Metal-Catalysed Reactions of Hydrocarbons (Fundamental and Applied Catalysis)

Book Description

This unique book, drawing on the author’s lifetime experience, critically evaluates the extensive literature on the field of Metal-Catalysed Reactions of Hydrocarbons. Emphasis is placed on reaction mechanisms involving hydrogenation, hydrogenolysis, skeletal and positional isomerisation, and exchange reactions. The motivation for fundamental research in heterogeneous catalysis is to identify the physicochemical characteristics of active centres for the reaction being studied, to learn how these may be modified or manipulated to improve the desired behavior of the catalyst, and to recognize and control those aspects of the catalyst's structure that limit its overall performance. By restricting the subject of the book to hydrocarbons, Bond has progressively developed the subject matter to include areas of importance both to researchers and to those working in the industry.

Principles of Adsorption and Reaction on Solid Surfaces

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One of the best resources
Good book
Good Review, Poor Writing/Editing
An excellent text book for surface chemist
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Principles of Adsorption and Reaction on Solid Surfaces
Richard I. Masel
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471303925

Book Description

Principles of Adsorption and Reaction on Solid Surfaces

As with other books in the field, Principles of Adsorption and Reaction on Solid Surfaces describes what occurs when gases come in contact with various solid surfaces. But, unlike all the others, it also explains why. While the theory of surface reactions is still under active development, the approach Dr. Richard Masel takes in this book is to outline general principles derived from thermodynamics and reaction rate theory that can be applied to reactions on surfaces, and to indicate ways in which these principles may be applied. The book also provides a comprehensive treatment of the latest quantitative surface modeling techniques with numerous examples of their use in the fields of chemical engineering, physical chemistry, and materials science. A valuable working resource and an excellent graduate-level text, Principles of Adsorption and Reaction on Solid Surfaces provides readers with:
* A detailed look at the latest advances in understanding and quantifying reactions on surfaces
* In-depth reviews of all crucial background material
* 40 solved examples illustrating how the methods apply to catalysis, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, electrochemistry, and more
* 340 problems and practice exercises
* Sample computer programs
* Universal plots of many key quantities
* Detailed, class-tested derivations to help clarify key results

The recent development of quantitative techniques for modeling surface reactions has led to a number of exciting breakthroughs in our understanding of what happens when gases come in contact with solid surfaces. While many books have appeared describing various experimental modeling techniques and the results obtained through their application, until now, there has been no single-volume reference devoted to the fundamental principles governing the processes observed.

The first book to focus on governing principles rather than experimental techniques or specific results, Principles of Adsorption and Reaction on Solid Surfaces provides students and professionals with a quantitative treatment of the application of principles derived from the fields of thermodynamics and reaction rate theory to the investigation of gas adsorption and reaction on solid surfaces. Writing for a broad-based audience including, among others, chemical engineers, chemists, and materials scientists, Dr. Richard I. Masel deftly balances basic background in areas such as statistical mechanics and kinetics with more advanced applications in specialized areas.

Principles of Adsorption and Reaction on Solid Surfaces was also designed to provide readers an opportunity to quickly familiarize themselves with all of the important quantitative surface modeling techniques now in use. To that end, the author has included all of the key equations involved as well as numerous real-world illustrations and solved examples that help to illustrate how the equations can be applied. He has also provided computer programs along with universal plots that make it easy for readers to apply results to their own problems with little computational effort.

Principles of Adsorption and Reaction on Solid Surfaces is a valuable working resource for chemical engineers, physical chemists, and materials scientists, and an excellent text for graduate students in those disciplines.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best resources.......2007-09-29

This book is great. it is ideal for classes in kinetics and adsorption. It was very helpful for my graduate level courses in kinetics and chemical reactions. It is also ideal for those doing research in solid state and adsorption phenomena as well as catalysis and surface chemistry

Good book.......2003-03-21

It's a textbook for a course I'm taking, and I find it a good enough book... Useful, if not the most exciting thing I've ever read ;)

Good Review, Poor Writing/Editing.......2002-07-12

This text goes over most of the key concepts of surface reactions, but the large number of typos make it hard to read.

