Amazon.com
"When it comes to pleasuring women and conversing in the language of love, cunnilingus should be every man's native tongue," writes clinical sexologist Ian Kerner, Ph.D. in She Comes First, a straightforward, intimate, and exuberant guide to cunnilingus. Kerner first explored "the oral caress" as a way of compensating for his "sexual inadequacies," and quickly learned that women not only welcomed but often preferred "the way of the tongue," reaching orgasm more consistently than through intercourse. Kerner educates readers about the clitoris, "the powerhouse of pleasure," with 18 parts and 8,000 nerve endings (twice as many as the penis) and describes female sexual response from "foreplay" through "coreplay" to "moreplay." A large part of the book is a graphic, detailed primer on "mouth music," including best positions, step-by-step techniques (illustrated), and tips for tongue and fingers. How long should this last? Until the woman has an orgasm or many, says Kerner, and "melts blissfully before your eyes." "The vast majority of women complain about guys who don't like to do it, don't know how to do it, or simply don't do it nearly enough," writes Kerner. This book will change that. Women: Buy it for your partner! --Joan Price
Book Description
As women everywhere will attest, when it comes to understanding female sexuality, most guys know more about what's under the hood of a car than under the hood of a clitoris. And while it seems that men have struggled valiantly since the dawn of time to find ways to reliably elicit the female orgasm, rare is the guy who has the modesty to ask: "What do I do?" Ironically, the answer has always been right there on the tip of his tongue.
Welcome to the world of She Comes First, where the mystery of female satisfaction is solved and the tongue is proven mightier than the sword. According to Ian Kerner, clinical sexologist and evangelist of the female orgasm, oral sex has long been deemed an optional aspect of foreplay, but, in fact, it's coreplay -- simply the best way for leading a woman through the entire process of sexual response.
Fun, informative, and easy to read, She Comes First is a virtual encyclopedia of female pleasure, detailing dozens of tried-and-true techniques for consistently satisfying a woman and illustrated step-by-step instructions to ensure success. These simple methods represent a new era in sexual intimacy, one in which the exchange of pleasure occurs on a level playing field and fulfillment is mutual.
She Comes First exuberantly offers a fresh new sexual philosophy that inspires every man to make a mantra of Rhett Butler's infamous line to Scarlett O'Hara, "You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how."
Customer Reviews:
how can a title like that not sell?.......2007-10-02
A bit over-rated, this work is extremely thorough in mastering her oral pleasuring. I wouldn't, however, say that it presents anything that hasn't been discussed in other literature. The book has simply been packaged and promoted well. Fun for experimentation, but not as witty as some press outlets have led us to believe.
Men, do your woman a favor and read this!.......2007-09-06
I didn't read the book, but my husband did. He read it in one sitting, actually. Based on the "results," I give it 5 stars and wish I could give it more! Wow! I plan on reading it myself tonight.
Coming in second isn't so bad........2007-09-03
I really enjoyed this guide to sex for men. The premise is to basically allow/help your partner to orgasm first, that way you come in second, though this isn't a bad thing, far from it. The author really gives good advice, in detail without being too elusive or standoffish. A highly recommended read, along with Sex Machine: A Man's Guide to What Really Pleases a Woman in Bed.
One of Three Must Have!.......2007-08-18
The next must have is - The Master's Guide to Cunnilingus: How to Perform Successful Oral Sex and Provide the Highest Degree of Pleasure Possible
Fantastic books which every man must read!
Men: PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!.......2007-07-03
I'd like to first mention I'm a woman. I purchased this book along with He Comes Next, but read this one first. It's written in a manner that teaches one to recognize the "real" terms for each part of a woman's sexual anatomy without insulting one's intelligence and not only shows step-by-step techniques to truly please a woman but also clues the guy in on the one thing that's crucial to satisfying her: give her all the time in the world she needs to reach orgasm-don't RUSH her!
No man should go on bumbling through another act of cunnilingus when there's a book like this that will instantly teach him to keep her "coming" back for more and more and more...
Book Description
In the 1920s when Laura Dillon felt like a man trapped in a woman’s body, there were no words to describe her condition; transsexuals had yet to enter common usage. And there was no known solution to being stuck between the sexes. Laura Dillon did all she could on her own: she cut her hair, dressed in men’s clothing, bound her breasts with a belt. But in a desperate bid to feel comfortable in her own skin, she experimented with breakthrough technologies that ultimately transformed the human body and revolutionized medicine. From upper-class orphan girl to Oxford lesbian, from post-surgery romance with Roberta Cowell (an early male-to-female) to self-imposed exile in India, Michael Dillon’s incredible story reveals the struggles of early transsexuals and challenges conventional notions of what gender really means.
Customer Reviews:
Neither one thing, nor the other...........2007-07-02
This is neither a particularly insightful look into the general subject of the transgendered, nor a riveting account of these particular individuals. Much posturing, of the "as he gazed over the deck of the ship, he felt....." variety--describing in only the broadest, most hackneyed terms the inner monologues of personalities more difficult to fathom than most. And the over-hyped "love affair" chronicled between the two transgendered principals proves to be much more smoke than fire.
All these paeans to Pagan are a mystery to me. The book's a bore.
Beyond gender (hello hooray).......2007-06-28
Gay is the new straight and trans is the new gay. Maybe, soon enough, TG will become the neo hippie. All in your mind. Dolly Parton, after all, has had a lot more surgery than Christine Jorgensen ever did. So let us now push further.
Not as emotional or as 'literary' as Chris Beam's Transparent, Pagan Kennedy has nevertheless penned the 1st trans book anyone outside the trans world 'should' read. Trans is coming soon to Hollywood, I betcha, and here's a real contender.
The First Man-Made Man works several themes - history (Hirschfeld, Benjamin, et al.), drama ('burned by the blonde') and ideology (modern ID data necessitated HRT and SRS, which led to mainstream cosmetic surgery) - quite cohesively.
Kennedy's metanarrative is not 'transition' however, but self-actualization via reinvention. Protagonist Dillion's eternal quest (from FtM, then from Oxford Englishman to Tibetan monk) keeps the humanist foundation of this saga transparent - and tendentious.
Kennedy's conclusion that, by today, "gender had become ... a show tune you lip-synched when it matched the secret beat of your own heart" will assuredly infuriate postops (deal, ladies) but it will resound with a bewildered (mainstream) boomer.
Robert Owen, roll over - the new plastic man and woman (and genderfu**er) have arrived, to conquer the universe.
