Wonderful book. This book was shared with me without my ever having heard of the author and it was a pleasant surprise. The subject of growing up bi-racial is one that is often met with a lot of contrariness, stubborness, ignorance, and anger. This book covered all of that, but still managed to tell a wonderful story about a woman who just basically wanted to live a "normal" life.
She wrestled with betrayal, family problems, infidelity, and divorce. Despite the mundaneness of all that, the writer approached it in a way that either made you laugh or recall your own battles similar to Mingus'. This is a well written look into the life of a young woman who is stronger than she appears to be. And writing a character that way is no easy feat, especially when the reader is with her every step of the way. If anything, we should know how strong she is throughout the story, but we really don't until the last paragraph of the book. That's just good writing. The dialogue was easy and no matter how simple the plot was, it flowed and ebbed beautifully. I'm looking forward to watching this author grow.

I wonder if there are words that will illustrate the feeling I received from reading Jenonyne Adam's first book,Resurrecting Mingus. Well, I will have to try.

Adam's transends you physically and mentally into lives of these characters. The primary character Mingus, is the voice of reason or the gel that holds this fragile family together, until it is broken with her father's infidelity. These elements of betrayal, rverbrate throughout the story making it a reoccuring theme. But, it is not the forbidden acts alone, that make this novel worthwhile, it's the overcoming of the antagonist that makes this a sure-fire read. Plot aside the authors writing is style is extremely fresh and honest. Her metaphors and beautiful way of unfolding the characters,events, and storyline, is her true talent.

I know it is pretty early to say, but this is one of the best books I've read all year.

I can't wait for her sophomore effort!!!!

Resurrecting Mingus was a book that I wasn't really sure if I wanted to read or not. I've read interracial books before and I was thinking this would be a rehash. In any case, I figured that I'd give it a try anyway and I'm extremely glad I did since I was hooked from the first page! I loved the story and I love the writing. Mingus had a lot of issues to deal with, but so did her mother, her father, and her sister. To have parts of the story told by the different characters was refreshing since it allowed the reader to better understand each one of them. One didn't have to have grown up in an interracial family to understand some of the pain that Mingus went through trying to "fit in". This is an excellent book by first time novelist Jenoyne Adams which is also one of my favorites of 2001.

James W. Huston has garnered a bunch of fans with his debut novel. Along with Rush Limbaugh and the thousands of others who have read this interesting story of a constitutional crisis between a dovish President as Commander in Chief and a hawkish Speaker of the House, I found myself liking this book.

Huston does some interesting things with his characters. His fictional President, like the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has no military experience. His Speaker of the House, unlike his real life model, Newt Gingrich, is a former naval officer who saw combat in Vietnam as a brown water sailor in the navy's riverine forces. As a veteran, I found both the President and the Speaker unlikable. The President was an un- realistic idealist and the Speaker a jingoistic opportunist. Mr. Huston did a good job of developing both of these figures well enough to make me dislike them and in that, I felt he did a creditable job.

Perhaps the most valuable lessons learned from this book, especially to the unitiated, were the descriptions of the workings of the various branches of the federal government. Despite the fact that the book is a novel, I think it could be used as a primer on federalism for high school students. If used at the college level, I would recommend that it be used in political science courses covering both the Presidency and the Congress.

Mr. Huston's credentials as an F-14 NFO and Intelligence Officer shines through. His training as a lawyer shines through as well when he discusses the various constitutional issues that develop as a result of his plot. I would like to correct some of the other critics who wrote here on a point of fact. Mr. Huston was not an F-14 pilot. The dust jacket points out that he was an F-14 NFO (Naval Flight Officer). That's the Guy In Back. Remember Goose in TOP GUN? Needless to say, while he may not have actually flown them, he was trained to fight in them and that background lends him a credibility not available with other authors.

Mr. Huston, like a lot of lawyers has taken to writing and I think his debut novel was a fine first effort. I look forward to his next effort because this one reminds me of the early Tom Clancy. I just hope that he doesn't run out of steam (or plausible story lines) like Tom Clancy seems to have done of late. While Mr. Clancy seems to have invented the techno-thriller as a genre, there have been many who followed his example and provided the reading public with hours of reading entertainment.

I wish Mr. Huston good fortune in his writing career. He may well be Tom Clancy's heir in the political-military thriller arena.

