Anyone familiar with the Barnes Museum knows the inherent irony of the collection - some of the greatest works of art housed in what amounts to a converted residence, with no logic to the pattern of display other than a sheer "wow" factor over seeing Cezannes, Matisses and other masters shown matter-of-factly. This priceless assemblege, and the battles that have been waged over its ownership and rights of management make for one terrificly enjoyable read.
Outside of the art world, few people even knew of the Barnes's collection until the latter part of last century, when battles, both in court and in the news blew its cover. Struggling financially, and with management consisting of (overwhelmingly) less than capable minds, the foundation which owns and manages the collection approached bankruptcy and battles began over a touring show of the pieces. The very ugly underbelly of this battle made headline news for months, and spilled over into relations with neighbors of the museum, Philadelphia area politicians, art students and lovers, and the wishes of a very private man who appreciated art, but underappreciated the legacy he bequeathed a small minoirty college in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
John Anderson does a great job profiling the players in the battle (his take on Richard Glanton, a lawyer with political aspirations who was a key player in the battle) is dead on. Often times, the characters in this true story seem larger than the paintings and legacy they are battling over - Anderson gives the various egos at work here more than enough room, which makes the book both entertaining, and troubling (particularly when the reader considers that these people are battling over one of a kind masterpieces).
Its hard to imagine an art collection, a minority college, a strong willed educator and a power hungry lawyer, in a buccolic rural setting could make for such a great stroy - its a tribute to Anderson's writing skills that he captures the intensity of the parties, and their absolute believe in their position in the many legal battles that accompained the Barnes collection in such a breathtaking passion.
The collection is back in court again these days, and the emerging details (undisclosed audits, suburban vs. city politicians...) make clear that sequel material is being developed to this day - I hope Anderson is sitting in the courtroom and editing his notes nightly.

...One of the most telling, not to mention amusing, lines in Art Held Hostage is uttered by Richard Glanton, the Barnes Foundation's former president and the litigious centerpiece of John Anderson's story. In an indignant letter to a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, Glanton wrote: "If you intend to do what you have done in the past, endeavoring to besmirch my reputation and cast doubts and innuendoes about my leadership, you shall be held to the same standard you are held to when you write about other cultural institutions in Philadelphia." Glanton, neither an artist nor art professional, may have fancied himself a "cultural institution" - he once even said "I was the Barnes Foundation" - but he was hardly that. As even the snippet above reveals, Glanton, a lawyer, comes across as a bully, an egomaniac, a conniver, and a shameless self-promoter - someone charming to his friends and dangerous to his enemies. It is not even clear he was especially interested in art. But in John Anderson's detailed and engrossing account, Glanton, who also described himself as "the best politician you'll ever meet," was interested in power, and the Barnes as a means to that end. As Glanton himself stated when asked what the politicking at the Barnes was really about: "About who controls four-and-a-half billion dollars worth of art."

That, indeed, is the story of the Barnes even today, in the wake of Richard Glanton's departure: who will control the art, and where will it reside. While all this makes for terrific reading, it is also sad that some of the world's greatest art should become a pawn in what is, at bottom, a petty power struggle.

John Barnes is one of the finest science fiction writers of his generation; he mixes an exceptional sense of how societies work with a good grounding in hard science, and casts it all into a dramatic framework of interesting characters and tension-driven plotting. I've never read a book of his I didn't enjoy; indeed, I try and read everything he publishes. This book is a young adult novel, and a good one. John Barnes has clearly read the master of the science fiction young adult novel, Robert Heinlein; much of the social setting for this novel builds off of Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" in particular (the need to perform some service, military or otherwise, to become a full citizen). As a teacher who uses young adult novels throughout the year, I have to say that this novel presents two problems for the young reader: one, Barnes' invention of new words will confuse most young readers whose vocabularies may not be strong enough to recognize which words are real and which invented (there were moments I wasn't sure what his new words inferred, despite a doctorate in English and long decades spent reading science fiction); and two, the novel becomes less and less inventive as the pages turn: in his interests in establishing a series, many characters are introduced and conflicts left unresolved, and the main conflict that is wrapped up is done in a particularly formulaic way. I don't want to say more, because I don't want to give away any plot secrets (and the editorial review above gives a decent plot summary), but I found my own excitement growing less at the moment when it should have been accelerating. All in all, a solid effort, but one that forgets Heinlein's basic principle: all books need to be self-contained to be truly effective. Heinlein himself never violated that principle in his juveniles, and Barnes shouldn't either. The mania for series we find among adult readers has not inserted itself as the dominant trend in young adult readers (although there are series to be found, they are not the dominant form writers for this market mostly follow). That said, I would only recommend this book to a very bright young reader, with a solid vocabulary, who will be willing to put up with an ending that is far too open for its own good.