Which sounds about right on time to me!
Most people think Christine Jorgensen was the first.......2007-06-11
This is the story of Laura Maude Dillon, AKA Laurence Michael Dillon, woman, auto mechanic, member of the British peerage, security guard, physician, world traveler, man, and finally religious pilgrim. There are huge gaps in the story, out of necessity since much evidence of what he did at certain times in his life are long gone, but it does tell a story of a troubled person who was relatively openly transgendered in the 1930s and died mysteriously in 1962 in India at the age of 47.
Included was a brief early history of plastic surgery and a lengthy introduction to the only "woman" he appears to have ever loved, a man in transition to a woman. There is also commentary on the British class system and gender roles of the 1940s and 1950s, so this is quite a multifaceted book for being barely 200 pages.
What's this obsession with the word "vertiginous"?
Understand Transgenderism.......2007-05-10
The true story of two sex changes is interwoven with scientific, medical and social history. You'll understand how difficult it is to change genders.
Spellbinding and fantastic.......2007-05-09
The First Man-Made Man is enthralling, as gripping as the most powerful novel, written with exquisite authority and mastery. Rich in fascinating biographical, sociological and medical research, it's as suspenseful as a Hitchcock thriller. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put this gorgeous book down, reading it breathlessly. The characters leap from the page, extraordinary and courageous. Pagan Kennedy takes a subject that might, in less capable hands, be sensationalized, and instead turns it into a profoundly human and moving story about yearning and loneliness, and an intense, existential quest for identity. The restless, searching spirit of Michael Dillon, brave and reviled, is captured vividly. He emerges as a vulnerable person of tremendous grace and dignity. From the posh halls of Oxford to the back of a dingy garage, from a ship sailing across the open seas to a remote Tibetan Buddhist monastery, First Man-Made Man catapults the reader into one memorable man's wild, often hostile, world. This poetic adventure is unforgettable.
Book Description
When the world cowered before the legions of Rome, two extraordinary men dreamed of personal glory: the military genius and wealthy rural "upstart" Marius, and Sulla, penniless and debauched but of aristocratic birth. Men of exceptional vision, courage, cunning, and ruthless ambition, separately they faced the insurmountable opposition of powerful, vindictive foes. Yet allied they could answer the treachery of rivals, lovers, enemy generals, and senatorial vipers with intricate and merciless machinations of their own -- to achieve in the end a bloody and splendid foretold destiny ... and win the most coveted honor the Republic could bestow.
Customer Reviews:
Masterful book in a masterful series.......2007-10-03
With this book, Colleen McCullough opens her wonderful, fascinating, and important series. The Masters of Rome breathes life into history, giving us the details of daily life to the broad scope of battles which determined the fates of so many.
Rome was a funny place with an unusual government. It was not the only place to do away with kings - Carthage, for example, had a pair of "Suffets" similar to the Roman consuls - and Sparta for many years had two hereditary kings, to make sure that there was no tyranny. Rome developed a complex way of governing itself - although it was officially a republic, in reality it was an oligarchy - and there was a constant struggle among the men at the top to become the man at the top. And, it seems that Rome, who rid itself of kings several centuries before, spills over with men who believe that they're all worthy of kingship.
In First Man in Rome we follow the histories of Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, two men who were to have significant influence on weakening the Republic. Although dissimilar in personality - Marius is straightforward while Sulla is sly - they share one significant trait: both are extremely competent.
McCullough explores such wonderful topics in this book. The motivations of the men leading the Senate: money, dignitas, ambition. The shameful, petty events leading up to the battle at Arausio, and the disappearance of the Gold of Tolosa. Merit and competence versus birth and pride. Resistance to innovation (such as arming the Head Count). What it's like to hire an assassin. What it's like to negotiate a marriage contract. The overwhelming superstition of both Marius (those prophecies by Martha) and Sulla (his preoccupation with the goddess Fortuna).
McCullough also makes a marvelous assumption by creating the character of Julilla. There's only scant historical evidence for her, but by making her the younger daughter of Old Caesar, McCullough has economically and logically joined the main characters by making them brothers-in-law.
Are there any problems with the book? Yes, there are a few. Sometimes the names are difficult for the reader to keep straight. This is not McCullough's fault - the Romans themselves had a custom of limiting sons' names to a small selection of possibilities, and daughters' names to only one - meaning that all the daughters of a man shared the same single name (there's a plethora of Julias). McCullough comes up with many ways to assist the readers in keeping the personalities straight - but it's still a challenge, for example, to remember which minor Caesar we're reading about on this page. Second, those expecting the tightness of the narrative of Graves' I, Claudius will be disappointed. McCullough, given the scope of her project, can't limit herself to a single point of view, so occasionally the novel seems to sprawl. Again, McCullough assists as best she can, with maps, for example, helping the reader keep things straight mentally. Third - and perhaps this is my only real complaint - all too often the characters say things like, "Oh, dear" - sounding more like clucky old hens instead of veteran Roman soldiers.
But these are minor quibbles! The first two McCullough had no choice about, and with respect to the third, there are plenty of instances of the use of "cunni" and "mentula" to satisfy those who require more salt in their prose, even if it's of a Latin variety. And, by the end, the greatest Roman of them all - Julius Caesar - has been born. Even though he's just a toddler, he shows remarkable talent. If his name and his precocious abilities aren't enough to emphasize his importance, the prophecy mentioning him should. That prophecy is enough to disturb the great Marius, who does not want to be upstaged at any point by his wife's nephew!
My mother, who died too young, always said that in her retirement she wanted to devote herself to learning more about Greek and Roman history, in order to become "truly educated" at last. What a pity she could never read these books! I have, however, encouraged a number of other people to read this series. I suggest you read it too!
Great series of Historical Fiction.......2007-09-24
Colleen McCullough was born in Australia. A neurophysicist, she established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney She then worked as a researcher and teacher at Yale Medical School for ten years. She is the author of the record-breaking international bestseller The Thorn Birds and her series of books on Rome have also been bestsellers. Colleen lives on Norfolk Island in the Pacific with her husband.
Colleen McCullough has been one of my favourite authors ever since I read this book many years ago. Her research on the subject and her feel for the period of history she is writing about is second to none. The only slight criticism that I have with the books on Rome and it is probably outside the author's control is that the books are so detailed that the number of characters that become part of the story is so large that it is sometimes difficult to keep track of them all, but this is a small price to pay for the enjoyment the books give the reader.
