Product Description
In a fun-filled activity book, young readers sing the ""Anthony Ant Song,"" lifting the flaps to end each verse, follow finger mazes to see Anthony's underground insect world, and search for Anthony in each colorful spread. Children's BOMC. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Favorite
An all time favorite for any child.Fun and always changing story.My children had me buy it for the Grandchild.

Amazing Anthony Ant
What a fun book!I've had it for years, and I recently took it to my daughter's preschool class to share with them...it was a hit!The familiar song, and repetitive lines made it a group read along.Lifting the flaps was also a fun twist to add to reading time.Recommended.

The Amazing Anthony Ant
I loved this book as a preschool teacher, and now, as a kindergarten and first grade teacher I have come to appreciate it all the more.It has been an invaluable aid in teaching my first graders to look for patterns in books.They love to sing along with the pages and it is filled with patterns...repeating and growing patterns.Of course, I teach math, so I have a certain bias.... ... Read more

Product Description
All Rookie Readers actively engage young readers, encouraging language development, building fluency, and promoting independent reading. By targeting a skill, like learning about repetitive text, young readers are building fundamental reading skills with the help of fun, lively, colorfully illustrated stories. ... Read more

Product Description

Ant has emerged as the preferred building tool for Java developers, automating tedious compilation, test, and code management.Many Java developers are aware of Ant but there is little documentation to assist in getting started with the Ant tool.Even experienced developers who already use some of the features of the Ant tool, struggle with the more advanced aspects.This book will educate those devlopers in these more advanced topics, and help them get more out of the tool.The Ant Developer's Handbook begins with a rapid introduction to obtaining, installing, and configuring Ant and covers all major feature sets and use practices.

Ant is a cross-platform build and configuration management tool.It is written in Java, and uses XML as its file format, thereby allowing entire development teams to share Ant build files, regardless of the operating system each developer is using.Ant can perform nearly any common configuration management function, including:

• compiling application source code.
• running test suites and building archive files.
• moving/copying files to server machines.
• interacting with source control systems.

Customer Reviews (4)

I am happy I bought this book
I needed a reference on Ant, and I decided to buy this one despite a negative review.The book is well-organized and well-written in a style that most developers will like.

The first three chapters do a wonderful job of introducing Ants capabilities and what you should use it for.I was already using Ant, but I learned a lot more about how I can make better use of it.

The fourth chapter is a reference of all the tags and how to use them.So far I have found that they are pretty accurate, and as an experienced user I assume that I can figure out anything that turns out to be changed (since this software is always subject to change) or even wrong.

The final chapters discuss advanced material, such as extending Ant with custom tasks, debugging build scripts, and setting up nightly builds.I feel that the book does a good job of explaining the how and why of these topics, too.

Overall, the organization of the book is similar to Oreilly's Unix in a Nutshell, where there are several chapters of reference material and a catalog of commands.I like that kind of book because it cuts to the chase for experienced users.Part of the reason I wanted this book was to structure my Ant projects intelligently, and I got my money's worth for that.

DO NOT BUY
This book is absolutely worthless as an ant reference.EVERY time that I go to read a particular section of the book for fine-grained information it has proven to be a disaster.The book is simply WRONG on many of it's definitions and statements of functionality.

I have never taken the time to actually write a quick review, but fealt that I would be doing a huge disservice to fellow coders if I didn't in this case.

Heed my warning: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.

Excellent book for Java Development
This is one of the best books I have read to date on developing Java applications with ANT. I'd highly recomend it to anyone interested in saving time writting JAVA applications.

