Average customer rating:
- A major leap forward for SF
- Includes The Novel Schismatrix And (Plus) All Related Stories, 2-1/2 Stars
- Prophetic
- Bungled Effort by Confused Author
- A translator's perspective
|
Schismatrix Plus (Complete Shapers-Mechanists Universe)
Bruce Sterling
Manufacturer: Ace Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0441003702 |
Amazon.com
Bruce Sterling has called his Shaper/Mechanist novel Schismatrix "my favorite among my books." It is a detailed history of a spacefaring humanity divided into two camps: The Shapers, who prefer genetic enhancements, and the Mechanists, who rely on prosthetics. Sterling also published five Shaper/Mechanist stories between 1982-84, which have been collected with the novel in this compendium volume. This book represents the definitive collection of what is arguably Sterling's most intense work, offering a hard, gritty look at humanity as it pushes and claws its way to the stars.
Customer Reviews:
A major leap forward for SF.......2006-08-22
I read a lot of science fiction, both the classics and newer ones. I am happy to say the this book has really got me back into Science Fiction when I was starting to think that I hadn't read anything truly groundbreaking since Arthur C. Clark'es "The Light of Other Days."
Schimatrix Plus, despite its complexity (it can easily be labeled "hard" science fiction) details the life of our main character, whose age spans hundreds of years. It probably won't move you to cry, but it will give you plenty to think about.
Includes The Novel Schismatrix And (Plus) All Related Stories, 2-1/2 Stars.......2006-03-26
I really wanted to like this novel. It had a clever name, an amalgamation of the Great Schism that separate Catholicism and Protestantism, and Matrix, like the movie with the same title. (Note: the novel is pronounced Shiz-mat-rix, with a short a, rhymes with schematics). A classic cyberpunk title. However, this novel is anything but user-friendly. I don't know if pharmaceuticals are needed for appreciating this novel, or if the author used them when frantically writing, in between vacuuming the roof of his house and such. The novel moves at such a frantic pace that within one sentence the entire setting can change and this happens more than a few times. It's difficult to know the point of the plot; perhaps that life is worth living. The novel is a cross between Heinlein's Time Enough For Love, Bester's The Stars My Destination, and petting a sea urchin.
In a shocking act of consideration, the publishers have included all of Sterling stories related to the Shaper-Mechanist War. That would be the full length novel, plus five stories. The stories were written before the novel, which was the order I read them in, although after reading the novel last, I can't say whether or not to recommend reading in that order. The stories are interesting and enjoyable. In fact Sterling seems to excel with his short stories. His story "Flowers of Edo" is where I got interested in his style. I would recommend his short stories, but this novel is another matter.
Humanity has balkanized into a number of factions, with the Shapers and Mechanists being the most powerful. The Shapers have reshaped their bodies genetically. This includes such drastic things as replacing all the E. Coli in their intestines with enzymes. The Mechanists are like the Borg of Star Trek, they use mechanical prosthetics to enhance themselves. If you think the Mechanists are the cleaner of the two, think again. Cockroaches and bacteria are prevalent in Mechanist environments. Every five years the Mechanists need to have the bacterial growth scraped and UV-burned off their skin. That's one thing prevalent throughout his writings, this sort of creepiness. Expect more of it.
However, don't let the war make you think this is some majestic good vs. evil epic space war. Battles are mostly low key. There is lot's of narration and dialog. Sterling self-claims his crammed prose. No kidding. Adjectives rule supreme in this novel; as many as possible are crammed into each sentence. If one would do a histogram of adjectives, this novel would be on the far right tail of the bell curve. Here's an excerpt: " He always wore his spacesuit, [something something], and [multiple length modifiers] body odor came through its [multiple adjectives] collar with [multiple adjectives] pungency." Sentences like this go on and on and on and on and on and on and on throughout the novel. And there's no shortage of hyphenated words, like long-fermented, eye-watering. On one page, there were no less than 11 hyphenated words, plus one triple one.
Similar to the prosthetics of the Borg, the sentences themselves seem interchangeable. Here's another excerpt of a dialogue:
"What was your brigade?
I'm no Cataclyst.
I have your weapon here.
Constantine pulled a ... vial from his ... jacket ..."