The Duke of Uranium is the first novel in the Jak Jinnaka series. Fifteen hundred years after the development of spaceflight, there are human colonies spread throughout the Solar System. However, they are not alone, for the alien Rubahy have a colony on Pluto, the last remnant of the invading force that survived the sterilization of their home planet. Any century now, the Galactic Court will issue their verdict in the case resulting from that war and maybe issue an Extermination Order against both parties. In the meantime, the round impact craters from the Rubahy bombardment of the Northern Hemisphere by near lightspeed projectiles sparkle like sequins in the sunlight as one approaches the planet.

In this novel, Jak is taking his last required class in gen school, bored out of his mind as usual. When the period ends, he and his tove, Dujuv, pre-order their habitual fare at the Old China Cafe and claim a private booth when they arrive so that they can check their admission scores for the Public Service Academy. Jak misses the cutoff for his genetic type by 65 points and Dujuv misses by 11 points. Neither one is likely to be attending PSA. On to the contingency plans; Jak intends to join the Army and Dujuv decides to become a professional slamball player.

Soon thereafter, their demmies join them, having accessed the databank after the boys reading their scores removed the privacy flags; Sesh says hello to Jak, but Myxenna plasters Dujuv against the backwall with a kiss. When Dujuv is allowed to come up for air, Myx states that she has made the cut, but Sesh says that she also missed the cutoff. When the boys tell them about their career ideas, Sesh surprises them by saying she is going to be a Social Parasite and just live off her family's money. Then they get down to the important things, like where to spend the evening, and find that Sesh has gotten tickets to the closing performance of Y4UB, the Slec group.

Jak returns home to exercise the Disciplines before getting ready to go to the concert. He discusses his career ideas with his Uncle Sibroillo and learns a little more about Uncle Sib's background. After he does his katas, a cord drops over his head and starts to strangle him, but he manages to get out of the cord, so his attacker kicks him in his armored cup over his groin. Uncle Sib has won again, but the score is beginning to be more even.

Jak meets the others at the ferry station to take the gripliner over to Centrifuge together. At .9 gees acceleration/deceleration, the trip takes about 22 minutes. As usual, Sesh gets them there before the line at the entrance is too long and they are soon floating through the huge sphere in micro gravity. After the show founds, Jak and company get into the sight/sound/motion of the Slec and then start doing stunts such as the double Immelmann, but Sesh is not there when Jak reaches for her hands. He looks around and sees Sesh being hauled off by four men. Immediately, he attacks the men and then Dujuv joins him, but the assailants have allies, who soon knock the boys unconscious while the others hustle Sesh out of the concert.

When Jak awakes fully, it has been four weeks since the kidnapping. However, Uncle Sib knows where and why Sesh has been taken. It seems that Sesh is really an Aerie princess named Shyf and has been taken to Fermi on Earth to convince her to marry the younger son of the Duke of Uranium. Jak is ready to leave immediately to rescue her, but Uncle Sib has a better plan.

This novel would drive serious, studious types up a wall and probably result in damage to the book. Jak is a sweathog, not because he lacks ability, but because he is incapable of taking school seriously and is likely to fall asleep during any and all lectures. Moreover, he plans on avoiding further schooling at all costs. If anyone cared, they would probably lament the loss of his considerable potential, but even his Uncle Sib believes him to be incapable of responsible behavior. His uncle's demmy, Gweshira, thinks he just might amount to something after his hormones cool down, but that is not the majority opinion.

