I would rate a few of the stories contained in this book with five stars, but other stories bring the total rating down to 3 stars. These are the stories which I would rate with 5 stars: "The Concentration City", "Chronopolis", "Thirteen for Centaurus", and "The Sublimiminal Man". "The Concentration City" is set somewhere in the future where somethings taken for granted now have long been forgotten. Hence things have to be reinvented and rediscovered. Because of "development" however, there are almost insurmountable barriers to reinvention. "Chronopolis" is a fascinating story of how using watches and clocks became illegal. "Thirteen for Centaurus" is about a space station supposedly travelling to a distant gallaxy. "The Sublimiminal Man" is aptly named because it is about exactly what the title says. The rest of the stories just didn't hold my interest. Some of them were very complex while others were simple but didn't have a good plot. Indeed, some of the stories had no plot at all. As far as climax is concerned, none of his stories had a climax. Most of his stories should be read mainly for the experience as opposed to a good meat and potatoes story. One thing about J.G. Ballard is that he certainly is very imaginative and creative.

Ballard is one of the great "conceptualizers" of modern literature. The premises of his stories are the most immediately striking thing about them. Sometimes the story doesn't live up to the expectations he creates, but this is probably because he sets the bar so high.

In any case, whether a Ballard story is a total or only a partial success, it invariably provides plenty of food for thought. Three of them--"The Overloaded Man", "The Drowned Giant", and "The Garden of Time"--rank among my all-time favorites for their perfect fusion of speculative and mythic qualities. The more technology-based stories ("Concentration City", "The Voices of Time") are more interesting for their ideas than their execution.

In the introduction to this volume, Anthony Burgess hits on the central importance of Ballard's work: "Ballard considers that the kind of limitation that most contemporary fiction accepts is immoral... Language exists less to record the actual than to liberate the imagination." If you agree, buy this book.

This is some of the best short fiction ever written. A friend of mine lent me this book. I've read a lot more J.G Ballard because I loved this book so much, but have not enjoyed Ballards other work as much. Most of the stories deal with mans struggle to cope - with technolgy, with fear, with relationships with change etc. There's a few dud stories but most are home runs.

Not a bad book, but not particularly good either.

Weller, while intelligent and well-meaning, doesn't seem to know very much about India. To be sure, he's done some background reading -- at the end he provides a curious list of dated references -- but his knowledge seems flimsy. One does not get the feeling that he's studied or thought deeply about the country, its history or culture; but rather that he's parroting views he's read in books or that he's simply reacting to what he sees on the road. As a result one doesn't have confidence in his attempts to synthesize the meaning of India's past or its prospects in the future. What he has to say in this regard is rather banal in any case. I suspect he included these broad pronouncements -- about the population problem, about communal violence -- only because this is what people have come to expect from travel writers, instant and concise analyses of foreign cultures. Unfortunately not every travel writer is a Naipaul.

Also, his narrative of his encounters on the road is simply not interesting. It's not boring exactly, just bland. He meets uninteresting people, has brief uninteresting conversations, and then moves on.

A. Weller is a superb writer, I learned more about India in 10 pages than I could have in a year of school. Although the names, and dates can be eye crossing after awhile, it only showed me that mr. Weller did a ton of research, and cut no corners' in writing this book. From keen observations interspersed with humerous encounters with strangers' and beauracratic red tape, I applaud mr. Weller for writting a book the he could be proud of first, and not an "India for dummies". Rock on Tony!!

Travelling along the GT Road is an expirience that one never forgets.The author gives an historical perspective of the points along the GT Road. He starts out in Calcutta, the city built by the Raj. Along the way he finds the foundations of the Jain and Buddhist religions. Weller writes about thses religions in an objective manner and gives a clear concise history of the religions along with their beliefs. Between these highlights he meets present day Indians. What he puts into words is what I thought but could not expess myself, both humorously and insightfully. I had lived in India for two years while serving in the Peace Corps. I felt the same frustrations he did in communicating and dealing with the bureaucracy.

This is an excellent book for one intending to travel through the subcontinent or has spent some time there.

I wasn't too impressed with this guide.
Now that I have bought it I don't think it's a good idea to put together three countries as small as they can be. I have been living in Belgium for a year now and can tell that there is a lot more to see and do that the book says. This guide only goes for the main things but it would be nice for once to have some off the tracks hints and do something different. There are so many little towns in Belgium that are by far more interesting than some of the larger cities. The guide has a few good information to it. Especially for Liege, but frankly I would have likes to know more about some other towns. I also like guides that have a bit more history.

