Origins: A Skeptic's Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth

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DNA as an eight-hundred pound gorilla!

Straightforward and fun to read

A wonderful book, whatever side you take

Origins: A Skeptic's Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth
Robert Shapiro
Manufacturer: Bantam New Age
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0553343556
Release Date: 1987-01-01

Customer Reviews:

DNA as an eight-hundred pound gorilla!.......2006-05-08

It's amazing to me that a scientist has to write a book about getting back to the scientific method in the search for how life originated on earth, and it is all because of an eight-hundred pound gorilla called DNA.

Robert Shapiro, a leading DNA scientist, says that our genetic coding is so complex that it is a major problem for the theory of evolution. That doesn't mean that science should give up, he says, but that real scientific method should be pursued, instead of religious or scientific mytholology, or unproven beliefs that are strongly held. It shouldn't matter to science how faithfully people believe in the Creation Story of the Bible, that God created everything in seven days, or in the theory of panspermia, that the seeds of life came from outer space. Science, instead, should be about science; it should be about looking at the evidence critically, obtaining proof, being able to repeat results, and standing up to skepticism, or negative questioning of the results. A lot of this is simply not being done, in his opinion. By the way, he sees no conflict between believing in a Creator and science at the same time, but that the two should be separated for purposes of scientific study. You can believe in God and evolution at the same time. I couldn't agree more.

The first DNA molecule did not have enough time for 'spontaneous generation' given the overwhelming odds of 1 chance in 10 to the 40,000th power (1 followed by 40,000 zeros). Nobel Prize contender Dr. Fred Hoyle, who coined the term `Big Bang' in the 1940's, came up with this number. In fact, Shapiro says the odds are much greater than that, 1 chance in 10 to the 100 billionth power. These odds have been calculated based on the complexity of the 2000 enzymes in the cell, each consisting of 100 to 1000 specific amino acids linked together in a specific sequence. Hoyle assumed already-assembled amino acids in the pre-biotic soup, and Shapiro assumed `reduced' chemicals instead. Bottom line, either way, DNA just didn't happen spontaneously.

Shapiro gives us a history lesson of where we have been scientifically and where we might go from here. He starts with the famous, but overrated Miller-Urey experiments where only a couple of amino acids were produced in an attempt to simulate the pre-biotic condition of early earth, a very long way from the completion of a DNA module. He goes through a lot of scenarios about the early earth and how the principal chemicals got together with the right energy sources to produce that first cell. He admits that it is all conjecture and that it would have to be proven in a laboratory. He goes over the theory that bubbles or mud in the soup could have combined and been exposed to the right chemicals and conditions for something to happen. He proposes looking into the Random Generator that could possibly be a sort of intermediate step in the creation of DNA. He considers the initial, start-up reversal of the Central Dogma of microbology: from DNA producing RNA producing protein, to protein producing RNA producing DNA. He finally hits the subject of panspermia, which says that life on earth originated from outer space. Bizarrely, the noted Dr. Chandra Wickramasinghe even proposes a hierarchy of creators, including a silicon chip. Do we start to see some desperation?

A lot of what he writes is technical, and I had to look up words like caovercate, eukayotic, lipid, enzyme, ribosome, organelle, etc. I also had to dust off my college chemistry memories and do some searches on Google to make sense of what he was saying. I don't believe he was at all showing off or talking down, but was making a valiant effort to communicate a complex subject. Frankly, I would have liked a little higher-level explanation of the detailed subject matter, but I'm sure he is writing for an audience that varies in its knowledge of science and DNA workings. He comes across as a humble man who admits he doesn't have all the answers.

He likens all this to `unbaking a cake' to find out how DNA got here. I liken it to de-compiling a multi-billion line program, going backward from the machine code to the source, something I've never seen done.

DNA and its first appearance is THE issue that won't go away for the origin of life on earth. It is still the eight-hundred pound gorilla.

Straightforward and fun to read.......2005-04-18

This is a well written introduction to the question of how to approch the issue of life's origination on Earth.

Shapiro starts with some comments about the nature of science and of life. Next is a discussion of the age of the Earth. Yes, it is a "little indelicate" to ask the Earth for her age, but we do that anyway.