An excellent text book for surface chemist.......1999-08-27

This is a very comprehensive book on surface chemistry. It explains basic concept and related experimental results very well. The only thing I don't like is that he spent too much on his own theory on chemisorption, which still needs experimental proof. Nevertherless, this is a must if you intend to do some reserch on surface catalytic reactions.

e.......1999-03-02

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Surface Modification and Mechanisms: Friction, Stress, and Reaction Engineering

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Surface Modification and Mechanisms: Friction, Stress, and Reaction Engineering

Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0824748727

Book Description

Leading readers through an extensive compilation of surface modification reactions and processes for specific tribological results, this reference compiles detailed studies on various residual stresses, reaction processes and mechanisms, heat treatment methods, plasma-based techniques, and more, for a solid understanding of surface structural changes that occur during various engineering procedures. This unique book explores topics previously ignored in other texts on surface engineering and tribology, offers guidelines for the consideration and design of wear life and frictional performance, and sections on laser impingement and nanometer scale surface modification.

Redox Chemistry and Interfacial Behavior of Biological Molecules

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Redox Chemistry and Interfacial Behavior of Biological Molecules

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Biochemistry | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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Average customer rating:

An excellent text for self-study
Surface Water Quality is "quality" from cover to cover

Surface Water Quality Modeling
Steven C. Chapra
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Environmental Science | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0070113645

Book Description

Since the 1920's, scientists and engineers around the globe have been using mathematical models to simulate the transport and fate of pollutants in natural waters. Today, and in the foreseeable future, more of these applications are being generated in an effort to develop economical solutions to water-quality problems.

The primary audience for this book is first-year graduate students, including both MA and Ph.D. students. The book, however, could be used as a basis for a senior undergraduate course. The text is divided into seven major parts. The first two cover Modeling Fundamentals, (including material on mathematics, numerical methods, kinetics, diffusion, etc). The remaining parts deal with major water-quality modeling problems such as dissolved oxygen, eutrophication, and toxics. The text is written in lecture format, ideal for case study and teaching purposes. The book stresses theory and application.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent text for self-study.......2001-02-27

This is a great book. In fact, it is the best book if like me, you don't have time to follow a teacher-led course. Stephen Chapra has authored/co-authored several engineering texts, and this one is just as well-written as the others. My need was for a text which had the right balance of theory and practical implementation details. Since I develop water-quality & hydrodynamics software, I also was concerned with numerical methods issues. This book met my needs. Chapra has a very enjoyable style. I like his sometimes 'anecdotal' style, whereby he gives you historical or background blurbs which help view things in their proper context.

** One of the rare qualities of Chapra's books is to provide both the mathematical modeling theory, and the practical sampling and statistical tools to implement them with real data. This is so often overlooked by other authors.

I look forward to his next book on numerical methods with Matlab & Excel.

Surface Water Quality is "quality" from cover to cover.......2000-05-26

I found this book to be extremely useful. It covers the necessary issues of surface water modeling, such as reaction kinetics, mixed vs non-mixed systems, a variety of possible contaminants and indicators, as well as a variety of surface water body types. Each part of the book is a series of lectures containing theory as well as practical modeling methods. The text is clear and flows well, with occasional comical examples and literary quotes.

Advection and Diffusion in Random Media: Implications for Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies

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Advection and Diffusion in Random Media: Implications for Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies
L. Piterbarg , and A. Ostrovskii
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0792344502

Book Description

The book presents the foundations of the theory of turbulent transport within the context of stochastic partial differential equations. It serves to establish a firm connection between rigorous and non-rigorous results concerning turbulent diffusion. Mathematically all of the issues addressed in this book are concentrated around a single linear equation: stochastic advection-diffusion (transport) equation. There is no attempt made to derive universal statistics for turbulent flow. Instead emphasis is placed on a statistical description of a passive scalar (tracer) under given velocity statistics. An application concerning transport of sea surface temperature anomalies reconciles the developed theory and a highly practical issue of modern physical oceanography by using the newly designed inversion techniques which take advantage of powerful maximum likelihood and autoregressive estimators.
Audience: Graduate students and researchers in mathematics, fluid dynamics, and physical oceanography.

Alkene Polymerization Reactions with Transition Metal Catalysts, Volume 173 (Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis)

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Alkene Polymerization Reactions with Transition Metal Catalysts, Volume 173 (Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis)
Yury Kissin
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Inorganic | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

