The "Matthew Flinders" is on her final voyage for Hong Kong to be sold for scrap, and the members of the crew are sailing to the demise of their way of life (hence the name, "Endangered Species"). En route, they rescue a sinking junk filled with people fleeing Vietnam. There is plenty of excitement as this novel looks at the changing times and how we fight and adapt to them.

This is not a "historical" sea-faring novel like the Nathaniel Drinkwater series by Woodman or the Aubrey and Maturin series by O'Brien. The book is most likely set in the 1980s since there is an AIDS reference and Hong Kong is still under British control. The story tells of the lives of seamen in the British Merchant Navy as it declines.

Richard Woodman, from the information in the book, has been a sailor for a large part of his life. His detailed descriptions of the ship show you his familiarity. Also, his portrayal of the characters will remind you of past shipmates (if you have worked and lived on a boat as I have). We all know the war-veteran skipper, MacKinnon, and the ne'er-do-well MacGregor.

There are some logical problems with the novel though. First, the ship goes through a typhoon and finds itself in the eye of the storm. This would mean that the crew must pass back through the storm, but this never happens. Second, a window is shattered by the storm and someone is injured. The window is never repaired, and there is no mention of the after-effects (like wind or noise). Lastly, the navigation is mostly dead reckoning and celestial fixes. I would think that a modern novel would mention other sources (like Loran or Omega). These may be petty, but they are noticeable.

Regardless of these errors, this is still an engaging and nostalgic read. I could easily see myself reading more books by Woodman, just as I would recommend that you should read this one.

Captain John Mackinnon and his ship, the Matthew Flinders, are embarking on their last voyage. The captain and his vessel symbolize the irreversible, quiet decline of the British merchant fleet. But this journey to Hong Kong will prove to be anything but quiet. Internal tensions among the crew provoke unrest and led to a navigation error, steering them right into the violent, destructive path of Typhoon David. Suddenly the crew of the Matthew Flinders are no longer fighting for their livelihood, but for their very lives. yet on the same sea, other lives are at stake as well. When Mackinnon feels compelled to rescue a boatload of Vietnamese refugees fleeing to Hong Kong, he sets off an explosive chain of events that will lead to mutiny, confrontation with Hong Kong authorities, and the greatest challenge of his nautical career. Endangered Species is a dynamic, brilliantly written maritime action/adventure novel.

Nathaniel Hawthorne nació en Salem, Massachusetts, el 4 de julio de 1804. En el Bowdoin College de Maine conoció a Henry W. Longfellow y a Franklin Pierce (luego presidente de Estados Unidos). Desde 1825, a lo largo de doce años mantuvo un "retiro voluntario", dedicándose a leer los clásicos y llevando un diario en el que registraba sus proyectos narrativos. Produjo así varios cuentos, verdaderas obras maestras publicadas en revistas y luego recogidos en "Historias dos veces contadas", entre los que pueden mencionarse "My Kinsman Major Molineux" y "Young Goodman Brown". En 1841 vivió en Brook Farm (Boston), una comunidad utópica liderada por Emerson. Luego aceptó el cargo de inspector de aduanas, que abandonó más tarde por razones políticas. Motivado por sus ancestros puritanos, declaró en el prólogo a "La letra Escarlata" (1850): "Yo, como representante suyo, por este medio, hago mía la vergüenza de mis antepasados y ruego porque cualquier maldición que hubiera sobre ellos -de las que yo he tenido noticia y que perduran debido al atraso de tantos años y a la melancolía de nuestra raza- termine desde hoy y para siempre." Más tarde publicó "La casa de los siete tejados"(1851); "El romance de Blithedale" (1852); y "El fauno de mármol" (1860). Murió mientras dormía el 18 de mayo de 1864, en Plymouth, New Haven.

esta historia trata de la culpabilidad, de ese sentimiento que en este caso es causa de muerte y desagravio. es la historia de un pastor que se tiene comercio sexual con una bella joven casada cuyo marido aun no ha llegado al nuevo continente. en ese tiempo a los que cometian adulterio se les pegaba en el cuerpo una letra escarlata , una enorme a de adultera, bueno en palabras del autor podria bien significar angelical. al final el pastor declara su adulterio y se degrada ante la poblacion que lo creia un santo, lo cual claro aumenteba su sentimiento de culpa. esto claro no sucederia en una sociedad moderna, pero en esos anos de puritanismo y caceria de brujas la culpa era un sentimiento enorme. no es tan entretenida , pero no es mala .

