A thrilling story with James Bond finally meeting the sinister orginization, SPECTRE. From the meeting in the Shrublands Health Facility to the final underwater battle against Largo, there is action, suspence, and thrills that no one can do better than James Bond. One of the best novels in the series. Content is thought out to the last detail, leaving little to question. Bond, as always, is smooth, suave, the debonair 007 we know and love. Even the villians live up to their name. Cunning, ruthless, everything that makes a villian. The locations in the book are some of the best on earth, and Fleming describes them to a "T". If you never read a Bond novel before, this would be a great place to start

After reading some of the recent works of Raymond Benson, I thought it might be fun to go back and read one of the classic 007 novels. I had never read THUNDERBALL before, but I thoroughly enjoyed both movie versions; especially "Never Say Never Again".

Thunderball is one of Fleming's best! The scuba diving battle beneath the Caribbean between Bond and Largo is epic, but the most enduring feature of the novel is it marks the first appearance of the criminal organization SPECTRE, and it's diabolical leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld!

Did Ian Fleming have any idea how much impact this character would have on the rest literary world when he created him? Blofeld started out as just an arch rival for James Bond, but his character became the role model for all evil genius villains with megalomanical dreams of world domination!

Thunderball is a must-read for all 007 fans.

"Thunderball" introduces us to SPECTRE and its leader, Ernst Stavros Blofeld. Blofeld would become Bond's archenemy for a while, and he is certainly one of the five greatest villains James Bond has faced in his 35-year literary career. When SPECTRE steals two nuclear warheads, Her Majesty's Secret Service assigns every agent to tracking them down. Based on a personal hunch, M sends his best man (Bond, of course) to Nassau. Bond, fresh from a disastrous stay at the Shrublands health clinic, flies to Nassau to sort things out. Along with his American buddy Felix Leiter, making a most welcome return, Bond traces the danger to its source: Emilio Largo, second only to Blofeld himself in the organization SPECTRE. Bond girl Domino plays an integral role in the dissolution of SPECTRE's scheme. "Thunderball" is one of Fleming's finest novels, and it kicks off the Blofeld Trilogy, which continues in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "You Only Live Twice." Top-notch work.

I enjoyed the suspenseful storyline of this book although I was not overly impressed due to some glaring errors in the descriptions of the Bahamian islands. The author describes at great length one of the character's treacherous climb up the sharp lava cliffs on the island; However the Bahamas are/were not volcanic islands and they do not have lava cliffs! They were formed from limestone and coral reefs. They do not have mountains and have very little elevation above sea level.

The author seems to know quite a bit about fishing as he spends a lot of time describing the details of the sport. However, he also describes Bahamians eating the smaller barracuda because they don't have cigutera. Cigutera occurs when barracuda feed on fish that eat off the coral reefs. Consuming barracuda flesh with cigutera causes severe nerve damage and possible death. This is a huge risk to take and I have never heard of anyone eating any size barracuda caught in warm tropical waters. (Eating barracuda from the colder waters of the mid to northern Atlantic is presumably safe.)

My guess is that the author is a fisherman who may have taken a few fishing trips to the Bahamas but regretfully did very little research before he wrote the book. Overall I liked the human component of the book but I would not recommend it to someone who wants to get a feel for the physical geography, flora and fauna of the Bahamas.

This book is a great beach read, wherever... as the other reviewers noted I could not put it down, even got a little sunburn! our strong and resourceful heroine is well portraied, and having spent a bit of time in the Bahams, the book capture better, than any I can remeber the mix of romance, mystery, decay, and appearances that shift like the proverbial beach sands. Above all Mr. Hall knows how to write an action thriller, it struck me that this would make a fun movie! Highly recommended, as are his other books on Amazon. PS apropos the previous reviewer who did not like some of the literary license: lighten up! I am also a fisherman, and eat small barracuda; ciguetera toxin is more common in very large reef fish, better to watch for the amberjack on the menu next time you go to the islands. All in all a delightful read! Hope for more soon.

What a delight it was to be swept away by this book, which once opened was as sure to happen to a reader as being caught up in some tropical storm. I could really relate to Lea Palmer trying to make it on here own on that island and not listening to all the men who seemed to think she couldn't cut it. When Grace, Phoebe, and the others were added to the risk she takes against some of the Bahamian perils of the day, it was an allegory to me of all the hard choices that face leaders and individuals in today's world, where nothing is as simple as we'd like it. What a glorious setting and lively adventures. Get this book, and cling to your chair and cheer for Lea. Hoorray!

