Now that with the end of the 1990s the scope of John Barnes's work has become clearer, it's possible to put his first "hit" novel, Orbital Resonance, into perspective. It's a very Heinleinesque SF novel about a spacebound culture told from the first-person perspective of a thirteen year old girl. It's also a coming-of-age story, but ... with a twist. It's a sort of an-entire-spaceship-coming-of-age story. If there's one pattern that Orbital Resonance begins to establish, it's Barnes's interest in cultural change and evolution and the planning thereof. (Sounds like Heinlein again, doesn't it?)

A well-written book that needs that "almost a short story" feel, Orbital Resonance is a good introduction to John Barnes. It won't give you much of a feel for what his longer books are like, but then again, they don't resemble one another all that much either.

If you're a fan of John Barnes and haven't read this book, it's about time you did. This book, more than any other, to me establishes his style of thinking, plotting, and writing.

The story is engaging; the characters are well-drawn; the setting is imaginative.

One of the things I like best about John Barnes is his ability to write science fiction novels that are actually about people the reader can identify with and care about, and Orbital Resonance is a good early example of that ability.

The most common themes that seem to emerge in Young Adult science fiction are the same that we face upon becoming adults: realising the world isn't as it seems, feeling the burden of responsibility, the way we begin to resent adults as we realise that they have to do things that are unpleasant, and that we ourselves will have to do things that we are not entirely comfortable with, during our passage to adulthood. John Barnes has addressed these themes in a stellar book that I think was intended for adults, but makes wonderful and enlightening reading for smart kids and young adults alike.

Melpomene is a young woman living on a corporate space-station who must deal with everday life like everyone else, its triumphs and its embarassments. She does well in school, has good status with her class-mates, but must deal with the embarassment she faces when her mother quits her station job (exposing her to be unproductive, not socially responsible, basically an oddity to everyone else on the station, an outsider) and spents all her time lounging round their apartment reading boring novels sent from earth. The story is told through Mel's journal entries, written in retrospect, and is an account of the arrival of a newcomer to the station: a boy from earth who has been shuffled around by unwanted relatives and is 'different', too earthlike, for the tastes of our mature, space-station reared class of children. With his arrival comes that of bullying, something that children on the space station haven't experienced before...

This book succeeds so well as young adult fiction because the characters are complex, there is no clear cut good and bad, and Melpomene faces adulthood sooner than she would like as her sense of fairness and her leadership qualities come into play, forcing her to take a responsible role that reveals the station's plans for her for the future. A discovery with which comes a jarring understanding of what it means to be an adult. In the tradition of Growing up Weightless and The Giver: a well-concieved, unusual and original read. Superb understanding of what it means to grow up, from one of the genre's best authors.

althrough this book had its made points let me say something in its defense first as always it was wonderful and provided an interesting story. I didn't like the fact that 10 years has passed between this book and the last book. I also thought that the evil "Closers" were deafeated too easily.

I was given this book, so I have started the series here. I thought that is was a really good mix between going fast enough to keep you interested, and going slow enough to explain what was happening. I really like alternate history, but I get sick of reading about WWII all the time, and so this book was a nice break.

The book is written in such a way that if you didn't read the previous two, you can still understand what is happening and not feel lost. That is probably the reason for the other reviewer feeling that it repeats too much. But for someone who didn't read those, it is really helpful.

The only thing that I didn't like about this book was that it felt as if it ended too quickly. Almost as if the author decided that he was done writing, and slapped an ending onto it. I hope that this series is not finished, because I would really like reading more of these books.

As the good guys begin to win the war with the whachamacallits, things become a little less intense in this third entry, but it's still very interesting and compelling in its tale of the interactions of Mark Strang and his posse with Romans and their altered empire.

I believe this book has to be edited(actually published in 1987)and published again and published as an Economy Edition for the access of Electronic Designers at all levels from the beginner to a well experienced engineer. This small book will always can be on the lab table if you do any of the electronic design activities from Circuit level to PCBs and enclosures. The author's absolute practical experience is what we get in this small book. He had deviced a lot of tests to quantify noise, interference etc. which can be a guide line for a researcher in this field.

This book was a real adventure. It made me want to quit my joband work on an ambulance.

Kirkwood got passed around my hospital until the pages were falling out. Everyone that read it was talking about how funny and how much fun it was. We all saw ourselves in the characters, and it continues to be a topic of conversation in the nurses' lounge.

