OYENTE

Richard

  • 29
  • opiniones
  • 132
  • votos útiles
  • 445
  • calificaciones

Another Great Tale in the Venus Series!

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 07-13-23

Rob Vlock does another great job in bringing Edgar Rice Burroughs' Venus saga to life. The action never flags as Carson Napier, an Earthman stranded on a savage world, overcomes one danger after another in his quest to rescue and win the heart of the Princess Duare. Look forward to the rest of the books in this classic ERB sci-fi series.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Excitement On Venus!

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-30-23

Sword and Planet adventure at its best! This is the beginning of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Venus series, featuring the adventures of Carson Napier. Originally headed towards Mars in a primitive rocket ship, Carson takes a wrong turn an ends up on Venus instead. He falls in love with a beautiful princess in a world just as savage and exciting as that found in Burroughs’ better known John Carter of Mars books.

Hope the series continues with the rest of the books in the Carson of Venus series.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Interesting Points, but Overall Lack of Insight

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-27-22

Some interesting concepts are presented, but overall the book is unsatisfying. Many conclusions seem backed into. Do peahens behave rationally by preferring peacocks with lavish tails, which demonstrate that their overall qualities are so outstanding that they can risk making themselves more attractive to predators (as the authors claim)—or is their preference for lavish tails simply a means of keeping their population in check by being foolish enough to increase their chances of being eaten? Is openly responding to an affront a logical means of deterrence (as the authors claim)—or merely an irrational prelude to getting oneself injured or killed? The authors further lose credibility by letting their clear leftwing biases creep into their examples. They talk about errors caused by “confirmation bias,” but fail to see that they themselves succumb to it.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

This book could not be more timely or important.

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 05-22-19

After the collapse of the “Russian Collusion” narrative it is time for the American public to take a long, hard look at why the mainstream press got it so wrong and misled the country so badly. If the purpose of the constitutional Freedom of the Press clause is to truthfully inform the citizenry we are being badly served.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 24 personas

Excellent Bio of a Key Figure of the 20th Century

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 11-22-17

This is an excellent bio of Vladimir Lenin, one of the key figures of the twentieth century. Lenin was a fascinating figure, who succeeded against incredible odds in creating the first Communist nation the world had ever known. Lenin’s entire adult life was unwaveringly focused by his rigid ideology and personal sense of historical destiny. As a virtual dictator in Russia in following the 1917 revolution, he could be ruthless and murderous. Yet Lenin was occasionally capable of compassion and even possessed a sense of humor of sorts. The author does a fine job of fleshing out Lenin as a person, as well as a historical figure. The book provides a closeup view of the Russian Revolution, the left-wing revolutionaries who made it happen, and the chaotic early days of the Soviet Union. We also learn of Lenin’s relationships with those closest to him, including his comrades, his mistress, his wife, and his mother, as well as Lenin’s hobbies and interests. The Berlin Wall has fallen and only a handful of Communist still remain in the world. Yet Lenin still seems like a modern individual, and his ideas about economics and class conflict remain germane to the controversies of the present day. The narrator does a very good job, adding drama where called for and providing different voices for the historical figures who are quoted from time to time. Highly recommended.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Well Performed,Thought Provoking!

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 02-22-15

This LA Theatre Works performance concerns three characters: the eminent Danish physicist Niels Bohr, his wife Margrethe, and the German physicist Werner Heisenberg (famous for his Quantum Uncertainty Principle). Shortly after Nazi Germany has conquered Denmark, Heisenberg travels from Germany to pay a visit to Bohr, his former mentor and teacher. Heisenberg's motives for the visit are unclear -- possibly to obtain Bohr's advice on how to build an atomic bomb, to warn the Jewish Bohr of the coming Nazi threat to his safety, to somehow tip off the Allies to Germany's ongoing atomic weapon research . . . or maybe something else. The themes presented are highly intelligent and thought provoking, raising unresolved questions of personal loyalty, scientific ethics and limits of personal courage when living in nations controlled by dark totalitarian forces. The play focuses on the tensions, mysteries and personal dynamics of this historically important visit. Many important ethical questions are raised and left unresolved for the listener to ponder afterwards. What are the ethical obligations of scientists during wartime when the stakes are as high as they were during World War II? The acting, dialogue and production values are first rate. Highly recommended!

