Product Description
A full traditional haggadah with a contemporary and Israeli accent. Commentaries from scholars and rabbis, mostly late 20th century, but also from novelists, poets, political leaders, and others. This book is for the family that wants to enhance their seder by bringing in ideas that will make the evening rich, thought-provoking, and fun for all. Many items for younger and older children are sprinkled throughout the book.
Customer Reviews:
help make your seder "A Night to Remember".......2007-05-13
I try, each year, to find some new insight, comment, or voice to make our Seder not just a repetition of the traditional text. This year, this was my new source and it's a real winner. It has the entire traditional text plus explanations of things I didn't know - and I've read a lot - plus information on customs from other communities, and, of course as advertised, comments about every subject touched on in the Haggadah from many sources ranging from Mark Twain to Rabbi Joseph Solevechik to fascinating modern voices you might not know but will appreciate. Filled with lighthearted illustrations that fit perfectly. You COULD use that at the seder, but I recommend spending the time to read it first and selecting some of its content for your seder. Should be a good source for several years.
A wise- and whimsical - haggadah.......2007-04-05
For anyone seeking a modern voice speaking towards the classical text, this haggadah is a gem. "A Night to Remember" was based on the all-Hebrew "Ha'lailah Ha'zeh," the authors' efforts to provide a work for contemporary Israelis. The best elements of that volume have been transferred into "A Night To Remember," including the creative illustrations from Michael Kichka, whose pictures provide both a sense of whimsy and substance. Illustrations vary from the humorous (the ox in "Chad Gad Ya" is a man in a Chicago Bulls shirt and cap) to of political caricatures, e.g. Ben-Gurion. The humor and warmth in the illustrations adds to the inviting nature of the book, which is further strengthened by a methodical layout and inviting directions.
This Haggadah provides contemporary commentaries and readings from a stunning array of sources; Rabbis Telushkin and Potok are nestled alongside authors Milan Kundera and Phillip Roth. Primo Levi's words follow Golda Meir's. Even those well versed in the sources of the Haggadah will find items of interest, with thoughts from kibbutzniks and refusniks. There is the occasional comment from the "touchy-feely" department, but some people need that in a seder, and they are provided for here.
The entire Hebrew text of the classical Ashkenazi Haggadah is provided, although not every word is translated into English. The commentaries and instructions do deviate from "black hat" Orthodoxy from time to time, but not in any way that even remotely effects the essential content of the seder. Only those rigidly ultra-Orthodox in their thinking should avoid this book. The illustration "The four daughters," with its Talmud carrying wise daughter, is enough to give such folks a fit of apoplexy- and that's just one picture.
Book Description
*The most celebrated "voice" in Hollywood speaks for herself!
* Beloved show-biz icon Nixon dubbed songs for Natalie Wood and Audrey Hepburn--now she tells her story for the first time
* Entertaining behind-the-scenes celebrity stories from six decades of performing
Everyone knows Marni Nixon...even if they think they don't. One of the best-known and best-loved singing voices in the world, Nixon dubbed songs for Natalie Wood in West Side Story, Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, and Deborah Kerr in The King and I. She was the voice of Hollywood's leading ladies, arriving in filmland after a debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at 17 and continuing her career with Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, Stephen Sondheim, Rogers and Hammerstein, and many others. Her inspiring autobiography reveals Nixon as a singer, an actress, and a woman fighting for artistic recognition. Today, a survivor of breast cancer, she works on Broadway and television's Law & Order SVU, tours with her own stage show, and teaches master classes in voice. Marni Nixon: The Voice of Hollywood reveals the woman behind the screen is revealed, in a frank, funny biography that is as remarkable as the woman whose story it tells.
Customer Reviews:
Lots of info.......2007-10-03
I had long known about Ms. Nixon's film work, dubbing for Deborah Kerr, Natalie Wood and Audrey Hepburn, but this memoir filled in a lot of gaps. I really enjoyed it.
Fun for film buffs.......2007-01-13
If you have ever wondered who sang Kerr's songs in KING & I or Wood's in WEST SIDE STORY, then this is the book for you. Marnie Nixon was the dubbed voice of many non-singing stars'in some of their best roles. Here she tells her story and while at times it drags a bit, I found it very interesting and entertaining. The chapters about her work in film are espcially engaging.
marni Nixon bio.......2006-11-10
Enjoyed this book so much.It was fun to read about all the colleagues she had worked with during her career. A very pleasant read.
Hollywood's most famous vocal "Ghost" appears in the shimmering flesh!.......2006-10-19
Marni Nixon's was one of those famous people who fascinated me from the moment I heard her story of being the vocal "ghost" in three of Hollywood's most remarkable musicals. Her's is a story I was waiting to hear, and with this great book, it was worth the wait.
