Product Description
The national bestselling saga of Robert Silverberg's stunning imagination continues in the first new hardcover Majipoor novel in nearly a decade. As a prequel to Silverberg's earlier Majipoor novels. Sorcerers of Majipoor provides a deep, dark vision for the background of the conflict inLord Valentine's Castle and Valentine Pontifex.

Treachery and wizardry run rampant under the reign of the mighty Pontifex, as both the rightful and the unworthy heirs to the throne anxiously await his demise. Korsibar, son of the current Coronal, plots with his twin sister and ambitious companions to seize the power ofthe Coronal when his father ascends to the throne of the Pontifex.

But the burdens of the crown and scepter exact more of a price than Korsibar is prepared to pay. His rival fights to take his appointed place as keeper of his beloved Majipoor...and to resbackse order to the utter chaos that has befallen their world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Three-and-a-half stars, perhaps. The weakest in the series, but still Silverberg.
I've been enthusiastically rereading this series during the last year or two after deciding that Silverberg was one of the favorite authors of my youth who I still actually enjoy. I actually did not remember much about this conclusion to the trilogy-- particularly compared to the first two books which stayed quite vividly in my head.

There's a reason for that, I think. Valentine Pontifex is the weakest of the three first books. Although I can see how Silverberg needed it to create an ending, it doesn't function very well as a novel on its own. The major problem, as far as I can see, is the span of time covered by the book. It dilutes the action and makes it quite difficult to care about the characters in an immediate way. It's a tricky thing to pull off in the best of situations, but here it does not really work at all. I think that this is because the first two books were much more about characters as they function in discrete moments in time. Too much water flowing under the bridge here.

There are definitely good moments. The stories of the people on the land are pure Silverberg. I was also delighted to see the rise of Hissune as a character. I am not sure that Silverberg has it in him to write a really bad book. Just a shame compared to the first two from the Majipoor sequence.

Worth reading if you've made it this far, but limit your expectations.

Your disappointment is not with the book, but with the man.
I can't see how anyone who read the first two books would expect fireworks from Valentine or Silverberg.This book is perfect to me because it stays true to everything that we've previously learned about Majipoor and its inhabitants.To see how someone behaves under pressure is to understand who they are.Here is Valentine acting not only as leader, but as a man, a human being who isn't ready to be "buried alive," a person who finds it difficult to release the reins of power even if he isn't sure what to do with them.I loved the process of learning more about him.This book is more about the character than the plot and that is why the ending might seem unsatisfying to some, because it isn't about politics or power or even logical plausibility, it's about closing an emotional circle.

Super Reader
Valentine is still a nice guy, but not all that keen on the whole ruling thing, even those he has to.He has to try and deal with the shapeshifting metamorph plot to take over, their guerilla tactics, and other problems of government.

He has drifted from his friends, and the metamorphs are not the only strange beings he has to come to understand.Certainly not as good as the first book.

Valentine Ponderfex
For all its ponderous, slow pace, I still found this a very enjoyable read. Perhaps because that marveous world of Marjipoor
continues to have the ability to draw you in.

Here we have Coronal Valentine simply being his gentle, persistant self. Underneath the sweet exterior, Valentine's actually rather strong- but he still frustrates because we want to see some action! But Silverberg's ongoing theme throughout the Marjipoor novels has been universal acceptance, forgiveness, and love.

Valentine has to cope with those dastardly Shapeshifters and their nasty plots to take over the world by way of plagues, horrible mutant species, etc. that plunge the world into chaos.
Add in a strange new religious cult, Valentine's horror of becoming Pontifex and the Labyrinth---and you have the new plot for Valentine Pontifex.

Sometimes I've thought Silverberg has an abundance of imagination when it comes to world-building and description- but little in the way of human nature. Here we have a huge world with people who struggle all their lives to reach the top level of the Isle Of Dreams, yet Hissune's mother just steps right in and takes over the job of Lady Of The Isle. Just as Hissune just steps in and takes over as Coronal - though he's still wet behind the ears. Not very realistic- and a marvelous setting for some great conflict.

