A well-written commentary on Genesis; but the only drawback it has is that it lacks depth in some places. Waltke along with Fredricks have written a commentary where the layperson as well as the advanced scholar can be comfortable, for the Hebrew words have been transliterated thus allowing the commentary to reach a wider audience. I like the way the entire book is laid out especially the sections - Theological Reflections and Literary Analysis, as they compliment the main text. This book will come handy for preparing a sermon or doing study notes; but if one wants to do an indept research one will need to purchase the works by the likes of Leupold, Hamilton and Wenham. I would still recommend you buy this commentary even if you already own another one on Genesis, and you will not be sorry you bought it.

Dr. Waltke has presented us with the best commentary on Genesis that I have read in a long time. As a Bible study leader this book is indispensable. He exegetes each section which he has divided up into Acts & Scenes - don't let this confuse you, it his own way of "separating" the contents. He not only give us exegetical notes but includes a theological review of each "Act". I have never read a book so designed to correctly use the Word of God. It not only is a delight to read but is a most helpful book for preparing a Bible study. His insights and high view of God are inspiring.

I ordered this book months back but it still has not arrived!

Historical amusement about the Maximillian episode in Mexico. The book is serious about the history, viewing the times primarily from the point of view of three characters: an officer, and an official on the royalist side, and the Empress Charlotte herself. The depiction of the urban fighting was particularly good. It was also very good in depicting a time when fighters could show localized bravery, yet not have a deep commitment to the general cause for which they were fighting (cf Afghanistan and switching of sides). The narrator is a German officer in World War I who has fictional encounters with the Empress Charlotte, still alive, and is given the diary of the Mexican officer. The German officer's character is well drawn. The book is marred by Farcau's attempt to develop colorful characters and exciting plot details, both of which ultimately fall flat.

A Little Empire Of Their Own is a superbly written historical novel set in a yesteryear era of Mexico and Europe. Author Bruce Farcau has paid meticulous attention to historical background accuracy with respect to Mexico and its politics as he introduces us to the Empress Charlotte, a seemingly mad royal recluse who in 1914 is living in a shabby Belgian palace where she plots revenge that will ultimately bring destruction to one of Europe's great dynasties for having betrayed and abandoned her and the Emperor Maximilian decades earlier in their brief and turbulent reign in the 1860s. A Little Empire Of Their Own is a riveting, very highly recommended story of adventure, romance, history and war.

The author uses the unique vehicle of the Macchiavelian plotting by the aged, insane Empress Charlotte to tell the story of the brief French conquest of Mexico in the 1860s and the tragic-comic empire they set up under her husband, Maximilian of Austria. The novel is actually set in Belgium during World War I, where poor, mad Charlotte is locked away in a little chateau, and from which unlikely place she plots the destruction of the Habsburg dynasty for having abandoned her late husband. It's refreshing to see a female character who is sharp, witty, and vicious and is used to being the smartest person in the room. You can tell that the author has lived in both Mexico and Europe and has a firm grasp of the history for both time periods involved. This is a real page-turner, and it's also refreshing to read a novel that doesn't involve modern day lawyers for a change.

If you're fascinated by English literature and language in general, as I was, but intimidated by the obscure vocabulary and inflections of "Old Anguish," this is your book. It's not a "for Dummies" manual, but it's more reader-friendly than a college text. It introduces all the fundamentals of the language, along with an overview of the culture that produced the tongue. It overlaps the more formal text, "Guide to Old English" (by Mitchell & Robinson) in some places word for word, but "Invitation" is much more chatty and fun. Mitchell's love for Old English is infectious, as is his conviction that it's not as hard to learn as it looks. By the time I was finished, I had a good beginner's command of Old English and a thirst to learn more.

As a student of various languages, but a newcomer to the study of Old English, I found this book an unintimidating but, nevertheless, comprehensive and in-depth introduction to the language. Mr. Mitchell begins by tracing the origins of our erstwhile obscure tongue, which has attained the status of a latter-day Latin in terms of its widespread use by native and non-native speakers alike in numerous environments. Unfortunately, many or most native speakers of English have little or no knowledge of the language in its earlier forms. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to enrich his own knowledge of the language through the study of its roots. It is a study not only of language, but history as well, a point which Mr. Mitchell highlights in such a way as to make this "dead" language come alive. The author grabs the attention of the reader from the first page, more than I thought possible in a didactic book which, of necessity, must teach the rudimentary elements of grammar, and manages to keep it even through the introduction of paradigms. This is in part due to his success in introducing these paradigms in the context of the language in use, as opposed to in uninterrupted pages of dry, grammatical tables which I have found in many other books. Already in the foreword, Mr. Mitchell has begun to give the reader a feel for the language by quoting simple passages and providing literal translations for them. An excellent introduction, and invitation, to a fascinating language, foreign and yet strangely familiar.

