AdvancED Flash Interface Design (Advanced Design)

Book Description

As a competent Flash designer, youre probably comfortable with all of the basics that Flash has to offer. However, youve probably looked at some of the amazing Flash sites on the web and thought, "How'd they do that?" Well, youll find out in this book. Flash allows users to create some amazing interactive interfaces to interact with Rich Internet Applications, eLearning systems, and simple web sites. In this book, two of the most talented Flash designers in the world will show you how to use them effectively to create breathtaking visuals for your Flash web sites. You'll also learn how to take advantage of Flash's powerful built-in vector-based drawing tools. The authors discuss general background theory, such as site planning, color theory, and Information architecture. They reveal techniques using gradents, layers, lighting and shadowing, 3D objects, animation, and photo editing. Techniques are illustrated and the book concludes with a discussion of usability and final tweaks. There is also a tutorial on testing your work, and exporting and finally publishing it. Summary of contents:

Chapter 1 Flash Overview
Chapter 2 Creating Usable and Innovative Experiences
Chapter 3 Interface Designers Guide to Color
Chapter 4 Planning Your Interface Design
Chapter 5 Vector Drawing and Effects in Flash and Illustrator
Chapter 6 Understanding the Timeline and Layers
Chapter 7 Working with 3D Vectors
Chapter 8 Using Video in Flash
Chapter 9 Photoshop Techniques
Chapter 10 Moving from Photoshop to Flash and Effective PNGs
Chapter 11 Creating Animated Effects
Chapter 12 Flash Textures
Chapter 13 Photo Editing in Photoshop and Flash
Chapter 14 Finishing Off Your Site

Customer Reviews:

A good book, a bit theorical a bit technical..........2006-11-10

Sorry but i'm writing in Italian:
Il libro non è male, focalizzato soprattutto sul disegno dell'interfaccia e tecniche per il passaggio da Illustrator a Flash. Non si capisce molto bene se è un libro teorico o tecnico, dato che tocca entrambi gli aspetti senza però approfondire abbastanza nessuno dei due. Molto interessanti le prime sezioni e la parte su Flash Video, mentre c'è qualche parte che di Advanced non ha nulla (esempio: la parte in cui ti spiega come usare la Penna di Illustrator...e le parti di ActionScript sono poche e veramente a Level Begginer)
Vale comunque il suo prezzo

Great book for designers/developers.......2006-07-07

When i first got this book, I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't know if it was going to be a design book or an animation book for interfaces. I guess what I eventually ended up getting was a little bit of both.

The early chapters of the book are definitely not "AdvancED", but give some good insight on some topics that are normally overlooked. The one problem with this book is that it was trying to fit information about a lot of combined programs, such as Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash. However, this HAS to be done because of the way Flash interfaces are designed these days, so as a downfall it can be excused because sometimes it is unavoidable (and sometimes very handy) to know how to use all those programs.

There is a chapter on colors which is great, but the end of the chapter (page 56) talks about the Color class. The Color class is deprecated as of Flash 8 and I wish they would have went more in depth on using the new classes in 8, such as ColorTransform and the likes.

Now that we've got the negatives out of the way, it's time to cover all the very formidable positives that this book has to offer. It has great explanations in every chapter of how to deal with good user experience and interface design. It's obvious that the authors (award winners in this subject) know what they are talking about. For instance, on a personal level, I hate bringing in graphics into Flash from Illustrator and seeing all the miscellaneous graphic symbols that it makes while importing. Some people don't clean this up in the library and it's VERY frustrating to see all those symbols and have to go in and clean them up. These guys stress highly the importance of a clean library and have a great section in chapter 7 that shows how to clean these graphics up. I can't tell you how many times I'd wished that people who work with me could make nice, clean libraries before they hand files over to me, but sometimes thats too much to ask for.

