Amazon.com
What are the rules? "Be prepared for surprises." "It's hard to steer when you don't know where you're going." And here's a classic one: "There are no rules." It's this last one that takes Colm a whole summer to understand. With delicious irreverence, new author Paul Many describes the ups and downs in a normal teenage life--revealing all the crazy, unexpected growth that happens along the way. Readers will roar as Colm struggles to get his driver's license, fights with his domineering father, and juggles his feelings for two different girls. Although these rites of passage are nearly universal, Paul Many explores them with a refreshing tone.Book Description
Introducing a new author to Knopf Paperbacks in a hilarious, fast-paced story of a tortured summer romance--from the guy's point of view.  "In this debut novel, Many adroitly captures the nuances and ironies of teenage ups and downs with irreverent humor and contemporary dialogue.  The book is well crafted and nicely layered with metaphors...Many is an author to watch."--School Library Journal. "Laugh-out-loud funny, Many's story is the archetypal YA first-person narrative of the sensitive, bumbling teenager trying to figure out the `rules': about dating, and girls, and driving, and where he's going. It will move teens and engender wry recognition."--Booklist   ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Laugh Out Loud Funny
A Review by Ryan

A boy named Colm goes to his lake house for the summer to hang out at Lake Barstow. He goes through many changes mentally while at Lake Barstow with the likes of his mom and dads divorce and girls. Colm is always swimming and by the end of the summer wants to swim the whole lake by himself.He will first deal with the adversities of his mom and dads divorce. Will Colm pull through and give the swim team another shot. You'll have to read the book to find out!

One thing that I liked about this book was that it was so easy to understand the struggles of a high school kid since I am one myself. The book never got off track and it left me thinking each time I put it down. I also like how the authors portrayed the characters in this book. For instance, Colm was a shy kid at first but once he would open up to people, everyone would like him. One thing I didn't like about this book was that it didn't leave me with a shocking feeling that you get with those great books you read. I also thought the climax was weak. It didn't get me on the edge of my seat.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a straight forward book that's easy to understand but doest have many high points. However, there were some funny parts in this book.

A kid's comment to me...
My then 13-year-old daughter and a male friend of hers read this book about two summers ago.Recently I heard the boy talking with a group ofother boys at my house about not liking to read, commenting that it was adrag.I reminded him that he had read Paul Many's book and had seemed tolike it, and he said, "Oh yeah, I forgot.I really loved that book. I'll have to find it and read it again.Then I'll loan it to youguys."

I have given this book to many young teens, and it seems tomake a real impression on them.

This is one book you won't put down!!!!!
This book was great! I loved it because it focused on the basic teens problems but added a little humor on the side! The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because it was a short book but other than that it was more thanperfect!!!

A fun book, really catches the carefree feeling of summer
Colm has an easy an laidback outlook on the summer, the book has some really good events that really couldhappen to anyone.The relationships are imagineable and the feelings Colm shares with you are really funny. It's a fun read and if you're looking for a good easy read, this is a wonderful book.

A likable protagonist and absorbing plot make this a winner
From The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 3/3/97: "Colm's narration has a thoughtful, low-key quality that evokes the turmoil and exasperation of his emotional reality while keeping him believable as a teenager just trying to figure things out... Colm is a likable protagonist in an absorbing plot, and that makes this a winner all around." Review excerpt provided by author. ... Read more

Book Description
There's a mystery in the caves of Afghanistan.British Special Agent Josh Cassidy knows there is no such thing as a routine mission when he is sent to accompany an ill-prepared band of reservists on a hastily prepared mission into the heart of Afghanistan. The mysterious heat source that showed up on the military satellites could be just about anything, but nobody is prepared to find a group of refugees from an alternate universe:a group of intelligent, NEANDERTHAL refugees.Sophia and her people have shifted universes for years, trying to keep ahead of the vicious race of Sauroids that is intent on exterminating the Thals. Now the long-running battle has come to our universe, and Josh Cassidy is the only man who stands between the Sauroids and the total annihilation of everyone on the planet Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Lightning Days
Archaeologists have told us that Neanderthals have been extinct for thirty thousand years. It is also believed that Neanderthals were quite primitive and never really developed any cities or advanced technology. But everything we ever thought about Neanderthals was completely wrong.