LUIS MENDEZ luismendez@codetel.net.do

This is a comprehensive text covering all of the evergrowing list of procedures that can be done laparoscopically. The bibliography of contributing authors is filled with established experts and the editors are well recognized as pioneers in the field of minimally invasive surgery. Each chapter is filled with useful descriptions of the various procedures and is accompanied by accurate sketches. I think everyone is usually frustrated by the appearance of actual laparoscopic pictures due to their poor quality upon reproduction, but this book has seemingly found a way to circumvent that degradation because it is filled with actual laparascopic pictures that you can identify. Each chapter is followed by helpful suggestions and comments from the editors. As a second-year resident, I have found this book very helpful in outlining the advanced laparoscopic procedures prior to actually performing the procedure in the OR. It should prove useful to all surgical residents as well as practicing surgeons looking to increase their laparoscopic repertoire.

This is an excellent textbook of Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures, containing eight sections of great interest to all of us, surgeons practicing both endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery.
Minimal access surgery has revolutionized and revitalized general surgery. The extent and range of minimal access surgery has been extended over the past 5 years, although a number of controversial areas remain. The reader of this outstanding textbook will learn various techniques in minimal access surgery, providing evidence of the importance of this new modality. Contemporary controversies, such as laparoendoscopic surgery for large and small bowel (including neoplastic disease), are discussed.
I encourage all general surgeons to read this book and experience the future's surgery, today!

A remarkable literary biography, this, that succeeds in conveying both a sense of Hawthorne, the writer, and Hawthorne, the man. It also builds up a most appealing set of mini portraits of some fascinating figures from the first half of the 19th century, among them the Peabody sisters [family of Hawthorne's wife, Sophia], Emerson, Thoreau, Longfellow, Bronson Alcott [father of Louisa May], Melville, and countless others. What an extraordinary period this was in American cultural life! It's not a short read, but it's never dull, and, more often than not, close to rivetting. Mellow uses to wonderful effect extracts from Hawthorne's letters and notebooks, allowing "the shyest grape" of them all [Melville about Hawthorne] to speak directly. Not afraid to use Hawthorne's fiction as a way into our knowledge of the man, Mellow is, nevertheless, mostly restrained, aware that the relationship between a life and its work is seldom simple. If, very occasionally, the insights Mellow comes up with border on the facile, there are enough genuinely interesting thoughts to keep the literary analysis helpful. But the great success of the book lies, I think, in its even-handedness and neutrality of tone, and in its richness of detail - excellent notes and index, too.

I have recently continued my reading journey by moving to non-fiction, including biographies. This is a very easy book to read. I have found myself liking Hawthorne and sometime I have to keep reading to find out what happens next in his life instead of going to sleep. I also find it very interesting finding out how people lived 150 years ago. Their problems are the same ones we have today - money, kids, in-laws, etc. They have gardens in the summer, growing the same vegatables, and are snowed in during the winter. New England never changes. I have read W. Manchester's biographies of Douglas MacArthur and the Krupps and Thayer's biography of Beethoven This book is as good as those three.

A Private Revenge continues the series as a direct extension from its predecessor In Distant Waters. Drinkwater proceeds from the conclusion of In Distant Waters by crossing the Pacific and contacting Sir Edward Pellew off the Asian coast. Drinkwater also comes into contact with his nemesis of several novels beginning with The Eye of the Fleet, Morris, who is one of the vilest creatures in the genre. Drinkwater, who is a decent man, fails to understand the lasting grudge that Morris holds for events nearly 30 years previous. His lack of understanding leads to deception and tragedy. For followers of the series who have become attached to the characters, this episode will be painful. A Private Revenge contains action, suspense and Woodman's excellent descriptions of time, place and naval details. However, it is perhaps the darkest novel that I have read of the Napoleonic naval genre. The series has always had strong gothic elements but this entry is the darkest. It's hard to believe but Morris is even viler than in earlier novels. Morris' desire for revenge drives the plot and leads to a bloody climax. The writing is up to Woodman's excellent standards but A Private Revenge is a very grim novel. It's only for the hardiest series enthusiasts.