There is a chapter that makes mention of video and the best part about this chapter, after having recently made a project for AT&T that used Flash video, is the fact that it makes mention of the Flash 8 Video Encoder that comes bundled with Flash 8 Professional. It's a stand alone application and nobody in my office actually knew what it was or how to use it (which for a large company such as I work for could be a bit mind boggling). They take you through the encoder and show you example usage, which is VERY handy when working with encoding FLV files. This chapter also boasts a great explanation (which I actually wish I had read before looking like a fool in an initial project meeting) of the video playback options that Flash has to offer (Streaming, Progressive, and Embedded video).

The middle of the book has a great color pullout (it's not really a pullout, but ya know...) that demonstrates examples from the book and coincides with the color chapter (since obviously you want to see colors in a color chapter...). Chapter 9 is also an outstanding chapter which takes you from start to finish on how to design an interface in Photoshop (and 10 follows up with the proper way to import it into Flash so that you can work with those graphics). There is a section in this chapter titled "Moving from Photoshop to Flash" (pg. 232) which is a HUGE bonus. EVERYONE in the world who is a Flash designer/developer should convert graphics in the way that is described in this section. It saves a lot of time and headaches later on when you use the process outlined here.

Overall, the book was a treat. It started off a bit slow but definitely picked up a lot of momentum by the end. I'd definitely recommend it to someone who normally takes graphics from programs such as Illustrator or Photoshop and brings them into Flash. Conversely, I'd recommend it to designers who design for Flash developers as there is a lot of good information to learn from here.

I bought it and finally i was enlightened........2006-06-10

I may be exagerating, but from the moment i bought this book i realized that the "advanced" part was easy for everyone to follow and put into good use.

I'm no big graphic designer nor a person usually capable of reading complicated books, and i usually get bored after the first few chapters. but this book is written differently, it's as clear and straight forward as if someone was actually there explaining to you how to drastically improve your basic flash techniques and give you that extra something to really make a site worth seeing.

it's as if the authors were giving away all their deepest secrets and techniques while writing this book. and on top of that, i have to repeat myself, it's as simple as reading a fairy tale and again learning comes almost naturally.

i suggest you try out this book just after you have understood how flash works, no matter if you're a flash guru or someone that builds sites just for a hobby, it takes no skill at all to learn it, a little time to read it, and just a few moments to impress everyone with your new web designing skills.

there are few books around like this, and it would be a real shame to buy complicated foggy and extra long books when you have a designer bible right here.

Broad Yet Applicable.......2006-06-01

AdvancED Flash Interface Design is the latest installment from Friends of ED. Incidentally, while reading an interview with Chris Mills, I recently learned that the ED in the title is capitalized for a reason. "Friends of Every Designer" is what the company name stands for. Read blogs folks, you'll have many serendipitous moments. Anyway, this book was very practical, filled with an enormous amount of information, all of which is very applicable on a day to day basis. This quote from Chris' blog sums it up quite nicely...

"You know those tech books you read and go 'yeah, this is all well and good, but would I ever REALLY do any of this in my work?' Well, this book isn't like that - it's nothing but real-world Flash design teachings for those of you who have already got past the basics, but want to take your work further, with creative, inspirational techniques."

Since my official job description is Web User Interface Designer / Developer, I figured it would be right up my alley. I chimed in with a comment on his blog post regarding this book, and he was nice enough to send me a review copy. It was written by a trio of talented Flash guys: Michael Kemper, Guido Rosso and Brian Monnone. What I like is that while this series is geared towards Flash, it covers fundamentals that are essential to any sort of visual or graphic design.

Like any book, it starts with an overview of the topic, pointing out some of the benefits of Flash, while also acknowledging a few of its drawbacks. They are quick to point out that long loading times and inaccessible content are a stigma which Flash is helping to overcome. Loading times can be avoided through smart planning of content (ala Ajax, loading things as needed) and Flash can actually be used to add sub-titles to video and such.

Chapters two through five focus on user experience, color theory, interface design and vector drawing. The content therein could be used for a design class as a textbook. Seriously, it's that good. Also, I like the way the book is planned out. Most of it is black and white, with figures that are contained in a color section. This is a great compromise between keeping printing costs low, while not missing out on some design nuance, because there are color pages too.