A good introduction to Ant
Ant has become a widely used tool and should be part of every developer's toolkit.This book is a nice introduction for the developer who is unfamiliar with Ant and is looking to get started using it.If you are a developer who is experienced with Ant then this book will not be of much interest to you.The book starts with a nice introduction to Ant showing how to create and use a typical build script.The first three chapters cover the basics of Ant and the authors do a nice job of making Ant simple to understand.The next two chapters cover all the built-in and optional tasks that are part of Ant.This section is of limited use to the new Ant user.Since the tasks are listed in alphabetical order and broken out into separate chapters for built-in and optional tasks, you have to know what you are looking for in order to find it.It would have been nice to have a list of all the tasks with a brief description all in one or two pages which would have made it much easier to find a task.There is one brief chapter explaining how to write your own Ant tasks.Troubleshooting Ant scripts is followed by two chapters showing real world examples of using Ant. The book ends with a discussion of tool support.Conclusion: the authors have done a very nice job of explaining Ant for the novice Ant user. ... Read more

Product Description
The story of how Bee meets Ant while on a search for his missing hat teaches young readers the letters of the alphabet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Reprint Please
This series is such a relief from LOGO-based and BRAND Name products.Imagine that they are 83 to 110 pages long,too!Let me know when they are reprinted since few can afford the hefty price tags now attached to the little volumes.

One of my favorite series of all time!
I can't sing the praises of Ant and Bee loud enough.I loved them as a young child in the mid 70's.Luckily, I held on to five of the books. (Ant and Bee and the ABC's, Ant and Bee and the Rainbow, Ant and Bee Go Shopping, Around the World with Ant and Bee, and Ant and Bee Tell Time) Unfortunately, seeing how much they are now worth (not that I'd sell), they were loved a little too much.My three year old daughter loves saying "Naughty Mommy" whenever we read a page with some "additional" artwork.
I can't quite put my finger on what makes these so magical, but the illustrations are a big part of it.I used to just stare at the pictures....the variety of ways Ant and Bee travel the world, the Shopping Center they shop at, the three-legged race at the zoo, their teacup home, etc. The stories were simple yet interesting.Repetitive but not irritating. Full of friendship and fun.And I must add, the image of Ant and Bee sitting on their make-believe rainbow as day turns to night is one of the sweetest children's book moments ever. Please publishers re-release these. They are a gold mine.

Ant and Bee
When I was 10 I was lucky enough to travel to Great Britain with my parents.On one of our excursions there,we entered a bookstore, because I had seen an Ant and Bee book.My mother bought it for me. Now at 36 years I still cherish it.So does my four year old daughter.I could not believe how much these cute little books go for now.I guess Ill be holding on to mine!!!

Sincerely
Carola Sosinsky,Wi,USA

Ant and Bee and the ABC
As a kindergarten teacher, and a fan of the Ant and Bee series from the time I was a little girl, I highly recommend these stories.I have vivid memories of my grandmother reading me the stories, and now mykindergartners love them as well.They are quite new to my students, butthey love the characters, drawings, vivid imagery and repetition.Theyoften "read" them during our free choice time.Of course, theynow want me to add to my collection, so I'm working on it!

Wonderful to be able to find these classic books still
I could hardly believe that the Ant & Bee books were still available. A neighbour lent my two young children some of her's which her (now) adult children had as toddlers. My children have become obsessed with readingthem on a daily basis. They have been wonderful for building my five yearold's confidence with her solo reading. I urge the publishers to considerreprinting the whole series. Believe me there is a new generation ofreaders itching to get their fingers on the Ant & Bee books! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nice
A fascinating book. While it also includes a well illustrated taxonomic key, I found its main strength to be the discussion of the fire ants' biology and ecology. If you liked Dr. Taber's Harvester Ant book, you will probably also like this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Comprising a substantial part of living biomass on earth, ants are integral to the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. More than 12,500 species have been described to date, and it is estimated that perhaps as many still await classification.

Ant Ecology explores key ecological issues and new developments in myrmecology across a range of scales. The book begins with a global perspective on species diversity in time and space, and examines interactions at the community level before describing the population ecology of these social insects. The final section covers the recent ecological phenomenon of invasive ants: how they move across the globe, invade, affect ecosystems, and are managed by humans. Each chapter links ant ecology to broader ecological principles, provides a succinct summary, and discusses future research directions. Practical aspects of myrmecology, applications of ant ecology, debates, and novel discoveries are highlighted in text boxes throughout the volume. The book concludes with a synthesis of the current state of the field and a look at exciting future research directions. The extensive reference list and full glossary are invaluable for researchers, and those new to the field. ... Read more

