Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)I must admit that I was originally ambivalent about giving Empire of Black and Gold a read. The back cover outlines a world where tribes of humans have taken on certain aspects of insects; with such a premise, the potential for a REALLY stupid, unbelievable story is definitely there. Finally I picked up the book and was glad that I did. Far from being silly, Tchaikivsky takes the world he creates and makes it completely believable; suspension of disbelief is no problem. Tribes of humans have developed certain aspects of insects; ant kinden are warriors with the ability to think collectively, beetle kinden are intellectuals and master builders, Mantis Kinden are great martial artists and individual warriors (different from the ants who tend to fight collectively). Spider-kinden are spies etc.
The world is being threatened by the Wasp Kinden, a flying, war-like people that one cannot help comparing to the Roman Empire. It is up to a diverse group of college students representing different kinden to convince the world that the Wasps are a real threat. There's the rub. Adrian Tchaikovsky's insect world is one that has just left it's own dark ages, an age ruled by religious/mystical fanatics and their killer enforcers the Mantis Kinden. The world has moved into an age of "reason" and the new god is one of profit. And just like in our world its' many peoples are more than willing to bury their collective heads in the sand and pretend that the conquering of their neighbors by the Wasps is justified. All of this in order to maintain there lifestyles...even if that denial could potentially mean slavery and death. In the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller:
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.Although this is a fantasy novel, the themes are human and are happening today in different disguises. Tchaikovsky tackles fear of the "other", racism and classism. I was thoroughly entertained and can't wait for the next two novels in the trilogy to be released.

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Riding with the Blue Moth Review

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(More customer reviews)Bill Hancock has written an exquisitely crafted memoir out of his heartbreak. Pedalling across the country was a means of coping with unbearable pain, and in doing so, he exorcised (as far as was possible) some of the agony of losing his son, Will. His odyssey is also an accidental biography of the nation, in the small, incisive portraits of some of the people he encountered on the way. Taking the back roads as a means of avoiding the worst traffic, he encountered backyard America in all its variety. In writing "Riding With the Blue Moth' he has given us a memoir, a valentine to his son, and a legacy for his granddaughter.

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After the death of his son, Will, in the 2001 airplane crash that took the lives of nine additional members of the Oklahoma State basketball team and support staff, survival became a common word in Bill Hancock's vocabulary. Bicycling was simply the method by which he chose to distract himself from his grief. But for Hancock, the 2,747-mile journey from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast became more than just a distraction. It became a pilgrimage, even if Hancock didn't realize it upon dipping his rear tire in the Pacific Ocean near Huntington Beach, California in the wee hours of a July morning. On his two-wheel trip, Hancock battled searing heat and humidity, curious dogs, unforgiving motorists and the occasional speed bump-usually a dead armadillo. Hancock's thoughts returned to common themes: memories of his son Will, the prospect of life without Will for him and his wife, and the blue moth of grief and depression. That pesky moth fluttered around Hancock as if he was a beaming lamp pole in an empty parking lot. Some suggested Hancock cope with medication; others suggested he get back to his job as director of the NCAA men's basketball tournament as soon as possible. But, Hancock found himself a glutton for his own punishment, unable to shake that blue moth from shadowing him on each step of his everyday routine. So, Hancock chose to battle the beast one-on-one, taking the moth on the ride of its life across America in the hopes of shaking free of its constraints. Possibly, he could lose it around a corner in one of the small towns he would traverse through: Hope, Arizona; Chickasha, Oklahoma; Onward, Mississippi; Pleasant Hill, Georgia. On a muggy August morn, Hancock dipped his front wheel into the Atlantic Ocean along the Georgia coastline of Tybee Island. The bothersome blue moth was still loitering nearby. But, by completion of the trek, the pest had taken on a new role for Hancock. The blue moth wouldn't be drowned in either ocean, or in the buckets of perspiration that Hancock shed along the highways of this country. He was with Hancock for the longer haul, and for once Hancock was okay with that.

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Insect Ecology Review

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(More customer reviews)The third edition of the book follows in the tradition of the first two editions in being an up to date and indispensable reference for insect ecologists. It is also a useful of review of ecological principles for any ecologist. The book is written in an entertaining style. It is suitable for upper level undergraduate or graduate classes.