This book is essential for the library of every scholar of American constitutionalism. For those who have studied the subject, the superb selection of essays on different aspects of American political thought is enlightening. Those who are simply interested in America's founding may however be at a loss and overwhelmed by the wide range of arguments put forward in the different essays even if Gary L.Gregg did an excellent job in the introduction giving an overview to the reader of what he should expect in each essay. Thus, since all and even the American constituiton and its origins is a matter of perspective, this book can only be enjoyed after a thorough study of American political thought. For constitution freaks however it is not only useful to have, it is a real joy to browse through the essays.

There is a palpable fear that America has lost its way, and perhaps even been untrue to itself. Examples of this loss abound, from school violence to a youth culture nihilism. "Vital Remnants," a collection of essays by some of America's top scholars in history, philosophy, political science, and law, shows, with remarkable clarity, the ways in which contemporary American society has radically altered the course upon which it was originally set. To be sure, our century looks at America with a different set of assumptions than that of our ancestors. "Vital Remnants" gives us clues by which we might stay the course for the benefit of generations to come.

This was an interesting theory on the fight and it is plausible. It falls short because the author uses secondary sources, not original for his documentation. Also, he should have edited out the hyperbole in his descriptions of the participants. it would have been a better read, as well as better scholarship, if he had toned down his persons biases and let the reader form his own opinion. At the very least, he should have separated "facts" from his opinion.

Tombstone is one of my favorite movies

Mr. Hickey has written an interesting and information filled account of the most famous event in the history of the American West. While I don't agree with all his theories, I have to commend him on a thorough (some may say too thorough) take on the shootout behind the O.K. Corral. He gives you a shot by shot account of his take on what happened. Even if you don't agree with his conclusions, there is enough information to draw your own. The illustrations are excellent, also. All in all, a great read for anyone as fascinated as I am about this "disagreement" on the streets of Tombstone.

This reissue of Bruce's classic work does what the title says it will do: address the work of Christ in the past, present, and future. Although Bruce grounds his work in Scripture citing text after text, it is odd how scarce the word "love" appears. What more central work did Jesus do than to reveal the love of God? Although the book was apparently designed for helping laity study the Bible, this book has the feel of a courtroom rather than a dynamic, love relationship. It is useful for dotting "i"s and crossing "t"s but not so much for melting, healing, or inspiring hearts.

This book is an excellent look at the work of Christ. Bruce's strength is that he deals with the text and let's the text speak for itself.

Two incidents happened as I read "Walking the Bible" which convinced me of the book's success. First, a string of terrorist incidents in Israel and Kenya, on the U.S. Thanksgiving, which illustrated the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict that's repeatedly described in the book. Second, while I read the chapter set in Petra, the ancient Jordanian city featured in the climactic battle of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", I was interrupted with the news that "Last Crusade" was on TV that very minute. Since "Walking the Bible" is utterly devoid of pictures, I put the book down momentarily to watch the real thing for myself.

It was easier for Bruce Feiler to experience the many personal revelations he undergoes in "Walking the Bible". He had remarkable company -- archaelogist Avner Goren, his walking companion for most of the book's episodes, is former chief archaeologist of the Sinai peninsula. Feiler also interviews a bevy of other biblical archaeologists, and sits down with former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. No typical tourist will ever receive this much direct insight into the region.

However, Feiler has written a great armchair journey for the rest of us. He divides his book (of course) into five parts, matching the Five Books of Moses he seeks to recreate. He journeys from Turkey to Mesopotamia to Israel, Egypt, the Sinai, and Jordan, reading passages from the Torah along the way to illustrate key moments in the story. "Walking" is part travelogue, part spiritual journey, part textbook, and part recipe book. The hunger Feiler feels in the desert is never explicitly mentioned, but the Georgia-born author must have been well and truly starving, because every three pages, a bit of timeless Biblical landscape is described in food metaphor. These are too numerous to mention, but I will say that the most bizarre is the Israeli truck that reminds him of a box of Sweet Tarts.