Product Description
The world is a different place from an ant's point of view. It might be black, blue, brown, or red, and rain, toads, and even other ants might be its enemies. Barbara Brenner's poetic science book encourages the reader to explore actively the cycle and habitats of these hard-working creatures. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Good Book
I liked the illustrations, and the writing was good, too.Itdidn't tell you much; it was more like a story if you were an ant.

excellent science for small kids.
This is an extraodinary science book for the 3-6 set. The drawings are clean and precise, the questions intriguing, and the attitude toward scientific investigation and questioning inspired. I love good kids'science books that aren't all bill-nyed up with a lot of loud garbage. Thisis quiet and serious and fascinating. My daughter loves it and lovescopying the ant drawings. Goes great, by the way, with the EO Wilson TheAnts book, too. ... Read more

Product Description
The bestselling Amazing Machines series is now available in a charming box set. With ten mini editions inside, this collection is the perfect gift for any preschooler who loves machines. From airplanes to rockets to tractors, these critically acclaimed picture books are full of fun rhyming text, bright artwork, and wacky animal characters that will engage and delight young children as they learn about machines. Each book includes a helpful illustrated glossary of technical words to help build vocabulary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Buy this now!
Best value book set ever for boys. My kid loves to sit down and pick which book he will read next. They are perfect for the 3-4 year old age group. The books are paper pages and lots of new words describing each vehicle. I bought extra sets to give as presents and everyone always tells me that their kids love it!

Great size for little guys
These books are a fun read and the perfect size for the little guys to carry around.

Cute little books
These little books are really cute. The rhyming stories are entertaining and give good information about the vehicle. I have to admit some of the rhymes are a little stretched if you know what I mean. But my groaning makes my kid laugh, so it's not all bad. There is a nice synopsis of the technical words used (with little pictures) and their meanings on the very last page of the book. The books are a little smaller than I thought they would be (harder for adult hands to hold). They make great first readers. I thought it was a nice touch that the 10 little books came in a cardboard "truck" that holds them all together as a set. Nice!

So Fun!
My son just loves these books!The rhymes are fun to read and cute; he really enjoys the text.The illustrations are great, too -- some kind of Richard Scarry homage in that the characters reappear in each book with humorous gestures and actions. Toddler book characters with personality!The last page of each book is a DK-like glossary which is great!And my son also loves to stack them, line them up and just cathect the heck out of these books.

great gift for Toddlers who love trucks, trains, cars
Packaging is really cute.Great gift we received for our 2yr old.I like that there are several books to choose from, it prevents reading the same book night after night (well somewhat, my son makes me always start with the train book) ... Read more

Product Description
This all-new collection of David Shrigley's addictively strange and entertaining work reveals fresh, unsettling truths and anxious amusements in a format that welcomes the uninitiated and rewards the faithful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Crazy Crazy guy. A genius between us!
One of the greatest conceptual artist by accident. Buy it don't think it over. You'll go nuts for him. Black , dark, purple humor. He'll kill ya'

Shrigley is a genious
This book is amazing. But not for everyone. It mostly consists of scribbles and crude drawings, and its completely insane while somehow being incredibly profound. Currently this is my favorite book by Shrigley. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
In many surprising ways ants are like people: both are the only animals who have nations, governments, working people and armies. Reading about the habits and customs of ants is like following the adventures of an explorer in a new and fascinating land. In this book the author, who is well known for his interesting stories of science, takes us into this wonder world of ants and describes the different kinds of ants from the familiar kinds which can be found in any field to the devastating army ants of Africa. There are the hunter ants that grow their own vegetables, the thief ants and the slave-making ants who kidnap the children of other tribes. As in Sunstone's other books by Wilfrid Bronson, the text in this book for young readers is in large, clear type, and there are many illustrations on each page. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Story of Human-like Ant Societies For Children
An animal behavior book for children of 9 give or take a few years, illustrated by the author in black-and-white drawings. The book does a good job of presenting different types of remarkable ant societies: harvesters, farmers, cattle keepers, slave makers, and so on. The author doesn't clutter the text with scientific detail. The presentation is an analogy to human societies. ... Read more

