Hell Hath No Fury (Multiverse, Book 2)

Book Description

It began with two men. They came from very different worlds¿entirely different universes, in fact¿and they met in a virgin forest on a duplicate planet Earth. Neither of them had expected it, both of them realized how important the first contact with any other trans-universal human civilization might be. But something went wrong. Neither side knows who shot first. But both the magic-using civilization of Arcana and steel-and-steam age Sharona, with its psionic Talents, think it was the other side. And it doesn't really matter, now, because the original incident has snowballed. Both sides have additional dead to mourn; both sides have additional wrongs to avenge. Both sides have additional military forces moving towards the front. War between the universes is the last thing responsible leaders on either side want. But the fury of their respective populations, xenophobic fear of the unknown, and cries for "justice" (or vengeance), are all driving both sides towards the brink. The actions of local military commanders and diplomats may well determine the final outcome, and unscrupulous, power-hungry men¿and Arcana and Sharona alike¿have agendas of their own. The fuse has been lit, and a war stretching across the universes, across an endless succession of identical Earths, fought between dragons, spells, and crossbows and repeating rifles, machine guns, and artillery is about to begin in white-hot rage and fury. Where it will end¿and how¿no one knows.

Customer Reviews:

Hell Hath No Fury (Multiverse, Book 2).......2007-07-05

A good follow up though a little weak in maintaining interest at some points. It is still a good read for Weber fans.

A great series continues.......2007-06-11

The conflict between two civilizations that span multiple parallel Earths (Sharona, based on technology and psi, and Arcana, based on magic) that started in Hell's Gate (Multiverse, Book 1) continues, blown into war by a power hungry faction of Arcanans, who are contemptuous of the abilities of barbarians unaware of the use of magic.
Several threads are present to be of later importance - the dolphin alliance with Sharona (from the first book, but not referenced since), the Voice (telepath) from Sharona with her husband and the honorable Arcanans escorting them into Arcana, the newly unified Sharononian government at pseudo-Constantinople and, of course, the soldiers of both civilizations (with a developing conflict between those Arcanans who knowingly fabricated the war and those who are finding out the truth). An additional intriguing occurrence is the gradual discovery by those of each side who've penetrated the other's territory of the nature of their own skills in a vastly different environment (that's a little cryptic, but to say much more would be spoiler). There's also a bit of a cliff-hanger ending each of the books.
There are glossaries that help overcome the sense of disorientation of unfamiliar names for familiar locations (I used a map for book one and wrote names as I read through the book) and to keep track of the large number of characters. The atlas glossary could use some editing - e.g. one region is referred to as being both "west of India" and "containing China" and another area is referred to as belonging to the opposite civilization from what's stated in the text. It is still very useful, despite a little carelessness.
There is so much material that this series should last for several more books. If not, there will be a lot of unhappy fans.

A very good Rich Weber book.......2007-06-01

In a world where trans-dimensional rifts allow movement between parallel universes, two mighty empires have arisen. One uses magic uses a highly-developed magic, while the other is based on steam technology and psionics. And when they came together, conflict was probably inevitable. In this, the second book of the series, war has now come, and Hell hath no fury like this war across the multiverse!

I am a big David Weber fan, and I couldn't wait to get this series. Overall, I like the way that the author handled the two disparate technologies (magic developed to the point of technology and psionics also developed to the point of technology), and the war scenes are pretty realistic and gruesome. Overall, I found this to be a very good Rich Weber book, one that I do not hesitate to recommend.

A great read.......2007-05-17

The first book in the series was good even though confusing with the introduction of all the characters and places. This one really clicked. I could hardly put it down. The action was great, the characters well developed, and the story flowed smoothly. I am so looking forward to the next one.

Top-notch combat action. The usual Weber detailed political intrigue.

Going From Bad To Worse.......2007-05-15

In HELL'S GATE, David Weber and Linda Evans created an interesting new series of universes in which to play and posited a first contact scenario between the two civilizations as a botched effort, rife with misunderstandings on both sides and tragic violence. In this second volume, the situation just gets worse as misunderstandings proliferate and people with ulterior motives and hidden agendas do their best to promote themselves at the expense of their societies.

One of the civilizations under scrutiny is fairly backward from a technological point of view and could best be described as pre-industrial. To make up for this lack, they employ genuine magic, complete with fire breathing dragons. Since the other side has no conception of this, it is difficult to fight.

The other side has a Victorian industrial base but supplements itself with various psionic powers. This too proves formidable for their opponents who have no conception at to how this might operate.

In this installment, the magical side has launched an offensive cloaked by negotiations in an order to gain the military high ground. The campaign is being run by officers in the area and their high command has no idea of what is going on or even that a war has broken out. This book takes us several months into the conflict and the line of communications is so long that the home world has not yet even found out about it. This leaves the in theater commander free to wreak havoc for his own personal agenda and that of his ethnic group.

The opposing side is remote but not as remote from the point of contact. They have been ambushed and are mad. They are mobilizing for total war but again, they are hampered by personal agendas.

We are only a few months into the series and it promises to be a long affair. I look forward to reading about it.

Average customer rating:

the Codex Alera series has gathered steam, so beware: this book is impossible to put down
furious at appendix free sagas [spoilers noted]
Keeps on Building
The Furies
Disppointing

Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera)
Jim Butcher
Manufacturer: Ace Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0441014348

Book Description

The power-hungry High Lord of Kalare has launched a rebellion against the aging First Lord, Gaius Sextus, who with the loyal forces of Alera must fight beside the unlikeliest of allies-the equally contentious High Lord of Aquitaine.

Meanwhile, young Tavi of Calderon joins a newly formed legion under an assumed name even as the ruthless Kalare unites with the Canim, bestial enemies of the realm whose vast numbers spell certain doom for Alera. When treachery from within destroys the army's command structure, Tavi finds himself leading an inexperienced, poorly equipped legion-the only force standing between the Canim horde and the war-torn realm.

Customer Reviews:

the Codex Alera series has gathered steam, so beware: this book is impossible to put down.......2007-09-24

I am a big fan of the Dresden Files series, and I occasionally like sword-and-sorcery books, so one day when I was waiting impatiently for the next Dresden book, I started the Codex Alera series. I picked up the first one in the series, Furies of Caderon, I read it, and I thought, "Well, what a good book, that Jim Butcher is a talented author." Then I went about my business for a while, without any burning desire to read book two. I checked bookstores when I passed the fantasy section, but for some reason bookstores never stock book two, and it was almost a year before I finally bothered to order it.

So I finally read book two, Academ's Fury. And by the time I was done, I was totally hooked on the series. The first thing I did after I finished the last page was order book three, Cursor's Fury, even though it was only available in hardback. I couldn't help it. I had to know what happened. Cursor's Fury was even better than Academ's Fury - Butcher has this truly incredible ability to get a series off to a good start and then make each book better as it goes along.

