Product Description
This digital document is an article from Macmillan Reference USA Science Library: Space Sciences, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1541 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.From the history of space exploration to the future of space business, this set offers a broad survey of the space sciences. Includes biographies of scientists and the space-related job market. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Mineralogical Record, published by The Mineralogical, Inc. on September 1, 2008. The length of the article is 476 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Martian water?(Notes from the Editors)(water on Mars )
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: The Mineralogical Record (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2008
Publisher: The Mineralogical, Inc.
Volume: 39Issue: 5Page: 348(1)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Macmillan Reference USA Science Library: Space Sciences, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1812 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.From the history of space exploration to the future of space business, this set offers a broad survey of the space sciences. Includes biographies of scientists and the space-related job market. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from World of Earth Science, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 812 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.A comprehensive guide to the concepts, theories, discoveries, pioneers, and issues relating to topics in earth science. Its encyclopedic approach offers entries that are written in easy to understand language. ... Read more

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It was a lucky twist of fate when in the early1980s David Levy, a writer and amateur astronomer, joined up with the famous scientist Eugene Shoemaker and his wife, Carolyn, to search for comets from an observation post on Palomar Mountain in Southern California. Their collaboration would lead to the 1993 discovery of the most remarkable comet ever recorded, Shoemaker-Levy 9, with its several nuclei, five tails, and two sheets of debris spread out in its orbit plane. A year later, Levy would be by the Shoemakers' side again when their comet ended its four-billion-year-long journey through the solar system and collided with Jupiter in the most stunning astronomical display of the century. Not only did this collision revolutionize our understanding of the history of the solar system, but it also offered a spectacular confirmation of one scientist's life work. As a close friend and colleague of Shoemaker (who died in 1997 at the age of 69), Levy offers a uniquely insightful account of his life and the way it has shaped our thinking about the universe.

Early in his training as a geologist, Shoemaker suspected that it wasn't volcanic activity but rather collisions with comets and asteroids that created most of the craters on the moon and most other bodies in the solar system. Convincing the scientific community of the plausibility of "impact theory," and revealing its power for penetrating mysteries such as the extinction of the dinosaurs and the timing of the Earth's eventual demise, became Shoemaker's mission. Through conversations with Shoemaker and his family, Levy reconstructs the journey that began with a young geologist's serious desire to go to the moon in the late1940s. Sent by the government to find a way to harvest plutonium, Shoemaker instead found evidence in desert craters for what became his impact theory. While he never became an astronaut, he did become the first geologist hired by NASA and subsequently set the research agenda for the first manned lunar landing.

After a series of victories and setbacks for Shoemaker, the collision of Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter provided the most convincing proof to date of the role of impacts in our solar system. Levy's explanation of the scientific reasoning that guided Shoemaker in his career up to this dramatic point--as well as his personal portrait of a man who found white-water rafting to be an easy way to relax--sets these fascinating events in a human scale. This biography shows what Shoemaker's legacy will be for our understanding of the story of the Earth well into the twenty-first century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Giant of Science
Gene Shoemaker was truly a giant of 20th Century Science. Involved in the development of (and frustrated by) the vestigal scientific programs attached to the oh-so-political US moon program, Gene Shoemaker was a frequently-acknoledged genius. Perhaps most famous, along with his wife Carolyn and (this book's author) David Levy, for his work discovering the comet chain (Shoemaker-Levy 9) which impacted Jupiter in July 1994, Shoemaker's true legacy lay in his role as a key proponent of the theory, now widely-accepted, that most of the craters we observe in the solar system were caused by meteor or comet impacts instead of being cause by volcanism, and that this process has been at work on the Earth for millenia as well, as can be seen at places like Meteor Crater in Arizona.

Levy is always a treat to read, with an enthusiastic and easygoing style which keeps the subject accessible and the language casual. He moves the narrative effectively, and frequently refers back to earlier portions of the book to jog the reader's memory regarding various details. The book follows a more-or-less chronological course in relating Shoemaker's life, although it does follow concurrent threads in seperate chapters, so it may confuse less-attentive readers from time to time as Levy covers Shoemaker's gological work during a particular decade in one chapter, and in the next might jump back to the end of the previous decade while describing his astronomical work.