Product Description
Third Macfadden printing. Contains the entire text of the Winston hardcover, including the author's one-page introduction *Living Fossils* ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

"Mamma, Mamma, Mamma-- What a World!"
If you happen to find a Winston juvenile science fiction book in a used bookstore, or if you order one online, the first thing that you should do is to look inside the front cover. If it is a later printing, the endpapers will be white. But if you are lucky enough to get an early printing, you will be treated to a marvelous endpaper illustration by Alex Schomburg. There is a giant robot on the leftwith a raygun eye that is zapping some skyscrapers on the right. Hords of people are fleeing from the burning city. In the foreground is a one-eyed, six-armed alien with a fiendish smile, twisting dials and pulling levers on mysterious machines. Next to him is a deep sea diver wading past some ferocious fish. There is also a fleet of flying saucers, a rocket blasting off, a spaceman with a rocket backpack, assorted planets, a bank of computers, and a wild-eyed bearded man who looks up to no good. When I was an adolescent, these endpapers captured the thrill of science fiction for me. They are on my copy of Eric North's _The Ant Men_ (1955).

Eric North was the pseudonym of Charles Bernard Cronin (1888-1968), an Australian novelist who wrote in a variety of genres. _The Ant Men_ was not the only piece of science fiction that North wrote, but most of his other science fiction never made it into book form. Many times, I have had the experience of rereading a work of science fiction that I read when I was young and being forced to tone down my childhood enthusiasms. I had the opposite experience with _The Ant Men_. I read it hastily in my youth. After all, I had read lost world stories before, and I had read giant insect stories before. (Alex Schomburg could have included a giant insect as part of his endpaper design had he chosen to do so.) But in fact, the book is much better than I remembered. North's description of the Australian desert is magnificent, and his information on the tricks for survival in the Outback are fascinating. The realism of the real-world setting makes the lost world setting seem more credible.

North does well with his characters, also. My favorite is the Aussie driver, Nugget Smith, who might be considered a forerunner of Crocodile Dundee. His opening line is: "Mamma, mamma... In a place like this, you got to be as careful as a fat man on a diet" (1). There are two scientists who deduce the existence of the giant ants before they are actually encountered. This is a refreshing change from characters who are totally mystified by all the clues until the initial encounter. And that encounter is nicely dramatised:

The shapes on the plateau were solid and convincing enough. They were not the substance of dreams, but living, moving, three-dimensional creatures. And presently, their outline took on a more definate appearance. They appeared now to be enormous ants reared on hind feet-- man-sized insects, each with a slender feeler or antenna jutting from the shining black dome which was evidently the head of the creature. What shocked the watchers the most was the uncanny touch of the human about them. They appeared to be half ant, half man. There was no sign of the four membranous wings distinguishing the order of Hymenoptera to which they-- if ants they were-- rightly belonged; nor could Professor Orcutt, studying them intently, discover any signs of the usual six legs. The middle pair of legs was missing. (57-58)

Sharp-eyed observers of Paul Blaisdell's original cover who noted that the ants did not have six legs could now be assured that it was not an example of artistic carelessness. I do not want to reveal too much of North's plot, but I believe that it is fair to say that he delivers a few surprises along the way.

Think of this novel as analagous to a 1950s science fiction movie. Most of the films at that time were cheap, unimaginative, badly acted "monster movies"-- what Hollywood producers thought the public wanted. But every so often, there would be a movie like _Forbidden Planet_, _The Thing_, _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_, or _This Island Earth_ that was done with a certain amount of style and intelligence. _The Ant Men_ is like one of those relatively classy movies. It takes some stock conventions and does something special with them. I believe that there was a paperback edition published by MacFadden Books. But if you can, get the Winston hardback. It is worth the investment.

ant men
The last 5 men on earth...that's how the small expedition team felt-lost in unexplored desert and facing a dangerous enemy. On the second day giant insects abducted the team's leader-and then there were four. The next night the youngest member of the group was killed-and then there were ghree. Then the other men raced for safety but the weakest couldn't make it-and then there were two. Just two men against an army of super-intelligent, extraordinarily strong creatures. But when the older of the two men surrendered to the enemy, there was just one-but only for a short terrible time.