What if the President of the United States is unwilling to use the military to protect U.S. citizens, and defend the nation 's rights and ideals from attack? What if Congress used a hidden clause in the Constitution to authorize military action without the President's approval? That's the spectacular theme of Balance Of Power, the thrilling debut novel from James W. Huston.

For me, Balance Of Power's unique blend of the fascinating world of today's military technology with the intricacies of high-octane politics and legal maneuvering, makes it a new kind of intellectually-challenging, can't-put-it-down thriller. If you like military/political/adventure thrillers, you won't want to miss this book! It's like Tom Clancy and Stephen Coonts meet John Grisham on Patrick O'Brian's high seas. Balance Of Power's only flaw, albeit a minor one, is that it does not develop well enough the character of the bad guy, George Washington.

Huston has the potential to be a new master in this genre. I can't wait to read The Price Of Power,the sequel to Balance Of Power, to see if Huston can deliver a solid "one-two punch." Look over your shoulders Clancy, Coonts and Grisham-- there's a new player in town!

Truly fantastic political and military thriller, one of my favorite works of fiction I have read the last few years. Author James W. Huston, drawing skillfully both upon his military background as an F-14 fighter pilot in the US Navy and his legal background as a lawyer, has crafted a tightly woven yarn about terrorism in the South Pacific - Indonesia to be exact - and what the President and the US Congress do about it.

When terrorists capture the US flagged merchant ship Pacific Flyer, kill most of the crew, kidnap the captain, and then booby-trap the ship to kill potential rescuers, the world is stunned. Though the world expects President Manchester (a fictional president who serves after the President Clinton of this novel's timeline), to react, he does not order a military strike, instead announcing he is against continuing the "cycle of violence" and that while he will order a carrier battle fleet to help find the terrorist's island hideout, will not act militarily, instead seeing it as an internal Indonesian police matter.

Many are outraged as his reaction, none more so than Speaker of the House John Stanbridge. Furous over what he sees as a failure to act and accusing the President of pacifism, he tries to get around the President's orders regarding the terrorists, hidden on a foritified island which the battle group centered around the carrier USS Constitution under Admrial Billings locates.

Brash and brilliant aide to Standbridge, Jim Dillon, comes up with a little known provision in the US Constituion in Article I, Secton 8, relating to the power of the Congress to issues Letters of Marque and Reprisal. Researching it, he finds that the power was formerly used to grant legal authority to armed merchantmen in times of war, authorizing private ships to act as war ships. Instead, with Standbrige's support, it is proposed, voted on, and passed, the Letter instead issued to the Constitution battle group!

I won't comment much more on the course of the novel, other than to say it is great political thriller to see the constitutional crisis that comes to embroil all three branches of the federal government, and the struggle of Congress and the President to get the battle group to act how they see fit. It is also a great military thriller, to see a US carrier battle group, with fighters, attack craft, helicopters, and Marines operating against terrorists, a true joy to read particularly in the wake of the tragic and horrid attacks of September 11, 2001.

Highly recommend this work to all fans of military fiction, technothrillers, political thrillers, and fans of Tom Clancy. Pay close attention to the events in the novel, as there is truly excellent follow up in the riveting sequel, The Price of Power.

My first instinct was to claim that whilst this book is wonderful, it does not quite meet the precedent set by "Watership Down". However, this is not really the case. "The Plague Dogs" is simply a far more adult, mature read than "Watership" and whilst it can by no means be described as easy reading, it is certainly worth that extra bit of concentration. The writing style is amazing as always, and the storyline gripping and fascinating. Adams' ability to switch from the perspective of the two dogs, Rowf and Snitter, to the humans is incredible. The book's witty contributions, gripping story line and happy ending make a wondeful story without diminishing any of the underlying concerns. It is an incredible masterpiece, and should be devoured eagely by dog-lovers and book-lovers alike!

