High praise from a skeptical reader
584776
For me, this book had two strikes against it from the get go:
1) Ive only read one other Amy Harmon book, and I wasn't impressed. *runs and hides*
2) I don't read fantasy very often.

I wanted a change of genre, though, and the glowing comments about The Bird and the Sword made me decide to give it a chance. My only regret is that I didn't read it sooner. It is magical in every sense. This book swept me away from the very first chapter, and I was completely enraptured.

Hatred and fear are allowed to flourish in a land where it is a crime to be gifted with magical abilities. The main characters are fascinating. You have Lark, a young Lady of noble birth who is mute. She is small, plain, and undermined; She is also intuitive, smart, and stubborn. Then there is King Tiras, a perplexing, magnetic warrior who is protecting his country against a formidable enemy. At the same time he is fending off attempts to overthrow him.

Amy Harmon painstakingly paints a picture of this new world that is obviously fantasy, but it draws out genuine emotions. It is easy to forget that the people and the circumstances are not real. All you lovers of love stories should be happy to know that even in the midst of battles and suspense, romance is very much incorporated into the plot.

I listed to the audio book version, and it is phenomenal! Trina Nishimura nailed it. She is more than just a narrator. She is a vocal performer who infuses emotion, intention, and character distinction with every sentence. Between her narration and the engrossing plot, I found myself sitting in my driveway for long periods of time, just listening to the audio book, unwilling to go inside. Im sure my neighbors thought I was nuts. I didn't even care.

Amy Harmons creativity is clearly reflected in her spectacular writing. Color me impressed! The Sword and the Stone has earned a spot on my Favorites shelf.
264677
What an amazing book! After being somewhere between moderately pleased and bitterly disappointed with my last several books (by other authors!) this was such a refreshing find.

As a prominent review said, this book has the feeling of a short story that grew to the length of a novel. We are presented with an alternate universe, mostly believable as an alternate reality, save for the existence of faster-than-light-speed travel (which is just assumed in popular Science Fiction in any event), but with a bizarre premise: the hair-carpet weavers. From this starting premise, we gradually are introduced to a nail-biting suspenseful mystery that takes place over hundreds of thousands of years across the span of countless galaxies. I would not have thought this to be possible. Five stars.

[I cannot vouch for the translation, since I "read" this as an audiobook in the original German, so please rely on other commenters as to the quality of the English version.]
1754109
personally, i've had enough actual paranormal/spiritual experiences that this rang true just from the information in the writing.

however, i have no doubt this was sincerely and truthfully conveyed, and is a real experience, though each reader will have to answer for themselves. as a note, my background was 13 years as a print reporter, editor and journalist for mainstream publications and newspapers. i bring a full skeptical mind to everything, which does not mean i dismiss things out of hand. for me, from my background and skeptical but open attitude, this rang true and was extremely enlightening.

a big recommend.
2857221
Every so often you chance upon a book that, even as someone who's read hundreds of books on the paranormal, really opens your eyes and makes you think. I'm jaded, I'll admit. I thought the Black Eyed Children were the result of an internet hoax that originated in the 1990's but Weatherly's book made me rethink all that. While a hoax is certainly still a possibility, the evidence here gives me pause.
Weatherly is a careful, thorough researcher who has compiled enough stories to suggest there may be something more than meets the eye going on with these mysteries entities and he lays out his findings and evidence with care.
The result a fascinating book that, if it doesn't convince you, will scare the daylights out of you. It's a remarkable subject and, after reading this book, one has to wonder if the Black Eyed Children aren't something real. In any case, this is the book all others will have to be judged by. Weatherly has set the bar very high. Oh, and you can buy it for $22 at his website [...]instead of paying these overblown prices.
3583293
I was reluctant to get this book because the cover and title look bland for my taste, but still my curiosity is piqued with the positive reviews as well as it being included in Amazons best seller list. Lo and behold, from the first page up to the last, I honestly cant let go of this book. Until now, all the mind-boggling events and ideas are still swarming in my head and this made me believe that I just finished one of the books Ill never forget.