Instead, we are given scenario after scenario of good-hearted, hard working characters who are ruined, made destitute, or commit suicide due to seeing their life's work destroyed. While Valentine goes hither and thither, leaving dead bodies in his wake.

Even so- the scenarios are fascinating, Hissune is fun to root for, the Sea Dragons are a new interesting element and- given Valentine's nature, the resolution should not be surprising.

I'll take a Marjipoor book any day over most of the science fiction/fantasy that's out there. Not too many writers can pull me in to where I forget I'm reading a book. It's pure escape reading- and just a lot of fun.

Every trilogy has an ending, but why end like this?
For very page I read, there was at least two I skipped. The previous twos books were great, but sadly, they had to be capped off with this.

The charcters lost their charm, and there was only one I was interested in, but since Silverberg suddenyl changed his style from one character persepective to all, sadly, that one character came around all to few times.

This book also pocesses one of the worst endings I have ever read. To think that I forced myself all the way though those long pages only to see that as my reward. One word for that ending, horrificly pathetic. All right, that was two.

Back to the characters. Poorly developed, and if I hadn't known them before, I think I would have rooted for the antagonists to kill them off, just for the excitement. Its what Silverberg should have done, or something like it. This book was duller than lectures. It was like, almost reading a very unrealistic history noevl, where the you strangely get to experience the hourly introspectives of the characters that NO ONE CARES ABOUT.

Personally, I would have rather done my homework, but my own pride in the fact that I've never not finished a book kept me from that. And while the first two books only took me a week or so to read, this one took twice that, despite the fact its shorter. (If there wouldn't have been the boring introspectives and side stories, I might have finished it in a minute.)

So, if you are a fan of the other books, you don'thave to get this book. Have someone just tell you how it ends, and spare yourself three hundred some odd other pages. If you haven't read the other two books, read them, its worth it, and then decide for yourself wether you want to bore yourself to death. My advice, find it in the library, for five bucks are better spent elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
The national bestselling saga of Robert Silverberg's stunning imagination continues in the first new hardcover Majipoor novel in nearly a decade. As a prequel to Silverberg's earlier Majipoor novels. Sorcerers of Majipoor provides a deep, dark vision for the background of the conflict inLord Valentine's Castle and Valentine Pontifex.

Treachery and wizardry run rampant under the reign of the mighty Pontifex, as both the rightful and the unworthy heirs to the throne anxiously await his demise. Korsibar, son of the current Coronal, plots with his twin sister and ambitious companions to seize the power ofthe Coronal when his father ascends to the throne of the Pontifex.

But the burdens of the crown and scepter exact more of a price than Korsibar is prepared to pay. His rival fights to take his appointed place as keeper of his beloved Majipoor...and to resbackse order to the utter chaos that has befallen their world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Three-and-a-half stars, perhaps. The weakest in the series, but still Silverberg.
I've been enthusiastically rereading this series during the last year or two after deciding that Silverberg was one of the favorite authors of my youth who I still actually enjoy. I actually did not remember much about this conclusion to the trilogy-- particularly compared to the first two books which stayed quite vividly in my head.

There's a reason for that, I think. Valentine Pontifex is the weakest of the three first books. Although I can see how Silverberg needed it to create an ending, it doesn't function very well as a novel on its own. The major problem, as far as I can see, is the span of time covered by the book. It dilutes the action and makes it quite difficult to care about the characters in an immediate way. It's a tricky thing to pull off in the best of situations, but here it does not really work at all. I think that this is because the first two books were much more about characters as they function in discrete moments in time. Too much water flowing under the bridge here.

There are definitely good moments. The stories of the people on the land are pure Silverberg. I was also delighted to see the rise of Hissune as a character. I am not sure that Silverberg has it in him to write a really bad book. Just a shame compared to the first two from the Majipoor sequence.

Worth reading if you've made it this far, but limit your expectations.