I think it's only now, at the end of the third book, that this series is really ready to begin. All of the characters are on the brink of major changes, all of them are well developed, there are incredibly complex relationships between them, conflicts between personal and political goals, between feeling and principle. Characters must choose between good and evil, but they must make even more difficult choices between different goods, which cannot both be obtained, and different evils, which cannot both be prevented. We know who the (many) main characters are, what they're up to, and how it came to be so.

I love the character of Tavi, and I really love that Butcher has written against the genre and created a character who can be a hero in a magical world without ever using magic. And I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment of the series to appear.

furious at appendix free sagas [spoilers noted].......2007-09-11

Three years have passed for Tavi as "Cursor's Fury" resumes the clever fury crafting and political maneuvering found in "The Codex Alera" novels. However the stories have become formulaic; establish overwhelming odds for all battles (ten to one against preferably), somehow disable several of the popular fury crafters to build further drama, and insert sulky low-confidence thoughts when possible. The romantic interactions between couples are a little excessive with the young adult lustful looks and incessant kisses.

[minor spoiler]

The author specifically mentions Roman's and Roman war engine equipment. The fury laced fantasy world has evolved from either a dimension of Earth or a future Earth. It will be interesting to read how the Roman riddle unravels.

[end minor spoiler]

Tavi's companions are brainless, haphazardly calling him by name while he's incognito since it is easy to spy with furies. Although I applaud the author's patience revealing the enigma behind Tavi's heritage and Isana's hatred towards Gaius Sextus during the series, there is some dissatisfaction given the growing cliché nature. The antagonists risk much opposing Gaius but rarely display any true evil as found in the first novel "Furies of Calderon". In general, the tale develops nicely amid troubling times in a realm where magic reigns.

The abundant quantity of characters along with the new military ranks from different cultures and extra definitions has grown absurd to where I feel a comprehensive appendix is necessary. Furthermore, I would call for detailed maps of the significant terrains on all the geography covered throughout the series.

I recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

Keeps on Building.......2007-09-02

Cursor's Fury keeps building on the story the author started in Furies of Calderon. The characters continue to evolve in a believable way that draws a reader more and more into the story. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series - and have pre-ordered it!

The Furies.......2007-08-13

I really like this series. It took me awhile to get what was going on in the first book, but now that it's up to book 3, I am hooked. This is the same author that wrote The Dresden Files.

Disppointing.......2007-08-12

I only say that it is dippointing becuse the previous 2 books really captured my imagination. In this book, some of the key char_cters lost their strength and courage. The plot felt loose instead of compacted as it was in the first 2 books. In a series, I understand this can happen in series. I fervently hope that in the next book, it will come together again.

Average customer rating:

Get cliff notes as a reading companion.
Huh?!
Want to know what's inside Faulkner's head?
You've got to be kidding
Great book - top ten of all time

The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Classics | Literature & Fiction | Book Clubs | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0679732241
Release Date: 1991-01-30

Amazon.com

The ostensible subject of The Sound and the Fury is the dissolution of the Compsons, one of those august old Mississippi families that fell on hard times and wild eccentricity after the Civil War. But in fact what William Faulkner is really after in his legendary novel is the kaleidoscope of consciousness--the overwrought mind caught in the act of thought. His rich, dark, scandal-ridden story of squandered fortune, incest (in thought if not in deed), madness, congenital brain damage, theft, illegitimacy, and stoic endurance is told in the interior voices of three Compson brothers: first Benjy, the "idiot" man-child who blurs together three decades of inchoate sensations as he stalks the fringes of the family's former pasture; next Quentin, torturing himself brilliantly, obsessively over Caddy's lost virginity and his own failure to recover the family's honor as he wanders around the seedy fringes of Boston; and finally Jason, heartless, shrewd, sneaking, nursing a perpetual sense of injury and outrage against his outrageous family.

If Benjy's section is the most daringly experimental, Jason's is the most harrowing. "Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say," he begins, lacing into Caddy's illegitimate daughter, and then proceeds to hurl mud at blacks, Jews, his sacred Compson ancestors, his glamorous, promiscuous sister, his doomed brother Quentin, his ailing mother, and the long-suffering black servant Dilsey who holds the family together by sheer force of character.

Notoriously "difficult," The Sound and the Fury is actually one of Faulkner's more accessible works once you get past the abrupt, unannounced time shifts--and certainly the most powerful emotionally. Everything is here: the complex equilibrium of pre-civil rights race relations; the conflict between Yankee capitalism and Southern agrarian values; a meditation on time, consciousness, and Western philosophy. And all of it is rendered in prose so gorgeous it can take your breath away. Here, for instance, Quentin recalls an autumnal encounter back home with the old black possum hunter Uncle Louis:

And we'd sit in the dry leaves that whispered a little with the slow respiration of our waiting and with the slow breathing of the earth and the windless October, the rank smell of the lantern fouling the brittle air, listening to the dogs and to the echo of Louis' voice dying away. He never raised it, yet on a still night we have heard it from our front porch. When he called the dogs in he sounded just like the horn he carried slung on his shoulder and never used, but clearer, mellower, as though his voice were a part of darkness and silence, coiling out of it, coiling into it again. WhoOoooo. WhoOoooo. WhoOooooooooooooooo.

What Faulkner has created is a modernist epic in which characters assume the stature of gods and the primal family events resonate like myths. It is The Sound and the Fury that secures his place in what Edmund Wilson called "the full-dressed post-Flaubert group of Conrad, Joyce, and Proust." --David Laskin

Book Description

First published in 1929, Faulkner created his "heart's darling," the beautiful and tragic Caddy Compson, whose story Faulkner told through separate monologues by her three brothers--the idiot Benjy, the neurotic suicidal Quentin and the monstrous Jason.

Customer Reviews:

Get cliff notes as a reading companion........2007-07-15

I read a lot and I like to think that I am pretty smart. I thought I could read and understand this book on my own. That was a bad idea. 4 chapters with four different narratives. The first chapter is narrated by Benjy, a mentally retarded individual who has no concept of time. As a result his narrative shifts all over a thirty year period. Faulkner goes out of his way to make things confusing by not always indicated when the time shifts occur. I swear Faulkner made the book difficult for the sake of making it difficult. For example, one of Benjy's brothers is named Quentin, which is the same name that his sister has given his niece. The second and third chapters become progressively easier to understand, however, I found the fourth chapter quite confusing. While you can pick up the overall themes of the novel and what Faulkner is trying to convey, it wasn't until after I got the cliff notes that I fully understood all of the details. If I had the cliff notes before hand it would have made the book more enjoyable. Probably 4-5 stars if I had the cliff notes as I was reading.