The First Man in Rome begins the series and the reader is introduced to Gaius Marius, one of Rome's greatest and most successful generals. Wealthy but from a low born family. A man who has pulled himself up by his boot straps and on the other side of the coin, Cornelius Sulla, a man from well bred stock. Both men have a driving ambition, both want to be the `The First Man in Rome'. There ambition drives them forward and will lay the foundations for the greatest empire known to mankind.
This is a book of human frailties and also burning ambition. It has a cast of some of the most famous names to grace Roman history. The start of one of the greatest fictional sagas written in modern times and a most for all lovers of ancient history.
The book is long, but my review won't be!.......2007-08-22
A very long book, but you won't get bored! Following the lives of Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla is fascinating, and not only because of the glimpse of ancient Roman life. Getting all the characters straight is a challenge at first, but McCullough writes clearly enough to make it easy to grasp. Very descriptive and informative, a long, but great read! Epics like this often aren't successful because the reader begins to lose interest after a few hundred pages. But this book kept me enthralled to the last page!
The First Tome in "Rome".............2007-06-13
The beginning of McCullough's "Rome" series, "First Man" starts out slowly, and builds little drama until about halfway through the book. Since the volume is quite long, many potential readers might lose enthusiasm. However, McCullough's great skill in characterization and in illustrating the social conflicts in Rome during this period is consistently masterful.
Many historical fiction novels rely upon conveying a mood, or in relating an unusually dramatic series of events. The First Man in Rome does something far more compelling, in my view. McCullough provides not only a setting and backstory of Tolkienesque complexity for her later books, but manages to ably differentiate the political factions, social mores, and even the agonizingly similiar names of Roman characters, which provides abundant detail to a reader interested in this especially conflicted era. Meanwhile, the writing and storyline remain pellucid and refreshing.
In turn, events assume a sense of inevitability which only the best writers ever convey. The trends that are much later capitalized upon by Julius Caesar have their genesis here, and the gestation of the Roman empire is already assuming an outline in what are the closing decades of Republican Rome. A careful reader will also notice the many debts of western civilization to Roman institutions and practices skillfully detailed in this book. The scholarship and focus are never marred by politically correct attitudes or stilted dialogue, and the actions of the major characters make perfect sense within what we are shown of the Roman world.
The is a consistently excellent series by a formidable writer.
Could Have Been Better.......2007-05-14
If it had been a straight-up fiction, I would say that the main charater was too fortunate and that the story was a bit unrealistic.
Since it was based on history, I guess that the author is to blame for making me feel this way. Perhaps she was trying to cover too much time, and so could not adequately show the trials and tribulations that any great figure must endure and overcome??
In any case I still gave it 4 stars because it did put a face on a few of histories true giants while showing what life was like over 2000 years ago, not just for the upper class but for the plebs as well.
Book Description
Jeff Shaara has enthralled readers with his New York Times bestselling novels set during the Civil War and the American Revolution. Now the acclaimed author turns to World War I, bringing to life the sweeping, emotional story of the war that devastated a generation and established America as a world power.
Spring 1916: the horror of a stalemate on Europe’s western front. France and Great Britain are on one side of the barbed wire, a fierce German army is on the other. Shaara opens the window onto the otherworldly tableau of trench warfare as seen through the eyes of a typical British soldier who experiences the bizarre and the horrible–a “Tommy” whose innocent youth is cast into the hell of a terrifying war.
In the skies, meanwhile, technology has provided a devastating new tool, the aeroplane, and with it a different kind of hero emerges–the flying ace. Soaring high above the chaos on the ground, these solitary knights duel in the splendor and terror of the skies, their courage and steel tested with every flight.
As the conflict stretches into its third year, a neutral America is goaded into war, its reluctant president, Woodrow Wilson, finally accepting the repeated challenges to his stance of nonalignment. Yet the Americans are woefully unprepared and ill equipped to enter a war that has become worldwide in scope. The responsibility is placed on the shoulders of General John “Blackjack” Pershing, and by mid-1917 the first wave of the American Expeditionary Force arrives in Europe. Encouraged by the bold spirit and strength of the untested Americans, the world waits to see if the tide of war can finally be turned.
From Blackjack Pershing to the Marine in the trenches, from the Red Baron to the American pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, To the Last Man is written with the moving vividness and accuracy that characterizes all of Shaara’s work. This spellbinding new novel carries readers–the way only Shaara can–to the heart of one of the greatest conflicts in human history, and puts them face-to-face with the characters who made a lasting impact on the world.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
"To The Last Man".......2007-10-06
My dad reads history books for fun. I'm sure many of you can relate, but I, however, have often found my dad's hobby perplexing. For Dad, the best books present the down-to-the-minute detail of battles, examine every word of a president's letters to friends, follow the explorer each painful step of the journey. Yes, it's interesting, but I'm talking 1,000 pages of details. A daunting task for even us dedicated readers.
When I was growing up, my dad, the lifelong history major, took us to battlefield memorials instead of to amusement parks. As a child, I drew pictures of civil war soldiers more than doodles of Mickey Mouse. I'm sure this pleased my dad, the way this interest in history soaked into me. What didn't please him was my desire to read historical fiction. I was enamored of the TV mini-series "The Blue and the Gray", and soon after, began reading John Jakes' "The North and the South" trilogy. Dad frowned upon this. Too many Southern belles with bosoms heaving and laudanum addictions, I think. Not enough "hard" history, not enough fact. The fact of the matter is, I still prefer fiction. Ironically enough, to make history most real to me, I need it connected to the stories of individual people, and no one seems to do that better than novelists.
Enter Jeff Shaara. My dad introduced me to him by way of the author's personal life history. Jeff's father was Michael Shaara, Pulitzer-prize winning author of The Killer Angels. Michael Shaara was at work on the second book in his trilogy on the American Civil War when he died. Not a writer or historian himself, Jeff vowed to finish his father's work. And the books Jeff finished for his dad are excellent, critically-acclaimed. But when he spread his wings and started his own work, with books on the American Revolution, World Wars I and II, and the Mexican-American War, he surpassed his father. I have just recently finished To the Last Man, Jeff Shaara's book on WWI. Mind you, it is, technically, historical fiction. But just barely. Bestselling history writer Joseph Persico praises Jeff Shaara's "rarest of writing gifts, making literature read like history and history read like literature. He brings ... [history] to pulsating life." His books are "fiction" only in that Shaara creates thoughts and dialogue for these historical figures, based on impeccable research, but ultimately, on his imagination.