Mamma Mamma!
I saw the cover art of this book - leering ant men, claws raised - and knew that this was classic pulp. After reading this I'm surprised. This was a fairly dense read, with a good deal of descriptive detail. The plotline is something that was used years later by Land of The Lost - a team of explorers in the Australian Outback are beset by an earthquake and electrical storm, plummeting into a prehistoric world inhabited by human sized intelligent ants. The ending is fairly abrupt, but this was a nice slice of '50s sci-fi.

My message title is in tribute to the grizzled character of Nugget, whose favorite exclamation is "Mamma, Mamma", a phrase repeated on almost every other page. ... Read more

Product Description
When an army of ants discovers the candy Jenny has hidden in the clubhouse, she uses science to try to lure them away before anyone else finds her secret stash. ... Read more

Product Description
Retells the fable about a colony of industrious ants which busily prepares for the approaching winter while a grasshopper makes no plans for the cold weather to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Story
While the ants are hard at work collecting food for the long winter, the grasshopper only plays and does no work at all to prepare for the long harsh winter up ahead.Soon the winter comes and the ants are warm and have plenty of food to eat.However the grasshopper is out in the cold with no food at all.I liked the illustrations in this book, and I also enjoyed the way the author told the moral to the readers.The author's main moral was that there are times when you can play and times when you need to do work, and you can't play all the time.The moral is easily understandable so that children will be able to pick up on it.Also it is a great way in introduce time management to older children

A delightful retelling of a classic story
This retelling of the classic Aesop fable is set in China, at the Emperor's Summer Palace.In this version, as in the classic, the ants work diligently over the summer to prepare for the long winter, when food will be in short supply and the temperature quite cold.The grasshopper, on the other hand, prefers to sing and dance during the long summer days, doing no preparation at all.In the end, the ants are rewaded for their hard work by being warm and full during the winter days, while the grasshopper is left to suffer in the cold.The illustrations were done on rice paper with ink and gouache paint.Not only do they support and enhance the text, but they are truly beautiful works of art.They are a delightful mix of soft, subtle colors and vibrant colors.The rice paper background provides a strong sense of texture and depth.Children ages 4 to 6 will be drawn in by the stunning illustrations, and will learn a valuable lession from the story as a whole.

Beautiful artwork!
I liked this retelling of a classic -- especially in the slight twist - yes, the ants have foresight but they are workaholics and the grasshoppermay not be industrious buthe appreciats the beauty of a summer night. But it's the elegant illustrations that really catch my eye and highlightthis story. Delicate ink strokes with sharp details on rice paper capturethe spirit of chinese art and are a wonderful complement to the story'ssetting.Simply gorgeous and a treat for the eyes.It makes me believethat Aesop should have done this himself! ... Read more

Product Description
A proud ant who thinks he can do everything all by himself learns the value of teamwork the hard way. ... Read more

Product Description
Something smells funny—but no one wants to change baby’s diaper! Check out life from a bug’s-eye view! Join in the adventures of Arnie and Annie Ant and their family. With a humorous look at everyday life situations, this ant family is fun for everyone—and children will learn the importance of Christian values such as being helpful, loving one’s family, setting an example, having courage and taking responsibility. With the vivid illustrations and simple, lively text, these books will be a hit with younger readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book!
My 2 year old absolutely loves this book.We read it every single night.We now make up our own little stinky pants story when it's time for diaper changing.Very cute.Looking forward to the other books in the series.

She loves to read along with us!
Our two year old adores this book.She loves to shout "Oh no!" at the unexpected ending when the Ant family finds out how ignoring their chores snowballs into culinary disaster!Highly recommended.It's short and the cause-effect chain of events is simple to understand -- and funny!We're going to order the other Ant family books and see if they're as good as this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing Ant and Honey Bee — fast friends, co-costume-conspirators, and stars of a delightful new story by author Megan McDonald and illustrator G. Brian Karas.