For anyone interested in musicals, Hollywood or performing, Ms. Nixon's wonderful book will be a boon. From her personal stories about Hollywood to her journey from singer to remarkable actress, the book is a wonderful read.
Her story would make one of the most fascinating movie musicals ever. Part "Singing in the Rain" and part Hollywood Grimm's fairy tale, I want to see this story made into a movie musical. Anyone out there listening?
Bravo to Ms. Nixon! Thank you for sharing your amazing story. I was completely enthralled as well as inspired.
My Fair and Wonderful Lady.......2006-10-12
"I Could Have Sung All Night" by Marni Nixon is a wonderful, enjoyable autobiography of her life. Marni Nixon has dubbed singers Audrey Hepburn (My Fair Lady), Deborah Kerr (The King and I), and to my surprise Natalie Wood (West Side Story). Growing up with these movie musicals I knew about Marni Nixon's dubbing in "My Fair Lady", but when reading the chapter on "West Side Story" regarding the dubbing for Natalie Wood, I was surprised. When watching West Side Story, I really thought it was Natalie Wood doing her own singing!
Marni Nixon tells wonderful stories about her travels in Israel with Liberace, her stint with Victor Borge, and many other anecdotes.
The book is a fun and entertaining read, and I could not put it down. Thank you Marni Nixon!
Book Description
An acclaimed writer takes readers inside the world of M. Night Shyamalan—the most successful filmmaker of his generation—as he creates a new movie masterpiece
In 1999, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan exploded onto the cinema scene with his supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense, which garnered major acclaim and raked in massive box office numbers around the globe. Since then, his phenomenal commercial and critical success has continued as his films—including Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village—have grossed over $1.5 billion and reinvented the thriller genre. But throughout his rise to prominence, Shyamalan has remained separate from the Hollywood system, living and working solely in his hometown area of Philadelphia, and keeping his ideas, filmmaking techniques, and business practices tightly-kept secrets.
In The Man Who Heard Voices, journalist Michael Bamberger takes readers inside Shyamalan's world for the first time, getting total access to the man who has been called “the modern-day Hitchcock” as he prepares, creates, and test-screens his next film, Lady in the Water, which stars Paul Giamatti (star of Sideways) as a building superintendent and Bryce Howard (star of The Village) as a mysterious sea nymph. Bamberger's intimate perspective and insightful narrative prose will bring to life Shyamalan's creative process—from his multiple drafts and revisions of the screenplay to his on-location work with his cinematographer and crew and his relationships with the actors under his direction. The book also follows the high- stakes business decisions behind the scenes, including his agonizing decision to move from Disney to Warner Bros. for this film, his involvement in the studio's massive marketing campaign, and the evaluation of the crucial initial test-screening of the film.
Customer Reviews:
Cut & Dry.......2007-09-15
If you're an M. Night fan you will not be able to put this book down. It's amazing.
An unbiased look at the film making process.......2007-04-11
I almost didn't read this book after reading some of the reviews and comments made by others on this site. I'm glad I decided to give this book a chance. This is a must read for anyone interested in the process of film making. The fact that the author is a sports writer and not involved in the film industry gives the book more authenticity, not less. The journey from script to completed film is told through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time and not prejudiced by other films.
I read the book first and then saw the movie (on DVD). If you haven't seen the movie, this is the order I would recommend. You'll especially like the DVD extras after reading about the various collaborators in the book. If the "Lady" script had been submitted by a no-name screenwriter, it would never have made it past the script readers. Yet not only did Night get to make a movie based on a weak story idea with a weak script, he got Warner Brothers to put in over a hundred million dollars to film and market it. No matter how talented the actors, the cinematographer, or the director, if it doesn't work on the page it isn't going to work on the screen. This book shows how bad movies get made.
The Man Who Ignored Voices.......2007-04-06
After delivering "Lady in the Water", Shyamalan somehow managed to offend a pubescent American culture that prefers to be the offender. And somehow he did it without any pretentious artistic attempts at being shocking through sex, violence and vulgarity. Kind of ironic that it would take a bedtime story to get under the skin of a society plagued with the Peter Pan syndrome. And then he tops it off by having the audacity to let a biographer tell us how he did it. I mean, the nerve of Shyamalan. Why can't he blow his own horn like everybody else?
But that's what happens when one is an artist truly committed to his art. And instead of taking the usual X-Rated route of cage rattling, Night pulled it off with a PG-13 Rating. Impressive.
But to read this book you realize that he paid the price of the much sought after and coveted title of being "controversial" -- even if that wasn't his goal. In fact, from this book we learn that his intentions were the exact opposite. He was hoping to inspire a hopelessly adolescent culture that is hell-bent on being cynical. Because, you know, cynicism is a worthy accomplishment.