The book's only real flaw is in it's extreme reverence for Shoemaker and the resultant unwillingness to dig for "dirt" in the process of profiling this colorful and contentious man, understandable considering how close Levy was to Shoemaker, and how close he remains to Shoemaker's wife Carolyn. While the general impression is that there was little actual dirt to be found, Levy glosses over some conflicts in Shoemaker's life, especially the significant personal break with his one-time student and co-collaborator Eleanor Helin, whose near-Earth object research has been truly influential as well. Additonally, passing but tantalizing mention is made in places of his (apparently) less-than-perfect relationship with hischildren when they were young.

All in all, these lapses are insignificant (worth a point off a pefect score, though), especially since it will most likely be many years before we are treated to any more thorough and (perhaps) less-biased biography by any other writer. Heartily recommended to anyone who likes a good biography or who has an interest in geology or the search for near-earth objects.

Should Be A Big Hit<br>

This is an excellent (and probably the only) bio of Eugene Shoemaker, who nearly singlehandedly pioneered impact geology, and by doing so helped make modern, secular catastrophism palatable to scientists.On page 55 Levy quotes Stephen Gould (from "The Panda's Thumb") regarding the origin of gradualism as "a common cultural bias"; discusses Cuvier's near miss regarding the source of catastrophes attested throughout the fossil record (pp 51-52); and most nobly and notably, recounted with pretty good accuracy the central thesis of Velikovsky's Worlds in Collision without resorting to the childish distortions and namecalling found in most books which mention Velikovsky at all.This factual, non-inflammatory mention of Velikovsky and what may be the most controversial non-political work of the 20th century reveals Levy as a man of reason, courage, and character.

This biography is highly recommended.

Also recommended:

-:- "Dark Matter" by Thomas Van Flandern
-:- "The Deep Hot Biosphere" by Thomas Gold
-:- "Voices of the Rocks" by Robert Schoch et al
-:- "Night Comes to the Cretaceous" by James Lawrence Powell
-:- "Rain of Iron and Ice" by John S. Lewis
-:- "T Rex and the Crater of Doom" by Walter Alvarez
-:- "Noah's Flood" by Walter C. Pitman and William B. F. Ryan
-:- "Catastrophe: A Quest for the Origins of the Modern World" by David Keys
-:- "Worlds In Collision" by Immanuel Velikovsky
-:- "Earth in Upheaval" by Immanuel Velikovsky

Shoemaker by Levy
A truly delightful book about the premiere scientist. The book takes you from the early days when Gene was a kid collecting rocks in a jar, to his prominent role with the Apollo project to the seach for asteroids.Levy writes in such a way that you almost feel that you were friends with the man. Looking over his shoulder as he takes college kids on field trips to Meteor Crater and in the control room for the Voyager missions. I never knew Gene was involved in so many aspects of astronomy. Anyone who relishes science biographies should not miss this one.

A mark on the Earth and ashes on the moon.
Soon after pieces of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 began impacting Jupiter, I checked Jupiter with my 3.5" telescope and was delighted to see impact spots. Just a day before astronomers were fearful that there would be no visible trace of the impact and of the reaction of the media to the "non-event".

Somehow I didn't take time to reflect on the "rightness" that the comet was discovered by the scientist most responsible for our current understanding of past and future impacts on the Earth.I guess it just seemed obvious that Shoemaker was the one to find the comet.(Actually, his wife Carolyn was the first to see it on film Gene and David Levy exposed.)

The day after his death I heard of the idea to include some of his ashes on the Lunar Prospector satellite that was soon tolaunch, orbit, and eventually crash on the moon.While I instantly recognized what a wonderful idea that was, my memory was fuzzy on his long contribution to lunar exploration.

Levy's biography is a wonderful summary of the Shoemakers' life and contributions to astrogeology.Shoemaker will be remembered as one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. Shoemaker's enthusiasm for geology was a key to his success and Levy concentrates on that, leaving the technical aspects to the bibliography.The result is a book anyone can read and all can learn from.