Ill start off in commending the author; he really did a great job in luring potential readers and keeping them hooked from the first sentence in the first chapter, to the last sentence of the postlude. He was able to put you in a state of wonder and doubt at the same time, as the story progresses. Most of the authors ideas are very unusual and yet believable enough, especially if you probe with your mind the depth of his analysis and explanations. There are times that I actually have to read twice to get a grip of what he wanted to send out to readers and as the story progressed, it dawned to me that the author aims to challenge your belief, not for you to question your religion but to open your mind to the possibility of cosmic and mystical ideas. The characters are well-developed; especially Erics multiple personas in the different timelines, especially in the 2nd & 4th timeline. Though, I couldn't say this about Kathy, since her jealousy is definitely out of place, especially with the mind-boggling events at hand.

The only thing lacking is the intensity of the cataclysmic events that happen. I was hoping hell describe these further for the readers to feel the severity of these catastrophic events. Overall, Don Mardaks literary masterpiece is really something unique that will keep you awake and thinking for hours. Despite it being fictional, I strongly advise that you ought to read this only if you have a strong religious belief. Though this may not be intentional, the ideas and concepts in this book are marveling and convincing, which can make you irresolute with your own beliefs.
1769704
It's always been a suspicion of mine that everyone is fascinated with the bizarre.  I refuse to believe that I'm the only one interested in esoteric belief systems and people who claim to be experiencing phenomena whose reality common sense denies.  However, there is a tremendous dearth of voices writing about these things with an anthropological perspective or in an accessible voice.  Normally, if one wanted to learn anything of contemporary Spiritualists--yes, apparently they still exist!--one would probably have to read some how-to manual from the New Age section of the local bookstore, which, of course, would be filled with more nave credulity than most could bear.
 Fortunately, though, Christine Wicker has saved us from this fate with her book Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town That Talks to the Dead.  Never has there existed a voice so perfectly suited to write on this topic.  Wicker was formerly the reporter for the religion section of the Dallas Morning News, and subtracting from the richness of her own experience in the topic, she approaches all of her topics from the objective lens of a journalist.  She isn't a believer in out-of-the-ordinary things, but she respects everyone she encounters with compassion and empathy, and gives validity to their experiences.  She points out ridiculous things when she sees them (and there are plenty of them in this book), but she avoids condescension as much as she can.  She humanizes her subjects (which, in this case, are generally widows) by explaining their life stories and how their beliefs have helped them overcome struggles.
 In this book, Wicker travels to the town of Lily Dale, a community in New York which was designed as a summer camp for Spiritualists during the religion's late 19th century heyday.  While this place is perfectly real, it sounds like something out of a young adult fantasy novel: in order to own property in Lily Dale, one must prove one's abilities as a medium before the community's board.
 Every summer Lily Dale hosts workshops on all things arcane, and people come from all over in hopes of communicating with the dead, seeing into the future, and getting supernatural healing.  On top of that, Lily Dale actually contains the U.S.'s best examples of Victorian gingerbread architecture, making it the ideal setting of any horror novel.
 I read this simply because I was fascinated with the idea of anyone continuing to believe in Spiritualism.  While it once had a million followers, most of its respected mediums had their feats disproven during their own lives.  I imagined that any contemporary practitioner would have to do as much as possible to create distance from these charades, but I was quite wrong.
 At the workshops she attended, Wicker was informed very precisely how one could replicate the psychic forgeries that were well-known in the past.  (In attempts to avoid more of these, Lily Dale has banned its residents from accepting money to produce physical displays of medium abilities, but there are still people in the town who claim to have experienced it.)  The people of Lily Dale readily admit their forefathers' frauds and continue to sell psychic feats to a public that doesn't seem to mind at all.
 Wicker thoroughly investigates the community's residents and visitors in the book.  Her prose is lovely and she treats everyone with respect, even though they're all bizarre, and she does all of this without losing humor.  If the topic appeals to you, there's no reason that you shouldn't thoroughly enjoy the book.
4079095
As expressed in my review title, I usually can't get through most fictional books, because, as another reviewer shared, I can't get through the "groans" as I read implausibilities to enjoy it. Like that reviewer, I also have a science degree, so sci-fi books make suspension of disbelief even harder. This is the first fictional book I picked up in a long time that I was able to finish, enjoy, and didn't feel like I wasted my time.

Characters are developed well-enough to get a sense of who they are, without making the book tedious to read.