After that, we get into some early speculations about the origin of life, including the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis. This involved a reducing atmosphere and a prebiotic "soup." Some of its assumptions now appear invalid. Shapiro also attacks the fact that the step from abiotic to biotic forms is too quick, requiring a stroke of luck which is far more than astronomical, even worse than the numbers Hoyle and Wickramasinghe came up with. We can get better numbers just by producing a random replicator rather than an enitre organism, but that still can't be done spontaneously. Theories that simply produce nucleic acids by chance don't make sense. We need to find something that gets us there another way, with more plausible steps. Perhaps there is a substrate that can lock the ingredients in place, where they can evolve chemically. And the author mentions some ideas here. I think the most important point should be that it is always dangerous to say that a process can't happen because you haven't thought of a mechanism for it yet! A mechanism may well exist. You or someone else may think of such a mechanism in the future.

Shapiro then gets to Hoyle and Wickramasinghe's ideas about life reaching Earth from outer space. And maybe the best part of the book is the way he shoots down some of their specific ideas and claims on the subject. This, of course, does not disprove the idea that life on Earth came from outer space (although at even odds, I'd bet against it). It just means that Hoyle went badly astray here.

After that is a discussion of creationism, where the author points out that creationists are "not so much interested in advocating the practice of religion, which they can do in many other, less controversial ways, but rather are trying to subvert the practice of science in areas where the conclusions reached by scientists do not please them." Shapiro also shows that the creationists really have no evidence to base their views on. Making snide comments about the evidence of others does not suffice to constitute evidence for their own views.

Shapiro then returns to the question of which came first, nucleic acids or proteins. He feels the nucleic acids couldn't have been first, and I agree, although I feel far less sure about it than he does. He concludes that life appears to have originated on Earth, and that the complicated molecules and structures that we observe in life today are the result of a long process of evolution. That's a sensible conclusion. He adds some speculations about substrates which are plausible as well.

I recommend this book.

A wonderful book, whatever side you take.......1999-03-24

In the Origin of Life debates, most books take one side or the other and argue that point. eg, Behe says God did it. Dawkins says evolution did it. Shapiro doesn't really present a point of view as to "This must be the way it started". Rather, he goes through all the evidence in a witty yet lucid style, and really gives you an appreciation of how complex life is. By the time you've finished reading this, you won't know how life started, but you'll want to read any book you can find and examine all the theories. At least I did. It's a shame this book is out of print, as its without doubt the best introduction to the subject around, even 15 years after it was written.

Origins: A Skeptic's Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth (

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Origins: A Skeptic's Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth (
Robert Shapiro
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

Although mountain bikers are often (and controversially) banned from using trails on both public and private lands, ski resorts have welcomed them with open arms. This is the first book to highlight, in depth, the growing popular sport of mountain biking on ski resorts. In spring, summer, and fall, more and more Northeast ski resorts are opening once-empty trails, lifts, and facilities to recreational bikers. There's something for everyone: for the adventurous, there are steep downhill runs that go on and on; gentle cross-country trails and woods roads for the more mellow of spirit; instruction for beginners; and professional racing for experts and spectators. Plus mot resorts offer rental bikes and safety equipment, and pro shops for repairs and service. In addition, all the amenities of a ski resort are here as well: spectacular scenery, comfortable lodges, daycare for the kids, evening entertainment, and gourmet dining, for the vacationer--or the day-tripper. The Mountain Biker's Guide to Ski Resorts tells you how to choose the right resort for you, and how to get the most from it. Driving directions, prices, bike shops, activities, and nearby attractions and accommodations are summarized for each resort, as well as helpful phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Web sites. In addition, there are complete directions for riding the most enjoyable and scenic trails, and for linking them together into a full day of mountain biking. Featured resorts include: Gore Mountain, New York; Killington, Vermont; Loon Mountain, New Hampshire; Sunday River, Maine; Bromont, Qubec, and many more.

Customer Reviews:

Fat Tire biking bible? Not quite, but close........1999-03-09

Ever since the mountain bike was invented two decades ago, fat tire aficionados have dreamed of an endless summer of endless downhill riding.

Two years ago, Robert M. Immler, a Vermont freelance writer and mountain bike enthusiast, pursued this dream, spending the summer bombing down Alpine slopes on his Specialized Rockhopper at 20 downhill ski resorts in the Northeast that cater to cyclists.

Immler wrote up his findings and distilled his experiences and observations in a book published this month. "The Mountain Biker's Guide to Ski Resorts is a long awaited compendium of downhill riding in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York and Quebec.