Chapters six and seven delve more into the Flash interface itself, covering advanced uses of the timeline and layers, and showing how to use Flash for vector drawing. In the past, these tools were considered to be sub-par, but as of version 8 it has really come into its own for creating non-destructive effects. These same effects can also be manipulated, created and removed with ActionScript. It should be noted that there is also a fair bit of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop techniques covered, throughout the entirety of the book.

Chapter 8 was a departure into the realm of video, talking about the various codecs that can be used. It also showed how to do green screen effects with Apple Final Cut Pro. Once you have isolated the video clips you want to make use of, they can then be taken into the Flash environment for seamless integration with your site's interface. Think of Adobe's own site, which has many full-motion video narrators who walk you through their varying content.

While Flash's forte is vectors, occasionally you will find yourself needing pixel-precision. Chapters 9 and 10 are about achieving this with Photoshop, and how to make raster (bitmap) images with the smallest footprints. This is usually done by exporting PNG files with the correct amount of compression and opacity. One of the nice things about Flash is that IE6 has no problem rendering PNG opacity when used in conjunction with Flash. Many of you CSS guys will know what a headache this is to do otherwise, using inelegant GIF files.

The last few chapters cover creating animated effects, Flash textures, and finishing off a site. They cover some nice tweening and transformation effects, and also show how to make water textures with distortion filters and a background image. If you've seen water in games like Unreal Tournament, you will know what I'm talking about. The final chapter covers attention to detail that will make the difference between good work and great work. It teaches how to sweat the small stuff, without being too much of a perfectionist.

My one and only complaint is that this book focused so heavily on Illustrator, when Fireworks is perhaps a more seamlessly integrated tool, and many people who have purchased Studio 8 for Flash and Dreamweaver already have it bundled. Nevertheless, many of the concepts carry over to whatever graphics program you prefer. All in all, this is a very strong title and a must-have for those who do a lot of cross-disciplinary work or just want to branch out into another aspect of web design. I like to think of Flash as SWAT - You don't call `em in for just anything, but it's great when you really need high impact.

Very Interesting Book.......2006-05-26

There are plenty of Flash books out there to show you how to work with XML, scripting complex animations, learning Object-Oriented techniques, using components, etc. but there are only a few that deal with interface design.

This book deals with design in a very cool way - walking you through color theory, some mild 3D, shooting and using video, lots of photoshop design techniques, general rules of thumb for good UI and design, etc.

The book really deals with visuals over code, so this is perfect for those who don't need to be burdened with lots of coding to get the results they want.

I've been designing interfaces, sites, applications, etc. for quiet some time, and I was able to refresh some of my own thinking by reading through each chapter.

A chapter called "Flash Textures" dives into BitmapData in a nice way, I wish that chapter would have been a bit longer. Its one of the new things in Flash 8 that isn't always easy to get one's head around, especially when it comes to different kinds of animation one would like to generate with it.

I might have my own techniques to get things done, and the book doesn't present material in a way to make me feel like if its not done per the book, it's incorrect thinking. Its very open in that way which I like (not preachy).

This is the first FriendsofED book I've seen with a color section - and its wonderful :) I can easily see another book coming out of this from different designers... something like Flash Interface Design 2.

In all, a very solid book thats nice to look at and isn't heavy on code. The Photoshop techniques are useful for those who may be a little new to using it for anything other than photo retouch, etc. I like this book a lot, and I'll keep it in the side pile of books on my desk (if a book ends up in my bookcase, it means I won't use it). I like this one.

Book Description

Can corporate social awareness be translated into positive and predictable financial outcomes? Yes. Riahi-Belkaoui covers the two main components of corporate social awareness--corporate reputation or organizational effectiveness and socio-economic accounting information--and ties them directly to what happens on the corporation's bottom line. Presenting a thorough investigation of the models and results of the connection between desirable corporate behavior and economic performance, he shows not only that the outcomes are positive but that they are also predictable. A provocative and assuring study, this is intended for corporate management concerned with finance and accounting, and their colleagues with similar interests in the academic community.

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An engrossing history, Fish, Law, and Colonialism recounts the human conflict over fish and fishing in British Columbia and of how that conflict was shaped by law.

