History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

well, I liked it
Not her best but Smiley's always good
Not Smiley's usual but still an excellent murder mystery
AT LEAST MAKE THEM BELIEVABLE
interesting but flawed

Duplicate Keys
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400076021
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Book Description

Alice Ellis is a Midwestern refugee living in Manhattan. Still recovering from a painful divorce, she depends on the companionship and camaraderie of tightly knit circle of friends. At the center of this circle is a rock band struggling to navigate New York’s erratic music scene, and an apartment/practice space with approximately fifty key-holders. One sunny day, Alice enters the apartment and finds two of the band members shot dead. As the double-murder sends waves of shock through their lives, this group of friends begins to unravel, and dangerous secrets are revealed one by one. When Alice begins to notice things amiss in her own apartment, the tension breaks out as it occurs to her that she is not the only person with a key, and she may not get a chance to change the locks.

Jane Smiley applies her distinctive rendering of time, place, and the enigmatic intricacies of personal relationships to the twists and turns of suspense. The result is a brilliant literary thriller that will keep readers guessing up to its final, shocking conclusion.

Customer Reviews:

well, I liked it.......2005-11-13

Alice, an orderly librarian, is drawn into a murder mystery when her friend, a temperamental musician named Craig shot dead in his apartment. Their group of friends, who came to New York City together to make a life for themselves and for two, hit it big in the music business are in turns suspicious and supportive of their companions. A detective begins to examine the case, probing further and further into their lives, and it begins to seem to Alice that one of her friends may be the murderer. Smiley excels at describing intimate details of every day life and has an ear for dialogue. The result is a book more leisurely than your average murder mystery, but still worth reading. Indeed the murder seemed to be more tacked on to the story, then having been the hub around which it revolved.

Not her best but Smiley's always good.......2005-02-12

I wouldn't rate this as highly as some of her other books but it did make a more than adequate companion on an transatlantic flight!

One comment must be made about the review by "SC" of November 5, 2004. It's fine, SC, if you don't agree with Smiley's opinion piece/political analysis of the red state/blue state divide **PUBLISHED IN SLATE.com, NOT THIS BOOK!** but criticizing THIS book for a political opinion published elsewhere is ridiculous. It is completely inappropriate of SC to leave this sort of negative and completely irrelevant comment about Smiley's OTHER WRITINGS when SC is supposed to be reviewing THIS BOOK!

For example, In my opinion (and in my dad's, as well!) William F. Buckley has contemptible political opinions. Nevertheless, my dad loved his books and would never mix his dislike of Buckley's politics with his criticism or praise of Buckley's fiction. SC's review has no place here - it is contrary to the intent of the rating program.

Back to the book itself - definitely take it on a long trip. It's more like a Nora Roberts book than a Smiley one but there are times when Nora Roberts is just what the doctor ordered. This book was great company in the wee hours over the North Atlantic - I'd definitely recommend it.

Not Smiley's usual but still an excellent murder mystery.......2003-11-19

Jane Smiley writes about families and relationships, not murder mysteries, so it's a feather in her cap for versatility that she acquits herself more than decently on this atypical novel of hers. The murders have already taken place before we begin, so the rest of the novel has us backtracking through a minefield of relationships that once bound the friends together. Quite clearly, the network has collapsed beneath the growing rot that nobody seemed to care to notice until the inevitable happened. The friendship, if you could call it that, was undermined by a combination of sexual betrayal, professional jealousies and other dependencies and left to find its own bloody equilibrium. The narrator Alice Ellis' voice isn't an unequivocal one. It's hard to nail her personality down or even decide whether she's likeable or not. She's bitter, insecure, vulnerable, defiant and bitchy all at the same time. But then again, we are reminded that Smiley is always more interested in the people than the plot and so it shouldn't be too surprising that we get an edgy character for a heroine and some excellent characterisation to boot.

Some readers have complained about the identity of the murderer being predictable. I don't. If there's an awkward and unsatisfactory element in the story, it's in the romantic subplot. Henry may be the secret lover who lives across the street but he doesn't belong. He should have been saved for Smiley's next book about Alice. Smiley may have set out to write a different novel but she couldn't help but leave large traces of her familiar genre behind. Still, "Duplicate Keys" is a hugely enjoyable novel. Recommended.