During the past 30 years, the field of alkene polymerization over transition metal catalysts underwent several major changes:
1. The list of commercial heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts for the synthesis of polyethylene and stereoregular polyolefins was completely renewed affording an unprecedented degree of control over the polymer structure.
2. Research devoted to metallocene and other soluble transition-metal catalysis has vastly expanded and has shifted toward complexes of transition metals with multidentate ligands.
3. Recent developments in gel permeation chromatography, temperature-rising fractionation, and crystallization fractionation provided the first reliable information about differences between various active centers in transition-metal catalysts.
4. A rapid development of high-resolution 13C NMR spectroscopy resulted in greatly expanded understanding of the chemical and steric features of polyolefins and alkene copolymers.
These developments require a new review of all aspects of alkene polymerization reactions with transition-metal catalysts. The first chapter in the book is an introductory text for researchers who are entering the field. It describes the basic principles of polymerization reactions with transition-metal catalysts, the types of catalysts, and commercially manufactured polyolefins.
The next chapter addresses the principal issue of alkene polymerization catalysis: the existence of catalyst systems with single and multiple types of active centers. The subsequent chapters are devoted to chemistry and stereochemistry of elemental reaction steps, structures of catalyst precursors and reactions leading to the formation of active centers, kinetics of polymerization reactions, and their mechanisms.

The book describes the latest commercial polymerization catalysts for the synthesis of polyethylenes and polypropylene
The book provides a detailed description of the multi-center nature of commercial Ziegler-Natta catalysts.
The book devotes specialized chapters to the most important aspects of transition metal polymerization catalysts: the reactions leading to the formation of active centers, the chemistry and stereochemistry of elemental polymerization steps, reaction kinetics, and the polymerization mechanism.
The book contains an introductory chapter for researchers who are entering the field of polymerization catalysis. It describes the basic principles of polymerization reactions with transition-metal catalysts and the types of commercially manufactured polyolefins and copolymers
The book contains over 2000 references, the most recent up to end of 2006.

Amazon Surveillance System (SIVAM): U.S. and Brazilian Cooperation

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Amazon Surveillance System (SIVAM): U.S. and Brazilian Cooperation

Manufacturer: Storming Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Medicaid & Medicare | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 142354031X

Product Description

This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A501473. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: The thesis will demonstrate bow Brazil's System for Surveillance of the Amazon (SIVAM) increases bilateral linkages in Brazilian-U.S. relations within the framework of the international relations theory of complex interdependence; The thesis's central theme is that SIVAM might benefit U.S. national security interests in Latin America, especially in counter-drug operations. For example, an opportunity for greater cooperation between the two nations exists with Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar (ROTHR) data sharing. ROTHR could improve SIVAM's low altitude aircraft coverage and reinforce Brazil's sovereign borders. The most important arena for cooperation is in counter-drug operations. SIVAM was conceived in the early 1990s to support control and preservation of the Amazon in a strategy known as System for Protection of the Amazon or SIPAM. In 1994, U.S. based Raytheon Corporation won the SIVAM contract over French Thomson CSF in bidding, but contract execution did not begin until 1997. The new Ministry of Defense will probably control SIVAM. SIVAM will have Significant surveillance capabilities to support Brazilian military operations other than war (OOTW).

Analysis of Small Business' Perspective on the Electronic Data Interchange Acquisition Reform

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Analysis of Small Business' Perspective on the Electronic Data Interchange Acquisition Reform

Manufacturer: Storming Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: 1423569970

Product Description

This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A473333. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: This thesis examines small business' perception of utilizing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) as a means to conduct business. The general concept and history of EDI is discussed along with a synopsis of current Government EDI systems in use. The results of two surveys are analyzed to provide an insight on the effect the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act is having on small business' opportunity to obtain Government Contracts. Additionally, interviews were conducted with several Government personnel to get their opinions on the progress of EDI in the workplace. The major conclusion drawn is that the majority of small businesses are willing to utilize EDI as a means to conduct business. But in its current form (i.e. FACNET) small businesses find it difficult to use and too expensive. The need to use a simpler and more cost-effective means is necessary to ensure that all small businesses have the opportunity to compete for Government contracts without cutting into their profit margins.

Analyzing Soldier In-Processing at the United States Army Field Artillery Training Center Through Simulation

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Analyzing Soldier In-Processing at the United States Army Field Artillery Training Center Through Simulation

Manufacturer: Storming Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: 1423544129

Product Description

This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A780663. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: Each year the United States Army in-processes thousands of new recruits at training centers. Variations in the number of recruits who arrive for in-processing, particularly surges during summer time, cause problems that ripple throughout the entire Army training base. This thesis gathers and analyzes historical recruit and in-processing data for one Army training base: Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The recruit reception process is modeled as a network flow problem and analyzed through the use of computer simulation. Analysis of the problem using the model compares the status quo to various options for improving recruit "throughput." Policy options are explored on a cost and benefit basis. Recommendations improve reception battalion "throughput" by making better use of existing resources, and establish guidelines for allocating additional resources, thus contributing to solving a significant scheduling problem for the Army Training Centers.

