Great turned away from his trip into India and instead returned to defeat rebels in Hellas, take Syracuse, subjugate southern Italy, defeat Rome and then sack Carthage.Included are interludes which show the resultant empire through the late 1500s (bce) including a scene from Alexandria-in-Orbit.

The 'turning point', which apparently is important in alternate histories, is not really stark.Scott has the Sacred Band with Alexander in Bactria, when they were crushed at Chaeronea, so that must have been where it began its turn.

All-in-all, a fine read with some big quibbles.

Unexpectedly good and well-researched
Absolutely terrific book. It could have gone on twice as long; since Scott only takes us through two of Alexander's "alternate" campaigns - against Rome and against Carthage - and doesn't show us the empire-building that must have followed. She is at ease with the military minutiae as well as with the different personalities of Alexander's Friends and Companions (it's amusing to hear about a Queen Cleopatra in the flash-forwards that show us the Empire down the centuries; she might be a Ptolemaic descendent, but through a different, clever history twist.) The only question I would have is that I'm not sure the sarissa was used by the cavalry - it must have made a very unwieldy weapon. You can tell how fine the research is, when quibbles become that detailed. (Also - wouldn't a Roman Consul need to be re-elected every year?) Much more important is how Melissa Scott manages to infuse every page with a terrific sense of suspense. We care and fear for her Alexander. Like Renault, she uses omens and visions woven into the perceptions of everyday life, with a good balance between the religious and the pragmatic. The Syrian seeresss, the augurs are all historical figures. Scott also creates perhaps the best adult Hephaestion in all Alexander fiction (since his point of view never appears in Mary Renault's The Persian Boy.) Nothing is explicitly written about the relationship between the king and his "best friend", but every clue is there if you know where to look; and even Bagoas briefly appears. This is a complete, unexpected sucess, and it's a shame it's out of print. I could do with sequels, both on the immediate aftermath of this book, and in the more distant future of the alternate Alexandrian empire; the glimpses we get are simply riveting. No Dark Ages and space travel by the 16th century AD? Bring it on!

Praise for Melissa Scott's "alternative history" theory
I can only speculate as to the past-life Melissa Scott might have enjoyed as a loyal soldier-officer in the Macedonian army of the Great Alexander, but in what is arguably her best short work, A Choice Of Destinies, the reader is certainly swept into the passion, place, and time of this remarkable man, as Ms. Scott unfolds an epic tapestry that presents Alexander and his generals with a choice they never had in Antiquity:an opportunity to embark upon thetrans-Oxus campaign, or face the formidable power of the early Roman republic. An engaging read for lovers of classical studies as well as the science fiction/fantasy enthusiast, A Choice Of Destinies will fire the imaginations of all who've ever wondered what might have been if we had only chosen to zig, instead of zagging, on the slippery slope of Time. ... Read more

Product Description
Ever since the Custer battle on June 25, 1876, thequestion has been asked: What happened--what REALLY happened--at theBattle of the Little Bighorn? We know some of the answers because halfof George Armstong Custer's Seventh Cavalry--the men with Major MarcusReno and Captain Frederick Benteen--survived the fight, but what ofthe half that did not, the troopers, civilians, scouts, andjournalists who were with Custer?

Now, because a grass fire in August 1983 cleared the terrain of brushand grass and made thorough archaeological examination possible, wehave many answers to these important questions. On the basis of theevidence presented in this book, we know more about what kinds ofweapons were used against the cavalry. We know exactly where most ofthe men fought, how they died, and what happened to their bodies atthe time of or after death. We know how the troopers were deployed,what kind of clothing they wore, what kind of equipment they used, andhow they fought. Through the techniques of historical archaeology andforensic anthropology, the remains and grave of one of Custer'sscouts, Mitch Boyer has been identified. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A Signifcant Scholarly Publication
This is a significant scholarly work. Using the evidence they collected, the authors can support a credible theory for the pattern of the Indian attack. They apparently identify the remains of Mitch Boyer and his final position on the field, and also provide evidence leaning toward potential identifications of one or two troopers on the field. The analysis of cartridge, shell, and bullet artifacts is exhaustive, helping to nail down trooper and Indian firing positions with some weaker support of movement of individual weapons across the course of the battle.