You may as well interchange your own sentences: `The tree fell in the forest; it made no sound' or `the space ship went into orbit; it's boots were muddy.' Give it a try. It'll make as much sense.
There are times when the novel seems profound. I would find myself backtracking at times to understand some point, and I would go back 5, then 10, then 20 pages to try to understand something and would just give up and go back to where I was. It's hard to say you read this novel, it's more like your eyes glance over the words, and on occasion you absorb some of it. Since the novel fluctuates from the profound to the mundane an average of 2-1/2 stars seemed appropriate.
Prophetic.......2006-01-13
I've read this novel 4 times, which beats Dune and The Silmarillion by one.
This is easily one of the most richly imagined futures ever conceived. And it has aged better than just about anything else written in this era (early 80's).
As far as it being "inacessible": Go read one of those awful Dune prequels if you want to be spoon-fed your predigested pap.
Come back when you're ready.
Bungled Effort by Confused Author.......2005-11-16
Schismatrix (1985) by Bruce Sterling - 236 pages - rating: 2.5/10
All the elements of a brilliant science fiction novel are here. Sadly, the author seems to have enormous problems in presenting them in a form the reader can enjoy.
His thoughts, sentance and paragraph structure are frequently incomprehensible. His writing style is rambling and confused. Then suddenly, 40 pages will go by which are interesting, compelling and straightforward. It is as if the author wrote 80% of the novel while under the influence of a mind altering substance and the other 20% while sober.
Its tragic. I can see the man has skill. Unfortunately, as a reader I am not willing to plow through the muck to get to the few moments of coherency.
If you like weird mind altering experiences you might enjoy this. I can see from the other reviews here that some people did. I have my suspicions that some of the reviews are intentionally misleading perhaps to promote sales or a new publishing.
If you enjoy interesting writing that flows with skill and allows the reader to enjoy the experience and the story without needing to decipher every second sentance then you should stick with authors like Orson Scott Card, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, or Fred Hoyle.
Claus Kellermann
2005 November 15
Sci_Fi_Researcher@yahoo.com
A translator's perspective.......2005-08-04
I've read this book - or, at this point, 223 pages of it -
while translating it. As I've had occasion to note elsewhere:
Translation is a grueling process, inflicting agonies on the translator, but also subjecting the text to a peculiar and ruthless scrutiny.
Ordinarily, when we read a book, we are mild and forgiving creatures, or so it seems to the translator. As long as we are carried along by the story or the argument, we are prepared to skip lightly over the odd boring passage, and the little stylistic quirks and weaknesses of the author don't trouble us. We don't pause to make sense of every image or visualize every description.
Reading a book as a translator is a very different matter. The little stylistic quirks and weaknesses take on the dimension of instruments of torture. Explosive groans of sheer anguish have escaped my lips as I encounter some descriptive device or image or turn of phrase that the doting author sees fit to inflict upon the reader for what seems to be the eighty-ninth time. Violent hatred for the author has flared in my mind as I have looked, with little hope, at yet another piece of imbecile imagery or muddy description that no reader would ordinarily need to make sense of, but that I have to render into some sort of coherent language. The translator knows that faithfully reproducing the repetitiveness or inanity or sheer unintelligibility of the original will inevitably lay him open to charges of poor translation, whereas on the other hand he cannot in all conscience rewrite the sentence, the way the editor of the original should have. So he struggles on, doing the best he can, in a series of impossible compromises.
I'm pleased to be able to report, therefore, that Sterling's
book passes this acid test remarkably well. He actually tells
a story that captivates my interest, and his writing is by
no means torture to translate, in spite of the usual quirks
and weaknesses. This is not cyberpunk drivel, but a story
in the best tradition of sf, well told.
