Firstly, I really enjoyed 1Q84 books 1&2 - interesting premise, engaging characters and when it finished, it left a lot of avenues to develop in the third part. Unfortunately I don't think that the third book really achieved this. The 2-person symmetry of alternating protagonists by chapter is broken with the introduction of Ushikawa as a main character - who never seems to rise above a 2D caricature. The story doesn't really develop from the first books - it simply meanders along the same route.

I suppose if you see the whole of 1Q84 as just a single book separated into two for the purposes of marketing, then you might accept this, but if you are going to package the third part as a distinct book, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that it offers something extra or new - and this doesn't. It's also very repetitive - you could have edited 100 pages out of book 3 without any impact on the story - and I found myself flicking through a couple of the chapters a couple of hundred pages in faced with yet another "Tengo/Aomame sits around and does nothing much chapter." There is a good story buried here - but it is in serious need of editing. Given that a book with much potential but in desperate need of a good editor (Air Chrysalis) is the central theme of 1Q84, that's a little ironic...who knows, maybe this is part of Murakami's meta-symbolism.

The ending seemed pretty hurried - Eri and her granddad just fizzle into the background, Ushikawa's character never really offers anything of interest, Sakigate is never really explored, and the central themes of the plot (ie the Little People, Maza/dohtas etc) are pretty much just left unresolved.

I think I'd recommend people read 1Q84 books 1 & 2 - but then not to bother with book 3. It's not a bad book - it just doesn't offer anything extra. Maybe Murakami is planning to write another book where he takes these themes further - and that this is the explanation for the somewhat unsatisfactory ending. Well when he does write that book I'd be keen to read it - but this isn't it.

This has to be the most poorly edited book I've ever read. It's structure is all over the place - jumping around, introducing endless lists of names who appear and then disappear never to be mentioned again, spanning continents decades and different agencies all within a few pages. It also has large chunks of the book devoted to topics nothing to do with the history of MI5 or MI6 - there's chapters worth of material on the CIA, sometimes with tenuous links to the UK, and often with no obvious reason for inclusion.

The IRA mainland bombing campaign (surely a main area of MI5 operation?) are largely passed over. The 7-7 bombings are afforded half a sentence - despite being arguably the most significant attack on mainland Britain since the war, and involving both MI5 and MI6 to a great extent. There is also no mention of extra-ordinary rendition and secret service complicity in torture. There is however an entire chapter focused on 9-11 and another on the US embassy bombings - which gives the impression (pervasive throughout the book) that this has been written by an expert on US intelligence, and everything has to be seen through the prism of America and relations to the CIA.

There is also a ridiculous level of detail at times - we learn that spy chief Rimington changed her contraceptive in the 1970s because she was suffering from blotchy skin - and are reassured that this problem then cleared up. This is not linked to anything else, it's just dropped in their for no reason. Who cares? And yet this is afforded more analysis than the 7-7 bombings!

It's quite an achievement to take a fascinating subject, with fascinating stories and create such a poor book. I've given it 3 stars because buried amongst the dross are some really interesting tales and insights - it's simply that you have to work hard to find them.

I really enjoyed this book - it's a hugely ambitious project - spanning both early 20th century Hollywood and WWI with a cast of dozens of characters and different narrative strands. The prose is excellent, you empathise with the characters and the story is an interesting one. What's not to like? Well, it doesn't quite hit the same heady heights as Carter Beats the Devil - and is a more sprawling project than his first novel, so I guess that might explain a couple of the negative reviews here. But really, this is still one of the best books I've read in the past few years - the way the characters are woven into and out of the story is almost Dickensesque. A book that really absorbs you in the plot and the life to an extent where you really regret having to close it for the last time.

Give it a chance and you'll love this book!

I've had to learn a couple of languages before, and i've found this book to be one of best for a beginner's guide. It starts off from scratch but moves quite quickly covering vocabulary, basic grammar and the writing system. By the end of the book you can read Thai and have a vocab of about 1000 words - pretty accelerated for a beginner's book. And I would definitely recommend buying the accompanying CD - unless you have a Thai friend to practise pronunciation on!

The first part of this book was really enjoyable - a pretty detailed look at the anti-Semitic conspiracy Protocols, a fascinating account of the anti-Trotsky faction trials in Russia, some in-depth insight into Mccarthyism and its origins.....

then it goes somewhat downhill. The JFK/Marilyn Monroe stuff, fair enough, but to have an entire chapter devoted to the death of Hilda Murrell? How does this conspiracy in any way "shape modern history"? It's passed largely into obscurity. A chapter on the associated Da Vinci code conspiracies? It's just shooting not very interesting or important fish in a barrel. The chapter on 9-11 conspiracies would probably be of interest to people who haven't previously read of this in detail (though i expect many have). Ditto the Diana conspiracies - but i can't believe there are many people left in Britain not already sick to death of that one....

