The legend of Pope Joan is worth a good book. Was there a female pope and, if so, how could she have deceived all the people at least some of the time? If she is a legend, why did the legend start and why did it persist for so long? Stanford's not the man for this. He's another self-absorbed 20th century reporter type who keeps inserting himself into the story and talking down to the reader. Sometimes I thought I was reading his resume's account of his journalistic & research abilities. One of these abilities is not reflection, which is notably absent in this book. What is present is a wishful pushing of his arguments, which hurts his case more than helps it. As the Kirkus reviewer notes, he turns suppositions into facts. Disappointing book.

A chance exploration of a streetside shrine in Rome leads journalist Stanford to pursue the story of a female pope. Stanford makes an intriguing case for the historical truth of what has long been seen as cautionary tale emphasizing the corruptibility of women. I'm not convinced by his arguments for a true historical Pope Joan, but he's presented a lot of research and historical fact in an amusingly painless read. Imagine Peter Mayle leaving Provence to turn historical detective and you've got a feel for this book!

This is a great book for anyone interested in the Medieval history of the papacy, feminist issues, or just looking for a great story that may be truth, myth, or a little of both. It mixes historical research with vivid and humorous anecdotes from the author's travels through western Europe in search of definitive proof for Joan's existence. Stanford does an excellent job of weaving together the threads of written accounts, historical artifacts and theoretical arguments in his comprehensive approach to the mystery of 'Pope Joan.' Although there is room to dispute his interpretation of the evidence he uncovers, he cannot be faulted for the thoroughness of his research. There is one drawback, and that is that definitive proof of the existence of a female pope remains elusive. However, this book is so informative and entertaining, covering everything from lurid tales of Medieval papal corruption to modern religious feminism, that you can thoroughly enjoy the journey, even if you're a little dissatisfied with the destination.

This book is an excellent tool not only for women seeking affirmation and encouragement on their journey to spirituality, but for men who wish to understand the feminine soul. Ms. Borysenko speaks clearly and openly of her own journey and gives hope and encouragement to her readers. The only drawback I found is that for those unfamiliar with Ms. Borysenko's background and previous works, her references might be confusing. However, her enthuiasm and compassion is contagious, and opens the door for one to continue their personal journey.

In A WOMAN'S JOURNEY TO GOD: FINDING THE FEMININE PATH, Joan Borysenko has once again gone steps beyond her solidly scientific background to a place completely her own...one of spirituality, community, ritual, faith, intuition, prayer, identity, and healing. This well-written book is full of inspirational stories, poems, and rituals that can be used to mark special times in a woman's life while on her way to God. Joan's compassion and understanding shine from the pages, and her humor urges us all to keep things in perspective while on this journey of life. She is a spiritual leader in a chaotic world, and her book reads like a beacon of truth. Come, take this pilgrimage with Joan. You deserve to partake of her wisdom. Learn from it. And when she finally publishes a book of her poetry, I'll be the first one in line to purchase it...

I totally identify with Borysenko and with her personal journey of establishing a relationship with God. Having also explored many religions, growing tired and weary of the fact that most or so patriarchal in nature that they exclude and limit woman's participation and exploration of spirituality. Borysenko has tied it all together for all of us seekers, confirming our hunger for the truth, acknowledging what we have learned through the many stops on our journey to a mature relationship with God. She shows us the commonality,the beauty of integrating what we have learned and shows us the necessity of healing the wounds we may have sustained in our journey. She offers us a book that acknowledges our spiritual differences from men and balances it with a true acceptance of all faiths, so that whether we are Jewish, Catholic, New Age or other, we all are equal in the eyes of God, and as women we can stand side by side and celebrate being the spiritual women that we are. Borysenko ties it all together and confirms what I knew all along, Woman's spirituality is truly her own. I found it impossible to put this book down, for each page offered a resolution of the multi-plicity of religious ideas and put it back into a woman's concept of having a personal relationship with God. I am going to buy a copy for all of my sisters.

Ok, Ok...it had a good plot. But Joan Lowry Nixon (whom I usually love) ruined it! THE WHOLE THING IS WRITTEN IN PRESENT FIRST PERSON FORM!! All short, choppy sentences! I went to the mall. I saw a man there who was watching me. I started to run. He chased me. I was caught. I was then killed. !! I can't take more than 20 pages of that! Lastly, the ending...I think someone must have torn out the last, oh, 100 pages of my book the way it just stopped! No closure, every tie the book makes, it leaves hanging. Horrible book. Never read it! But check out other Joan Lowry Nixon's, like the Name of the Game was Murder.