Average customer rating:
|
Schismatrix Plus
Bruce Sterling
Manufacturer: Science Fiction Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739476572 |
Book Description
Some Christians believe strongly in the existence of demons and spiritual warfare. Others downplay or even ignore the idea. With such divergent views, how are Christians supposed to know the truth about demonic forces at work in this world? Satanic attacks are very real, and this book will examine what every believer needs to know about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. Available in both a cloth edition and on an audio CD, this provocative book will help Christians understand what the Bible says about these threats and will show them how they can safeguard themselves and their families through prayer. The Invisible War, by popular author Chip Ingram, offers a balanced look at what is going on in the spiritual realm and what believers can do to defend themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Vital Teaching For Christians Who Want To Be Awake!.......2007-04-12
Chips Testimonies about Spiritual Warfare and Conflict Will prove Familiar to many Christians. Just because the battle is virtually Invisible does not mean that its effects/shockwaves will not be felt in the Natural. No the Power that rest with True Believers. For God even says that my people perish,
because they don't know (my paraphrase)
The 5 ft little bully with meaness & attitude picks on the 6'2" bigger kid because the bigger kid does not know his muscles can squash the little guy.
We have all seen it, and the enemny seeks to do the same to us.
Steve NY
very good resource book.......2007-04-04
Lots of insight in regard to spiritual warfare. A must have book.
"The Invisible War" gives you .....The Visible Answers!.......2007-02-16
One of the greatest misconceptions in the Christian walk is that once we become a Christian..life should just be, "easier, better, etc." Not so, Jesus promised us in John 17:33 that we will have MANY trials and sorrows..but HE has overcome them all. The "Invisible War" explains the Truth about our daily struggles. They are NOT what they appear to be on the surface...there is a greater battle taking place and if you are not familiar with the battlefield, the enemy and his tactics, and the weapons of warfare...you are going to lose the daily fight. We are taught ALL through out Scripture that we are in a "fight of faith" I am a HUGE fan of Chip Ingram...I only wish he had MORE books published! He is a fantastic writer and teacher of the Word. He is annointed in amazing ways and He speaks right to the heart of an issue. This book is no exception to Mr. Ingram's fantastic annointing. If you desire to walk in Victory, daily...you must read this book.
Balanced and Biblical.......2007-01-12
I found this book to be a helpful addition to the subject of spiritual warfare. Illustrative stories helped to explain the principles explained, and the ongoing conflict of the Kingdom of Light with the kingdom of darkness and our role in it is clearly explained. For more advanced study, I would recommend Ed Murphy's Handbook of Spiritual Warfare.
Fantastic!.......2007-01-11
This book is for all Christians, especially those in mainstream or evangelical churches. This teaches in "non-yahoo" ways about the reality of demons in the spirit world, and gives excellent teaching and examples from the author's life. The author does not come across as a charismatic and I would say that he is not. Yet this book could have been written by any of the leading charismatics due to its theology. It brings the subject matter of spiritual warfare from religious teaching to a warning call to all believers that there is an enemy out there and here is how he operates. I originally got my copy of this book from the author at a convention. I have since bought maybe 10 copies (all from Amazon) to give to friends. If you want a book about spiritual warfare that will present it in terms for any Christian - especially those who may be ignorant of it all - then this is the eye-opening book to read and give.
Book Description
Invisible Gardens is a composite history of the individuals and firms that defined the field of landscape architecture in America from 1925 to 1975, a period that spawned a significant body of work combining social ideas of enduring value with landscapes and gardens that forged a modern aesthetic. The major protagonists include Thomas Church, Roberto Burle Marx, Isamu Noguchi, Luis Barragan, Daniel Urban Kiley, Stanley White, Hideo Sasaki, Ian McHarg, Lawrence Halprin, and Garrett Eckbo.
They were the pioneers of a new profession in America, the first to offer alternatives to the historic landscape and the park tradition, as well as to the suburban sprawl and other unplanned developments of twentieth-century cities and institutions. The work is described against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the Second World War, the postwar recovery, American corporate expansion, and the environmental revolution.
The authors look at unbuilt schemes as well as actual gardens, ranging from tiny backyards and play spaces to urban plazas and corporate villas. Some of the projects discussed already occupy a canonical position in modern landscape architecture; others deserve a similar place but are less well known. The result is a record of landscape architecture's cultural contribution - as distinctly different in history, intent, and procedure from its sister fields of architecture and planning - during the years when it was acquiring professional status and struggling to define a modernist aesthetic out of the startling changes in postwar America.