This story is much like Hughes' Fool Errant and Fool Me Twice. The hero is an ignoramus and dilettante who naturally responds to danger in the best possible manner. He is courageous and wily, but makes many grievous errors in intercultural etiquette. His mouth runs ahead of his brain and he is solidly grounded in his own provincialism.

The author has created a well-fleshed future society with an evolved technology and language ... and an almost unfathomable adolescent slang. One anticipates numerous complaints about the slang, but it is fairly easy to assimilate; certainly no harder than the current, ever changing, teenage dialects. After all, one suspects that this series is intended for young adults, who will have little problems learning a few futuristic phrases.

This story, however, it is not limited in its appeal to the younger readers. It has enough meat to engage the attention of many adults as well. In fact, some of the humor may be enjoyed more by an experienced reader.

Recommended for Barnes fans and anyone else who enjoys light SF adventure stories with some sophistication.

This short book (152 pages) is very enjoyable and enlightening reading. Having read several other books on WWII in the European theater, this book is very refreshing. While it does not have the scope of Stephen Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers" or "D-Day", it tells of an average, reluctant soldiers involvement in many of the same operations as those covered by Mr. Ambrose.

The primary focus of the book is the author's involvement in WWII. But childhood memories by the author are covered in chronological order and particularly focus on memories of his peers and their thoughts on the impending World War. In their innocent teenage years, personal involvement in this war seemed to be surreal.

While Mr. Barnes is not involved in any singular heroic action, this is, I think, one of the more subtle aspects to this book. It shows that WWII was a team effort, involving the heroes as well as the average Joe.

A memorable aspect of this book to me is how Mr. Barnes expresses his fear of combat. As someone who luckily has never had to face combat, thanks in large part to John Barnes and his generation, I often wondered how I would react in similar circumstances. I believe Barnes reaction is similar to that of most anyone.

John Barnes may have left the classroom but he still is teaching Americans about their history. From the industrial town of Utica, NY to the mire of France and on to Germany, his saga will set straight young and old alike who believe that war is glamorous. His insights into his Irish Catholic childhood during the Depression make this a poignant tale, helping us realize how much was lost in order to gain victory. He also makes one confront the deep loss in so many small American towns such as Bedford, VA, where the flower of manhood simply vanished into the military cemeteries of France. I'm proud to have known him thirty years ago. I wish he'd included more detail on his inner faith formation as a result of war, but his service to comrades, school and community since war's end speak eloquently on his behalf. One suspects he was saved so many times during that war in order to assist so many since 1945.

I had a few more comments on this book.

I think the author may be onto something here, something even more important than the idea of using Grant's life as a way to help business managers, perhaps.

I like history and have read my share of it, but I'd never been able to really get into the history of the Civil War, or even early American history in general, despite having had childhood friends who were into Civil War history, and even Civil war reenactments. The author's using an important figure of the time as a sympathetic character, a focus around which to build an interesting account of his contributions, also meant that he needed to present much of the historical context and discuss a lot of the actual history of the period. In the process he really wrote a mini-history of the events during this time that was much more engaging and absorbing than your typical history that I have read. As a result, I learned much more than I ever had before about this important phase of our history.

I think this approach would be equally applicable to other important figures and times. It might seem that this is just re-inventing the idea of a biography, but again, I've read my share of biographies too and this book was much more interesting the way Barnes did it. Much of that is because the author makes you feel like you are right in the center of the action with Grant during this critical time as he makes many of these difficult, life-and-death decisions. So if we are to call it biography at all, Barnes's approach is a much more interesting way to do it.

I hope the author may do other books like this as I would be very interested in reading them, too.