The plot in this book is that a man named Douglas Merson is following a girl named Kristi Evans. Kristi has never met him before but a folder was found in his house full of pictures and awards about Kristi. Another problem is that someone is trying to kill Mr. Merson, and Kristi also finds out that Mr. Merson is doing something illegal.
I really liked this book. It was a mystery, and I thought it has a good plot. I also liked this book because it makes you want to keep reading. The end of every chapter tells you about something exciting that's going to happen. I don't think this book would be a very common mystery because you don't hear of a plot like this very often. I also think other Joan Lowery Nixon mysteries would be interesting.

"Who Are You?" was a great book! There's something about all of Nixon's books that just keep you captivated! This was NO exception.

The book is about a girl named Kristi Evans. One day, the police come to their house and tell her and her parents that a man named Douglas Merson has been shot. They also tell them that he has been keeping a secret file on Kristi's entire life! Who is this man? What does he want with Kristi? Why does he have a painting in his house that is supposed to be in a museum? Art theft? Fraud? And, who IS the person who tried to kill him? Will they strike again? Find out in "Who Are You?"

Also recommended: "Name of the Game Was Murder," "Nobody's There," and "Murdered, My Sweet." All by Joan Lowery Nixon! :)

I enjoyed this book. I found both the hero and heroine to be sympathetic and I enjoyed the twist on the "who is murdering the heroine" plot in that she doesn't become paranoid suspecting the hero. However, to be fair the story does seem like the melding of Wolf's previous Regencies "The American Duchess" and hmm... I can't quite remember the name--it was Double or Duel Deception or something like that. The original novels had more sponteneity but this one retained the likability and emotional stability of the characters. In the end it is an enjoyable (though perhaps uninspired) read.

Joan Wolf is a name that is easy for me to buy before the reviews are read. She has a great way of developing engaging characters with humor, eloquence and deep-felt emotions. This book was more light weight than previous novels, but certainly worked for me.

The faults would be the action parts of the book. I would want something more gritty, BUT that would change the tone of the story and another writer maybe.

Ever since I read "The Guardian" and "The Gamble", I am always on the look-out for new Joan Wolf books! This is another excellent read.

Reviewed by Kristie Leigh Maguire,MyShelf.com

The American movie star, Tracie Collins, travels to England to begin shooting her new movie. The setting for the movie is the majestic estate of Silverbridge. The last thing that Tracie had on her mind when she went to England was falling in love. But from the moment she met Harry Oliver, the Earl of Silverbridge, the feeling of déjà vu was too overpowering to ignore. Lord Silverbridge had no intentions in becoming involved with anyone - especially an American movie star. What, then, was this strange and intense attraction he felt towards Tracie?

The developing love story between Tracy and Harry in itself is enough to keep one's eyes glued to the book. However, Joan Wolf goes one step further in this novel - she not only throws in a fascinating mystery but also the love story of a long ago English governess, Isabel, and the former Earl of Silverbridge, Charles Oliver, as ghosts from the past. Tracie Collins is the bridge between the past and the present.

Joan Wolf ingeniously combines contemporary romance with historical romance in SILVERBRIDGE. The combination of the love story from the present and the love story from the past makes for a very intriguing read...

As a long time Joan Wolf fan, I was glad to see her branching out, though I hope she doesn't stop writing regencies. I liked the ghost story and the movie set in Regency times. My one complaint, and it is minor, is that I felt switching back and forth between the past and present caused the characters to be a little less fleshed out than normal. Still, Joan Wolf doesn't write bad books. Her writing style is always engaging. This is a fun book. Even Joan Wolf on her worst day is better than most of the books you see out there. Joan Wolf fans will like her newest book. If this is your first Joan Wolf, read a few of her marvelous Regencies before you make up your mind.

Joan Wolf's Silverbridge is a great book. Tracy Collins, a down to earth movie star, goes to England to film a movie that is set amongst the splendor of the Regency era. Since this is her first foray into a drama or a period piece it is an important movie for her and she wants to do her best. The problem is she keeps seeing ghosts - who look remarkably like herself and the present lord of the manor, Harry Oliver -- on the his ancestral estate, Silverbridge, which they are filming on.