I read "The Plague Dogs" after I'd read "Watership Down," which is also written by Richard Adams. And while perhaps "The Plague Dogs" is a bit more difficult of a read than "Watership Down," and may lack the narrative flow of his first book, it is a tremendous novel, nonetheless. His central characters, two fugitive dogs from a testing laboratory named Rowf and Snitter, are distinctly drawn and reminiscent of some of the great tragic characters in English Literature. Their flight from captivity will draw you in from the moment they escape the laboratory, and will continue to hold you breathless as they ellude their captors and seek a new master. The novel works on two levels: both as a commentary on the mistreatment and abuse of animals in laboratories, as well as a look at humans from an animal's point of view. Be warned, however, you may not like what you see. On a negative note, the author often slips into a confusing slang, common to the area in which the novel takes place, when creating dialogue for certain characters like the lab workers and the Tod. At times, the lingo can become tedious and the reader may be tempted to skim over it. Also, the background information leading up to the introduction of Digby Driver midway through the novel can seem unnecessary; however, skipping over these aforementioned parts only denies the reader essential information and dilutes the novel from the author's translucent vision. With that said, Mr. Adams is at his lyrical best when the story focuses on the dogs and away from their human counterparts. Mr. Adams's ability to write from an animal's perspective remains unchallenged in fiction today. Not only is Mr. Adams a gifted storty-teller, but his mastery of the English language is hypnotic. "The Plague Dogs" and "Watership Down" are two masterpieces of modern literature that will haunt the reader long after the final page has been read. On my best day I aspire to be as human as a character in a Richard Adams novel.

"The Plague Dogs" isn't nearly as accessible as "Watership Down" & it's not a children's book. Don't start reading Adams with this book--start with "Watership Down." ... Some of the dialect (especially that of the Tod) will be very difficult for American readers (though it was slightly toned down for American editions) & it's perhaps hard to follow if you've never heard the real thing, but even it is brilliant. I have heard the real thing & Adams captures it perfectly. It works best if you read it quickly. ... Adams does some wonderful experimentation with the writing in the book, experimentation that draws on a vast literary heritage & demonstrates very wide reading, experimentation that is itself a tribute to his literary forefathers. ... The characters, especially the canine ones, are very well-drawn (I'm tempted to call my next dog Rowf). ... Good plot twists, evocative geographical description, a singularly haunting passage about a ghost, great description of snow. ... The animal experimentation theme is very well done, not overstated (all of the experiments Adams described were real) & while it's obvious where Adams stands, he has the guts to balance the debate with an unexpected portrait of a dying child. ... The true brilliance of this book lies in the ending, which is just an absolute work of art, drawing together narrative strings, switching narrative styles, switching points of view, speeding up & slowing down (& even incorporating the author's tribute to his own friends without becoming excessively idiosyncratic) until it becomes positively lyrical. The book is worth it for the ending alone ... & Adams is a master of making the incredible credible so we willingly suspend disbelief ... maybe because Rowf & Snitter are so well portrayed we sorely want them to live. Not an easy read, but SO good.

"Life, the Universe, and Everything" took me months on end to get through. Every time I opened the book I'd think "Ha, ha! What a funny and crazy man that Adams is. Why don't I read this more?", but after a few pages I'd grow weary. This book is genuinely funny, but I think instead of being a five-book trilogy, the Hitchhiker's franchise should have stopped at one. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was one of my favorite books for a time, and still holds a special place in my literary tastes. It's hilarious, and Douglas Adams has undoubtedly the sharpest wit this side of Oscar Wilde! Unfortunately, his abilities in the field of plot propulsion are weak at best. I read through this series, loving the first, liking the second, and by the time I got to this one, I just felt like asking what's the POINT? All this book was was another opportunity for the author to demonstrate his wit, which is, i reiterate, amazing. However, it's not enough to keep me reading, ...

This is anohter fine tale from Douglas Adams, taking us on wild adventures with Arthur, and the rest. The difference in this one is that Arthur is finally starting to actually do things. rather than jsut standing around saying what. In this one we get to see Arthur and trillian save the universe, and we learn to fly, which was my favorite part of the novel. The key is to throw yourself at the ground and miss. I enjoyed it. I am in the process of reading the entire trilogy, but I am putting it down after each book because, not being a fan of Sci - Fi, I do get a little tired of the names and ridiculous situations. If you are going to read the trilogy and you are not a big sci fi fan, take a break in between each novel.

Thanks for your time T.