I usually approach these "on Leadership" series and most business biographies with a bit of skepticism, but I was really blown away by this book. Although I'm not a civil war buff, the author's narrative and vivid descriptions of Grant's triumphs and hardships kept me riveted and I couldn't put this book down once I started. The personal accounts of the challenges facing Grant and his tenacious ability to overcome them, are simply amazing. The author's contrasts of Grant vs. McClellan (the incompetent General which Grant replaced) lay the foundation for learning what not to do as well. Each chapter feels as if your grandfather is telling you these stories from firsthand experience, making them lessons you won't soon forget as you manage and lead in your business or organization. And in case you need a refresher, the author summarizes the leadership lessons at the end of each chapter. This is also a great book for teenagers who need a leadership training. It's easy to identify with Grant, and the way the author draws you into our history makes it even more valuable.

I read all three Timeline Wars books in a row, so maybe I have a different perspective about it than some. I found the main character, Mark Strang, to be a person I could sympathize with and who I could understand, yet Barnes still managed to make him a fourth dimensional, real character with complexities and intricacies seething just below the visible level. This book is technically accurate, as far as it goes, intelligent, sympathetic, poetic, and just plain fun with the odd concepts it develops. The part where the main character remembers what happened to his wife is absolutely heart-breaking.

hey there sci-fi fans, i've been looking now for about 2 and 1/2 years for a copy of this book. it's been out of print now for most of that time. i read it when i was a senior in high school and then it got stolen from me when i was about 30 pages from the end, so i don't know how it ends, i do have to say that it's one of the best books i've ever read. i had a 3 in 1 book (the whole Timeline Wars trilogy) in one book that i had gotten from the Sci-Fi book club. Anyway, i'd really appreciate if anyone would let me know where i could find a copy, or if you would want to sell yours, i'd be willing to pay at least face value, plus shipping and handling. I'm a Marine, so I'm pretty busy, if i don't get back to you right away, don't worry, i will. thanks, jeff.

A bit of a cross between Heinlein and Laumer. The science may seem implausible in the Patton reality, but the science was based on mathmatical equations from a book from the distant future. Taken in its entirety the escapes might seem implausible, but individually believable. Isn't that what makes a hero in epic novels? I look forward to future episodes, but hope the main character doesn't learn too much about the weapons that he is using. Makes it more suspenceful. I'm a picky reader. So, I am starting to read the author's other books. I find it very rare to find a writer of this caliber. Try it. The cover is iffy, but the content is marvelous

The jacket compares this to William Goldman's The Princess Bride, and it is easy to see some resemblance. Both are fantasy stories in which the author speaks directly to the reader for humorous intent. The device of the book within a book in The Princess Bride allows Goldman to comment on the story itself; Barnes has his characters comment on it, as they realize that they are part of a tale. Post- modern fantasy. Whowouldathunkit.

And it works for the most part. Barnes deconstructs the typical fairy tale through his self-aware characters, yet also makes these same characters empathetic and keeps the tension of the story itself tight. Although you know that you are reading a story, you wonder just how much this new tale will fit the traditional, or if the author will suddenly veer off into unexplored territory. At its heart, the story is still your basic fantasy plot, and, unfortunately, no amount of tricks can avoid the fact that you've read this all before.

The Princess Bride succeeded because it exaggerated the standard cliches, making everything stand out as in bas-relief to the flat irreality of the normal story. Goldman's fondness for the genre kept it light, rather than ponderous and heavy-handed. Barnes starts off well, and there are brief flashes of brilliance, but most of the time his post-modern experimentation takes a backseat to the plot. It thus feels schizophrenic. I like what he was trying to accomplish, though.

The cover art by Charles Vess drew me to this book, but the opening lines hooked me. I bought it, got home, and couldn't put it down for the next day and a half. Reading this charming, smart fairy tale made me feel as though I was little again, my sister reading me a chapter of "Alice" each night before bed... If you enjoyed fairy tales as a child and felt that perhaps you've outgrown them, read this book. You'll be 5 again and in a completely wonderful world.