Tracy is having trouble getting over a tragedy in her past and Harry is wary of being associated with an American actress after a bad episode with a Model who overdosed and implicated him in her death. Karma is in overdrive though and these two are destined to be together.

It was a fast read with a few unusual twists and was a pleasure to read.

When a favorite author jumps into new sub-genre, like Joan Wolf has in Silverbridge, I am always a bit leery. I want to support the author, but the likelihood of the book being even close to the caliber of her regular sub-genre is low at best, since it usually takes an author two to three books to get the hang of the new style of writing - if that ever happens at all. I am happy to say that this is not the case with Joan Wolf's new novel Silverbridge and I highly recommend it.

In one surviving account, Joan of Arc was quoted as saying that her judges were merely putting her on trial because they were members of the pro-English faction and therefore her "capital enemies"; unfortunately, this play tries to claim otherwise. One of Shaw's primary themes is the notion that Pierre Cauchon and Joan's other judges were acting as "sincere" defenders of the Church in their prosecution of her, a view which is contradicted by document after document as well as the above quote from Joan herself. Cauchon and his cronies are well known to historians as having been long-term supporters of the English and Burgundian factions, and the eyewitnesses said repeatedly that they prosecuted Joan out of revenge for the defeats that their side had suffered at the hands of her army, rather than out of any genuine belief that she was guilty of heresy. Cauchon even allowed her to take final communion (which was never done in the case of heretics), indicating that even he didn't truly believe the charges against her. As Shaw was aware, these charges were soundly debunked when the case was appealed after the English were finally driven from Rouen in 1449; and the arguments put forward in this ruling have been confirmed as accurate by experts in medieval theology and canon law, whereas Cauchon's arguments can easily be refuted by consulting medieval theological works - his arguments are, at best, merely distortions of what the medieval Church actually taught. Here are some specific examples which factored prominently in Shaw's play:
- Shaw, like Cauchon, claimed that Joan was guilty of heresy for wearing male clothing allegedly as a personal preference, despite the fact that both of these men were aware of her own statements to the contrary. She was quoted as saying that she wore soldiers' clothing (of a type which had "laces and points" by which the pants and tunic could be securely tied together) primarily to protect herself, as her guards had tried to rape her on several occasions; this reason is also given in some of the 15th century chronicles, along with similar quotes from Joan herself on the need to protect her chastity while surrounded by the men in her army. The medieval Church allowed an exemption in such cases of necessity (read St. Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica", or St. Hildegard's "Scivias", for example): the practice of so-called "cross-dressing" was only condemned if it was done as a preference. Shaw rejects all of the above based on the specious argument that the "other women" who accompanied armies in that era didn't wear such clothing, ignoring the fact that these "other women" were: 1) prostitutes, who wore provocative dresses because they were trying to encourage sexual encounters rather than the opposite; and 2) aristocratic women sometimes were given command of their family's armies in the absence of their husband or son, but these women did not bed down at night among the troops in the field, as Joan often did. Shaw chooses to ignore these circumstances.
- On a somewhat related subject, Shaw tries to portray her as a rebel against "gender norms", again ignoring her own statements and the circumstances of the era. She was quoted by one eyewitness as saying that, quote, "I would rather stay home with my poor mother and spin wool [rather than lead an army]", which hardly sounds like someone who is trying to reject traditional gender roles. When another woman, Catherine de la Rochelle, wanted to get involved, Joan told her to "go home to your husband and tend your household". At no point do we find her making any 'feminist' statements. She was given titular command of an army for the same reason other religious visionaries sometimes were given such a role in that era, not as part of a "feminist crusade".
- Shaw admits that Joan was a devout Catholic and yet claims her as "the first Protestant martyr" - in the same sentence. This seems to be a rather willful contradiction, and the claim of "Protestant tendencies" is merely based, once again, on the old business of accepting Cauchon's claims about her at face value while ignoring the circumstances. If you read the documents you will find that Joan never opposed the Church as a whole: she merely stated her objection to being tried by a panel of pro-English clergy, and repeatedly asked to be given a non-partisan group instead or to be brought before the Pope. It was a violation of Inquisitorial procedure to stack the panel of assessors with people who were pursuing a secular vendetta against the accused: what Cauchon and his cohorts were doing, as Inquisitor Brehal later pointed out during the appeal, was itself an act of heresy. The notion that the medieval Church viewed all Inquisitorial panels as "infallible" and therefore not open to question is just a stereotype, bluntly contradicted by actual medieval theological writings: St. Hildegard, in her 12th century book "Scivias", warns the clergy against judging someone in error or out of anger, as it would be the offending clergy who would be punished for it by God. Joan was perfectly within her rights, even under the rules of the medieval Church, to question her biased judges, and was declared a martyr for Catholicism by Inquisitor Brehal when her execution was declared invalid in 1456. Shaw ignores this. The claim that his play is somehow vindicated by the fact that it was "vetted" by one Catholic (out of the hundreds of millions of Catholics worldwide) is a pointless argument: there are "Catholics" who claim that Joan was having adulterous sex, and all sorts of defamatory allegations. The bottom line is: this play does little more than repeat the slander leveled at Joan by the men who cruelly put her to death, despite the work of generations of scholars to bring a more accurate picture of the issue to light.

