Fathers Day Books

This book isn't just for children, it's for grown ups too. Without mentioning divorce or separation explicitly, the book shows how parent and child move from the disappointment of losing the dream of a bright happy family, through a hard journey battling harsh conditions, finding small pleasures and patches of beauty, and coming through to a better time, where parent and child can feel their togetherness and love for each other. All this is expressed in the simple but symbolic story described in the official reviews above, with images perfectly suited to the depth of the tale.

When I opened the parcel from amazon and read this book, alone at first, I cried at the simple strength of the story. It is honest about how hard things are and lent me strength in it's final optimism: Rainy days don't last forever. All this without any of that sometimes too moralistic social realism of books for kids about divorce.

But - and this is a pretty big but - my then 4 y.o. daughter was completely uninterested in the book. She refused to let me read it to her more than once, and tells me it's BORING. Now, at five, she's moderately interested but only rarely wants to read it. Perhaps this is because the situation described is different from her own, she spends a week with each parent so isn't in the situation of the little boy in this story. Or perhaps the story is too simple and everyday, and the double meanings too subtle for a child. Perhaps the book would actually be better suited to an older child than to the traditional picture book audience?

A picture book my daughter and I have both enjoyed a lot is Babette Cole's "Two of Everything", which has a very direct and humourous yet real approach to children's parents separating. Despite my daughter's boredom with this book, I find books like these invaluable in helping me and my daughter come to terms with our new life. I wish there were more quality books for young children dealing with divorce and separation.

Emma Haughton has taken a very difficult subject and demonstrated a great deal of love and caring in her story. She shows that just because the people are changing, they can still have the true love for a person, as they always had in the past. This is a story that every child should hear. Whether it is their circumstance or that of a friend, this book shows that change doesn't have to mean loss. It can in fact build a stronger realationship. Read and enjoy, and maybe even learn from this story.

This book is built around a running gag while two children, James and Sarah, put together a surprise Father's Day present on the day before the grand event. The children decide to collect tokens of ways they can help their father. The only trouble is that they take these tokens away . . . just as their father is about to use the items. As a result, the house and yard are filled with unexpected messes and there's a puzzled father. The pages show the father about to use the hose, tub, trowel, window cleaner, or charcoal . . . and under the flaps a different illustration shows the father taking a pratfall or having an accident when the item disappears or is replaced by something inappropriate (like a dog's stick for a trowel).

On Father's Day, dad opens the door to the parent's bedroom to find a large box in the hallway with a sign on it that says, "For Daddy, open me right away!"

Inside the box are Sarah and James. Also inside are a trowel (with a sign attached that says "free garden weeding"), a hose (with a sign that says "free car wash"), a tub ("free doggy bath"), a bottle of window cleaner ("free window washing"), and charcoal ("free help with barbecue"). The mystery is solved.

"Daddy said, 'I love all your presents, but most of all, I love you!'"

You will enjoy the bright, solid colors portraying simple images of happy situations.

Although the book is very funny, the children are certainly not very considerate or helpful. They don't ask permission, and they can tell that their removals and replacements will cause problems. As a result, the children waste a lot of their father's time. Fortunately, these acts affect his love for them not one bit! I think the book could have been written to overcome this limitation of seeming to promote mischevious behavior (as long as it is in a good cause) and still be very funny. So I graded the book down one star accordingly.

Appreciating your father doesn't have to begin and end on Father's Day. How can you be helpful to your father on other days as well?

Happy Father's Day!

Although the reading level indicated is 4-8 years old, I bought this book to my 2 years old daughter and she loved it. She always smiles when she lifts the flaps and see the reactions of a astonished father who never undestands the strange behavior of his two children. But the most important: the story rescues fundamental values and the real mean of a father's day present or a father's present in any day.

I found this book very readable and exciting. A true story presenting his journey from humble roots in North Korea to being a doctor in the US. Anyone looking for real insight into what the Communist North is like must read this book.