Pacific salmon fisheries, owned and managed by Aboriginal peoples, were transformed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by commercial and sport fisheries backed by the Canadian state and its law. Through detailed case studies of the conflicts over fish weirs on the Cowichan and Babine rivers, Douglas Harris describes the evolving legal apparatus that dispossessed Aboriginal peoples of their fisheries. Building upon themes developed in literatures on state law and local custom, and law and colonialism, he examines the contested nature of the colonial encounter on the scale of a river. In doing so, Harris reveals the many divisions both within and between government departments, local settler societies, and Aboriginal communities.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Canadian Geographer, published by Canadian Association of Geographers on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 930 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. 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.

Citation Details
Title: Fish, Law and Colonialism: the Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review)
Author: Frank Tough
Publication: The Canadian Geographer (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: Canadian Association of Geographers
Volume: 47 Issue: 3 Page: 361(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Fish, Law, and Colonialism: The Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: The Advocate

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Fish, Law, and Colonialism: The Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review) (book review): An article from: The Advocate
Christopher Harvey
Manufacturer: Vancouver Bar Association (Canada)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Advocate, published by Vancouver Bar Association (Canada) on January 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1433 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. 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.

Citation Details
Title: Fish, Law, and Colonialism: The Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review) (book review)
Author: Christopher Harvey
Publication: The Advocate (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2003
Publisher: Vancouver Bar Association (Canada)
Volume: 61 Issue: 1 Page: 125(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Fish, Law, and Colonialism: The Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review): An article from: Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal

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Fish, Law, and Colonialism: The Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review): An article from: Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal
Brian Calliou
Manufacturer: Canadian Ethnic Studies Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal, published by Canadian Ethnic Studies Association on March 22, 2003. The length of the article is 975 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. 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.

Citation Details
Title: Fish, Law, and Colonialism: The Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review)
Author: Brian Calliou
Publication: Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2003
Publisher: Canadian Ethnic Studies Association
Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Page: 196(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Fish, Law, and Colonialism: the Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy

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Fish, Law, and Colonialism: the Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy
Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith
Manufacturer: Kluwer Law International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, published by Kluwer Law International on January 1, 2003. The length of the article is 2152 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. 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.

Citation Details
Title: Fish, Law, and Colonialism: the Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia.(Book Review)
Author: Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith
Publication: Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2003
Publisher: Kluwer Law International
Volume: 6 Issue: 1-2 Page: 131(5)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Animal tales, show business memoirs & English rural life........1998-07-28

I bought this book blind, there was no blurb, thinking it might be a children's book or if not it could be part of my fledgling donkey story collection. I absolve amazon.com for failing to categorize it. Alexandra Bastedo is a British actress and life long animal lover. She and her husband, director Patrick Garland have a rural property overflowing with an assortment of animals many of whom were brought to them needing homes.

The book is an entertaining mix of James Herriot style animal stories, tales of theatrical productions and personalities, and introducing many British animal rescue groups.

Cherry Blossom the escape artist donkey, a vicious guinea fowl, Emma Thompson, Omar Sharif, tea with the Queen "Mum", Blue the trooping doberman - it's all here. Everyone probably has an auntie who would love this book.

Book Description

THE WORLD'S LEADING SCIENTISTS CONFRONT THE ULTIMATE QUESTION: ARE WE ALONE IN THE COSMOS?

Featuring Essays by: Philip Morrison, Arthur C. Clarke, Donald Goldsmith, Frank Drake, Bruce Campbell, and Ben Bova. <

Never before has so much time and concetrated effort been spent by so many scientists and writers in pursuit of the answer to this fundamental question. In this extraordinary work, major scientists involved in the Search for extraterrestrial intelligence known as SETI explain their work and reveal their thoughts. Joining them are some of the best speculative thinkers, from Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov to Gregory Benford, who address the major philosophical questions involved.

Includes new essay by Dr. Donald Goldsmith, author of The Hunt for Life on Mars, and The Ultimate Einstein, on the new personal computer search for alien contact via the internet, and how you can partake in it.