Michael Bamberger, the biogrpaher, seems to be somewhere in the middle of this willingness to be inspired and cynical resistance (He admits to having spotted feelings about "Lady"). This makes him more than just a biographer but also a character in his own story. While Bamberger describes Shyamalans vulnerabilities and strengths in the turbulent ride of artistic rejection and redemption, I couldn't help but wonder about Berbengers feelings while acting as a passenger. And he is a passenger. When someone else is doing the driving and your duty is to watch, you have a heightened sense of doom when the driver is irrational and, at times, reckless. Bamberger all too often becomes the rubber-neck passenger watching the chaos that sometimes zooms past Nights peripheral. For instance, the erratic antics of the Director of Photography often occur when Night has left the room.
There is a palpable doom that soaks these pages. Bamberger knew while shadowing Night that the "Lady" was going to show the darker side of herself. The side of her that was a "B*itch." It comes through vividly when he describes Giamatti's late, albiet enthusiastic, acceptance of the role which threw Shyamalan into a mild panic. And that's just the beginning.
One of the recurring themes that Bamberger picked up from Night and migrated into this book is loneliness. Nights loneliness in the development of his movie is so well documented by Bamberger that it becomes experiential for the reader. You'll find from chapter to chapter how loose the strings really were as Night struggled to keep his often reticent players tied together. It's painful to read, because the very people who doubted Night -- and his script -- happen to be on his side. But this is all proof that Night really is the innovator that cynics and critics wish he wasn't. Innovation is inherently a lonely mans game. And naysayers who lack the courage for innovation are always looking forward to seeing the courageous take a loss in their own game.
I think it's safe to say that these same critics are among the voices chattering away in Nights head. That is why, from this book, we learn that Nights personal journey was not just to make a movie, but to silence those voices by being insubordinate. It takes a genius to be a rebel during the day and tell bedtime stories at night.
The Man Who Heard Razzberries.......2007-03-15
I agree that Bamberger could be the greatest satirist living, if that was his intention. The endless verbal oral sex the author performs on his subject...The abject awe...It is truly hilarious.
It's also true that you'll only enjoy laughing at this road apple of a book IF you didn't pay anything for it, as I didn't.
Let us all hope that in the future, M. Night Shamalamadingdong does NOT listen to the same voices that told him to put out "Lady in the Water," AND this book.
I was looking for just a little more..........2007-01-22
I enjoyed this book, but I admit that as I was nearing the middle of it, I started to lose some interest. It began to tell me that the entertainment business is all the hype, egos, and vanity I thought it was to begin with. And it got a bit boring in parts. My interest came back again at about three quarters of the way through. This may or may not be because that is about the time I watched Lady in the Water on DVD. I so enjoyed the movie... it has a great combination of little laughters, mystery, emotion, and storytelling. There were parts and characters that could have been developed better... I say this after reading the book since I did feel I had a better understanding of the idea behind some characters than the movie portrayed. (This after watching with my husband, who did not read the book... though he liked the movie.)
Interestingly, I think the book's author and Shyamalan are having the same struggles. Both of them have a little trouble getting out of their own way. There are moments when Shyamalan seems to lose it and blame others for his dissatisfactions when making the movie. Bamberger throws in one too many "dude"s and "dig it" type dialogues as well... as if he is trying too hard to portray Shyamalan as an ordinary guy. Paul Giamatti comes across as the wonderful and ordinary guy. Probably because he doesn't think about it, he just is. Shyamalan's reactions to Disney and others seem confusing to me. The folks at Disney did tell him that he could make the movie, yet his attitude was as if they were supposed to treat him like a movie god and not hesitate. In the end it sounds like the movie, the story, could have truly been great if he had gotten out of his own way. He did what he told Cindy Cheung to stop doing... trying too hard and not just letting it happen. It seems like there could have been tremendous gains if the story were kicked around for another year. While I really did enjoy the movie, it could have made the difference from a really good story to an amazing story. I think Shyamalan may have learned from the experience, and as an excellent director, I'm anticipating some amazing movies yet to come in my lifetime.
In recommending this book, it depends on what you want out of it. Definitely a great read if you are interested in moviemaking. Perhaps a learning experience if you are interested in a struggle to do what your own inner voices may be telling you.
On recommending the movie... definitely. Especially if you love magically stories. The look and feel of the movie is well done. Lots of interesting characters. (I loved the Anna Ran and Mr. Drury characters the best.)
Book Description
Desperate to escape the underworld's treacherous grasp, Maggie of King Street finds a patron in Charles Crossham, Lord Edgington, who must transform a street girl into a lady to win a high stakes wager. Charles has never met anyone like the fierce and ardent Maggie, and Maggie's defenses are useless against the seduction of the jaded lord.Their association quickly ignites into a consuming obsession. But both passion and the bet are threatened by a ruthless villain from Maggie's dark past, who has plans for her that imperil everything she's ever cared for-and her very life.