Because Feiler does so much wandering, both geographically and emotionally, some parts of "Walking the Bible" are inevitably less enjoyable than others. I felt that the strongest writing occurs in Jordan, at the end of the book, at the end of Moses' life. When Feiler gets into a Biblical argument with Muslim bedouins about just who Moses was, over discrepancies between the Torah and the Koran, it becomes easier to see just why the Middle East conflict has persisted for so long. The journey through the remnants of Petra, a city carved from sandstone cliffs, is truly awe-inspiring (again, despite the lack of pictures). I also enjoyed his journeys to Mount Ararat, the Great Pyramid, and the Wailing Wall.

As to the book's brief descriptions of 20th century conflict, some readers will doubtless be offended by the appearance of a Jordanian minister (whose own words reveal him to be a narrow-minded hypocrite), or by Feiler's interviews with American-born Israelis living in the disputed territories of the West Bank. However, in the context of the larger story -- four thousand years of history, in which little has truly changed -- I feel that these detours are necessary and well-balanced.

Having been given this book as a present and never before heard of this book or the author, I most likely would never have had read it otherwise. Fortunately for me, that wasn't the case. I had the pleasure and privilege to read this insightful and invigorating work. Bruce Feiler, a unorthodox Jewish American from the South, reveals key insights and new knowledge about the Bible and its historical accuracy in regard to time, people, events, and places within the text. What makes this book unique and authentic is Feiler's ability to intertwine the Bible and its fascinating people and events and bring them alive.

Feiler goes from Moses parting The Red Sea to having to deal with overzealous border patrol guards and officials who constantly ask for baksheesh(bribes) or unnecessary questions to confirm his Judaism such as "What is the Passover?" Feiler takes us through Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses and the many tumultuous travails and incredible journeys of each. From a historical perspective, Walking the Bible is fascinating as it delineates where in modern terms all of the biblical occurrences transpire - i.e. the burning bush supposedly at St. Catherine's, The Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, where Abraham took Isaac to be offered as a sacrifice, etc.

This is by no means a boring book and should be read by all in search of adventure and more clarity on the Bible. Feiler brings the Bible alive through his vivid and unwavering and unquestioned passion for his subject.

I liked this book so much that I even read it while on red lights. This book is about a journey into the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Torah) and the author begins with an adventurous geographical quest and ends with a very touching spiritual one. The language that Bruce Feiler (a young American Jew who lives in New York) uses is so descriptive that reading this book is like virtually taking the journey with him. It was so neat to read it! It was also very nice to learn about the Hebraic religious system and the roots of Christianity. Aside from learning with profound interest about The Bible, Abraham, Moses, the Bedouin (his wife's tribe), the Middle East, the desert, Archeology, and much more, I also discovered that there is a personal and unique lesson for everyone to learn by the time you get to the end of the book. Find out which one is yours! In the end, I found myself inquiring as to Who my God is and what type of relationship I have with Him or if I have one. I also learned to have a total new perspective in understanding or making sense of the Bible as well as humanity.

PS: If you read this book, you will learn to have a better understanding of what is going on in the Middle East. You will also discover that what is going on there has been going on for more than a couple thousands of years. There is a part in the Bible that says that nothing that is happening now or will happen, has not happened before. I don't understand this well but it must have to do with the circles of life! Maybe??? So, I believe that there is nothing new in life and that what we are facing now, happened even way back when Moses was leading his people out to the promise land. It appears to me that the hatred of terrorists is the hatred that generations in those areas have passed along to the newer generation; until here, today in America, and with the rest of the world, we are harvesting the hatred that those generations have sown. In fact, I see Osama bin Laden as the pure body and flesh of the hatred of all of those years of wars and fights.

This massive tome has it all--the Hebrew bible (aka the Old Testament), the Apocryphal books, and the New Testament. I'm a history and religion major, so I've had to make use of this Bible many times, and I haven't even had to dig into the Old Testament yet.

The best functions of this book are the copius annotations and translator notes found on every page. They help guide the novice along when some of the text gets a little dense. The annotations help link quotations to their proper place in the other books of the bible. Most bibles have this feature, but this edition has the best annotations I've seen. The translator's notes are nice, showing the reader where the Greek or Hebrew words could have had alternate meanings to the English. It also points out where some ancient texts may have omitted or added text, and then tells you what it was. Very handy, I must say.

This bible also has tons of explanatory material about the text: historical information on biblical times, various literary forms used in the Bible, explanations of ancient modes of writing, etc. All of this information is very helpful to getting more out of reading the Bible.

