MANAGING CANCER addresses the particular needs of African Americans and helps them to achieve earlier diagnosis and thus better cures. There is much that can be done to prevent cancer before it begins and this book fully covers over twenty types of cancers in language every reader can understand. MANAGING CANCER is well-written, thoroughly researched and accessible and speaks to readers through personal stories involving patients, the senior author himself, and his family. Many of these stories are poignant, revealing examples of how the human spirit can endure and even triumph when faced with crises. This is a book that will educate, inspire, and improve the life of African Americans from all walks of life.

This book is absolutely an A+. Of all of the required texts I have purchased this year, this one is by far the best. It is very well written. The information is detailed enough without overwhelming a third year student. The book provided short and manageable chapters that could be read and digested quickly. The questions at the end were a life-saver come test time.

It is nice to see that the most significant novel in the history of Science Fiction is receiving the same sort of treatment from Spark Notes that are given to the plays of Shakespeare. Frank Herbert's "Dune" is a complex novel that brings a breadth and depth of the field of Science Fiction that J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy brought to the genre of fantasy. This is a novel that combines a look at the relationship between religion and power (represented by both variants on Islam and Roman Catholicism) with the issue of human control of ecology. Both of these key themes are treated by this Spark Notes edition, along with the motifs of inheritance/nepotism and precognition, as well as the symbols of melange and water.

This Spark Notes provides detailed analysis of the characters of Paul Atreides, Jessica, and Baron Harkonnen. The Summary & Analysis section divides each of the novel's three books into multiple sections. Overall the emphasis is more on the analysis that the summary, which is as it should be in a study guide. Then there are important quotations that are explained, a list of key facts, study questions and essay topics, and a review & resources section, which includes quiz questions, a glossary of terms used in "Dune," and suggestions for further reading (i.e., all the "Dune" sequels). Consequently, this little blue book is of value to instructors as well as students.

The strength of the Spark Notes is that they indicate lines of analysis and insight into "Dune" without providing the complete arguments. In other words, students are going to be able to get some good ideas for papers but not the complete arguments. In other words, using Spark Notes can jump start their papers but will not given them anything they can turn in as a completed paper. The summary is rather bare boned given the complexity of the novel, so it will not serve as a substitute for reading it but will serve to set up the specific analysis sections. The approach to this books is formulaic (I think that this is a novel that has more than four quotations worth exploring), but the idea is to offer something that will benefit those who have read "Dune" without providing a lot of extra reading.

If you're a beginner in programming, and find that all the introductory books out there are more confusing than enlightning, here's a gentle and supremely intelligent work that will help you get started with programming. This book explains and criticizes all the jargon and the logic behind computers. Although Herbert discusses here 1980s technology, the logic behing the machines is always the same, and most current programming (java, c++,...) always uses more or less the same principles.

"Under Pressure" succeeds where so many of today's doorstopper novels fail: Herbert is able to sketch believable, smart characters quickly and desicively then send them out into a taut plot that keeps one turning pages. A smart, smart novel by a master. Don't miss it!

great book-would make a great movie as i love submarine movies!!updating this for the big sceen would take very little effort. i think of this story as more of a suspense/mystery novel rather than sci-fi. i see James Cromwell as the sub commander. economics,deceit,paranoia,loyalty,and betrayal!Herbert wrote a very strong story with characters that are flawed,couragous,and real.A hidden gem! -tough to put down.

This is a very exciting book that takes place in a not so distant future. The world is divided in two and they are a war.

Our side is stealing oil with submarines. And we have a sabuteur.

After seeing part of the movie (as much as I could stand to watch), I've always avoided this book, but after reading some reviews of it, I decided it was probably just the movie that stunk and gave it a try.

I liked the book. I thought the plot was good, and the characters were solid, and I was always interested to find out what happened. But the plot never really grabbed me, I never had to keep reading to find out what happened, so it went a litt;e slow for me. But I think that may just be a personal preference more than any shortcoming of the story. I thought it got a little too involved in the ritual and the customs of the Fremen, but what I was more interested in were the characters of Maud'dib and Jessica and the Atriedes and Harkonnen families.

