Gordon Kessler has crafted himself one fine, scary thriller in Jezebel.
The fact that this scenario actually could happen made it all the more frightening to me. I couldn't help but think while reading it what a good movie it would make. All the ingredients are at hand: interesting characters, with non-stop fright and suspense that plays well against the Heartland locale. The prologue alone was enough to make my hair stand on end.

Tony Parker is the very-married hero with a devoted wife, two small children, and a St. Bernard to round out his life. Financial problems forced him to drop out of college one year short of his veterinary degree and he sees no way of completing that schooling any time soon. Despite that, Tony has made a good living for himself as Animal Control Officer of Sedgwick County Kansas and the City of Wichita. He's an organized and efficient boss with a deep love and respect for animals and is well respected by his supervisors and peers. The worst danger he has to face is an occastional bite from an animal that might be rabid. It would be an idyllic set up if not for a couple unanticipated complications.

Complication one. Tony's a good looking guy, a fact not overlooked by his young assistant Sarah Hill. She's made seducing the devoted family man her number one priority. Tony loves his wife and is not the play-around type, but a little of the zip HAS gone out of his marriage and Sarah IS an eyeful and well, Tony is only human. Sarah's selfish attempts at seduction turn out to be not so entertaining when all is said and done.

Complication two. People in Wichita and the surrounding area are dying horrible deaths unexpectedly, ripped to pieces by family pets. With each new grisly discovery, Tony's reputation as a professional goes from bad to worse. His job is on the line and solutions to the mystery escape him. Soon the nightmares begin, of Jezebel the huge demented demon dog that stalks Wichita. His behavior starts to change, as he suffers with the symptoms of what may turn out to be a fatal illness. One by one his closest friends are attacked and Tony fears his family will be next. Who or what has brought this horror to Tony and Wichita, and why?

Jezebel is a heart pounding, adrenaline pumping story and Mr. Kessler writes well. I recommend it to adults who enjoy suspense and fright. Not recommended for anyone under 18 due to sexual situations and grisly descriptions of violent death.

What makes docile pets become vicious - turning on their owners with savage fury? Animal Control Director, Tony Parker, has to find out - and quickly. People in Wichita, Kansas are being torn to bits with alarming regularity.

During what is believed to be the first attack - on a nice elderly gentleman who lived, and then obviously died, for his two dogs - a hellish hound is unleashed on the good citizens of Wichita. One of the victim's pets, a huge black Great Dane named Jezebel, is on the loose. Her size seems to be matched only by her fury.

Tony, a happily married man whose life has settled into a comfortable place, is being pursued by his partner, Sarah Hill. She is a hot-to-trot vixen who has her sights set squarely on him. He doesn't really want to cheat on his wife - but Sarah has no concerns about his marriage or his morals. Her only concern is for her own libido - and protecting their lives against a world of canines gone crazy. Her relentless quest for Tony is sparking reactions in him he didn't expect and doesn't know if he can control. He isn't sure if "comfortable" is what he wants anymore.

Lt. Jack Simpson, a member of the Wichita Police Department, joins his long-time friend in a frantic chase to find answers to questions they're not sure they understand - before anyone else dies. One other small problem: Tony's been bitten by a skunk. Could the animal be rabid? Is Tony chasing death on four legs - with his own demise following close behind?

Gordon Kessler has crafted a compelling and intense novel that grabs you by the throat and won't let go. His characters are well drawn and complex. You'll find yourself yelling out loud at them in either fear or frustration. The plot is full of twists and turns that never let you relax.

JEZEBEL is definitely a book you will remember. You may also find yourself looking a little nervously at your beloved pet. Is that a smile - or could it be a snarl...?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This little book brings instant delight to young and old - it will fascinate children the most! Children jostle for position, but cooperate and take turns to "see" what it is all about.

The idea for this goes back earlier than the "turn of the century" since it is mentioned by some authors as already in museums as long ago as 1749: "Some idea can be formed by those who have seen in museums the optical cylinders in which beautiful images are represented from things roughly projected....which when they are concentrated toward the cylinder, they there present a lovely image." (Swedenborg)

I have myselt purchased several dozen of this book, and given it as gifts, much to the delight of all concerned.

This book is excellent. It is a shame that it is out of print. It has great illustrations and it is about therapsids and synapsida everyones favorite proto-mammals.

Although I read this many years ago, I still consider it one of the most unusual and interesting sci-fi books I have read (although, perhaps, not equal to Jack Chalker's JUNGLE OF STARS or Kuttner and Moore's EARTH'S LAST CITADEL).

The HELIX AND THE SWORD is a fascinating look at the distant future where nuclear war (between the Second English Ascendency - America - and the Empire of the Rose - Soviet Russia) has driven man from Earth and limited resources caused man to adapt by creating living spaceships and worlds called synes (synthetic lifeforms) which can only be created by the mysterious Sisterhood of the Nucleotides. Life is strictly regulated and most people can only reproduce by a Writ of Generation given for outstanding service. Jesus, Karl Marx and Arthur the Blessed Clarke compose the trinity while Yuri Gagarin, the first Cosmonaut in space, is considered the trickster who escaped gravity!

Treachery and intrigue follow the hapless Dyson as he is caught up in an assassination and secret plans to return man to life on Earth.

Unfortunately, this book suffers from two flaws: (1) it is somewhat dated due to the fall of the USSR, and (2) near the beginning, the author makes the mistake of having Dyson trained in the arts of the fist and having, as required, killed a man, barehanded, yet later on it becomes clear that Dyson is no trained killer and that such is quite foreign to the character.

Otherwise, this is a very entertaining book.

This is a very interesting, and in many ways presicient, work of science fiction. The author created a compelling future world based on genetic engineering well before these ideas were common. He incorporated religous and mythic elements into the story in a particularly creative manner. The writing is very good. This book is a fine combination of technological extrapolation and story telling. The best comparisons I can think of for this book, and this is a considerable compliment, are books of Arthur Clarke's such as the City and the Stars. If you are a science fiction fan, and find a copy of this book, buy it and read it.

I lent this book out years ago to a friend and never got it back - my loss and a major one at that!

I would rate this book as being amongst the best Sci Fi I have ever read, on a scale in richness and complexity with Dune - though Dune would possibly win by a hair :-) The ending while fascinating is possibly a little *too* romantic...

I know of only one other book by the author and would very much like to know if John McLoughlan has written any more books apart from Toolmaker Koan - email me on jv@zipworld.com.au if you know.

Why don't we hear other civilizations when we point our radio telescopes at the stars? Because when a species reaches the toolmaking stage, extinction is not far behind. The rate of social evolution is quickly overwhelmed by the speed of technological innovation.

Unfortunately, the story in which this hypothesis unfolds is not up to the quality of the idea that frames it. I'd love to see this idea explored by Theodore Sturgeon or Asimov or even Heinlein.

Indeed a highly imaginitive book, full of mindstretching ideas. Not to be missed for those who love ground breaking SF. However it seems to miss something in the story department: it is not as readable as some other works that may be compared to it in scope of ideas.

In Toolmaker Koan John McLoughlin doesn't think small. First, he gives us an answer to Enrico Fermi's famous unanswered question, "Where are they?" Then he tackles geological time and gives us an ingenious explanation for the great Cretaceous extinction, including a cause for the iridium anomaly at the K-T boundary. Finally, he tackles the very concept of intelligence. He wraps all of this in a damned good yarn involving desperate races between the planets, alien contact, new and ancient mysteries, and a very unusual artificial intelligence. A good and thought provoking read!