After battling a typhoon and rescuing an East Indiaman, Nat arrives in China, where Britain is no longer welcome and she has to decamp, covering her losses as best she can, so Nat is put in charge of the defence of the convoy.
The vile, venal Morris (see Eye of the Fleet & Brig of War) rears his ugly head again, but with no apparent agenda in mind, other than the recovery of several thousands of specie. But his presence on board, along with his catamite, greatly disturbs Nat, as well as Mr.Q and Tregembo, wondering when and how he will wreak the revenge he has sworn on Nat.
Sabotage, treachery, kidnap and torture follow as the depths of Morris's depravity become horrifically clear, revealing more would be a spoiler.

As usual, excellent descriptions and tension-building make the pages fly by - and there are the author's notes to add plausability to the tale.

there's a lot of interesting content in this book. it opens your mind to a lot of new personalities.

Hawthorne was, of course, one of (if not *the*) most important writers of 19th Century America and this edition demonstrates why. The level of engagement Hawthorne had with early America, the level of detail in his texts, and the level of scholarship advanced by the editor, demonstrate why Hawthorne is, inded, one of our contemporaries. Nobody can consider him- or herself "knowledgeable" about American literary history or American literature without reading "Young Goodman Brown," "My Kinsaman, Major Molineux," "The Minister's Black Veil," or "The May-Pole of Merry-Mount": these tales engage, variously, in themes of religiosity, national identity or formation, and the desire to re-write American-ness. indeed, these tales, which later influenced writers as disparate as Herman Melville, Henry James and Gertrude Stein, provide the very fabric of "American" literature. Although we have all been beaten over the head by Hawthorne in High School (if not college), an errand into his wilderness is, nonetheless, rewarding, fascinating, and enlightening: Colacurcio's editing and attention to detail (much like the subject of the book!) makes the volume accessible and rewarding.

Though smaller and less ambitious than most of Branden's other works (such as the brilliant Art of Living Consciously), two women I know have reacted very favorably to this book, which suggests to me that it could be a useful primer on Branden's approach.

The book's modest size (and attractive cover art, I should add) may be an advantage in this regard. While intellectual purists might still prefer a tome, many people prefer a small book with essentialized information. A Woman's Self-Esteem is a good example in this regard.

Most of the book's chapters are expanded versions of articles Branden published in New Woman magazine in the early 90s. While many of the book's themes will of course apply to men as well as women, Branden's primary focus is on the challenges facing women: How to embrace their own strengths when doing so may not be fashionable, how to be assertive in a job or in a relationship, how to keep appropriate boundaries.

As with his other books on self-esteem, Branden devotes the first several chapters to summarizing his overall theory, and I found these to be among his most elegant summaries ever. Although I personally enjoyed the book as a whole, one mild disappointment for me was the chapter on "Embracing Our Strengths." Here Branden addresses the difficulty some women experience in finding the will and inspiration to assert their own intelligence and individuality. He addresses a number of helpful issues in this regard, but fails to mention the powerful function of good art. Since he is well aware of the role of art in inspiring heroic behavior, I found this omission puzzling.

Ayn Rand admirers will find interesting the last chapter of the book, which is a reprint of Branden's essay "Was Ayn Rand a Feminist?" from the anthology Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand (co-edited by Chris Sciabarra and Mimi Gladstein). Branden concludes the essay: "Where did Ayn Rand stand with respect to feminism (a term she never liked)? A feminism that sees woman at her best as a heroic figure will find support and validation in Rand's writings. A feminism that defines woman as victim and man as her evil oppressor will see Rand as the enemy -- because Rand sees woman not as weak but as strong, and because Rand sees romantic love between man and woman as an expression and celebration of their esteem for each other as well as their esteem for themselves."

One major yardstick for judging a book such as this one is the extent to which is encourages people (and women in particular) who might never do so to think deeply and clearly about the role of self-esteem in their own life. It seems to me the book will be very useful in this regard.

I gave this book to my daughter who had been struggling with a relationship. Because she's only 18 years old I thought I was taking a long shot. Branden's books had completely changed my own life, but they've all been intellectually thrilling to read, and sometimes teenagers are superstitious about being intellectually thrilled. Not my daughter. To my surprise. She took to this book like a duck to water, and it changed her life. No one's books, that I know of, make bigger IMMEDIATE differences in a person's life than Nathaniel Branden's. He is a national treasure.

