Amazon.com
In Artificial Reality, everything is permitted and nothing is forbidden--or so they say. Run a con game in AR, and the law does not prosecute; have sex with a virtual child persona, and the police do not interfere. But infringe on a powerful corporation's copyright and the law rushes in. And so Detective Lieutenant Doré Konstantin unhappily finds herself appointed Chief Officer of the TechnoCrime AR Division. Virtual crimes are almost impossible to solve, her two-person staff is usually assigned elsewhere, and she spends so much of her life pursuing software pirates in AR that her sanity may be in danger. Things can't get any worse.
Then she is assigned to track a cyberstalker known as "Dervish," whose virtual persona is capable of manipulating AR in unprecedented ways. Konstantin reluctantly acknowledges Dervish's victim may be right: Dervish may have done the impossible. He may have traded places with an Artificial Intelligence, letting the AI take possession of his body as his mind escapes into the cyberverse of Artificial Reality, which he can manipulate as no software, even AI, ever could--impossible manipulations that include deleting all the exits from AR, and perhaps even killing the trapped investigator, Doré Konstantin.
Dervish Is Digital is the witty, sharp-edged, hardboiled sequel to the equally exciting and stylish SF mystery Tea from an Empty Cup. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
Detective Lieutenant Dore Konstantin pursues criminals and identity crime in Artificial Reality. And shes come to realize: in Artificial Reality, its time to get real.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Not bad, but not as good as the first novel, Tea From an Empty Cup. This is pretty much a stretched novella, I presume. The book is more of the same theme, exploring the problems of policing virtual worlds, especially when they can be in any country at any time. Then those doing the policing have to work out what is a crime, to start with.
Best Cadigan novel I've read since Mindplayers. 4.6 stars.......2005-09-07
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Picked this one up at the libe, after seeing a favorable comment somewhere. This will be an unusually disorganized "review", since I took some notes, browsed around online (finding nothing worthwhile), then witlessly returned the book before writing it up. So you'll be getting what was truly memorable...
Anyway, this is a sequel to Tea from an Empty Cup (which I haven't read), and is further hijinx in VR (here AR), which to my great relief doesn't include the (to me) odious Post-apocalyptic Noo Yawk Sitty (sic, and sicker). This one involves one Hastings Dervish, who is stalking his ex in cyberspace, and running Lt. Konstantin of the AR Police around in circles in the bowels of the casinos of digital Hong Kong. It's an sfnal police procedural, and a nice one.
Very crisp writing. Lots of lovely one-line zingers -- I'd quote you some, if I still had the book... "He morphs, he torques, he crawls on his belly like a reptile..." -- his ex, re the elusive Dervish, from a scribbled note to myself.
The ending is one of those where the book just stops, which actually works pretty well here. And the book is blessedly short. Recommended.
Incidentally, my fave Cadigan of all time is the wonderfully creepy short, "Roadside Rescue". Wham, bam, SLAM. Reprinted often, and worth looking for.
Happy reading--
Pete Tillman
Don't bother!.......2005-08-20
Bah! What an uninteresting piece of garbage. I have not failed to finish a book in about four years. This tripe will now reset the timer. The characters are flat, the plot absurd, the action stilted. I made it to page eighty-four, and that is that! Actually the best part of the book, up to where I gave up, concerned an arms deal gone bad. Even there, the writing was poor.
Well-written, but..........2004-07-30
Cadigan is a writer of enormous talent. In this book she shows her talent for realistic characters, vivid description, and out-of-this-world settings. On top of all that, I'd have to rate her dialogue as some of the best out there - she's funny, and will engage you at every turn.
Unfortunately, this book came off as being rather convoluted. The ending was especially difficult to follow. It was wonderful to read, mind you, but plot-wise I have absolutely no idea what happened. There also seems to be an overall lack of action, which isn't always a bad thing, but here it leaves a distinct sense that something is missing.