Life, the Universe and Everything, by Douglas Adams, is a story of unmatched proportions, tying in satirical humor with an amazingly complex storyline. The people of Krikkit have been looking at the same features every night in the sky, and are sick of it, simply because there are no features. Krikkit is located inside a dust cloud, and when a mysterious spaceship crash lands on the planet, it puts the people in a sense of panic. They find out there are things out there, and don't like it, they enjoyed their solidarity. It is now that they must destroy the entire universe, and regain that piece of mind.
It is Arthur Dent's job to make sure that none of this happens. Arthur is a human who was rescued from earth, just as it was about to be blown up by blood thirsty mongrels, named Vogons, to make way for a hyper space bypass. Along to help Arthur is the man who rescued him, Ford Prefect, Tricia McMillan (Trillian), the ex-president of the galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox, and a handy man from a planet factory, Slartibartfast.
In this story, the 3rd in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series, it starts out on prehistoric earth, and through the marvels of time travel, Arthur Dent is teetering on the edge of insanity, while living in a cave where his house will be located in another couple billion years. In the mean time, Ford Prefect has decided to resort to animal cruelty in Africa, until he decides that it is time to try to find a way back to their time. Along the way they meet up with Slartibartfast, who tells them of the pending problem. The people from the land of Krikkit are about to escape from a "Slow Time Envelope", which is supposed to only open when all other life in the universe has disappeared. It is now their job to try to keep the inhabitants of Krikkit from attacking the galaxy, and restore peaceful life to all of the people of the universe. Can Arthur do it? To find out, read Life, the Universe and Everything. But be sure to read the other books in the series before to avoid complete confusion.

This is the book I wish The South Was Right!, considered the gospel of modern Southern nationalism, had been. That book, although it contained much useful and(for the unreconstructed Northerner)embarassing information, was repetitive, occasionally poorly-argued, and overly polemical.

Adams' book, on the other hand, is a concise lawyer's brief. He argues that the South seceded primarily for economic reasons. Adams puts a number of disinterested European third parties on the witness stand, notably Charles Dickens, to buttress his case. And he demolishes the arguments of John Stuart Mill, the "prosecution's" star witness and the man who said the whole thing was about the protection and expansion of slavery.

Although I'm not completely comfortable with Adams' argument(slavery seems to have been far more important in Southern thinking than Adams makes it out to be, and with good reason. Black people were a reality in the South but an abstraction in the North), it is difficult to disagree with it entirely. Slavery, after all, was still legal in the North and would remain so until 1865. The North ADDED a slave state during the conflict(West Virginia)and Mr. Lincoln countermanded TWO emancipation orders during the war. Thomas Jefferson was not overly terrified by the idea of secession. And Mr Lincoln himself, in 1848, admitted that any people dissatisfied with their government, had the right to form one that suits them better.

Adams portrayal of Lincoln's actions early in the war(suspension of habeas corpus, illegally calling out the militia, shutting down opposition newspapers, arresting the Maryland legislature, etc.)is devastating. Although Adams does get off track now and then, When in the Course of Human Events is highly recommended for anyone interested in history as it really was. Devotees of the cult of St. Abraham, though, may want to avoid it.

Charles Adams is an excellent author. I recommend his other books, "Those Dirty Rotten Taxes," as well as "For Good and Evil." His writing is very precise and supported by copious research.

Although most Americans blindly hero-worship Lincoln, he was really a tyrant who nearly destroyed our republic. He suspended the writ of habeas corpus, imprisoned or threatened Maryland legislators so that Maryland could not seceed, ordered the arrest of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for writing a controversial opinion, and in general, was a Very Bad Man.

Incedentally, if Maryland had seceeded, the South probably would have won the war. In illegally preventing Maryland's secession, Lincoln crushed the self-determination of a nation full of people.

This book also reveals that the cause of the war was not slavery or "the Union," but about money and resources. The north wanted to extract money from the south through tarriffs on imported goods.

Charles Adams is an excellent author. I recommend his other books, "Those Dirty Rotten Taxes," as well as "For Good and Evil."

This book taught me a lot, and in so doing revealed the lies and half-truths that I had learned in U.S. History.

Although most Americans blindly hero-worship Lincoln, he was really a tyrant who destroyed our republic. He suspended the writ of habeas corpus, imprisoned or threatened Maryland legislators so that Maryland could not seceed, ordered the arrest of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for writing a controversial opinion, and in general, was a Very Bad Man. This book also reveals that the cause of the war was not slavery or "the Union," but about money and resources.

To summarize, you should read this book. It is very revealing.