A group of British soldiers (mostly weekenders) is sent on a mission into the Afghan desert. The men have absolutely no idea what they are supposed to be looking for but soon find themselves in a life or death situation that will determine the fate of the earth. It would seem that Neanderthals had been surviving through "shifting". Certain members of the Thals had the unique ability to transport themselves into alternate earth realities and live peacefully with the indigenous life forms. This process worked fine until the Thals met a civilization called the Sauroids who decided that shifting was disrespectful to their God. The Sauroids decided that the only course of action was to get rid of all of the alternate earths (including our Earth) except their own.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lightening Days. So much speculation has been made about Neanderthals that it is nice to see a book that uses that potential and lack of solid data to create a great science fiction novel. I also thought that the type of technology used by the Thals fit well into the story making it more believable while creatively providing background information on the Thals' history.

Lightning strikes
More than thirty thousand years ago, mankind was not alone on the planet Earth. No, it's not science fiction, but reality. Homo sapiens shared the planet with Homo neanderthalis, otherwise known as Neanderthals. Short and stocky, with a pronounced ridge of bone over they eyes and with receding chins, Neanderthals have captured the imagination of people ever since this subset of the human family was discovered. For at least sixty thousand years, Neanderthals competed with Homo sapiens -- us -- for food and living space. It was a competition the Neanderthals didn't win. Eventually, they went extinct.

Or, as we find out in Colin Harvey's fantastic novel, Lightning Days, they might just have left. In the mountains of Afghanistan, British -- sort of -- spy Josh Cassidy leads untrained soldiers into a warren of tunnels searching for the unknown. They found it in the form of hundreds of modern day Neanderthals (Thals) on the run from the gestalt-mind Sauroid race, which is out to extinguish every timeline but their own.

Harvey does a fantastic job of weaving together disparate threads as our world comes under attack from both the Sauroids and the very laws of physics themselves. This is a book that I could not put down. I had to know what happened next.

Captures you
Reviewed by Nicole LeBoeuf for Reader Views (1/07)

Colin Harvey has reportedly been writing since the young age of nine. His experience shows in "Lightning Days," as it was a finalist in the Fantasy and Science Fiction category of the Best Books in 2006 National Book Awards.

In the novel, Colin Harvey brings his imaginative ideas into the light of the "multiverse." Although I don't usually read science fiction, and I began with the mind of a skeptic, I became entranced by Harvey's out-of-this world ideas. British Special Agent Josh Cassidy, leading his mix of British and American troops along with a gathering of Neanderthals from another world, fights alien invaders to save Earth.

Once you learn the characters of the book and get accustomed to the ever-changing setting, it is easy to fall into the complex world of Josh Cassidy. It begins with a journey into the heart of Afghanistan to investigate a mysterious heat source where he and his force find intelligent refugee Neanderthals hiding in the caves. They have shifted from other universes with the hope of escaping the race of amphibian Sauroids. The lizard-like beings have pursued them through many worlds trying to exterminate their race. Agent Cassidy and his crew are taken in by a Neanderthal named Sophia and it is from her that they learn about their plight. Cassidy, along with the recent American arrivals, decide to join the crusade to save the lives of the Thals and everyone on Earth.

"Lightning Days" is an action-packed science fiction novel that draws you in slowly and then captures you in one quick rush, holding you there until the dramatic conclusion. I would recommend it to any fan of science fiction, but it should not be limited to those who enjoy such a genre. Harvey's imaginative ideas would be fascinating to anyone with an open mind and time to spend reading an enthralling book.

Good sci-fi read
Lighting Days is an Award-Winning Finalist in the Fantasy/Science Fiction category of the Best Books 2006 National Book Awards.

Author Colin Harvey is a member of the Horror Writers Association and The Speculative Literature Foundation, writing since he was nine. His sci-fi novel, Lightning Days, is as interesting as the author and his memberships.

The novel is familiar in a haunting way, yet unique in its storytelling. It has a fresh UK-Australian type of flavor and exhilarating speculations. It reminds me of the 1960 film The Time Machine wherein Rod Taylor journeys back in time and befriends "cave people." In Harvey's tale, it is difficult to determine whether The Neanderthals came forward or backward in time to meet us. Perhaps they moved sideways.

Archaeologists have believed Neanderthals (Thals) were extinct since eons past. Thals were "primitive" and without cities or much technology beyond the hammer. However, just as the tongue-in-cheek GEICO caveman commercials show that to be incorrect, Lightning Days posits that Thals have always been advanced.

In the story, British soldiers not fully trained for combat (UK reservists) are stationed in Afghanistan looking for "something" that causes heat. While they do not fully understand their assignment, they find themselves dangerously facing the imminent destruction of earth via a type of time-space dimensional engineering.