AT LEAST MAKE THEM BELIEVABLE.......2002-12-13

I've read numerous books lately where there just doesn't seem to be any editing happening. No matter the illustrious past works of an author, someone should view these unnecessarily long-winded books before they reach the public. Or maybe they figure we want our money's worth, so they'll just leave in all those extraneous words.
The story could have been more suspenseful. It just dragged on and on. The main character Alice was the most changeable I've encountered in memory. I never could get a fix on her. One minute she was docile and wimpy, the next assertive and bitchy. Finding your murdered friends might well disconcert a person, but, come on, would their basic nature change every few paragraphs? Life's just too short to spend reading a 300+ page novel when I've seen better made-for-TV movies on Lifetime.

interesting but flawed.......2002-11-16

I really enjoyed Moo, so I went to the library looking for another Jane Smiley novel. I can't remember why I chose Duplicate Keys over the rest of the selections. I really loved the first half of the novel, up until the mystery aspect really gets going. I enjoyed the characterizations, particlarly of the timid Alice. I thought Smiley created a realistic portrait of a formerly tight-knight group of college buddies who are having trouble transitioning to adulthood. Alice and the two murdered characters seem to have the most difficulty. I think the novel shows Alice's realization that she needs to get on with her life, stop dreaming about the way it was and start thinking about her present and future. That is the aspect of the novel that I enjoyed. What I didn't enjoy was the thinly veiled mystery, which frankly I just couldn't buy. Smiley seemed determined to plough through the murder mystery even though the story would have sufficed just fine if the murderer wasn't one of the cast of characters. The depiction of the friend's shock and sadness was enough to carry the story without the tension of a forced mystery.

Average customer rating:

Duplicate Keys

Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 1402525400

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Duplicate Keys
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: Fawcett Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K6NZVU

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Duplicate Keys

Manufacturer: Recorded Books, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Product Description

Jane Smileys talent for creating emotionally-gripping tales of family relationships was celebrated when she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for A Thousand Acres (RB# 94792). In Duplicate Keys, Smiley displays her flair for creating a haunting mystery. Everyone has keys to Susans New York apartment: all her friends, and friends of friends. So one afternoon, when Alice unlocks Susans door to water the plants, she isnt surprised to find two men sitting in the living room. However, that they are both dead is a shock. Now Alice must sort through a tangle of personal connections, schemes and motives to find the key to who killed them and why. As she talks with the police, the answer that starts to nag Alice is a chilling one. Ruth Ann Phimisters narration underscores the finely-phrased atmosphere and suspense.

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Duplicate Keys
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788721771

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Duplicate Keys
Jane SMILEY
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Duplicate keys
Jon Bracker
Manufacturer: Thorp Srpings Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Duplicate Keys -
Jane Smiley -
Manufacturer: Ballantine Publishing -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PS7Y2E

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Duplicate Keys Signed 1st Edition
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: ALFRED A KNOPF
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VF8U1A

Average customer rating:

Getting better

Wheres the beef?

best of the whole series

Strong dark fantasy

A dime a dozen.
The Glasswrights' Progress: The Glasswright's Progress, Book Two (Roc Fantasy)
Mindy L. Klasky
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Glasswrights' Journeyman

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The Heart of Stars: Book Three of Rhiannon's Ride

ASIN: 0451458354
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Book Description

Living in the palace of Morenia's new king, Rani Trader struggles to rebuild the banished glasswrights' guild-while an enemy of the kingdom assembles a very unusual army...

Praise for The Glasswrights' Apprentice:

A fun and colorful adventure. (Locus)

I wouldn't be surprised if Klasky moves quickly to the front rank of fantasy writers. (Science Fiction Chronicle)

From its rich imagery to its all-too-believable class system, this novel will absorb and intrigue you, right up to the unexpected ending. (Nancy Kress, author of Maximum Light)

Customer Reviews:

Getting better.......2005-10-23

I liked this book better than the first one, although it was slightly upsetting in some parts. Rani is still a very interesting character, although I think Hal is probably my favorite. Mair returns in this books as Rani's friend and lady in waiting.