Customer Reviews:
Taking a walk through grimy Victorian London.......2007-09-18
This is the book where Lydia Joyce finally fits into her "voice". In the previous books the writing style felt forced to me, and the characters were overwhelmed by the painstaking job Joyce took of creating a dark, dense atmosphere. Thankfully in "Voices of the Night", she seems to hit her stride and from the initial chilling scene wherein the heroine, Maggie, is coerced into an unforgettable crime to the fitting end, the pace never slackens, the atmosphere is grimy and decadent, and the protagonists and secondary characters leap to life. I look forward to seeing more from Joyce, and hope she is in for a long career.
Not just Mind Candy..........2007-05-10
I picked up this book looking for a simple afternoon read that I could finish and then add to my ever-growing pile of books to donate to the salvation army. Much to my joy, this was not that kind of book.
A lot of romance novels lately are sacrificing excellent plot lines in exchange for large quantities of sex, which is comparable to dating a beautiful brainless man. Its wonderful at first but eventually you just end up dissappointed and annoyed.
Voices of the Night had everything I look for in a romance. Great sex, yes, but also wonderfully crafted, easy to relate to characters and a story line that draws you in immediately and doesn't let go.
Maggie was wonderful. She wasn't a martyr, but she was willing to do just about anything for the people she considers her family. When situations force her to accept Lord Edgington's offer to help him win his bet, she is very practical about it. A woman in her situation wouldn't allow herself to get caught up in dreaming. She knows her position in life is so far beneath Lord Edgington that their isn't any hope for them but she allows herself to fall in love anyway, knowing that their time together is finite.
Lord Edgington likewise was an extremely well-developed hero. He seemed like a real person to me, and by the end of the story you were rooting for him and Maggie to work things out.
And the twist at the end of the story, was really a surprise to me. Its usually so easy to see them coming, but in this book you don't know what is happening until the author reveals it.
I would recommend this book to anyone. It will be going on my keeper shelf to be re-read until it falls apart.
Pygmalion in Dickens' London .......2007-03-11
Maggie Knight grew up in the London slums where thugs and hookers were the norm. By 1860 though still young, she becomes a surrogate "Mother" to even younger orphans protecting them from the lowlifes who would prey on these innocents.
In 1864 Lord Charles Crossham bet his sister Millie that he could make a purse out of a sow's hide. He selects Maggie as his metamorphosed target. She rejects his proposal until he offers to help her orphans as Maggie would do anything for her wards. As he teaches Maggie to behave as a lady, he falls in love with her. However, she knows a lofty aristocrat like her Charles needs better than a polished street ragamuffin especially since a dangerous gang leader threatens her "children" and her beloved.
Placing Pygmalion in Dickens' London gives the audience a taste of VOICES OF THE NIGHT, a delightful Victorian romance. Whereas Maggie is a precocious nurturing Eliza, Charles is somewhat her Henry but actually is much more to her; and Danny the gang leader is Bill Sykes (of Oliver fame). The story line has a freshness of its own as sub-genre readers will rejoice with this fine historical.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
- Blood brothers.
- Ahead of its time
- A very good read
- One of the Better Early Novels by Koontz
- Decent, quick read
|
The Voice of the Night
Dean Koontz
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0425128164 |
Customer Reviews:
Blood brothers........2007-09-26
The Voice of the Night by Dean Koontz is the best novel he has ever written. The characters are witty, original, and a complete hoot. I have read a lot of books from Koontz impressive collection but to me, this book is a fast and fun read. The main characters are two 14 year olds who have nothing in common but when shy, gawky Colin learns popular, creepy Roy's secret, their friendship is forever tested. This book is defintely a page-turner, I couldn't put this book down. The Voice of the Night is a great place to start if you are a new fan of Koontz, the master of suspense! (sorry Stephan King!) I also recommend The Funhouse and The House of Thunder by Koontz as well. Enjoy!
Ahead of its time.......2007-04-04
Novels like this truly delve into the mind of a young killer "on the rise". You get a chance to see the mind of a killer being formed. You get to see a psychopath in the making. It often starts in childhood and Roy is a perfect example. He would have grown up to have been the next Jeffrey Dahmer or something.
This book was more scary than just about anything for which Koontz is better known. I loved it more than Watchers, Whispers and Mr. Murder combined.
This story was truly ahead of its time. Written years before Columbine and various other outbreaks of "childhood" violence.
In retrospect, perhaps it can stand as a warning. Truth is truly stranger than fiction. But this episode of fiction is pretty doggone strange!
A very good read.......2007-01-26
This book was a very good read, I really enjoyed it. Two things I wish he had changed was letting poor Collin be so dumb to realize what Roy really was. I know they were very young teens but come on. Roy tells Collin every thing his desire to kill, that he has killed people and explains all of this in very clear details and Collin still does not belivie him. I wish the book ended with more of what happen to Roy we know he was caught, but did he change after help. And did Collins mother say she was sorry for not trusting him boy I sure wanted to see egg on her face for not trusting him. The book still had me on the edge of my seat. And I will read it again one day. It is a fast read and the creators are described very vivid thats what I love aout his books well I am off to read anthor koontz book.