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Insect Ecology is the world's foremost reference to the never-ending and crucial interactions of the richest taxon of organisms on this earth, with perhaps some 8 million extant species. Now in its Third Edition and twentieth year of publication, Insect Ecology has endured as an unparalleled classic.Taking the reader from an explanation of the science to its significance as a discipline, Insect Ecology is a meticulous, systematic examination of the underlying dynamics of plant-insect interactions, predation, parasites and hosts, and mutualistic relationships, including pollination ecology, that are central to understanding the insects' role in nature. Viewing the largely invisible drama of natural protagonists and antagonists, hidden in the lush foliage of a tropical rain forest or temperate woody vegetation, Peter Price details the unique traits, behaviors, and functions of insects, while placing them in the broader contexts of their places in food webs, ecosystem function, population dynamics, and community interactions.The author also describes the various levels of insect interaction, from trophic relationships (Part II), populations (Part III), and communities (Part IV), while unfolding the infinite variety of insect species and their visible legacy in the fossil record. Full of fascinating details ("Ants are everywhere, but only occasionally noticed. They run much of the terrestrial world as the premier soil turners." "[Insect] galls provide tanning acids and the basis for inks."), Insect Ecology offers detail and breadth, while providing timely discussion on the conservation of biodiversity, the existence and study of vacant ecological niches, latitudinal gradients in species richness, and evolutionary perspectives on population dynamics. The book also examines the development of theory in insect ecology and how it is advanced.Novel features in the Third Edition include four new chapters, covering the importance of insect ecology, the development of theory in the science, hypotheses on plant and herbivore interactions, and a synthesis chapter on population dynamics. Subheadings within chapters provide easier subject access, and many new figures contribute to the book's aesthetic appeal.Clearly organized and with a bibliography of 2,000 references to up-to-date and classic literature, the Third Edition of Insect Ecology is a practical, well-formatted resource. Also copiously illustrated with over 350 figures, many new to this edition, Insect Ecology is a lush graphic tour of the minute, often startling universe of insects in their native habitat. With a history in geologic time much older than the terrestrial vertebrates, insects speak to us-the scarab beetle encased in amber, or New Zealand's endangered large Wellington speargrass weevil-of a resilience and ingenuity oddly reflective of our own. Insect Ecology has let generations of agriculturalists, ecologists, entomologists, environmental scientists, foresters, professionals, and students understand the insects' world, and ours.With unerring detail and breadth, Insect Ecology has described for generations of professionals the interactions and dynamics of the world's richest group of species-the insects-whose wildly various 8 million forms have been the source of endless fascination and study. From caterpillars to the goliath beetle, from the adult copper butterfly to the agromyzid fly, the insect universe is at once ordinary and exotic, capturing, in microcosm, nature's complexity and beauty.

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Encyclopedia of Entomology (3 Vol. Set) Review

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(More customer reviews)I will admit up front that I wrote three articles in this book set, so I may be biased, but this second edition of "Encyclopedia of Entomology" is much improved over the first edition and in many respects a new set of books entirely. For one thing the set is now four volumes, adding nearly 2000 more pages, and for another the color plates in the back of each volume have contributed a whole new dimension to the text of articles. For my own part I added black and white photos to my sections to replace the earlier line drawings I had used. The publisher did a fantastic job of reproducing the photos and in general this book set is well done.
John Capinera edited this compilation of up to date knowledge of the science. This is an expensive set and probably more likely acquired by libraries than individuals. Still, this set should serve as a major reference for entomologists, graduate students in entomology (one of the major targets) and the entomology hobbyist who just wants to get caught up on the current developments in entomology.
These books are the work of over 300 hundred specialists, including some of the most prominent entomologists in the World (in whose company I am honored to have contributed a very small offering), with numerous articles on every conceivable subject having to do with freshwater and terrestrial arthropods. As such it is, in my opinion, the best initial source for research on entomology in print.

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The Encyclopedia of Entomology brings together the talents of over 350 distinguished entomologists from 36 countries to provide a detailed, global overview of insects and their close relatives, including taxonomy, behavior, ecology, physiology, history, and management. All the major groups of arthropods are treated, as are many important families and individual species. The Encyclopedia also covers physiology, genetics, ecology, behavior, insect relationships with people, medical entomology, and pest management. Detailed listings are also complemented by more than 1100 illustrations. Featured in this important work are unique biographical sketches of the hundreds of entomologists who have made important contributions to the discipline since its origin. Presented in three volumes and including a fully searchable and easily accessed online version, the Encyclopedia of Entomology is the most complete reference work in this field. In addition to being a must for Entomology departments around the world, the Encyclopedia also serves as a handy reference for scientists and students in related areas of science such as agronomy, animal science, botany, ecology, human disease, evolutionary biology, forestry, genetics, horticulture, parasitology, toxicology and zoology.