I'll probably at leat read the next book to see if I get any more interested, but if I don't I probably won't go any farther with the series. Overall, though, I thought this book was interesting and well-written if not the best thing for me personally.

The novel Dune is one of those works that you hear of by reputation as being a classic and which you always see in the bookstore but never seem to pick up to read. I had seen the David Lynch film when I was younger and was confused and bored by it. I borrowed a copy of the Dune tv mini-series recently, and after watching one episode I found the story intriguing but the special effects lacking. So I decided to read the book in order to experience a better effects company, my imagination.

To me, one of the things that makes Dune unique is its glimpse of what the future holds for the human race. It isnt a future controlled by machines and dominated by technology as so many science fiction worlds are. The universe that Frank Herbert creates here is a humanistic one, almost a mideval renaissance world. Going along with that thought, this universe is filled with court intrigue. The known universe is loosely ruled by an emperor named Padashan IV who keeps his rule going with the threat of his imperial guard, elite fighting units called Sardaukar. He also keeps his noblemen in suspicion of each other and sometimes helps bring about actual wars between them if it suits his purpose.

As the book opens, one of his most respected noblemen, Duke Atreides, is sent to the desert planet of Arrakis (Dune) to take over spice production. Spice is the most important product in the universe and whoever controls it, controls power, and brings danger on themselves. One of the sources of conflict is that the Atreides have replaced the House Harkonnen, their bitter enemies, on Arrakis, so the whole place smells like a trap waiting to spring. The Harkonnens have sworn eternal war, called "kanly" with the Atreides and it is only a question of when and how they will strike. In addition to this, there are mysterious native inhabitants on Dune, known as Fremen, whose allegience is unknown, and the Duke also has to deal with giant sandworms who can swallow ships whole.

The main character of the book is Paul Atreides, son of the duke, a fifteen year old boy trained by the best fighters in the galaxy and also learned in the ways of his Bene Gesserit mother. The Bene Gesserits remind me of the Jedi in Star Wars. They are trained psychics who have strange powers feared and respected among the general populace, such as future vision, and can sometimes control weak minds and sorta steer the galaxy. Some say that Paul is destined for some terrible purpose that will lead the human race to a new destiny.

This is a great book. Like the Lord of the Rings, you can tell that Herbert not only wrote this book, but in the process developed and shaped his world with legends and past histories that are only hinted at in this work. There is lots of action and adventure and also religious questions and philsophy, almost a little for every kind of ruler. It does have its dull moments, especially after Paul meets his destiny, but you have to expect that anytime you have a work that is an "epic". There's so much information that not all of it can be interesting. There is a large cast of characters, so I would maybe suggest watching the first episode of the tv series like I did because it gives you a visual reference for most of the main characters. I'm going to start the next book, Dune Messiah, today.

If a person were to conduct a poll, asking science fiction fans to name their 5 favorite books, Dune would almost surely appear in at least 80% of the lists.

Frank Herbert has created something remarkable, blending several intricate subplots around the central tale of Paul Atreides to form one of the most complex and riveting tales of all time.

The Characterization is flawless and there are more ideas introduced in this one book than I have seen in a dozen of the same genre. Its only drawback or another novelity, depending on your opinion, its Herbert's writing style. Some, like my sister found it very off putting to be immediately thrust into the world with no proper explanation of terms such as the Bene Gesserit, the melange. Many have not progressed beyond the first 30 pages because of this, professing a sense of confusion. I however, find this to be a refreshing change from tthe usual lengthy explanations, which lend meat but no excitement to a novel.

Dune is a roller coaster ride of thrills, exceptional in every way, and should be read by anyone, fans of the genre or not. Wheter u love it or loath it you must admit that it is something special.