In most of his books, Jeff Shaara focuses mostly on the events surrounding the major figures - the generals, the leaders of the countries involved. Shaara explains in his preface of To the Last Man how this book is different: he tells about WWI through the perspective of just four people. In this way, the story isn't comprehensive or all-inclusive, but it is incredibly powerful. The four people are General John J. Pershing, THE commander of all U.S. forces when America finally enters the war; Baron Manfred von Richthofen, "the Red Baron"; Raoul Lufbery, of the Lafayette Escadrille; and Private Roscoe Temple, U.S. Marine Corps.
Well, if you're like me, the only reference I have to "the Red Baron" is ... Charles Schultz's Snoopy fighting him from the Sopwith Camel. It turns out Richthofen's life, just his personal history and career alone shed tremendous light on the war and the time period itself. And I had never heard of the Lafayette Escadrille - the Americans who went to France to fly the airplane, just in its infancy as a weapon of war, way before the U.S. reluctantly decided to join the fray. Now, I'm hooked on every word I can find about these guys. (Yeah, go ahead and rent the movie "Flyboys"; the fight scenes in the air are quite realistic, I think. But then do yourself a big favor and read about the REAL people. As far as I can find out, all the characters from the movie are fiction.)
And there it is: did you see that? I crossed over. Maybe historical fiction isn't as engaging as fact, after all. Certainly, it depends some on who is conveying the story. I, obviously, give Jeff Shaara an enthusiastic recommendation. With him, Dad and I both win.
Editor, "Of A Predatory Heart"
Excellent. A history teacher's review........2007-07-23
Shaara's writing just continues to improve as far as I'm concerned. Like many people, I was led to Jeff Shaara by way of his father's book "The Killer Angels." While he has never achieved that level of mastery, this is a very strong book - at times poignant, at times repugnant and always interesting.
Shaara's opening is strong and serves as a tremendous introduction to the vast devestation and inhumanity of the war. He focuses about half of the book on the new world of air power and the other half on an average foot soldier in the war. Pershing and other generals are thrown in from time to time to give the reader a wider view of the war. Those are essential as a plot device, but are not nearly as interesting as his portrayal of the fighting.
I give this one an enthusiastic grade of A.
Very dissapointing.......2007-06-01
I expected a lot from this book, hearing so much about Shaara and how he makes history read like literature. This was not the case at all though. The characters are all so stereotypical, the plot is stereotypical. I read a quarter of the book and had to stop because it got so tedious. He is more concerned with the history of what happened, not exploring the minds of the men that fought in the war.
to the last man.......2007-05-06
This is a not to be missed "novel", based on actual participants in the
Great War! I couldn't not put it down, I recommend highly this book to all who have an interest is the war or merely would like to learn more about the history of the war that changed the map of Europe
Key to understanding 20th century history.......2007-04-26
I never read any of Jeff Shaara's previous works and I knew very little about the Great War beyond the basics. This book follows very different aspects of this struggle from the horrors of trench warfare to early air warfare. The evolution of the AEF's leader General Black Jack Pershing is also contained therein showing some of the complex politics involved in the relationship between France, England and the fledgling AEF. Real people are the focus and the contrast of brutality and chivalry as well as the unbelievable waste of humanity is mind numbing.
It testifies to an effective end game strategy in a conflict to truly conclude a war rather than to sow the seeds for future conflict.
Customer Reviews:
Worth the read... For the real dad to be... (moms to be can read too...).......2007-08-27
Firstly, ignore the TWO, yes TWO, negative reviews... There is always the couple of folks who "just don't get it." I picked this up a Baby's r US and thumbed through it while waiting to go on the "baby shower registration" escapade... I enjoyed the book so much, I bought it from Amazon.com. (only one copy at the store and it was beat up.)
The author talks writes in lingo that is not meant for the "wimpy" guy or the guy is so full of himself that he honestly believes that his stuff don't stink. This is written for the Football/Hockey watchin', beer drinkin', pool playin', laugh out loud kind of guy. The survival tips listed, both before and after the birth, were actually covered in our hospital's childbirth class... Reinforced actually, as I had already read them all here... This isn't an owners manual for your NFU (new family unit), but will show you some great (and some not so) things about to come your way.
Girls like it too........2007-06-25
Guys aren't the only ones that like potty humor. I got this at my baby shower and read it out loud. We all laughed like hell, and there wasn't a drop of wine in the house! DH liked it too, BTW. ;-}
Perfect For Dads to Be.......2007-03-19
I bought this for my husband. It is the first baby related material that I have seen him read willingly. He chuckles out loud and actually starts conversations with me about the material. Good info, put into words that a guy can relate too. The humor takes away some of that aprehension that a lot of new dads face.
FANTASTIC HELPER FOR DADS.......2007-02-20
I've gone through a number of these types of books and this one is by far the best one out there. The author keeps it light, at the same time conveying what's really important to the new dad with honesty and a brutal sense of humor. It makes the new dad feel like he has some company in this new and alien experience of having kids. After reading it, I recommended it to all my buddies whoare in the same boat. It truly takes the edge off of first time fatherhood. Nice job!
Good satire and short on the new-age stuff. Perfect for guys........2007-02-15
I got started late on the whole fatherhood thing. I retired from the USAF at 39 and had my first daughter shortly thereafter. I got this book and a few others from my girlfriend and this one is my kind of read. Nothing wrong with new-age books, but they just aren't for me. The humor is spot-on and clearly a jab at military lingo, which deserves jabbing. This is definitely not for the stiff-neck Frank Burns-types. Also, the definitions in the back are excellent. I knew nothing (and I mean nothing) about babies and now I've got a whole new vocabulary. One warning..if you're extra sensitive, don't buy it!
Book Description
All politics, of a kind we can recognize, began with Robert Walpole. Edward Pearce brings him vividly to life in this biography of Britain’s first and longest serving Prime Minister.
