Haag has a good grasp of how government works in Texas. He covers many points that other authors may miss about the nuances among politics. I had it for a college course, but I will keep it for a reference to this state's complicated policies.

An interesting and easy to read book that explains the classic 36 strategies of ancient China, and uses extensive examples to illustrate the practical implementation of these strategies. If you are strategist and a "The Art of War" fan, then I highly recommend this book.

This should be part of every violin student's library.

You can't lose with a book about Wyoming wildlife written by a man with 35 years experience as a game warden for the state. However, know what you will and will not be getting. This book reads like a series of short stories detailing the author's decades of experience as a game warden in Wyoming. It has a conversational style. When I picked up this book, in my ignorance I thought it might be about his general experiences in the wilds of Wyoming, perhaps covering some of the wildlife management issues of the state, and maybe relating some of the joys of his work.

Rather this book describes a career of seasonal antagonism, story after story of individuals attempting to violate wildlife and exploit the system designed to protect wildlife. In this regard he does describe wildlife issues in the state but with a conflict orientation. Might be expected, that is his job, after all. But this is a discouraging book and a real eye-opener. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I would like to think that the author's jaded tone is a result of year after year of struggle. However, it was not always easy to see things from his point of view when his list of antagonists grows and grows as the pages progress, to include groups such as indians, scientists, welfare recipients, lawyers, ranchers, Texans, and especially unethical hunters ("slobs" and "nimrods"). I admire someone who could struggle for so long in a situation where seemingly everyone is against him and the wildlife he stewards.

I found that the author's perspective has enriched my understanding of the complexity of wildlife conservation issues, and the role played by outdoor sportsman, for good or ill. Outdoor sportsmen, as much or more than urban environmentalists, are in a position to make a greater difference towards conserving what little remains of our country's wild lands and species.

I have to say I was wishing that he would have written about what it was that kept him at it for so many years. I can't imagine that this man didn't have daily joys and amazing experiences related to the Wyoming wilderness that made it worthwhile for him to defend those lands and deal with all the "nimrods" and "slobs" . I got the sense that this is a man with a deep understanding and appreciation for the natural world, and an account of his wisdom in this area would have perfected this book for me. As it stands, however, I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in conservation issues, hunting and outdoor recreation.

This is a great workbook for someone who is trying to learn music theory either on their own or with a tutor. I would recommend it to everyone!

But that's not saying a lot. There are a number of interesting concepts presented in this book and the coverage of existing products is well done. On the downside, there are too many words expended about what is to be covered in each chapter which would be better spent in actual coverage; the book lacks continuity. Still, it is unique as it is the only book on the subject that covers in any sort of depth implementation concerns.

It would be fair to say that this review of "Children of the Mind" encompasses the final portion of its predecessor, "Xenocide", as well. "Children of the Mind" is the final episode in the 4-book Ender's 'Quartet' that began with "Ender's Game" (though, it's not he final book in the Ender's series. There a additional books to tell more about this universe from alternate points of view). For the most part this four part 'magnum opus' by author Orson Scott Card is a fabulous science-fiction/personal drama saga. The legendary book "Ender's Game" more than lived up to the hype and was a winner of the two most prestigious science-fiction writing awards: Hugo and Nebula Awards. It's sequel, "Speaker for the Dead", was a dramatically different, but equally affecting continuation of the story of Ender Wiggin. It, too, won the Hugo and Nebula Awards. The third story in this cycle, "Xenocide", was closer in tone to "Speaker..." and dealt the consequences of the actions taken in "Speaker...". For most of the book "Xenocide" was as compelling as "Speaker..." and seemed to be driving towards an exhilarating conclusion. Unfortunately, Card took a dramatically unexpected turn in attempting to resolve the issues. On the very surface, it seemed like a fascinating premise. But, as Card delved more deeply into the explanations of this solution, the concept got murkier and more convoluted. The concept of going 'out' of the physical universe and being 'pulled back in' at any location with no time loss seemed to be metaphysical and existential in its fleshed-out form.