when i read this play for my junior AP english class, i truly enjoyed it and thought that while joan is rather naive and intolerant, she is a feminist icon--rebellious and unconventional. she is portrayed as being brave, unlike the romantic fluff-chick that various publications make her out to be. while i did enjoy the informative preface, there were sections in which shaw sounded like a typical elitist male and that disappointed me very much.
all in all, i'd like to think that it was a decent play, and definitely worth reading.

Shaw was a close friend of a Benedictine Abbess, Dame Laurentia, who "vetted" his plays for fairness to the faith. This play is fun, takes lots of bites out of politicians and clergy, and says something beautiful about the imagination. This Joan is no dolt and had to be burnt at the stake. That is a complement to her faith.

The Joan Hess Maggody books, set in and around the fictional town of Maggody, Arkansas, are all delightful if you are looking for light, entertaining fiction. In this book, the murder takes place away from Maggody while some of the most enjoyable Maggadonians are on an Elvis tour. Maggody Chief of Police Arly Hanks winds up at the crime scene and finds herself up to her wry smile in mystery. If you can't laugh at the weird way Americans view our world, avoid this book. If you have a good sense of humor and don't mind that some of the humor is directed at your own values, read it and enjoy it. If you have not read any of the Maggody books, you might find the books more enjoyable if you started with the first book in the series and worked your way forward.

In this installment of the Maggody series Ruby Bee and Estelle head off on a bus tour to Memphis for some Elvis worshipping. There's plenty of strange characters along for the ride and the natives are restless in Maggody. The misery in the title comes from all the things that go awray during the tour but we're kept laughing the whole time. Joan Hess writes her characters so believable that you feel like they're your next-door-neighbors. What more can you ask for than Elvis siteings-casinos-gambeling and possibly satinists? A good time was had by all!

Despite the fact that this book had some "formula" style plot lines (very similiar plot to Maggody in Manhatten") I loved the Elvis references (and "sightings!") and the strange, strange, world of the Buchannons. It was a good quick read and I enjoyed it, although it was probably not the strongest book in the series.

Though Joan Rivers has gone through some rough times, her qualifications as a motivational speaker/self-help guru are lacking. She instructs people who have gone through major life crises (i.e. the loss of a spouse, major illnesses, etc.) not to wallow in their pain for more than one weekend. How can a person possibly get over the loss of a loved one in just one weekend? This book, with its one-liners, trivializes people's pain and suffering by saying that you have to "snap out of it," and suggests that redecorating the house will make one feel better. Rivers should stick with what she knows best -- insulting people.

I was stunned to read all the negative reviews others have posted regarding this book! I found it one of the most inspiring things I have come across in a long time. I actually have the audio version of this book, which might make quite a difference. I try and listen to it at least once a week. To hear Joan's familiar and unimitable voice recount her tragedies and how she fought her way back to happiness give "Bouncing Back" a much more personal touch. I will be the first to admit that most of the psychological advice is standardized info that could be obatined in any of thousands of other self-help books. But to listen to Joan's unique voice and hear her apply these psychological theories to her own experiences makes what otherwise be just another self-help book a truly uplifting journey. THANKS JOAN!

...which summarize Joan Rivers' little book. She explains her own life's problems - very significant difficulties from near bankruptcy, professional pariah-hood to the suicide of her husband of nearly 30 years and bulimia.

Some may not like the occasionally flippant tone which is Rivers' hallmark but there's no doubt in my mind of her sincerity, depth of determination and that she grew through the horrible suffering she felt at the suicide of her husband. She describes some very personal difficulties with style and candor.