The Dosadi Experiment is a brilliant, and complicated book. The concepts Herbert indulges in here will keep you pondering for weeks, months and years after you read it. Essentially an experiment is conducted on a planet enclosed behind a created protective barrier called the 'God Wall' to keep the inhabitants from leaving. A series of hostile conditions are created complete with toxic waste, hunger and war. The inhabitants are all unknowing 'test subjects' in a grand experiment, and develop into the most dangerous people in the universe, frightening their creators with their abilities. As events unfold, the inhabitants of Dosadi actually learn how to pass through the 'God Wall' unleashing themselves on the universe and the culmination of the tale winds up in the most unusual trial you will ever read. All in all quite a facinating exploration into a broad new territory for Herbert, marking him as one of the great pioneers of the genre of Science Fiction. This book is currently out of print and the copy I have is very old, but it is well worth searching used books stores to read this one. It is actually Herbert's sequel to 'Whipping Star'.

Frank Herbert's brilliant novel, THE DOSADI EXPERIMENT, explores the gulf between that which is legal and that which is moral -- and how the former can be manipulated to undermine the latter. As such, it is perhaps the greatest literary rumination on the moral deficiencies of the law ever written. Briefly, the Gowachin race, utilizing legal constructs, has fostered an immoral structure on the planet of Dosadi -- specifically, a savage city whose residents have been exposed to brutally toxic conditions in order to turn them into the strongest, most resilient life forms in the universe. The purpose? So the Gowachin can transplant their souls into Dosadi bodies and live forever. Jorj X. McKie, "Saboteur Extraordinary" -- who previously appeared in Herbert's wonderful WHIPPING STAR -- ferrets out this grotesque scheme. It's a deftly written novel, fully developing the theme of strength through environmental conditioning that Herbert explored in DUNE. Virtually every page is filled with epiphanous concepts that make the reader gasp. This is science fiction and literature at its finest. As far as I'm concerned, it is Herbert's greatest achievement and one of the finest novels ever written.

Yes, Frank Herbert wrote other novels than the "Dune" series. Of these, "The Dosadi Experiment" is by far one of the best.

Dosadi is an artificially populated planet with a dark, dark secret. Jorg X. McKie, who was introduced in a companion novel "Whipping Star" is sent to investigate the goings-on on Dosadi, an assignment that could very well lead to his destruction.

Dosadi is a toxic planet, where survivors live either in an overpopulated fortress of a city and survive on their wits, or struggle to live on the poisonous Rim, where the very soil and plants are enemies. The people of Dosadi are tough indeed, but they are a lot more than just tough survivors. They hold a desperate secret that could upset the balance of the rest of the galaxy.

McKie's struggle to survive and to discover Dosadi's secrets make for a really exciting tale. The characters are vivid, creative (all kinds of sentient species) and very interesting. If you love good science fiction, this is a must-read.

I've been following the Dune Saga for some years now. The first book, "Dune", was by far the best of them all. Frank Herbert introduced us to the intrigueing world of great families fighting on a small but crucial planet called Dune, home of the spice.

When I finished "Dune" I couldn't wait to see what would happen to Paul Atreides "Muad'Dib", Chani, etc. Unfortunately, "Dune Messiah" was so disappointing. It seemed as if the author, run out of ideas, wished to "kill" Paul as quickly as possible. And so he did. "The Children of Dune" was enjoyable and "God Emperor of Dune" was by far the worst of the Saga.

However, despite the fourth one, I decided to read "Heretics of Dune". Now that I finished it, I must say that this book is almost as good as the first one. Thousands of years have passed since the death of Leto II and the humanity must cope with the consequences of the "Big Dispersion". All the characters in this book are new, which is a good point. This time, the author chose to focus on the Bene Gesserit Order. The description of the order is much more interesting and deeper than in the previous books. Soon we, the readers, discover that the Bene Gesserit are facing a new enemy, the Honoured Matres, who are in fact a branch of the BG that came back from the "Big Dispersion". The conflicts between the two of them and the plot are highly intrigueing, thus contributing to make this book a real page turner. It is a real fun to read about Rakis, where each corner is carring the memory of the Baron, Jessica, Paul and his children. Another good point is the arrival of a new character, Miles Teg, the Bashar of the Bene Gesserit. Herbert largely describes the old Teg: his thoughts, feelings, victories and loyalty to the order of the BG. While reading about Teg, I had the feeling that the author wanted to compensate his failure with "Dune Messiah". Teg is the image of Paul: a warrior, a lover and a father, who grew old and now has to face many inner conflicts, that each one of us has to face when our life is about to end.