This problem plagues "Children of the Mind" because its whole story is based upon the concluding events in "Xenocide". Card's attempt find some deep and great meaning to everything sacrifices the very elements that made "Ender's Game", "Speaker for the Dead", and most of "Xenocide" such fine literature: it does deal with the depth of the characterization that powered the other stories. So expertly crafted in the earlier novels, the characters in "Children of the Mind" seem nothing more than two-dimensional caricatures of their earlier renderings.

That being said, the reason "Children of the Mind" still merits a positive review is because it does wrap up the 'Ender's Quartet' in a satisfying manner and doesn't resort to any cheap gimmicks to bring about the resolutions. It's an above average novel that just seems very disappointing when compared to its predecessors.

I think, personally, people are being a little biased against this book.

The books Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind are basically seperate from Ender's Game. It's a different story, more or less, with Ender as the main character.

The major difference between these two "series" is that Ender's game is more brash and fast paced. The next three are more scientific, moral, and focus more on what the right thing is to do.

But more about this specific book:

While many readers are mad that Ender does die a while before the book ends, the title, "Children of the Mind" implies his "children" will fufill his quest; also , read the back of the book; he is not meant to be the main focus in this book.

The reason I don't think people really understand this book (Although they are entitled to their own opinions) is that you have to be really paying attention to it to understand it. At the beginning of Xenocide, they started talking about "philoites" and souls, and what keeps bodies and people who know eachother "twined together" so to speak. It may seem weird at first, but once you read through the series, this book works.

Just to be clear, the book is NOT as straightforward as Ender's Game or Speaker for the Dead, but if you are willing to devote your undivided attention to Xenocide and Speaker for the Dead they are great reads.

Quite frankly, I don't think some people are smart enoguh to really understand Xenocide and Children of the Mind, but I can see how some people don't like the book. I respect their opinions. Although I hope you read this book regardless of whether you heard good reviews or bad reviews, because it is the conclusion to the series.

All in all, the book finished all the questions we had from the previous books and made some new ones come up that do not tie in to the story directly. Is another book coming? I hope so.

If you read the series up to Children of the Mind, don't stop there. It is a great read and a good conclusion. You'd be missing out if you didn't. It might turn out that you will hate it. But it's not a extremely long book anyway. I would dive right in.

CoTM is, of course, an excellent book - it's Card on Ender, what else is there to say? If you haven't read the first books, read them first, otherwise you'll have a hard time understanding huge chunks of the plot. Taken as the conclusion of the series it's a great book, though not as good as the first two in the series. Ender's game (the first book) is one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read, so, remember - all critism is relative.

It's a beautiful book - philosophy, drama, and science all blended together perfectly. I had to try to slow myself down as I was reading it - I was going so fast I was skipping lines! As soon as I finished it I wanted to read the series all over again, all at once. I know there are things I missed this time because of the time interval since I read Zenocide.

"In the year 1999 and seven months
from the skies will come a great king of Terror
Reviving the great king of the Mongols
Before and after there will be war"
I believe this was fulfilled on September 11, 2001. Nostradamus thought that this event would happen soon after the August 11, 1999 eclipse and that is why he said 1999 instead of 2001. In Nostradamus time September was the seventh month so this part is actually correct. The airplanes of course came from the sky and it was the worst terrorist event in history when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. This was definitely a great king of Terror. I do not know what the third line means but it is possible that it is referring to Osama bin Laden. The fourth line is predicting that War World III is about to begin as a result of this king of Terror. Nostradamus has other predictions that say this will be a religious war between Islam and Christianity(the West). This is exactly what Osama bin Laden wants. He also says in another quatrain that the doomsday war might begin in the summer of 2002 which could very well happen as a result of the current war on Terrorism. Nostradamus says that sometimes after or during the war a King will make peace. This King may be the same Antichrist that is mentioned in the Bible. The book of Daniel says he will make peace with many countries including Isreal for seven years and break the peace agreement 3 and one half years later. This is to be taken very seriously because this may all be in our immediate future which means that the end of the world as we know it is almost here.

I bought Nostradamus' Prophecies way back in 1971. Approximately around that same time I saw a documentary hosted by actor George Kennedy; in the coming decades more and disasters were predicted (earthquakes, fires, floods, global warming etc). I have been thinking about it every since.

