This is the last novel of the trilogy by this famous Russian author. Fascinating, fast-paced action brings the reader into the mystical world where ancient and modern world converge.

This well-written book vividly illustrates the various aspects of urban life in Saint Petersburg before World War I. The photographs are stunning. They help the reader see the great contrasts between the various classes of Petersburg's people. While one might enjoy the fine views of the city's palaces and pictures of the Tsars and other members of the upper classes, the vivid pictures of the city's flophouses (dross houses) remind the reader of the hideous gap between the rich and the poor classes. This book is a must read for history buffs who want to see what life was like in pre-World War I Russia. It is entirely suitable for the family--the pictures will surely grab the attention of school-age children, while the older readers will enjoy the highly readable texts which accompany the photographs. The last photograph in this book is quite poignant. It shows Tsar Nicholas II at the balcony of his palace at the start of Russia's participation in World War I. One can tell, from Nicholas' face, that his decision to participate in that war would be, in the end, a fatal one. World War I would help hasten the end of the Russian monarchy and the coming of the Soviet regime.

These radio episodes have an effective way of keeping the listener at the edge of their seat. Lucille Ball's performance was no exception. Here, she comes out of the ditsy housewife roles she's so famous for and plays a conniving seducing witch who will stop at nothing to get her way. I highly recommend listening to these with the lights turned off or down low.

This is a non-measure theoretic treatment of probability whose scope is similar to the first volume of Feller. Although each topic begins with a few simple but insightful examples, what they result is somewhat in-depth discussion. There are minor problems in writing and editing, but I found none so serious. This is another amazing Russian mathematics book that begins at an elementary level but ends with some real treatment, and this book is totally accessible to those who did not rigorously study analysis or measure theory. Highly recommend this to those who seriously desire to study probability.

What is also apparent as a feature of this book is that Gnedenko often notes the details of history. He spends a 70-page-appendix for this purpose besides many little footnotes. The author often integrates historical evidences as a part of the treatment. I believe one still benefits a lot from this historical notes, even if already familiar with the subject.

This book has chapters on the author's specialty topics: limit theorems and infinitely divisible distributions. This book also has a chapter on stochastic processes and elements of statistics, the latter which Feller's first volume does not touch. However, these brief treatments are only for introductions to each subject.

This is the best book in my collection. I read it over and over again, and it is The Wellspring of Good for every person who reads it. It brings me closer to the Master and the Truth. In reading this book, you can feel that it is indeed food for the soul.

This is a really nice book on the Slav. I find myself using it more than Sadler's book. It has 76 well-annotated games, a great introductory chapter on ideas of the Slav, and a nice index of variations at the end. The whole thing is just very well-done. The authors are "two Siberian masters" who really know their stuff, and are quite intense about it.

{Based on the English translation from the Russian original, which several reviewers have said is a quite credible representation...} A friend insisted we get out of our mystery thriller rut and read a book he described as science fantasy. Having never read anything sci-fi, this was quite an adventure! Things get going quickly with an interesting premise: extra-terrestrials have apparently visited earth (for a picnic) and left behind many unusual items, of which the earthlings have little or no clue of their origin or intended purpose. The items become hot commodities, and despite the danger in retrieving them from "The Zone", a massive black market arises, enough to propel the lives of the characters in the story.

The plot mostly traces the life of one "stalker", Red Schuhart, who goes after this stuff at various periods over several years. While the storyline is not really a nice tidy recounting of how he starts out and how he ends up, it provides a very allegorical account of the oppressive conditions in Soviet Russia (early 1970's). Indeed, the real meat of the book is the discussion of issues about life and freedom expressed indirectly through tracing the development of the lead characters.

The book is not really a typical sci-fi thriller that entertains with weird beings, strange places, and made-up gimmicks. Rather, this is a thought-provoking probe of a (to us) foreign way of living and a controlling society that governs everyday social interaction. That the authors could pull this off 30-some years ago, in a tightly censored environment, makes the book all the more amazing. For sure not a light reading session, "Roadside Picnic" may not entertain as much as some might like, particularly with the fairly abrupt ending, but insight into the human condition awaits.

It was the first book of A.& B.Strugatsky I've read when I was 16. After that I have re-read it 5 or 6 times... Brilliant thing about the meaning of life, about the place of human being, about happiness and despair. We, Russians, use to call this style "social phantasy", not SF. You can understand this, if you understand in what country this book was written. Developing the theme of postcommunist society, authors have created their own world, and you can find a lot of analogies and heroes that are common for some other books of them. Yes, Picnic is one of the best, but don't stop - there are other exciting works...