My theory is that Douglas Adams had 2 worries after the first part of this whole series. First of all, jeez louise, he sure was giving poor Arthur Dent a hard time... couldn't he at least maybe let him have a girlfriend? And second of all, how about the dolphins? Douglas Adams is really into animal rights, the environment, etc, and it just seemed a little perfunctory to have them all totally obliterated along with the Earth just because of that whole business about the interstellar hyperspace bypass. In this book, dolphins, Arthur, and Arthur's (surprise) girlfriend somehow come together, with a variety of mutant plot twists along the way.

As usual with these books, I envy anyone coming to them for the first time. Watch for the "Rain God", he is quite hilarious, and sort of a stand-in for Marvin in some ways. Ford Prefect has sort of a guest appearance, he isn't exactly central to the plot, but he becomes important in some ways at the very end.

I would tell a new Douglas Adams fan to read this as a love story, Adams' gift to the hapless Arthur Dent. The wackiness is MUCH lass omnipresent here than it is in the other books, so be warned. Basically good stuff, but very distinct in tone from the rest of the series.

This book, the fourth in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy, is, hands down, the best. You probably wouldn't think that were true from reading some of the reviews on this page. However, I was astonished and amazed by what this volume had to offer.

For starters, if you read Douglas Adams just for the zaniness and offbeatness of it all, you may be disappointed by this novel. While those elements are not absent, they are severely toned down for this installment. The amazing thing, though, is that Adams manages to mix in his humor at all with a very touching romance and somewhat serious quest of rather epic (rather than episodic) proportion.

The best part about this novel is that it virtually almost entirely features Arthur, and that's it... at least out of the main characters. Ford shows up a bit, and Marvin is in the last chapter, but Zaphod and Trillian are missing, but don't worry, it hardly matters. Adams more than makes up for it by introducing a marvelous character named Fenchurch, who becomes a love interest for Arthur. A love interest for Arthur? Yes, you heard me correctly.

This book, in my mind, establishes Adams as a serious heavyweight. The levels of humor, romance, irony, wonder, and adventure are consistently high throughout, and one never detracts from the other. Besides, we finally get to take a really good look at Arthur (who had been shortchanged in the last two books), the most human character I believe I have ever encountered anywhere, and we get to see a bit of the earth, which Adams makes us realize is rather a funny place in itself.

Do not miss out on this book. Please. Read it for Arthur. Read it for Fenchurch. Read it for the Rain God. And definitely, definitely, read it for the most wonderful love scene ever written. Besides, if you make it to the end, you'll be rewarded with God's final message to His creation, written in letters of flame thirty feet high (quite the tourist attraction). It's worlds above all the others.

This is by far the best of all of Douglas Adams's novels - including the entire Hitchhiker's series and both Dirk Gently books. It contains all-new material, not just scenes from the radio series rearranged and slightly altered. Adams splits off Arthur Dent from the rest of his friends and throws him into the strangest situation of all: his galactic hitchhiking has led him back to Earth, an Earth which had long ago been destroyed by the Vogons, but is, for some reason, still there.

Adams is at his best here, creating wonderful imagery and great new characters. He perfectly captures the sensations of falling in love. The comedy is gentle, and the science-fiction elements nearly take a back seat to the love story - but come back in a big way when a long-estranged friend shows up.

In M.J. Simpson's Douglas Adams biography "Hitchhiker", he maintains that many DNA fans (including Simpson) regard this as his worst book - an opinion Adams seemed to share (but Simpson points out that Adams had this opinion of most of his books at one point or another.) As a fan from the very first NPR radio broadcasts, I respectfully - and strongly - disagree. This is Adams at his gentlest, and his most poetic, and his best - in fiction, anyway. The nonfiction "Last Chance To See", itself a love story of sorts, is the only long-form Adams that I would rate higher.

To Have And Have Not is too fragmentary to be Hemingway's best novel. It's divided into three episodes, which I think were written at completely different times, so Hemingway's objectives might have changed halfway through. The first episode was meant to stand on its own merits as a short story, but Hemingway liked it so much he came back to it later and added two more. That said, it's certainly a fine novel - gripping, moving and very well-written at every step of the way. It revolves around Harry Morgan, an honest man turned into a smuggler by necessity. In the context of the whole novel, the first episode serves mainly to establish his person and show what sort of man he is - his reluctance to get into illegal activities, his strength, his survival instinct and the cruelty that it sometimes results in, and his human qualities. This reads like a self-contained short story with no real point other than an action-filled scenario. The second and shortest episode is the weakest part of the novel - it's a cross-section of a day in Morgan's life after he already takes up smuggling. It certainly shows the risks he has to take, but doesn't serve to do much other than explain a certain point in the third episode.