Five stars, several asteroids, and dozens of comets! ... Read more

Product Description
Not since Sagan's classic Cosmos has there been so compelling and readable a book on the science of the universe. This book features much recent research that has never before been given popular treatment and provides the reader with a thoroughly up-to-date and accessible introduction to the bodies of the solar system. 50 photos & illustrations. ... Read more

Product Description

It is said that astronomy is one of the few remaining fields in which amateurs can make a real contribution to science, and nowhere is this more true than in the field of meteors and meteorites.

Although meteors are isolated and unpredictable, it is possible to predict when meteor showers - usually associated with old comets - are due; they last a couple of days, during which many meteors can be observed in a single night. Equipment for watching, counting and even measuring meteors can range from the simplest (a chair) to sophisticated all-sky cameras.

What is unique about meteors in astronomical observation is that many survive entry into the Earth's atmosphere and impact the ground - the only easily-analysed extraterrestrial material available to science.

What is unique about Richard Norton's book is that it is both a field guide to observing meteors, and also a field guide to locating, preparing and analysing meteorites. In addition to giving the reader information about observing techniques for meteors, this book also provides a fully detailed account of the types of meteorites, how and where to find them, how to prepare and analyse them. It is thus the only complete book on the subject available at present.

Customer Reviews (6)

Packed with information on Meteorites
This is a must have book for the armature and experienced Meteorite Hunter it is wonderful reference material for the field in and at home....

meterorites
This is a comprehensve guide of the origin and classification of meterorites.As a collector, it's an invaluable resource to assess finds and purchased meterorites.Outstanding resource.

great overall look at meteorites
i bought this as a gift to go along with a meteorite and the person has really enjoyed it. it is written well with some good humor among the plethora of information about meteorites...it really covers all the bases and if you are going to only buy one book on this subject, this is probably it

Outstanding overview of meteors and meteorites
This is a magnificent book and a must for anyone who is interested in our solar system and its formation. How do you study something that took place 4.6 billion years ago? You look at the unaltered debris that is left over from that period and fortunately for science that debris can be found on Earth in the form of meteorites. Once they are cut open, their extraterrestrial origins are betrayed and they become a history lesson to the scientists who study them. That's why this book is so important - it tells you what to look for, as most meteorites are found by amateurs - and it may as well be you.This is one of the very few areas where a non-scientist can make a real contribution to the scientific understanding of our planet's origins.

The book itself is divided into three parts. The first part is devoted to all the debris floating around the solar system, from interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), to asteroids, to meteoroids which become meteorites once they land on Earth. Meteors are the luminous phenomenon we have all witnessed in the night sky. Next comes the second and main part of the book with its description of the different classes and subclasses of meteorites, replete with color photos of whole specimens, slices, and thin sections. Every category of meteorites tells a different story that relates to the particulars of its formation. While most meteorites are of asteroidal origin, some have come from the Moon and Mars. These latter can send the heart racing if you are lucky enough to stumble upon one.

The final part of the book is about how to find meteorites and `what next?' if you think you have indeed stumbled upon one. Firstly, don't worry as they are neither hot to the touch nor are they radioactive. A gallery of `meteorwrongs' is included to show that a rock can look like a meteorite in some respects and yet sadly be terrestrial. A wonderful segment is included on what meteorites look like in thin section and it is a glorious world indeed. This is where former ugly-ducklings become superstars of science.

Not everyone knows this, but you can actually buy these extraterrestrial rocks from space (just Google `meteorites for sale'). If you do, or if you wish to find you own, or if you just wish to learn more about the environment our Earth inhabits, you will want a copy of this outstanding book. The reader should be warned though - meteorites have been found to be highly addictive. Good hunting!