As a matter of conclusion, I would say this book is very good. It has got all the usual stuff: action,love, friendship, philosophy, interesting characters and so on. Pity that it does not come right after "Dune". I can assure you that you can start with "Dune" and skip right to "Heretics of Dune". Trust me. The three previous ones are not as good and you won't miss a thing!

In Heretics of Dune, Frank Herbert takes us fifteen hundred years after the previous book and well over four thousand years beyond the original trilogy. The God Emperor is gone, the Atreides clan has faded from its former prominence, and, as always, there are a number of groups struggling for dominance.

With so many specialized types of humans and prolonged lifespans, it is not overly surprising that civilization has not undergone any truly drastic changes since Leto II's transformation. This book focuses on the Bene Gesserit, the sisterhood who have grand designs for humanity. Among others jockeying for power are the Tleilaxu who have mastered biology in other fashions. More dangerous still are the Honored Matres, a powerful organization that is a dark doppleganger of the Bene Gesserit.

Of course, there is another Duncan Idaho who is a pawn in all this scheming, but the most interesting characters are Miles Teg - a master warrior called out of retirement to mentor Duncan - and Sheeanna, a young girl who can command the sand worms of Rakis (the former Arrakis). Sheanna is probably the most refreshing character this series has had in a while; she behaves like a real child, and isn't a grand schemer unlike every other character.

This is still good science fiction. Dune/Rakis/Arrakis is not as central as in previous books, and the role of sex is much more important, at times even overshadowing the spice. At first, the story is a bit disorienting - there are no familiar characters until Duncan appears - but things pick up quickly enough. All the Dune books conclude with a new order imposed on the galaxy and this book is no exception. What that new order is, however, is for the reader to find out.

The Dune series is not always easy to read, but it is a complex and worthwhile classic of science fiction. For those who have enjoyed the previous books, this book will continue the pleasure.

The progression went like this. First we had the great Dune, then the lame Dune Messiah, then the slightly better Children of Dune.

And God Emperor of Dune was the worst of the series.

Some claim that from there, the series became just a bunch of philosophical rants. Well, this is true for God Emperor, but if ANYONE tries to say this about Heretics, I'll tell them to actually READ the book, THEN say that! There is about as much philosophy here as there was in the first Dune... theres some every once in awhile, but usually its used meaningfully in a discussion, and besides doesn't happen often anyway.

Heres another new one: the Characters' personality traits are ESTABLISHED, for once! No more random personality-changes! Herbert actually seemed to of planned this one! In fact, there was only one, ONLY ONE, event in the whole book that seemed like random conjecture... Near the end when Teg, by coincidence, meets alot of old military comrades who are extremely loyal to the point that they overlook that they retired and come under his command again.

Also, the Tleilaxu, which were simply plot devices in the earlier books, actually have some IMPORTANCE, and their Axlotl tanks are part of a sub-plot.

This book ain't quite perfect though. One, The Bene Gesserit have a new enemy to worry about... the Honored Matres, who conquer by being seductive. What's the problem? Teg, Lucille, and some other chaarcters alone manage to defeat a good amount of them... and rather easily. The Matres don't seem like much of an enemy to me.

Also, all the chaarcters except Duncan Idaho are all-new. However some of them seem more like resurrections of older characters than anything else (Miles Teg=Paul Atreides). I personally thought this book would have been alot better if, instead of taking place a millenia later, We were still on ARrakis follwing Paul, not the after-effects of the faceless drone known as Leto II.

Another thing I hate is the renaming of all the planets and cities. Arrakis is now Rakis, Caladan is now Dan. Giedi Prime is now Gammu, Arrakeen is now Keen. What the hell is up with this? This is explained in a one-liner: "Time tends to shorten titles" oh please. Colorado is Colorado, you don't see it shortened to "Rado" do you?