Customer Reviews:
A Very Thorough Presentation.......2001-06-28
Invisible Gardens is a well-written, lively introduction to the confluence of landscape architecture and modernism during the middle decades of the twentieth century. Although somewhat like a textbook in its style of presentation, the writing throughout is clear, incisive and often quite absorbing. And there are plenty of black and white photos and architectural renderings which accompany the text to enhance its ability to inform. But only twelve colour plates were included in Invisible Gardens. I felt a bit let-down personally by this aspect of the project. I thought the book could have used additional high quality colour plates of the often spectacular commissions under review to balance the density of the text. And to convey visually what often needs to be seen to be properly appreciated.
Book Description
An exploration of the great conflict going on between good and evil within the spiritual realm carefully traced back to the period before the beginning of recorded time can be found in this book.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book.......2007-08-24
It gives you answers to why, when, where, how it all happened and came to be, it just opens your eyes to the invisible world and how we are powerful weapons in God's plan.
Great thought provoking insights.......2007-07-13
D.G. Barnhouse lived well before my time. His insights are as fresh today as when he wrote them. This is one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read. Barnhouses' insights on the rebellion of Satan and mankind made me reconsider my commitment to God. He also presents a clear Scriptural based argument for the "Gap Theory" and the pre-history role of Lucifer. I recommend this book to anyone interested in what is really going on around us in the unseen Spiritual War.
Edgar in Virginia.......2007-06-02
Debate surrounding the fascinating "theory" contained in this book may lead one to conclude that the book is concerned primarily with a peculiar conjecture. In reality, this book's strength lies not in the so-called "Gap Theory", but in Dr. Barnhouse's wonderful ability to express himself in remarkable ways concerning numerous areas of our Christian understanding. The theory could be taken away completely, and the book would still retain its excellence. An Intriguing page-turner. Highly recommended.
Great book, fascinating perspective.......2007-05-18
I heard about this book a while back, so I decided to check it out for myself. Barnhouse really did his homework and this book uses information given to us through the Bible to shed light on the conflicts throughout history. The "real" reality, the spiritual realm, has a great impact on our everyday lives, so arm yourself and get informed. The invisible war concerns you, whether you know it or not. If you really want to get a peek at whats going on behind the scenes of this play called life, then get this book asap!
Yes, Virginia, There Is A Devil.......2006-03-17
A "must-read" for both those who believe in a Spiritual Realm and those who don't; those who do will have greater understanding of...and those who don't will become believers in...this unseen, but powerful Realm that affects each person more dramatically than any force seen with the naked eye.
Customer Reviews:
Angleton's Amanuensis.......2004-01-06
Too bad its out of print! It is difficult to overstate the importance of this book in intelligence scholarship. It is perhaps the only book that gives, essentially from the horse's mouth, James Jesus Angleton's approach to analytical counterintelligence. This approach was driven from CIA when Angleton was fired in 1974 as part of the Church Committee witch hunt. Angleton's seemingly simple insight -- that our enemies, as thinking, breathing human beings, may actually go out of their way to feed us false intelligence, so that we will believe things that aren't true -- has been totally lost to CIA for almost 30 years. Instead, it has been replaced with a naive faith that CIA is simply to smart and professional to be fooled. You simply can't understand intelligence matters without grasping the role of deception.
Customer Reviews:
Nuremberg Laws.......2001-02-23
Ingeborg Hecht. Invisible Walls and To Remember is to Heal. Translated from the German by John Brownjohn and by John A. Broadwin. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1999.
Most people have heard about Hitler's Nuremberg Laws. But few are aware of their actual significance. Ingeborg Hecht's book Invisible Walls and To Remember is to Heal shows in detail the impact of the laws on the everyday life of her family, her Jewish father who got divorced before the laws were promulgated, her Aryan mother, and her brother and herself, the half-Jews. History comes alive in her book: The exact wording of a legal passage (given with its date) is followed by the descriptions of the results of these orders. But there are also glimpses of human compassion, the revolt against dehumanization. And at the end, she does not shy away from looking critically at the reparation efforts by the new German Federal Republic. The importance of Ingeborg Hecht's book is also shown in its second half which gathers responses to the first half which was published by itself a few years before this new edition.
Product Description
Bound in blue bonded leather. Gilt edges, silver titles, and raised spine.