The scientific archeological evidence suggests or may resolve many mysteries:

1) This book apparently supports theories that Custer evidently had time to make a rudimentary quick deploymentin a V shaped line with its point at last stand hill. Clearly, positions chaotically and quickly fell, but a snap decision had evidently been made on how to contain the Indian attack following what was likely a rapid initial retreat
2) The Indians were well armed with repeating weapons adequate to maintain constant pressure and control the momentum after deployment. The historical record already implies this, but this investigation goes much further in making statistical inferences of weapon types and numbers and their location on the field.
3) That the Indians and troopers may have been more or less equally plagued with misfires and jammed cartridges, but that this alone didn't decide the battle. The Seventh's position was probably too weak to defend, and Indian firepower and quick movement too overwhelming to permit the cavalry to retreat further and make adjustments.
4) Some of the current markers on the field are incorrectly placed or there may be too many in some locations.

There are probably four stages to Custer's fight. The first was his initial approach to the village. The second was his retreat and fight to the finish. The third was the battle's ending where a possible breakout might have been attempted by a group of survivors. The fourth is the Indian `clean-up' of the battle field finishing off wounded. For me, this book settles many questions regarding the sequence of the second stage of the battle. Uncertainties remain regarding Custer's initial assault on the village, the beginning of his retreat, whether a breakout attempt occurred into the Deep Ravine, and the final stages of the action. This book does address these issues without resolution, but likely more archeology work is necessary along and within the river, within the area occupied by the village, and within the deep ravine.

I think one other thing this book clarifies for me is that Custer and his troopers were not incompetent in their actions, but, unlike Reno, just didn't have the time or fortuity to be able to find a position that could be defended given Indian weapons and tactics. I think an unresolved issue is whether he could have chosen to fight a running retreat, or whether Indian pressure and contact was so intense that a deployment seemed necessary.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has a strong interest in the battle.

Whata Bargain!
Archaeology and the Battle of the Little Big Horn, what's there not to like!Nicely written with fascinating photographs.Starting at $8, what a bargain!

Little Bighorn Overview
Custer's Fall: The Native American Side of the Story

I found 'Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of Little Bighorn' to be a very interesting read indeed, it served to answer many questions that, up to the time of the archaeological investigations, were not known.

An interesting comment in the book referred to the fact that the investigations backed-up the indian's side of events & refuted that of the army's.
Many comments made by various authors over the years have also been negated by the evidence unearthed.

I recommend the book mentioned above, ('Custer's Fall'), which is the indian account of the battle; many people I am sure will be dismayed to discover that; Custer was shot down within a few moments of the first charge across the Little Bighorn to attack the indian camp, that the charge immediately halted mid stream & that shortly afterwards the army, faced with overwhelming numbers of indians, commenced it's futile race to try & find a defensive place on high ground.

Unfortunately Custer's luck on that day was not as good as Reno's.

In my opinion, Custer was an egotistical murdering glory hound, he had the opportunity to save his men's lives & failed to heed the word of his scouts.
He went in with guns blazing & met the fate he truly deserved, there was no last stand, at least not for Custer, that ultimate terror was left for his unfortunate men to face.

My only (minor) criticism of 'Archaeological Perspectives' is that a detailed map of the arenas of battle was not included in the book.

Well done the indians; if only they had overrun Reno & captured his ammunition packs, it could have led to the destruction of the other army detachments closing in upon them, alas... it was not meant to be.

Ground Breaking Forensic Archaeology..pun intended.
I was lucky enough to visit the Battlefield in 1984 shortly after the fire and the first field season.I have visited it twice more since.The last time I was armed with not onlyRichard Allen Fox's book but this one as well.

Having an abiding interest in the battle for over 30 years it is amazing how the application of good sound science has unraveled many of the "mysteries" and myths associated with what happened on those dusty slopes the day of the battle.

This book delves more into the personal fate of numerous combatants as evidenced by their remains found on the battlefield.

The mere fact that so numerous remains were there to be found after reported exhumation and reburial under the monument, shows that then as now "good enough for government work" still has the same meaning.

If you are interested in the fate of individuals, the nuts and bolts of the recovery of remains, this book is for you.If you are more interested in the unraveling of the mystery of the battle itself.Richard Alan Fox's book Archaeology, History and Custer's Last Battle will appeal to you more.It details the unraveling of the stages of the battle using firearm forensic techniques and puts to bed the notion that Custer died in a glorious last stand.

Rather the famed 7th Cavalry disintegrated into a panic stricken mob, and at the last it was every man for himself, as the last 28 lone survivors on foot and horseback fled Last Stand Hill for the illusion of saftey of the Deep Ravine.

Both books are excellent and both will help final dispel the myths surrounding the battle.

Great scientific archeological analysis of the battle
This book goes into great detail about the archeology performed on the battlefield site.It has the feel of being written for an audience of archeologists rather than just a casual reader.If you are an archeologist, the book probably rates a five.If you are really interested in the battle, I also recommend it.If you just want to learn the basics of the battle, howver, other titles are probably more appropriate. ... Read more