Amazon.com
Nicole Krauss's elegant, haunting debut, Man Walks into a Room, is a what-if novel. What if, asks Krauss, a man woke up one day and he'd forgotten everything he knows? Samson Greene is found lost in the desert near Las Vegas, memory-less thanks to a tumor "applying its arbitrary, pernicious pressure to his brain." Once the tumor is removed, he can remember his childhood up until his 12th year, but then all is blank. He returns to New York, to his wife Anna, to his life as a Columbia University English professor, but none of these things makes sense to him anymore: "Samson could dredge up no feeling for his own life but that of vague admiration." When he receives a call from a mysterious scientist inviting him back to the desert for a sinister-sounding memory experiment, Samson heads West with a kind of despondent fatalism. Krauss's novel moves gracefully from exploration of a lost soul to science fiction to a meditation on memory. If the book unravels a bit at the end, it's only because Krauss is trying to do too much--certainly no literary sin. --Claire Dederer
Book Description
A luminous and unforgettable first novel by an astonishing new voice in fiction, hailed by Esquire magazine as “one of America’s best young writers.”
Samson Greene, a young and popular professor at Columbia, is found wandering in the Nevada desert. When his wife
, Anna
, comes to bring him home, she finds a man who remembers nothing, not even his own name. The removal of a small brain tumor saves his life, but his memories beyond the age of twelve are permanently lost.
Here is the story of a keenly intelligent, sensitive man returned to a life in which everything is strange and new. An emigrant from his own life, set free from all that once defined him, Samson Greene believes he has nothing left to lose. So, when a charismatic scientist asks him to participate in a bold experiment, he agrees.
Launched into a turbulent journey that takes him to the furthest extremes of solitude and intimacy, what he gains is nothing short of the revelation of what it means to be human.
Download Description
A luminous and unforgettable first novel by an astonishing new voice in fiction, hailed by Esquire magazine as "one of America's best young writers."
Samson Greene, a young and popular professor at Columbia, is found wandering in the Nevada desert. When his wife, Anna, comes to bring him home, she finds a man who remembers nothing, not even his own name. The removal of a small brain tumor saves his life, but his memories beyond the age of twelve are permanently lost.
Here is the story of a keenly intelligent, sensitive man returned to a life in which everything is strange and new. An emigrant from his own life, set free from all that once defined him, Samson Greene believes he has nothing left to lose. So, when a charismatic scientist asks him to participate in a bold experiment, he agrees. Launched into a turbulent journey that takes him to the furthest extremes of solitude and intimacy, what he gains is nothing short of the revelation of what it means to be human.
"Casually dazzling... thoroughly riveting. (A)"
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"[M]ysterious and compelling.... Krauss brings to her work a poet's gift for seizing upon small but potent details.... [A] novel that... is hard to forget."
LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"By turns creepy, witty, austere, and vibey.... A major contribution to the art of collective obliviousness, a lonely meditation on the nature of memory and loss."
ESQUIRE
"[G]reat nuance and sophisticated prose that seduces you with its cadences.... You'll savor the last page -- and be hungry for future work from this talented author."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
"A provocative first novel... beautifully written, intellectually engaging... Krauss has a remarkable feel for what is ultimately unfathomable."
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"[A] deft comedy of unfamiliarity... [A] lucid consideration of the metaphysics of mind-shuffling... Krauss celebrates the anything-but-simple art of human connection."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Customer Reviews:
One of the best. Nicole Krauss certainly did it wonderfully.......2007-08-23
Hi,
I read "The history of love" first and now Man Walks Into a room and I have to say that Nicole Krauss did it wonderfully the two times telling a story so moving.
The book, along with the exciting and moving, human feeling while reading it, keeps you in with incites and thoughts of the book for a long time.
Certainly, one of the best I read so far, recommended warmly.
Not in my room.......2007-05-25
This is easily the worst book I have read in years.While the basic idea had me intrigued I found the book had no structure,wandered all over the place with a class of useless people.I persevered but had to give up when our hero met a girl on a bus ;she gave him her Bible and he gave her his Camera.
Disappointing.......2007-05-19
Nicole Krauss can write and Man Walks Into a Room starts very well, exploring what happens when a man loses his memory as a consequence of a brain tumor. The first half is beautiful and captivating but Krauss, in my opinion, made a terrible mistake by choosing a very strange path in the second half. I don't want to give too much away, but the whole experiment set up felt fake, unrealistic and, more importantly, ridiculous and boring.
Recommended.......2006-06-27
This is the story of Samson, who in his mid-thirties suffers from a tumor in his brain and is found wondering in the desert, not knowing who he is and having lost memory of the last 24 years of his life. The story follows him as he struggles with readjusting to his old life that no longer fits the man he has become, and as he searches for a deeper meaning to what has happened to him. This is a very original story. Nicole Krauss is an obviously talented author and she tackles this subject wonderfully, with just the right balance of sciencitific facts, emotions, reflections on memory, life, the past and future. Excellent and highly recommended.
slightly lacking.......2006-04-14
I read a story of hers not too long ago called "future emergencies" and I came into this book really looking forward to it. It was a good book it just wasn't the kind of book I would tell everyone I know to read. It was lacking something. This novel just didn't grip me and by the time I was done I didn't really want more.
I loved that short story.
Amazon.com
Concise and yet packed with detail, Touching the Void, Joe Simpson's harrowing account of near-death in the Peruvian Andes, is a compact tour de force that wrestles with issues of bravery, friendship, physical endurance, the code of the mountains, and the will to live. Simpson dedicates the book to his climbing partner, Simon Yates, and to "those friends who have gone to the mountains and have not returned." What is it that compels certain individuals to willingly seek out the most inhospitable climate on earth? To risk their lives in an attempt to leave footprints where few or none have gone before? Simpson's vivid narrative of a dangerous climbing expedition will convince even the most die-hard couch potato that such pursuits fall within the realm of the sane. As the author struggles ever higher, readers learn of the mountain's awesome power, the beautiful--and sometimes deadly--sheets of blue glacial ice, and the accomplishment of a successful ascent. And then catastrophe: the second half of Touching the Void sees Simpson at his darkest moment. With a smashed, useless leg, he and his partner must struggle down a near-vertical face--and that's only the beginning of their troubles.
Book Description
"A truly astounding account of suffering and fortitude."
--The Times (London)
Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, had just reached the top of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when disaster struck.Simpson plunged off the vertical face of an ice ledge, breaking his leg. In the hours that followed, darkness fell and a blizzard raged as Yates tried to lower his friend to safety. Finally, Yates was forced to cut the rope, moments before he would have been pulled to his own death.
The next three days were an impossibly grueling ordeal for both men. Yates, certain that Simpson was dead, returned to base camp consumed with grief and guilt over abandoning him. Miraculously, Simpson had survived the fall but, crippled, starving, and severely frostbitten, was trapped in a deep crevasse. Summoning vast reserves of physical and spiritual strength, Simpson hopped, hobbled, and crawled over the cliffs and canyons of the Andes, reaching the base hours before Yates had planned to break camp.