Huh?!.......2007-06-01

I absolutely enjoy reading classics and because this was mentioned on the great 100 books list, I thought i might give it a shot.
My GOD it was so hard to read. I truly do enjoy challenges but i couldn't understand what the heck was going on through most of the first half of the book.
I do understand the purpose of Faulkner writing in so many different dialects/styles however it was painful to read. I finally had to set the book aside and read a synopsis of the book to really understand what the heck was going on and even after reading that, I seriously questioned how one could possibly pick up on those nuances from reading the book.

This book is impossibly difficult to read and frankly, for what the actual plot ended up being, really not worth it. I am still confounded as to why this book is even considered a classic.

Want to know what's inside Faulkner's head?.......2007-05-15

William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury" is one of the most difficult books I've had read. First allow me to explain the reason or at least what I think is the reason for this book being extremely difficult to me. I am only on my second semester of English (ENG 101). All my schooling prior to this one was done in Mexico. "The Sound and the Fury" is set in the Deep South, a region known for his accent among other things. So adding the accent from the Deep South plus the fact they also speak Ebonics on top made my reading a lot more difficult, especially Benjy who happens to be retarded. Faulkner's style of writing and how he unfolds this drama surrounding the Compson family share many similarities with Shakespeare style. I never knew or heard of Faulkner's work before reading this book, but through research I learn he has had a prolifically career as a writer. Faulkner has gone to write best seller books such as "As I Lay Dying," "Light in August" also award winning novels like "A Fable" and "The Reivers."
"The Sound and the Fury" is full of amazing characters. Caddy is the main character of the book. She is the object of fixation by her brothers. Her character seems to speak through actions instead of words. (Example: squatting on the branch with muddy underwear looking through the window at her grandmother's funeral...). Benjy the retard, only notice things happening around him, and has no emotions or thoughts. Jason, evil Jason has an obsession with material things. There is also Mr. Compson with his inability to be a father at all levels. Mrs. Compson the mother who can't take care of herself or her family. And finally there is Dilsey the house keeper who is the responsible kind and always looking up for the family.
Regardless of all the trouble I went to finish this book; I highly recommend it reading it. This is definitively not your weekend book, so be ready to get a pencil and paper to get a better understanding of it. Faulkner use of symbolism makes it harder to understand that's why the need to pick up a pencil and paper. But once you get pass all the symbolism and get comfortable with his style of writing it all makes sense.
Done by: Jose G Flores

You've got to be kidding.......2007-05-12

Please, don't insult my intelligence. Faulkner was a Jamnes Joyce wannabe; his characters are poorly-educated, racist and revolting, they have no thoughts worth following anyway. And his writing style is a very poor imitation of Joyce's with its split-time and stream of consciousness. Both Dashiell Hammett and Jack Kerouac could write rings around Faulkner.

Great book - top ten of all time.......2007-04-02

This is an amazing, crazy book that takes a lot of work to read, but it is absolutely worth your effort. In fact it will be impossible for you to grasp every part of the story during the first read. It is told from the point of view of four people who live in a small southern town, set in about the 1930s. The first section is told through the viewpoint of a mentally challenged guy named Benji... you just won't be able to understand everything, nor is the reader meant to understand everything, upon a first casual read. Anyway, this made my top ten of all time list. Great book... the one-star reviews are that way because (and I can sympathize) the reader wasn't able or didn't put forth the effort to read the whole book. Maybe glance at a cliffs-notes type of review before reading, so you can understand the structure of the book... check it out though!

Average customer rating:

Episodic
fast and furious [no spoilers]
Excellent Fantasy Read
Do not eat this book
Amazing

Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera)
Jim Butcher
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 044101268X

Book Description

In the realm of Alera, where people bond with the furies--elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal--fifteen-year-old Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. But when his homeland erupts in chaos--when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies-- Tavi's simple courage will turn the tides of war.

Customer Reviews:

Episodic.......2007-09-07

Best known for his Dresden Files series, author Jim Butcher's foray into epic fantasy begins with the tediously predictable yet irritatingly addictive FURIES OF CALDERON. I found the book mostly epic fluff, but surprisingly unputdownable. The book contains episodic, soap-opera plotting which will inexorably compel me to find out what happens to some of the characters in spite of my overall lack of enjoyment. With names like Gaius Sextus and Legionnaires in the Legion, a Roman inspiration characterizes the book's settings and backdrop. This book firmly belongs to the young woman Amara, her missions under the First Lord and her romance with Bernard.

Some positives to begin with. I liked the magic system: humans command "Fury" elementals incipient in earth, water, air, wood, steel to do their bidding. Some of the elementals lend themselves to naturally restorative functions such as water furies while other elementals exhibit a tendency for destruction such as earth furies. For a fantasy series, Butcher injects the book with a prevalent romantic flavor. Astonishingly, I felt some of the romance here could have been written by pure romance novelists, and it almost seems like Jim Butcher has read some historical romance novels. For instance, Amara's tingling, melting reactions in response to a tall, broad-shouldered, handsome widower. The pacing is fast, and Butcher keeps the action and romance flowing in this 504-page paperback. There's some genuine gray characters and the book thankfully dismisses the black-and-white Good vs. Evil struggle in epic fantasies. In fact, treachery and civil conflict marked much of the climactic battle here with each group and character striving for their own end goals.

Possible SPOILERS ahead.

Now for the negatives which easily overwhelmed the positives. The plotting was entirely formulaic and predictable. There's even a magical river flood akin to the flood in Tolkien's FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING before the companions arrive at Rivendale. The prose was, in general, below average to average. There's an attempt at settings and world building but I've seen better, even in pure romance novels. I hated that our 15 year-old protagonist boy Tavi behaves more like a 7,8 year-old baby often crying and screaming in terror most of the time. If I were a 15 year-old boy, I'd resent anyone calling me a "boy" or "child" at every turn, and I'd definitely avoid any emotional outbursts in public (hugging, crying). Tavi is too much of a do-gooder at 15, I know I found myself in much more mischief at the same age. For a series about a boy's coming-of-age, the first installment FURIES OF CALDERON firmly belongs to our young woman Amara, and her mission as Cursor under the First Lord of the Aleran Kingdom. I really could have done without Amara's romance with Tavi's uncle, the tall, broad-shouldered, strong and handsome Bernard. I found myself begrudging any chapter from Amara's perspective, which comprises a majority of the novel. I don't know, something about her, I just didn't like, and I liked Bernard even less. The entire combination was just... bleh. Butcher mostly employs Amara's perspective in the prolonged climactic finale featuring the battle between the Marat barbarians and the Roman-inspired Alerans at the Garrison in Calderon Valley. The interminable climactic battle was long and pointless! Almost every other chapter, there's the threat of a major death, but unfortunately, you know this type of novel lacks the audacity to kill off a major character. By the end of the novel, with *everyone* surviving for future books, it all seemed sooooo very, very, very vapidly pointless. It's funny, I couldn't take The Major Death in Scott Lynch's RED SEAS UNDER RED SKIES, but I was begging for some deaths here, Amara and Bernard most of all. I would have given the book 2 stars if this novel had killed off Amara and Bernard! Most of the protagonists I found aggravating or unlikable. I disliked Tavi, hated Bernard and Amara. I liked Tavi's Aunt Isana (though she sparingly appears), I enjoyed the redoubtable warrior Aldrick's mistress, the water witch Odiana, and I definitely enjoyed our disillusioned antagonist Fidelias. Finally, the magic is egregiously overused. It's a danger of fantasy novels, but magic users here fling their furies at foes and allies alike with impunity and without any limitations. Whenever Amara needs some aid in a pinch, oh let's just call on her wind fury Cirrus to fly her to safety or deliver a lethal blow! Oh someone suffered a fatal wound? Fear not, Isana's water fury Rill to the rescue! It gets seriously out of hand, and you start to question whether death exists for our main characters in Butcher's world at all.