One of the Better Early Novels by Koontz.......2007-01-17
Before Dean Koontz became a bestselling superstar, he was a struggling writer of paperback novels for all of the 1970s and much of the early 1980s. He wrote many good novels during this period, but no genuinely great ones.
I think THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT is probably one of the best early ones; it was written by Koontz in 1980 under the pseudonym "Brian Coffey." This is essentially a coming-of-age novel about a young 14-year old boy who is lonely and a product of a broken, dysfunctional family. Due to his loneliness, this boy develops a unhealthy friendship with another 14 year old who is most likely a violent sociopath.
THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT is a quick, fast read that you can finish in a few hours. Unlike most Koontz novels, it mostly consists of dialogue. I think this novel does a fine job of portraying the main character's alienation and his awkward relationship with his flawed parents. Koontz has said in interviews that this novel is semi-autobiographical, and I can believe it, because the main character struck me as highly sympathetic and believable.
This book is graphic, and has an odd amount of sexual material for a book featuring 14 year old kids. I also found the ending to be a bit of a letdown, although it was adequate. Still, THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT is undeniably suspenseful, and I enjoyed it for what it was. This, along with THE FACE OF FEAR, is probably the best of the Brian Coffey novels written by Koontz.
An enjoyable book, but my advice is to read Koontz' later stuff, like WATCHERS, if you want a really great novel.
Decent, quick read.......2006-06-14
I was never much for books that used kids as the main characters, but this one was pretty good none the less. It only took a few days to read since there is a lot of dialog compared to most novels. As usual, Koontz does a good job at describing everything from the important details to the basic surroundings. It is obvious that he puts time into most everything he says. There does seem to be one typical downfall to a lot of his books though and that is his love of sexual and sometimes perverse images and situations. To a point, this is important to this story, but it seems almost like something uncontrollable with Koontz. It's like he HAS to put something in there just to make the book sexual at some point. If was just this story I could understand it since it is used to convey the morality of a character, but it's not. Just who is he pandering to anyway? That and the fact that he rarely manages to right a story without some kind of romance makes it seem like he is putting forth a lot of effort to include something for every type of reader. Overall, there are better Koontz books out there, but this one is still worth the time. Just be prepared for a bit of perversion.
Book Description
This vocal score is a new and revised edition of the well-known opera that made television history on Christmas Eve, 1951.
Customer Reviews:
Amahl and the Night Visitors Vocal Score.......2007-01-12
The score was complete and arrived within a few days of ordering. It was written clearly and I was able to accomplish the task I wanted without any trouble. It included both vocal soloists and choral parts so that the choir would be able to manage it easily. I was very pleased with my purchase.
Beautiful story and images!.......2004-12-13
This gorgeously illustrated storybook has become the favorite part of my Christmas, since I found it 8 years ago. As an elementary music teacher I found this to be a fabulous way to introduce opera to my 4th grade classes. Each year I read the story to them inserting selected vocal works from the opera. This allows the children to hear the words spoken first, preparing them for the selections from the opera.
I would encourage anyone who wishes to teach their children about opera to purchase this book along with a quality audio recording. Enjoy!
THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.......2001-06-21
Look no more! At a wonderful price, this IS the complete score reduced for piano. Of course, performance rights and other instrumental orchestrations must be obtained through the publisher, but the info. that you need to do that is included in this book. If you're looking to get started into "Amahl", this and the video are the way to do it!
Lame boy meets Wise Men.......1998-09-21
This lovely Christmas book is based on Menotti's own cure of lameness as a child in 1911 Italy. In this book, Amahl, the lame boy, meets up with the Wise Men on the way to Bethlehem. His poor mother and he give the Wise Men a place to bed down for the night and Amahl is repaid for his faith by being cured and going with the Wise Men to meet the Christ Child. This delightful Christmas story is full of mystery and awe, reinforced well by the full color illustrations. This book belongs on every child's bookshelf and makes an excellent Christmas gift for six to eleven year olds. I am a church librarian and bought this book for our church library.
Book Description
This massive collection of original stories and articles inspired by the 'Cthulhu Mythos' created by H.P. Lovecraft was published in Japan in 2002 as a two-volume set under the name Hishinkai. The list of contributing authors is a who's-who of Japanese horror fiction, featuring some of the finest writers in Japan today. In cooperation with Tokyo Sogensha, the Japanese publishers, and the anthology editor, Mr. Asamatsu Ken, we are proud to present these dark visions of the Mythos as interpreted by Japanese authors. You will find some stories that return like old friends, carrying on the Lovecraft tradition, while others will shock you with totally new and unexpected vistas of horror. Each story is accompanied by a thought-provoking introduction by Robert M. Price, the recognized master of the Mythos. The cover is by Yamada Akihiro, who has handled many of the covers for the Japanese-language editions of Lovecraft and other Mythos works, and has established a name for himself in the States as well.