As a budding religion major, I've yet to explore all of the information this edition provides, but for the biblical scholar, this is the book to go with. It will take you far in your studies.

For the casual reader, this Bible may not be as useful. Many people like to read on their own and make their own interpretations out of the scripture. In these cases, the annotations and explanatory notes will not be helpful, but could actually be a hinderance. Some want to read the Bible in a new, updated, modern English version. I'd recommend the Good News Bible for these readers.

Overall, a must for the biblical scholar. I took a class on Paul, and I was glad to have this bible along to help get through some of his deep theological discussions!

As much as I am a devout Christian, it is essential to consider the Bible in light of modern scholarship. For someone who doesn't have training in the original languages, but still wishes to profit from the use of language in study of their Bible (after all, Paul, Jesus, and Abraham did not speak in Jacobean English, ya know), this edition of the Bible is indispensible.

The notes are not unwieldy -- the Biblical text takes up generally 4/5 of the page. So it is not impractical for non-academic use. Each sequence and individual book has a scholarly introduction about it, which is profitable to read in order to have a firm understanding of the history of the text. All of this fosters an intelligent reading of the Bible. Another asset of the edition, there's a mini-concordance (well... they don't actually call it that) in the back where you can look up some words very quickly to find major instances of them.

If you want a devotional book or an edition with notes to confirm your own beliefs, you should look elsewhere. To learn more about the Bible and how to read it, this is one of the best investments you can make. If you can get another translation to read alongside it, that's probably best. Personally I'm apathetic about the gender language issue -- it's awkward in some places but still doesn't detract too much from this as compared with other translations.

If you don't have an NRSV, definitely purchase this edition!

The New Revised Standard Version is the finest translation available today, and the New Oxford Annotated Bible is the best study edition of the Bible. I am a Byzantine Catholic who has a deep devotion to the Bible as God's word, and yet appreciates the best of modern bible scholarship.

The NRSV translation is very literal yet very easy to read. It employs inclusive language for human beings, but never for the Holy Trinity. The NRSV is a better overall tranlsation than the RSV, not least of all because it is based on more precise and abundant textual evidence, especially for the Old Testament.

It is beautiful and poetic (take for example, the classic Isaiah 53 Passage). It is a product of Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Jewish scholarship, as is the New Oxford Annotated Bible. The NRSV with Apocrypha carries the imprimatur of both the US and Canadian Catholic Bishops, and used in the Canadian Lectionary for Mass. It is quoted in the English edition of the Catholic Catechism, along with the original RSV.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible has a venerable tradition behind it parallel to the RSV/NRSV. The first edition came out in 1962. In 1966, The Oxford Annotated Bible came out with the Apocrypha, and received the imprimatur of Richard Cardinal Cushing of Boston. It was the first "common Bible" hailed by Catholic, Protestants and Orthodox. In 1977, the Expanded New Oxford Annotated Bible with the second edition RSV text came out, with an expanded Apocrypha, which reflected the canon of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. It was the most complete bible ever.

And finally, in 1991, the New Oxford Annotated Bible in the New RSV was published, continuing the great tradition of this venerable study bible. This edition too, has the fuller Apocrypha, which includes Psalm 151 and 3rd and 4th Maccabees. As a Byzantine Catholic, I appreciate the fuller canon, which has all of the books of the Greek Septuagint. The Greek Septuagint was the bible used by the earliest Christians, and is still the official bible of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

The updated study notes are a vast improvement over the RSV/New Oxford Annotated Bible of 1977. I appreciate for example, that the notes in John chapter 6 admit a Eucharistic interpretation more clearly than the 1977 edition. I find that most of the notes do not conflict with my Catholic faith.

The NRSV is my favorite translation, followed by the old RSV and the New Jerusalem Bible. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is my favorite study bible. I would not say that this bible has a "liberal" bias in the notes. Rather, the scholars have a high view of the bible, but accept certain critical theories, much like many contemporary Catholic and neo-Evangelical scholars. Princeton Scholar Bruce Metzger, an evangelical Presbyterian, is the chief editor for both the NRSV translation and the New Oxford Study Edition. He has a high view of scripture, as can be ascertained by Lee Strobel's interview with him in his book, the Case for Christ. Metzger's name has been associated with both the RSV/NRSV and the New Oxford Annotated Bible during their entire histories. The RSV/NRSV and the New Oxford Annotated Bible have been intertwined for nearly forty years, and will continue to help people understand God's word. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is designed to study the NRSV Bible. I highly recommend it.