Donald Chung's account of the Korean War in his eyes was extremely touching because it showed his struggle to understand the war. He also showed how difficult it was for the Korean people who were forced to live and thrive with the line that others drew for them, which caused the people to be separated from their family. Then to see his life as he tries to regain contact with his family in North Korea during the Iron Curtain era was sad and extremely endearing to see his struggle. I used many tissues to get through this book. I definitely recommend it for the great story but also the history behind it.

"Executive Orders" is 1358 pages long. Yes, you read that correctly 1358 pages long! No one has ever praised Tom Clancy for the brevity of his prose, but 1358 pages is one audaciously long book. The only thing that could keep reading a novel of this length from being an overwhelmingly tiresome exercise is for it to contain an audaciously good story. Fortunately for Tom Clancy and Jack Ryan fans, this book resoundingly succeeds on this count.

Now, please be forewarned [IF YOU HAVE NOT READ "DEBT OF HONOR" YET, THEN GO NO FURTHER WITH THIS REVIEW]:

Now, if you have read "Debt of Honor", you will remember the absolutely shocking way it ended, with a rogue Japanese commercial airline pilot crashing his 747 into the Capitol Dome during the President's speech to a joint session of Congress, killing all of Congress, the President, the Cabinet, and the Supreme Court justices (among others). This all happened after the sitting Vice President has resigned in disgrace and Jack Ryan was just approved to be the new VP by acclimation vote of Congress before the plane struck.

So, now Jack is President and he has rebuild a devastated government while facing a political threat from the former VP who thinks he should be president; a foreign crisis brought about by Middle East upheavals (one of which is proving to be quite prophetic); and a domestic crisis brought about by a biological terrorist attack. It's just another day in the life of Jack Ryan.

The real appeal of this book is that every different plot thread is extraordinarily well thought out and set up. In most books this ambitious, you will find certain plot lines boring, making you anxious to get to more exciting portions of the story. In "Executive Orders", Clancy never falls into that trap. You can feel each different thread building upon the others, instead of running in opposition to them. The payoff is a tremendous climax (or rather a series of them) which rewards the reader for their efforts throughout this magnum opus.

"Executive Orders" is a crowning achievement in the Jack Ryan Universe. There are so many fabulous books in the Ryan series, but this one is its apex.

Executive Orders is the story of American survival after the government is decapitated. Enemies sense weakness and use terrorists to strike with biological weapons. The rest of the page turning story is about American survival and retribution. Another great, huge, Tom Clancy novel.

Another book with a similar theme is Behold, an Ashen Horse. The attack is more severe, and the president a more pragmatic and hard man than Clancy's Jack Ryan. Retribution is also much more sever than what President Ryan dispenses.

Both books are excellent reads, deal with real world problems, contain interlocking subplots, and will scare the you know what out of you with their realism.

Having been a Clancy fan from his beginning, when I picked up Executive Orders, I hoped to find the same class of writing and pleasant presentation as had been the mark of (most) of his prior work.
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Unfortunately, it seems he had either reached that pinnacle where he could demand he get paid on a "per word" basis, thus the incredible and completely unnecessary length of this work - or he had offended all possible editors of skill, and been left with a very inferior pool to choose from. I'd find it hard to explain this ineffective work otherwise, clearly published on the hope of the merit of the Clancy name and not on any intrinsic merits of its own.
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This is one ponderous book...one that I had a very hard time working through. It could have been fully and effectively covered with half the size, resulting in a much more readable and productive Clancy gripper...easier to follow, more demonstrative of the points he wanted to make, and more conducive to continuing his future unblemished.
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Though I must say I thought I saw it coming in a couple of his works leading up to this one, at least they were still effecive and noteworthy, though beginning to be somewhat needlessly long.
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It is my hope that we don't have a repeat of this exercise in literary back-sliding, and that Mr. Clancy continues to use other writers to assist him in putting his works together as he's been doing since, to keep him from the mistakes he made here.

If you are a fan of Tom Clancy you will love this book. It has all the aspects a book require to make it a great read. Twist after twist this book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. The events in this book are so realistic you might as well be reading a non-fiction book, that's part of what makes this book so good. If haven't read the books leading up to this I would definitely recommend that you read the other jack Ryan books first. You will fall in love with Jack Ryan in this book and all of Tom Clancy's other books.