Crime isn't supposed to pay, but it seems to for Artemis Fowl, the 12 year old criminal genius at the centre of this modern day fairy tale. The boy genius has a simple aim- to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And he finds it. Sort of.

Fairy tales and fantasy stories are more popular now than ever, with the likes of Harry Potter and The Lord Of The Rings storming the best-seller lists and box offices of the world simultaneously. Everyone seems to want a piece of the action. A cynic would say this novel attempts to jump on that bandwagon. After all, its full of mystical creatures like leprechauns and trolls, and the central character is a schoolboy. Artemis is no Harry Potter though. He's more like a young Slippery Jim Di Griz, science fiction writer Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat, but with less technology. Unlike the Stainless Steel Rat though, Artemis Fowl is really not a likable character. His entire scheme is driven by greed, and his servant, Butler, does much of the hard work. At times, it's hard to resist hoping Fowl's adversaries will beat him. Instead of coming across as a loveable scamp, he's more like a know all spoiled brat.

The real stars of this story though, are the People. The People live underground, where the Mud People (that's us) can not find them. The People are magical and more technologically advanced than surface dwellers, and they value their peace and quiet. Artemis disturbs them, forcing Lower Elements Police recon (LEPrecon), a crack special operations group of elves, into action. LEPrecon seem to run a little like the stereotypical movie police force- a red faced commander who shouts a lot, a heroic renegade much of the action focuses on, and a supporting cast of well intentioned but bumbling supporting characters. Oh, and there is a wise cracking technological genius who happens to be a centaur. Other mythical creatures, like trolls, goblins and dwarves feature in the story, adding much comic flavour.

The story as a whole is a mix of science fiction, fantasy, and a little social commentary. As an added bonus, there's a secret code, supposedly the language of the People, running across the bottom of every page in the book. Apart from the character flaws of young Artemis, this book is an excellent read, fast paced and entertaining with an original spin on mythology.

First of all I would like to point out that this book is NOTHING like Harry Potter, they only share slight similarities in that it deals with humans and their interactions with magical species of fairies, elves, goblins, trolls and oh yeah a centaur. Don't expect to find a protagonist who goes off to learn the ways of warlocks and witches, there is a fight with a troll but no wands are being twirled here. The only resemblance Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl have, is that they grow older through out the books in the series and are both teen-aged boys. With that cleared up, I suggest you read this book and the other's in its series because they are well written and the adventures are as interesting as the ones in HP. Artemis Fowl is more like a cops and robbers, crime novel for kids but that can be enjoyed by older ones as well. This is the one I liked the least in the books released as to date on Artemis Fowl: it's sort of slow paced in the beginning and has the quality that any book beginning a series has of making huge explanations about everything and giving to many boring details which you won't encounter that much on Books 2 or 3 because the author assumes that you read Book 1 (and you should). Needless to say read it, and read it fast because the ones to come are even better and much more interesting. If you expected Artemis Fowl to be a synonym and a substitute to Harry Potter I suggest you skip the series altogether and re read the HP books until big #5 comes out.

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl can't really be described in a few words. Dangerous, rich, brilliant, and intelligent, Artemis likes the way he can handle things - and while his mother is out sick, oblivious of Artemis' s dastardly plots, Artemis has got the life and loving it of being a brilliant criminal. With his burly caretaker so rightfully named 'Butler', he's determined to capture Fairy Gold - but that plan, brilliant as it is, becomes an adventure. He'll do anything it takes to get the loot, even if it means capturing an armed and dangerous fairy, Holly Short, of the LEPracon Unit. And Artemis Fowl just may have more of an adventure in store for him - because what he's taken on is something he just may not have a brilliant plan for. Artemis Fowl is an enchanting, dark, and funny story about a child prodigy whose brilliance makes the reader laugh out loud. The way he handles things and talks to armed people is funny, because he's so determined and emotionless. Though it's written very unusual, and with many funny and heart stopping scenes, this novel is not at all like Harry Potter ; while waiting for the fifth Harry Potter, be sure not to miss this one, however. Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl are unique in each of their own magical ways. They shouldn't be compared. Eoin Colfer did a great job on this first riveting magical novel, and so did J.K. Rowling with Harry Potter. Both, undoubtedly, are must-reads.