This book contains wonderful photographs of many tropical marine species. Some of the descriptions of the species, though, use complicated terminology and can be confusing. Other than that, all the features are excellent. After the description of each family of fish, there is a list of genera in that family and information on those genera. Also, each species has its own range map. Species that do not have a photograph are also described briefly. A pretty good book, especially since it has information on so many fish including sharks, rays, eels, and others.

I did find this book very useful, however it is slightly cumbersome to use if you are in a hurry (on the dive boat between sites) so be sure to write down your description of what you saw and look it up later in your hotel. The photos are fairly good (some are a little dark for my taste) and really useful for a beginning diver or snorkler. I would buy it again and plan on getting the campanion Coral Reefs.

This is the best book I've seen for identifying fish in this region when snorkeling, diving, or tide-pooling. I own & use several, but if you're only going to buy one guide, this is the one to get.

The illustrations alone would make this better than anything else on the market. Most guides rely on artists' renderings or studio photographs of dead fish. This book illustrates each of over 400 species with a close-up color photograph of a live fish in the water. Incredible.

The lay-out is good for identification; fish are grouped together by shape. That means you don't have to know much about fish to quickly look up something you saw. You can then cross-reference it to a complete description.

The physical manufacture of the book is also a plus. Its small size and flexibility make it almost unnoticable in luggage or a beach bag. It's also a little water-resistant: my copy has seen more than its fare share of dunkings, and still acts like a book instead of a soggy mess.

Of the few criticisms I have of this book, one would be that the index isn't too good (if Rainbow Runner isn't listed under "R", then where is it?). This isn't too much of a shortcoming, though, given that a field guide is usually used to identify species by appearence, not the other way around.

If you plan on observing fish in this region, I highly recommend this book.

Palmer uses a fine documentative approach, weaving the evolution and aspects of technical diving with the biology and history of the Andros Island blue holes and caves. The challenging, sometimes fatal experiences of diving these beautiful caves is described in a smooth almost conversational style. A great read for divers, and anyone interested in the Caribbean.

I once had a copy of this book; sadly, no longer. I loaned it to a friend who moved to higher places and well, I never got my book back.

Although not a caver or a cave diver myself (I am too scared of tight little dark holes), this book is very appealing for that very fact - the "squeezes" that the divers go through to find the "ultimate" cave makes for terrific reading. So much so that it could (almost) make me take to cave diving. The book has numerous full colour plates showing the terrific underwater scenery of the Blue Holes (of Andros Island in the Bahamas). If you're into diving pictures, they alone are worth the book.

Rob Palmer is one of cave diving's greats. He's dived with pretty much the who's who in the world of cave and 'extreme' (depth) divers. While the book tells in detail hopw each dive is conquered, sobering thoughts jump to mind when a story relates how the divers turn a bend in the channel they think they are the first to discover, and find the body of a previous explorer who got lost and couldn't find his way out.....

Gripping stuff. Wish I still had my copy.

I found this book to be a delightful help while snorkeling on caribbean vacations. Especially when you're trying to identify the cute and wily little fish which lures you over to where the barracuda boyz are hanging out, then deserts you. Now I know what fish does this to me, thanks to this book. You don't need to be hooked on fish scales to appreciate this publication.

Great, easy packing travel guide for the nature lover, fisher-person, or snorkeler/diver. Color- illustrated, with concise descriptions, range, and "edibility" of hundreds of Atlantic fishes. This is an economical reference, worth adding to the tourist's carry-on.

Colour photos of the most common fishes that swim off the Atlantic coast of North, Central, and South America. The information provided includes the fishes' living range, edibility, and if they harbour any toxins. The book can fit into a pocket, and is printed on glossy paper. An interesting read for anyone with an interest in fish.

If the first section on Bimini (the Island on the Stream [the gulf stream for those who still do not understand]) was package by itself it would have received 5 stars. Unfortunatley the latter 2 stories bring the overall rating down somewhat. That too could have been fixed through a little more editing. But regardless I would recommend buying this book to read the first section alone. It gives the depth and feel of what a child or adult on the stream experienced. I must admit when I first read this story I was horrified that the little island Bimini would get more fanfare from this. I had many memorable trips there but it's been years since. But at anytime I can pick up this book read the Bimini section and remember Brown's hotel dock, the Complete Angler, the beauty of the Ocean, the feel of the tradewinds, and the thrill of the fishing. The story of Tom Hudson life on the island almost gives one a jolt of envy that it wasn't them until the following developments that Hemingway is known for. What else can you say? If you enjoy Hemingway, the Sea, and Fishing buy it.