Let rate each of the major plotlines in the book in true U.S. Navy fashion, of Outstanding, Excellent, Good, Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. SPOILER ALERT -- spoilers abound.

The Asia Minor war with the United Islamic Republic. First off, I must note that Jack Ryan is not a good president. His unpresidential conduct (e.g., maudlin funeral service) made him, and by extension his country, look weak. Something to think about when we elect the next president. Second, we now know that Iran taking over Iraq in a matter of days is not something that could happen. Iran can barely control itself, let alone another country. The land, air and sea battles were fairly well done, however. Rating: good.

Ebola terrorism. Well done with the exception that Ding and Chavez pop up, Zelig-like, to provide crucial information about who has been experimenting with monkeys. The retribution at the end was fantastic (JDAMs on the mullah-in-chief's house especially), and my only question is, Why not use a high-level nuclear bomb to destroy the lab, instead of a low-level one? Rating: excellent.

The assassination attempt on Jack. The idea of a Mohammedan sleeper agent is certainly plausible, post- 9-11, post-Lackawanna Sleeper Cell. I didn't like the fact that catching the rogue Secret Service agent depended in part on luck, but it was certainly presented in a plausible way. Rating: excellent.

The assassination attempt on SANDBOX. I'm getting tired of "kids in jep." Clancy skillfully played that card in "Patriot Games" but I'm a little annoyed to see it come up again here. The only thing that saves this plotline from Unsatisfactory rating is the vivid description of the assault and the takedown of the bad guys. Rating: satisfactory.

The Mountain Men. Didn't go anywhere and was unnecessary. Unsatisfactory.

Edward Kealty tries to muscle back into the presidency. A little absurd but does present interesting legal issues. Rating: good.

Running the government. Clancy obviously took the chance to tell us everything he would change if he were president, but it wound up being just a series of political speeches that any competent editor could have stopped. Two hundred or more pages could have been taken out of the book in this part alone and it would have been far better. Clancy needs an editor with some backbone, for his sake as well as ours. Rating: unsatisfactory.

David Baldacci successfully provides entertainment that rivals the best CSI or government conspiracy books. ABSOLUTE POWER is primarily a story about a corrupt presidency that covers up a high profile murder. If that were all, then this story would only rate 3 stars or less since the idea of the government participating in a crime and getting away it is not new, not even in real life - Watergate, Iran-Contra, etc. What is unique is the crime can only be solved with the help of criminals and Baldacci surrounds the story with a number of relatable conflicts that add to the story's intrigue - love versus hate of an absent father, greed versus virtue, and loyalty versus criminal behavior.

The main character, Jack, is a lawyer who is faced with a choice between an easy life and getting involved in a crime that appears to be over his head. His choice ultimately impacts an emotionally high maintenance ex-girlfriend, easy-living wealthy fiancé, a seasoned detective, a prominent law firm with stereotypical attorneys, a habitual burgalar who finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time, and ultimately a presidency.

My only criticism of Baldacci is that he waites to the end to resolve most of the major conflicts created by the multiple characters. As a result, the story feels like it ends abruptly. I am of the belief that a well written story does not need an epilogue to resolve conflict or finish a story.

Along with Baldacci's "The Winner," this book ranks in the top 10 of all books of this genre in my view. While the movie was well acted and well written, for those of us who read the book first, the storyline couldn't compare to the incredible depth, character development and subplots of the book. Treat yourself to a page-turner you won't be able to put down.

Baldacci's first novel may be an oldie, but it's most definitely a goodie. A fast-paced, don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it thriller, "Absolute Power" explores the idea of the nation's chief executive as a conscienceless murderer.

The smarmy President in this novel seems like a composite of everybody's worst nightmare (depending on what your party affiliation is, take your pick!) -- highly popular with press and constituents, well on his way to re-election, king of the sound bites--and a low-life philanderer who's not above a little violence. The "ew" factor is very high--and his chances of ever getting caught are very low.