Anyway, I can't believe I want to read the next novel in this series after this poor fantasy effort. I guess Jim Butcher hooked me enough to find out if/when Tavi will ever get his fury, who Tavi's parents are, will we see Tavi's Marat rival Kitai who turns out to be a girl, will Tavi grow out of his crying and screaming, will Amara and Bernard ever die. Episodic? Anecdotal? Fluff? Yep. Yep. And yep.

fast and furious [no spoilers].......2007-09-06

"Furies of Calderon" starts "The Codex Alera" series with appealing characters amid pure storytelling. The characters and environment details are exceptional plus the intriguing tale has plenty of adventure and suspense. Constant action outside of the great battles develop all of the characters sufficiently, protagonists and antagonists alike.

The magic is fascinating yet overwhelming since an entire populace has it. Aleran's work with at least one fury, a spirit like entity related to air, earth, fire, metal, water, or wood, and each fury has special abilities and strengths generally depending upon the creativity and skill of the crafter. Unfortunately young shepherd Tavi cannot summon any furies and relies solely on his strength and wit to function in an enhanced realm.

There are countless characters throughout, the sneaky Cursors Amara and Fidelias, the dangerous duo furymasters Aldrick ex Gladius and Odiana, and Tavi's guardians Aunt Isana and Uncle Bernard (sister and brother). All individuals receive enough literary consideration to understand their primary motivations but leaves adequate mysteries unresolved as excellent cliffhangers for future novels. Several of them unreasonably survive near death experiences, a trait numerous authors exploit with their favorites.

Even though the occasional sentence structure suffers from rambling, the novel would be more acceptable by young readers if not for the rare vicious incident where its specifics aren't essential to the plot. A detailed map of the significant terrains and comprehensive appendix would have been useful.

I recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

Excellent Fantasy Read.......2007-07-16

My girlfriend picked this book up for my birthday last month and I devoured it over the course of several days. The setup does take a little while, but I did not feel that it dragged, and it was well worth it once the action really began kicking. This is definitely a page turner, as the characters face crisis after crisis and combat after combat. The concept of "furies" - elemental spirits that bond to almost everyone in the land (with the exception of Tavi, one of the protagonists) - is a well-executed one and Butcher was very creative in how he had his characters use them to help them in various situations. The world itself also feels well fleshed out and most of the characters really do read like characters, not just caricatures - the protagonists are likeable and you root for them to come through, while the antagonists are a mixed bag - they range from truly evil (Kord), to conflicted but determined to follow their beliefs (Fidelias). Well done there.

The only disappointments I had with the novel were minor - he really lays it on a bit thick in the ending, specifically the last chapter, rather over the top and kind of indulgent (the very last couple of paragraphs are nice though). And his sexual morality seems rather on the conservative side (good guys blush at nudity, enjoy only fleeting kisses and nothing more - bad guys enjoy nudity, sex, infidelity, rape, etc), which seemed somewhat out of place given the darker aspects of the plot. Perhaps he wrote it this way because he was going for a younger audience, but then again, there are some pretty sinister scenes and chapters that may not sit well with kids (or more likely their parents).

Despite those two complaints, I'd have to give this a strong recommendation to anyone into the fantasy genre. The book is well-written, with nice description, believable motivations and a gripping tale in a land rich with magic and history. I'm very much looking forward to continuing into the series.

Oh, and as a side note, both of the "professional" reviews at the top of the page have typos and/or misinformation. User reviews are much better for this novel.

Do not eat this book.......2007-06-15

OK, silly heading, I know, but it's what came to mind, because this book reminds me of a dessert: no nutritional value, but still tastes pretty good. And that is this book in a nutshell, for me. The writing is lazy, cliches abound, the plot is totally predictable and rather derivative, but yet it is still entertaining. For all its flaws this book is good to relax with if you just want to unwind at the end of the day and not have to think too hard--it's literary meringue. I just wish it wasn't quite so cheesy.

Amazing.......2007-06-10

I've found Butcher's series to be a fantastic series which rivals that of Fiest, Jordan, Martin, and Goodkind. Unlike the previous authors Butcher's story is much more involved with character development, he's more restrained with random plot threads, and each novel gives some sense of cloture. Whereas at times with Jordan and Martin you can get drowned in the subplots, Butcher's subplots enhance our understanding of the characters seem to have definitive path, albeit with a few twists, and are all together interesting. Finally, the series seems to be on shcedule of 1 book a year. If you love Martin, Jordan, Fiest, and Goodkind (and especially if you get frustrated with them) you'll love the Codex of Alera.

A Summer of Faulkner: As I Lay Dying/The Sound and the Fury/Light in August (Oprah's Book Club)

Average customer rating:

Great American literature
Challenging and thought-provoking
O Oprah
Quite a challenge for the average reader
Not for me.

A Summer of Faulkner: As I Lay Dying/The Sound and the Fury/Light in August (Oprah's Book Club)
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0307275329
Release Date: 2005-06-03

Book Description

The 2005 Summer Selection is available in an exclusive three volume boxed edition that includes a special reader’s guide with an introduction by Oprah Winfrey.

Titles include:
As I Lay Dying
This novel is the harrowing account of the Bundren family’s odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Told in turns by each of the family members–including Addie herself–the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. Originally published in 1930.

The Sound and the Fury
First published in 1929, Faulkner created his “heart’s darling,” the beautiful and tragic Caddy Compson, whose story Faulkner told through separate monologues by her three brothers–the idiot Benjy, the neurotic suicidal Quentin and the monstrous Jason.

Light in August
Light in August, a novel about hopeful perseverance in the face of mortality, features some of Faulkner’s most memorable characters: guileless, dauntless Lena Grove, in search of the father of her unborn child; Reverend Gail Hightower, who is plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen; and Joe Christmas, a desperate, mysterious drifter consumed by his mixed ancestry. Originally published in 1932.

Take a seat in Oprah’s Classroom and sign up for Faulkner 101 on www.oprah.com/bookclub.