The plot has some unexpected twists and turns that I didn't see coming, so it wasn't as predictable a story line as many other formulaic stories.

I wanted to put the book down when I became angry at the injustices perpetrated by some of the bullies in power, but I kept on, and not only did they get theirs, but those kind of tortures weren't dragged out for two long.

The different perspective of the issues was very refreshing, and the author did a very good job at imagining and explaining this very different world, and how it might be perceived by those experiencing it. That said, given the history of the facility as described, it probably should have been set at least 2-3 decades later in the future than it was.

(spoiler alert)

As others noted, some of the social aspects in the outside world with a disease that can strike anyone, any time, and the population dwindling down to near-plague state didn't jive with the kind of social breakdown that would probably occur. Also, AZ is very unlikely to have the water resources to support the lush grounds that facility provided in the future, but I digress.

The on thing that made me want to SCREAM as someone trained in science was the liberal use of the word "theory" because Katie did NOT have any "theories" - she had HYPOTHESES. A theory is something that has been tested with repeatable results, numerous times, by numerous individuals. An idea developed by anyone - scientist or not, based on observations, but has yet to be thoroughly tested is a HYPOTHESIS, not a theory. This is maddening to anyone who takes the scientific method seriously, along with the terminology surrounding it. I really hope that if the author is reading this, she will seriously consider obliterating the word from the book entirely and replace it with "hypothesis" with the exception of when it's formally used referencing Newton's Theories, but even then... most scientists retain enough skepticism to make such comparisons to their own work, anyway. The Newton reference could go as well.

Some of the characters do make some very illogical choices and rash decisions that don't seem to make sense based on other aspects of their character descriptions, but as annoying as that is, I see that happen in real life all the time. So, while I questioned some of those actions the author laid out, I think overall, I liked it better than having the characters seem too scripted or archetypal. There are things that I've done that people who know me now would have a hard time believing, and I see people doing things all the time that don't jive with their other traits or professed traits, so if anything, that's more realistic. And I kind of liked that one of the main characters was always sort of teetering between good guy/bad guy, or doing the "right" things for the "wrong" reasons and vice versa.

The Kindle edition is very nicely formatted without any odd pages or ugly formatting like some books. I read this after hearing about being able to get it free for a limited time and will definitely check out the author's other work. I laughed, I sat on the edge of my seat, I stayed glued to it all day, and I even got sniffly at the end, more than I like to admit. I haven't enjoyed anything fictional like that in years, and had all but given up on being able to stomach fiction completely until I spent the entire day reading this.

Bravo!
4593919
This is the comment people frequently make when they see this book on my shelf, or when they have perhaps seen me reading it in public. Amazingly, even despite my own avid scepticism and existentialist tendencies, YES, that's it! Murchie puts the universe in a nutshell with this book, unabashedly through the eyes of a man and of an earthling, and it is not an easy one to get through, as you might imagine. I've tried repeatedly to read it from cover to cover and never succeeded. But that should not be used as a measure of this book's value. It cannot be approached like other books. In fact, this book does not need to be read cover to cover. It can be, but it's not necessary. You need only read one paragraph or even one sentence to come away with some universal insight. This book lends itself incredibly to non-linear reading. Just take a moment to look at the chapter descriptions and get a sense for the seven individual mysteries. Murchie's world view, or rather, universal view is a phenomenon in and of itself. PLUS (big plus), the author created all of the illustrations for the book. This is a work of art and an homage to existence.
2738509
The truth is out there, For all you skeptics, give this book a shot and you will be pleasantly surprised!
3004162
I only recently realized I'm a strict empiricist when it has to do with theology and related matters.  Books like this one I rate highly because it is convincing and the source is rated high in my mind. He isn't an Evangelist slamming his palm on a Bible and screaming at the top of his lungs, "Jesus is the answer!".  I hate that.  I hope anyone who reads this asks themselves questions like "What's this author's motive for writing this book?".  This book and others like it, in addition to my own experience, has told me there's a Creator that is alive and is attending to what each of us does.  That sounds crazy, and I wouldn't have said such a thing 5 years ago.  Things have changed.  In particular, my narrow mind.  The Maker had to show me, put Its presence right up to my nose.  I was nearly blind to the idea that our Creator was involved in what happens here on Earth; It also cares how we are living.  Like smoking crack.
3726990
As a skeptical scientist, I approached the book with that skepticism. I was impressed with the thoroughness with which Dr. Alexander examines his experience. In the end, this may be proof to him and at least evidence for us.
2042882
When trying to decide whether to purchase this book, I read the other reviews. I was amazed that some readers were so enthusiastic about it, while others panned it so badly. The most useful reviews mentioned that the writing in the beginning was artificial and overhanded, but it smoothed out later in the book. That proved to be very useful information. I too, was put off by the contrived, over-dramatic descriptions in the first couple of chapters. But, I pushed through and was extremely glad that I did. The rest of the book was well-written with engaging characters and an excellent surprise ending. I'm going to check out other works by this author.
1906427
I want to say first and foremost that the highly negative reviews don't make sense to me. Mayor makes it very clear what is her speculation and what is cited by other sources. She draws heavily every shred of available evidence to piece together an account that would otherwise be threadbare. Likewise her speculations allow the reader to get a direct encounter with the culture Mithradates is steeped in. Her speculation never oversteps boundaries. Likewise, she spends the first several chapters acclimating the reader to the perspective of Mithradates at this nexus of two unique cultures. Her portrayal of Romans never exceeds anything reported by ancient sources (the greedy and merciless description of some commanders and legions). Some people seemed unable to understand that this book first and foremost was trying to give us the perspective of the Mithradatic Wars through the eyes of Pontus and the biases that come with it.