I picked up "One for the Morning Glory" off of the remainder table at my local bookstore. I, too, was attracted by the cover art. I was completely unfamiliar with John Barnes other works. I love fairy tales and this is an excellent story. I could not put the book down once I started reading it. Another reviewer complained that the identity of the Four Companions was never explained. I think if you consider what Amatus needed to complete himself (and I'm not talking about his physical self) you will understand the Four Companions. A great book for lovers of fairy tales.

John Barnes shows some promise in 'A Million Open Doors', enough that I would recommend it to a friend. He's assembled a moderately original idea and some likeable characters into an enjoyable book, but there are some big flaws that drag it down, especially towards the end.

The main character, named Giraut, leaves his home and moves to a culture known as the Caledons. Caledon society is a distopia based on the idea of rationality. If a group of computers known as 'aintillects' decides that a person is engaged in irrational behavior, such as doing favors for a friend or appreciating the wrong works of art, then they can be dragged off to a mental institution by the government. Upset by this stifling censorship, Giraut decides to open a school and teach dancing and music to some of the Caledon children.

While this concept may sound interesting, Barnes' writing is all over the place. He can't seem to decide whether he wants to be writing a true hard science fiction novel or a parody. Are we really supposed to believe that Giraut could break through generations of conformity and start a revolution just by teaching some kids to play the guitar? Fortunately, he hurries the plot along without giving us too much time to worry about such questions. Also, Barnes is quite skillful at developing his characters. Unlike so many of today's SF writers, he gives them real motivations and allows us to see how their behavior and their thoughts change as they get exposed to new ideas.

However, I would be negligent if I didn't mention some important weaknesses. Barnes' choice of language is pretty bland, and his descriptions don't give you any real sense of what he's trying to illustrate. Also, he needs a decent editor to crack down on sentences such as 'Thorwald started, I could see that his career as a blasphemer would be developing slowly; he seemed to be reacting as if what he had said a minute ago was hanging around in the air like old flatulence.' He view of gender roles is still stuck in the 50's; somebody should politely inform him that women are capable of doing more than just having sex and doing secretarial work. And there's this annoying habit of substituting like-sounding futuristic words in place of common English ones. He writes 'merce' instead of 'mercy', 'nop' instead of 'nope', etc' Finally, the conclusion is too rushed, as if he was working under a deadline and had to cram too much plot into too little space.

Still, if you can look past these problems,, you can find some decent science fiction in 'A Million Open Doors'. While it doesn't rank up there with the masters like Heinlein or Clarke, it's still a decent read.

I don't think this is his best book, and I think many of Barnes' fans would agree with me. It simply doesn't have the mind-bending, conviction-chalenging edge that his others do. But, having said that, it is probably a safer first-read as many of the reviews of his other books show that a lot of people can't handle his edgier novels.

It is an enjoyable story hiding a theme of cultural conflict and the characters are well writen. Though not his best, you can't loose on it because if you have read one of his harsaher novels and like him, this is still a good read and you won't be too disapointed, and if it is your first Barnes experience, it is much easier to enjoy superficially than his other books.

This is the first sci fi book I've read probably since I was nine years old. One of the best things about it is Barnes doesn't hit you over the head with the technology existing several centuries in the future, he just throws in casual references to it and lets you figure it out. The subtle commentary present in the simmilarities and differences between the cultures described in A MILLION OPEN DOORS and ours is though-provoking, to say the least. The plot is not as tight toward the end and the romantic plot twists are marginal at best in their importance to the novel as a whole; however, these minor flaws don't take much away from the overall reading experience. I know this novel will appeal to sci fi virgins and I'll bet it will to hard core fans as well

Somewhat unusual hard SF with a rather unique, very interesting basic plot premise. I would have loved this book except I couldn't stop thinking how unlikely it was that there could be a race like the Tiberians - very scientifically advanced yet seemingly as dumb as a stump when it comes to dealing with adverse conditions and primitive races. Come on guys - I guess you could blow it once but twice?? What did John Barnes do? I think all the NASA-type stuff and probably some of the physics as well came from Buzz, but where was the hand of the experienced author who should have been responsible for patching the holes in the plotline and improving the often sophomoric prose

This novel is in every way very good. However, it comes across as not really knowing what it wants to be.