It's frustrating because the book never really delivers what it promises - evidence of how conspiracies have actually shaped modern history. And yet with less of a British focus there was some fantastic source material to be used - the Russian apartment bombings used as the pretext for the Chechen war. They warrant a genuinely interesting discussion of the facts. Ditto the poisoning of Litvinyenko or the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko.
Or the "HIV does not cause AIDS" conspiracy and associated beliefs that it was all a western imperialist conspracy. This led to SA president Mbeki dismissing the use of retro-virals and to the unnecessary deaths of tens (if not hundreds) of thousands. Or keeping with the British theme, a discussion on Lockerbie, probably the most interesting British conspiracy (in terms of political intrigue) of the last few decades. All in all I couldn't help thinking that this was a missed opportunity to create something special.

I've given the book 4 stars because i did enjoy it, but it could have been an exceptional book given the source material available. As it is it is a readable though slightly disappointingly flawed work....

I really enjoyed this book - it was very readable. It has a pretty ambitious scope - a discussion of Arab society and politics taking in the whole region both contemporaneously and with historical insight. The chapters address in turn

1. the influence of Islam on society, its conservative influence on social values and the effect this has on the political system.
2. the influence of corruption and "favours" on limiting the development of a meritocratic state,
3. the political repression of Arab leaders and the political hypocrisy of western governments, happy to turn a blind eye to it for "allies."
4. the double standards in speaking out against human rights abuses abroad (eg Guantanamo) but staying silent on those occurring at home,
5. the concept of society as a much more cohesive force than in the west - where people forgo personal happiness for the good of their family or to prevent shame being brought upon their family name.
6. the failure of the Arab bloc to organise in any serious political or economic manner like seen with the EU....

it contains a wide range of quotes from a selection of Arabic thinkers, writers and residents, which do offer an interesting insight into how such ideas are debated in the region

and like any good book which offers up criticisms, it finishes with suggestions for how the middle east can reform into a more democratic and less repressive region....which crucially must happen from within, and won't happen simply from external western pressure.

overall i would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the middle east and Arabic society....

I can't recommend this book enough. Together with Sarno's Mindbody Prescription this has virtually cured my RSI.

I can't recommend this book enough for people who have long term chronic pain conditions. I have suffered from RSI for the last 3 years, seeing a gradual deterioration of abilties to the level when any typing, writing, sports, heavy lifting etc etc. would cause long periods of pain/discomfort/pins and needles. Within a couple of days of reading the book i was seeing a noticeable improvement in symptoms, and those improvements have continued over the past few weeks. I am now probably back to 80% of my pre-RSI capabilities (I'm typing this by hand rather than voice recognition software for a start....) and fully expect to continue to improve over the next few weeks and months.

If it hadn't happened to me i'd probably dismiss it all as a load of nonsense - the basic premise is that there is a fundamental psycho-somatic root cause for many chronic pain conditions, and that this leads to very real physical manifestations of pain (through the restriction of oxygenated blood via the autonomic system.) And yet, just the knowledge that there is no fundamental structural damage, along with a greater focus on one's own emotions (through journalling, meditation etc.) has been enough to result in massive improvements.....

If the idea that your chronic pain might have a pschyo-somatic root makes you angry, then you're not alone, it annoyed the hell out of me the first time someone suggested it to me. But even if you're sceptical i would say this book is certainly worth a try - pick it up second hand for about a fiver, it might change your life like it has mine.....

This is another brilliant offering from Michio Kaku, a fascinating insight into the technologies and inventions which may shape mankind's future. It discusses the science behind everything from force fields to invisibility cloaks, teleportation to artificial intelligence, time travel and intergalactic travel. For each topic we are introduced to a brief historical overview, learn the current scientific abilities and then shown future potential developments.

Future predictions are classified either as "type 1", "type 2" or "type 3" impossibilities. The first of these are within the known laws of physics and could well be achievable within the next few decades to centuries. The second are still within the known laws of physics but so far removed from current capabilities that it may be millennia if not hundreds of thousands of years before we are capable of achieving them. The third type are those which violate the known laws of physics and so must be regarded as truly "impossible" unless our understanding of the laws of physics is incomplete.

I would say that this book is a must read for anyone interested in physics, interested in future projections for society, or indeed interested in the science behind the science fiction we read and watch at the movies.

An extremely well written revision guide. Definitely recommended.