You can't imagine my surprise and delight to find a book that had every concievable information I needed on Luxembourg. I am planning to go for the summer and had been going crazy trying to find information and Fodor's The Netherlands,Belgium,Luxembourg has given me every information I need to have an enjoyable trip.It gave me not only the hotels in the city but in the countryside as well. It gives the points of interest in each town or village.The resturants and their prices and the hotels. I am extremely happy. I especially found the 'smart travel tips' to be important for me because I will be traveling alone and independently. The book will be going with me. I like that Fodor gives me a short description of the hotels and resturants and what to expect if I stay in a hotel or eat in a resturant. I was apprehensive when I could not find information on Lux but now I feel like I know the place. Biggest helpful hint. It told me where I could find places to change my money to the local currency and Luxembourg A to Z explains what will happen when I arrive and depart. Very good book.

This is a great book, it points out some really great sites to see, and also tells a little about the history of the countries also. This is a good book for those who are going to these countries for the first time!

I've bought several books from here including How to be irresistable to the opposite sex, the guide and ten common dating mistakes which are all quite practical and worthwhile reads. Also bought doubleyourdating by David DeAngelo, bought off his website, which I highly recommend for guys. But How to Succeed with women is just plain drival. I can't understand this guy half the time, I don't know if it is because of his writing style or if he is just living in a fantasy world.

This book was really interesting. Unlike other books, this one is based on scientific evidence. It's realistic and you don't feel like you're being unnatural or out just to score when you read, say, the Louis, Copeland's How to Succeed with Women. It's about knowing what women really want and think. It gives you a lot to think about and you feel as though you already have a head start just by being a male. I learned a lot and most of it makes sense. The writing is a bit stilted (because of the phD), but you get used to it. Examples and excerpts from his patients (I don't know how authentic they are) were helpful. The book should be really titled, How to understand women and using it to hook up with them in a wholesome way. Highly recommended of all other such books.

I bought this book back in November of 2001 and have applied the concepts and methodologies with great success. I have found that the author possesses insight that not only accounts for what is on the surface of what women say and do but also what is underneath and the deeper meaning, which is really what, matters most. I have been in touch with the author and have consulted him personally on various issues and I am amazed with the high level of insight and accuracy that he has offered me, even based on limited information. With his consulting and attention to specific situations and insight, I succeeded in areas with women where I otherwise would not have.

Piers makes the point in the intros for several of these stories that they were rejected over and over or never even accepted for publication. Well, they should have stayed that way. This is a collection of desperate amateurish stories that would have been better left alone.

I absolutely LOVE this book! The stories are NOT amateurish... how could they be, coming from one of the world's most popular fantasy writers? :)

Wonderful book, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different than what is considered the 'norm' these days - very refreshing.

This really is one of the better collections of stories that I have read. However, I have probably read each story at least ten times. That just proves how captivating they are. I keep getting more after each reading. Of course, every story is not the greatest story ever, but all of the stories at the very least are good. And the great stories are truly amazing.

Although there are some dubious sources for this work, overall it gives a fascinating insight into the development of the Bob Dylan persona. I wish that someone would write such book following up to the present day. The reader needs to bear in mind that Dylan thought a lot of this book untrue!

With all due respect to the Village Voice's Toby Thompson, Tony Scaduto got there firstest with the mostest in the Dylan bio sweepstakes. Shelton, Spitz and Heylin built on this foundation. Ms. Ponsonby's claim regarding Dylan's disagreements is belied by his having cooperated at the time. Certainly Scaduto's interpretations are problematic, as are those of his sources; but his information remains undisturbed by his successors in interest. Not to cast it as a substitute for the wilder vintage interviews, no other Dylan book conveys the authentic flavor of the period with anything like Scaduto's journalistic integrity. Still indispensable.

this book tells all about the golden era of dylan,before he ever made a bad,indifferent or,worst of all,meaningless record.out of print for years and cherished by fans,it's nice to see this title in print again

The author attempts a very ambitious mixture of spy thriller, domestic drama, and moral treatise. The book is most successful with the personal narrative regarding the protagonist's marital history. These passages ring true and have emotional depth. Particularly striking in their impact are several poignant and evocative family memories that made Dawson likeable and accessible. The spy thriller aspect, however, is routine (aside from the well-researched history), with seemingly obligatory lurid scenes that undercut the moral message. While the moral views expressed are astute, they are relayed in a jarring and stilted way that does not arise organically from the story. Judicious editing could have averted some of the awkward transitions into morality talk interludes.

I liked this novel because it is a good read. The pace is fast, the transitions well-done, and the story exciting.
Sacco's descriptions of places in the book are interesting. I felt like I was there with the characters on their travels. His character development is excellent. The protagonist, Matt Dawson is a complex person, dealing with issues from his past while resolutely moving ahead with his mission; to find Johnny Chou and return him to the U.S. to testify before a Congressional Investigative Committee. The minor characters are developed just enough to give weight and credence to the major ones.
I heartily recommend this political thriller to anyone looking for a relaxing but informative novel, and look forward to Sacco's next book, if there is to be one.