There is the action novel part, with God-impersonation, biblical floods, and moon crashes. There is the political commentary, with communist monitors, ill-executed political space missions, and slavery. There is the technical manual, with zero-point lasers, interstellar travel, antimatter, and huge computers. There is the coming-of-age story, with young aliens going through puberty in space, culture fading over generations, and sons following in fathers' footsteps.

The composition is just too jumbled, though. In an attempt to be the book about everything, the novel becomes a book without a point, without a climax, unsupported science, and with an unsatisfying ending. Too bad, too, because the beginning is positively riveting.

I would recommend it, but don't expect the great American novel; this book was written for a purpose other than being a great book.

This is not a read for those who could "never get past the whale blubber" when trying to read the great Moby Dick. The space science, often engineering science, is real like you have never seen it before (just as Melville's account of whaling in the age of sail is authentic). There is a problem, however, especially in the beginning, in being able to always distinguish between what NASA has done, the technical ideas others have developed and that might be done, and authentic technical ideas by Aldrin and perhaps Barnes. It is a shame not to know which are Aldrin's ideas, for some of them are ingenious and created in me a sense of wonder. Do not skip the technological descriptions (hard to do anyway as they are ubiquitous), for as was true of Moby Dick, they provide the book's tone and ultimately define it. Melville's prose sometimes carried a rolling thunder to it, said to be the result of his reading Shakespeare and the King James Bible. This book does not have anything like that quality and therefore will not escape the genre label of SF. But the insights are sometimes astonishing. The whys and the ways of massacre warfare are flatly logically stated, and the killing is carried out by humans and aliens who you otherwise generally think of as good beings (the pain and killing at Kosovo could just as easily be explained). This is Barnes' contribution, I am sure. The nature of race and prejudice is explored with an at times subtle parallel to American history. The politics of space travel are laid out, and it is clear how much hangs on ulterior motives, reactive (as opposed to proactive) thinking, and chance, including disaster. Sad to say, Aldrin and Barnes' implication that it probably would take a Tiber Encyclopedia or planet crushing cloud of comets to galvanate Earthlings to reach for the planets, let alone the stars, is believable. The interelationships of people, whether human or alien, are at times insightful and good, but mostly they are described rather than revealed through their behavior. And a major character (the younger Terrence) is described at length in a way that is so flat and without the novelist's dynamic, that I wondered if it was Buzz Aldrin's autobiography. Nonetheless, the characters are well defined characters. In other words, the fictional quality is not as good as one would like but it works, partly because of the intelligence that has gone into it. The carefully constructed aliens, human characters, and plot, along with the technology, make this story plausable. You may have to remember the stories by the aliens are supposedly dumbed down translations for high school students. Many readers who equate SF with fantasy, whether they realize it or not, and many who want ceaseless action will drop by the wayside; they will never finish this long book. The book is long and alternates from one "novel" to another, but in the end the separate stories are nicely joined. Well done, Aldrin and Barnes.

This is the central question explored by Conrad in Lord Jim. Jim is ultimately a character who inspires our sympathy due to his inability to find reconcilliation for his one tragic moment of weakness. In him we find a person of tremendous potential that remains unrealized as the tragic circumstances of his abandoning his post aboard the Patna continually haunt him and the associated guilt drives him to isolation.
Conrad successfully explores the concepts of bravery, cowardice,guilt and the alternative destinies that an individual may be driven to by these qualities.
The narrative can be a bit confusing at times as Marlowe relates the tale by recalling his encounters with Jim. The book reminded very much of Somerset Maugham's THE RAZOR"S EDGE" in style. However I believe that Maugham did a much better job of incorporating the narrator into the flow of the story. Overall LORD JIM is a wonderful classic novel that I highly recommend.