Add in a young up-and-coming lawyer with a consience, a female chief-of-staff who has more than a few things to hide (including her unrequited adoration of her boss), a lifetime criminal with a heart of gold, and two loyal Secret Service agents in over their heads--and you've got a whopper of a yarn. I loved it.

When lust, power and greed are coupled with a belief that money can buy anything and that the ends justifies the means regardless of the consequences, we have all of the ingredients of an explosive thriller.

When a sexual encounter between the US President and the young wife of a billionaire goes horribly wrong, a number of senior figures become involved in attempting to wipe out all evidence of the crime. Unfortunately for them, there was an eyewitness who has the only material evidence that can link the President to the crime scene.

So why was Luther Whitney robbing the billionaire's house? Not all answers are as obvious as they may seem. Why is Jack Graham prepared to sacrifice his promising career as a partner in a leading law firm in order to defend Luther, and will he make the right choices? There's plenty of action in this novel and believability is not necessarily an issue in escapism.

This novel was a great way to spend a couple of hours. I understand that this was Mr Baldacci's first novel and was published in 1996.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I finally decided to go back and read the Baldacci thriller that I hadn't read. I was reluctant because I have seen the movie and thought I would be a step ahead every page. I was wrong. As usual, the book is better than the movie. The main premise of the book and movie is the same, but parts of the storyline and characters are a quite different. I would rate this as one of my favorite Baldacci books up there with The Winner. If you like the movie, you'll love the book.

It kind of puts you in that river that sweeps you toward the end. It gets you thinking of all the things that can go wrong and lead to the stopping of your heart.

That said, there are plenty of interesting facts on every page. All this with a twist of sad humor.

I found this book to drag on and on and provide useless information. Yes the author did do a lot of research in finding the facts but the book itself was a huge let-down. It is about a young man and his stages of life, but chooses very bad stories that have facts in them. It goes back and forth about his relationship of his dad. It also tells many stores that the reader does not want to know. (i was thinking T.M.I. a few times) Im very mad at myself for buying it in a book store and spending $23 on it. It was a waste of money and of my time. I normally never stop reading a book unless im done with it. Although for this book, about 3/4 of the way through i really couldnt take it anymore and stopped reading it. It was that bad. Basically, it is a book about facts listed off in paragraphs. I saw no "inspirational messages" and it did not get me to look at life in a different way like all the reviews on the back had said. Dont waste ur time reading this!

Rarely do I not finish a book. I made an exception in this book. I was expecting a book of soulful insight and instead found a book of disjointed information presented in an awkward way. The further I read, the greater my sense that this book was not going anywhere. Finally, I stopped mid-chapter. Where was this author's editor?

(Thank goodness!)

A near-terminal case.

Author David Shields runs this book along parallel and often intersecting tracks. One is a litany of facts regarding the birth, maturation and aging process. The other consists of reflections on his own life and, particularly, the life of his 97-year old father.

Not everyone will find this a novel revelation (Hey - people age and die! Who knew???!) or a fascinating story.

The chapters offering straight biological facts and others that consist of a multipage succession of quotations seem like "filler," a data vomit.

"The Thing About Life" stops just short of being a complete waste of time. Not a terrible book, but bordering on the lame-oh...Hence the three-star rating.

The author's obsession with death is revealed throughout the book. The interesting question is: `Do atheists and theists view death in the same light?' If you read books by saints or religious people, you'll find that indeed they welcome death. Death to them is not an end but a beginning. At death, we are reunited with our loved ones. The world of the dead is another world where we are as much alive as in this world.

Throughout our body, since conception, a process of birth and death is taking place every second--new cells are born while old ones die. Our body is attuned to the constant bombardment of birth and death taking place, yet we--the part that is not the body (call it spirit or soul)--are not. Why? Why do some people welcome death while others shun away from it? Would we be scared of dying if there was no love in this world? These are actually very interesting questions to ponder.

A lot of the book was about the author's relationship with his father. I found some chapters slow. I wanted the author to go more into the core of life and death. Maybe I missed something. Maybe the author wanted us to learn about death through his relationship with his father. If he did, I missed the point. I also found too much personal information about the author and his family that distracted me from the essence of the book. For example, the author talks about his sex life, his girlfriend's herpes, and his acne during his youth. Was the book meant as a biography or a memoir?