This enticing volume deserves a place on he bookshelf of any serious mountain biker, and rates a read even by armchair adventurers who've only dreamed of hanging their wheels on a ski lift and riding into the clouds.

The guide is easy to read, close to comprehensive in scope and excruciatingly thorough in attention to any details. Although the book's principal strengths in the area by area information, much of its appeal lies in the opportunities it offers for planning a fat-tire vacation this summer.

There are only two major faults. Despite its title, the guide's scope is strictly limited to downhill ski areas and omits much fine off-road cycling available at cross-country centers.

The second is really beyond the author's control: the ski-cum-cycle market is changing so quickly that several of the book's 20 detailed chapters - averaging nine pages per ski resort - will be seriously out-of-date by this summer.

Some high points:

In addition to hours, opening dates and costs, each chapter includes several suggested itineraries with best viewpoints, difficulty ratings, explicit directions and distances computed to hundredths of a mile.

Other information for each resort includes rentals, bike shops, major cycling events and related attractions - such as water slides to cool off sweaty cyclists.

Added information includes daycare facilities, on-mountain restaurants and even places to wash off mud-encrusted bikes. Secondary info directs vacationers to nearby accommodations, campgrounds, restaurants and nightlife.

Only a handful of ski mountains provide lift service directly to the summit. Because most high elevation expert ski slopes are too steep and rocky for cyclists to handle, most resorts carry bikes only mid-mountain lifts.

Vermont's 4,211 foot Killington Peak, is the highest lift-served summit in the Northeast. Other ski mountains with lift service to the to include Loon in New Hampshire and Jay, Stratton and Snow in Vermont.

Several mounts operate an off-mountain shuttle service for cyclists. Among the most appealing is Loon's bike van, which carries riders to the height-of-land of Franconia Notch and allows them to cruise downhill along the famed Franconia Recreation Path.

Along this graded, paved off-road path, riders can visit sites and sights such as the Old Man of the Mountain, Profile Lake, the Flume and the Basin. Before returning to Loon's cycle center, riders pass half a dozen ice cream shops in Lincoln.

Before visiting any ski mountain, call ahead. Because of the changes in the ski industry, much of this book will be out of date this summer. Here are some notable updates:

Add Sugarloaf to the lift-served list this season, while Shawnee Peak started serving cyclists last summer. In New Hampshire, add Attitash Bear Peak and delete Bretton Woods and Cranmore.

Scott Andrews

Book Description

This book is published on behalf of the Biological Stain Commission.

For 75 years Conn's Biological Stains has been a standard reference for all those who used dyes and colorants in the biological and medical sciences. This long-awaited Tenth Edition appears 25 years after R.D. Lillie's Ninth Edition and has been completely rewritten to reflect the increase in range of uses. Although the staining of microscopical preparations continues to expand the uses of dyes and fluorochromes now extend far beyond this traditional application.

This book provides the first critical overview of the whole range of low molecular weight fluorescent probes, outside the catalog literature. The first ten chapters are essays, by leading experts, on the important aspects of colorants and their uses. Most of the remainder of the book consists of descriptions by Dr. Horobin of the properties and recent applications of hundreds of individual compounds, in about twenty chemical classes. The last chapter reviews theprocedures employed at the Biological Stain Commission's laboratory to assay and test dyes and certify them as suitable for their intended applications.

Book Description

Married to Benito Mussolini's favorite daughter Edda, Galeazzo Ciano was a brilliant, ambitious and ruthless young Italian. Throughout his period in office Ciano kept a diary so detailed and revealing that both Mussolini and Hitler sought to impound and destroy it. The diary was smuggled out of Italy by Edda, who sought unsuccessfully to trade it for Ciano's life. The diary was later acquired by the American spy, Allen W. Dulles (later head of the CIA) and published in full in the Chicago Daily News. It remains one of the classic insider accounts of the workings of the Fascist and Nazi governments. Ciano's glamorous, violent, and promiscuous life was acted out at the highest levels of European politics and society. There has never been a biography of him in English: this is one gripping read.

Customer Reviews:

Great book on a sorry personality.......2007-05-29

I had some respect for Ciano before I read this, thinking he was the conscience of the Italian people. In getting to know Ciano by reading this book I realized that he was a mirrow image of IL Duce, including the womanizing part. His wife, Duce's daughter, was just as vain and an equally sorry figure. The author does a splendid job of researching old documents, talking to some of the older survivors and friends for first hand info.