-First of all, Bruce Feiler is clearly a great adventurer who walks deserts to descend into caves in the midst of war-torn countries. Additionally, he has an intense and admirable passion for this subject and writes an engaging book that ends up being part history, part travel literature, and part theology.

-However Feiler seems to stretch at times in making his case that Abraham 'unites' the three religions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. On the contrary, Abraham is more a point of contention than one of unity. I wish Feiler had made the statement that all three positions on Abraham cannot be equally true since they often directly contradict each other. A worthy goal is always to divide truth from error in order to understand which position, if any, is accurate. Instead of taking this path, Feiler seems to desire peace at the expense of truth as he places religious harmony higher than a right understanding of theology.

-Feiler is correct that the most mesmerizing story of Abraham's life--his offering a son to God--plays a pivotal role in the holiest week of the Christian year, at Easter. This is surely the case as Christianity sees Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac as a foreshadowing of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus. However, this is a radically different interpretation of the event from either Judaism or Islam.

-Feiler states that Abraham, is a character who has shape-shifted over the millennia to the extent that the religions don't even agree on which son he tried to kill. This is true, and the interpretation may have shape-shifted, but that does not mean the scriptural documents were changed. That is, with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the claim that documents had been changed in order to fit with dogma, has little foundation.

-Feiler claims that Abraham is a type of metaphor and that this historically elusive man embodies three religions. That's a difficult claim to back up. Abraham 'embodies' all three religions? Certainly Christian scholars would not make that claim. They would claim that only Jesus would fit this role. Abraham was the one to whom the promise was made and Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise. Abraham's role would be significantly secondary.

-Feiler concludes with a passionate and prayerful argument for peace between faiths. This is a valiant attempt and his motives are surely good. However, it would have been refreshing if he would have explained that when two people theologically disagree with each other that does not mean that they necessarily hate each other. The existence of truth means that at least one party is wrong, but that does not mean that the parties cannot respect each other as people, even though they may not respect all theological positions. Grace, peace, and love can and do exist side by side with truth - and if truth exists, so does error. One party being 'wrong' is part of the package and it is the reality. I wish Feiler's final sentence had been, "Call your brother wrong and love him with those words."

In this intelligent and engaging book, Feiler a gifted story-teller, digs into the books, explores the land, and meets the clerics, then spins different stories of Abraham, his children (Ishmael and Isaac) and his people (Jews, Christians and Muslims) that are sure to enrich the reader's mind and spirit.

It was very interesting to notice that the details of the stories differed not only between the 3 religions, but also in the same religion during different historical periods. Interpreters looked at the same text and made different conclusions that helped them deal with the circumstances of their lives at a given time. It shows that we (Jews, Christians and Muslims) are only human after all. As a Muslim, I've only come to know our father Abraham as described in the Qur'an and it was enlightening to see him from the perspective of the other two religions. If we look beyond the details, the essence and morals of the stories are the same: surrendering to one God. Unfortunately throughout history all the people of Abraham never tried to emphasize their similarities but concentrated on their differences, demonizing and killing one another while trying to attain God's blessings as the sole heirs of Abraham.
Ignorance breeds intolerance, and this book is an honest and unbiased attempt at teaching us about one another and is hopefully a step towards bringing the people of the 3 faiths to common grounds. This is not impossible since the essence is one: surrendering to one God, believing in the Day of Judgment and doing good deeds. God tells us in the Qur'an," Those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians (probably means the followers of John the Baptist)-all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds- shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve."(2:62)(Translation from: the Message of the Qur'an by Mohammad Asad)

Reading the chapter on Islam, I thought it was good however, the author seemed to imply that Islam is a religion invented by Mohammad, and some of the statements were without any foundation, for example:" The Koran says...During Noha's Flood the Ka'ba had been taken up to heaven, where angels fluttered around it,.." Actually, nowhere in the Qur'an is this statement made or even implied! Another important point that the author failed to clarify (although he mentioned it in passing) is that Islam has 2 meanings. The original meaning is: surrendering to one God, later it came to mean the religion revealed to Prophet Mohammad. So when the Qur'an says" The only true faith in God's sight is Islam." It means that the only true faith is surrendering to one God. If you read the Qur'an its all about that. Mohammad, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, all the prophets are only men who delivered the message of "worship one God" to mankind, they are all secondary to God. And since they all delivered this message of one God they are all "Muslims" or in other words believers in one God. To be honest not all Muslims understand this concept in this way and the majority interprets the verse differently. Finally, one thing I personally found shocking is the way the author talked about God at times, as if God was human: with needs and whims!