The third episode, where the real meat of the story is, is the best. It shows the further developments and the conclusion of Morgan's criminal career. It is also where the book's title comes in - here we see the contrast between those who have and those who have not. This comparison makes it easier to understand by contrast just how inevitably Morgan was driven to the life he now leads. Though Hemingway could have treated this issue by simply depicting the rich people as bad and Harry as good, he instead develops the story with tremendous emotional complexity - in a chapter dedicated to the former, Hemingway gets inside the heads of many well-off Americans and shows you their thoughts and fears. You might end up sympathizing with them more than with Harry, even though their glaring weaknesses are relentlessly brought to light. They are shown to be just as much victims of circumstances as Harry Morgan - while this does not exonerate them of their foibles, just like it doesn't exonerate him of his crimes, it makes all of them easier to understand. Nor does Hemingway paint the Marxist rebels that Morgan agrees to transport to Cuba in black and white - some are ruthless mercenaries, but some genuinely seek to make the world better, and others are just there by chance. The tragedy of the book is that all these people, who with a few exceptions really weren't bad sorts, were driven by much more powerful forces against one another, and all ended badly. Here we have Harry Morgan, a strong and intelligent man who really didn't want anything other than to have enough to subsist for him and his family, and he ends up hopelessly alone up against both the law and the lawless. His last monologue, where he ruefully summarizes his life, is one of Hemingway's finest moments.

Here I must add, as an afternote, that this book conclusively proves that those people who like to claim that Hemingway's treatment of women is somehow "sexist" or "disrespectful," or that his female characters are "stereotypical" or "weak," have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. Harry Morgan's wife doesn't have a large role in the book, but there is one crucial scene that revolves solely around her. In it, she shows titanical inner strength; she is possibly the strongest character in the novel, stronger than Harry. Yes, her role in life is "stereotypical," but that is due to the _realism_ of the story - in those days, in those parts of the world, that was the way things were, and that's that. It is undeniable that Hemingway treats her with great respect, admiration and fairness. Thank you very much.

Masterworks like For Whom The Bell Tolls and The Sun Also Rises overshadow To Have And Have Not, but you should not overlook it. The novel is mainly about Harry Morgan, a depression-era fishing boat captain who has run out of luck. The book also has several of the trademark Hemingway stories within the story. Rather than a novel, I like to think of this as a bunch of short stories held together by one greater theme. When your reading, you feel as though Hemingway has let you in on a secret, and he is showing you his private world of Key West and Havana in the 1930's. I also believe that this book is the link between his early success from The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell To Arms to his later triumphs of For Whom The Bell Tolls and The Old Man And The Sea. Because of its high action and the constant sense of adventure, I would recommend this quick read to the first time Hemingway reader. This book is the perfect primer for For Whom The Bell Tolls. The only reason I gave this 4 stars is because of Hemingways other great works. Had another author written this, it would be a better known book for sure. Excellant book and a must read!

I read this because I liked the Bogart movie. The movie used the very beginning of the book then goes on to follow a completely different story line. The book is darker and more violent than the "feel-good" themed movie. The novel centers around Harry Morgan, a charter boat captain who does some bad things to make ends meet in 1930's Cuba and Key West. It appears that the book may have started out as a short story that was fleshed out into a novel-length work. The copyright page indicates publication in a magazine in 1934, three years before the book's publication date. This may explain the confusing change in narrators that other reviewers have mentioned. It also seems to me that the have versus have-not theme has been tacked on to contrast the lives of rich holiday-makers in Key West to the lives of struggling Key West natives. The parts dealing with the wealthy aren't particulary interesting or believable. I suspect they were added to give a simple action story more social consciousness. This fault is more than made up for by the scenes with Harry Morgan. He is a tough man of action who wont stop at killing if necessary. It makes for an exciting read; I read it through in one night. I must diasagree with those critics that feel this novel is one of Hemingway's worst.

I must admit, this was a different type of Mystery for me. Just an average person, I can normally figure out the "who and why" well before the end of the book. Ms. James did an excellent job of not giving away to many clues so it was impossible until the end of the book to start piecing things together (or so I thought). I really liked the character of Inspector Dalqliesh. The narrator gave him the personality of a hard core detective without the crudeness you see in so many books. My original thought as I listened to this audio book was that it would be 2 stars max. The ending of this book caught me by surprise and I decided to give it 3 stars. If it weren't for Ms. James great detail, I would have probably given it 4 stars.