WOW. this is one of the most fascinating stories of World War 2.......2007-02-06

This is truly one of the most disturbing stories in World War 2. Ciano would become the epitome of everything hated in Italy. He would claim responsibility for the invasion of Albania and Greece and blamed for some of the worst defeats in Italy's history. Much of this is undeserved as Mussolini was calling many of the shots and the fall out between the two became apparent. Had Ciano been stronger and not captured under the personality cult of Mussolini the break would have been bigger and he would have opposed the war shattering the Duce ideas of a strong Italian army. The diaries that Ciano wrote would be key aspects of Nuremberg and both the allies and axis sought to acquire them. The story of the acquisition is heart wrenching and Edda Ciano's bravery is truly remarkable. What she went through from the execution of her husband to the estrangement of her father Mussolini was simply amazing. This is a must read for those who want to understand how World War 2 unfolded and the war that Italy played. It is a well written biography and truly a great addition to the historiography.

Good background for Ciano's diary.......2003-12-06

Moseley has written a readable and well researched book on the life of the enigmatic Count Ciano. It is certainly the first comprehensive study of Ciano to appear in English. Ciano is worthy of the attention of anyone interested in Twentieth Century Europe, diplomacy, or World War II. Moseley does a good job of revealing Ciano's evolution from a blind follower of Mussolini to active and effective foil. There can be little doubt that in anything less than an unrestricted dictatorship, Ciano's efforts to keep Italy out of WWII would have succeeded. In the end Ciano's undisguished contempt of the Nazi Heirarchy cost him his life. I recommend this book as a precursor to reading Ciano's diary.

Couldn't put it down.......2003-11-24

This is a superb read and Mr Mosely coveres an intensely complex period with majesty and skill. Here and there it is a bit difficult who the subject is of a sentence, as the relative pronoun sometimes doesn't come after the immediately preceding subject of a sentence, but that happens rarely. Mr Moseley's reads like a thriller, but at the same time is a thoroughly researched, critical reading of a tragic, through fascinating period of history. I cannot recommend this book more highly for anyone interested obviously in history, but also for those interested in human behviour and our ability to deceive and contradict ourselves. Do read!

Very good, could have been better.......2000-08-04

This is a good book and Mr. Moseley is to be congratulated on a decent job. He has done his research and provided a vivid account of Ciano and the people around him. I do not give this book five stars, however, because it needs editing. It seems in some places Mr. Moseley loses his strong narrative as he relates diary entry after diary entry - seemingly with little connection. Also, the book could have used a glossary containing the names of the principal players in the Italian fascist government. These faults lie not with Mr. Moseley as much as with his editor/publisher. Nevertheless, I rcommend this book as one that provides a fascinating slice of WWII history.

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A book you can't put down and don't want it to end.
THE TRICKSTER LIVES IN ALL OUR HOMES
THE TRICKSTER LIVES IN ALL OUR HOMES

Man of the Shadows (A Double D Western)
Don Coldsmith
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0385180918

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A book you can't put down and don't want it to end........1998-06-27

Man of the Shadow is a riviting book that you just don't want to end. The story of Eagle and his denial to fully accept the beliefs of the People is a wake up call for us all. There may be a Trickster out there waiting to fool us all. I thought Eagle and the Old Man were as unlikly to get along as the Head Splitters and the smell cat. It was amazing they wintered together and didn't come to blows. All in all it was a great book and I can't wait to read more of the Spainish Bit Saga.

THE TRICKSTER LIVES IN ALL OUR HOMES.......1998-01-27

DR. COLDSMITH IS THE GREATEST IN THIS BOOK HE SHOWS US THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRICKSTER THE CARING SIDE AS WELL AS THE HUMOROUS SIDE VERY ENJOYABLE READING WELL WORTH THE TIME AND MONEY DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND READ IT IT'LL MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON

THE TRICKSTER LIVES IN ALL OUR HOMES.......1998-01-27

The Rebel Worlds / Knight of Ghosts & Shadows (Signet Double)

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The Rebel Worlds / Knight of Ghosts & Shadows (Signet Double)
Poul Anderson
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0451118855

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Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Double Identity

Manufacturer: Scholastic, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0439827876