The Thals survive by "shifting," some having the innate transporter ability to move between alternate earth realities. Thus, they find peace among similar races. This is hauntingly and enjoyably like a Star Trek or Outer Limits universe. Unfortunately, the Thals confront an unwelcoming race of reptilians known as Sauroids.

The Sauroids long ago decreed shifting an abomination to the reptilian God, and when they find the Thals transporting, the Sauroids pass judgment. They sentence humanity to death by destruction of all the alternate earth dimensions, including our own 2007 version.

Josh Cassidy is the British Special Agent hero, and "a tough, spiky schoolgirl fleeing the carnage that was the fall of her civilization," as Harvey describes Sophia, is the female lead in this gem. The Neanderthals are as individual as humans.

Armchair Interviews says: Teens and adults who love science fiction will enjoy this thought-provoking work. ... Read more

Book Description
An exploration of the meaning that different cultures have attached to water, from the god-like Greeks to Virginia Woolf to Mark Spitz. Sprawson gives us fascinating glimpses of the great swimming heroes - liberally laden with references to literature, film, art, musicals and Olympic history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

An Excellent Book
This book stays with you - I read it years ago but think about it every so often and consider it one of the best modern books I've read.

Refreshing, Healing, Wonderful
I re-read this book every few years.It's one of my five favorite books of all time.If you like swimming, you'll love it.It's very poetic, the language is musical, it's unbelievably well written (James Joyce would like reading this), and a marvelous history of swimming, in the arts and in history.Reading it takes you straight to that place your head can sometimes go to, when you're swimming at midnight, in a dark, warm ocean, on a warm summer night, by yourself, and you slip into some kind of waking, crazy, ecstatic, dreamstate, nirvana/satori.This book is almost as good as swimming itself.

plunging into the matter of life
Sprawson's book, more than a decade after its publication, is still the best post-modernist collection of thoughts on swimming in all its forms. It will be of interest to both the atheletic dabbler and the scholarly plunger (not that the two, as ably demonstrated by Sprawson himself, cannot be the same). This remains the best book about the historic and intellectual roots of our modern swimming mad world. Readers wishing to continue their exploration of water's embrace on the human mind and body will find much of interest in my sequal to Sprawson's book - Deep Immersion: The Experience of Water (nominated as top environmental book of the year), which reviews over two hundred modern accounts by writers plunging into water around the world. Stay wet! As Thoreau wrote: "That part of you that is wettest is fullest of life" (quoted in Profitably Soaked: Thoreau's Engagement with Water; Green Frigate Books, 2003)

Hypnotic, poetic, educational, enlightening ... Great!
The author examines swimming from all angles: the history, the competition, the recreation. The style is mesmerizing and turns a mundane subject into a revelation. This book should appeal to swimmers and non-swimmers alike.

The artwork included is outstanding, and makes mw wish the author had included more.

The author includes several stories about his own swimming adventures, but rather than being self-centered, these episodes are avenues into intriguing stories and history.

The style of the writing is smooth and inviting.One gets the feeling that the book is a giant metaphor ... not strictly about water and swimming, but rather using water as a symbol for something larger.

Highly recommended!

water as muse and temptress
Something primordial exists in swimming for those willing to recognize it, perhaps some residue of an ancestral species instinct to the sea, a subliminal memory of submergence in the amniotic sac, or the proffered suspension of temporal consciousness in its weightless rhythms. Sprawson explores thisallure in athletics and in literature.Most central to his study are the Romantic poets obsession with swimming and water-- among them Goethe, Shelley, Swinburne, Pushkin, Poe and especially Byron who was a formidable marathon swimmer in his own right.

The Romantic ideal was closely associated with Classical notions of the body and nature, and its notion of hero was intertwined with this. Hellenism held a special thrall over the Romantic period. This was the impetus to Byron's swimming of the Hellespont, and to a tragic sub text to his and other lives as they were swept up in naive movements or misadventure (Byron died in a Greek rebellion against the Turks).Swimming was seen as a dissent from the priggish, sanctimonious, imposed to something pure, original, regenerative through nature.

But there was an impulse to self annihilation as well. Somewere smashed on rocks, or gripped by undertows or had their health broken by cold water and over exertion. Fitness was not the prevailing motivation; swimming was muse, cave, judge. Its influence continued into the 20th Century, In Jack London's 'Martin Eden', John Cheever's'the Swimmer" or Yukio Mishima's seduction by Byron's hedonistic fantasies, it again cast down verdicts of elevation, dissolution and destruction.

