Could've Been Better, Still Recommended
937216
The content covers all the major topics tested on the exam.  It makes the exam prep less intimidating.  However, because the content is so condensed, this book alone is not sufficient for preparing for the exam.  Rather, it is an excellent companion to the Introduction to Teradata (Teradata documentation).

The quality of the text could use improvement.  There are a lot of grammatical and spelling errors, as well as incorrect answers (on 2NF & 3NF).  And the price of the book is much too high even considering that this is a very specialized book with a relatively small audience.

Overall, this is a useful book for its purpose and I do recommend it for the TEO-121 exam preparation.
2937955
** This rating and review is for the 15th Anniversary Edition.  Other editions do not contain the script, which I feel is a necessary extra. **

Arkham Asylum was probably the most recommended comic story I hadn't read until now.  It's solid, but I came away a bit disappointed.  More of a journey and contemplation of madness than a superhero story, Arkham Asylum's intriguing premise is let down by concepts and themes that never emerge.  This is underscored when reading the original script: Morrison has an impressive amount of layers of meaning behind the story, but the finished comic's dialog and art convey very few of them.  One unfortunate side effect is that Batman (and others) appear to be acting out of character, where if Morrison's mythic overtones were more developed his actions would be less jarring.

Dave McKean's art is amazing and beautiful except, as they say, when it's not.  There are a few instances where the quality drops, and a lot of the time his abstract style makes it hard to pick up details unless you are really staring at the page for a bit.  However there are also pages that are breathtaking, and overall the painted art here is very good and adds to the unique feel the book has.

An ambitious tale that misses out on its potential and has gorgeous art that surprisingly undermines the goal a bit, Arkham Asylum should still be sought out by any comic fan (who can handle dark stories) for what it does accomplish and for what it could have been.
211840
Timebound was a decent read, but could have been better. I loved the premise, and haven't read a time travel story in a long time, so I'm glad I read this one.

The characters were interesting, but a little unbelievable. For example the love interest believes Kate's story much too readily. It would have been more believable if he had gone through more disbelief, like thinking her "proof" was some sort of magic trick, slight of hand type thing. But instead he immediately believes she can time travel. It's just not likely.

I imagine that time travel with various timelines can be difficult to write, but I felt the author did a good job with this. It all made sense to me and I was never confused about where I was, when I was, or why this new timeline was different. And I loved how the serial killer/Chicago World's Fair was weaved into the story.

I found the story well written on a technical level, but there was, at times, too much infodump in the dialogue. This made the story drag a bit for me sometimes. I also wish the actual time travel had happened earlier in the book. The first two-thirds seemed slow because of this, but the last third was worth the wait.

I would recommend this book to time travel fans and those who are interested in the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
141547
This was good, don't get me wrong. I just kept thinking when I was reading it, that A. the book should have been longer & B. the "scenes" could have/should have been longer, more detailed, more engaging. One scene was great because of build up alone, but the others were lacking. I also felt at times that things were just a bit unbelieveable. Trust me, I can believe some crazy stuff- I read vampire, Psy & shapeshifter novels too- I just couldn't buy how quickly some of this guy's "relaxation" techniques worked... anyway, good for a quick read.
2351310
I found this starter set at Best Buy a week before it's supposed to come out.  I would've given it 5 stars, except there were a few things that could have been better.

The good:

All of these episodes are, of course, completely uncut.  They have been remastered with new music and opening/closing sequences.  The new opening features rock music that seems to match well with the series.  There are four audio tracks: English 5.1 surround, English stereo, Japanese mono, and Spanish.  There are also more special features than most other DB/DBZ DVDs, including a 28 minute interview with Chris Sabat (Vegeta, Piccolo) and Sean Schemmel (Goku, King Kai).  The starter set also comes with an exclusive Goku action figure.

The not-so-good:

There are only three episodes on this disc ("The New Threat", "Reunions", and "Unlikely Alliance").  Like all of FUNimation's other DB and DBZ episodes, they neglected to include the next-episode previews.  The DBZ trivia could have also been better.  When you select an answer, it just shows a clip of what the question refers to so you can see if you got it right.  When the trivia is finished, it just goes back to the menu.
644467
If I could give 3.5 stars, I would. The writing is very well done, the characters are fairly true to themselves, and there are no gaping plot holes.  I don't know if it would bother others, but there is an inconsistency to how the characters refer to each other. There are a few little missteps, like Carter calling O'Neill "Jack" instead of "General," though never out-loud, or Daniel not being "Daniel Jackson" to Teal'c. These are little things, though.