A Guide ro Meteors and Meteorites
Field Guide to Meteors and Meteorites (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series) This book should be on every meteorite lovers bookshelf. The photos are detailed and of excellent quality.The text is understandable by professionals and amateurs alike. I unhesitatingly recommend this book to anyone interested in these visitors from outer space. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1993, the U.S. Department of Defense declassified information dealing with frequent explosions in the upper atmosphere caused by meteoric impact.It is estimated that impacts have occurred of a magnitude equivalent to the atomic bomb detonated at Hiroshima.Not all such space voyagers meet their end in the atmosphere, however; huge craters attest to the bombardment of earth over millions of years, and a major impact may have resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs.An impact in Siberia near the beginning of this century proves that such events are not confined to geologic time.Hazards Due to Comets and Asteroids marks a significant step in the attempt to come to grips with the threats posed by such phenomena.It brings together more than one hundred scientists from around the world, who draw on observational and theoretical research to focus on the technical problems related to all aspects of dealing with these hazards: searching for and identifying hazardous comets and asteroids; describing their statistics and characteristics; intercepting and altering the orbits of dangerous objects; and applying existent technologies—rocket boosters, rendezvous and soft-landing techniques, instrumentation—to such missions.The book considers defensive options for diverting or disrupting an approaching body, including solar sails, kinetic-energy impacts, nuclear explosives, robotic mass drivers, and various propulsion systems.A cataclysmic impact posing a threat to life on Earth is a possibility that tomorrow's technology is capable of averting.This book examines in depth the reality of the threat and proposes practical measures that can be initiated now should we ever need to deal with it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Professional look into the tread from cosmos
Professional look into the treat from cosmos

This is a scientific book addressed to professionals, although the main ideas will be of interest to the general audience. The potential threat of a global catastrophe causedby a large asteroid or comet impact has been the centre of public attentionfor quite some time. It generated many discussions mainly in the popularliterature and in various sites on the Internet. While very illuminating,these discussions are not sufficient for somebody who, like myself, wouldbe interested in undertaking research in this area. The reviewed book fillsthis gap by providing the up-to-date and in-depth account of the problemand possible methods of solution. I believe the book establishes thefoundation of a new branch of science associated with the problem of cosmicdefence.

Being an expert in the area of Fracture Mechanics, I amnaturally interested in developing mechanically sound methods of deflectionand destruction of the Near Earth Objects (NEO) on the collision coursewith Earth. The reviewed book thus proves to be an invaluable source ofinformation in this respect. It covers the whole range of aspects relatedto the problem from the types and probabilities of threat to possibledefence methods. From my prospective, the most important are two aspects:(a) the identification of different types of cosmic threat (from largesolid bodies to the not least dangerous clouds of small objects) and; (b)the possible types of internal structure and composition of the NEOs. Allthese as well as other aspects (the NEO detection, methods of the NEOdefence, the environmental consequences) are covered in great depth.

Iwould strongly recommend this book everyone starting a research in thearea. ... Read more

Product Description
Multi-ring basins are large impact craters formed in the early history of planets. They critically affect the evolution of the planets and their satellites. The Moon offers an exceptional chance to study these phenomena and this book provides a comprehensive geological study using data from lunar landings and remote sensing of the Moon. The author covers the formation and development of basins and considers their chemistry and mineralogy. He studies their effects on the volcanic, tectonic and geological evolution of the planet, including the catastrophic consequence on the planetary climate and evolution of life. This study is lavishly illustrated with many spectacular, highly-detailed photographs and diagrams. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A intriguing look at the formation and geology of the moon.
As a lay person, I thoroughly enjoyed this volume which offers a nice balance between readable narrative and in-depth geology information.I've always enjoyed reading Dr. Spudis's papers and volumes, and this is one ofmy personal favorites sitting on my space science and technology shelf. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume focuses on isotopic signatures of volatile elementsas tracers for evolutionary processes during the formation of the Sunand the planets from an interstellar molecular cloud and, in turn,illuminates how the isotopic compositions of the present-day solarsystem objects have been established. The book is an integrated collection of articles by experts inplanetary science, solar and plasma physics, astrophysics, mineralogyand chemistry that met for an interdisciplinary workshop at theInternational Space Science Institute in Bern in January 2002. Theauthors present analyses of isotope abundance ratios for volatileelements in the sun, planets, satellites, comets, meteorites andinterplanetary dust particles, as well as a review of isotopic ratiosin star-forming interstellar clouds. This provides insight into thephysical and chemical processes in the pre-solar molecular cloud thatcollapsed to form the Sun and the solar accretion disk. Furthermore,information is presented on dynamical processes and conditions insidethis protoplanetary disk, in particular the degree of reprocessing ofinterstellar solid material, the formation of solids inside the disks,and the formation of terrestrial and giant planets and theirsatellites. Isotopic fractionation processes discussed in this bookinclude chemical reactions such as ion-molecule and photochemicalreactions, nuclear processes inside the sun and in its atmosphere,plasma processes, gravitational escape of gases from planetaryatmospheres exposed to the solar wind and solar radiation,thermodynamic processes, a variety of accretion and adsorptionprocesses and mixing of material from the interstellar environmentwith the material of the evolving solar system. The volume is intended to provide active researchers in the fields ofplanetary science and space physics with an up-to-date status reporton the topic, and also to serve graduate students with introductorymaterial into the field. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume identifies the similarities and differences in theprocesses of formation and evolution of all planets in the solarsystem. By comparing common processes and features of the planets,including Earth, we are better able to understand Earth as a planet,and the evolutionary processes that have led to its present state. Asa result of these studies, we will acquire a better understanding ofother planets, such as Venus and Mars. The results can then beiterated to achieve a common consensus. The prediction of futureevolution is a definite ultimate goal. Also recommended as a referencesource for graduate students in the planetary sciences who areinterested in comparative studies of the planets. ... Read more