Continuing John Barnes' detailed account of the first five years of the cinema in Britain, the pioneers, their inventions, the mushrooming motion picture industry in its infancy. Particularly good on the technical side, but also fascinating social detail. Amazing to discover that in 1897, film cameramen from numerous companies, some from overseas, filmed the procession of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. This is the second volume of a five-volume series, "Th Beginnings of the Cinema in England". Volumes 2, 3 and 4 are now available from Exeter University Press (UK) who will shortly be publishing a revised edition of Volume One and the first edition of Volume 5. Essential reading for anyone interested in early film studies.

I joined a class named Investment Analysis in which we read John Barnes' What Investing is All About. Those who doesnot know anything about investments and stock market , must read this book. It is written very simple and everybody who can read english can read this book.

This book contains some very graphic and unpleasant scenes. There seems to be a theme of misogyny and bitterness about relationships in some of Barnes' books, which sometimes rings true and adds depth (e.g., "Earth Made of Glass"), but this time just seems nasty and relentless. Another reviewer said the harem scenes were played for laughs, but I sure didn't find the humor. Not as good as "The Duke of Uranium", and the series so far is much weaker than the 1000 cultures series or the Orbital Resonance / Meme Wars series. John Barnes generally seems to be following in the footsteps of Heinlein, but if so, this is his "Sixth Column". The first John Barnes book I didn't finish.

A Princess of the Aerie is the second novel in the Jak Jinnaka series, following The Duke of Uranium. In the previous volume, Jak, his tove Dujuv, and the Rubahy warrior Shadow on the Frost have freed both the future Duke of Uranium and Princess Shyf from their captors. Moreover, a minor society reporter, Mreek Sinda, happened to record some of the kidnapping while covering the concert and added to the story to produce a documentary on his exploits which had little correspondence with reality, but was nonetheless very popular. This success put her into the big time, but her subsequent efforts have all been duds. Hoping that lightning will strike twice in the same spot, Sinda haunts his life, checking with him every now and then, looking for another good story.

In this novel, Jak and Dujuv have pulled another incredibly ignorant stunt, so they have been called to the Dean's office for a chewing out. Since this is a familiar procedure, neither one is too worried, but the Dean makes a special effort this time to understand Jak's reasoning for taping the Venerian Joy Day orgy and selling the tape to his fellow students. Even though the students are now impressed by the Venerians, the Venerians are spitting mad. Treaty negotiations between the Hive and Venus have not gone well since the tape distribution was discovered.

The Dean observes that Jak compulsively ignores any directions given to him and just ad libs everything. The Dean believes that Jak needs to develop some discrimination about following or not following directions. Also, the Dean believes that Jak needs to absorb a great deal of ethnographic information or he might well end up with a war named after him. To accomplish these goals, the Dean requires Jak to repeat Solar System Ethnography until he earns top rank in the class and to then do the same in Advanced Ethnography. Moreover, Jak must submit a proposal for a Junior Task in which the directions are vague, the goals are unclear, and the situation requires interaction with non-Hive personnel with different goals. Dujuv's Junior Task is to assist and protect him.

After discussing the stupidity of the assignment with Dujuv, Jak returns to his quarters to find a message from Princess Shyf waiting for him on his purse. She asks for Jak, Dujuv, and Dujuv's former demmy Myx to come to Greenworld for an unspecified but confidential task. She has made reservations for them on the Hive battlesphere Up Yours and has requested CUPV duties for them so they will have something to do while traveling. She suggests that he show the message to his Uncle Sib, which Jak does. After some discussion, Jak decides to go and his friends also agree to go along.

After they reach Greenworld, they are told that the message is a hoax. However, Jak and Dujuv are offered an opportunity to sign up for the Royal Palace Guard and only later do they learn that the RPG is a stud service for the princess. Of course, they are quite willing to participate after the conditioning takes hold.

Once again, Jak displays his almost total ignorance of the real world and his elders are not giving him much guidance. He hasn't got a clue as to the situation, but one shock after another manages to bypass his aversion to learning and strike at his primitive survival instincts. By the end of the story, Jak actually appreciates the ethnographic info he has been studying. Pain has a way of facilitating learning and he gets a lot of pain -- physical, mental, and emotional -- in this story.