If you know how to read, read this. If not, have someone read it to you. In the everspreading ocean of modern day sci-fi, this stands out on too many levels to mention here. Its more than great sci-fi, more than a skillfully and wonderfully written book, more than an amazing adventure, more than a deep insight into the very depths of human nature. Its just more. Believe someone who has read a lot of sci-fi in several languages: this is the ultimate of world science fiction. If you can read it in Russian, obviously do so; if you can't, read it in English or any other language you understand. And if possible, make it a point to find other books by these wonderful people, for these books belong to the rare category of books that will change the way you perceive the world forever.

There are rare occurences where a movie outshines the story on which it is based, such as with Bladerunner or 2001. In that vein, I have to give Charles Beaumont, Twilight Zone veteran and screenwriter for the film "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao", some real credit, as he completely transcended the source. Seeing the movie and then reading this book... well, there's no comparison.

I know that Charles Finney's novel "The Circus of Dr. Lao" is a cult classic and loved by many, but I have to offer the other side of the coin, as the book was a huge disappointment to me. The basic plot has a mysterious asian man appearing in the town of Abalone, AZ, to put on the strangest circus the residents have ever seen. Far from being populated by clowns, acrobats, and animals, Dr. Lao's circus is full of mythological beasts that provide insight into human nature. We are introduced to a cast of cardboard locals who, while serving as a vehicle to introduce the oddities of the circus they attend, play no worthwhile part in the story. Finney's writing style is uneven in the extreme - there are a few bits of brilliance that completely overshadow the predominantly unpolished text. It's almost as if the book is a collection of notes for what would have been a much larger novel, and it could be a work of art if expanded upon and given some direction. As the story is only ~100 pages, expansion would have been appreciated instead of the pointless appendix of characters, creatures, items, and study questions (!) which is oddly in-depth for a story with such lightweight content. The ending of the story is very abrupt and has no real explanation. Nothing is solved, and there is no conclusion: did anyone learn anything from their encounters? We never know.

As a final note, think twice before throwing this one at your kids: this is not a book for children, and while some of the situations may seem somewhat tame by today's trash novel standards, it's obvious that the objective was to titillate readers in 1938. So, if you want something with real focus and a message, I recommend that you view the movie "The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao" instead of reading the source material. The only reason I hold on to this book is because of my love for the movie, as well as the beautiful illustrations by Boris Artzybasheff.

It is difficult to describe the wonder of this book. It is a short book of a little over a hundred pages. The category that it has been sold under is science fiction. The book has no plot but tells of a strange circus setting up in a small town. The owner of the circus Dr Lao is a Chinese man who changes between being a strange 1920's racist caricature to a person of the clear flowing oratory.

The book develops as the residents of the small town visit each of the exhibits. Each exhibit opens up a world of magic. The author attempts to satirise the residents of the town by contrasting their mundaneness with a world of passion and mystery.

The one exception to this is a dialogue between a sea monster and an office clerk. The sea monster is so large that it could destroy any other creature with a flip of its tale. Its power is dwarfed by the power of the clerk who is unremarkable but representative of the power of humanity as a collective mass.

The climax to the book is one of the most humours pieces of writing in science fiction. This book is now sadly out of print and will probably never be published again. Yet it is a work that deserves to endure for ever.

A definite must-read for anyone who appreciates real literature.

This is a truly fantastic book. It's amazing that something written so many years ago can make such an engaging read today. The relevance and staying power of this intriguing book is a testament to the author's brilliance. In fact, there are few contemporary American authors I have read that can match Finney's skill and mastery of the English language. The subtleties in the dialogues, the multi-faceted characters, and Finney's brilliant economy of words make it difficult to put this book down.

The story is a timeless one, it is set in an unknown small Arizona town but Finney brings the events magically to life.

I found this a brilliant work that doesn't necessarily fit the modern science fiction genre. It's a refreshing and intellectual break from tired "classics" like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.

I first read "The Circus of Dr. Lao" as a teenager and it's characters and events have stayed in my mind all these years. I'm very pleased to see it in print again, and I hope to see more of Finney's works on the shelves soon. He obviously deserves to take his place among the "greats" of American literature.

I first bought Boris Starling's "Storm", and liked it a lot. I then began looking for other books by Boris Starling and came across "Messiah". I don't know how people could go around bashing this book. I found it very educational and suspenseful. This book was about Detective Red Metcalfe following the blood trail of a serial killer. Although Red didn't have any likeable attributes, it didn't hamper the plot any. I felt that this book was a clever thriller that made the reader think and try to piece it all together. I didn't suspect the killer until the last minute. I had to read it again to pick up the little clues that the author left throughout the book. Overall I thought this was a very well written book, and that Boris Starling is a very talented writer.

I read this book during two rainy summer nights ... and I liked it a lot. The author investigates the minds of one serial killer, and one detective. There are other characters too, of course, but these two characters are the ones really worth studying. Red Metcalfe at Scotland Yard is hunting a very skilfull serial killer, who does not leave any traces behind. It seems hopeless, but he and his team eventually manages (with a little help from the killer himself) to figure out the pattern. The problem is only that now that they know, they feel even more helpless. More people may be killed anyway.