Ant was getting antsy. . . . Only a few hours left till Cricket's costume party. "What can we be for the dress-up party?" she asked her friend Honey Bee.

With a little creativity and a lot of elbow grease, Ant and Honey Bee finally make a perfect, two-things-that-go-together pair of costumes for Cricket's big party. But then — plip, plip, plip, PLIP! — it starts to rain, and by the time they arrive, the proud pair looks more like a matching set of soggy sad sacks. Maybe, though, if they put their heads together, the quick-thinking friends can turn their mushy mess into a smashing success. What a pair! ... Read more

Product Description
Head for the hills! The ants are coming! Ferdy and Actual Factual's ant-breeding experiment backfires and Bear Country is overrun by a rapidly multiplying colony of nasty hybrid ants who will eat anything in very large mouthfuls! Beartown is in a panic, and Mayor Honeypot authorizes Actual Factual to hire Bugsy X Terminator, the local bug bear, to destroy the ants. "Who would have thought," muses Actual Factual, "that the very existence of Bear Country would be endangered by an ant?"

"Or," as Ferdy aptly puts it, "an uncle." Uncle Factual, that is. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Berenstain bear book are the greatest
My grandson is into these books. It is a great series
and one he enjoys. I bought it for a gift for
him. He is learning to read and this is a fun
series. Thanks for offering this on Amazon.

Berenstain Bears And The Great Ant Attack
This book is a good science book, and I like science stuff like this, so I really like this book.It contains some extremely hilarious moments, which I almost couldn't resist.So I guarantee you'll like this action book.

The Berenstain Bears and the Great Ant Attack
This is a great chapter book that both my son and I couldn't put down.Excellent ! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Interesting and rewarding
I've always felt that the short story is the ideal form for speculative fiction, especially of the surrealist or magical-realist type. Rosenbaum's stories support this notion because they allow us brief visits into interesting, often delightful, and ultimately unsustainable realities. *The Ant King* comprises stories that challenge the "willing suspension of disbelief" in ways at once satisfying and unsettling and (often) amusing.

Other reviewers have addressed various individual stories, so I won't do that here; besides, I want to read the collection again before weighing in more specifically (and I'm not a big re-reader). But if you like the John Barth of *Lost in the Funhouse* and the very best of Harlan Ellison (e.g. "'Repent, Harlequin,' Said the Tick Tock Man" and "I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream"), I think you're going to like *The Ant King*.

Good stuff
I pretty much uniformly liked these stories.Many for very different reasons.Numerous stories were delightful examinations of the structure of stories and or writing.The flash pieces were fun to read and though provoking.Everything was given a touch of whimsy, from biblical vampires to parasitic hive mind artist/priests.

You can try out a bunch of the stories online (some in good quality audio format), but the Trade Paperback is put together quite nice and I'd highly recommend a purchase.

An exciting new author's first collection
Many of these stories are simply sublime. In this, the first collection of his work, Rosenbaum successfully lilts between genres between and even within stories. It's an auspicious start that will leave readers craving whatever is to come.

"Biographical Notes..." is simultaneously a steampunk alternate history, a postmodern romp with comic flourishes, and an action story that pauses occasionally to consider the nature of cause and effect. Joyously, it all works. The story strings together assassins, pirates, Eastern philosophy, and zeppelins while the main character, Benjamin Rosenbaum, creates our own world as a fictional landscape in which to ground his latest plausible fable.

Also impressive are:
"A Siege of Cranes" - a sober, dark fairy tale in which a man seeks vengeance for his family from the mysterious cataclysm that ruined his village. The climax is a bit lacking, but the journey there is fantastic.

"Embracing-the-New" - a science fiction story set on a seemingly pre-industrial alien world. Told through an entirely alien perspective, the story evokes themes of artistic expression, identity, and innocence while involving the reader in the main character's plight.

"Start the Clock" - a science fiction story with cyberpunk overtones set in a future in which aging is optional. The story follows a small cadre of young professionals that are biologically prepubescent. The story succeeds both in its portrayal of aged children and in its overarching theme of tolerance.