"Frankenstein" is a typical novel from the romantic period. The story is based on the conflict of a scientist with the results of his work. But Frankenstein is far more than that: It is the story of two individuals (Frankenstein and his "monster") and their acceptance and behavior in society, and of course, the novel contains a lot of latent psychological information (what would Freud have said about that?). However, it is typical for the age of romanticism that the feelings and thoughts of the individuum are at the center of the plot (see e.g. the works by Byron or by the German authors Eichendorff and Novalis). This holds as well for the music composed during that time (Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, ...). Mary Shelley describes in great detail the innermost feelings of Frankenstein and his "wretch" and how they changed from one minute to the other, and what made them change their moods, and why and how, and who was around etc. This actually - because presented through the entire book - makes the reading of the highly interesting story rather tedious. Story: 5 stars, Fun: 1 star

If you are expecting the novel Frankenstein to be like horror scenes depicted in the movies, you better think again. Instead, Mary Shelly allows the reader to create more images in his or her own mind. Today, we are so brainwashed to violence and gory images on television, that we sometimes forget what "real" horror used to be like. When you read Frankenstein don't forget that Mary Shelly wrote the book in the 1880's in a time of social unrest. The writing style is different, and the pace of the novel is not as up to date as modern books. Her descriptive words allow the reader to create the monster in his or her own mind, without actually seeing it. When Shelly writes, her words give such detailed images of what is going to happen next. For example, when something "bad" is going to happen, Shelly generates a spooky and mysterious setting.
One of the major themes throughout the book is science technology. When Victor creates the monster, he is challenging science, and therefore challenging God. When the creature awakes, Victor realizes that he has just done a "horrible" thing. He is disgusted with the thing he created, which led him to feel extreme guilt and compete rejection of the monster. Is it science that led him to self destruction? Shelly wonders how far will technological advances go before a man becomes too dependent on technology? Science destroys his life because the monster dominates him, and Victor winds up being a slave to his own creation.
What was also interesting about the novel was how Shelly made the reader feel sympathetic for the monster. After all aren't we supposed to hate this thing? She portrayed the creature as a "normal human", showing love and affection. The creature's ugliness deterred anyone from coming close to him, and made him feel like an outsider. This rejection from society made the monster sad and helpless. His only revenge was to engage in destruction. This is when the "real" monster is created. After reading parts of the novel I felt bad for the monster, in a way I never thought I would.
Although slow paced, Mary Shelly's style of writing will allow you to take on different dimensions and force you to develop your own profound ideas about the topics discussed in the novel. I think Frankenstein is a great Romantic classic for anyone who has a imagination.

The Frankenstein monster is truly one of the most tragic characters in classic literature. He is obviously quite brilliant, having learned to speak (rather eloquently, I might add), and to read simply by secretly watching others. He's sensitive, kind, and appreciative of nature's beauty-all of the most admirable characteristics of a wonderful soul. And yet, he is vilified by all who come in contact with him because of his physical repulsiveness.

His longing for love, especially from Victor, was so painful that it became difficult for me to read. I kept hoping he'd find someone to show him the littlest bit of kindness. His turn to violence is entirely understandable, and Victor's irresponsibility toward his creation is despicable. Victor, who is outwardly handsome but cowardly and cruel, is the story's true monster.

In addition to writing a captivating story, Shelley raises many social issues that are still relevant today, nearly 200 years later, and the book provides a superb argument against *ever* cloning a human being.

(Note: I have the edition with the marvelous woodcut illustrations by Barry Moser and the Joyce Carol Oates afterword - superb!)

Many people who are or were admirers of Ayn Rand heard about the devastating fallout of a love affair between Rand and her protege Nathaniel Branden. Rand was a mentor to the young Branden, who first contacted her while he was a teen in Ontario. She was impressed with his grasp of her philosophy Objectivism, and she, Branden, and Branden's future wife Barbara became friends, associates, and business partners.

When Rand began an affair with Branden, they both naively felt it would not affect their marriages (!) nor the functioning of the burgeoning Objectivist movement and the Nathanial Branden Institute. However, the idealism and fascination of a young man for his exciting mentor was ultimately not enough to base an emotionally satisfying relationship between a man and a woman 25 years his senior. Branden wished to withdraw; Rand felt her self worth threatened by a younger, more beautiful woman.