Customer Reviews:

Great American literature.......2007-06-28

The Oprah's Book Club is a great, inexpensive way to own these literary pearls. If you do not know what you are getting into I suggest you read first Light in August, then As I Lay Dying and finally, after bracing, The Sound and the Fury. I found the second a tad too dry and dark, but that's Faulkner. The last one is a book you will eventually reread. The first reading could be helped by the many high quality institutional web sites where this masterpiece is dissected and even rearranged for ease of approach. I am witholding a star simply because I have formed the opinion that Faulkner is, to put in mildly, racially biased or at least wrote for the racially biased. I would love to hear what Oprah thinks about this aspect of Faulkner's but I do not have the time. Enjoy.

Challenging and thought-provoking.......2007-01-05

These novels are not to be read for sheer pleasure, but rather for the challenge and the depth. They are not easy to read, though *Light in August* is the easiest of the three. The prose is so difficult at times that I needed to reread again and again. I had to stop and take numerous breaks because my brain got twisted around.

I strongly suggest getting research materials from a university librray if at all possible to help navigate the stories. In the end, the depth of these novels is profound and extremely rewarding. It was only after I finished them (and read a lot of extra research articles) that I truly appreciated them. These novels are definitely amazing and a great account of southern life in the early part of the 20th century (and after the civil war), and I admire Faulkner more than I ever thought I could.

If you thought James Joyce was complex, try Faulkner!

O Oprah.......2006-08-27

AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner

I respect what he did, but I read about 15% of this one before I got bored. I don't agree with Oprah that he's difficult. I knew exactly where he was coming from and where he wanted to go. Many relevant themes and he was a damn fine wordsmith. But it's old news to this jaded old redneck. I don't know why. I realize I just dismissed an author who deserved his Pulitzers and his Nobel Prize, in a single short paragraph, but please hold back on the hate mail.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner

Ditto. You hate me, don't you?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIGHT IN AUTUMN by William Faulkner

Ditto. Hoo boy, now you want me dead.

Quite a challenge for the average reader.......2006-07-25

Quite a challenge for the average reader.

I want to say something like, "you owe it to yourself to read these books."... and perhaps you do. I, however, don't get it. I read the insert by Opera, and all the scholars, I read As I Lay Dying, like I was supposed to, and I simply don't get the allure of Faulkner.

So reader beware. It is a challenge to read Faulkner, not because his ideas are so very profound, but because his writing style leaves me unable to care for any of his characters in any meaningful way. The dialogue is far too folksy, and though I fully realize what he is doing (presenting to us the depth of the human experience by showing us the trials and tribulations of poor folk who are just trying to make a living) I found I had no time to plod through anything more than the first 100 pages.

I realize mine is just one opinion, but think before you buy. In the reader's guide that accompanies the books, Opera suggests that you are not really a reader unless you have read Faulkner. Please take that with a grain of salt and give yourself a break... Faulkner just might not be for you.

Not for me........2006-02-22

I tried, really I did, to read these books. They were very difficult to understand. I even did an online discussion with "experts" to try to figure out what was going on, but it just didn't happen. I read "As I Lay Dying" entirely & the story behind the story told by the "experts" was okay, but did not make the read worth the time. The 2nd book, I couldn't get past the first few chapters & by the third book, I had given up. Definitely not my style.

Sharpe's Fury: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Barrosa, March 1811 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #11)

Average customer rating:

Cornwell continues his betrayal
Another good yarn from the imagination of Bernard Cornwell
sharpe`s fury
Ray Schmitt's Review
Cornwell/Sharpe does it again!

Sharpe's Fury: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Barrosa, March 1811 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #11)
Bernard Cornwell
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0060530480
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Book Description

For more than twenty years, Richard Sharpe, the brave and dashing officer who rose from rags on the street to a commission in his majesty's army, has been thrilling audiences on both the page and on screen. Now the incomparable Bernard Cornwell ("the greatest writer of historical novels today"*) returns with a thrilling new installment—the first new Sharpe novel in more than two years.

The year is 1811. With the British army penned into a small part of Portugal, and all of Spain fallen to the invader except for the coastal city of Cádiz, the French appear to have won their war. Captain Richard Sharpe has no business being in Cádiz, but when an attack on a French-held bridge goes disastrously wrong, Sharpe—accompanied by Harper, his loyal Irish sergeant, and the obnoxious Brigadier Moon—finds himself in a city under French siege. It is also a town riven by political rivalry. Some Spaniards believe their country's future would be best served if they broke their alliance with Britain and forged a friendship with Napoléon's France; their cause is only strengthened when some letters written to a prostitute by the British ambassador fall into their possession. They resort to blackmail, and Sharpe, raised in the gutters of London and taught to fight, is released into the alleys of Cádiz to find the woman and retrieve the letters.

Yet defeating the blackmailers will not save the city. That is up to the charismatic Scotsman, Sir Thomas Graham, who takes a small British force o attack the French siege lines. The attack goes horribly wrong; Sir Thomas's outnumbered army is trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea, and on a March morning, at Barrosa, Richard Sharpe finds himself embroiled in one of the most desperate infantry struggles ever fought. Sir Thomas has his own reasons for revenge, as does Sharpe, who goes into battle seeking the French colonel who precipitated the disaster that stranded Sharpe in Cádiz. In a bloody and stirring battle, Sharpe and the English get their revenge and their victory, but at a terrible cost. A triumph of both historical and battle fiction, Sharpe's Fury will sweep both old and new Sharpe fans into their hero's incredible adventures.

Customer Reviews:

Cornwell continues his betrayal.......2007-07-28

I read all of the original Sharpe series in the eighties and thought that the series had come to it's natural conclusion with Sharpes Waterloo in 1990. I was very suprised to see Sharpes Devil a couple of years later and to my mind this was a book too far in the series. Cornwell was always writing other books including the excellent Redcoat as well as his nautical thrillers. When he started the Starbuck chronicles I was delighted and followed Nates adventures in the same manner as I had Sharpe's. Then, after the Sharpe series had been shown on tv Cornwell abandoned "The Starbuck Chronicles" mid-series (after four books)and resurrected Sharpe. Not to sound too cynical but the only reason for this betrayal of fans who had bought the new books and were following Starbuck could only have been money...Cornwell betrayed and sacrificed the Starbuck fans for a newer and more lucrutive market...the new Sharpe fans worldwide who came to the books after the tv series. In order to continue to cash in along came all the new books each one inserted in a different period of Sharpe's career. If you have read the original series you won't recognise Sharpe's description in the new books..because it's Sean Bean!...Thanks Bernard, how's the yacht?

Another good yarn from the imagination of Bernard Cornwell.......2007-06-04

Several years ago I began reading Sharpe books aloud to my dyslexic husband. At the time, I was less than excited by military stories of any sort, but love makes you do all sorts of strange things, and over time I have become a fan of both Sharpe and his creator, Bernard Cornwell.