This is the fifth book I have read by Conrad, and through these readings I have come to deeply appreciate his literary power and the perfection of his stories. Conrad has the skill to border about several similar subjects, without repeating himself. "Lord Jim" is truly a Shakespearean tragedy, mainly because of the Shakespearean nature of the main character. Jim is a young naval officer with high hopes of heroism and moral superiority, but when he faces his first test of courage, he miserably fails. While 800 Muslim pilgrims are asleep aboard the ship "Patna", Jim discovers that the boat is about to sink. There are not sufficient lifeboats for everybody. Should he wake them up or not? He gets paralyzed with fear and then sudenly jumps into a boat being set up by the rest of the officers. He is taken to trial and disposessed of his working licence.

Ashamed and humiliated, Jim dedicates the rest of his life to two things: escape the memory of that fateful night, and redeem himself. This agonizing quest to recover his dignity in front of his own eyes leads him to hide in a very remote point in the Malayan peninsula, where he will become the hero, the strong man, the wise protector of underdeveloped, humble and ignorant people. Jim finds not only the love of his people, but also the love of a woman who admires him and fears the day when he might leave for good. The narrator, Captain Marlow (the same of "Heart of Darkness") talks to Jim for the last time in his remote refuge, and then Jim tells him that he has redeemed himself by becoming the people's protector. Oh, but these things are never easy and Jim will face again the specter of failure.

Conrad has achieved a great thing by transforming the "novel of adventures" into the setting for profound and interesting reflections on the moral stature of Man, on courage, guilt, responsibility, and redemption.

Just as in "Heart of Darkness" the question is what kinds of beings we are stripped of cultural, moral and religious conventions; just as in "Nostromo" the trustworthiness of a supposedly honest man is tested by temptation, in "Lord Jim" the central subject is dignity and redemption after failure.

A great book by one of the best writers.

After reading this book (along with several other of Conrad's books) I am under the impression that Joseph Conrad may very well be my favorite author. Here is another masterpiece, a deeply incisive study of character of the motivation and the ultimate failure of all high-minded ideals. Granted my own personal world view falls directly in line with this realization and therefore prejudices me towards anything the man might write, but, when considering such a lofty title as 'favorite author' one must regard other aspects of the novelist's creation. As with the others, Conrad wins by the power of his stories.

Lord Jim is my least favorite of the the four books I have read by Conrad. The story is rather scattered: a righteous young man does something wrong that he holds himself far too accountable for and the public shame the action brought him exaggerates the reality of his failure and makes him believe the rumors swirling around about his so-called cowardice. He spends the remainder of his life trying to reclaim his self-regard, mostly exaggerating his own importance in matters he hardly understands. His goal is to liberate the primitive people of the jungle paradise he inadvertantly finds himself in (due to an effort to escape every particle of the world he once inhabited) and his once high-minded ideals and regard for himself lead him to allow those people to consider him almost a God.

Jim likes being a God and considers himself a just and fair one. He treats everyone equally and gives to his people the knowledge of modern science and medicine as well as the everyday archetecture and understanding of trade that those primitive folks would otherwise be years from comprehending.

Of course everything ends in failure and misery and of course Jim's restored name will be returned to its demonic status, but the whole point of the novel seems to me that one can not escape their past. Jim, for all his courage in the line of fire has tried to avoid all memory of the once shameful act of his former life and by doing so becomes destined to repeat his mistakes.

Lord Jim is far more expansive than the story it sets out to tell, ultimately giving a warning on the nature of history and general humanity that only a writer of Conrad's statue could hope to help us understand.

If there is a flaw it is not one to be taken literally. Conrad was a master of structural experimentation and with Lord Jim he starts with a standard third person narrative to relate the background and personalities of his characters and then somehow merges this into a second person narrative of a man, years from the events he is relating, telling of the legend of Jim. It is a brilliant innovation that starts off a little awkward and might lead to confusion in spots as the story verges into its most important parts under the uncertain guidence of a narrator who, for all his insight into others, seems unwilling to relate his personal relevence to the story he is relating.