I was beginning to think that Jak is an anti-hero, providing lessons by counter-example, and that he was going to get maimed or killed before learning to tie his shoes, so to speak. While having a lot to learn, Jak may be finally giving in to the universal conspiracy to teach him things he doesn't want to learn. However, don't expect too much in the sequel; Jak could easily revert to his default setting: sweathog.

I still can't decide if I really like this series or not, but I am definitely going to read the sequel. It is almost like witnessing a gory accident; one cannot just pass by without looking.

Recommended for Barnes fans and anyone else who enjoys reading about a young dolt consistently shooting himself in the foot by opening his mouth, yet instinctively doing the right thing to get out of trouble.

This is the second book in the series about Jak Jinnaka in a future society 15 centuries from now. The first book in the series The Duke of Uranium, introduces us to the world and the characters.

Barnes weaves an interesting future and follows many of the traditional space opera conventions. The book has plenty of action, hard sci-fi tech, and even a dollop of sex. There are lots of interesting idea like AI PDAs that you wear on your wrist, magnetic based docking transfer systems, and mining technology that uses hot magma.

Unfortunately, the main character, Jak, appears to be a hapless tool of others during most of the story. Like a powerful weapon, he is easily manipulated and does damage where he's pointed. For a highly trained spy, he's as guilliable as they come.

Perhaps Barnes is taking the long view and looking to show the change of Jak from fool to hero. I can't tell. I like the characters, but Jak is almost unsympathetic since he seems to fall for every trap that is placed in front of him, usually escaping only by the grace of his friends appearing at just the right moment.

I'm sure I'll read the next installment, but if thinking space opera is what you are after, I suggest the Night's Dawn series by Peter Hamilton.

In Earth Made of Glass, a sequel to A Million Open Doors, Giraut and Margaret are sent to the hostile planet Briand, where two artificial human cultures have been forced to live together. One is based on Tamil literature, the other on Mayan culture. The two peoples hate each other bitterly.

Giraut and Margaret's team try to work with some of the "good people" with the on-planet culture, people who are trying to work for peace. But at the same time serious stresses are showing in Giraut and Margaret's marriage. The two crises come to a head at much the same time.

The novel is full of neat inventions, and the cultures are intriguingly portrayed. I also felt that the depiction of a decaying marriage was very well done, and very believable. I found the depiction of the cultural difficulties a bit less believable: dependent on people established as good acting quite evilly. Perhaps I am simply too much of an optimist, but I was not convinced.

Interesting, ambitious, but not quite successful.

It sounds cliched but this probably isn't the best place to start with John Barnes. He seems to excel at smaller novels, probably because he can present the idea, write an interesting situation around it and throw in some characters and jumble the plot around and everything just works out fine because he keeps it nice and simple. When he shoots for the more complex stuff though, he doesn't make out as well. Case in point, this here novel . . . itself a sequel to the excellent A Million Open Doors, this makes a valiant attempt to deepen and further the scenario given in that book, and for the most part succeeds. Barnes has to be given credit for ambition, because what he attempts here is to give a in depth look at manufactured cultures and deep seated hatreds and tries to find solutions. However his ambition tends to outstrip him here, unfortunately. He brings back the Giraut and Margaret from the first book, now married and when the book starts their marriage is beginning to fall apart. Again, he gets credit for broaching the subject in SF, a place generally not associated with such things . . . but he tends to beat the subject to death. In the beginning of the book every scene they have together turns into childish bickering and Margaret is even worse . . . I don't remember her that clearly from the first book but I don't remember her being this annoying, she acts completely unreasonable, starts fights for no reason, all while a confused Giraut basically stands back and wonders, "What did I do?" . . . which is the same question the reader has. Instead of making the reader sympathetic to their marriage, you're left wondering halfway through the book why he just doesn't give her the heave-ho (her "revelation" is blatantly to anyone even remotely paying attention and when it's revealed you want to shout to Giraut "What are you, blind?" especially since hints are dropped like every other page). So that drags the book down a little simply because the main characters act immature but Barnes' depiction of two cultures who think they are the Universe's gift to everything is absolutely fascinating, his world building skills are in full effect and the conflicts are detailed realistically . . . it does look pretty hopeless. It's so hopeless that Barnes nearly writes himself into a corner and winds up resorting to having the Maya create a quasi-mystical "prophet" (and that really comes out of nowhere) who preaches love and gets people to listen mostly because he's, uh, a quasi-mystical prophet. However, unlike a lot of others who feel the ending is too downbeat, I felt it was completely realistic given the circumstances and about the only logical outcome, anything else would have required the book to be even longer (and nearly multi-generational) or devolving into a "deus ex machina" solution. The way it turns out is sobering, but I give him credit for going with the not so happy ending (Scottish SF writer Iain Banks, also highly recommended, has a habit of doing the same thing), even if it does come off as rushed. Still can't see why Giraut keeps Margaret around though. Maybe another sequel will explain that one. All told, it's entertaining, if not exactly cheerful reading and shouldn't be your first choice, go with one of his more compact works and if those thrill you, head here next. Just don't prepare to be as delighted, even if you have to give him a lot of credit for trying.

