Customer Reviews (12)

Scales were never balanced
i couldn't help but feel sorry for the obvious villains of this work.ever since introducing them to the scene they never seemed to pose any sort of threat to the kind of god-like powers Herbert always instills to his good guys.much like in the Dune series where the omnipotent kwisatz haderach foils any atttempts at his downfall the kelp-hugging poet and his hippie-esque eco-renegades are always
saved by the deus-ex machima that is the writers quill.
i thought that the characters were wonderfully defined as opposed to another reviewer they just simply lacked the true tools of power
to truly tip the scales.all in all once again herbert almost annoyingly has his villains plot and scheme to no avail and the good guys live happily ever after.

Love it!
Just wanted to add my 2 cents - I think Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom did a fantastic job on this book.The Jesus Incident is my favorite.There are many different issues in the book including environmental issues and moral/ethical issues to name just a couple.Are clones "human"?Are "humans" better than clones?Do clones have "human" rights? How do you define intelligence?Is it possible for what appears to be ocean plant life to be intelligent?The authors entwine all these issues, including the question of whether or not Ship is God, into a wonderful sci-fi world and a great story.Wish they'd make a movie out of this one!

More gas than a hylighter
This is an extremely dull book.I found myself falling asleep consistently when reading the first 100 pages.I even started the book over to ensure that I "got it".What I "got" was a book that foundered more or less completely.This is the least focused Herbert book I have ever read.Maybe we can blame it on Bill Ransom.

Second book in the Pandora series (1st book is Destination: Void), characters living on Ship, Colony and Redoubt on Pandora.

Morgan Oakes, Chaplain/Psychiatrist, in charge.Second in command Jesus Lewis, living on the Pandoran surface.Trying to destroy the electrokelp and hylighters, seemingly sentient inhabitants of Pandora.Ship brings Raja Flattery out of hibernation and assigns poet Kerro Panille to groundside.Raja changes last name to Thomas.They, along with Waela TaoLini, will conduct a new round of interaction with the kelp/electrokelp.They do so and are rescued by the hylighters.Kerro establishes close communication with the hylighters, learning in the process that the electrokelp and the hylighters are the same consciousness, also known as the Avata.

Thomas is prompted by Ship to engage Pandorans to figure out the correct way to "WorShip".This was the original charge from a newly conscious Ship in Destination: Void, that humans learn how to properly WorShip.Ship states that it will destroy humanity if this task is not completed quickly.

Colony is destroyed - how is never explained as far as I can tell.Redoubt is destroyed.Ship leaves, taking Lewis and Oakes.Apparently, the proper way to WorShip, to "find our own humanity and live up to it" (p. 412), is uncovered in time to stop the destruction of humanity.

Throw in there a time traveling expedition by Hali Ekel to Golgotha to see the crucifixion of Jesus.Why?To understand "holy violence".Okay, but why?

Avata, a female child, is born from the coupling of Waela and Kerro.Purpose? To give "them [Pandora's inhabitants] the new worship and weaving them into a single organism."Do what?

I was fairly excited about the interactions with the kelp, as the communication betweentwo different sentient groups (kelp and humans) is pretty meaty science fiction fare.This interaction was pretty sketchy, though.The interaction did produce Kerro's bridging communication with the hylighters/kelp/Avata.I'm still not sure what all this is supposed to mean.

The characters in this book were just uninteresting.Oakes, Lewis, Ferry and Murdoch, collectively the "bad" guys, were flat, flat, flat.Kerro Panille, the poet with the ability to communicate directly with Ship (a rare ability), was cloaked in so much fluffy nonsense that I'm still not sure what all happened with him.

On Herbert's trademark quotations that start each new chapter, I am usually a fan, but I stopped reading them in this book because they were inane.

The book just spent too long to portray too little.Pretty simple actually.

This isn't the greatest review (pretty sketchy), but it covers the main highlights of the book.My advice, if you are interested in the Pandora series (which I still am even after this book), is to read this review and move on to the next book, The Lazarus Effect.

a very dark story... great book
Any fan of the original Dune chapters should definitely check out this book.Herbert had such an excellent ability for crafting alien worlds... complete with mysterious yet realistic-seeming lifeforms and ecosystem.This is beyond just a Sci-Fi book tho... as with Dune, Herbert does an amazing job of dealing with human nature, the fear of the unknown, and of course, religion.

Unfortunately, I personally feel that the sequels to this book taper off in terms of quality.

The Jesus Incident
Not a review, just a notice that BILL RANSOM was the co-author with Frank Herbert on this book and the whole series.Amazon left my name off this display. ... Read more

Product Description
Final issue, with 25 all-new stories. ... Read more

Book Description
"Nobody who knows Bill Deasy's wonderful music will be surprised to find that this book is filled with soul. Deasy quietly explores the ties that bind, and the evolution of a heart that everyone will recognize, and root for" -- Jane McCafferty, author of "One Heart" --- Ransom Seaborn is an astonishing literary debut in the spirit of Gatsby and Holden Caulfield. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Ransom Seaborn
Great page turner.Nice heartfelt story.I have passed this book along to serveral of my friends and have not gotten it back yet. Can't wait for sophmore book from this author.

Great Book - If you liked Catcher in the Rye..buy this
Friend told me about this book.Won some sort of award so gave it a try.Well worth it.Deasy is a great writer.

A book to cherish, beautifully designed cover and all
I read about RANSOM SEABORN on the POD-dy Mouth blog when Bill Deasy's book won the 2006 Needle Award. I've yet to hear who's picked up this title to reprint, but I hope it gets the marketing and promotional dollars it deserves. RANSOM SEABORN was a perfect rainy-weekend read for me; a welcome return to college days; a reminder of what it was like to drive so many small-town roads when you're young and in search of so many answers. I trusted Bill Deasy the songwriter would weave a lyrical tale, and I was right. Ransom and Fin will live for a long time in the memories of those who read this deceptively brief story of love, life, and...ultimately...faith in what makes it all so real.

Pleasantly Surprised
I saw this in the "local" section of my neighborhood Borders bookstore, and bought it on a whim. I knew the name as a local musician, so I thought I'd give it a read. It sat on my desk for 6-8 months. Man, if I'd known how good it was, I would have cracked it immediately...

This book worked for me in that it painted a picture of something I had never experienced--a freshman year. I went to college at 31. As a result of being older than the typical student, I felt a bit like an outsider. This helped pull me into the book and it's characters.

If you havn't read a novel in a while, I highly recommend this one. It's not very long, it's enjoyable to read and it's filled with humanity and grace.

An excellent first work.

hauntingly beautiful
memories blended with imagination to create truth far more beautiful than anyone could guess. But then, I should have known - and deep down, i did.
thanks for the ride. It's True. james Diener ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An outdated thriller
Logan Field has an enviable position at the top of Imperial Oil. A big contract with the Shah in Teheran, with some financiers in Japan and the Imshan refinery project are supposed to make the West's oil secure and make Imperial Oil millions of dollars. But the Russians want the Imshan refinery for themselves and so back the Syrians who back some Palestinian terrorists who kidnap Field's wife. What will be Filed's priority: the oil business, his mistress or his wife?
The novel is read by Bill Wallis for BBC Audiobooks and his performance is excellent. ... Read more