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A Girl of the Limberlost Review

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(More customer reviews)Think of it as a Midwestern Cinderella story, but with no glass slipper and plenty of moths. Gene Stratton Porter was at the peak of her skills when she wrote "A Girl of the Limberlost," which starts off as a young girl's struggle against her mother's virulent hatred -- and soon evolves into an enchanting little romance.
Elnora Comstock has barely signed up for college when she discovers that she can't afford it -- tuition and textbooks cost too much, and her shabby clothes are mocked by her classmates. Even worse, her half-crazy, malicious mother refuses to cough up any money.
But she soon finds that she can pay another way -- a strange lady called the Bird Woman is willing to pay money for moths, butterflies, caterpillars and chrysalids, which Elnora can easily find in a vast dangerous swamp called the Limberlost. And her friends Margaret and Wesley are happy to help her in any way they can -- clothes, a violin -- until the day when Mrs. Comstock comes to a shocking realization about her daughter.
Then Elnora encounters a wealthy young man named Philip Ammon, who has the same love of nature that she has -- as well as a wealthy socialite fiancee named Edith. But when a party in honor of Edith and Philip's engagement is wrecked by a butterfly and a fit of jealousy, he begins to realize what his true feelings for Elnora are...
"A Girl of the Limberlost" can be divided into two sections -- the first is a Cinderellaesque story about a strong, intelligent young girl who is pursing her music and education, despite her nasty old mother's loathing of her. But once that storyline is wrapped up, the second half of the book becomes a haunting, passionate love story.
Stratton-Porter was at her peak when she wrote this -- her prose is overflowing with natural beauty ("the whole earth was purple with a thick blanket of violets") and some very tough personal situations, such as when Margaret and Wesley take in a badly-abused young boy. And both halves of "A Girl of the Limberlost" reach a emotionally harrowing climax as two of the characters are forced to see the raw ugliness of their actions.
But the romance is also really adorable, especially since it's based on friendship and both parties only realize it belatedly. And Stratton-Porter adds in a touch of romance for other characters, including old married couples and snotty socialites.
Elnora is a likable, realistic girl that you'd like as a friend -- kind, charitable and hardworking, but has flashes of temper. And Philip Ammon is a rather sweet if clueless guy. Mrs. Comstock starts out as a crazy old lady who wallows in her grief and obsession with her dead husband, but Stratton-Porter rebuilds her into a character you can like and respect; Edith also starts off as a nasty snotty rich girl who cares more about social status than love, but the author puts her through the grinder and makes her more likable.
"A Girl of the Limberlost" is both a brilliant coming-of-age tale and a lush little romance, set against an epic backdrop of natural beauty. Definitely a must-read.

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Deeply wounded by her embittered mother's lack of sympathy for her aspirations, Elnora finds comfort in the nearby Limberlost Swamp, whose beauty and rich abundance provide her with the means to better her life.

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Secret of the Black Moon Moth Review

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(More customer reviews)There were a few swear words in the previous two books so it wasn't too surprising to find more of them in this book. Disappointing to be sure, but a bit of black ink takes care of that. Too bad my son, who was excitedly reading the series, had to find them and do the crossing out. After all it is marketed to the 9+ crowd. A parent would think that it was ok to hand books marketed to the 9+, without having the language issue, to their son unread. The final straw was writing/teaching as if the theory of evolution was fact. Not enough story left if we inked out that. Some would think the last trivial and the first more of an issue. As hard as it is we will never find out from the book what the black moon moth is.

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A painfully shy old man has approached Professors Gadling, Gauntraker and Ampersand with an extraordinary archeological find: early human remains that don't fit in with anything known to science. Soon, Sam, Zara, Ben, Marcia and Adam are joining the professors on an expedition to a remote island in South-East Asia to investigate further. But the island contains a secret more astonishing than anything they could have imagined, and a dangerous, deadly enemy is on the trail...

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Eastern Deciduous Forest, Second Edition: Ecology and Wildlife Conservation Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a must for anyone who is considering naural resource management as a career, as I am. It deals with the basic ecological terms and poses some very difficult problems that forest management will occure in the recent future. If you are interested in conservation, and not preservation, this book will be a wise investment.

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A Luna Moth's Life (Nature Upclose) Review

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(More customer reviews)John Himmelman weaves his obvious love and knowledge of nature into something far more than just a beautifully illustrated, age appropriate story. His stories and paintings capture the essence of the creatures he portrays, and leaves the reader with intimate understanding and a desire to know more. This is a great book, as are all of Mr. Himmelman's works. I highly recommend this for your budding young naturalists. I commend Mr. Himmelman for setting such high standards in his craft! Keep'm coming.

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Examines the life cycle of a Nature Upclose: A Luna Moth's Life

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