The resulting firestorm of recrimination by Rand against the Brandens was first rumored about, then exposed over a number of years in several books, one by Barbara Branden (The Passion of Ayn Rand) and this book by Branden. How could someone who was so passionate being coldly objective about facts AND emotions go so wildly off-course? Some of the answers, according to Branden as he saw it and experienced it, are here in this book.

What is NOT here is rather surprising from a noted psychologist, such as Branden is today. An in-depth analysis of the logic of Rand's fury is only sketchily guessed at, the logic of emotions as kind of a weather-report about the ego is not much dealt with. And Branden scarcely deals with his own duality in idealizing the woman he's with (either Rand or his wife) with the woman he truly wants (Patrecia.) Nor does he deal in much depth with Rand's monumental ability to deny reality when it pleased her or her form of intellectual bullying; shouting and cold, vindictive fury as a way to intimidate are surprising from someone who knew an ad-hominem attack from a logical argument and would not hesitate to call it out. I would have been interested in an examination of the psychology of this as Branden could have analysed it. But that isn't in this book either. However...if you want the story from Branden's viewpoint, this is a must-read.

What happens when a best-selling novelist-philosopher splits with her self-anointed intellectual heir? Answer: My Life with Ayn Rand by Nathaniel Branden. For those of us who find inspiration in Rand's tales of rugged individualism, Branden offers a personal memoir that humanizes the author of those tales.

Branden begins the story as a 14 year-old boy whose life is changed by reading the FOUNTAINHEAD. Six Years later Branden would meet the author and their meeting would began a friendship-affair that would last 17 years. In Branden, Rand found a person who truly understood and could champion her unique views. Their philosophical chats evolved into Branden spearheading a series of New York City lectures. The lectures would become such that their influence spread across the country. During this time, Rand published her masterpiece ATLAS SHRUGGED. She also dubbed Branden her intellectual heir and began a love affair that would eventually ruin everything.

But Ayn was 25 years older than the randy Nathan Branden. Nathan's eyes wandered to a veritable knockout of a student (Patrecia) and they began having a thing. Even the most devoted followers of Rand will understand Branden's dilemma when they see the young girl's modelesque photo.

As you can guess, Rand wasn't too happy with Branden's scorn. The irony is that her philosophy doesn't allow a person to rationally protest a dissolution. According to objectivism, Branden shouldn't be made to live his life for another person, even if that person is the godmother of objectivism. It's nothing new for a philosopher to live less than the ideals of his/her belief, but somewhat disappointing that the idealistic Rand would fall short.

You may want to read the book because you love Rand or hate her, but you'll enjoy Branden's frank and well-written account of their relationship regardless of your preconceived notions. I also liked that the memoir offers a history of the molding of objectivism. These were the days that Rand was expanding on her views and putting them in nonfiction written form. A lot of to like in this short history.

Readers should note that this book is a revised edition of Branden's 1989 memoir "Judgment Day". While it claims to be 'substantially revised', the revisions are not all *that* substantial. The many stylistic changes do make the book read better, and some less relevant sections have been deservedly excised.

Primarily, the book is altered so that Branden's associates from the period covered by the book are shown in somewhat more positive light. Allan Blumenthal, for instance, is no longer a quite conventional mama's boy; Barbara Branden is less clingy and shows up as a more autonomous individual. Her numerous affairs reported in the first edition are trimmed to a much smaller number.

Surprisingly, Barbara Branden is reported to have developed the concept 'psycho-epistemology', perhaps the key to Rand's aesthetics. This single fact should end any notion that Objectivism is all the ideas that Ayn Rand came up with and nothing else.

Nathaniel Branden is less self-aggrandizing in this edition, and he takes more of the blame for his failed first marriage and the personal disaster for many Objectivists which he helped cause. The portrait of Ayn Rand herself is little changed, which would make us wonder why bother with the second edition until we remember that this is not a biography of Rand but a memoir by Branden.

All in all, the book tells a fascinating story, and tells it rather better and more fairly than the first edition. But the changes, while interesting, are generally not radical and readers of the first edition should bear this in mind before they buy the current version. Those who have not read the first edition should definitely find this book of interest; it tells the very self-conscious story of a man, three women, loves of people, ideas, and their interrelationships, and how a something like a cult is formed and destroyed.