Nevertheless (with a heartfelt refrain), one of the best books I have ever read.

John should take this back and work on it some more. The Kaleidoscope Century ideas are very meme-like in themselves and hypnotically lure this reader, but loose ends, confusing motivations and behavior,abrupt shifts in tone, and way-too-long folksy expositions abound here and should have been corrected. And far too much time is spent on two middle-aged guys digging holes and playing in the snow. I buy and read every John Barnes book, but the last three (including Finity and Earth Made of Glass)have not been up to the standards he previously set. Maybe authors should test-"screen" their new novels before a sample audience before release, as many film directors do.

This is the first book I've read by John Barnes and I agree with the other reviewers that it is a good place to start. Reading through the book I was impressed with the scope of the history Barnes created, but at no time did I feel I was missing anything that would force me to read previous books. Overall, I recommend Candle, but I had a couple of problems with it.

First of all, the beginning of the story is a manhunt and the reader is led to believe that Curran is the greatest tracker ever. However, he gets trapped by his prey and there is never an explanation for how that happened. I really wanted to know how he was outsmarted.

The story basically is over at this time and the rest of the book is a lengthy character history of the two men. I was very impressed, as I mentioned earlier, with the universe that has been created and loved the whole Meme War premise. However, the ending is a surprise that really doesn't make much sense and is especially dissatisfying considering the effort the two have made to harm One True (the villain).

I've read the synopsis of the other books about the Meme Wars and have decided not to read them because I feel that Candle ultimately made them unfulfilling. Also, I somehow missed what the title of the book references - I don't understand the name. If there is a new book in the series, I will read it. Feel free to email me with your comments.

A damned fine book. In particular it seems to validate, complete, and compliment Kaleidescope Century, his most controversial book. To the newcomer - this is a very good book with which to be introduced to John Barnes. Barnes is all about extrapolating very interesting, and EXTREMELY detailed future histories. His characters' individual stories are interesting ways for him to bring his histories out.

This is the third novel in the history of the 21st Century that many people are calling the "Meme Wars" series by default. (Not really an accurate title, since The Meme War doesn't start until 2048, and the first book in the series, Orbital Resonance, takes places a whole 25 years before the Meme Wars and is concerned with a vastly different topic.)

There is also a short story, Delicate Stuff, in his anthology Apostrophes and Apocalypses. The author's blurb before this piece indicates that there will be a total of 4 novels in this series, but I suspect he could do MANY more.

This book does a reasonably good job of standing alone. You can jump into it without any previous exposure to John Barnes and follow along quite well. But what it does best is provide an alternate point of view to the extremely dystopian Kaleidescope Century. In KC, we see the 20th century unfold from the point of view of 2 psychotic mercenaries. Candle shows us some events that are very closely linked to events in KC, but from the viewpoint of two very decent people who were unfortunately born at a difficult time in history. The themes are the same - who's in charge? Who has the right to be in charge? And how does one balance personal needs and desires against the good of society as a whole? But the treatment is completely different.

On a grander scale, Candle illuminates (no pun intended) two very important background characters who have figured only peripherally in the earlier books - Phil and Monica. Phil and Monica wind up being among the greatest heroes of the early 21st century. Phil, under a previous name, developed the CSL curriculum which figures prominently in Candle and in Orbital Resonance. And later, Phil and Monica author the FreeCyber meme which represents earth's last stand against Resuna/One True.

(to correct a previous reviewer, Phil and Monica are NOT related to anyone in Orbital Resonance.... Although Josh Quare's adopted daughter Alice IS the mother of Randy Schwartz.)

My only beef with this book was the ending, which actually shocked me considerably. It wasn't a bad ending, but after reading Kaleidescope Century, I had a hard time believing that One True would suddenly go so "warm-fuzzy". (As a side note, I think KC would have made more sense if Candle had been published first.)

If you like this one, pick up Orbital Resonance for certain. I generally recommend Kaleidescope Century too... but be forewarned - that book is NOT for the squeamish. Although it does give a more thorough explanation of Disksters.