Your disappointment is not with the book, but with the man.
I can't see how anyone who read the first two books would expect fireworks from Valentine or Silverberg.This book is perfect to me because it stays true to everything that we've previously learned about Majipoor and its inhabitants.To see how someone behaves under pressure is to understand who they are.Here is Valentine acting not only as leader, but as a man, a human being who isn't ready to be "buried alive," a person who finds it difficult to release the reins of power even if he isn't sure what to do with them.I loved the process of learning more about him.This book is more about the character than the plot and that is why the ending might seem unsatisfying to some, because it isn't about politics or power or even logical plausibility, it's about closing an emotional circle.

Super Reader
Valentine is still a nice guy, but not all that keen on the whole ruling thing, even those he has to.He has to try and deal with the shapeshifting metamorph plot to take over, their guerilla tactics, and other problems of government.

He has drifted from his friends, and the metamorphs are not the only strange beings he has to come to understand.Certainly not as good as the first book.

Valentine Ponderfex
For all its ponderous, slow pace, I still found this a very enjoyable read. Perhaps because that marveous world of Marjipoor
continues to have the ability to draw you in.

Here we have Coronal Valentine simply being his gentle, persistant self. Underneath the sweet exterior, Valentine's actually rather strong- but he still frustrates because we want to see some action! But Silverberg's ongoing theme throughout the Marjipoor novels has been universal acceptance, forgiveness, and love.

Valentine has to cope with those dastardly Shapeshifters and their nasty plots to take over the world by way of plagues, horrible mutant species, etc. that plunge the world into chaos.
Add in a strange new religious cult, Valentine's horror of becoming Pontifex and the Labyrinth---and you have the new plot for Valentine Pontifex.

Sometimes I've thought Silverberg has an abundance of imagination when it comes to world-building and description- but little in the way of human nature. Here we have a huge world with people who struggle all their lives to reach the top level of the Isle Of Dreams, yet Hissune's mother just steps right in and takes over the job of Lady Of The Isle. Just as Hissune just steps in and takes over as Coronal - though he's still wet behind the ears. Not very realistic- and a marvelous setting for some great conflict.

Instead, we are given scenario after scenario of good-hearted, hard working characters who are ruined, made destitute, or commit suicide due to seeing their life's work destroyed. While Valentine goes hither and thither, leaving dead bodies in his wake.

Even so- the scenarios are fascinating, Hissune is fun to root for, the Sea Dragons are a new interesting element and- given Valentine's nature, the resolution should not be surprising.

I'll take a Marjipoor book any day over most of the science fiction/fantasy that's out there. Not too many writers can pull me in to where I forget I'm reading a book. It's pure escape reading- and just a lot of fun.

Every trilogy has an ending, but why end like this?
For very page I read, there was at least two I skipped. The previous twos books were great, but sadly, they had to be capped off with this.

The charcters lost their charm, and there was only one I was interested in, but since Silverberg suddenyl changed his style from one character persepective to all, sadly, that one character came around all to few times.

This book also pocesses one of the worst endings I have ever read. To think that I forced myself all the way though those long pages only to see that as my reward. One word for that ending, horrificly pathetic. All right, that was two.

Back to the characters. Poorly developed, and if I hadn't known them before, I think I would have rooted for the antagonists to kill them off, just for the excitement. Its what Silverberg should have done, or something like it. This book was duller than lectures. It was like, almost reading a very unrealistic history noevl, where the you strangely get to experience the hourly introspectives of the characters that NO ONE CARES ABOUT.

Personally, I would have rather done my homework, but my own pride in the fact that I've never not finished a book kept me from that. And while the first two books only took me a week or so to read, this one took twice that, despite the fact its shorter. (If there wouldn't have been the boring introspectives and side stories, I might have finished it in a minute.)