As I mentioned, this book seems to reference every bit of archeological, numistic, and written history on the subject. I've never seen anything so complete in scope. The book does a wonderful job piecing together the poorly described second and third Mithradatic Wars. In the history books I've read that discuss the Mithradatic Wars, the second was an insignificant skirmish and the third was Tigranocerta and Pompey marching around. The Poison King makes sense of it all and puts perspective on the victories and defeats. Some other reviews criticize book for not going into intense detail with the famous battles but The Poison King exists to highlight overlooked corners of the wars: from the Siege of Piraeus to the Battle with Murena and from the mountain skirmishes with Lucullus to the Battle of Zela.

Finally, the overall theme of the book is looking at how myth influences reality (how Mithradates tries to emulate his heroes) and in turn becomes the myth of Mithradates we know today. She discusses how his story eerily mimics many tales of Alexander, Cyrus, Darius, and Achilles and ultimately how he fits in the mold of the mythic hero scale.

The Poison King is a fascinating look at the history we have, the historiography of the evidence we have, and the myths passed down to us that justifiably earns the title character his title of "Rome's Deadliest Enemy".
1013078
This was a lovely, delicate bit of speculative fiction which I very much enjoyed.

I feel like the publisher's copy doesn't do it justice. Reading the back of the book (well, virtually; I read a digital ARC) I was worried I was going to be bored, and it's always awful to dislike something you've read as an ARC.

BUT. BUT BUT BUT. I was wrong. Reading the back of the book (you may have a different experience) I expected something . . . experimental and intensely cerebral, the sort of book that you read and then are like . . .what just happened? I like that in literary fiction, but I like my sci fi to make sense and have a plot.

This did all of that, *and* was geeky and cerebral, in a very pleasing way.

The plot summary does sum it up, I guess. A colony ship has been headed to a planet -- Helena -- for five hundred years. Five. Hundred. Years. Finally, after many generations of colonists living on this ship (no cryo freezing or other suspended animation, which I appreciated), they are reaching the planet and now must decide: can they land and colonize it? Is it possible? Would it wreak ecological havoc? Would it kill them all? No one really knows, because the science in this book is *accurate,* and there was no ridiculous magic-science that told the colonists exactly what it would be like. They took an enormous gamble five hundred years ago (for Reasons, which are explained in the book) and are now reaping the consequences. (Side note: the science in general was really well done. There was a huge medical part of the plot, and I am a medical professional, and I bought it. I didn't have to grit my teeth and force myself to suspend disbelief. My mind was just, "oh, ok, that is weird as hell and probably impossible but the way it is described *makes sense.*" I liked it.)

There's a lot to unpack here. The author is interested in concepts of gender (gender identity has evolved over five hundred years! FANCY THAT! So pleasing. I go a little crazy when books are set in these wildly distant futures, but you know what's exactly the same? Misogyny and homophobia. Have some creativity, folks. This author has creativity), and also in the ability of art to connect folks, and also in the limits of objectivity and in ethics and . . . lots of things. But it's not heavy-handed and dreary; it's well-drawn and compelling.