Customer Reviews:
Splat.......2006-06-07
I was intrigued to see what Japanese writers might due with a Lovecraftian inspiration, having enjoyed both HPL's own stories and a smattering of enjoyably pulpy products of Japan's modern pop culture, along with one or two works of actual Japanese literature. However, this book reflects none of the careful atmospheric construction that marks the work of Lovecraft, and of the authors he admired. Instead, it almost immediately descends into graphic, grossout violent and slobbery stuff, with no pause to secure your suspension of disbelief. It's like reading a video game aimed at 12 year old boys. If you're curious about Japanese horror, skip this and try Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edogawa Rampo instead.
Even the Japanese know that the Olds Ones shall be again.......2006-03-03
It should be no surprise that the creations of H.P. Lovecraft have stretched across oceans, languages, and yes even time (69 years after his unfortunate passing).
It should also be no surprise that the Japanese have made a name for themselves in the horror genre. Here, we have the first in a possible four volume set of Japanese Cthulhu mythos stories.
These stories are all quite different and have merits of their own. To use the popular expression, there's something for everyone in this book, provided they are familiar with the mythos. But even if one has never heard of "Shub-Niggurath" or the "Unaussprelichen Kulten", the reader will undoubtedly enjoy at least a couple of the seven stories (hopefully with chills crawling up their spines).
The stories range from the visceral horror of "The Plague of St. James Infirmary", with a tip of the hat to Henry Kuttner's and Derleth's mythos stories, to the melancholic and poetic "Love for Who Speaks", which reminds me of French symbolism. Plus, the ever helpful Robert M. Price introduces the book (following Asamatsu Ken's foreward, whetting our appetities for the horrid feasts which shall follow) and each story with some thoughts of his own. There is also an interesting essay on Lovecraft in manga, a bibliography of the manga mentioned, a bibliography of mythos works in Japan, as well as short bios on the authors (and translators). It's a shame that the only translated works English readers have of these authors are perhaps the ones in this very collection.
I can only hope that the subsequent volumes will be just as brilliant as this initial one.
Marvelous and original.......2005-06-06
In summary, Night Journeys, Nights Voices, subtitled Lairs of the Hidden Gods volume one, is urgently recommended to all serious mythos aficionados.
Parenthetically, this book is part of a veritable avalanche of great new mythos and related books that have been popping up on my doorstep. Just in the last few months we have had Horrors Beyond and Lost Worlds of Space and Time, with Tales Out of Dunwich and The Tsathoggua Cycle soon to follow, not to mention the upcoming Arkham anthology, The Dagon Cycle, The Yig Cycle, The Cthulhuian Singularity, Unholy Dimensions and The Black Sutra. Most of the stories in these will be new to me, even
the reprints! It's a golden age, I tell you.
Night Voices, Night Journeys is a publication of Kurodahan Press, and is, I believe, POD. The best way to order it is from Amazon, where it is $20 plus shipping. The page count is a VERY generous 363. However, 14 pages are taken up by introductions by Asamatsu Ken and Robert Price, and each story has its own title page and brief introduction, also by Robert Price. And from page 289 onward the material is factual discussion of
mythos manga and Lovecraftian fiction in Japan, with brief notes about the authors and translators at the end of the book. Production qualities are good. My copy had one printing error on page 301 where a crease led to a flaw in the typesetting, but the print was still readable. The cover has a lovely painting by Yamada Akihiro of a Japanese sea demon hidden amidst flowering plants. This is really quite different than the art style I am used to seeing on mythos books from the western world. I found it quite striking; most mythos novels
illustrations do not depict horror concealed in exquisite beauty. This book was written a number of years previously for the Japanese horror market and I guess the success (or perhaps the quality) was sufficient to prompt an English language version. Hence the anthology was edited by Asamatsu Ken, a Japanese author and HPL fan rather than one of the usual mythos crew here in the west. For such a book to succeed in the west it is extraordinarily important to have an excellent translation, one that can not just change the words into English but can also portray the atmosphere the author was trying to convey, that can appropriately bring off the rhythm of the dialogue and use of slang, puns or other word play. In many ways the translation is an expression of the interpretation of these intangibles by the interpreter, and the work in some ways becomes their own. I know from reading The Iliad that two translators can derive entirely different language out of the
same source work. I confess I have only ever read a few works of fiction written by Japanese authors before (one book Miyamoto Musashi was from my days taking karate), so I don't have a great deal of experience in this forum. The success of this book in the US will stand or fall with the quality of the translation as much as with the stories themselves. Happily these seem to be superb translations. The stories read seamlessly, naturally, allowing us to readily enter the author's worlds. For once I have no complaints about the introductions by Price, which were thoughtful, well written and informative. I would follow his advice, however, and not read the individual story introductions until after you have read the work in question, to avoid spoilers.