Of the Hemingway books I've read or tried to read, Islands in the Stream is my favorite thus far. All the great and not-so-great elements of his legendary style are here, from the deadpan prose to the men who try too hard to be men, but they all fit together very well in this case. The exotic island setting is perfect for Hemingway's trademark everyday-life-is-an-adventure motif, which for once is wholly convincing.

Thomas Hudson, a hard drinking, twice divorced, expatriate American artist, is an all too obvious self-portrait. But his low-key reactions to most of life's ups and downs, the inner demons he mostly keeps a lid on, and his begrudging love of life in spite of it all can surely appeal to the romantic adventurer in all of us. The three sections of the novel, bound only loosely together, follow Thomas from an average day in paradise to a tragicomic reunion with the lost love of his life to a Nazi-hunting adventure off the coast of Cuba. Along the way, there are tragic twists delivered without any sappiness whatsoever, as only Hemingway could do, not to mention a life-or-death fishing scene that rivals "The Old Man and the Sea."

I can't imagine why this is being marketed as a love story, as that aspect of the novel is probably its weakest point, although his (very few) women characters are at least marginally more developed and convincing than usual. It's really more a story of escape and coping with the lack of love, and it's one of the best I've ever read of that subgenre. Yes, as others have pointed out, it's a bit uneven and the first section holds up better than the other two; and yes, the editing is imperfect and surely not exactly the way Hemingway would have wanted it. But the whole book is worth reading all the same. Given Hemingway's condition toward the end of his life, we're lucky to have it.

Ernest Hemingway's Islands in the Stream is my favorite book by Hemingway, and indeed, my favorite book. I feel that Hemingway is at his descriptive best in this book, so much so that the reader gets a genuine feel for the enviornment that the main character, Thomas Hudson, is in, and the emotions that he feels. The book is divided into three sections, each quite distinct, but working well together to show the difference in a person after particular events have taken place. The story has been referred to as Hemingway's greatest love story, but don't be mistaken; it's not your typical sap--there is much more to the story and to life than the love between a man and a woman, the story does consist of that specific type of love, but also consists of love for family, love for work, love for escape, love for life, love for home, love for self, love for friends, love for duty, and many, many more types of love. Islands in the Stream may come accross as a book "not to read" simply because it does not have the happiest of endings. Although the ending is not "happy", it is satisfying, and most importantly, realistic. Too much writing, in books, television, and movies, is meant to make you feel better, instead of meant to give you an understanding of life. If you are looking for a book that will help you better understand yourself, people, life, and love in a realistic manner, or if you just love Hemingway's beatiful articulation, this book is for you.

Randy Wayne White has been writing for years, establishing himself as the heir apparent to the Travis McGee chair of detective fiction: the laid back guy who lives on the water in Florida and somehow becomes involved in assorted mayhem and hijinks, mostly against his will. While McGee was hired to look into things, Ford (the Doc comes from a Phd. in marine biology) tends to stumble into things and wind up trying to save his own bacon, or someone else's.

Until now, we've never really known that much about Ford's past. He worked for some super-secret government organization, but at various points in the series he's said various things to various people, and it hasn't always jibed completely with itself. He was being evasive, that much is obvious now, after this book, in which we learn a great deal about him and the organization, and incidentally about his best buddy, Tomlinson.

The plot only tangentally involves these things, however. Ford's in the Bahamas, and intervenes to thwart a kidnapping. The criminals are after a powerful man's daughter, and when they don't get her, they decide to see if they can get revenge. Meanwhile Ford gets entangled with a Bahamian woman who's the daughter of Ford's ne'erdowell uncle, Tucker Gatrell, and that gets complicated, because Tucker left behind a typically complicated legacy, and she's obsessed with finding it, if only Ford will help her.

The book sags in the middle somewhat, and the plot sort of wanders off for a while. It's all entertaining, but it's not very tightly constructed, and frankly it got a bit boring for me. The inside information as to what Ford was doing for the super-secret government organization, however, is more a part of the series than a part of the book, and in that sense it was interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it, especially to fans of Travis McGee. Perhaps, though, you should read some of the other books in the series first, if you're just starting out.

All the Doc Ford novels are superb: literary, funny but also full of action. They might be a tad sophisticated for some, but I await each new release with anticipation, then try to savor them slowly. With Shark River? Impossible. Once I started I couldn't top. I'd give this book nine stars if I could. (I give it ten, but I could have used a little more of sidekick Tomlimson's philosophizing, and a tad less action>) The action IS warp-speed, the characters vividly drawn and the plot is laced with intrigue and suspense leave no doubt that Randy Wayne White is one of the finest writers in America today. Doc Ford's marine studies on the island of Guava Key are interrupted when he finds himself in the middle of a deadly kidnapping plot involving Colombian drug traffickers and the daughter of a powerful US diplomat. Added to the mix is a beautiful Bahamian woman claiming to be Doc's sister ( A wonderful woman character!), a pair of Rastafarian thugs, and a real live sunken treasure. Once again, Mr. White creates a vivid sense of place with his descriptions of southwestern Florida, and includes what has become his trademark O'Henry encking. Also recommended: The entire Doc Ford series, begining with Sanibel Flats, which, I was pleased to discover, was selected by the Independent Myster Booksellers Association (edited by Jim Huang) as one of the 100 best mysteries of the 20th century...