Dervish is Amazing.......2004-05-24
Dervish is Digital is one of my favorite sci fi books. Itis classified by some as "cyberpunk." I don't really know what that genre means, but I recommend Dervish for anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, technology-heavy, mystery story. Konstantin, the main character, is a woman all women can relate to. Tough yet sensitive, aware of her flaws, she is human and engaging.
The world Cadigan created is mesmerizing. Nothing is what it seems. Her imagination is so fertile, her descriptive writing skills so honed, that you squirm with delight at each new incantation. This book is a puzzle, and not a breeze-through read, but it is immensely intriguing and has a smashing, powerful ending.
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Isdn and Its Application to Lan Interconnection (Mcgraw Hill Series on Computer Communications)
Dervish Z. Deniz
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 ISDN
| Networks, Protocols & APIs
| Networking
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
LAN
| Networks, Protocols & APIs
| Networking
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Networks
| Networks, Protocols & APIs
| Networking
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Networks, Protocols & APIs
| Networking
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
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Digital
| Telecommunications
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0077078837 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on March 22, 1997. The length of the article is 886 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: Death and the Dervish.
Author: Dragan Milivojevic
Publication:
World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1997
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: v71
Issue: n2
Page: p418(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from African Arts, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2006. The length of the article is 3256 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: Ethiopian painting of King Takla Haymanot's war with the Dervishes.(research note)
Author: Richard Pankhurst
Publication:
African Arts (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 39
Issue: 2
Page: 64(5)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Journal of the American Oriental Society, published by American Oriental Society on January 1, 1997. The length of the article is 909 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: God's Unruly Friends: Dervish Groups in the Islamic Later Middle Period 1200-1550. (book reviews)
Author: Hamid Algar
Publication:
The Journal of the American Oriental Society (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1997
Publisher: American Oriental Society
Volume: v117
Issue: n1
Page: p192(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on September 21, 2003. The length of the article is 1009 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: Gokturk Tunc and Harun Alacadag: bringing the message of the Whirling Dervish to Texas.(event producers)(Muslim whirling Dervish performances )(Entrevista)
Publication:
Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 21, 2003
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 9
Issue: 551
Page: S4(1)
Article Type: Entrevista
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by Thomson Gale on September 24, 2005. The length of the article is 1294 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: Twirling, whirling dervishes' dream.(Religion)(Women practicing the Rumi-inspired sema dance hope to take their turns in Turkey)
Publication:
The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: September 24, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: D1
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Dervish Is Digital
Pat Cadigan
Manufacturer: HUMANITY PRESS/PROMETHEUS BK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SMUE7E |
Amazon.com
Wow. This stunning book succeeds on so many different levels--as an engrossing story, a character study, a history lesson, a modern day political allegory--I don't even know where to begin the praise. The Last Town on Earth centers on the inhabitants of a small logging town in Washington and what happens when they take drastic measures (quarantine) to try and protect themselves from the virulent and deadly flu epidemic of 1918. When a deserting WWI soldier demands sanctuary, events are set in motion that change the town forever.
Although this is Mullen's first published work, there are none of the usual verbal pyrotechnics or high-wire "look how well I can write" balancing acts one sees with beginning authors. How refreshing to read a younger author who has already progressed beyond his ego and knows that it's all about story, story, story. Mullen tells his tale cleanly, simply and plainly--making the ironies and allegories all the more potent. I knew almost nothing of the flu epidemic of 1918 and even less about the political climate in the US during WW1. These are not subjects I would go out of my way to read about, but Mullen has made them compelling and interesting. In fact, the author's voice has the same level of confidence and maturity that one only finds in writers with decades more experience (I kept thinking of Wallace Stegner and Alice Munro while I was reading)--authors who earn your trust and confidence so early and easily that you completely relax into the writing and the voice. It's already on my Ten Best List; I can't imagine I'll read ten better books this year. It's easily the most impressive and heartfelt book I've read in a long while. --Terry Goodman
Book Description
Set against the backdrop of one of the most virulent epidemics that America ever experienced–the 1918 flu epidemic–Thomas Mullen’s powerful, sweeping first novel is a tale of morality in a time of upheaval.