Product Description

As Bethany approaches her thirteenth birthday, her parents begin acting more oddly than usual: her mother cries constantly, and her father barely lets Bethany out of his sight. Then one morning he hustles the entire family into the car, drives across serveral state lines-and leaves Bethany with an aunt she never knew existed. Bethany has no idea what's going on. She's worried that her mom and dad are running from some kind of trouble, but she can't find out because they won't tell her where they are going. Bethany's only clue is a few words she overheard her father tell her aunt Myrlie, "She doesn't know anything about Elizabeth." But Aunt Myrlie won't tell Bethany who Elizabeth is, and won't explain why people in her small town react to Bethany as if they've seen a ghost. The mystery intensifies when Bethany gets a package from her father containing four different birth certificates from four states with four different last name-and thousands of dollars in cash. And when a strange man shows up asking questions, Bethany realizes she is not the only one who's desperate to unravel the secrets of her past.

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Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-01-17

For almost thirteen-year-old Bethany, life has suddenly and unexplicably taken a strange turn. For a girl who has never spent a night away from her parents, she's suddenly hustled into the car by her sad-looking father, subjected to listening to her sobbing mother, and unceremoniously dropped off in the middle of the night in a town she's never heard of, at the home of a woman claiming to be her Aunt Myrlie. Her parents are a lot older than her friend's parents, and Bethany is sure that her parent's siblings are all dead. So who is this woman claiming to be her Aunt, and why has she never heard of her before? Why won't her mother stop crying? Why does her dad seem so eager to get away from the house in Sanderfield? And who the heck is Elizabeth, the name she overheard her father and Myrlie discussing?

All these questions and more are only the tip of the iceberg in Margaret Peterson Haddix's newest novel, a wonderful young adult thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. The twists and turns are unpredictable and unexpected--the conclusion one I never saw coming.

Overall, a great suspensful read for teens and adults alike!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

No Truce With Kings/Ship of Shadows (Tor Doubles, No 5)

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No Truce With Kings/Ship of Shadows (Tor Doubles, No 5)
Poul Anderson , and Fritz Leiber
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0812559584

The Shadow Master of Darkness Double Z #5

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Super Reader

The Shadow Master of Darkness Double Z #5
Maxwell Grant
Manufacturer: Pyramid Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0515037001

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-26

A mystery that hooks you right from the start. A worried man has an unexpected visitor, a newspaper columnist with a pseudonym, The White Owl. The worried man is a Judge in hiding.

He had been threated by a murdered named Double Z, when he wouldn't do what he wanted, and went on the run instead.

The journalist tracked him down, and calls his newspaper with a breaking story, the newsman on the other end hears shots!

Time for a new Wise Owl.

A lot of work for the Shadow's agents in this one, so much so he recruits another, Rutledge Mann.

Some very nervy work by Cliff and Harry lead The Shadow to stop Double Z's Chinese henchman, Loy Rook.

With the estimable Joe Cardona's help, The Shadow manages to set up a confrontation with the man he knows is Double Z.

The Quirt and the Spur: Vanishing Shadows of the Texas Frontier (Double Mountain Books--Classic Reissues of the American West)

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The Quirt and the Spur: Vanishing Shadows of the Texas Frontier (Double Mountain Books--Classic Reissues of the American West)
Edgar Rye
Manufacturer: Texas Tech University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Lyrical, magical, brooding, horrific
Decadent Delight
A few of Smith's own favorites
Weird stories, and Wild cover!!!

The Double Shadow

Manufacturer: Wildside Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0809533677
Release Date: 2005-02-23

Book Description

A collection of six stories ranging from contemporary horror to weird alternate-world fantasy, this book remains a fascinating introduction and showcase to Smith's decadently jeweled prose.

Download Description

Clark Ashton Smith -- one of the "big three" classic authors from the legendary pulp magazine Weird Tales (the others being H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard) -- began writing early in the twentieth century. By the 1920s, he became a regular poet and author in Weird Tales magazine, helping to usher in its golden age. "The Double Shadow" was originally published by the Auburn Journal in 1933 in an oversized edition limited to only 1,000 copies. Smith carefully signed and hand-corrected many typographical errors for years to come. A collection of six stories ranging from contemporary horror to weird alternate-world fantasy, it remains a fascinating introduction and showcase to his decadently jeweled prose.