*KREE, SPOILERS!*
The main thing that kept it from being a 4 star book is the lack of wrap-up. SG-1, with the addition of O'Neill, as this is after he is General and no longer on the team, travel through a device constructed by Janus. Instead of taking them where they want to go, however, the device transports them to an alternate reality of Atlantis, where they make a hasty retreat through the 'gate to where the Atlantis expedition fled. They, there, deal with the Wraith and a difficult group of Marines, which is all well and good. Face-paced adventure, Daniel getting scooped up, Carter doing sciency things, the usual.
But when it all comes to an end, SG-1 returns home with no conversation of the importance of Janus' device, or how Janus managed to build such devices across the timelines and galaxies. With more exploration of the device itself, instead of the medical research of Wraith, the social structures of the Athosians, and the mutiny (?) of the Marines, the book would have felt more solid.

*END SPOILERS*

If you are a fan, especially of SGA, I would recommend this book. From a SG-1 fan, there was a bit too much of Atlantis and a bit to little of Earth.
2210177
I've had my Kindle for a couple of weeks now, but held off on reviewing to get a better understanding of its high points and low points.  I'm sure most of my thoughts have already been covered by the 1000+ reviews posted, but wanted to add my drop of water to this growing stream of feedback.

Overall, I've enjoyed the Kindle experience, hence three stars.  However, there is definitely room for improvement as one would expect w/ any 1.0 release.  In particular, from my point of view, the Kindle is great if you fit the following profile: 1) Read multiple books simultaneously, 2) Read books that tend to be lengthy, 3) Travel frequently, and 4) Are comfortable being an early adopter.  If you fall into one or more of these categories, then you'll probably be okay w/ the Kindle, but the device itself is not going to blow anyone away.

In particular the the physical design is a bit on the clunky side.  The now infamous "turn page" buttons are the primary shortcoming I've run into.  They are very easy to hit and unlike a paper book, it's often cumbersome to "flip" around to find where you were when you set the Kindle down and inadvertently move to a new page.  Short of some firmware upgrade that changes the way the button clicks execute, this issue won't be addressed until a full redesign takes place.  In addition, the included case is a bit chintzy.  It can be a chore to get the Kindle lodged just so to avoid it falling out.  Once you get it situated it's not too bad, but it should be much easier.  Hopefully this will be addressed by after market accessory makers.

Another aspect of the Kindle some may find annoying is the screen refresh.  Every time you turn a page, the screen flashes black momentarily, then renders the text on the new page.  I personally haven't found this to be distracting, but others that I've allowed to play w/ the device have commented on it.  On the upside, the display is very crisp and easy to read as one would expect from an eInk device.

Speaking of positives, there are quite a few.

Far and away is the wireless capability and online store component.  It's very well put together and easy to navigate to available content.  Maybe too easy...I can see how you could blow through some serious cash with no effort.  Some have concerns about coverage based on their location and that's valid.  If you're in a large metro area, you're probably good to go.  If not, check the coverage map on the Kindle page to figure out if you'll be driving to the nearest Interstate to download a book.

Battery life w/ the wireless turned off is fantastic.  I've can go about a week w/ fairly regular reading before having to charge.  You really only need the wireless to shop and search Wiki / online content, so not critical to the experience most of the time.

Obviously the size when compared to most hardcovers is a bonus.  It's much smaller and lighter, making it a boon to frequent travelers.  Most of the books I read tend to be long and that usually means leaving them at home on road trips, which means it takes me about a year to finish a book.

On balance I'm happy w/ the Kindle.  However, the Kindle is best suited to books and it's experience is built around them.  The blog / newspaper content doesn't seem as well suited to the format.

So, if you want an alternative to lugging around bulky hardcovers and the ability to access new reads from most locations, the Kindle's for you.  If you want an iPod like device that does a bunch of other stuff, you'll want to pass.  The Kindle is a reading device first and foremost.

I give it five stars for convenience, but until the design flaws are addressed, I can't give it five overall.  Three stars for now, but w/ tons of upside potential.
1669183
I love this series. I pre-order every instalment, zero hesitation. And overall Maelstrom was fantastic.

But.