Being interested in all earth matters I have watched every National Geographic documentary on meteorites and comets; about the odds that earth can be hit again, the probability that that is why the dinasaur became extinct, and about the comet that fell to earth in 1908 in Siberia.

And then, then I read Stefan Paulus' book "Nostradamus 1999" and I feel the jigsaw puzzle is completed. Paulus has interpreted the prophecies into real possibilities, based on realism and on actual facts. He knows what he is talking about.

We will be able to see the comet coming during the eclipse. The European 1999 eclipse (August 11th at 11.11 am) is to be seen in a.o. France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and Joesoslavia (!).

I sincerely hope that Mr Paulus took the wrong prophecies and interpreted them in the wrong sequence. I would advise everyone who is interested in world politics, and who has a healthy and keen interest in what is happening to earth, to buy this book. Read it, digest it intelligently and do, or don't do whatever you feel is necessary.

I checked the Astronomy charts, after reading this Book, there is a solar eclipse over part of Europe, in 1999. As predicted by Nostradamus in the 15th Century. During this Eclipse "The" Great King of Terror is discovered. This Meteor/Asteroid will impact the s.atlantic ocean, with such force, that it will cause Ejecta from the ocean floor to reach Space, knocking out our satellites over a period of two years and ultimately triggering fault lines world wide. This impact will be either the seventh month July or the ninth month, Sept due to the different Calenders (Julian/Gorgarian). The recent Vatican News (three deaths inside the Vatican) do you know that Nostradamus in quantrain 77 in the first line predicts "the Antichrist quickly annihilates three (3)". These were two Murders/Suicide. Now if the Antichrist was behind this, it would be deemed as three murders, on the doorstep of civilizations faith. Buy this BOOK It is the best done YET, The only Man who has taken (the confusing) Revelations and correlates some of the events with Nostradamu's Visions. You will like this Book, it will make you think!!!!!

Let me state it clearly upfront -- I love Spenser. I also hold Hawk in high esteem. And Pearl never fails to charm me. I always consider time spent with these characters time well spent. I enjoyed the twists this plot took me on and appreciated that Spenser and Parker both respected the Asian/American community depicted here. HOWEVER, most of the female characters in this book were more than a little hard to like. Susan seems almost oblivious to the danger she perpetually puts her lover in. And, while I don't want to give too much of the plot away, let's just say that a lot of the story hinges on the selfish, shallow motives of women, as well. The misogyny of this work almost gave me the creeps. Of the new characters, DeSpain is the most intriguing.

Port City must be the most dreary place on planet Earth. I've never been there, but I feel like I have. Spenser somehow escaped pneumonia in this twisted thriller, not too mention being the #1 target of the Chinese mafia. This unusual story starts with a Greek theater director, who thinks he's being stalked. Then it takes off with murder, illegal immigration, and some whacky women. Spenser needs more help than Hawk can give him, so he finds a thug named Vinnie and a Chinese grad student to help him navigate through the streets of Port City in this curious adventure. The book reads well, and the plot twists keep you entertained. Robert Parker knows how to write a book that reads fast.

By the time you get to "Walking Shadow," the twenty-first Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker, you expect there to be a certain escalation in the dangers confronting our hero. The clearest sign of that this particular time around the block is that Spenser needs the backup of both Hawk and Vinnie Morris the defrocked mobster. Having faced down billionaire eccentrics, syndicate bosses and homicidal maniacs, Spenser is now facing what might be his greatest danger, a Chinese tong. As with the life in the projects portrayed in "Double Deuces," Parker has been reading up on Chinese-American culture, continuing to expand Spenser's horizons. Certainly the extent to which this novel is concerned with the problems of illegal Chinese immigration makes it far and away the most socially conscious Spenser story. At one point Hawk tells Spenser this is the silliest case they have ever worked together, but by the end that proves most decidedly not to be true.