In some ways this book is both frustrating and tantalizing. These are new stories, written specifically for this anthology, much like with Horrors Beyond or Dead But Dreaming. This means there are other works already extant in Japan that we know nothing about. Here is an untapped mythos resource that I will only ever see as it is translated. In a way that means I'll probably only see the cream of the crop, but I can't help wondering about jewels known only to Japanese fans. And it makes me wonder about mythos fiction from other countries. We have many stories from the US and the UK, and now we are seeing some
Australian fiction. What about India or China, or any African nations? Heck what about Russia or non English speaking Europe?? One thing HPL fans do is write their own mythos contributions. This has kept the mythos alive and squirming over the years. The tradition dates back to the days HPL first ever wrote a story and his friends leaped over themselves creating new entities and tomes. As we only see fiction
written by English speakers we are missing out!! And this cuts both ways. I would imagine very little mythos fiction beyond the hoary classics is translated into Japanese so the revisionist view of Derleth is not extant in Japan. In fact it is HPL, the Lovecraft circle and Derleth, with of course whatever mythos heritage is native to Japan, that forms
the basis of the Japanese mythos fiction here. I wonder what Asamatsu Ken would think of the stories in Eldritch Blue or Dead But Dreaming.
Fortunately for us English speaking fans this is the first volume of a projected 4 volume series. I fervently hope that they sell well so we do, in fact, get to see all 4 volumes.
Here are the contents:
ASAMATSU Ken - Foreword: "Recollections of Tentacles"
ASAMATSU Ken "The Plague of St. James Infirmary" translated by R. Keith
ROELLER
HISADOME Kenji "The Cthulhu Mythos in Japan" translated by Edward
LIPSETT HOSHINO Satoshi "Cthulhu Mythos Manga List" translated by Ryan
MORRIS
INOUE Masahiko "Night Voices, Night Journeys" translated by Edward
LIPSETT
KAMINO Okina "27 May 1945" translated by Steven P. VENTI
MAKINO Osamu "Necrophallus" translated by CHUN Jin
MURATA Motoi "Sacrifice" translated by Nora Stevens HEATH
SHIBATA Yoshiki "Love for Who Speaks" translated by Stephen CARTER
YAMADA Masaki"The Import of Tremors" translated by Kathleen TAJI
YONEZAWA Yoshihiro "Four Decades of H.P. Lovecraft and Manga"
translated by Ryan MORRIS
I will briefly discuss the stories below, but not the nonfiction. As usual spoilers, small or large, may follow. When I relate my impressions of a story I like to place it in context with other related stories I have read. For reasons alluded to above I cannot do that here; all my very old Derleth paperbacks and books by other Lovecraft Circle authors are hidden away in boxes somewhere. I relied on Price's introductions to place each story in context, but only after
I read it. I must also say that the tenor of the anthology was
intangibly different than other anthologies I have read recently, perhaps relating to the Japanese approach? There was a sort of surreal, almost dreamy feel to many of the stories, even when they were graphic. In some ways the horror was more detached. And many of them were about love and had distinct, sometimes graphic, sexual overtone.
ASAMATSU Ken "The Plague of St. James Infirmary" - This is actually a lengthy novella, setting fire servants of Cthuga against water servant of Cthaat in gangland Chicago (an interesting setting for a Japanese author in a Japanese anthology!). Mr. Asamatsu uses a Japanese word "yoki" to good effect here; I doubt it translates well but it is rendered as gruesome feeling. Yoki suffuses the pages, no doubt as the
author intended. Dreamlike, ghastly and compelling come to mind when reflecting on this story. This is the one work where I did detect a bit of lecturing to Americans. I mean the few paragraphs on the bottom of page 62-63, where American hypocrisy and lack of insight is paraded into the narrative. This is, of course, old hat. It was the only time I ever discerned anything like that, and I only bring it up for the sake of even handedness.
*********spoiler follows!!!***********
One very cool thing about this story was weaving into it some true historical figures and a venerable mythos fiction character of Henry Kuttner. I never would have known about the latter except for Mr. Price's introduction as it has been ages since I read the Book of Iod. Now we know the truth about Elliott Ness and Al Capone. I wonder if the Japanese character Hasegawa Kaitaro is similarly a real person adapted for this novella.
YAMADA Masaki"The Import of Tremors" - Oh what a good yarn this was, about some unspeakable entity trying to acquire a new host in the twilight of WWII. I knew some of the history without prompting, like the Kobe earthquake, but I did not realize that Kobe was fire bombed like Tokyo was.