I did like the scientific information included, such as the difference in size between a girl's and a boy's brain and the physiology of ageing.

Some interesting chapters in the book:

Our birth is nothing but our death begun: existence is warfare. Human beings have existed for 250,000 years; during that time, 90 billion individuals have lived and died.

Decline and fall: All mammals age; the only animals that don't age are some of the more primitive ones: sharks, alligators, Galapagos tortoises. Schopenhauer said, "Just as we know our walking to be only a constantly prevented falling, so is the life of our body only a constantly prevented dying, an ever-deferred death."

Life is that which gives meaning to life: life is perfected by death.
How to live forever: In ancient Greece, old men were advised to lie down with beautiful virgins.

Towards the end of the book you'll realize that we are not learning how to live, but how to die.

Very smoothly,seamlessly written. Although there are many excerpts from his speeches,the author has also given us a profound,insightful book.
Alda'a near death experience,and consequent revelations are a pleasure to read.
In highlighting his rocky road to achieving good mental & emotional health,the author must have had the average man/woman in mind.He writes
with passion and heart.

I just need to put this one on my list for a re read, as it really pumped me up and I am about ready for another dose. Very inspiring, reminds readers of what is really important in life.

Alda's down to earth brief sketch of his life and career was very enjoyable reading. After reading it I thought that Alda turned out to be a fascinating person in spite of being raised by a not with it mother and distant father. He gave some good ideas on how to live with his recalling of the graduation speaches he was asked to give along the way.

Yes, sure, like everyone else over the age of 30 I, too, subliminally believe that Alan Alda really *is* Hawkeye Pierce. And I love watching him get down on the asphalt to sniff the exhaust from an electric car on Scientific American Frontiers. But, really? He's not much more than a competent writer, and at least in this book, he doesn't really have anything to say.

Just in case you haven't picked it up from the other reviews, the bulk of this book is a lot of commencement speeches that Alda has given over the years, in which he tried to give crowds of 20-somethings the benefit of his insights into happiness and personal responsibility. These speeches may have been appropriate to the time and audience for which they were originally intended, but reproducing them in a book is pretty pretentious, particularly given that his advice isn't anything that we haven't already heard. Are platitudes about working hard, making time for our families, practicing some kind of social activism, and accepting happiness as it comes to us more valuable because they're uttered by Alan Alda?

Here's a quick rule of thumb for those contemplating a memoir: if you don't have something truly unique to say, stick to telling interesting stories about your life. This would have been a much better book if Alda had just told the anecdotes he uses as padding between the speeches, although even those are often self-serving (we were actors! protesting! in the 70s! you should be more like we were!). Sadly, I find that I like Alan Alda a lot less after having read this book.

I reserve a one star review for books I just can't force myself to finish. And this book is one of those. This is a collection of commencement speaches Mr. Alda has given over his career as well as some stories that give background to them. If you love to sit through commencement speaches, this is the book for you. I have better things to do with my time. Sorry Alan.

Rating a comedic book is like trying to explain your favorite color; it is just plain complicated to express your reasoning. Tim Allen has some very funny anecdotes that will inevitably have you laughing, but in its entirety this book only moderately touched my funny bone. For those who have seen Tim's stand up and found it enjoyable this book will be what you are looking for. When viewed among the full range of comedic books, I would put this one in the middle; some amusing tales, but as a whole not one of my favorites.

This book was about the funniest book that I have ever read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is looking for a laugh and just has a general curiosity about what made Tim Allen the man he is today, a must read.

This book was very funny. I really enjoyed reading it.

Tim Allen gives some insight into his own life while treating the reader like just another guy working on the car and telling stories. It's not a serious work, and Tim Allen isn't promoting the degradation of women. He's simply telling jokes that many men in our society can relate to, and I had a lot of fun reading this.

i read this a while ago and can't remember much about it other than it was easy reading and it wasn't dull. Tim has a life and perspective worth checkin out. i recommend this book.