Product Description
Helio- and asteroseismology are fast- developing new fields of research that probe the internal structure of stars. The complicated multi-periodic oscillations are studied from both theoretical and observational points of view. Nine articles review the state of the art, including modeling the sun, excitations of oscillations, inverse problems, and the observations of seismic phenomena. One section is devoted to the seismology of stars, a field of research still in its very early development. In addition the reader will find about forty research papers on these subjects. ... Read more

Product Description
This upper-division textbook describes the composition and evolution of material objects in the universe. The survey begins with a discussion of terrestrial materials and ends with the composition of quasars and distant galaxies. There are two main themes: chemical processes responsible for the abundances we observe, and nuclear processes in which the chemical elements originate. The author presents a total pedagogic synthesis of the subject, building on the basic information in the first chapters to lead into a fuller explanation of the composition of the planets and stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis. The later chapters treat the analytical methods of stellar and nebular spectra, and move on to the composition of stars and galaxies. The book is fully referenced and includes problem sets for the student. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best science book I have ever bought!
I'll be brief. This is a book written by an astronomer who developed an interest in geology. It explains all about how astronomy, physics, chemistry and geology interact and why there should be interdisciplinaryaction on these subjects. If you are an astronomer with only a rudimentaryunderstanding of geology and want to know how data from meteorites etcaffect your work - it's superb. Likewise, if you are a chemist or ageologist and want to know about the relevence of your work in spacestudies - take a look. It's also remarkably cheap for a science book - sobuy it now. ... Read more

Product Description

This textbook is intended to be used in a lecture course for college students majoring in Earth Sciences. Planetary science provides an opportunity for these students to apply a wide range of subject matter pertaining to the Earth to the study of other planets and their principal satellites. In this way, planetary science tends to unify subjects in the Earth Sciences that are traditionally taught separately. Therefore, planetary science is well-suited to be taught as a capstone course for senior undergraduates in geology departments and as an introduction to the solar system in astronomy departments. Both groups of students will benefit because planetary science bridges the gap between geology and astronomy and it prepares geologists and astronomers to participate actively in the on-going exploration of the solar system.

The subject matter is presented in 24 chapters that lead the reader through the solar system starting with historical perspectives on space exploration and the development of the scientific method. The presentations concerning the planets and their satellites emphasize that their origin and subsequent evolution can be explained by applications of certain basic principles of physics, chemistry, and celestial mechanics and that the surface features of the solid bodies in the solar system can be interpreted by means of the principles of geology.

Customer Reviews (1)

A fascinating look at the worlds of our Solar System
In this excellent textbook, Faure and Mensing succinctly and clearly describe what our Solar System is made of and how it works. Each planet is described in detail-its geology, history, satellites, chemistry, and orbital mechanics. The latest planetary knowledge is presented, and the book is very up-to-date on the latest developments in planetary science, with plenty of new information gleaned from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini Probe. Principles of physics, chemistry, and geology as they pertain to the planets and their celestial mechanics are presented and every chapter is very well-written, clear, and fascinating.

The excellent text is complemented by many brilliant and fascinating pictures in every chapter, including new pictures of the surface of Titan from the Cassini Probe. The high quality of the pictures was a major factor which induced me to buy this book!