How both men overcame the torments of those harrowing days is an epic tale of fear, suffering, and survival; a poignant testament to unshakable courage and friendship.
"Told with lyrical quality and stunning immediacy, Touching the Void transcends its genre and becomes accessible to readers who have never had any desire to climb a glacier."
--New York Newsday
"A gripping narrative that should excite armchair adventurers everywhere."
--Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Simpson touches a nerve of the mountaineering community and the hearts of others."
--Los Angeles Times
"Riveting, even compulsive reading."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune
Customer Reviews:
Warning: Ice is slippery.......2007-10-02
Perhaps posting this notice on mountains would prevent exactly the type of incident outlined in this book. If one climbs UP an icy lump of rock, falling back DOWN is certainly one possible outcome. And if there are chasms, yes one will fall into them. Haven't we ever dropped a peanut butter sandwich? Goodness. Anyway, we already HAVE the Discovery Channel. There is simply no need for youngsters to get themselves up to this kind of hijinks, particularly on slippery slopes. Why do you think we use that metaphor? How many books of this sort must I read before the Human Race realizes the outdoors were not meant for us. If we were intended to rush about in the open, why would God have invented the Ritz Carlton. If one must go to areas of natural wonder, one should stay in a hotel like a normal person. Scenery is best viewed from the en-suite television. Remember, there is no room service in nature. And while nature is scenic, it is hell on one's vital organs, not to mention manicures. If one truly wishes to risk life and limb, why not do it for a valid REASON, for heaven's sake. Climbing rocks is the kind of challenge that ants and potato bugs must overcome. Not us, darlings. We are not potato bugs. No, no, no! If one is simply determined to undertake some highly threatening physical activity, fine. But at least make it worthwhile for me. Become my surrogate shopper at the Max Azaria BCBG sample sale downtown, or at the annual Fred Segal sale in Santa Monica. You will have all the danger you crave. Immediate decisions and swift actions are imperative, you will be injured, probably killed. All the thrills of outdoor adventure, but with up to 75% off. If you manage to grab me a pair of gray suede Ferragamo pumps, size 8, the ones with the thin leather piping, at Fred's, lunch is on me, name the place.
Oh, about the book? Well, I DID read some of it, except for parts in the beginning, middle and end. The writer just goes on and on about everything. In a nutshell, they climbed up something covered in ice, they fell down. It was cold. Anyhoo, I don't want to give anything away, but the author DID write the book, so there is your big clue as to the outcome.
Ciao darlings.
Amazing story of survival.......2007-08-14
When two hikers, Joe and Simon set off to climb Sula Grande in South America they had no idea how it would turn out. In the course of the descent Joe is lowered over a cliff by mistake in the gathering clouds. His climbing partner is forced to cut the rope in order for himself not to be dragged over, thus ensuring Joe's death. But Joe does not die. He has a brocken leg and is lodged in a crevace. After houre os harrowing attempts to go up he decides to go down.
This book tells the story of his fascinating survival, his tremendous will to live, his thoughts on death and God, and his realization that only he could get himself free.
An amazing story, one of the most extraordinary survival stories, up their with Alive. A great story of the outdoors that rivals Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster. However it may not be quite as good as the documentary on the same story, Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival.
Seth J. Frantzman
BORING BORING BORING.......2007-07-29
i am sorry but i was so disappointed with this book! -i read this book after seeing all the great reviews and i do not understand all the hype- i think the only reason there are so many great reviews is that climbers stick together and have a reverence for eachother so perhaps they don't want to "pan" joe simpson's book- but as far as i am concerned, this book was very poorly written, so slow, so boring, way too technical and such a chore to get through- i didn't understand what all the terms meant and even when looking them up, i still couldn't get a clear picture of what was happening to him- even the photos were of no help- if you are not a climber you will have the same problem- and if you are a climber, you will still find it as i described above less the terminology problems- i didn't find it enjoyable at all- i expected to find it rivetting and interesting and heart wrenching but it was none of the above- and his friend simon yates was so despicable in this book that you just can't believe that joe even talks to him let alone includes his version of events in this book and dedicates the book to him? huh?- it just made no sense- but,
if you do want the greatest true adventure survival story EVER WRITTEN then you ABSOLUTELY MUST read "ADRIFT"- it is BY FAR the greatest true survival story ever written- it is superbly written and you don't have to be a sailor to understand his plight- your heart aches and you feel you are there as he literally drifts across the atlantic in a sinking dinghy for 76 days waiting to be rescued- but he realizes no one is coming to rescue him, so therefore, he must save himself- UNBELIEVABLE- he is an amazing man- now this is an amazing story of survival- i am shocked that touching the void was even put to pen to be honest- this may sound unkind but while i was reading it i kept thinking, "why was a book written about this?" -didn't seem worth writing a book over- (sorry joe- glad you are alive though of course)- i encourage you all to skip this one and read "ADRIFT" instead- UPDATE: i decided to rent the movie "touching the void" from the library to see if the movie made for a more interesting story- well yes it did- it wasn't the best adventure survival movie i have ever seen but it was still infinitely better than the book- and it was nice to see the real joe tell the story- he really lets us into his soul i find and one could see how much this experience has affected him- tears were never far from his eyes- i came away liking the guy- you will not get the same feeling from simon yates, however- if you read his excerpts in the book and watch him in the movie, you will see he is a cold person, a friend you wouldn't want to have- a friend who would leave you to die when you needed him- with friends like that who needs enemies? glad you are safe joe! and i must say it was brave of simon to show his face in the movie- at least he is not denying his role (or lack thereof) in this adventure- to you readers, my advice is to watch the movie over the book-
Touching the void-a touching story.......2007-06-01
Joe Simpson, and Simon Yates are truely admirable and courageous people. The bravery Joe Simpson mantained during his difficult situation is amazing, and an attitude to look up to. His frustration was understandable and the fact he made it was somewhat...a miracle.
Simon Yates was called by many a traitor. He cut the rope when (although he wasn't aware of it) Joe Simpson, alive but not so well, was on the recieving end. People think this is disgraceful but if you watch the film, or read the book you will accept why he did it. You'll also find it took more bravery for him to cut the rope, than stay there in the freezing cold, never living to tell the tale.
The rope is, apparently, a representitive of the bond between the climbers, but really it's just a rope.