Really, by now, I can't believe we're still using Stupid as a plot device. It's blindingly obvious who the bad guy is in this book, and yet both Whyborne and Griffin (you know, the experienced detective) overlook the obvious in favor of someone who very clearly isn't the antagonist.

I expected more of an emotional punch when the stolen items are put to their inevitable use, but instead it fell a bit flat.

Whyborne fluctuates throughout the series from Mary Sue to genuinely likeable, and he's full-on Mary Sue throughout Maelstrom. The stolen items should have been a serious threat, but they were over and done with so soon that I can only hope they're stashed away for future use.

All in all I still enjoyed it enough to rate it four stars. And the level of detail in the world created here is staggeringly good. This series is basically what all great Call of Cthulhu games should become over time. But after over three years at this sorcery and detective gig, I'm pretty sure the main characters should be a bit less thick about these things.
3010531
Don't get me wrong:  this novel is not bad, but it could have been better.
Shetterly uses the hard-boiled detective genre to good effect in this mystery/science fiction book.  Unfortunately, he missed a better plot and philosophical/moral discussion (see below).
Chimeras are genetically altered humans, a mixture of human and animal genetic material:  pigs, bears, dogs, among others.  Each chimera "breed" retains some of the characteristics of their animal donor species--strength, enhanced hearing, etc.  Chimeras are accepted in the society in the sense that no one seems to think twice about the ethics of their existence.  They are, however, considered second- or third-class citizens--virtual slaves which fill certain lower level jobs.
When a chimera is framed for the murder of a full human scientist, she searches for the only P.I. that can help her, a sarcastic man with a caustic wit.
The thing that bothered me most was that there was virtually no discussion of the ethical revolution that had to have taken place in the world to get to this point.  In my opinion, the book would have been more interesting if it were set in the earlier timeframe.  How did the religious groups react to the genetic manipulation?  Medical personnel?  Political parties?  Labor unions?  The general public?
Shetterly attempts to discuss the inequality of our current world by using the chimeras and artificial intelligences as an allegory for those that are discriminated against today.  I'm not sure that he fully realized this goal.
Nothing wrong with the book from a general escapist read, but in my opinion, the deeper meaning was somewhat flat.
2811466
This is a decent novella with an excellent story. Honestly, this could be developed into more. However, it's a flawed gem. By the time I reached the second page, I found errors that should have been caught in editing (e.g. "...giants. While...," has no space between the period and the first letter of the next sentence). This isn't a huge deal, and somewhat commonplace in self-publishing, but the work contains quite a few of these editor-misses.

The narrator voice fluctuates between casual and near-high-fantasy; the characters sometimes behave inconsistently; the major twist was needlessly telegraphed some chapters earlier; some characters are unceremoniously removed from the story after making a big deal out of them earlier.

Also, and this is my personal preference, but the novel also contains some worn out tropes that have been used time and again. For example, the beginning of the books tromps out the worn dwarves-are-great-smiths trope that doesn't serve the story.

But, like I said, I enjoyed the story and the premise. I think everything that bothered me could be fixed, the story expanded and this could graduate into an excellent full-blown novel.
1250283
I'm a huge Michael Feinstein fan, with a sizeable collection of his albums, including The Sinatra Project Vol. I, which I thought was awesome.

As expected, I had high expectations for Vol. II, but sadly, it doesn't quite match, never mind outdo, its predecessor.

Might be a combination of factors, including song choices and vocal delivery. While this CD features many more pieces I'm familiar with compared to the Vol. I list, I just felt that something was lacking. And a few of the slower songs suffered from forced huskiness in Michael's tone. Could be the wrong register for him, or he may be developing a new performance habit. Either way, please stop!

That said, I give this 3.5 stars, and really enjoy the big band tracks which are beautifully arranged ( and on which Michael sings normally ). The ballads, however, don't appeal to me as much - definitely prefer his earlier work from Isn't It Romantic and The MGM Album.
1705210
I agree with many other people whose reviews I've read that while this is a fairly solid movie, it seems disjointed and the skipping around robs it of more depth than it adds (to prove a philosophical point that it doesn't actually even prove very well). I would have liked to spend more time with the characters in each of the different threads than go back and forth through time, as interesting an idea as that might be. It might have worked better in the original book than on screen. Still an enjoyable and beautiful film, though, and worth watching.
3204930
I bought this soley for the second disc, the original 1983 theatrical version, because it was the only way to get *that film* on DVD. So if that is what you are looking for, try to track one of these down (it is out of print now). I truly hope that someday George Lucas, or more probably someone else, will take the time and put in the well-worth it effort to give the original (un-"enhanced") Star Wars trilogy films the release that they deserve. But I am not holding my breath on that.