"Sharpe's Fury" is a solid entry in the series, a fast-moving and enjoyable read. However, it is not a typical Sharpe book. Instead of being in the thick of battle, Sharpe observes from the fringes--which is probably fitting since, as Cornwell points out in his historical note, Sharpe should not have been at Barrosa.

Even if he's not rampaging across the battlefield, Sharpe still has something to do (retrieving some indiscreet letters), and still manages to leave destruction in his wake.

As much fun as it is to watch Sharpe blow things up and bed pretty girls, it isn't until the last hundred pages that we get to the real meat of the story. Cornwell is a master of describing the bloody chaos of the battlefield and there was plenty of both blood and confusion at Barrosa. It is particularly fitting that the capture of a French eagle by Sergeant Patrick Masterson be included as Masterson's real life exploits helped inspire the character of Sharpe.

sharpe`s fury.......2007-05-12

another good one from cornwell. but he had to go into the past (of sharpe`s) to do it. i hope he does one that will not go into sharpe`s past. but ither way, we need more of shape

Ray Schmitt's Review.......2007-03-14

This book was boiler plate Sharpe. It lacked the craftmenship and scope of such fine books as Sharpe's Regiment and Sharpe's Waterloo which were two of Cornwell's best. I enjoyed it, however.

Cornwell/Sharpe does it again!.......2007-02-22

Cornwell has produced another great novel with Sharpe and Harper. I somehow missed this one, it was the last of the Sharpe series that I hadn't read. I don't know where its possible for him to continue writing this series but I wish he would put out more!

Average customer rating:

Another great heroine from David Weber
Disappointed - still a solid read
Excellent, Simply Excellent
Furiously Good!
If you like Weber, you'll like this one!

In Fury Born
David Weber
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1416520546

Book Description

Imperial Intelligence couldn't find them, the Imperial Fleet couldn't catch them, and local defenses couldn't stop them. It seemed the planet-wrecking pirates were invincible. But they made a big mistake when they raided ex-commando leader Alicia DeVries' quiet home work, tortured and murdered her family, and then left her for dead. Alicia decided to turn "pirate" herself, and stole a cutting-edge AI ship from the Empire to start her vendetta. Her fellow veterans think she's gone crazy, the Imperial Fleet has shoot-on-sight orders. And of course the pirates want her dead, too. But Alicia DeVries has two allies nobody knows about, allies as implacable as she is: a self-aware computer, and a creature from the mists of Old Earth's most ancient legends. And this trio of furies won't rest until vengeance is served.

In Fury Born is a greatly expanded new version of David Weber's popular novel Path of the Fury, which has gone through six large printings in its original mass market edition. David Weber has added considerable new material, revealing the earlier life of Alicia DeVries before she embarked on her mission of vengeance, and illuminating the universe of the original story. The result is a novel with almost twice the wordage of the original, and a must-buy for all David Weber fans.

Customer Reviews:

Another great heroine from David Weber.......2007-09-12

I admit I am an Honorverse junkie. This new psycho-b-ch from hell is really fun too. Although it takes half the book to set up the real action, I did find it quite the page turner.

Disappointed - still a solid read.......2007-09-01

"Path of the Fury" was the first book I ever read from David Weber and introduced me to him. I would said POTF and the first Honor Harrington book suffered from a pulp fantasy description on the back, but a A+ read between the covers.

In Fury Born, an expanded version of POTF, takes a tight, focused story and instead of filling in the blanks as you go (leaving a lot to your imagination) it steps you through the whole thing, spelling everything out for you.

There is also a clear difference in the style of the writing from David Weber of now (sections 1 and 2) and the David Weber of then (Section 3). Not all of the tech seemed to completely match up, either.

Overall I liked the book and I don't recommend you NOT read it. But the original Path of the Fury was better edited, focused and enjoyable. In Fury Born is more of a plodding, deliberate read.

Excellent, Simply Excellent.......2007-08-27

I'll keep this short and simple.

Characters that are well written. Plot lines that make sense. Action, adventure, real people in a future easy to imagine.

This book is well worth your time. Go ahead, buy it. You will not be disappointed.

Furiously Good!.......2007-08-23

Pretty typical Weber product. Well worth the money for a good read and a good time! Self-contained - no need for sequels to keep you buying, although the end is set up for new stories!

If you like Weber, you'll like this one!.......2007-08-17

A great book by one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed the previous version (Path of the Fury) when it was published. This version adds significant backstory and expands on the themes. Path of the Fury

Maybe it is because I have read and enjoyed the original, but the "seams" where the new material joined up with the older material were especially clear to me. I almost wish he had written it as a standalone prequel rather than what amounts to an extended novella at the beginning -- or better yet, continued the story from the end into new adventures for the characters.

Captain's Fury: Book Four of the Codex Alera

Average customer rating:

Captain's Fury: Book Four of the Codex Alera
Jim Butcher
Manufacturer: Ace Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0441015271
Release Date: 2007-12-04

Book Description

After two years of bitter conflict with the hordes of invading Canim, Tavi of Calderon, now Captain of the First Aleran Legion, realizes that a peril far greater than the Canim exists-the terrifying Vord, who drove the savage Canim from their homeland. Now, Tavi must find a way to overcome the centuries-old animosities between Aleran and Cane if an alliance is to be forged against their mutual enemy. And he must lead his legion in defiance of the law, against friend and foe-before the hammerstroke of the Vord descends on them all.

Average customer rating:

Wishing it was longer
words of fury [no spoilers]
A very mixed bag
Sweet
Squandered premise

Academ's Fury (Codex Alera)
Jim Butcher
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0441013406

Book Description

In Furies of Calderon, bestselling author Jim Butcher introduced readers to a world where the forces of nature take physical form. But now, it's human nature that threatens to throw the realm into chaos.

Customer Reviews:

Wishing it was longer.......2007-09-28

The only problem I had with this book was that, sadly, there was a point when I only had a few more pages to read. I love this fantasy world and I'm invested in the characters. I'm glad to see that Butcher is able to transition to a very different series -- I almost forgot I was reading the 'Dresden' guy's books! The style and tone are almost worlds apart. In any event, a great book to curl up by the fireplace with on a nice long rainy weekend.

words of fury [no spoilers].......2007-09-06

"The Codex Alera" continues two years later with "Academ's Fury" as Tavi studies at the Academy while covertly training to become a Cursor. A veritable plethora of characters focusing at Alera Imperia litter the story nearly engulf the original cast. Even so, the author effectively manages the swelling political intrigue during a critical crisis and concludes with an awesome battle finale.

Earlier consequences have awakened a new enemy (comparable to the "Alien" theme), smoothly connecting it with the previous novel. Struggling between his academics and a secret life, Tavi attempts to thwart numerous foes both personally and for the First Lord. Of the three other Cursor students he trains alongside, Max appears to have greatest character potential. Kitai proves how clever anybody can be without a fury and First Lord Gaius exhibits great cunning as a true leader should.