I was drawn to this book byan Australian broadcast on swimming during the Sydney Olympics, amongst which was excerpts from this book and an interview with Jon Konrads, the 1500 Meter Olympic Champion of 1960, who had returned to swimming in late middle age after decades of absence. In it he found a cerebral tonic, albeit at a much slower pace-- an invigoration, relaxation and something spiritually satisfying, even more so now than in his Olympic form. This is a worth while read for anyone interested in the sport and pastime. Even for the most pedestrian of lappers, it is an invitation to glide in eddies of imagination, sublimely cognizant of and refining the stroke, seeking some mysterious grace. There swimming provides an elixir of meditation and inspiration-- for those that it does not consume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

So inspiring and emotional.A must read for all athletes.
This book brought me to tears while reading her thoughts and feelings on her fiancé's death.Sylvie is such a strong-willed person.She makes you wish that you had her amazing strength and courage.

A French Canadian synchronized swimmer's gold medalquest
I found the story of Sylvie Frechette's childhood and young adult years in Quebec to be of some interest, but was greatly disappointed (as a former synchronized swimmer myself) that she dealt so little with the technical and training aspects of her sport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

As complete a Guide as one would hope to find.
Rod Macdonald has put together a very professional guide book to the dive sites of Scapa Flow. Personally, I have conducted professional assignments to Scapa on a number of occasions and, as a "guide," I have yet to find this book lacking in any way.It also served another very important purpose in that it is a very good read.

"Dive Scapa Flow" measures a little under 10" x 7" with a hard cover and comes from "Mainstream Publishing" of Edinburgh. There are 160 pages of narrative - all well supported by a large number of black and white photographs (most of which are historic), diagrams and maps plus a further eight pages of colour photographs in the middle.The book is well laid out.The first 2 chapters are devoted to historical events - the scuttling of the Imperial German Fleet and the incredible salvage operation that took place in later years, with the remainder of the book being dedicated to diving.

1919 was a time when Europe was coming to terms with the revelation that "millions" had died on all sides during the carnage of WW1.The Imperial German Fleet had been defeated and was interned in Scapa Flow with a skeleton crew on each vessel.The German Navy itself was in complete disarray with lawful orders being ignored and workers co-operatives running most of the ships.This was a time when all sides awaited the outcome of the Armistice from which the final decisions with regard to the disposal of each German ship would come.Basically, the ships would be distributed amongst the victorious allied navies with the Royal Navy getting the lion's share - thus making the British Fleet so large as to be unassailable throughout the world. Despite his many difficulties, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter retained overall command of the fleet - and he had other ideas. Knowing he could rely on sufficient people on each vessel to carry out his final command, Admiral von Reuter ordered the German Fleet scuttled and that order was executed on 21st June 1919 - right under British noses.

Rod Macdonald's account of those historic events is a fine précis and most relevant to this book.The same comment applies to the following chapter describing the incredible salvage operation which explains why so many of the scuttled ships are no longer to be found in Scapa Flow.

So, after two chapters of well-researched material and some equally excellent historic photographs, we now get down to the diving.This commences with an overview of what the diver can expect to find.All the ships are listed and this is followed by information on such important factors as; bye laws, visibility, seabed, equipment, photography, decompression and the various means of getting to and from each site.

The scene is now well and truly set and it's time to get down to cases.In chapter 4, each shipwreck is fully described in excellent detail in which there are 4 elements; An historic photograph of each vessel, a sketch describing her attitude underwater, a painting which shows the entire vessel as she lies on the seabed and a narrative which not only gives the technical details of the vessel in question but also goes on to describe the specific diving conditions relevant to that ship.

Of course, the wrecks of the Imperial German Fleet are not the only shipwrecks in Scapa Flow and the next 3 chapters are entitled; Alternative Wreck Dives, Diving the Blockships and Scapa's War Graves - all of which are self-explanatory.With a final chapter reserved for travel, accommodation and dive boat charters, this book is as complete a guide as one would hope to find.

NM

... Read more

Book Description
This book take readers donw into the frigid depths to explore the controversies of the Empress of Ireland's fatal night and the many attempts to salvage her contents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Could have made room for some better quality photographs.
Make no mistake, this is as complete a work on the ship "Empress of Ireland" as one might wish to find. The story of the tragedy itself is told in fascinating detail and the individual accounts of personal loss, survival and even the death of a professional salvage diver in the days following the demise of this once great ship reveal a level of research which is both thorough and complete.