She does not advocate the currently fashionable "society of victimhood" and cites as one example a woman who witnessed the tragic shootings at Kent State in 1970. This woman's view in 1995: "my life stopped" - Joan's view: "Get over it - that was 25 years ago! How can your life stop?" Sounds flippant but if you read the book you'll see that becoming a self-pitying zombie helps no one and there is ALWAYS someone worse off than you.

Excellent book, uplifting, interesting and unpretentious (Joan mentions she doesn't have a PhD she has an IBTIA [I've been through it all]).

I highly recommend it even if you aren't going through a crisis - it will help you understand someone who is.

The pretentiousness and shoddiness of this book are made clear from the title. The very idea that we can become completely free of depression is itself problematic, given that we have so much trouble defining it. The textbook says depression begins when five of nine depressive symptoms are experienced. But what is magic about five from nine? Depression is hard to distinguish, moreover, from grief: persons are prescribed anti-depressants for such grief all the time. "Naturally" suggests another harmful implication of the book: that medications should have the stigma of "artificiality." Naturalness means little. Many things native to nature kill you, and we have the godgiven intelligence to alter the way our brains work. Again, depression cannot be eliminated, nor would we want to submit to the kind of mindless drabness that life would be like without ever feeling a bit of it. This book portends to be a crusade against the mindlessness of drug therapy. Whatever the excesses of anti-depressants may or may not be, this book substitutes a linguistic for a psychological mindlessness. More, it is complicit in the mindlessness of wanting to eliminate pain.

This book does have the feel of a late night infomercial, filled with statements to pep you up and get you going. I actually don't think that's such a bad attitude for the author to have, especially if the reader is depressed and trying to recover. When you get past the hype, what's left? Well, it does have a good deal of dietary and lifestyle adjustments that will be of use to many people. There is definitely substance here. However, if you suffer from moderate to severe depression or anxiety, I doubt that the suggestions in this book will be enough. Sometimes medication is necessary for complete recovery. Nonetheless, worth a read regardless of the severity of your depression or anxiety. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".

My nephew turned me onto this book. He said, "Aunt Geri, if I had the money, I'd buy a truckload of this book, stand on a corner, and give them away." After reading and re reading "Depression Free Naturally", I agree. This book could save many lives. With all the hype for dumbing down feel good prescriptions, what a fabulous alternative. Dr. Mathews-Larson has written an extremely important and helpful book for ANYONE who has ever felt depressed or any of the mood swings that accompany life as it is today. I have given several copies away, and will continue to do so. It is the GIF of a lifetime. AND, it is clearly written and interesting for the non medical person. It has changed my life and how I look at nutrition and moods. Thanks, Dr. Larson!

In "Tangled Up in Blue," Joan D. Vinge returns to Tiamat, and creates a hard-boiled nourish tale with some of the same characters who appeared in "The Snow Queen" trilogy ("The Snow Queen," "World's End," and "The Summer Queen). This time out Vinge zooms in on what starts out as a personality conflict between police sgt. B.Z. Gunhalinu, familiar to Vinge's readers, and officer Nyx LaisTree. Eventually the two are forced to team up to thwart a conspiracy that reaches into the highest levels of the police force, and the Tiamat government. Other familiar characters from the "Queen" novels pass through--Jerusha PalaThion, Fate Ravenglass the Maskmaker, the Snow Queen herself, along with her consort Herne, but Vinge keeps her cold eye directly on the action at hand, which involves vital pieces of the "Maguffin" tech (never mind what--it hardly matters) that everybody wants.

With its naive, conflicted heroes, who never quite figure out what's going on, the tale owes as much to Raymond Chandler as to the "Masters of Science Fiction." Chandler once wrote in a letter that he was interested in "the strange, corrupt world we live in," and while Tiamat's world is hardly Chandler's LA, the same thing could be said of it.

The action moves along swiftly, convincingly, and skeptically. (That's hardly a surprise, as most of Vinge's later work has turned more cynical. She's surely unafraid to give her loyal readers something they haven't expected, and her chance-taking is to be admired.) While "The Snow Queen" novels (and they're surely among sci-fi's masterpieces), are epic and mythological, this time out, Vinge is more detail-oriented.

Imagine a Bosch canvas with a corner blown up and tricked up as a miniature portrait.