Book Description

The insider whose warnings about terrorism on U.S. soil went unheeded-and whose book Against All Enemies rocketed to the top of bestseller lists-now presents his first novel: an all-too-believable story of politics, oil, espionage, and the earthshaking consequences that may lie at the end of the road ahead.

Download Description

"Fiction can often tell the truth better than nonfiction. And there is a lot of truth that needs to be told. -Richard A. Clarke From the noted counterterrorism expert and #1 bestselling author comes an astonishing fiction debut-a novel of terrorism, warring nations, and political treachery... that could happen tomorrow. For three decades, Richard A. Clarke worked in the White House, State Department, and Pentagon. As adviser to four presidents, he traveled throughout the Middle East, visiting palaces, military bases, and intelligence centers, meeting rulers, soldiers, and spies. Some of what he found appeared in Against All Enemies. Much more of it appears here. In an extraordinary geopolitical thriller filled with the kind of cutting-edge authenticity only someone on the inside could bring, Clarke takes readers just five years into the future, when forces both in the Middle East and the United States are at work to launch another war. But this time, it could be bigger. This time, it could be nuclear, and spread to Asia and beyond. A coup has finally toppled the sheiks of Saudi Arabia, and put a determined but shaky Islamic government in its place. Everywhere, the scent of oil has begun to attract the scorpions, and among them are men in Washington and another capital ready to strike a devil's bargain to fundamentally realign the map of the Middle East. The plans are not the same, however-though some of the planners think they are. Hidden agendas, fierce ambition, conflicting loyalties, faulty intelligence, catastrophic miscalculation-soon the dominos will start to fall, and not even the efforts of a few dedicated men and women on the outside may be able to stop an unstoppable folly. . . . Blending exceptional realism with intricate plotting, razor-sharp suspense, and a remarkable cast of characters, The Scorpion's Gate will be one of the most talked-about novels of the year."

Customer Reviews:

A Good Read.......2007-10-01

As Patrick Clawson observed, no one has ever accused Clarke of being lacking in the ego department. He became a key player in both the Clinton and Bush White Houses precisely because he was so hard-charging--a real make-it-happen kind of guy. Since leaving office in 2003, he has hardly been shy about criticizing the Bush administration for not paying enough attention to the counterterrorism issues on which he worked. So when one picks up his novel about horrific setbacks for the United States in the Middle East, the natural assumption is that his barely hidden agenda will be to blast the Bush team for leaving America vulnerable to catastrophic terrorism.

Perhaps that was his intention, but in fact when Clarke had to paint how things could go to hell for U.S. interests in the Middle East, he came up with a story in which shadowy Al-Qaeda-like terrorists play a distinctly faint second fiddle to the classic problems of evil states, especially to meddling outside powers. Indeed, at every twist in the plot, the new dangers that loom come from governments, not from networks of individuals. Ideological fanatics abound in The Scorpion's Gate, but they do not pose any great threat to U.S. interests until they have a state behind them. That is an intriguing development from someone who has criticized recent administrations for not understanding that in the new globalized world, with its instant communications and easy travel, loosely associated small groups can pose as deadly a threat as any great power.

Clarke's story is a good read for those who enjoy the action genre with colorfully painted characters. He puts to good use his intimate knowledge of life inside the circles of power. Yet even in these details, he displays all the usual attitudes of recent U.S. governments. The Saudis, for all their dislike of America's ways, prove in the end to be strong geopolitical partners with the United States--and this despite the overthrow of the House of Saud by religious radicals. The Iranians are evil conspirators who weave intricate webs to trap America. Of course, the British are clever and brave, coming to America's rescue. Perhaps most surprisingly, the actors are defined by their visions of their respective national interests more than by trans-national ideology.

In all, The Scorpion's Gate has more in common with Cold War suspense fiction than with religiously motivated adventure stories such as the rapture series or Muslim anti-Western thrillers. Perhaps his years in the corridors of power have made Clarke realize how much more dangerous are those with a state behind them.

fiction?.......2007-05-29

Richard Clarke is an immensely intersting individual and I like his writing style. He paints a grim picture in this book, but I guess that is the mood of our culture. We keep trying to blame ourselves for everything when things go wrong. There are people who should be held responsible, but it shouldn't be us. He writes in the colloquial so it is an easy read.