It all happened in 1914, only two years after the loss of the Titanic but also only a few months before Europe would be plunged into a conflict which would become known as the Great War, or the War to end all Wars. How curious, therefore, that the story of the Titanic lives on - and on, and that that of the Empress of Ireland seems to have become lost alongside the wreck itself.

Anyone wanting to know anything at all about the Empress of Ireland need hardly look further than this book - which is, indeed a job well done. My only criticism is reserved for the standard of reproduced photographs - some of which are no bigger than postage stamps and many of which are not clear.

First class reference material for historians, anyone with an interest and, especially, those contemplating diving the wreck itself. Read the book first, you might just change your mind.

NM

Duffy
Beautifully written!McMurray shares with us his passion for the Empress and all of her history.He shares with us her majestic beauty above the sea, as well as beneath the sea.I never knew of the Empress of Ireland until reading this book, and I will visit her site one day.McMurray not only writes about the Empress and the divers that love her, but he makes the reader want to be included in that world, too.Thank you Mr. McMurray for writing such a touching story.

This one is a good one
A good book, a great book, actually. Although I'm more impressed with The Last Attempt, The true Story of Freediving Champion Audrey Mestre and the Mystery of her death" by Carlos Serra.

That book gave me goose bumps, especially on the way the whole story develops and the twist in the end. Expect something like The Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis, because the final point about Audrey's death is in your face throughout the narrative but hard to see until it's told by the author. Amazing book The Last Attempt!

Mainly of interest to divers
While the book reads quickly, it is no page-turner.Unlike Shadow Divers or The Last Dive, the descriptions of the dives were not gripping.I did find the local politics of controlling the dive site to be interesting, but only a diver would.

The reason the book is not a page-turner is that there is no spine to the story.True, there is a central theme to the book, namely, the Empress of Ireland, but that is a ship, not a person.Stories about objects simply can't evoke much emotion from readers unless the object is anthropromorphized (think Pinocchio).Hollywood has made a number of movies about cars, guns, hotel rooms, and other things that pass from one person to another and what happens to those people while in possession of the thing, and those movies all suffer from the same problem:they are episodic in nature.There is nothing inherently bad about being episodic, but a book of short stories usually can't sustain your interest in the same way as a novel can.

So Dark Descent is good reportage of a series of incidents involving the Empress of Ireland, but I think it of interest mainly to divers.I wouldn't recommend it to a friend unless the friend was a diver or an armchair technical diver.

GOOD READ FOR DIVERS ON EMPRESS OF IRELAND SINKING
The sinking of the Empress of Ireland after a collision in the St. Lawrence Seaway is one of the most tragic shipwreck stories of all time. The author does a fine job of chronicling the numerous expeditions to this wreck, the dangers of diving it ( not for beginners) and the actual story of the 1914 tragedy. Mr. McMurray himself has dived this wreck and his first hand knowlege is evident in this well researched and equally well written book. This is a must have for the historian and the diver. ... Read more

Book Description
An invaluable reference for professional and amateur divers, this volume presents the extraordinary richness of the underwater world in elegant pictorial layouts.Selected for their geographical settings and biodiversity, 50 of the world's best dives are described in detail by an editorial board of internationally renowned professional divers, and illustrated with superb photographs. Organized geographically, there are chapters devoted to the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. An overview presents the outstanding natural features and unique characteristics of each region, followed by in-depth descriptions of recommended dives within each area. The distinguished editors present a thoughtful analysis of every dive site, including a description of the topography, typical species of fish likely to be seen, and highlights that make each site noteworthy, such as frequent dolphin sightings, rare species, etc. A three-dimensional reconstruction of the seabed helps guide readers through each site, while sidebars provide such essential information as maximum depth, level of difficulty, visibility, strength of current, and best time to go.Throughout the book, remarkable close-ups and double-page spreads depict the wealth of wildlife divers will encounter as they explore these exceptional dive sites. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A re-hash of Best Dive Sites of the World.
Previously published under the title "Best Dive Sites of the World," this book is a rehash of old and tired material.

These publishers have a reputation for repeating information from one book to another without any thought given to the person who might buy their products.

There are several books currently available claiming to show the "top" or "best" dive sites of the world and this is a very poor attempt to compete by using a collection of whatever material was available in order to add something on the same theme.What a pity they did not read previous criticisms and "then" go out and find something new.

Even the front cover photograph is taken from the previous title "The Maldives Diving Guide."

Quite frankly, my dear, they don't give a damn!

NM
... Read more