I have only one criticism, and that is that the book contains a large amount of typographical errors, which are very incongruous with the high quality of the information and pictures presented. It seems there is a spelling error on almost every other page, which is very strange for a book of this quality. For this reason, I would give it four and a half stars if that were an option, but I'll err on the side of generosity and give it five. The typographical errors are easy to ignore and do not detract from the text itself. Hopefully the next edition of the book will correct this problem.

I would recommend this as a textbook for a geology class, and for anyone at all who has at least a basic background in science and wants to know more about the other worlds in our solar system and how they operate. It's not a cheap book but it's worth every penny. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Facsinating!
Very well written.I used this book for a class from one of the authors of the book.He does a really good job with up-to-date info in the book.Very well-written.Keeps you wanting to read more.It could definitely be enhanced if it had color pictures, though.

A fascinating introduction to the Solar System
Dr. Christiansen is my professor for my Astrogeology class.This book is wonderful, the photos are awesome and more than that, it really is interesting.I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the planets.It's worth the price. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Relevant to America's 21st Century Space Program
This book was used as a text in a graduate class taught by Dr. Michael Gaffey at the University of North Dakota. I was pleased to be exposed to the materials. The book is relevant to space exploration as NASA looks to return to the moon, build a lunar base and, perhaps, begin exploration of Near Earth objects (asteroids) as humans again depart Earth orbit to cislunar space. If you are interested in learning about what we need to know and do when humanity again departs Earth orbit in 21st Century space exploration, this is an excellent book of essays. For the lighter, less-technical read, Mining the Sky by Dr. Lewis, is an easier read. Nonetheless, Resources of Near-Earth Space contains articles by many experts in the field today including Dr. Gaffey.

Technical, but highly informative
The purpose of this book is to inform the reader about the resources of Near-Earth space (the moon, Mars and asteroids) that can be used to decrease the cost of space activities. It is composed of 33 (if I counted correctly) scientific articles, by some 86 collaborating authors. The articles cover everything from natural resources (minerals, water, etc.) to processing, lunar base siting, and terraforming.

Warning: These articles are not for the faint of heart, they are written by scientists, for scientists. They are highly technical in nature, which means that people unfamiliar with the subject matter might find them hard to understand. That said, though, this is a unique and highly informative book, one that I highly recommend.

Looking beyond the Earth
An invaluable reference, covering many aspects of potential resource useof the Moon and Mars, as well as the asteroids. Not for the technicallyfaint-of-heart, this book covers many aspects of using off-world resources. ... Read more

Product Description
Deep in a tomblike cavern along the ocean floor lies a secret that has remained hidden from humanity. Until now. . .

An Oilstar drilling rig off the coast of Venezuela in the Dragon's Mouth channel has pierced an underwater cavern and brings to the surface four stones unlike anything on this earth. Frik Van Alman, the tough-as-nails maverick head of Oilstar realizes immediately that they represent an extraordinary opportunity . . .and a terrible danger. His superstitious native crew, already uneasy working in the infamous waterway, refuse to dive in search of a fifth stone, and when Frik's lab chief tests them, the results confirm Frik's hunch: when these four stones are connected they hint at a power source that could revolutionize the world's energy production. And, Frik realizes, such a revolution would put him and all other oil companies out of business.

Before he can plot his next move, his lab chief Paul Trujold, fearing the greed and calculation in Frik's eyes, sends the stones to safer hands. One of the stones lands in the hands of Paul's daughter, Selene Trujold, the leader of an ecological action trying to halt Frik's drilling and the damage it's causing to the Caribbean ecology.

Frik and Trujold meet in the lab after Paul has sent away the stones, and an accident badly burns them both, killing Paul before Frik can find out what he's done with the find. Desperate to reclaim the stones and determined to find the fifth piece of the puzzle, Frik enlists the aid of the Daredevils Club,a select few risk-taking thrill seekers of whom Frik is one,who meet every New Year's Eve to compare bold new stories of the past year's exploits. Their members are a disparate bunch, including a doctor, Arthur Marryshow, whose greatest risk is healing those who risk their lives in political hotspots; Ray Arno, a stuntman turned demolitions expert; Simon Brousseau, an expert deep-sea diver; and Joshua Keene and Terris McKendry, a bickering best-buddies tandem experienced in undercover operations requiring strength, expertise with weapons, and nerves of steel.