You can share your thoughts about the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in the new ibooks vitual readers group at www.ibooksinc.com

Customer Reviews:

GREAT READ.......2000-02-22

This is a great book. It is not an interconnected novel. It is a collection of essays from famous scientists and writers. Read this book in any order you want!

Aliens and Extraterrestrials: Are We Alone? (Isaac Asimov's New Library of the Universe)

Average customer rating:

great jumping off place
Disappointing

Aliens and Extraterrestrials: Are We Alone? (Isaac Asimov's New Library of the Universe)
Isaac Asimov , Frank Reddy , and Greg Walz-Chojnacki
Manufacturer: Gareth Stevens Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

great jumping off place.......2007-08-05

This is a great educational series for kids. Even as an adult, I was going through the first couple we got thinking "I want to know more about this...and this..." which is exactly what I want from educational books. They are fun, instructive and acurate, which is something I've come to expect from Isaac Asimov.

Disappointing.......2000-06-07

This book was a huge disappointment to me . I was expecting more since Asimov's name is printed on the cover . This book is for kids ,not for adults . Be careful !

Are We Alone In The Cosmos? The Guide To The Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence

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Are We Alone In The Cosmos? The Guide To The Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Ben Bova , and Byron Preiss
Manufacturer: IBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0965014525

Book Description

This is an introductory level book for those primarily interested in the provision of urban water. Topics include pricing, supply cost, industrial use, subsidence, water markets, drinking water regulation, market regulation, finance, and water provider organization. Early chapters present the basic theory, using urban water examples, necessary for understanding the later chapters. Chapters deal with pricing, price analysis, supply cost, industrial use, subsidence, water markets, drinking water regulation, market regulation, finance, and water provider organization. Leading experts in subsidence, drinking water law and policy, water markets, industrial water demand, and water supply contributed chapters. The text provides a comprehensive survey of literature on local urban water provision and management that is found scattered over a wide variety of technical periodicals. Attention is paid to economic management and organization of urban water suppliers. Case studies of Arizona, United Kingdom, Houston Texas, and Israel are presented.

Managing Wastewater in Coastal Urban Areas

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Managing Wastewater in Coastal Urban Areas
National Research Council , and Natl Res Cou
Manufacturer: National Academy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Water Supply & Land Use | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Water Supply | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0309048265

Planning and Managing Reliable Urban Water Systems

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Planning and Managing Reliable Urban Water Systems
Robert J. Harberg
Manufacturer: American Water Works Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Water Supply & Land Use | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Water Supply | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Water | Conservation | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0898679095

Shared water, different dreams: Managing urban water resources in San Diego and Tijuana (Working paper / Pacific Institute)

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Shared water, different dreams: Managing urban water resources in San Diego and Tijuana (Working paper / Pacific Institute)
Santos V Gomez
Manufacturer: Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Water Supply | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Water Supply & Land Use | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006QT9R8

Book Description

This volume contains papers presented at the 4th International Conference on Hydrocyclones, held at Southampton, U.K., on 23-25 September, 1992. Cyclonic devices, as a means of separating different fluid phases, are truly coming of age. Considerable fundamental research has been carried out leading to better design information which, together with advances in materials technology and broader fields of application, has resulted in much wider market acceptance. The volume provides a unique international forum for operators, suppliers, manufacturers and designers of equipment for the mineral processing, petroleum and process industries to present the theory, design and application of cyclonic devices in industry. The papers are divided into several main sections: fundamentals and new areas; design and operation; practical applications; and development. The volume is the most up-to-date review of current developments in the technology.

Book Description

Jerry Cornelius – English assassin, physicist, rock star, messiah to the Age of Science – is one of fantastic literature’s greatest creations. Acclaimed by Moorcock’s readers, critics, and peers from Mick Jagger to J. G. Ballard, Cornelius is the ultimate postmodern antihero, more Borgesian than Asimovian. Three of the stories in this collection are here anthologized for the first time: “The Spencer Inheritance,” which enmeshes Jerry with Princess Di; “Cheering for the Rockets,” involving an attack on a Sudanese pharmaceutical plant; and “Firing the Cathedral,” a novella based on 9/11 and its aftermath.

