Reviews for Law and the Legal System: An Introduction - Samuel Mermin - Paperback - 2ND

The average rating for Law and the Legal System: An Introduction - Samuel Mermin - Paperback - 2ND based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-08-16 00:00:00 Darius Kimpson ...I must admit I found the premise of the novel and the large scale developments Herbert and Ransom describe fascinating but I didn't care for most of the characters. The judge is mildly interesting, the lovers are not. There are a few other characters I haven't mentioned thus far, including a terrorist, a diplomat and ridiculously stupid historian none of whom were really engaging. Most of them seem to miss the sharpness, awareness and deep insights Herbert's more interesting characters share. Ship's unpredictable presence is also sorely missed in this novel. In short I have to really dig to find things I like in The Lazarus Effect. It is there for sure but buried a somewhat unfocussed plot, featuring bland and largely uninteresting characters. Add to that the unremarkable prose and you end up with a novel that readable but certainly not memorable. I'm hoping for better things from the concluding volume of this trilogy. Full Random Comments review

Review # 2 was written on 2016-01-28 00:00:00 Judith A. Balogh Frank Herbert, famous for the Dune series, has produced another work as great as Dune, but this time on a water world. The book is actually a sequel to "The Jesus Incident," a volume about a scientist who tampers with human genetics to help them survive on the water world. The Lazarus Effect is stand alone, however, and from I can detect, more accessible than the first (which is in turn a loose sequel of Herbert's "Destination Void"). The Islanders live on floating organically grown islands with a crowded, smelly third-world culture. The Mermen live in cities under the ocean, and are a much more "civilized" western-style culture. The Islanders are pariahs because many of them have genetic mutations, as three of main characters display with luminous eyes, a giant head one can barely hold up, or elongated arms, respectively. Mermen value genetic purity and science and look down their noses at the more religious Islanders, who worship "Ship". Yet both are human with good and bad points, just very different cultures. This book is pure genius on many levels, but I will have to write a more deserving review on another occasion.