Hard to put this book down once started........2007-05-29
This book is well written, very interesting to anyone who has been up on a Mountain in South America or elsewhere. I enjoyed reading this book as a recommendation I had from a British climber on our trip to Cotopaxi in Equador.
Average customer rating:
- An Unfinished Novel Not As Good As His Other Works
- Incomplete autobiographical novel lacking a mythic dimension
- For addicts only
- incomplete, but great work
- Albert Camus' The First Man - we have no right to read this
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The First Man
Albert Camus
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ASIN: 0679439374
Release Date: 1995-08-29 |
Book Description
In The First Man Albert Camus tells the story of Jacques Cormery, a boy who lived a life much like his own. Camus summons up the sights, sounds, and textures of a childhood circumscribed by poverty and a father's death yet redeemed by the austere beauty of Algeria and the boy's attachment to his nearly deaf-mute mother. The result is a moving journey through the lost landscape of youth that also discloses the wellspring of Camus' aesthetic powers and moral vision.
Customer Reviews:
An Unfinished Novel Not As Good As His Other Works.......2007-08-27
As a point of reference, I have read most of Camus's major works. The present novel is a straightforward story and it is supposed to be partially biographical. It was published decades after Camus's death by his daughter. The work was unfinished and it was never edited by Camus. As such, it has a bit of a raw feel to the story and I thought it was not as good as his other works, all of which are all excellent.
It could have been a much better novel if he had finished the work. The work does not contain Camus's famous irony and references to the absurd that are found in other works, i.e.: unlike his other works, he does not delve into his ideas on the absurd, and the revolt against a world of the absurd and of injustice.
Albert Camus (1913 - 1960) was a French writer and philosopher. He is often associated with existentialism, but Camus rejected any ideological classification. Camus was a young recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature when he became the first African-born writer to receive the award in 1957. He died in a car crash only three years after receiving the award. He was a social activist and Communist, and fought with the French resistance in WWII. Later he rejected Communism. The present book is his last work and was never finished.
On January 4, 1960, at the age of forty-six, Camus was killed in a car accident outside Paris and the manuscript of The First Man was found at the crash scene. The protagonist is a man similar to Camus himself, Jacques Cormery, who grew up in Algiers. It is a novel about a young boy growing up and his interaction with his mother and grandmother. It is a story being told by an older Cormery, now 40 years old, who is visiting his older mother, now 72. Camus's technique is to use flashbacks of Cormery's childhood injected into the story during the visit by the 40 year old Cormery. In addition to the story of his youth from the era of WWI and post WWI, there are a number of comments on the struggle for power in Algeria and the attacks on the French in the 1950s.
This novel has just a neutral recommendation and it is not a good example of his work. It is different and perhaps Camus was taking a new path with his work, but as a novel as it stands it is flawed. The reader is left to wonder what Camus could have accomplished if he had lived. Having said that, the novel was unfinished, so The Stranger and perhaps The Fall remain as his best novels, followed by The Plague. Those works include his irony and philosophical views. Also, Camus has written some good drama and non-fiction. This leaves the present unfinished novel down near the bottom of his body of work.
Incomplete autobiographical novel lacking a mythic dimension .......2007-03-14
The manuscript of this book was in the car with Camus when he had his fatal crash. His family held back publication for over thirty years. One reason was the incompleteness of the manuscript. A second was the hostile political atmosphere which had emerged in relation to Camus. Unlike Sartre Camus had refused to justify Soviet crimes. His position on Algeria which was a nuanced one , angered both sides.
The novel itself is closer to a memoir than anything else Camus has written. It lacks the kind of mythic and philosophical dimension of Camus most well- known works, "The Stranger" " The Plague " " The Fall" "The Myth of Sisyphus". it tells the story of a child whose father has been killed in the First World War, and who is raised by his mother and grandmother. It tells of a world of Algerian poverty .And it to tells of how the child finds a way out of this world through having been guided and helped by a beloved teacher. The teacher who Camus honored and remembered throughout his life saw the great ability in young Camus and developed this.
There are some outstanding passages in the book in which Camus shows the reflectiveness so central to his major works
" To begin with poor people's memory is less nourished than that of the rich : it has fewer landmarks in space because they seldom leave the place where they live, and fewer reference points in time throughout lives that are grey and featureles. Of course there is the memory of the heart that they say is the surest kind, but the heart wears out with sorrow and labour, it forgets sooner under the weight of fatigue. Remembrance of things past is just for the rich.For the poor it only marks faint trances on the path to death"
This work it seems does not rank with Camus' best work but does have importance in throwing additional light on the details of the life of one of the great writers and moralists of the twentieth century.
For addicts only.......2005-12-10
This incomplete last novel by Camus tells the story of Jacques Cormery who, by visiting his father's war grave, opens up memories of his childhood in Algeria. He recalls the poverty of his family, his intellectual development, his impressions of the country and the various characters who lived there. The growth of Jacques's self-identity is charted.
As stated above, this novel is incomplete and indeed reads very much as "work in progress". There are footnotes indicating where Camus made marginal notes on his manuscript, and gaps where sentences and paragraphs end in mid-air or where a word in the manuscript was illegible.
This being Camus, there is writing of great descriptive and reflective strength, but clearly there are many other parts he must have wanted either to cut or to develop further (sometimes this is indicated in the notes). As a whole, it really required reworking and editing. To state the obvious, it also needed finishing. The narrative flow is not what it might have been had the author had the chance to complete his task. Ultimately, it's an unfulfilling work.
G Rodgers
incomplete, but great work.......2005-06-08
It is reallly not fair to rate a work that is not complete. As an artist, I know how horrifying it is to show unfinished works to anybody. It really is a violation. However, whether this is Camus's first draft or 2nd draft, the evidence is everywhere what kind of great book it would have been had he had a chance to edit it, re-structure and re-write it. It was a great learning experience for me to study what a potential masterpiece looks like in the early stage of its creation.
In this draft, it seems that he was just writing down everything that had come to his mind, the things that he remembered and thought could be part of the story. It's not edited or organized well, so there are some inconsistency, unfinished sentences, and confusions. The plot is not clear, you don't know where the story is going, and the structure is not solid. There are some parts that can be eliminated as well.
But the writing itself is still very strong and beautiful, and there is a lot of wisdom in it. I especially enjoyed the chapter "the school." In this chapter he talks about the school life of the protagonist and how the teacher M. Bernard taught the children with love and discipline, and how the children loved and adored him, despite the corporal punishment they received from him for misbehaving. It's the kind of teacher-student relationship you rarely see in today's society. Each episode is vivid, detailed, heart-warming, full of wisdom and love, and beautifully written.