Book Description
The Next Generation of Intrigue
·Complete branching walkthrough with all missions and goals
·Maps for every mission
·Tactics for maximizing your stealth potential
·Dossiers on characters and organizations
·Pointers on developing your biomods
·Stats and tactics for weapons and weapon mods
Customer Reviews:
Very Informative.......2004-11-20
This is a great guide. Not too many pages, but tells you just about everything there is to know about this game. All the missions are explained and all the choices you make too. I found this very helpful since I could make a choice and then go back to the guide to see whether it was worth replaying the game with a different choice or whether the experience would not be altered very much. This guide also explains a bunch of stuff the manual does not talk about.
This guide is also great for players who have not played Deus Ex 1 and still want to enjoy the story.
Customer Reviews:
For such a time as this.......2007-02-07
This book is riveting. It explains through scripture the condition of the "church" today. It was written many years ago but surely this author was led of the Holy Spirit when he penned this treasure. Reading it will help one to take personal inventory of one's relationship with Jesus Christ and also answer many questions about the influence or the lack thereof of the "church" on the world. Powerful! To God be all the Glory!
Product Description
From back of book: "The age of innocence has ended. Immortal personas everywhere are waking up to a new experience in role-playing unprecedented in any previous gaming system. Merlin, Hercules, Marilyn Monroe, these and many other figures of legend are very much alive...influencing affairs in the mortal Habitat just as they have for millenia past. YOU are the fabric of legend. Now the time has come to shed mortal illusion and resume your place in Perpetual Society; to awake and rediscover the secrets of your own fantastic past."
Customer Reviews:
Intrigueing game.......2006-10-26
This is the first edition of the game, which, out of the three editions, is my favorite. The system is amazing in its abilities and flexibility, the world is vast, going beyond even D&D when it comes to the sheer potential of the universe. You can literally pull together the most disparate parties, featuring vampires, normal every day people, D&D style mages, cyber punks and so on with little effort. Perhaps the only complaint with it is the mechanics (though I will say, I am working on a conversion to old World of Darkness for simplicity).
The game has a history that spans 65 million years and covers all sorts of goodness like the rise of Immortals, their formal rulers, the Abzulim, the enemy they fight through the infinite nights. Add in the Mantles and the Dominions and you have every imaginable alternative history you could want at your fingertips. Characters and NPCs can range from average mortal to beings with globe spanning senses and earth shattering powers. Also, in relation to another review that was posted, you don't -have- to play yourself from a parallel universe. The system does allow for totally fictional characters.
So...in summation, I have to say that the world/setting is definately a 5. The concepts in the game are also definately 5. For character playability and GM options it's also a 5. The only weakness of the game is the mechanics, which are easily scrubbed and cleaned if you want, so I'd have to put it as a 3. The rest of the game completely outshines this one problem, especially if your more a role player than a roll player.
Amazing Game.......2005-12-26
This game has amazing flexibility, despite the complicated character creation. If you want to play a vampire, you can create a vampiric Immortal. If you want to play a werewolf, that's just far too easy. This is a game with rich environments, beautiful artwork, inspiring ideas and unique gameplay design. I highly recommend this to any experienced role-player. I have never yet found a game that has offered such amazing flexibility and unique design to both storytellers and players alike.
Who wants to live forever?.......2004-12-14
This product is truly a marvel. Not only is the writing well crafted, but the setting and systems are highly thought-provoking and enjoyable. Perhaps the truly unique game mechanics were the first edition's downfall, not to mention almost impossible to translate into, say, the d20 system, but I maintain that they were part of what made it so enjoyable. Ran Ackels created a world that genuinely feels like it has been inhabited for 65 million years; the artifacts and settings and plots manage not only to to balance three very difficult impressions (alien, hauntingly familiar and extremely old) but make them enjoyable. The character generation system is not completely unique, though rare: the players play themselves from the universe next door, which in this case means that they are immortals of at least 400 years of age (give or take a few decades) and quite likely much, much older. The process of character development is more a process of 'remembering', rather than building up from a baseline starting point.
There are plenty of challenges for players and referees alike, even after the minor issues with terminology have been mastered. Overall, I was entraced by the book from the moment I saw the cover, and remain delighted by the possibilities that flow forth every time I open my copy.
Come.
Become more than what you think you are.
Remember what you were...
Reclaim your powers and your place...
...and transcend.
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