Customer Reviews:

Poorly Written Story, Interesting But Wasted Potential.......2006-05-02

Let me start out by saying that I am a huge fan of Mr. Moorcocks, going back to his Elric of Melinbone days. Unfortunately I have discovered evidence of Mr. Moorcocks weaker writing abilities. These short, scattered, stream of consciousness stories, held together by newspaper and magazine clippings are not worthy of Mr. Moorcock.
You have a music loving, switch hitting, physicist, poet, assassin, who tries to keep the world from slipping into the abyss through his sexual encounters, blackmail, murder, assasination, self mutilation, voodoo as well as math.
Its hard to describe this mess, except that as it gets closer and closer to the 2005 published dates it gets darker, meaner, more nonsensical and basically it sadly turns into an low brow anti american tirade on how we have ruined the world at all levels. If it had been well done with a clear focus, it may have been worth reading but it seems that Mr. Moorcock must have been on some happy herbs when he started the project back in the 1960's and he has kept that stash all these years for each chronological update of this character. Said herbs, which he dipped back into with each later addition when he sunk his pen in the ink well for this character, did not age well.
I was so stoked to read this when I picked it up and I am so glad I did not buy the "Quartet" as well as this since is so poorly written and ill conceived. An interesting character that could have been a modern Elric but is instead a flat concept from start to finish.

More detached? More amoral? .......2005-05-29

Seems best to have read the "Cornelius Quartet" first. The novels provide a good introduction to Jerry as well as other characters who appear in these stories: his brother Frank, sister Catherine, Miss Brunner, Bishop Beesley, Una Persson, Major Nye, Professor Hira,...

These short stories focus on commentary by Jerry and company against a backdrop of world events:

"I'm not interested in being right. I'm interested in what happens."

"This is the age of the lowest common denominator. I blame America."

Jerry here seemed more detached, more amoral than in the novels. Some of his coolness slipping into coldness. Perhaps because the world he protects himself against has become harsher. Moorcock's writing is at least as good as in the Quartet. It took some adjustment going from the novels to the short stories. Instead of going into Jerry's world, as the novels did, these short stories take Jerry into the world. Jerry's escape and our escape are over.

Toward the end of this first reading, I began to let go of my expectations based on the Quartet and accept the short story format. I'm looking forward to a second, fresh reading.

Moorcock Still the Coolest.......2003-11-18

Jerry Cornelius, a product of sixties hip when Moorcock's name never seemed to be out of the papers, died, was resurrected and died again, certainly in terms of his fashionability. Now here he is with a bunch of the best of his earliest adventures coupled with a quartet of his best new ones, dealing with Clinton's foreign policy, Lady Diana's death-cult, Middle Eastern Politics and, in what is probably the best story in the book, events around the catastrophe of 9/11. And, to this reader's surprise at least, he seems even more relevant today than he did when he first hit the pages of New Worlds, that magazine of early post-modernist senisbility, some forty years ago. Moorcock's fingers were definitely on the pulse of our times and this collection proves it. Elegant, fast and sardonic, these are tales that are, like Scott Fitzgerald's,
distinctly of their time and yet retain a universality lacking in most other contemporary fiction. This is the best value on the literary market. As he proves in his McSweeney's Mammoth
Treasury story, Moorcock is also provides great entertainment while making us think a lot deeper than, for instance, the Matrix's rabbit hole. Totally recommended!

Ur-rebel in bell bottoms.......2003-11-06

Jerry C. is a Mod gone mad: he is the ultimate manifestation of English 60's style. So anti-cool he's completely cool, so immoral he teaches by anti-example -- got that? -- as when he cheerfully kills a young boy who seems to be the earthly manifestation of the Buddha...shocking when he first appeared, even now he retains his appeal. In fact, in the post-James Bond era of Austin Powers, Jerry is more intriguing than ever...and Moorcock is simply one of the most important writers of fantasy, or writers period, up there with Harlan Ellison, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Doris Lessing.

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