Susan Silverman, a board member of the Port City Theater Company, asks our hero to discover the identity of the figure in black who has been stalking the Artistic Director. During a performance of an obtuse play that makes "Waiting for Godot" a paragon of clear reason, a figure in black shoots dead one of the actors on stage. The square peg to be pounded into the round hole this time around is how these two acts are connected. After all, Spenser does not believe in coincidence, especially when he starts nosing around and is quickly threatened by the head of the tong. Toss into the mix the local chief of police, a former state cop who appears to have sold his good name to obtain a small measure of power in this world. "Walking Shadow" is probably the Spenser novel in which our hero seems most like a duck out of water, because, after all, this time around its Chinatown (supply your own dramatic music). Fortunately the man knows how to be patient. On the home front there is not much cooking in this novel (lots of sandwiches and picnic lunches), but Spenser and Susan are busy restoring a cottage for their weekends together where Pearl gets to chase squirrels. "Walking Shadow" is certainly an above average Spenser novel with some of Parker's better twists at the end of the ride.

As I was reading this book, I felt that this theme had been covered before and was doubtful that Bear could add that much new. However, as I continued reading, I realized that Bear's take on a fairly common theme (disease & elimination of humans) was different and I grew to respect his topic. However, I don't think the overall story & the plot gave enough support to his theme.

Darwin's Radio was very interesting at the beginning, less interesting in the middle, and somewhat boring by the time the lackluster ending rolled around. I started getting a little bored when the action shifted from being about science in general and how science is done to being about one relationship. In addition, the entire last quarter of the book felt like a set up for a sequel, which I definitely don't respect. There wasn't a sense of closure from finishing this book.

Overall, some good ideas, some well-constructed writing, some hard science balanced with some boring characters, some uninteresting plot lines, and some lackluster relationships.

This novel has an intriguing premise, concerning a new step in human evolution. Greg Bear has definitely done his research into this area, as the book is overflowing with extremely precise biology and chemistry. Bear was sure to make the scientific aspects of the story plausible in light of the most recent knowledge, and that is what makes for strong science fiction. Sadly, the intricate scientific information becomes overwhelming and starts to needlessly take up space as the story progresses. At times you get the impression that Bear is merely showing off his own knowledge. This is all at the expense of the characters. First, there are far too many minor characters uselessly cluttering up the plot, while the major characters are superficial and underwritten, often speaking in either nerdy scientific jargon or predictable clichés and platitudes. This weakness is also quite evident in some of the clunkiest love scenes you will ever encounter. Meanwhile, Bear's background storyline concerning the breakdown of social order is full of holes and is lacking in plausibility. In fact, plausibility is a quality he obsesses over with the science but not with the plot and characters. Overall, while it seems groundbreaking, few of the premises of this novel are original. The medical and scientific events are strongly influenced by Robin Cook, the breakdown of society arising from a new and rampaging virus was dealt with much more hauntingly by Stephen King in "The Stand," and the concept of a new and improved step in human evolution is straight from "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke. This is worth reading but is not a stunner.

The premise of this book sounded very interesting, and having read Greg Bear before, I was excited to give "Darwin's Radio" a try. The idea behind the book is that evolution does not occur in gradual changes over many eons of life. Instead, when the human race feels a pressured it evolves in a giant leap. This is an exciting idea because it gives a good explanation to missing links in man's evolution. A dormant virus, called SHEVA, is buried within our genome passed on down from generation to generation. Suddenly, the virus becomes active and expresses itself, which infects both men and women, but causes flu like symptoms and spontaneous abortions in females.

Enter our hero, Kaye Lang, a researcher who hypothesized the existence of such viruses in our genome. It turns out that she is correct, and becomes the leading expert on the disease. The novel starts off as a deep bio-thriller, but it never follows through in delivering the goods. About halfway through the book, the science takes a back seat to politics, and it becomes a book about the government trying to control this strange new outbreak. There were several times that Bear brought up something that could have led to an interesting conclusion, but chose not to follow it. I felt that his characters started to take the path of least resistance and disappointed me for the last third of the book.

I'll probably read the sequel to finish the story. I do like the way Bear writes, and when I was involved with the reading at the beginning of the book, the story was great. I don't see this book as science fiction or a bio-thriller, and was disappointed when he finally came to the conclusion that it wasn't going to be either.