But anyway, none of these flaws are big enough to really lower it down to Dune Messiah level (Two Stars) or God Emperor level (One star). They do, however, keep it from being perfect.

Read the first one, get a Dune fan to sum up Messiah, Children, and God Emperor for you (Actually I could do all three right now) and skip to Heretics.

Now, I really must get through with Chapterhouse....

I pretty much agree with most of the comments below. This book is straightforward, and a good introduction to MFC. It's not a Prosise book, but it does cover the fundamentals, which are all a beginner needs anyway. The book does contain numerous errata, however. (For example, the word "hierarchy" is misspelled in the captions on both pages 18 and 19. And that's just the beginning.) Overall, however, these don't detract significantly from the book's content.

I would recommend this book to anybody who doesn't know a thing about MFC and would like to learn the basics. Just don't try to contact the author, though, who seems like a real jerk. I e-mailed him twice asking him if he would like a list of errata--even through an e-mail address that I got from the publisher--and he flat out never responded. Other authors seem grateful for such feedback, but not this guy. Anyway, even though the author seems to be someone you would never want to meet, this book is still a pretty good buy.

It's pretty hard to learn MFC, especially people that know only C/C++. I had some experience with Windows Programming, such as console application, Borland Delphi, but still I had a difficulty understanding the MFC. I tried to read some MFC books such as Visual C++ unleashed, and MCSE, but they don't help me much.
This book will not tell HOW TO USE THE WIZARD. But instead, it tells you what all those "hidden" stuffs actually do without using wizard. Now I understand how the MFC works, thanks for Schildt.

I think the "from the ground up" books are excellent". I have about 20+ years experience in various languages (fortran, C, C++, Pascal etc). Most of my experience is in straight line programming and was having trouble getting my brain around the MFC concepts. I spent a couple of days with the Windows 98 from the ground up to get the nuts and bolts view of windows programming and another couple of days with MFC Programming from the ground up. The nice thing is that the author follows the same subject matter in the same order with the same examples in all of the books. This was very helpful to me. It allowed me compare both styles and by starting with the API versions was able to see what is happening under the hood, which you won't find out if you start with MFC ( but it's close with this book).

Other reviews have complained about it being tedious as it kept using the same code with only small changes. This is the only way to teach. Any teacher worth his salt will tell you this. You don't need to type in the code as it is provided and you can cut and paste the major code and make your own changes to see various options work. Each piece of code builds on the previous which allows you to see exactly what is happening (you wouldn't see this if each example was completely different from the others). As I said I was able to do a couple of hundred pages in a few hours (it will obviously take longer if you have little experience) and it was definitely worth my while.

The complaint that this book didn't have "difficult to find stuff", is a bogus complaint. Of course it doesn't ( and I guarantee there is NO book that will give you the answer to every possible question), this is not an MFC Bible - it is a learn how to program MFC from the very beginning. It does this very well and covers all the pertinent material necessary to write a very complete program. Any programmer who has any experience at all will tell you will need many books on the same subject as REFERENCES. But without this type of book as a starting point - reference books would be of little value as you won't easily know where to find the information you need or how to use it, if you do find it.

One last observation on these reviews. When one reviewer says "Schildt's code does things in less-than-the-best way", he is obviously not a very knowledgable programmer or only know one way to do things. There is no such thing as a "best way". Sometimes a persons best way, is not a very instructive way. He claims it is too simplistic. That is the whole point of the book. If not "too" simplistic, many people will have a harder time.

I guarantee you no book will make you an expert, only experience does this. It never says it will make you an expert - but that you will learn to program windows using the MFC. This it does very well.

I'm sure some will disagree with me, but obviously Schildt did it right. Just look at all the people that this book helped. There is no way to please everyone, but I think this book comes as close as any is going to.

It may not have been his intent, but fate has made Chapterhouse Dune the last book in Frank Herbert's Dune series. There may be others, and they may even be good (I haven't yet read them), but this book represents Herbert's final words on the subject. Although not perfect, and definitely leaving things open for another book, this is, overall, a worthy addition to the series.