Definately a more serious tone than books like "Listography" but that's not a bad thing. If you prefer really writing a record of your life, this is it. My only complaint is the "early-medium-late" life layout, it feels like you have to drag it out, not for someone who wants a quick, fun, book.

Sadly enough the person I wanted to surprise did NOT receive this item yet. It's been a full month already...

I love this book. It is broken up into the different stages of your life- Early years, high school, young adult- etc. I have yet to experience my first child and such so those pages are blank, but they are waiting to be filled. I love that I have it sitting at my bedside and when I think of something I have it and can start writing. There is one page for each question- just enough room to write about it.
My husband wil pick up and read page here and there and it is an interesting conversation starter. I have bought several as presents.

After purchasing this book for myself, I bought one for my Mother and Daughter. What a great journal of your life and thoughts!

I love the premise of this book--and got copies for friends and family members--but the point of it is you have to contribute the memories. There are 201 questions that, when answered by the recipient, will produce an autobiography that could turn into a family heirloom.
If you're giving this book to an elderly person, why not ask them the questions and then fill in their answers? That way you will have some great personal time, find out a few surprises, and produce a journal of life stories that will record some family history.
You get out of Book of Myself just what you put into it. Maybe this is the year to finish this project.

What a serious world we live in these days. Have people forgotten the ability to simply switch one's brain to pure "enjoyment" mode? Judging by most of the reviews below, I think so. Has anyone here heard the term 'suspension of disbelief'? Try it people, you might find you get more from your books rather than moaning about how or why something couldn't feasibly exist or occur in reality. "Nano" is pure (however cinematic) fun - an E-ticket, summer blockbuster, popcorn book sure - but it is also conceptually exhilarating and well written too. Yes, that's right, I said well written. I haven't mainlined sheer entertainment in book form like this for a good while and if you enjoy a good tech-yarn with plenty of eye-popping ILM-style FX and the odd concept that makes your brain itch with possibilities then you can't go past "Nano". In fact, this was such cool fun, it has prompted me to write my very first Amazon review simply and because I felt the other reviews did not do the book justice. I look forward to John Robert Marlow's next with anticipation!

With any luck, Marlow's 'first novel' will be his last.
Based on an unsold screenplay(and after reading, it's easy to see why it didn't sell), 'Nano' takes an interesting premise, and paradoxically dumbs it down even as it seeks to educate its readers in the history, and plausability, of nanotechnology.
Unfortunately, the story is a jumbled and badly-written mess, full of scenes that would probably look 'cool' onscreen, but are simply torturous in print.
Marlow relies too much on exaggerations, cliches, and simply bad science, (probably 'assembled from stray molecules')as well as a terrible habit of William Shatner-like italicized emphasis on syllables, which grates after a few pages. I won't even get into Marlow's preachy and self-promoting 'Afterword', which is merely a cut-and-paste job from his web site, containing about half a dozen reminders to go to his web site for more information..kind of like being reminded to read a book you're already reading!
I've noticed a lot of the reviewers who liked 'Nano' didn't care for Michael Crichton's 'Prey'. I definitely prefer Crichton's more reasonable approach, which explains nanotechnology without over-explaining it,over Marlow's disjointed 'sky is falling' tale.
I'd write more, but I live in the San Francisco area, and one never knows when a stray nanite might...

It's no coincidence this book won the Editor's Choice Award from Nanotechnology Now, or that its author was nominated for the Foresight Institute Prize in Communication (for excellence in nanotechnology journalism) for his online Nanoveau column and other efforts.

As fiction, this book rocks. It's also, in the words of Nanotechnology Now editor Rocky Rawstern (who knows a heck of a lot more about nanotech than the folks writing some of these reviews) "plausible, scientifically accurate, and timely...the most important piece of fiction written to date."

I've read every nanotech-related novel I could get my hands on, and NANO is by far the best; it beats Crichton's PREY hands-down, and I can't wait to see it on the big screen.

Buy it, borrow it, steal it--but read it. This is the future.

NANO (2004) is a not very believable near-future (2010?) SciFi Thriller, about the good and bad possibilities of Nanotechnology.