The low points of the collection:
"Sense and Sensibility" - It may be my unfamiliarity with the well-known novel, but the humor and absurdity of this postmodern story never hit the mark for me.

"Other Cities" - This sequence of short vignettes that each describe a fictional city occasionally piqued my interest but never reached the standard set by the rest of the collection.

The collection is rounded out by a few other stories and a number of mostly agreeable postmodern interstitials.

Overall, the breadth and quality of the stories is remarkable. The collection is an easy recommendation to any fan of science fiction or postmodern fiction.

Wow.
Oh, these stories are delightful! They beg to be read and reread (and I have read them again and again!)Brilliantly inventive, they feel curiously familiar while at the same time showing you things you have never imagined. So many innocent memes of the modern world are roughed up, turned on their heads, tickled a bit, then pushed to their most delightfully absurd, shocking, bizarre-yet-real conclusions.

I've read a lot of requisite major SF, and many characters in those novels and stories are either stiff-and-formulaic or sickly over-humanized...Rosenbaums are not. The most un-human un-familiar situations and characters--a jackal-headed sepulchrist-warrior, a parakeet that "was once the dreaming cloud of plasma in the heliopause of a simulated star", and an apprentice godcarver all of whose memories (as well as those of his forefathers) reside in small fanged symbiotes that crawl around his body--feel both alien and strangely, closely, known.

Even the shortest short stories create rich worlds that are SO different, yet seem so strangely real. He's a master at not telling too much, painting a broad swatch with just the right details. Consider these first lines from two of the shorter pieces: "You're on the 236th-level Kaiserstrasse moving sidewalk when you see her." (from Falling) and "On the plain of Myrkhyr, in the first year of the cycle, a million nomads cross the salt flats." (from Other Cities/Myrkhyr)

In a (probably unimportant-my "editor" hates this paragraph, but I think this stuff is just so cool...) aside, many of these stories refer to other stories, other books, literary tropes, cultural memes, computer games--I think they are great on their own, but it's fun to get the references. If you have ever sat across the table from venture capitalists or were part of the crazy SV dotcom boom, or played very early online games, you MUST read the story "The Ant King", and see yourself as never before. If you have ever held your sleeping infant child just to drink in his or her smell, your heart will alternately pound and scream in "On a Cliff by the River", "A Siege of Cranes" and "The House Beyond Your Sky". If you had the misfortune to spend any amount of time studying literary theory (or better, philosophy) "Bibliographical Notes" and "Sense and Sensibility" are seriously crazy adventures with smart and pointed inner workings. Oh, and did you ever read Babar as a kid? Wait and see :)

I think that every reviewer, professional or otherwise, who is concerned about exactly what genre this book of short stories might fall into (science fiction? fantasy? slipstream? pomo? old-style surrealism? magical realism?) is only trying to find the footing that these stories yank out from underneath you. Which is a bit reverse of the point.

Heartbreaking is the absence of "Droplet", a fantastic far-future almost-novella-length story previously published in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, reprinted in Silverberg & Haber's Science Fiction: The Best of 2002, that you should totally seek out at all costs.

Essential short stories
These are excellent short stories -- fantastic, moving, and vivid. Rosenbaum moves easily between genres, from fable to hard sf to epic post-modern historical fantasy to straight fantasy with astonishing ease and deftness.

Some high points:

"Biographical Notes..." is just tremendous. Simultaneously a zeppelin adventure story, a post-modern literary romp, a deep work of historical fiction, and a treatise on the nature of causality, it is one of the most jaw-droppingly audacious stories I've ever read.

I have never had the experience of laughing and crying simultaneously at a short story until I read 'The Orange'.

"The House Beyond Your Sky" is an original and heartbreaking take on the sub-genre of cosmological fiction that Steven Baxter and Greg Egan have popularized.

Anyone interested in contemporary fiction should read this book. Particularly recommended for fans of Borges, Kelly Link, Howard Waldrop, and Michael Swanwick. ... Read more