Regarding Return of the Jedi as a film, it is very entertaining, but a mixed bag nonetheless. The Jabba's place sequence is pretty good for the most part, the space battle is still today an incredibly exciting masterpiece of visual effects, and the climactic Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader/Emperor duel is just about perfect. The major downside of the film is the Ewoks. They are cute, but not at all believable, and their usage cheapens the overall story. Lucas should have kept to the original plan to use Wookies in that role; it would have made infinitely more sense, and the film would have been much better for it. Additionally, some of the acting (in particular Harrison Ford as Han Solo) feels very phoned-in, and the character development is pretty weak in many cases. Overall, it feels to me kind of like three separate films spliced together (Tatooine + Dagoba + Endor). Which is not all to say that I do not like Return of the Jedi. It just could have been a lot better, for a few changes.

The 2004 version is a further-tweaked edit of the late-90s Special Edition. Basically, there is a new Jabba's palace dance sequence, a different celebration montage at the end, various new elements and small changes here and there, and Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker at the end. Almost all of the changes are, in my opinion, horribly ill-advised. Additionally, some of the CGI effects are appallingly cheap looking.

The other thing of note is the commentary track on the 2004 version. It features Lucas, Carrie Fisher, a visual FX guy, and an audio FX guy. Most of the talking is done by Lucas and the audio guy. I say, give Carrie Fisher her own commentary track; she is genuinely entertaining, and especially on a film like Return of the Jedi, her humor almost makes the silliness seem okay.
1817983
I really enjoyed this book, but thought it could be better.  While some of the characters and plot directions are just excellent(Josh & Doug, Emmeline & Toby, Jackie) others seemed so completely superfluous (Marly, Ryan)that they barely intersected with the main narrative and seemed designed merely to pad out the book. Still, pleasant enough and worth reading.
1174445
I loved the concept, and I did enjoy the big reveal of the mystery the other reviews kept telling about, but ultimately it wasn't as crazy or gruesome of a secret as I expected going off of how much buildup there was; so a slight letdown there. Also there were tons of grammatical mistakes that got distracting and the continuous usage of the phrase "Ya" instead of yes, yeah, or yeah was just really weird and nonsensical, although that's a personal gripe. Anyway, loved the concept, but the execution, ending, and little mistakes kept this from being a favorite. That being said, if there was a sequel I'd buy it because I did enjoy it. I would recommend this for anyone who loves thought-provoking stories about ethics and controversial medical and technology advances .
775100
Generally speaking, this is a pretty solid debut novel and it sets up the trilogy quite well.

Overall, I mostly liked the book. The pacing was good. The plot was highly promising. The world-building was pretty solid. No single area stood out to me as being exceptional (either for good or for ill).

Some ares that I think could be improved:
More consistency in the level of vocabulary - there were some advanced words thrown in occasionally that jarred me out of the flow of the novel completely - they just didn't fit.
Stronger character arc - I didn't see any of the characters growing and changing through hardship. The characters are in the beginning as they are in the end - there's no making poor choices out of fear or anger. This lack of personal response to trauma was, again, jarring to me. (Near the end of the novel, there is mention of nightmares, but it barely registered and had no tangible effect on the behaviour of the main characters. I would think that recent trauma would have more dramatic impact - perhaps without the characters even being aware of how much).
More struggle to gain knowledge - It seemed that Eloy just had to show up and be kind in order for strangers to offer up information on a silver platter. While there are some mysteries yet to be revealed, Eloy didn't really have to do a lot of thinking about what one of his guides meant by a vague comment, or face his own assumptions or conclusions being wrong. He was able to take advice at face value, and always ended up going in the right direction even when he didn't really have a clue. This seems too neat and easy to be plausible.

I received a free copy of this novel through Voracious Readers Only.
2070625
I loved How Should a Person Be, and this book displays similar flashes of brilliance. Ultimately though, its parts felt assembled randomly. I had particular trouble with the I Ching parts and wound up skipping them, which made the book a much better read on the whole. I think this is a project that would have made more sense if it had come out in 2015 or even 16, which is not really the author's fault. It takes a long time to write a book.