The technology described in the book is pretty cool, but really not very believable when you get right down to it. For example, the first guy who invents working nanotechnology can make it do all sorts of wonderful things almost immediately (Singularity!) - but technology breakthrus DON'T work this way in the real world... first, one would see some lower-level practical breakthrus, not this wild fast-breakthru scenario.

The story is somewhat exciting, but the main and small characters are all fairly annoying and unbelievable - the main character John, is supposed to be Robert Oppenheimer's grandson; who has been somehow "hand-guided" by him to make nanotechnology breathroughs, in a corny scenario which involves his father failing to live up to his own father, and dropping out of the son's life.

One thing good about the book is that it is a fairly quick read, coming in at about 375 hardcover pages.

Unfortunately, about every 25 pages or so, you will come across some scene or technology that is so unbelievable that it pretty much insults the reader's intelligence.

Synopsis:

A science fiction techno-thriller depicting the hastened introduction of nanotechnology due to the assassination of the world's richest man who wanted to give it away for free creating a world without scarcity, work and inequality.

Due to the assassination of his financial backer the inventor of practical nanotechnology has to flee for his life along with an inquisitive female journalist who identified him before anyone else. Rogue elements in the US military-intelligence community start a hunt for them forcing the scientist to use lethal nanotechnology to defend himself and the woman.

The novel presents a few dozen hours of their flight as they wait on a nanotechnology-based supercomputer to calculate the correct steps in introducing nanotechnology at large without dire consequences to society. In the meantime they are hunted by top commandos, a nuclear missile and classified, untested weapons.

Positive elements:

Mainly accurate science - as a nanotechnology columnist the writer has a good overview of the field; snippets of scientific background and thoughts of scientists make this an interesting and imaginative read. However, there are no explanations for key scientific elements such as the force needed to pull molecules apart or where the disassembled atomic particles go.

Great ideas - thought-provoking positive and negative futures, galactic consequences after the introduction of nanotechnology, theories on the origin of life on Earth, the development of superhumans, etc.

Scrutinizing the ethics of introducing nanotechnology - malevolent political, military organizations are characterized accurately; tough and contradicting questions and answers about the short and long term aspects of ubiquitous nanotechnology

Negative elements:

Poor writing style - this prose never soars, the writer attempts to sound very much like Tom Clancy writing about nanotechnology, there a couple of annoying words some stressed even in italics: the vehicles can be described as 'bulletproof" four times on the same page, the guns are always "snakking", the building or disassembling molecules are always "chittering", there are specific phrases, sentences to make you think about film shots instead of using your imagination.

Dull Hollywood blockbuster like scenes - too many last minute escapes from explosions, fights; too many secret military technologies and weapons introduced at once; male and female lead fall in love after a few hours of hiding; male and female lead have hours of discussing science (cheap way of informing the reader) punctuated by the occasional military commando, nuclear missile, stealth bomber, etc. attack wiping out city blocks, a bridge and a city at the end; the rogue elements in the US Military develop competing nanotechnology in an hour instead of the predicted ten years, makes one wonder why they haven't done so in the past.

Focus on violence - The whole book is a non-stop roller coaster of escaping ever stronger military attacks by nanotechnological defenses; there are only a few instances of positive, imaginative application of a powerful new technology. The male and female lead introduce body- and mind-enhancing nanotechnology into their bodies, however, there aren't more than two sentences about their feelings, thoughts; this area could have been better explored.

All the negative aspects can be summarized by comparing the book to a Hollywood script written by twelve studio writers or a cheap novelization of a summer blockbuster movie. There is nothing extra to make it into a great 'novel' or a 'science fiction book'. When the jacket blurb on the book said "Reads like a big-budget summer blockbuster", I thought that it was a positive comment... I should have remembered the last decade of summer blockbusters to give me a jolt.

John, I'd like you to keep the grand scientific ideas and your quest for knowledge and justice while developing your writing style. Work harder on the plot of your next book, there doesn't have to be a hidden new weapon every 5 pages to make it interesting. I will read your next effort but I won't buy it - will borrow it from a friend or a library. If it is any good, I'll buy the third one. ;)