In this book - a direct sequel to Heretics of Dune with many of the same characters - the Bene Gesserit sisterhood is under siege, threatened by the Honored Matres, a somewhat darker version of their own organization, that is sweeping viciously across the galaxy like a barbarian horde. With the original Dune lifeless after a Matres attack, the Bene Gesserit are trying to create a similar world out of their headquarters. Although they don't think of it in those terms, they are really trying to create a planetary ghola, a clone similar to that of recurring character Duncan Idaho. The book focuses on the war between the two sisterhoods.

The book does have its flaws. The rather open-ended conclusion may be forgiven if we believe that Herbert had another book intended. The characters are, as usual, overly serious and everything they do is filled with hidden meanings. Also, there is a feeling that Herbert was making up parts of this story as he goes along, with new movements suddenly appearing (such as the futuristic Jews who have never been previously mentioned although they have supposedly always been around).

In the end, what is the central point or character of this series? Is it a history of the Bene Gesserit, the House Atreides, Duncan Idaho or some combination of all these. My feeling that the center of this saga is the Tyrant Leto, with the first trilogy (Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune) a story of his origin, the central book (God Emperor) the tale of his emperorship, and the final trilogy (Heretics, Chapterhouse and an intended final book) to be the story of Leto's Golden Path.

That is my theory. Whatever your own ideas, if you have enjoyed the previous books, you should enjoy this one also and when you conclude it, you will have read one of the most significant series in science fiction.

This was the last DUNE book that Frank Herbert would ever get to write, and it's a good thing that he even got to finish it, because he died shortly after. The title of the book was given by his wife, Bev, who died before Frank did. I've read all the books in the series, some of them more than once. Although I liked this book, I wouldn't say it's Dune's equal. But it is definitely worth reading and is one of the best endings to a series that I've read. What I mean is that I found the ending very appropriate. THE FOLLOWING MAY BE SPOILING MATERIAL IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL OF BOOK FIVE--HERETICS OF DUNE. As you know, at the end of book 5, Dune is destroyed completely. In book six, another planet is being transformed into Dune. Forests and jungles are being stripped away in favor of the desert. At least one sandworm was salvaged from Dune and is being placed on this "new" Dune. But the primary focus of book six is on a new threat known as the HONORED MATRES. These are powerful females, very much like the Bene Gesserit. As in most of the Dune books, the battles aren't so much physical as they are verbal and psychological. Some old characters make reappearances in this book and some new characters are introduced. I'm not sure if Herbert intended this to be his last Dune book, but from what I've read, it's a very fitting ending to a fantastic series!

Frank Herbert dedicates this, his last novel, to the memory of his beloved wife Bev who while he was writing the book. Not long after finishing Chapterhouse Dune, we lost Frank Herbert as well. His death ended one of science fiction's best series of novels. His son Brian has created several prequels based on Herbert's notes, but no one really can replace the wonderful writing style that made the Dune series so unique.

Chapterhouse Dune is the final, apocalyptic battle between the Bene Gesserit and their bastard offspring, the Honored Matres. In Heretics of Dune, the previous novel, we meet the Honored Matres for the first time. One of them is captured and converted (but how thoroughly) to a Bene Gesserit. Meanwhile, Darwi Odrade, Mother Superior, fights to save what little is left of the Bene Gesserit planets.

We get a much closer look at Bene Gesserit training from the inside, life on their secret Chapterhouse Planet and a hint of greater forces at work behind the scenes. The ending is equivocal; either Herbert intended another novel to answer these questions, or he deliberately left it open for us to fill in the blanks.

Either way, this is an exciting conclusion to the Dune Series and along with Heretics, one of the best novels in the series. If you are curious which books can be read in what order, you can read God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse as a single trilogy, or just Heretics and Chapterhouse. Of course, if you are impressed by Herbert's Dune series, you will want to read them all in order: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse Dune. In addition, Brian Herbert has added Dune: House Atreides and Dune: House Harkonnen, which are "prequels."