Recalling the interpersonal relations between the different lords is considerable, yet not as bad as the more politically oriented series. My major issue though has to do with Tavi becoming the last line of defense, consistently outlasting furymasters or other with superior speed and strength. Granted he is sharp and swift but unless Tavi has an unacknowledged talent his survival has been too idealistic. There are startling revelations regarding Tavi and the author superbly creates other riddles with the lingering teasers for future resolution.

A detailed map of the significant terrains and comprehensive appendix would have been useful.

I recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

A very mixed bag.......2007-08-22

I found this book a very mixed bag.

I really enjoyed Butcher's 'Dresden Files' series and was very much looking forward to this, his first effort at pure fantasy. However, I found too many sections of this, the second book in the series, to be too unbelievable, found too much stereotyping, and frankly, found large areas too predictable.

Any work of fantasy, no matter how foreign or mystical, should be consistent and allow the reader to suspend disbelief and enjoy the work. However, for Academ's Fury, the basic plot of the book I found too far-fetched for me to be able to comfortably do this. Let's start with the main premise of the book (I will be deliberately vague here and in the rest of my review as to not give away too much of the plot for those who do decide to read this work). The main character, nineteen year-old Tavi, is enrolled as a cadet in the equivalent of say a WestPoint and acts as a page to the 'First Lord' (basically, the Emperor). He has unparalleled (for whatever reason) access to the First Lord and happens to be the one person (of all those the First Lord contacts daily) who stumbles upon the First Lord in his personal chambers (which Tavi has complete access to) after the First Lord has slipped into a life-threatening coma. It turns out, that in spite of his low station, he and two other trusted advisors, are the only ones who can know of this (not even the First Lord's own doctors can know!), and must save the kingdom from peril! What bunk. I tried to imagine, say, the President of the United States, or perhaps even a medieval king for whom a lowly page and two others are his only area of recourse in such an emergency situation, and needless to say, it was impossible to do so. After this, we see Tavi going from one adventure to the other, and at least five times escaping by the barest skin of his teeth from near certain death via either incredible luck or by some great savior just happening to rush in at the last possible second. With this, we find the ability to use 'Furies', spirit-like creatures that are Butcher's fairly unique system of magic for this series, is somehow curtailed whenever another major character should be able to use them to save the day (with numerous thin plot twists rationalizing this) so that Tavi is forced to do borderline-miracle deeds all by himself. Add to this that the First Lord's elite Guard, the Legionnaires, who are supposed to be the finest 'Fury' crafters and swordsmen in the empire, yet consistently prove ineffective and are treated like Keystone Cops when fighting Bad Guys that Tavi and the other main (often civilian) characters are able to overpower simply because they are main characters. There is one love scene between two main characters, Tavi's uncle and a high level spy. When the spy tearfully confesses to a friend that she is barren and hence will never be acceptable to her lover ...I just had to roll my eyes at another overblown turn in the plot. It is all just too unbelievable. The magic and otherworldliness I rather liked. The thin plot is just too much though.

There were some very trite areas in the work. He has one old wise woman who keeps on referring to those around her as 'Child' using very stereotypical dialogue. He also has a courtesan, involved in court intrigue, referring to everyone as 'Darling', behaving like a Zsa Zsa Gabor reject and going through all of the stereotypical movements that one can find imagine. Towards the end of the book, they have a death-bed confession from one of the major characters. Just before he is going to reveal the name of a secret assassin who has been acting against the crown, as he is stumbling on the name, about to spit it out - he expires right there. Give me a break.

The last thing that I found very frustrating was how predictable so many areas were. There was one point in the book where Tavi and a companion stumble upon (once again!) another great kingdom-threatening secret. They start rushing back to tell the good guys. Right then I said to myself it couldn't be this easy and they are about to be jumped before they can deliver their message...and low and behold, two pages later they are. I am not going to read the final book in the series, as I think I have already figured out most of the mysteries surrounding the main characters (and their mysterious, secret pasts) as this book is so predicable.

As to why I gave this three stars instead of one or two...in spite of all I have written, there are long passages where the pace flows well, and after looking past what I have mentioned, could get into it for fairly sustained periods. To let one know how I rate books, five stars is for stellar works - Dune, Lord of the Rings, Vance's Green Pearl series. I give Butcher's 'Dresden Files' a four. A one I reserve for disastrous works, such as Simon R. Green's 'Something from the Nightside'.

I hope this review was helpful.

Sweet.......2007-08-11

Great book by Jim Butcher. I'm not sure what others mean when they say this book it lacking in plot, but they are very wrong. I recommend this, along with all the other books in the series to anyone who likes a good fantasy book. Pick it up. Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it.

Squandered premise.......2007-08-01

This book is nothing to be proud of; it takes a fantastic premise and structure, then meanders through a bunch of sub-plots which feature supposedly very clever protagonists getting dumfounded by foolish evil "gambits".

Much of the novel (as with the first) is spent building up PC "straw men" stereotypes to hate - garnished by a grand villain stolen from the Halo X-Box game.

Perhaps the only novel I have ever ripped up and thrown out, both because of its glacial pacing and a vast number over-engineered plot twists which involve characters getting blind sided inways which imply they've gone brain-dead first.

Cursors have to be the most INEFFECTUAL super-spy confidential agents I've ever read about. I'm sure that wasn't an intended effect - and that lack of intention troubles me.

Butcher can do better - and rather than being a fencing/ martial arts afficionado, he just might be better off learning bit more about those subjects.

What a sad waste of a potentially great plot and set of characters.

Average customer rating:

Foxes love to be hunted
good animal characterizations; a little 'preachy'
Love the foxhunting mysteries!! Fun read, ends too quickly
Condescending Huntress - the Egoist has landed
More mystery, less spin, please

The Hounds and the Fury: A Novel
Rita Mae Brown
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345465474
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Book Description

Critics and fans alike are wild about Rita Mae Brown’s richly imagined and utterly engaging foxhunting mysteries–and this latest novel promises more thrilling hunts, breathtaking vistas, and an all-new sinister scandal.

Millions of dollars seem to be missing after a long-overdue audit of the local aluminum plant reveals a major accounting discrepancy. Company president Garvey Stokes finds himself at a loss–in more ways than one. He turns to his sharp-tongued, ornery bookkeeper, Iphigenia “Iffy” Demetrios, for an explanation, but she’s no help. Yet when the fuzzy math suddenly includes a body count, the figures can no longer be ignored.

While the town sheriff tries to get to the bottom of the matter, leave it to “Sister” Jane Arnold, venerable master of the Jefferson Hunt Club, to rely on her keen horse-and-hound sense to follow the trail of murder and cover-up. Throwing her off the scent, however, is former hunt club donor and all-around cad Crawford Howard, who thinks he can go toe-to-toe with the beloved septuagenarian and outclass her club by grossly sidestepping hound- and-hunt etiquette. Against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a menagerie of friends, foes, and fresh new faces saddle up for the breakneck ride to unravel the conspiracy. Even the furry denizens in the fields and boroughs have a thing or two to say about these peculiar humans.