In Tangled Up In Blue, Joan D. Vinge returns to the universe of her Hugo-Award winning novel, The Snow Queen, with another top-notch adventure. Set on the world Tiamat, the book takes place in the city of Carbuncle during the reign of the Snow Queen. Several officers in the police force carry out an unauthorized raid on a warehouse chock full of forbidden smuggled technology. Unexpectedly, two other groups of officers show up--and what should have been a simple raid goes explosively wrong.

It fast becomes clear that far more is going on here than your garden-variety smuggling. The complications faced by the officers in blue are soon folding one on top the other, all of it tangled up in the machinations of the Snow Queen and the intrigues of enigmatic offworlders.

Tangled Up In Blue is a stand-alone novel, so you don't have to know the other Tiamat books to enjoy this one. New readers may find it a bit hard at first to follow the world-building, but it comes together fast. The story pulled me in and kept me reading all night. It also made me want to read The Snow Queen again.

However, comparing Tangled Up In Blue to the The Snow Queen is like comparing a sapphire to a diamond. Both are gems, but different. The Snow Queen is a sweeping adventure in the tradition of The Heritage of Hastur, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Lord Valentine's Castle, by Robert Silverberg. Blue retains the emphasis on character and world-building of those books, but with less of the planetary sweep and more focus on the events unfolding in Carbuncle. It also has an edgier feel, bringing forward the action and mystery aspects of the plot.

This book combines a sensibility of today's science fiction with the best of the qualities that brought many of us to the genre. Vinge's work takes the sense of wonder that defines the top science fiction and blends it with a depth of world-building. At the same time, she has a gift for characterization. She can catch the bittersweet quality of human interaction and make a reader care about the people she creates. Subtly worked into the weave of her stories, those threads offer thoughtful insights into human nature.

If there was anything I wanted to see more of in Tangled Up In Blue, it was, well -- more. The story is complete, but the novel is on the short side. It leaves some tantalizing loose ends, encouraging the reader to hope that more of Vinge's rich Tiamat stories are yet to come.

Tangled Up In Blue has it all: a fast-paced plot that won't let go until its thrilling climax, clever ideas drawn from science, romantic interludes, a great cover by Michael Whelan, and a plot with more twists and turns than the exotic alleys of Carbuncle. Vinge has written another winner.

In Tangled Up In Blue, Joan D. Vinge returns to the universe of her Hugo-Award winning novel, The Snow Queen, with another top-notch adventure. Set on the world Tiamat, the book takes place in the city of Carbuncle during the reign of the Snow Queen. Several officers in the police force carry out an unauthorized raid on a warehouse chock full of forbidden smuggled technology. Unexpectedly, two other groups of officers show up--and what should have been a simple raid goes explosively wrong.

It fast becomes clear that far more is going on here than your garden-variety smuggling. The complications faced by the officers in blue are soon folding one on top the other, all of it tangled up in the machinations of the Snow Queen and the intrigues of enigmatic offworlders.

Tangled Up In Blue is a stand-alone novel, so you don't have to know the other Tiamat books to enjoy this one. New readers may find it a bit hard at first to follow the world-building, but it comes together fast. The story pulled me in and kept me reading all night. It also made me want to read The Snow Queen again.

However, comparing Tangled Up In Blue to the The Snow Queen is like comparing a sapphire to a diamond. Both are gems, but different. The Snow Queen is a sweeping adventure in the tradition of The Heritage of Hastur, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Lord Valentine's Castle, by Robert Silverberg. Blue retains the emphasis on character and world-building of those books, but with less of the planetary sweep and more focus on the events unfolding in Carbuncle. It also has an edgier feel, bringing forward the action and mystery aspects of the plot.

This book combines a sensibility of today's science fiction with the best of the qualities that brought many of us to the genre. Vinge's work takes the sense of wonder that defines the top science fiction and blends it with a depth of world-building. At the same time, she has a gift for characterization. She can catch the bittersweet quality of human interaction and make a reader care about the people she creates. Subtly worked into the weave of her stories, those threads offer thoughtful insights into human nature.

If there was anything I wanted to see more of in Tangled Up In Blue, it was, well -- more. The story is complete, but the novel is on the short side. It leaves some tantalizing loose ends, encouraging the reader to hope that more of Vinge's rich Tiamat stories are yet to come.

Tangled Up In Blue has it all: a fast-paced plot that won't let go until its thrilling climax, clever ideas drawn from science, romantic interludes, a great cover by Michael Whelan, and a plot with more twists and turns than the exotic alleys of Carbuncle. Vinge has written another winner.