Barnes tries to do a lot of things in this book and I found it essentially engrossing. It got better and better as it went along. A welcome change from a lot of fare. I have not read _A Million Open Doors_ , and therefore was not familiar with Giraut and Margaret's personalities. Like another reader I found Margaret very irritating for more than half the book. That reviewer called her a "revenge" character and I agree. Poor, without-a-clue Giraut. Of course her affair with the Tamil assistant was obvious. Even the other characters found Giraut's obtuseness disgusting. Barnes finally does give us some more believable explanations for Margaret's behavior.

I found the Ix character to be a bit too conveniently Christlike. As for the woman he ruins his Messiah mission for, well she did everything but take center stage and sing, "I don't know how to love him." Barnes' description and interplay of the two societies in conflict is the single riveting aspect of the book for me even though the Israeli/Palestinian parallels were pretty obvious. I admit I could not fathom welcoming ceremonies held outdoors in such a climate, plus that architecture must have been made from something amazing to remain like new under centuries of constant solar inferno and savage weathering.

I had recently read _The Doomsday Book_ and _In the Garden of Iden_. Although those were based on real historical periods, I still found parallels. _Earth Made of Glass_ also has this hugely superior human group essentially viewing the studied cultures as primitive in outlook and ultimately expendable. At the same time the tiny number of "visitors" who actually interact with the individuals in these "lesser" societies form inevitable attachments, and acquire valuable insight despite their condescension. There are small hints that somewhere in the series(?), Barnes' will have his Council of Humanity at least explore the idea that a totally homogenized human society isn't necessarily the stronger entity they see as better prepared to face a superior alien culture. There might just be some essential knowledge, skill, or zest-for-life they are eradicating with their methods.

Like another reviewer, I look forward to Barnes exploring the discovered alien sites, or encountering the aliens themselves, (preferably before Barnes' creativity runs out of steam). I suspect we are at least going to visit that group of societies on the rim who have also refused a Springer.

This story starts a little too slowly for me. The real action begins at about one third of the book. However, I learned a good deal on weather patterns. The most interesting event is the joining of human and computer. It is very originally presented. The technology in this world is convincing.
Characters are the usual: industrialist, president and aides, astronaut; an exception here is a XV porn star.
Humanity is not wiped out but is given a wakeup call. I suggest this book to everybody who likes this author and disaster novels mixed with science, in this case, meteorology. Not a ground breaking novel but very good in its genre.

In spite of the book's many flaws, fans of David Brin's "Earth" and Bruce Sterlings "Heavy Weather" should buy "Mother of Storms." It's definately a vacation-read, sort of a semi-cyberspace semi-disaster semi-scifi fastpaced interesting Brin-eque book. I found the characters interesting: what a previous reviewer so sarcastically and cynically dismisses as "the redeemed porn star" I thought was actually a compelling portrait of the struggle any actor has. If you think you're about to read something literary, check out Donaldson -- for a good sci-fi read, this is a darn fine book.

On the surface, "Mother of Storms" is basically a book about a global ecological disaster, a calamity novel along the lines of "Lucifer's Hammer" or "The Forge of God", in which numerous storylines are followed simultaneously as the world goes to hell. Barnes pulls this off quite well with a solid grounding in science and with characters that are interesting and believable. But what makes the book special is the way he describes the first mating of human and computer intelligence. His may be the best depiction ever written of a positive feedback loop taking effect and the result being a runaway superintelligence. It's stirring.