For some reason, Ms. James felt that every character, and place needed to be described to the finest detail. This description lent to the length of the book which was extremely long. More then once I thought of not finishing this book. If this hadn't been an audio book I probably wouldn't have finished it. I felt the book would have been just as good if not better if some of this description had been left out. About the first 20 chapters (6 tapes) was nothing but a description of the suspects who worked in Chambers. Really, not necessary.

I have not read any other titles by Ms. James. However, not being one who discounts an author after I book, I will most likely try another in the future.

The only author I can think to compare Ms. James with would be Agatha Christie. Both have that passion for describing things in great detail.

This is one of the best Adam Dagliesh novels P. D. James has written in years, and is a fine return to the halcyon days on novels like A MIND TO MURDER. James seems much more interested in this novel in character development and interaction than she has in recent years, and she thankfully eschews her obsession with architecture which all but overwhelmed A TASTE FOR DEATH and ORIGINAL SIN. Starting the novel by describing the last few weeks in Venetia Aldridge's life allows the reader to be caught up in Aldridge's world, to respect her if not to like her, and to feel a certain stake in solving the mystery of her murder. It isn't hard to figure out who did it, but that's almost always the case with James's novels: the pleasure is in seeing the complicated web of petty hatreds and resentments drawn out among an interesting group of people. And James in this novel is much more sympathetic to her characters than she has been in recent years: you feel that while Octavia, Mrs. Buckley, and Venetia Aldridge herself are pretty objectionable, you don't feel they are as irredeemable as the loathsome aristocrats in A TASTE FOR DEATH.

~ -~
* * * * * P.D James does it again! A beautiful intricately woven plot and fascinating characters make "A Certain Justice" one of her best!
You don't have to be a P.D. James fan; all mystery lovers will enjoy this book!
~ -~
Unusually for the "who-dun-it" genre, we actually get to meet and understand the life of the victim- Venetia, a criminal lawyer. We see the complexity of her life, and by the time she is murdered, we already know of many possible motives. Investigator Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh (a poet with a tragic past) is wonderful as always.
~ -~
This book clearly shows James' strength: - creating complex and believable characters that fill the book. We see the best and worst of each of the people in Venetia's world. As always James manages to surprise us all with the solution. I've never been able to outguess Dalgliesh- her plots are too imaginative and subtly hidden in the glimpses we have of the suspects. . This book is absolutely absorbing.
* * * * *
~ Buy this book, and save it for a long wait at the airport, or a day when you are snowed in. You won't want anything to interrupt you when you read it!

I was happy with James Luceno's novel. What I think are the strong points is that it gives a lot of interesting backstory and background on the events leading up to The Phantom Menace (TPM). The issues of the taxation of the trade routes, for example, is much clearer when you read this book. As is the Trade Federation and Chancellor Valorum, who you also get to learn about. Valorum only had a few lines in TPM, but he was important in the scheme of things nonetheless. What's nice about the Star Wars novels is that they can develop characters you only see on the screen for a few minutes.

The characters are written well. This is important for any Star Wars book and Luceno clearly has a grasp of them. The dialogue rings true, particuarly with Qui-Gon, who has a pretty good role. Palpatine was also a highlight.

Regarding Episode 2 spoilers: the thought had entered my mind while reading, but I don't think it could spoil anything. I'm a big anti-spoiler fanatic, so I would be upset if that were the case. I highly doubt Lucas gave Luceno his EP2 script. I would also think Lucasfilm would want to minimize spoilers. But because this novel takes place pre-TPM, and there will be a good sized gap in time between TPM and EP2, I can't see there being major spoilers in this book. I sure hope there isn't.

The writing style is clear and well done. Luceno uses a vocabularly word here or there but it never ever becomes excessive. It is very light on techno-jargon as well. The action scenes are written clearly enough, which is not always the case with books.

The pacing was good. I read through this book fairly quickly. It starts off pretty good and then gets better. I always looked forward to reading it.

Compared with the recent DARTH MAUL novel by Michael Greaves, I would say they're both comparable in quality, with the MAUL book slighting this one by a hair. I recommend both novels. The MAUL book takes place before this one but it doesn't make much of a difference which one you read first. Both are highly worthwhile.