Thriller from a former Government Official.......2007-04-03

An excellently written novel from a former Government Official. Wonderfully easy to read. Prescient with respect to events that are beginning to happen and great portrayal of Iranian Revolutionary Guard/Quods Threat. Great sense of place (US, Middle East and UK) and US and British characters. Good Guys win by outhinking everyone.
And Islamist motivation is sympathetically described. Wonderful novel that conveys as much understanding as "Foreign Affairs" magazine.
Give it to anyone interested in Foreign affairs who needs to see a brighter world.

Borrring.......2007-03-05

So much detail, so many acronyms, too much technical detail and rhetoric, not much action.

Bill Kurry

It was okay.......2007-02-24

I kept wanting to know what would happen next, but on the downside of things it was said best by publisher's weekly, "Unabridged, it poses the daunting aural task of trying to keep track of dozens of characters; a multiplicity of political agenda; constantly shifting locations, schemes and counterschemes."

Average customer rating:

I can't believe I read the whole thing!
Is it possible?
Weighty Ideas, Flimsy Storytelling
The New Technology Versus The Neo-Luddites
A Bait-and-Switch Job that wasn't so bad after all

Breakpoint (Unabridged)
Richard A. Clarke
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B000MQ54BW

Book Description

In Against All Enemies, Richard Clarke warned about how we were conducting the war against terror. In his bestselling first novel, The Scorpion's Gate, he demonstrated what could happen. And now, in Breakpoint, America's preeminent counterterrorism expert and #1 bestselling author shows us all what might come next.

The global village--an intricately intertwined network of technology that binds together the world's economies, governments, and communication systems. So large, so vital--and so fragile. Now a sophisticated group is seeking to "disconnect the globe"--destroying computer grids, communications satellites, Internet cable centers, biotech firms. Hard to do? If only that were so.

Quickly, a dedicated team of men and women assembles to try to track the group down, searching through right-wing militias and Russian organized crime, Jihadist terrorists and enemy nation-states. But the attacks are coming more swiftly now, and growing in destructiveness. Soon, they will reach the breakpoint--and then there may be nothing anybody can do.

In an exclusive video message for Amazon.com customers, Richard Clarke introduces his new novel, and explains why, as he says, "sometimes you can tell more truth through fiction":

Reviewers everywhere praised the suspense and pace of The Scorpion's Gate, the vivid depictions of war, espionage, and bureaucracy, but most of all they hailed its authenticity. "Unlike most novelists, the man has been there and done that," said The New York Times Book Review. "Some of us," added The Washington Post, "have learned to listen when Richard A. Clarke has something to say." And we'd better hope they're listening now.

Book Description

Against All Enemies warned about how we were conducting the war against terror. The Scorpion's Gate demonstrated what could happen. And now America's preeminent counterterrorism expert and #1 bestselling author shows us all . . .hat might come next.

The global village-an intricately intertwined network of technology that binds together the world's economies, governments, and communication systems. So large, so vital-and so fragile. Now a sophisticated group is seeking to "disconnect the globe"-destroying computer grids, communications satellites, Internet cable centers, biotech firms. Hard to do? If only that were so.

Quickly, a dedicated team of men and women assembles to try to track the group down, searching through right-wing militias and Russian organized crime, Jihadist terrorists and enemy nation-states. But the attacks are coming more swiftly now, and growing in destructiveness. Soon, they will reach the breakpoint- and then there may be nothing anybody can do.

Reviewers everywhere praised the suspense and pace of The Scorpion's Gate, the vivid depictions of war, espionage, and bureaucracy, but most of all they hailed its authenticity. "Unlike most novelists, the man has been there and done that," said The New York Times Book Review. "Some of us," added The Washington Post, "have learned to listen when Richard A. Clarke has something to say." And we'd better hope they're listening now.

Customer Reviews:

I can't believe I read the whole thing!.......2007-08-10

Richard A. Clark is NOT an author. His character development is non-existent. I could care less whether the protagonists live or die. Each of his "heroes" is a mavarick with unbelievable talents and connections. They've been everywhere and done everything. The government is called "foggy bottom" where the CIA,FBI and every other agency are very slow and very ignorant. The heroes are outside of the mainstream of plodding bureaucrats. The character "Jimmy" actually asked his female associate to come with him to the bar for a drink. He wanted her there in order to stop other women from hitting on him"! You see, he's married to a gorgeous investment banker and doesn't want to disappoint the girls. The bad guys are politicians, millionaires and military types. The good guys are Chinese Communists, Russian mobsters and criminal computer hackers. This is so stupid I can't believe it!