Overall, an interesting, enjoyable and informative book that everyone should read.

I, like many evangelical believers, have always (unknowingly) viewed Abraham through Christian-colored glasses. This book expanded my vision, opening me up to views of Abraham that go beyond the simple biblical text. The depiction of Abraham in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), for example, was modified, shaped, and re-interpreted by Christians, Muslims, and even later Jews, often depending upon the situation at the time. The pivotal event of the Abraham story is the near-sacrifice of his favored son to God. Interestingly, to Jews and Christians, the favored son was Isaac, while Muslims hold Ishmael to be the favored son. Christians, of course, regard this event as a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice. Interestingly, Jewish rabbis after the time of Jesus interpreted the text to say that Abraham actually did slay Isaac, who later would return from the dead.

The different interpretations of the Abraham story lead the author to conclude that there are actually a multitude of "Abrahams" to fit different historical, political, and social situations. Indeed, Fieler makes a little too much of the fact that there is no archaeological evidence that Abraham ever existed. He doesn't take a hard-line position on Abraham's existence or non-existence, so I guess one could call him an "Abraham agnostic". His ultimate goal, to find common ground and possible reconciliation among the monotheistic religions on the basis of Abraham would have a very shaky foundation indeed if it was based on a mythical character.

This book is much more than a study of Abraham. It documents a personal journey by the author to the crucible where these great religions lead a frighteningly non-peaceful co-existence: the land of Israel. After reading of his encounters with various Jewish, Christian, and Muslim clerics, one sadly sees little hope for a full reconciliation. Of course, that should come as no surprise. But this little book can go a long way in cracking open the doors of understanding.

This collection contains seven stories, all previously published in magazines between 1993 and 1998. One story, "Big Jelly" was co-authored with Rudy Rucker.

I liked this anthology a lot despite the fact that a couple of the stories were rather weak. Some of the stories seem to have been written by extrapolating current events into the future and these, like "The Littlest Jackal" are the weakest in the collection. Also, in that story, the author mis-places Helsinki north of the Arctic circle and so he has the sun not setting in the summer, that was just sloppy writing. The stories such as "Maneki Neko" (my favourite) and the "Deep Eddy" series, that extrapolate technology are the ones that make the book worth while. In these, Sterling's wry view of the way that technology might change our world is both thought provoking and funny.

The last three stories are all set in the same world and they follow the largely unrelated exploits of a group of people living on the edge of a highly technological society. I felt as though the author was taking some of the people that he met while writing "The Hacker Crackdown" and then dropping them into the middle of the 21st century. These are three great stories.

As I discussed in my review of "Distraction," Bruce Sterling is a puzzling writer. At his best -- his non-fiction work, "The Hacker Crackdown" -- he is a fabulous, witty, fascinating writer. But his fiction, particularly his novels (I refer here to "Islands in the Net," "Holy Fire" and "Distraction," plus "Heavy Weather," which I started but never finished), tends to fall short of his aim.

His short stories tend to fare better. They are less ambitious but also tighter, and hence less distracting. "A Good Old-Fashioned Future" represents his latest collection of stories; the earlier works are "Globalhead" and "Crystal Express," which contains one absolute knock-out story called "Swarm."

These stories are less experimental than "Globalhead" and more successful. Most of them are set in the near future and focus on collapsing societies. The last three are set in the same world and form a loose novella; Sterling seems to like this setting.

None of the stories in here drags unacceptably, and some are quite good. It may be that Sterling has settled down to writing clean readable stories, rather than trying to write "outside the box."

With one or two exceptions, "A Good Old-Fashioned Future" exhibits the best Sterling short fiction I've read so far...the concluding three, beginning with "Deep Eddy," form a sort of quasi-novel that shows Sterling doing what he does best: providing widescreen views of _believable_ near-futures, peopled by sympathetic characters who find themselves in predicaments of sometimes overpowering weirdness in a world already steeped in the Philosophy of the Ejector Seat.

Arguably the best of the stories here is "Big Jelly," a fevered collaboration with Rudy Rucker, whose motto sums up Sterling's shared vision nicely: "Seek Ye The Gnarl!"

This is a spendid, lingering collection, more coherent and immediately enjoyable than "Crystal Express" or "Globalhead."