James Lucerno is greatly welcome in the Star Wars universe. I enjoyed his last two novels immensely and now he has taken a wonderful new step into the prequel time line. Reading this book, it really seems he has a handle on Senator Palpatine. If you were left wanting more of him (like I was) from the Phantom Menace, look no further. This book sets up the events of Episode 1 with Palpatine angling for the taxation of the outer rim trade routes on one hand and dealing with the Trade Federation on the other. Valorium is shown to be even more of Palpatine's target in this book. And Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan are well used, but the real strength in this story is the Senator who would be Emperor Palpatine. Star Wars fans...buy this one!

The book started a little slow, but picked up pace. We learn from this novel, how suave Palpatine is. He plays several sides of the political arena, and as we know, to benefit his interests in the future. Poor Valorum does not have too many allies, mainly the Jedi. The book centers on the Trade Federation and the Nebula Front...and taxation on the outlying systems. The Nebula Front is a terrorist organization out to get Valorum, or so it seems and also to reduce the control of the Trade Federation on its trading routes.

The book is written like a good suspense/political novel, and set in the Star Wars universe. You can expect some action with the Jedi, as well as the terrorists, but mainly dialogue makes up this book, along with plenty of twists, especially a couple toward the end.

This is a great book because of it's entertaining way of teaching about some of the more interesting aspects of paleo-anthropology and anthropology in general. The author did an excellent job of researching his subject having consulted actual anthropologists. He obviously researched African politics and culture as well to make his characters believable. I also found it refreshing that many of the African characters were both positive and protagonists.

Some of the ideas about the development from primate to Homo Sapien in terms of social, physical, and emotional development were very intriguing. To give an example, I found the idea of early Neandertals and different versions of humanity living concurrently and interbreeding to be fascinating. To think that we picked up, as modern humans, many successful traits from "evelutionary dead ends" such as the Neandertals is really captivating. Forgive me for overusing my language, but i really enjoyed this book!

If no other reason, read this book for it's easy way of introducing scientific ideas about the origin of Homo Sapiens and their evolution. This book is a way for people who are scared of science to find out how enjoyable science can be. Enjoy!

Mankind's Beginning in Conjecture

This is a great book because of its entertaining way of teaching about some of the more interesting aspects of paleo-anthropology and anthropology in general. The author, Petru Popescu, did an excellent job of researching his subject having consulted actual anthropologists. He obviously researched African politics and culture, as well, to make his characters believable. I also found it refreshing that many of the African characters were both positive and protagonists.

Some of the ideas about the development from primate to Homo Sapien in terms of social, physical, and emotional development were very intriguing. To give an example, I found the idea of early Neanderthals and different versions of humanity living concurrently and interbreeding to be fascinating. To think that we picked up, as modern humans, many successful traits from "evolutionary dead ends" such as the Neanderthals is really captivating.

The book itself is the story of one anthropologist, Ken Lauder, a Californian "beach bum" type hiding out from responsibility, in far off Kenya. In the course of his existence in Kenya, he makes a big discovery that could rock the anthropological world: a possible living "missing link." Ken and his friend, a local African with connection, are in the process of exploring their discovery when a civil war breaks out in Kenya and everything turns into chaos. The better part of the text explores what the field of anthropology is like (according to a fiction writer who did some research), what life in Africa is like and particularly the volatile politics of small African nations, and Ken's erstwhile existence after being abandoned in the African wild. While Ken is abandoned in the wild, he is befriended by a protohuman that Ken nicknames "Long Toes." Ken and "Long Toes" form a father/son relationship that forms the core of the book.

If no other reason, read this book for its easy way of introducing scientific ideas about the origin of Homo Sapiens and their evolution. This book is a way for people who are scared of science to find out how enjoyable science can be. Enjoy!

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

I bought this book two years ago at a "dollar store" during an ice storm which left us without electricity for two weeks. There wasn't much to do so I bought this book thinking it probably wouldn't be too great; I mean I spent three bucks on it at the dollar store. But, I hoped it would ward off the boredom. I didn't get to start reading it until a month ago and was I ever surprised. This is a great book! As the last reviewer stated, it's a great way to teach science through fiction. I had never put too much thought into how humans evolved. I have even found myself watching The Discovery Channel to find out more about the protohumans.