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

HUGO AWARD WINNING NOVELLA AND TWO SEQUELS!

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 07-21-14

This book started out as a series of three novellas by sci-fi master Robert Silverberg: Nightwings, Perris Way and To Jorslem. The Nightwings novella (now Part 1) is an outstanding work, which deservedly won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 1969. Silverberg subsequently made some minor revisions and combined the Nightwings novella and its two sequels into the present book, also entitled Nightwings. The story begins on an Earth which suffers from environmental devastation and the aftermath of alien domination. Earth has been reduced to a fragmented and demoralized society, populated by various guilds, such as the Defenders (soldiers), Dominators (rulers), etc. The main character, Tomis, is a member of the Watchers Guild. He wanders about with a cart of instruments which he employs on a daily basis, monitoring the skies so that he can alert the Defenders when and if a new alien invasion materializes. Tomis is accompanied by Avluela, a fairy-like member of the Fliers Guild, and, Gormon, a deformed guild-less outcast. Together, the three companions arrive at the feudal city-state of Roum (formerly Rome) where Avluela attracts the lustful fancy of the decadent Prince of Roum. Part 1 ("Nightwings") is a masterpiece of dark mood, exotic characters and intriguing plot set in a post-apocalyptical Earth. Part 2 (“Among the Rememberers”) holds its own, but the quality falters in the final third (“The Road to Jorslem”) -- perhaps an example of an author stretching a great idea into one sequel too many. Still, Part 1 ("Nightwings"), which won the Hugo Award in slightly modified form, is well worth the price of admission and highly recommended on its own right.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 16 personas

Somewhat Disappointing

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 06-14-14

Readers hoping for something approaching the richness and excellence of Frank Herbert's Dune masterpiece will find The Godmakers disappointing. The Godmakers consists of four closely connected short stories concerning Lewis Orne, an agent of the Investigative Adjustment (AI) organization. Similar to the Bene Gesserit in the Dune Universe, the AI employs made-up religious doctrine and applied sociology to neutralize threats posed by potentially warlike planetary societies. Also like the Bene Gesserit, AI agents possess extrasensory psychic powers and prescience which they employ to manipulate individuals and societies to their ends. Unfortunately, the stories in this book are not that interesting. The characters are one dimensional and spend entirely too much of their time pontificating at each other. One cannot fault the generally excellent narrator Scott Brick, who does the best he can with what he has to work with, for the failure of this book to engage the reader.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 10 personas

Fun-Filled Detective Romp Through Noir L.A.

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 09-24-13

This is a fun-filled detective romp through a noirish Los Angeles. The story takes place in a quirky environment populated with Sirens and others from Greek mythology. An enjoyable read!

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Informative and Entertaining History!

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 08-20-13

This is the story of the Cathars, a heretical sect which arose in parts of France and neighboring countries during the 12th Century. It's a fascinating and little known chapter in history which sheds much light on life and religion in medieval times. The Cathars, who claimed to be the sole practitioners of the true Christianity, as Jesus proclaimed it, were a strange lot. They did not believe in sex, owning property or eating meat or dairy. They probably would have died out of their own accord in a century or so, but the Catholic Church of its day was certainly not going to wait around for that to happen. In 1209 the Pope in Rome launched the Albigensian Crusade with the goal of converting or wiping out the Cathars and all other heretics in Southern France. This is an informative and entertaining book, written in a somewhat informal style which differs from the approach which might be taken by a professional academic historian. For example, the author imagines the thoughts of various historical figures and probably takes some liberties with the dialogue attributed to them. My one major criticism is that I thought a bit more detail was needed in places, particularly in recalling the Siege of Montsegur which amounted to the last stand of the Cathar faith. The book is enthusiastically and clearly read by the author.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas