Having read a number of other books by this author I can positively state that this is one of his better endeavors. While a knowledge of physical science is helpful in the understanding of this text, it is far from necessary. Dr. Kaku has minimized the scientific jargon which, in turn, maximizes the book's accessibility for the lay reader. All aspects of the potentiality of life in future is explored from economics, to social structure to quantum physics, etc....

I, however, am not as optimistic as the author in man's abilities to reach the potential goals that the author clearly lays out. I feel that we remain too burdened with racism, fundamentalism and single-mindedness to attain the life style that is described in the synopsis at the end of the readings. While the goals, themselves, are attainable in an ideal world, mankind continues to have feet of clay and a mindset that promotes both individual and nationalistic narcissism.......

While I do recognize that the author does have fluent writing skills and is able to fuse the reader to the described setting, the topics of this collection are, at best, macabre. Each of us, at some point in our lives, must deal with the eventuality of our own demise and mortality. The author, it seems, is going through that phase of his existence as is shown in this series of writings. All of his tales conclude with the death of its protagonist. While this is not necessarily a fault, the manner in which the author does it does deserve criticism. Seldom, if ever, does it fit into the natural flow of the story itself and, instead of reaching a valid conclusion, he merely has the main character die off. This is not terribly original nor does it add to the creativity necessary for a quality short story...........

Having read numerous translations of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, I find this to be one of the most pleasant editions to peruse. It has none of the mind-numbing Old English gibberish nor any of the vanilla flavouring that the Living Bible seems to exude. While few of us are fluent in Greek and/or Hebrew and, being so, are unable to properly evaluate any Biblical translation as far as the accuracy of its translators from the original writings, this edition provides an opportunity for persons to read this ancient series of texts from cover to cover in an easily understandable manner. In retrospect, it matters little whether or not the text matches the exact meaning of the original writers anyway. If only a few people are going to take the time necessary to read the complete Bible from start to finish and then ultimately fail to understand the diction they are reading, why are we wasting our time publishing such a well sold but poorly read book to begin with?

5 Stars is given to the author for her continued display of excellent writing skills. She is fluent in her ability to describe various scenes, is able to bring the story characters vibrantly to life and has a forward looking ability to keep the story going at a pleasurable pace. She is a hidden talent that is just now coming to our attention.

0 Stars, however, is given to the series format of writing. I, like most readers, become heavily in the story that is being presented to me and, being so, I am not only left hanging as the abbreviated tale quickly comes to an end, but am equally as frustrated when the next serial is made available. By the time it is released I have not only long ago lost my previous heavy involvement but now find that I have to go back and reread some of the past episodes not only to become reengaged but to simply jog my memory. So instead of spoiling my enjoyment of this author I will wait until the completed work is presented and then, an only then, restart my journey into Shudderville...............

This is a unique and well thought out review if Biblical fallacies. While most books of this sort are written by proclaimed atheists, the author, in this case is able to maintain a level of Christian faith after his research is completed. He does so, however, by positing that God is not omnipotent and, at times, behaves like a bumbling fool. While I may not agree with this premise, it certainly deserves a great deal of credence and thought.

I recommend this book for those who are self-searching the meaning of the Christian religion in their lives and do not fear that Egyptian plagues will fall from the sky simply because they question childhood teachings.....

George R.R. Martin, who wrote this wordy saga is, indeed, a man of great mystery. On the one hand he has an array of excellent writing skills but, on the other, we, as readers, are sometimes left with a very foul taste in our mouths from some of the misadventures he has led us into. He, like all of us, has some very notable abilities while some of his efforts remain questionable. Let me first start by defining his skills. In a manner that is similar to Charles Dickens or Harper Lee, some of his scene descriptions can literally leave the reader breathless. You find yourself immersed in his fictional world smelling that scents of the lilies, being lost in the overshadowing forests or marching through snowdrifts that strain and nearly break every muscle in your body. His character developments are, likewise, very well done and fluctuate or grow with the ever changing storyline. We shiver at the grotesqueness of the imp, recoil from the cut-throat killers, while marveling at the personal evolution of the maimed character who is simply called `the Kingslayer'. Lastly, his storyline, while becoming bogged down on occasion, does keep the reader moving forward and wanting to turn the next page, even though there are many, many to turn.

The rest of his writing style, as said earlier, does leave a series of unanswered questions that the readers with a high level of curiosity may want a reply to. Some of these are as follows:

Why does he continue to show that evil is the eternal victor over good? I am certain that one of the author's goals was to go against the popular fairy tale bent that shows that good always overcomes evil and that everyone lives happily ever after. But, the author, in this case, shows that integrity and honor are actually weaknesses that must be overcome in order to merely survive in the world before us. In a manner of the roots of the ancient Christian dogma of `original sin', our faults of our sins, however, should be magnified to the point and not diminished. In order to thrive in the disruptive world we live in one should not only not overcome our inner nature but to hone it to a sharpened point and, after doing so, use it to fulfill your selfish and narcissistic desires. We, and only we, are responsible for gaining all that we can in both power and wealth. We should grasp it tightly such that it, too, is not ripped from our hands by someone else.

Why are women viewed in the subordinate and destructive roles that he portrays them in? The era in which this fictional tale takes place is around the time of the War of the Roses and, being so, women in this time period were viewed as being of second quality to the protectorate and dominant males. But, that being said, there are no mature females in this storyline who do not have innate faults of their own that lead to their own demise irregardless of the the male influence around them. Could it be that the author, himself, is plagued by a long-standing unsuccessful male/female relationships and this is his outlet to show the anger he harbors against them? Or does he simply continue to view women with a Dark Ages perspective of inequality and misogynism?

Why does the author incessantly flood the readers with countless names of characters who never fully enter the story line? While each of us, in our own lives, have had countless numbers of persons pass in and out, the number of characters that the author gives us, at times, is staggering and unnecessary. It may have been helpful to the readers if he had placed and asterix next to the ones who would reappear at a latter time and needed our immediate attention. It is tiring to keep flipping back into this onerous text to refresh our memories about someone who we initially deemed as trivial.

Why does this story proceed at such a glacial pace and with never seeming to have a clearly defined horizon to head towards? While this does give the author the opportunity to sell more and more books from his ever expanding series, I am wondering if this is also reflective of his own life. Could it be that his life, like the series itself, has little direction, have no on-going pleasures to enjoy or that he feels that life steers and directs him instead of he leading life to where he wishes it to go?

Why are the only characters who are able to maintain a high level of morality and integrity depicted as being only children? While it nearly too simplistic to say that only as adults did enough time pass in our lives to corrupt us to the core, this may, in fact, be too shallow of a reason. It may actually be that the author only sees the ones who have no power, the children, the peons, etc..., as being the only ones who have any chance of having and holding onto virtuous principles. Could this be said of our society also? Are the truly corrupt persons the ones who have achieved social ranking while the only ones who have integrity are the ones at society's bottom rung and are satisfied to stay there?

And finally, what does the intermittent magic that is shown in this series symbolically depict? I project that this is the portion of life Martin shows that few, if any, of us have any control over. This represents the things that `come out of no where' and destroy the paths that we have set before ourselves. Do prayer, fasting or penance cease their existence in this author's viewpoint? Hardly.

My projection for book #6 (or 7 or 8 or 9, etc...) is that only the most swarthy of the characters will be left standing. All virtue, all goodness and certainly all purity will have vanished from the author's printed page. But what will the moral and/or purpose of this series then be? Absolutely nothing for this author is not a person who is guided by nor lives by a sense of morality. Instead, he simply sees power, greed and lust as being the driving force behind humanity and that the end of society, as we have known it, is actually drawing near.

Let us remember as critical readers that because something is labeled as being `popular' in no manner means that it is good, quality writing anymore than when something is labeled as being `old' means that it can be deemed an ancient classic. These tags are generally placed there because of a mindless herd mentality of the reading public and/or the genius of the corporate marketing gurus. The most insightful and revealing writings that we can experience are generally never given either the label of popular nor classical. In order to be find these unique creations, however, one must look deep into the niches of the corner used-book store. They are generally the ones with the less-read and have the newer bindings............

Like all serials we, as readers, are left at the edge of a very deep and imposing cliff as we finish our last chapter of an ongoing literary collage. But, unlike most e-published books, this author actually has a high degree of writing abilities and innate skills. She is able to captivate us enough to have us follow her tale of magic, her intertwining series of flashbacks and her study of human desires and selfishness seamlessly through the novel. Ms. Zabrisky not only does it in manner that is crystal clear, while maintaining a complex plot line, but does it in a manner that, at times, borders on beautifully written prose poetry. She has us taste, feel and smell the environments that she thrusts us into and then takes her ongoing tale and twists and turns it in a manner that we would never expect. Very few professional, let alone amateur, writers have the unique ability to capture the reader and then thrust them beautifully forward.

If you would like to read of magic, wish fulfillment, and human tragedies, with a taste of quantum mechanical theory, I heartily recommend this series. If you are simply satisfied with the dull mechanics of high school story telling linked to a gathering of shallow characters there are numerous poorly written Sci-fi and dystopic novels that are also available from Amazon......

The author, Jason Brant, does have an ability to create a series of characters that have a degree of depth to them, create an initial sci-fi story that captures the reader and has a writing ability that allows him to string words together in a comprehensive manner. The ending of this tale, however, is woefully inadequate. There is no level of completion nor are we left with deciding, as readers, which way the story should end. We are not left with a feeling of closure nor of how such a fantasy could ever resolve itself. A main character simply states..."Let me tell you the story of a brave man.". This does not focus the story forward to completion, only backwards to what has previously occurred.

Spoiler Alert........

What happens to McKenzie? Is he arrested, assassinated, or made a cult hero? What occurs in the future lives of our little band of warriors? Do they raise themselves in the now empty city, move in with out-of-town relatives or put themselves up for adoption? What happens when the next nightfall occurs? Does the Legion reappear and haunt this area again or did they go 'home' and continue their hauntings but only in the 5th dimension? Does 'Mr. Crew-cut' shut down the area or open it up for resettlement?

Leaving the readers with a few unanswered questions is fine. But to leave the readers without some level of further direction tells me that the author, himself, may not have had a reasonable conclusion either......

The author did an excellent job of creating a protagonist, Cooper, that was both likable and believable while, at the same time, demonstrating a high degree of curiosity and self-sacrifice. Cooper also proves the old adage that the only difference between those that are brave and those that are cowardly does not lie in the fact that the brave do not experience fear. They do. Instead, the brave face their fears and move through them while the cowardly shrink under their persuasive power.

If, however, you are seeking a highly adventuresome read, this is not the book for you. Its reading is far more like the Waltons than it is like James Bond.

The author does show a good ability in being able to communicate her story to her reading public in a clear, concise manner, she keeps the action flowing at a reasonable pace and is able to create a series of characters that are multi-dimensional. Added to this is the concept of using the first person singular through the eyes of a clone/product adds to the quality and overall perspective of the novel. Where the story totally collapses, however, is in its ending. While readers are quite used to tales that have indefinite endings, this one leaves far too many unclear future actions. The author does align the various parts of the tale to a confrontational point in which the final saga will be played out, but that is as far as she goes! We, as readers, are left hanging on an indefinite precipice waiting for the continuation of this saga through the purchase of her next installment.........