At the next New Year's Eve meeting, Frik proposes a mission:collect all five stones and return them to him. Along with the rest of the daredevils is Peta Whyte, Marryshow's protegé, not officially a member, but more than qualified by her role in planning and effecting Arthur's escape from prison on her native Grenada sixteen years before, when she was but sixteen. She attends in Arthur's place, for he's been killed, victim of a terrorist bombing just blocks from their Times Square rendezvous.

The Daredevils embark on an adventure that takes them along the coast of Venezuela, from stealth jungle raids to deep-sea dives, from the haunts of Latin American power brokers to the camp of eco-terrorists. A fast-paced, thrill-a-minute hunt challenges the loyalties of the daredevils, as they become pawns in a deadly game of deceit and betrayal. After all the adrenaline rushes and spilt blood, the remaining members of the Daredevils Club gather once again on the following New Year's Eve, this time in Las Vegas, for one final confrontation, as Frik slips the five stones into place. . . as the unthinkable is created.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Daredevils Club
The Artifact , by Kevin J Anderson (and others) just affirmed why he is one of my favorite authors. Every book of his that I have read has been action-packed and fast-paced. It feels like you're watching a movie. The Artifact was no exception. A group of men, calling themselves the Daredevils Club meet every year to brag about their adventures. When one of the men discover several mysterious artifacts, seemingly not of this world, he enlists the aid of the Daredevils Club to help find the missing pieces.

The cast of characters was a group of people, so none of them were explored too deeply. But this was a short book, with only a back-story at the beginning, explaining how the Daredevils got together.

With plenty of twists and a surprise ending, The Artifact will keep you on the edge of your seat. I read through it in two days, because it was so hard to put down.

In a single word - uninspired
I'm not sure where to start with this one!Artifact read more like a television pilot then a novel by a couple of the better authors out there.The characters seemed shallow. The action was flat. And the story tried very hard to stay out of its own way.Don't get me wrong, I like a book that leaves something to the imagination, but this one was too unresolved and too wide open.

I could have done without reading this book.

Thank You!
In a world where we are constantly told to lower our expectations and accept the "vanilla" that our world is trying to become, it is an absolutely OUTSTANDING moment when well crafted, brilliantly executed adventure returns to our lives.ARTIFACT is that rare book, written by WRITERS (as opposed to creative typists) that engages, challenges, and entertains us at the maximum level possible.Consistently interesting, it is a novel you want to keep reading, and will become your constant companion at lunch, on trains, planes, and in every spare moment!REALLY FIRST RATE!!!

Disappointing
Picked up this book the other day.The story description looked interesting, and I noticed that one of my favorite writers, F. Paul Wilson, was one of the authors.I have to say that I was disappointed in this book.The "good guy" characters weren't particularly likeable, which is crucial to a good story.They were bland and kind of boring. The ending was unfulfilling.After forcing myself to read the entire book, hoping it would get a little better, I felt let down and cheated.Seems like the authors took the easy way out and left things unexplained. Wouldn't recommend this book.

Probably one of the worst books I have ever read...
I love F. Paul Wilson. His Repairman Jack novels are some of my favorite. I have read his collaboration works with Mathew J. Costello and enjoyed those. Kevin J. Anderson is another author I enjoy. And while I have never read Janet Berliner, this should have been a "can't miss" book, right? Wrong. It is absolutely terrible. I have been buying books from Amazon since it first had a web presence and have never returned a book because I didn't like it. But I was very tempted to return this one.

Usually in a collaborative work, the authors take pains to write such that you cannot tell where one author ends and another begins. Not so here. It is painfully obvious that different chapters are written by different authors. It even appears that when a change in author takes place that the new author often takes a drastic turn in the book by changing how you view a character or the entire direction the book appears to be headed. You develop empathy for someone and next chapter his/her personality changes. It is a book full of split-personality characters with passages that seem like they were written in haste by a junior high student.

The story had great potential, but the delivery and readability is just not there to pull you through the book. Don't waste your money here. ... Read more