Tony Sacco has brought to real life through his fictional characters the grestes giveaway the U.S. has ever made by the technology transfers of the Clinton Administration. His characters tell the story in a most dramatic way of how missile technology was given to the Chinese for indirect funding to the Administration's war chest. The story is dramatic and told so very well by the book's hero, Matt Dawson, and so called heroine. There are plots and inner plots that show how the Clinton Administration provided the incentive for some of the U.S. defense contractors to secretly provide the technology over a period of eight years to the Chinese. The action is fast moving, much in the style of Tom Clancy which catches the reader into the large web of Chinese intrigue. Tony Sacco has a thriller and should be a MUST for all readers of novels.

I found the communicators handbook 2050 to be a good book for CB radio user's like me.

Useful information on receiving news and staying in touch This is one of the books radio clubs allover recommend for your radio library. It is more than an overview of this often overlooked subject, but really a good reference book.

I have been a licensed Amateur radio operator for 27Years and i bought this book and it helped me find a company selling a new Kenwood TS950SDX for under $2,000. I love the communicator's handbook 2050 and my friends love it. so BUY this book and you'll see why we love. AA1AX...

I read the original biography by Quentin Falk, a showbiz hack and mediocre writer, several years ago and remember it only as a very superficial treatment of a very complex man. This new update contains too much spin control by Hopkins' ex-wife and not enough insight into the man himself (or seemingly input from him) to make it worthwhile. Hopkins is a great actor and a very intriguing man, he deserves a more in-depth analysis of both his work and his persona than Falk can provide.

It's al between our eyes. And Andy is willing to share his personal experience with human interactions together with the world. He has created several methods to develop a higher quality of life, this book is one of his better works.

This is probably one of the most well-written books that I have seen in a long time. The pictures are amazing and the story is wonderful. I have always been a fan of Anthony, and this book is enough to convince anyone. Highly recommended.

This book like Winkler's earlier work, The Lunatic, appears intended to provide some comic relief. The Lunatic was unbelievably funny and a near accurate depiction of a Jamaican village mad man. However this book was just not funny and certainly not worth the ... asked for it in one of the airport stores at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
In the Lunatic the sexual overtones were ourrighty funny and contextually comfortable. While I am by no means a prude, here I found the sexual overtones to be overdone and lewd. A good tale should get the reader involved to where he enters the story while he is reading. Up to chapter 5, I became somewhat involved with the story, always anticipating that it would pick up, but it never really did. Chapter 25 to the end was endurable, but too much was lost in between Chapters 6 and 24.

In terms of depicting the funny and sometimes scarey elements of Jamaican duppy storytelling, this work in no way captured any element of that tradition. The closest we came to this was the minibus ride where Hopeton manipulated the driver's actions. I imagine that the author was trying to use his creative licence to approach this subject from a different angle. It did not work well.

Nevertheless, Winkler is a wonderful writer as evidenced by the Lunatic which I continue to reread ever so often.

"The Duppy" is written in typical Anthony C. Winkler style which in no way makes it monotonous. It is humorous to say the least with the slightest detail of life being dramatically magnified- it is easy to lose the page while laughing. Whether or not you believe in heaven you can easily enjoy this book. It challenges you to look at life in a whole new way. As in "The Lunatic" and "The Painted Canoe", The Duppy is not deficient in Winkler's unapologetic portrayal of sexual experiences. All in all this book will make you smile at Jamaican livelihood and life in general.

Anthony Winkler is a very wise man.
At first I thought I was going to HATE this book because Winkler was using the term "ole neygar" (the verbal equivalent of nigger) throughout the book. Sure, as a white Jamaican and therefore an insider within the culture, Winkler has the RIGHT to use the term, but the term could never be use to describe him, so the words hurt.
But then as I read the book, I realized the compassion and I came to the realization that ONLY Winkler could have written this book. ONLY Winkler because he knows the hurt that these words can cause. A black Jamaican would have been too afraid to use the term for it would sting, and an outsider would never understand the complexity of the relationships to be able to write such a healthful, satirical and funny novel. And it is an extremely funny novel. Winkler lays bare our deepest foibles and fears and reveals our greatest strength as a people who can embrace absurdity and joy at the deepest, most transcendent level. He also shows that we are capable of the most sublime religious thought.
Old neygar could have hurt me. But I gave up my hurt and laughed.
Laughed at the absurdity of Baps' condition, my island, my people, my hurt.
Winkler forced me to realize that any book worth its salt, MUST hurt you in some way or it's not worth reading. Anything else is pure escapism, and if you want that, watch television.
A book that hurts you forces you to give up your prejudices and biases and the hurts that turn you into a prisoner of your own past and prejudices.
He also made me realize why I've never been happy in America-a land of happiness, but no joy. The American heaven is a mirthless one for it cannot, will not affirm life or joy.
The Duppy is a book to be read by EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE and at ANY TIME.
Congratulations, Mr. Winkler!