Deep in the mist-shrouded forests of the Pacific Northwest is a small mill town called Commonwealth, conceived as a haven for workers weary of exploitation. For Philip Worthy, the adopted son of the town’s founder, it is a haven in another sense–as the first place in his life he’s had a loving family to call his own.
And yet, the ideals that define this outpost are being threatened from all sides. A world war is raging, and with the fear of spies rampant, the loyalty of all Americans is coming under scrutiny. Meanwhile, another shadow has fallen across the region in the form of a deadly illness striking down vast swaths of surrounding communities.
When Commonwealth votes to quarantine itself against contagion, guards are posted at the single road leading in and out of town, and Philip Worthy is among them. He will be unlucky enough to be on duty when a cold, hungry, tired–and apparently ill–soldier presents himself at the town’s doorstep begging for sanctuary. The encounter that ensues, and the shots that are fired, will have deafening reverberations throughout Commonwealth, escalating until every human value–love, patriotism, community, family, friendship–not to mention the town’s very survival, is imperiled.
Inspired by a little-known historical footnote regarding towns that quarantined themselves during the 1918 epidemic, The Last Town on Earth is a remarkably moving and accomplished debut.
Customer Reviews:
An OK read.......2007-10-03
This is an OK read, but not a riveting page turner. Probably of more interest to those who have not read much about the flu pandemic of 1918. The characters are not as fully developed as I like.
wonderful.......2007-09-25
I picked this up at the airport and expected it to just help pass a long flight. The story will stay with me a long time and I find myself thinking of the characters as if they were real. One of the best books I have read in a very long time. With a current war and flu on our modern day horizon...history may have a way of repeating itself.
Disparaging the human race........2007-09-02
What a sad and demeaning concept of our fellow man. We had a long drive so we heard it all but it was the down side of an otherwise delightful visit to the great northwest. I couldn't wait to give it away and be done with it!
Utopia Breaks Down.......2007-09-01
Thomas Mullen's first novel, The Last Town on Earth, is set in a period of American history that its writers have largely neglected, a time when the country was fighting both World War I and the great Spanish flu pandemic. Amidst the turmoil caused by war and illness, the country was also struggling to settle the conflicts inherent in a capitalistic system facing a strong push from the growing organized labor movement.
In Mullen's novel, Commonwealth, a somewhat Utopian logging community deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, was created by a mill owner who was fed up with the way that his family treated the workers at their own lumber mill. Breaking with his family, he built an entire community based on the equality of all of its citizens, even to building identical homes for everyone living and working there. Because the lumber industry was considered critical to the war effort, his workers were routinely exempted from military service immediately following their "enlistments." In fact, because of new contracts with the federal government, the community of Commonwealth thrived until mill owner Charles Worthy reached a fateful conclusion about the flu threat.
Worthy felt a tremendous loyalty to his town and to those who had joined him in creating something so special, and he wanted desperately to protect them from the approaching flu epidemic. Despite the relative isolation of the community he knew that it was just a matter of time before the epidemic found them. In a town hall vote, the citizens of Commonwealth decided to quarantine the town, cutting themselves off from contact with the outside world and even placing armed guards at the only entrance into the town. But when two soldiers wander out of the forest on separate occasions seeking food and shelter, decisions are made that result in tragic consequences for Commonwealth and everyone living behind its barriers.
The Last Town on Earth is a cautionary tale that draws, sometimes a little too obviously, on the parallels between the modern world and 1918 America. As in 1918, we face what has become an increasingly unpopular war that has split the country almost down the middle between those who support it and those who oppose it. We live with the imminent possibility that some version of the "bird flu" will strike the human population in a manner every bit as devastating to it as the way in which the Spanish flu epidemic tore it apart. Thomas Mullen tells the story of how those who came before us responded when faced with that combination of circumstances and choices, showing us what they did right and what they did wrong. He reminds us of the many lessons to be learned from history.