Customer Reviews:

Lyrical, magical, brooding, horrific.......2006-02-23

I've known about Smith for years from reading Lovecraft, Leiber, Howard, etc, but this was my first experience. You can easily see his kinship with those other geniuses of the weird tale, but his style is his own, from whimsical to dreadful (in a good way :). Highly recommended as an entertaining intro to his work.

Decadent Delight.......2005-08-12

Fans of high fantasy in the style of Lord Dunsany get a treat in Clark Ashton Smith's The Double Shadow. One of the "big three" writers of pulp fantasy in the 1920's, along with H. P. Lovecraft and Robert Howard, Ashton Smith wrote numerous well-crafted, stylish, and decadent short stories in several series. The six stories in The Double Shadow are independent of these series, but just as stylish as any of the stories in them were.

"The Voyage of King Euvoran," an ironic tale of a king's quest for a missing crown, should please any fan of the Arabian Nights. "The Maze of the Enchanter" is a brooding tale of transfiguration that must have inspired some of the early tales of Jack Vance's Dying Earth. "A Nightfall in Malneant" is a tale of a spiritual journey through despair worthy of Poe himself. "The Devotee of Evil" follows a quest for the source of evil to its ultimate wellsprings of madness. "The Willow Landscape," on the other hand, is a delicately written Chinese fairy tale showing the breadth of Ashton Smith's skill as a writer. The title story, "The Double Shadow," is a masterpiece of dark fantasy, tracing in delicate, poetic, yet malific tones the course of a conjuring of the unknown.

In his work Ashton Smith plumbs all of the dark emotions of a decaying world. Perhaps nowhere else will a devoted reader of fantasy find such variety and value in so small a space as in the collection of six stories published by Wildside Press.

A few of Smith's own favorites.......2004-09-13

The first edition of this book - a drab, stapled booklet issued at the author's expense in 1933 - was an attempt by the poet and prose fantasist Clark Ashton Smith to save a few of his favorite tales from oblivion after submission of these tales had resulted in either rejection or requests for alterations the author was not willing (at that time) to make. "The Maze of the Enchanter" and "The Voyage of King Euvoran" are both vastly superior to the disembowelled versions published years later as "The Maze of Maal Dweb" and "The Quest of the Gazolba". Three of my favorite tales by Smith appear in this book - "The Maze of the Enchanter", "A Night in Malneant", and "The Double Shadow". Of these, only one, the heavily-edited "The Maze of Maal Dweb" - still impressive in plot, if less precise in action and almost devoid of atmosphere- appears in Arkham House's fine retrospective collection of Smith's work, A RENDEZVOUS IN AVEROIGNE. "The Devotee of Evil", an exercise in contemporary horror not dissimilar to such minor, early Lovecraft efforts as "From Beyond", disappoints, otherwise the contents are chilling, evocative, mournful, and sardonic by turns, with Smith's muse shaping the prose so cunningly that word, image, action, atmosphere, and speech all work toward the same otherworldly end.

Wildside Press has not produced the most elegant edition of the book one could imagine. The binding is not sewn, the paper is thin, and half the title - the words "AND OTHER FANTASIES" - appears only inside the book, a detail which may cause some confusion among those not already familiar with Smith's work. Nonetheless, the book appears reasonably durable, the cover art is attractive, the text is laid out stylishly, and random checks for accuracy suggest this is more carefully proofread than are some of this publisher's earlier books. "The Maze of the Enchanter" in all its unexpurgated glory is alone worth the price of this book.

Weird stories, and Wild cover!!!.......2003-12-18

A delight to read, especially knowing that Smith wrote this in the late 1920's. Smith is very contemporary in his vision. In fact, "The Willow Landscape" must have influenced Rod Serling and his famous Twilight Zone series. My only complaint is that the book's title made no reference to the fact that it contains six stories, not just "The Double Shadow." The book contains "The Voyage of King Euvoran," "The Maze of the Enchanter," "The Double Shadow," "A Night in Malneant," "The Devotee of Evil," and "The Willow Landscape." Additionally, DiSilvio's cover art is as fantastical as Smith's prose, and sets the scene for "The Voyage of King Euvoran" even more mysteriously than the tale itself. A great artistic keepsake!