So, if you are a fan of the other books, you don'thave to get this book. Have someone just tell you how it ends, and spare yourself three hundred some odd other pages. If you haven't read the other two books, read them, its worth it, and then decide for yourself wether you want to bore yourself to death. My advice, find it in the library, for five bucks are better spent elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
The five reprints in this collection are:1. Soviet Operational Deception: The Red Cloak. 2. U.S. Army World War II Corps Commanders: A Composite Biography. 3. Pastel: Deception in the Invasion of Japan. 4. The 101st Airborne Division's Defense of Bastogne. 5. Unconditional Surrender, Demobilization, and the Atomic Bomb. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from National Institute Economic Review, published by National Institute of Economic and Social Research on July 1, 2010. The length of the article is 10957 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Migrants' skills and productivity: a European perspective.
Author: Peter Huber
Publication: National Institute Economic Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2010
Publisher: National Institute of Economic and Social Research
Issue: 213Page: R20(15)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
"Sunset Mesa Ruin, AZ AA:12:10 (ASM), lies near the confluence of the Rillito and Santa Cruz Rivers in the northern Tucson Basin. First recorded in the late 1930s by the intrepid and untiring Frank Midvale, Sunset Mesa is an impressive site. Trash mounds and a dense surface scatter cover nearly 2 hectares. Yet for more than 50 years Sunset Mesa Ruin was ignored by archaeologists, lying untouched at the edge of the river."--BOOK JACKET. "In 1989, Statistical Research, Inc. (SRI), began a decade-long research project at the site, carried out over three phases. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, research focused on two distinct components. The bulk of the study concerned a Rincon phase settlement dating between A.D. 1000 and 1100. Also investigated was a three-room adobe house constructed around 1893 by Basillio Cuevas, a Mexican immigrant. Excavation of the Cuevas adobe and associated refuse deposits and archival research provide rare insights into the lives of such Mexican homesteaders."--BOOK JACKET. "Perhaps typical of many Rincon phase settlements, Sunset Mesa Ruin represents a well-documented study of life along the major streams of the Tucson Basin. After 50 years of being ignored, the site, characterized by Frank Midvale as a "village of fair size," is now imperiled by industrial expansion."--BOOK JACKET. ... Read more

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308 pp. Contents: Alejandro, "What Is Political about Rawls's Political Liberalism?"; Dion and Huber, "Procedural Choice and the House Committee on Rules"; Gilmour and Rothstein, "A Dynamic Model of Loss, Retirement, and Tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives"; Studlar and McAllister, "Constituency Activity and Representational Roles among Australian Legislators"; Gray and Lowery, "A Niche Theory of Interest Representation"; Mendelsohn, "The Media and Interpersonal Communications: The Priming of Issues, Leaders, and Party Identification"; Pradeep K. Chhibber, "State Policy, Rent Seeking, and the Electoral Success of a Religious Party in Algeria"; Michael W. Link and Robert W. Oldendick, "Social Construction and White Attitudes toward Equal Opportunity and Multiculturalism"; William Mishler and Reginald S. Sheehan, "Public Opinion, Atittudinal Models and Supreme Court Decisionmaking: A Micro-Analytic Perspective"; Harold Wolman, John Strate, and Alan Melchior, "Does Changing Mayors Matter?"; research notes, book reviews. ... Read more

Product Description
The fourteen studies selected for this volume – all of them peer-reviewed versions of papers presented at the 15th International Conference on English Historical Linguistics 2008 (23–30 August) at the University of Munich – investigate syntactic variation and change in the history of English from two perspectives that are crucial to explaining language change, namely the analysis of usage patterns and the social motivations of language change. Documenting the way syntactic elements have changed their combinatory preferences in fine-grained corpus studies renders the opportunity to catch language change in actu. A majority of studies in this book investigate syntactic change in the history of English from this viewpoint using a corpus-based approach, focusing on verbal constructions, modality and developments in the English noun phrase.
The book is of primary interest to linguists interested in current research in the history of English syntax. Its empirical richness is an excellent source for teaching English Historical Syntax.
Volume II to be announced soon. ... Read more

Product Description
This report summaries the research objective: “to develop a computerized decision support system (DSS) tool that will aid utility strategic planners to effectively evaluate options for managing and developing reliable, adequate, and sustainable supplies of water for their customers for the next 50 to 100 years.”Unique elements of this research are the longer planning horizon and the focus on sustainability. A computerized DSS allows for the evaluation of multiple future water management scenarios and lends itself to the integrated social, financial and economic analyses that are a requisite for sustainable, long-term water supply planning. ... Read more