This isn't as good as LeGuin (because nothing is. Yes, I am biased; she is one of my favorite authors) but she's a good comparison. I think if you like LeGuin you'd like this. It's the same sort of clever world-building, good prose (LeGuin's is better, but let's be clear: LeGuin is a *master*), and thoughtful, not pushy philosophy that doesn't get in the way of the plot.

Last thing before I go: I really do want to drive in the prose thing. The quality was much appreciated by me. I read a fair amount of speculative fiction (more fantasy than sci fi, but still) and I have been appalled -- APPALLED -- at what passes for prose in some sets. I am looking at a certain wildly popular fantasy novelist who can't write their way out of a paper bag. It's awful. But not here! This book is actually, you know, well-written. Like a book should be. I cringed *not even once,* and more than once I paused and thought, "oh, that sentence was well-crafted. Good use of the form, my friend."

Anyway. Four stars, because I save my fives for my very favorite novels of all time that are mind-blowing and world-changing. I think my last five star rating was Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov." James Dunham is talented but he is not Dostoyevsky and this is not The Brothers K.

But, you know, it was a good book. 4/5, would recommend to a friend.
458799
James BeauSeigneur has done the most amazing thing in this remarkable series of books--he's written something that both believers and skeptics can rejoice about.
If you're anything like me, you've looked at End Times books with more than a little bit of a jaundiced eye.  Too often, everything is given away right at the start of the books.  The rest becomes simply preaching to the choir.
Not here.  Finally, at last, we have a series of books that leaves the reader in doubt as to what is REALLY going on until the middle of the third book.  The great thing about this approach is that it MOST CLOSELY ACCORDS WITH HOW END TIMES EVENTS WILL ACTUALLY UNFOLD.  In other words, for believers and skeptics alike IT IS ALMOST AS IF THEY ARE EXPERIENCING THE END TIMES AS THEY READ THESE BOOKS.
Think about it.  If we were actually living in the End Times as the Bible describes them, WE WOULDN'T KNOW IT, WOULD WE.  Nor would we know the either the identity of the Antichrist, nor how he would go about enacting his agenda.  That's what sets these books apart.  The author has written them in such a way that WE JUST DON'T KNOW ANY OF THESE THINGS.  It's as if we're living through the End Times as they are actually unfolding.
That to me is a great accomplishment, and one that enables readers of whatever stripe--Christian, atheist, agnostic, skeptic--to have an authentic reading experience.
887379
I have been planning to read this book for months but somehow didn't manage hitherto. But was pleased that I read it this long weekend. We authors are not only media-shy but also full of unnecessary craps as well including complacency. We are not only skeptical but also quite cynical on other authors' works and ignore them in most cases. What is there that I already don't know? We presume and need a lot of convincing before we try it. This book is one of them, a victim of our own unnecessary presumption and I am sure that many authors haven't tried it for the same reason. But I can tell you, this is the book you should read for the same reason you are avoiding it. It is so blunt, precise and full of useful exhortations that it will make you wake up, why didn't I think of that and this, you would wonder, and suddenly you know what you were missing. It is a very good book for new and aspiring authors and highly recommended.
4067854
Looking at the cover at the bookstore I wasn't sure what to expect. It seemed interesting, but I was still apprehensive because I couldn't believe some of its claims. It claimed that we as a society fear the wrong things and points the finger at the media, gun control, and other organizations for reinforcing these fears. While reading the novel, I noticed that every single claim he mentioned was footnoted and cited in the back of the book. Every little fact was proven with some evidence, which reasurred me that it was reliable. It also didn't seem to favor any ideological standpoint. I thought the book was a great read because it is so controversial and disproves any fears that we have as asociety, like fear of flying, black men, and school shootings. I noticed that much of this problem was caused directly by the media and how it is capable of manipulating and exaggerating information. This type of power can end up causing more harm than good. Even with advancements in technology, where information and news is at our fingertips as it happens, we are less informed than previous generations. I would definitely recommend this book to whoever wants to read something that will really open your eyes and see what is truly happening to our society.