The audio version of the book, 13 discs and almost 16 hours long, was excellent. It was read by Henry Strozier, a professional actor who so consistently used different voices and cadences for each of the main characters that I was able to recognize them merely from the sound of his voice. His reading was almost conversational in style, never rushed or dryly presented, and his performance was a definite plus.
Extraordinary and absorbing-a gripping page turner.......2007-08-30
Deep in the Pacific Northwest is the small mill town of Commonwealth. With World War 1 raging overseas and a deadly influenza striking down vast swaths of surrounding communities, Commonwealth votes to quarantine itself against contagion. Guards are posted at the single road leading in and out of town, and Phillip Worthy, the adopted son of the town's founder, is among them. He will be unlucky enough to be on duty when a cold, hungry, tired-and ill-soldier presents himself at the town's doorstep begging for sanctuary. The encounter that ensues, and the shots that are fired, will have deafening reverberations throughout Commonwealth, escalating until every human value-love, patriotism, community, family, friendship-not to mention the town's very survival, is imperiled.
Book Description
The threat of continued warfare to the future of humanity has become dire. "The Great Turning explores that threat in detail and provides an equally detailed plan for meeting -- and overcoming -- it. Written in the author's trademark clear, compelling style, this timely book uncovers the roots of Empire in ancient Athens and charts the long transition from the institutions of monarchy to those of the global economy as the favored instruments of imperialism. Korten then discusses the promise of early America as a democracy dedicated to spreading liberty and freedom -- and the failure of the "American experiment" through the contemporary takeover of the U.S. government by corporate plutocrats, religious theocrats, and neoconservative militarists in pursuit of naked imperial ambition. Korten draws on sources as varied as evolution, developmental psychology, and the wisdom of religious mystics to make the case for "Earth Community" -- a people-centered, community-based future that is both possible and necessary.
Customer Reviews:
Hope Restored.......2007-08-07
David Korten has restored my hope that humanity can and will survive the upcoming collision with our own short sighted Hubris. Some, perhaps many of us will make it through and will have restored to us in the process a great deal more of our own compassionate humanity. Well researched, well written. A seminal work! Thank you David!
The Great Turning.......2007-06-12
This book should be read by anyone thinking about how to move toward a fair, just society. Korten talks about levels of maturity leading to understanding that enough people and groups have reached a level where a society based on the principle of community rather than that of domination is within reach. It undercuts struggling with all the forms injustice takes in our present society and considers joining with like-minded groups all over the world to form a bottom-up society concerned with the good of all rather than just looking out for what's good for the most powerful among us.
The Ideal of the Bodhisattva.......2007-05-13
The Great Turning masterfully traces the concept of Empire from pre-history to the present and states that the current world situtation has been shaped by the concentration of power and wealth in the hands of the few. The motivating actions of governments are to preserve their control over the forces of money and power. The democracies of the Western world are not true democracies as they maintain their control over the many by giving prevledge to the few. Korten goes on to relate various pardighms that our culture buys into and which perpetuate the rule of Empire. one of these views is related in the "Imperial Secular Meaning Story."
"Matter is the only reality. the whole of the cosmos is a product of the orderly playing out of physical forces amenable to description and prediction by mathematical equations. Life is the accidental outcome of material complexity. Consciousness and free will are illusions, nothing more. Because life has no intrinsic meaning, the only rational couse of the intelligent individual is to seek material gratification through the accumulation of wealth and power.
The evolution of the living species occurs through a competitive struggle in which the fittest survive and the less fit perish. Mammalian species, naturally organize themselves into heirarchies of dominance for mutual protection and breeding success.