Starling lets us follow the thoughts of both Red Metcalfe and the serial killer ... which is both very interesting and thought-provoking. I would say that this is a very well made study of man's mind in general - only most of us are neither serial killers nor detectives. Still, Starling has much to teach us about the darker side of humanity, the side that most of us successfully suppress. Aside from the psychological part, this book is a real page turner and actually a very quick read although it is almost 500 pages long. It is very hard not to read just another chapter ...

The end actually surprised me, and I am not easily surprised. I have read lots of detective stories (although this is more of a thriller than a detective story) and it is seldom one gets really surprised. I have never seen an end constructed like this one, and I would say that it is as inventive as the end of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

Wow-whatta book! I didnt know exactly what to expect from this book....never read anything from the writer before so I was a bit wary. The first chapter easily took away any doubts that I wouldnt enjoy this book. A well-written and fast-paced book-good luck trying to put the book down and heading to bed! ;) There are some prerequisite ploit twists and turns....but very good and effective ones at least! I was most impressed by the authors effectiveness when it camr to the killer and all of his specificies......I was truly impressed at how intelligent and intruiging the crimes were and even more so when you find out just what the killers pattern is. Overall, this is one of the best books I've read all year, and definitely the best thriller! :O)

by an interesting author. I recommend you search the web for "Boris Akunin" interviews, as well as other reviews of this book (they are overwhelmingly positive). Since the Editorial Review above adequately describes the novel, I'm not going to re-hash it and perhaps inadvertantly spoil something for a future reader. Instead, I'll use this space as I believe it's intended (namely, to tell you what I liked and disliked about the book).

As one of the managers employed by the world's largest bookstore chain I am exposed to, and actually find the time to read, a great number of mystery books. As such, and despite the need to overlook some of the far-fetched aspects of the plot (but hey, what's a secret agent story without a bit of unreality), I hereby pronounce this book to be A CUT ABOVE THE NORM (that's an officially copyrighted term-of-art, of course).

Seriously, though, I found this book to be quite enjoyable for, mainly, three reasons: Beautiful language, such as the opening sentence, "On Monday the thirteenth of May in the year 1876, between the hours of two and three in the afternoon on a day that combined the freshness of spring with the warmth of summer, numerous individuals in Moscow's Alexander Gardens unexpectedly found themselves eyewitnesses to the perpetration of an outrage that flagrantly transgressed the bounds of common decency;" the exotic historical settings (1876 Russia AND England); and, most importantly, superior characterization. The author does a good job of evolving a likeable but naive and pampered low-level agent (Erast Fandorin) into a more experienced but still wet-behind-the-ears, high-level agent (keep in mind the Fandorin adventures will span 12 books and many years in Erast's life, so there are probably better showings to come from our hero). Where Mr. Akunin (whose pen-name translates from the Japanese, or so I've read, as "villain" or "evil") really excels is in his creation of likable/sympathetic/ruthless "bad guys." In my opinion, nothing completes a work of violent entertainment like a great villain (think Alan Rickman in Die Hard, if you'll pardon the switch from books to movies). While it is, admittedly, pretty easy to spot the bad guys from a jaded-reader point-of-view, I can understand why Fandorin doesn't suspect them earlier given his level of experience in things cloak and dagger. Regardless, Akunin is able to overcome minor weaknesses in the story through positive characterization and interesting plot twists.

On a final note, just so you don't think this book is just for mid-thirties, male, computer-chair Jim West's, the Winter Queen was also read and enjoyed by one of my co-workers, a book-devouring, semi-retired, 70+ year-old woman.

I hope you like the book.

Such a small book and yet so richly packed. The translation is, well, delightful. You'd swear this book really was written in the 1870s. It's full of wonderful little details such as Russian Roulette being referred to as American Roulette, and Fandorin's boss having one of the first of a new invention called the telephone. The characters are intriguing, especially the neophyte detective Erast Fandorin. More than a few times I was thinking, "No! Don't do that! Pay attention to your job!" But, obviously he wasn't listening...
I was sad to see this book end and hope the rest in the series get translated NOW. If you like reading Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky (is that spelled right?), give this a shot. It's not as deep as those authors, but it captures their styles well.
Also, this had one of the most shocking and devastating endings I've read in a book in a LONG time. I am still trying to deal with it.

I read this book in Russian (I read all of Akunin's book about Fandorin). He is one of the best writers Russia has to offer right now. He is intelligent, writes with such great detail, that you'd think he lived in 1800's Russia. All of the books continue as Fandorin grows up, and becomes better at what he does. His methods, while common nowdays, are brand new to that era and generations. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the likes of Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, etc.

Also, a good book to learn about Czarist Russian.