Because I live it Florida, I enjoy most of the Florida writers, but Randy Wayne White is my favorite by far. Just finished Shark River, and it is one of my favorite Doc Ford novels. Liked it even better than Captiva, which is saying something. Highly recommended, but you may want to start with the first in the series, Sanibel Flats, and read them all.

I believe that Brian Antoni is a very talented writer, which made it harder for me to understand why he had to resort (no pun intended) to such excessive, decadent, revolting sex scenes. So many parts per billion would have more than sufficed. I know this book is a work of fiction, and the current Freeport has many problems. However, I too was raised in Freeport, and I just want people to know that the ORIGINAL Freeport was the closest thing to the lost city of Atlantis, and is now lost to all but a few old Freeporters - Bahamiams, Europeans, Canadians, Orientals, Aussies, Trinidadians, Americans, etc. who carry it in their memories. We were privileged to be part of the dream that was Freeport. And one of the heroes of Freeport was Brian's father, Dr. Robert Antoni. / / / / / B. Copeland

If you like Jay McInerney ("Bright Lights Big City", or my favourite "Story of My Life",) you'll love this book! It's brain candy to be sure, but there is enough tragedy to give a genuine depth to the book. I've spent a lot of time in Freeport, Bahamas and found the fictional history of Grand Bahama Island amusing, but a lot of the descriptions of life in Freeport are completely true! Give it a try, you just might like it!

In this delicate age of political correctness, Mr. Antoni blows the roof off propriety with a tale of decadence that is both a harrowing moralistic fable of cross addictions and a heart-breaaking chronical of trying to find redemption through love and a personal epiphany through the haze of sex and suffering. Antoni's prose rings with a contemporary earnestness that sometime boarders on the scatological, heightening the intensity of this powerful story. Anyone with the deligence to open themselves to some true heartbreak will be rewarded with the privilege of reading one of the most powerful debuts to hit the bookshelves in a long time.

Hardly and adventure guide to the Bahamas, this guide gave only brief mention to various outdoor sports and focused mainly on dining, shopping, and lodges. The information of dive spots is much more detailed in numerous other guide books. An average introduction to the Bahamas, but seriously lacking in detail. Please change the title.

This updated third edition of the Adventure Guide To The Bahamas And Turks & Caicos includes heavily expanded sections on hotels, restaurants, dive sites and fishing in all the Bahamas, surveying the best of adventures and establishments. Adventure Guide To The Bahamas And Turks & Caicos is an outdoors-oriented adventurer's guide, and destination-oriented visitors will appreciate the attention to regional specialties and attractions.

"These useful guides are highly recommended... " Library Journal "[Adventure Guides] direct you away from the theme parks and into the great outdoors... the information on trekking routes, canoeing, wildlife refuges - even golf courses - is well researched." The Sunday Telegraph "...intended for the adventure-minded travelers with special affection for the outdoors and nature. Each Adventure Guide packs in outdoor-oriented activities set in different regions. There's something for nearly everyone." Midwest Book Review

This began as a very good book, however it came to an end to fast- and too neat. Overall it is still a nice read and I agree with the other reviewer - don't but this book- lease it from the library or wait until the Mass market paperback come out.

It was a really good read. I enjoyed the surprises each one of the characters brough tto the story. It kept me guessing. I was impressed. This was the first book I read by T. Butler. I'll be back for more.

This novel written by Ms. Butler, is a interesting novel. A radio show hosts a contests for 5 participants whose birthday is Dec. 1st, turning 30 to join one of the radio personalities who also shares a birthday on the same day for a weekend getaway. Each lady selected has their own internal issues they are dealing with. Catara has dreams to become a fashion designer, and is very critical of her weight. Tanya has a drug dealer boyfriend, that she has basically given an ultimatum to. Lashawnda is having an identity crisis--is she a lesbian or heterosexual. Elise has her heart set on a colleague but not quite sure if the feelings are mutual. Alecia is a woman of beauty and wealth, but she's in love with a married man of status and class....will he chose her? I enjoyed the novel from beginning to end. I only wish there was more to read. However the book ended on a positive note.