Human progress likewise depends on competitive struggle in which the most fit triumph and those of second rank serve the most fit. the winners prove their superior worth and therby their contribution to the betterment of the whole by virute of their victory. They have a natural right to the rewards of their victory as their just due. Their is no reason for guilt or for concern for those whom the struggle destroys or leaves behind, as their loss is itself proof that they are the less fit. For the betterment of the whole, we must all accept that this their proper fate."
What makes the Great Turning a landmark book is that it exposes these myths for what they are-propaganda for maintaining control with power and wealth. The actions of governments rather than being for the well being of the people are for the maintaining of the myths which concentrate power and wealth in the hands of the few. Korten goes on to forge the strategy for removal of these myths and replacing them with the reality of a sustainable Earth Community.
The human and Divine potential of the sage, writer, artist, scientist cannot be fully realized without the move away from empire to Earth Community. The Bodhisattva's vow while at the threshold of enlightenment takes on the meaning for all of us to work out our daily lives in harmony with the forces that are attempting to bring about an Earth Community.
A "Must Read" for Every Lover of Democracy.......2007-03-08
This is the most important book I have read in years! There is hope. The people can take back America and truly make it a land of freedom, liberty and justice for all.
A MUST-READ.......2007-02-20
This book has changed the way I think about the world and the challenge we face in avoiding "the great unraveling." After reading it, I want to stand up and start making a difference.
Customer Reviews:
Ethics with heart and soul.......2002-09-04
Larry Rasmussen has done an excellent job of 'connecting the dots' in his analysis of the current state of Earth community. His analysis is thorough and holistic, as are the solutions he proposes, howbeit tentatively. His passion for Earth community comes through loud and clear, and one can hardly help but be moved by the depth of his compassion. Here we truly have a proposal for an ethic with heart and soul It is not a fast, easy read, however, and at times the text runs a bit dense. Overall, however, it is one of the finest books on Earth ethics--or ethics in general--that I have read.
Average customer rating:
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Theology for Earth Community: A Field Guide
Manufacturer: Wipf & Stock Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Ethics
| Theology
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1592443109 |
Average customer rating:
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Earth Community, Earth Ethics.: An article from: Theological Studies
Daniel M. Cowdin
Manufacturer: Theological Studies, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
General
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| Nonfiction
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
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ASIN: B00097RSQ8
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Theological Studies, published by Theological Studies, Inc. on December 1, 1997. The length of the article is 951 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: Earth Community, Earth Ethics.
Author: Daniel M. Cowdin
Publication:
Theological Studies (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1997
Publisher: Theological Studies, Inc.
Volume: v58
Issue: n4
Page: p747(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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Simply Beautiful: Living With the Earth in Mind
Elizabeth Leite
Manufacturer: Naturegraph Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Social Theory
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Social Situations
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0879611065 |
Books:
- Diagnosis Murder #4: The Waking Nightmare (Diagnosis Murder)
- Dissonance: The Turbulent Days Between Fort Sumter and Bull Run
- Dust and Chemistry in Astronomy (The Graduate Series in Astronomy)
- Dynamical Systems, Graphs, and Algorithms (Lecture Notes in Mathematics)
- Eight Doctors (Dr. Who Series)
- El Senor De Los Anillos : LA Comunidad Del Anillo / Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring: LA Comunidad Del Anillo (Lord of the Rings)
- Escape Velocity: Cyberculture at the End of the Century
- Eye of Terror (Warhammer 40,000 Novels)
- Falling in Love for All the Right Reasons : How to Find Your Soul Mate
- Fantastic Tales (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)
Books Index
Books Home
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- Twenty-Four Hours a Day
- The Desert Rose : A Novel
- The Chinchilla Handbook
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- The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches
- The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author
- Timberline: Mountain and Arctic Forest Frontiers
- Romanoff-Prince of Rogues: The Life and Times of a Hollywood Icon
- Smallwood;: The unlikely revolutionary
Tea From An Empty Cup (Tea from an Empty Cup)
Zeitgeist
Distraction
Glasshouse
Infoquake (The Jump 225 Trilogy)