Is it possible?.......2007-08-07

This appears to be a little preposterous--but then again, you never know...good summer read, and good for computer geeks!

Weighty Ideas, Flimsy Storytelling.......2007-07-30

I'm normally a big admirer of novelists who build their stories around well-researched and thought provoking concepts. The controversy at the heart of the novel (whether the converging sciences of genetics and information technology should be embraced as the next phase of human evolution or regulated to avoid the demise of humanity) is probably the most vexing issue we will face in the twenty-first century. And one cannot fault Richard Clarke for his research or insider's knowledge of global politics and the defense industrial complex. The problem is that the story and characters feel contrived, existing solely to allow the author to drive home his message. The editing of the book is also surprisingly poor for a major publisher, the numerous typos and grammatical errors having the unfortunate effect of undercutting the book's overall credibility.

One day there will be a thriller worthy of this subject matter. In the meantime, readers interested in exploring these weighty issues should stick with the non-fiction work of Ray Kurzweil, such as "The Age of Spiritual Machines."

The New Technology Versus The Neo-Luddites.......2007-07-14

This novel by veteran writer Richard A. Clarke centers itself around the accelerating technological advances of such items as nanotech, stem cell advances, and human-level A.I., among other things, that come into conflict with entrenched opposition. Unlike a previous reviewer I found this novel easy to read, in a flowing style, and the conversations between the various characters had a natural feel and rhythm, professionally written indeed, with a very good plot. And Clarke really has a gem of what could be considered 'near term hard science fiction', and he does'nt rsort to quasi-religious myth-making with it's associated supernatural nonsense, as many writers have done to sell books to the masses. Not only is this novel about technology that is more advanced (or may soon be, as this book is located in the year 2012) than many people are aware of, but it is also about unchecked political power (sound familiar?) and irrationalism.

Clarke does, in a round-about way, rightly brings up the idea that these advances will have to be examined in the future, with controls of some sort perhaps placed here and there, for our safety. But as he notes several times in this novel, if controls in the USA are placed on the research and development of new technologies, the work will go underground and/or overseas...and this appears to have already happened in the real world. I firmly believe that if a person does not fully embrace these new technologies over the next several decades he or she will be literally left behind. At the end of this book Clarke has written a synopsis of the current level of development of the various technologies mentioned in the novel, interesting, and he also states that this novel is meant to be predictive.

A Bait-and-Switch Job that wasn't so bad after all.......2007-07-10

My friend Peter Nyheim, the info-tech guru for the hospitality
world gave me this book. "It's not very good" he said "but
you've gotta read it.

He was right. The opening chapter of Breakpoint is riveting
in the styleof so many military thrillers. We're placed in
the cockpit with the pilot who sees the fire as truck bombs
destroy the fibre-optic cables that carry internet signals
in and out of the country.
The scene is riveting and personal. Unfortunately, it's the last
thing in the book that's at all readable. The rest is one-dimensional
characters speaking unbelievable dialog in service to a plot that's
so predictable as to be annoying.

So Peter was right about the not-very-good part. He was also
right about the gotta-read-it. If it's true that our infoassets
are so badly covered that they could be destroyed that easily,
then we're in trouble. A report on the state of internet security
never would have received the attention (or the royalties)
that this book got, so fiction was certainly the way to go.

But just as there are thoughtful ways to protect the national
security, there are thoughtful ways to write fiction. Let's hope
that Richard Clarke hires a writer next time or at least an editor.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG from Kunati Books. ISBN 9781601640005

Average customer rating:

The Scorpion's Gate
Richard A. Clarke
Manufacturer: Penguin Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000VYVZB8

The Scorpion's Gate.(Book review): An article from: Middle East Quarterly

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The Scorpion's Gate.(Book review): An article from: Middle East Quarterly
Patrick Clawson
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Middle East Quarterly, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2006. The length of the article is 467 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Scorpion's Gate.(Book review)
Author: Patrick Clawson
Publication: Middle East Quarterly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Page: 88(1)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

La Puerta Del Escorpion/ the Scorpion's Gate

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La Puerta Del Escorpion/ the Scorpion's Gate
Richard A. Clarke
Manufacturer: Editorial Malabar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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The Scorpion's Gate
Richard A. / Dean, Robertson (NRT) Clarke
Manufacturer: Penguin Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJG6MS

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The Scorpion's Gate
Richard A. Clarke
Manufacturer: G.P. Putnam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 3455008666

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