ARGOSY - Volume 22, number 2 - February Feb 1961: The Bike; Socksy Boy; The Evil That Men Do; Greatest Dinner Ever; Venetian Shadow; The Old Adam; Barua a Soldani; Double or Quit; Shooting a Line; The Sands of the Kalihari

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ARGOSY - Volume 22, number 2 - February Feb 1961: The Bike; Socksy Boy; The Evil That Men Do; Greatest Dinner Ever; Venetian Shadow; The Old Adam; Barua a Soldani; Double or Quit; Shooting a Line; The Sands of the Kalihari
Anonymous (editor) (Alan Sillitoe; Joan Aiken; R. F. Darrington; G. K. Menon; Brian Cleeve; Rhys Davies; Isak Dinesan; Hugh B. Cave; Leslie Gordon Barnard; William Mulvihill)
Manufacturer: Fleetway Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GW48NC

Double Dog #1: Of Stars & Shadows / This Instance of Me

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Two, two, two great sf books for one price

Double Dog #1: Of Stars & Shadows / This Instance of Me
Jeffrey Turner , and Mark W. Tiedemann
Manufacturer: Yard Dog Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1893687627
Release Date: 2004-10-01

Book Description

This Instance Of Me by Jeffrey Turner

The future has arrived at Huntington Station. Within days the orbital colony will unveil Forge, the greatest technological breakthrough since the steam engine. Scientists, journalists, and heads of state have descended upon the station from all over Earth and the surrounding colonies, all eager to witness the birth of a new scientific era.

But someone wants Forge to fail. An explosion aboard a passenger shuttle nearly kills the director of UNLD Research and draws Lieutenant Michael Barrett of the Colonial Enforcement Group into a desperate race to uncover a hidden assassin -- and Forge's true purpose -- before time runs out.

Of Stars & Shadows by Mark W. Tiedemann

One year after the Great Sack, Protector General Ril Cowel took what remained of the fleet of Camrus and set out after the empire responsible for hammering his home into oblivion, the Empire of B'Nan. Cowel chased the mythic emperor for fifteen years. At last, fate seemed to hand him his chance, and in a swift strike Cowel damaged the imperial fleet and killed B'Nan. The terror now over, he intended to dismantle the empire, to take it apart so that it could no longer destroy worlds like his own.

But the more Ril Cowel tries, the harder it seems to be rid of the vast machinery B'Nan had constructed over a thousand years or more. For the emperor was reputed to have lived the entire time his empire grew. Cowel never gave credence to such stories...until he becomes emperor himself.

Customer Reviews:

Two, two, two great sf books for one price.......2005-02-05

I cut my reading teeth on anthologies edited by Boucher amd Merrill and the old Ace Double Novels. The Ace books were seldom of the same literary quality, but most were great fun reads. To the uninitiated, the Ace Double Novels were actually two novellas or short novels (40,000 words)set back-to-back, each with their own cover.
Yard Dog Press has revived the basic idea behind the Ace books with their Double Dogs and may have achieved a greater success.
I seldom read science fiction anymore. Too often, the writer's Great Idea is emphasized to the extent that characterization, plot, and literary quality are secondary at best. Major novels by big-name pros have left me cold because the secondary characters were the usual caricatures one loves to hate and the protagonists were almost reptilian.
If all Science Fiction were as much fun and as well-written as Jeffrey Turner's THIS INSTANCE OF ME, I'd read a lot more of it. Turner has the great idea but mixes it with a fine whodunit and characters I can really care about. The action takes place aboard a station where cutting-edge research is being conducted. Forge is a project to provide a cheap source of energy, while Hammer is designed to permit faster-than-light travel.
They do not, however, perform quite as advertised. Instead, they open parallel time-lines which becomes both part of the mystery and the solution to it.
Mark Tiedemann's OF STARS AND SHADOWS lives up to the standards of its partner. Everyone is familiar with the ending of most space opera, where the outnumbered but valiant rebels beat the empire. Tiedemann's book begins with this scenario, then examines the ramifications. Ru Cowel has led a force that killed the emperor and receives the surrender of the empire but discovers that dismantling it is a task similar to riding a tiger.
Besides the question of whether he can dismantle the empire, there is a more pressing matter -- should he dismantle it, as the empire is the only force enforcing an uneasy peace among rivals.
There's enough intrigue in this book to satisfy downtown Rome or Byzantium, enough action and threat for those who require that, and some very deft characterizations and all-round good writing for those of us who place a premium on such things.
OF STARS AND SHADOWS is an excellent companion piece to THIS INSTANCE OF ME because both are high quality works and they complement each other almost perfectly.
I'm already eager to see the next Double Dog.

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