At the end of the book, after the story ceases, there is a section called "Interleaves." It's a collection of notes and memos of Camus, bits and pieces of scenes or dialogues, thoughts and ideas, which didn't have a chance to take parts of the book. Obviously Camus was planning to use them. They suggest that had he lived to finish the work, it would have been a totally different story, or that the story would have developed and ended much differently.
While it is disrespectful to read an incompleted work, it would have been a great loss if I didn't read it.
Thus I shall give him bright shining 5 stars, and thank him for having written this story.
Albert Camus' The First Man - we have no right to read this.......2004-09-12
I was going to read this book. I bought it for a graduate class I'm taking in the English department at the university where I am attaining my Master's. Then I looked into the history a bit and decided that to read this book would be to engage in ideological rape. Albert Camus did not give his CONSENT to publish this book in this version. Period. Posthumous publishing of a dead author's UNCOMPLETED work or works is immoral and unethical. I don't need to quench my voyeuristic thirst by reading something the author never intended me to read. Some might argue otherwise, but I just don't see how peeking at your sibling's diary is EVER justified. It is someone else's private property, we don't have a right to read it without their permission.
Sincerely,
Sean Hooks
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- A bad Start!
- PHENOMENAL !!!
- Ripped from
- Get this!!!
- I loved this book! Fun witty and quirky
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The Hundredth Man
Jack Kerley
Manufacturer: Signet
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Book Description
Bizarre messages carved into the flesh of two corpses in Mobile, Alabama, launch a special unit devoted to solving psychotic crimes. They're also launching Detective Carson Ryder into a nightmare with only one weapon-his own terrifying past.
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"""This is a pitch-perfect psychological thriller..."" -Library Journal,(starred review) Recalling Michael Connelly's taut storytelling and James Patterson's searing narrative twists, The Hundredth Man introduces a daring new talent. From its explosive first pages to its startling conclusion, this novel creates a world where heroes can't succeed without madmen, and the dead are the most dangerous of all. When bizarre and cryptic messages are found on a pair of corpses in Mobile, Alabama, junior police detective Carson Ryder and veteran cop Harry Nautilus find themselves in a mysterious public-relations quagmire pitting public safety against office politics. With the body count growing, Ryder must confront his family's terrifying past by seeking advice from his brother, a violent psychopath convicted of similarly heinous crimes. Ryder finds himself falling for Ava, the striking pathologist processing the gruesome corpses. But Ava's past holds its own nightmarish secrets. Chasing false leads while their boss relentlessly undermines all progress, Ryder and Nautilus come to realize someone close to them is the killer's ultimate target. Thundering to a stark and chilling revelation, The Hundredth Man marks the arrival of an author who raises the stakes on every page."
Customer Reviews:
A bad Start!.......2007-04-04
Jack Kerley made a very dissapointing 'debut' with this novel. 'Hundredth Man, The' is just another serial killer suspense, without any point of originality and - even worse - with a plot so ludicrous, so unbelievable, that you'll feel a jerk to lose your time with a so bottomless book.
To say the truth, Mr. Kerley made a direct rip-off of Thomas Harris celebrated characther, Hannibal Lecter, in the figure of the insane brother of the detective who is investigating the case. But all the similarity stops just here. Lecter has something to do and to say in Harris's books but the weird and crazy created by Kerley is just a crazy crying all the time!.
Don't lose your time and your money.
PHENOMENAL !!!.......2007-03-29
Let me start by saying that Jack Kerley is a terrific writer. From the chilling first chapter to the nail biting end, The Hundredth Man pulls you in and doesn't let you out. I was trapped in this book for 2 days. I could not put it down. The characters are fascinating, and sympathetically human. Nautilus and Ryder are very well developed and provide an entertaining sense of camaraderie, while Ryder's brother Jeremy is terrifyingly fun to read. Ryder's old wounds and personal conflicts are exploited through out the book and provide the insight that makes him a very likable hero. Kerley unfolds the plot masterfully as nothing goes unexplained or wasted. Every chapter and sub-plot has a purpose. The author gets you hooked on just enough information to draw you in until the answers explode on the pages in dramatic fashion. There is enough humor to make you laugh aloud, just enough horror to keep you on edge and plenty of surprises to keep you guessing. My only complaint is that the writing, while fresh, vivid and stylish, is burdened by numerous typos. It's the only reason I did not give this book 5 stars. There are simply way too many. Looking past the poor editing this is a phenomenal book that sets into motion what should be a terrific series. I can't wait to read the next two installments already out.
Ripped from.......2007-02-26
... the pages of the Hannibal Lector genre. Insane but insightful murderer-consultant. Empath-cop with a violent childhood. Venal ladder-climbing bigwig who gets in the protaganist's way.
Even though this is a familiar read, Kerley does entertain with his imaginative use of adjectives. The plot kept me afloat for the most part, though as he headed toward the climax, I found myself urging him to wrap things up a little faster. I mean, we all know how it's going to end.
Get this!!!.......2007-01-28
Great, great book!!! I couldn't put it down and finished it in 2 or 3 days. I have recomended this book to many people. I was very impressed with Kerley's style and how smooth of a read this book was. It will grab you and grip you and suck you right in!
This guy is one to keep up with for future writings!!!
I loved this book! Fun witty and quirky.......2006-09-16
Carson Ryder, is a detective on the fast track. Hiding from his past, Carson is forced to seek help from his deranged psychotic killer brother, whose insights help him understand the criminal mind. Together with his old friend and partner Harry Nautilus they investigate a series of murders. Along the way there are a lot of wise-cracks and humour as they deal with internal politics and solve the crime. Carson is also dealt an alcoholic love interest in the form of the new ME. Carson solves the crime but not without first putting his own life in danger.
Yes, some of the characters were clichéd (a big African American cop, a "tough" woman ME), but it was an incredible page turner with witty writing and an interesting character in the form of new detective, Carson Ryder. The psychotic serial killer is also a familiar cliché but that's what I like to read and I thought this was pretty good.
The Hundredth Man is fun and entertaining. If you're reading it for a serious treatise on serial killers you won't find it. There are some interesting insights into the minds of the psychopathic but that's not what this book is about. Readers of this book might also enjoy the JA Konrath novels.
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