Incomparable author Rita Mae Brown returns to the glorious hills of Virginia and its genteel foxhunting society, where how much money you have in the bank is not nearly as important as how long your family has lived on the land–and where nearly everyone has something to hide. As Sister muses, “The little secrets leak out. The big ones, well, some escape like evils from Pandora’s box. And others we’ll never know.”

Customer Reviews:

Foxes love to be hunted.......2007-06-28

The people of one tiny backwoods Virginia community have a unique despotic society. Sister, a 70-something master of foxhounds is their ruler. Sister's enforces a strict dress code, as well as a unique spoken language and various whimsical procedurals. I admit a compelling desire to dope-slap most of the book's characters when they address the wrinkled old broad as Master, however once getting past that urge, I enjoyed these novels.

A better fit into the fantasy category, the series is considered in the mystery genre. The occasional murder is incidental to the storyline and of no real importance. The charm of these novels, such as it is, lies in the make-believe world this community has created. The people between these pages exist only to ride hell-bent behind 30-plus hound dogs chasing one tiny fox. They are willing to endure all manner of petty tyrannies and humiliations for the supreme excitement of the hunt. Set reality aside and let yourself believe life has no deeper concerns than chasing foxes.

good animal characterizations; a little 'preachy'.......2007-06-12

This is my least favorite in the foxhunting mystery series because I think Ms. Brown gets off-track of the story a little too often. She seems to promote her own view of political issues, products (she doesn't like Chevy truck ads - what does that have to do with the story?), and how wonderful, perfect, strong, fiesty, and even sexy the seventy-something 'Sister' is. I get the feeling that the author is describing how she sees herself being viewed when she is that age. The mystery story line is only so-so. The elements of foxhunting are, as usual, interesting to me. The characterizations of the animals are very good - that is one of this author's strong points.

Love the foxhunting mysteries!! Fun read, ends too quickly.......2007-04-11

Sister, Shaker, Inky, Comet, Cora, Dragon, Gin Fizz, and all the others are back in this newest fox hunting mystery...great characters and a good story. all the animals communicate in a way I imagine they must in "real life." and I love the descriptions of how a proper hunt is run. i'm envious.

and I have just one question for Ms Brown: In your author's photo, why isn't your horse braided?!?

Condescending Huntress - the Egoist has landed.......2007-01-24

I was very disappointed in the changes in the main character, "Sister", from a 73 year-old honorable, respectful environmentalist and 'sage'/protector of her community, to a somewhat self-centered younger woman searching for the right mate.

Ms. Brown's Sneaky Pie and fox hunting mysteries have always given me great pleasure until the Hounds and the Fury. I had the very strong sensation that Ms. Brown used three-fourths of this book to expound on fox hunting and her rise to Master of Fox Hounds in her private life. 'Tooting her own horn' so to speak. If I could get my money back, I would.

I hope that this is not a trend and that Ms. Brown returns to her previous writing style re: "Sister" and her world; if not, I will not be buying anymore of this series. If Sneaky Pie's mysteries change radically, as well, I will not buy more of them.

More mystery, less spin, please.......2007-01-15

I was really looking forward to this book--I've read RMB since Rubyfruit Jungle and I love mysteries--but my anticipation came to a screeching halt on page 4, where Ms. Brown produced this piece of pandering: "The whole point of the ban [on English foxhunting] was to punish those suspected of wealth or title from (sic) enjoying themselves... It was perfectly fine with [those who passed the ban] if the farmers shot the beautiful creatures... Better yet, Americans did not hunt to kill the fox."

No. It isn't all about the seedy underclasses hating the wealthy (though given the centuries of class privilege in England, it might be understandable if that were the case). It's not to punish those with wealth or title for enjoying themselves... though I'm sure those with wealth and titles were equally annoyed when droit du seigneur was abolished.

The whole point of that ban was to put an end to the bloody and horrible way in which English hunts conclude--the painful, terrifying death of the fox. You see, I'm one of those ignorant Yankees who signed one of the many petitions to Parliament to try to bring an end to the bloody business of British-style foxhunting. I don't recall the English foxhunters ever offering to compromise--to merely hunt the fox, and not allow the dogs to tear it to pieces when it's cornered. It's one thing to shoot an animal that's endangering one's poultry--at least it's quick and relatively merciful. A British fox-hunt is anything but.

Ms. Brown tosses off the very important difference between US and English hunts as though the death of the fox, and the manner of its death, does not matter. It matters to me--as I am sure it matters to the fox. The English hunt begins early, with gamekeepers going around to where the foxes live and stopping their dens--blocking their means of escape. Not very "sporting!" - but if the fox were allowed to escape, the ladies and gentlemen of the hunt would be denied the pleasure of the kill, and that would be such a disappointment!

Let's look at it from the fox's point of view, as Ms Brown does in her books. What would happen to her beloved foxes--what if Target or Comet were unfortunate enough to live in Merrie England? What about sweet, intelligent little Inky? How would the story go...

"Panting, exhausted, Inky dashed through the creek, backtracked to muddle her trail. She ran along a fallen log, cut through a thicket, and dove for her escape hole. It was blocked by a stone, too big to move, too deeply wedged to move around. She gasped, whirled--but it was too late. The hounds closed in, snarling. Inky screamed in agony as her hind leg was torn off, but her adrenaline-charged heart was pumping so fast that she bled to death in seconds.

The whipper-in beat off the dogs and pulled out the bleeding stump of what had been her beautiful, luxuriant tail.

He took the still-warm trophy of their victory over to the youngest member of the hunt, an eight-year-old old boy, and smeared Inky's blood across the child's face.

The boy fought back nausea. This was the glory of the hunt--his father, his mother expected him to be a man! So he did his best, and smiled, and wished he were a million miles away."

I used to buy Rita Mae Brown's books in hardcover. When her misplaced modifiers and brand placement got too irritating--her last Sneaky Pie book read like an ifomercial for the Virginia wine industry--I started reading the hardcover at the library and buying the paperback.

At this point... I don't even know if I'm going to finish this book. The disconnect of making her foxes such interesting, lovable people (her animals have always been more interesting than her humans) while kissing up to the savage brutality of English foxhunting is just more hypocrisy than I want to deal with in recreational reading.

I don't care if Ms Brown or anyone else wants to chase foxes till they're blue in the face; I'm sure it's great exercise. But I draw the line at being told what to believe when it comes to humane treatment of animals. It's sheer nonsense to pretend there's no difference between the US and UK style of fox-hunting or wax indignant over how those of us who think British foxhunting is barbaric are trying to punish the poor hunters. I'm sure Ms. Brown's fox-hunting friends were hugging themselves with glee over her polemic on page 4, but it's just lost her a reader.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books