In this book, Mair and Rani are abducted by Prince Bashanorandi and taken to the neighboring country of Amanth, as insurance that no one will try to stop Bashi. Bashi goes to his uncle, King Sin Hazar's palace. There Rani and Mair are prevented from going home or even writing letters, and are eventually locked away. Eventually they find a way to escape and meet up with Crestman who is running away from King Sin Hazar's little army, an army made intirely of children. He is traveling with Shea, and old woman helping him to escape.

Meanwhile, Hal is trying to negotiate for their return. He receives a fake letter from Rani which convinces him that she is dead, and he prepares to go to war on Amanth. Rani and her friends are soon captured by the little army, so Crestman is forced to pretend that he had never run away.

Things begin to get more complicated when Rani and Mair are recaptured by Sin Hazar and put on a ship heading to a far away country where they and the little army are to be sold as slaves. But how do they convince the little army of that? Meanwhile, Sin Hazar and Hal are ready to begin the war, but Sin Hazar as a secret weapon. How will Rani free herself, and will she be in time to warn Hal and save Crestman? Read to find out!

One final note; I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under thirteen because it has some very gory scenes in it.

Wheres the beef?.......2005-01-18

This series is worth reading, but tends to be a little lean. The characters are blind to the events that surround them. They have common goals but work against each other to achieve them. If you like the first in the series The Glasswrights Apprentice, the second is better, but in whole this series needs a little more beef.

best of the whole series.......2004-03-23

I've read the intire series and found most of the books lacking. This was the best of all four if only becuase the plot was less the ever told hero overcoming the absolutly impossible and dealed more with believable problems. The other books dealed with political conflict more than anything else and I felt that the main character besides being an absolute idiot was more draged along by the plot than actually a factor in its creation. I liked the character of Crestman and his self conflicts. He had potential to be an actually interesting character who actually made somewhat educated decisions but Mindy just well seemed to want to get rid of him. Untill she had him show up in the Glasswright's Test as a misguided villian which dissapointed me. My overall problem with the intire series was the stupidity of the main character who never seemed to look at things from more than one direction or point of view and seemed really selfcentered.

Strong dark fantasy.......2003-11-24

"Glasswright's Progress" is an improvement over her debut novel "Glasswright's Apprentice," which was an interesting quasi-medieval/feudal look at royalty, religion and society. Ms. Klasky's writing shows more depth and breadth, and her narrative flows more smoothly than in her debut novel.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book is that it wasn't what I expected. Rani Trader and her companion Mair of the Touched are immediately abducted by Prince Bashnorandi, and carried off to the court of Sin Hazar. Sin Hazar is an enemy of Morenia's King Halaravilli (or King Hal, for short), mainly because his society is quite different, and because Sin Hazar was raised to take anything he wanted due to how _his_ country views castes.

Rani and Mair form new alliances while King Hal tries desperately to find out what's happened to them; Hal must discard old alliances in favor of a new, uncertain future, and the outcome is always in doubt.

As I've said before, Ms. Klasky is superlative at showing moral ambiguity, and how the choices a person makes are more important than they might seem.

All in all, I'd call "Glasswright's Progress" a very strong book, one that succeeds in telling a darkly realistic tale. I would have liked to see more about Rani's quest to rebuilt the Glasswright's Guild, but I suppose that can wait for later books.

I really debated about what amount of stars to give this book; it's very good, and makes all its points. And I really enjoyed Rani and Mair in this book, far more than in the previous book (and I liked them there, too). Which is why I rounded up to five stars.

And I'd definitely recommend it. It's very interesting, and it might even stand on its own (without the first book, "Glasswright's Apprentice"), although it definitely is enriched by reading "Apprentice" first.

Barb Caffrey

A dime a dozen........2002-10-16

The prospective reader should keep in mind that this is very much a fantasy novel by a female author. It begins badly and ends well, but it is unclear how or why this comes about (magic!).

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