KAMINO Okina "27 May 1945" translated by Steven P. VENTI - I would gather that the time of the military collapse in Japan in mid 1945 is used to good effect by horror writers in Japan. This time is related to the American assault on Okinawa, and uses it as a smokescreen to a confrontation between Hastur and Cthulhu, very Derlethian!! Also very well written!
INOUE Masahiko "Night Voices, Night Journeys" - Surreal, beautifully written, this story gives the anthology its name. Some night journeys are eternal.
MURATA Motoi "Sacrifice" - In this story a yuppie-type's wife gets caught up in a cult that may use her as a sacrifice to a soil god. Robert Price was right on the money when he compared it to the movie(and novel) The Wicker Man. I was a bit bemused because that is what I came up with myself before I read his remarks. Any way, this was perhaps the weakest story here, not bad just not as powerful as the others were for me.
MAKINO Osamu "Necrophallus" - Oh my, wonderful! For me this is the best story contained in the anthology. And Horror Between the Sheets purports to be about mythos sex. Hah! Makino's work was visionary! "Necrophallus" probably outdoes anything in
Eldritch Blue for combining sex and true mythosian horror.
SHIBATA Yoshiki "Love for Who Speaks" - This is a marvelous tale of what are essentially The Deep Ones. They call to their own. A superb close to the superb fiction in Night Voices, Night Journeys.
The rest of the book is nonfiction.
Need I say that I thought this was a masterful collection?
Congratulations to Mr. Asamatsu and his authors. And thank you to Mr. Lipsett for bringing it to us. Really, everyone should read it.
Beasts from the East!.......2005-05-01
When I think of Japanese monsters, I tend to envision rubber-suited Kaiju fare, or Anime, with its big-eyed schoolgirls with even bigger guns blazing away at tentacled things with lots of eyes and mouths. And fun as they elements may be, they hardly suggest the lurking, brooding terrors of H. P. Lovecraft! But as Robert M. Price's Introduction to this book posits, who but the Japanese could truly understand unsuspected horror pouncing down from the skies in the more-than-half-a-century wake of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? And it shows in these 7 stories -- 6 stories, really, and a short novel -- as the horror is a palpable force lurking behind it all, in these truly incomparable well-written tales. These stories are very original, very well-realized, and damn scary! Editor Asamatsu Ken's "The Plague of St. James Infirmary leads off in fine short pulp novel fashion, utilizing elements from the Mythos works of Henry Kuttner and Brian Lumley, especially, and throwing in Eliot Ness and Al Capone to boot! Yamada Masaki's "The Import of Tremors" is another favorite, as is Murato Motai's "Sacrifice" -- both tales embodying the message: "Watch what you eat!" And the other stories were all good too, ranging from a depiction of Derlethian Great Old Ones' rivalries to a surrealistic sex-tinged odyssey to a graphic (read: cringe-inducing) waking nightmare, and even a touching love story! But make no mistake: Lovecraft's influence is clearly felt throughout it all. And it doesn't end there with the fiction either. We also get Bibliographies of the Cthulhu Mythos scene in Japan and a Manga primer to start us on our way to exploring this most fascinating mileu -- more of which future volumes of LAIRS OF THE HIDDEN GODS will continue to bring us. This is one beautiful book, and all involved can truly be proud (and I'd really be lax in my reviewer duties if I didn't mention the stunning pastels-and-tentacles cover by Yamada Akihiro)! Highly recommended!
Customer Reviews:
Strangers and The Voice Of The Night .......2006-06-10
I've read 26 Dean Koontz books, and while I haven't read The Mask, both Strangers and The Voice Of The Night are excellent. Strangers is about a handful of people from different parts of the country who are experiencing bizzare, frightening occurrences and obsessions that are ruining their lives after staying at the same hotel a year ago. They all meet up and uncover the truth about what happened to them.
In The Voice Of The Night, a shy, unpopular boy who is struggling with his parents' seperation befriends a sadistic boy who tries to get him to go along with him in games of death.
Some other great Koontz books that I recommend you check out are "Intensity", "Twilight Eyes", "Whispers", "Watchers", "The Servants Of Twilight", "The Door To December", "Cold Fire", and "Lightning".
Mike Crow "voices in The Night".......2001-11-02
The book I read was called "The Voice In The Night." It was about a boy named Colin and his best friend named Roy. Colin is about five feet twelve inches. Roy is alt stronger than Colin. Once they start telling eachother more about their lives Roy reveals something so outrageous Colin can't believe him.Since Colin refuses to believe him. Roy feels compelled to do it again.It takes place six miles out of town in a junkyard where no one is around. When Colin and ROy get into a argument about what Royt is trying to do things get very ugly. Since I don't want to give the ending of this book away I'll let you read it.
3 great tales.......2000-02-26
I liked all three of these books. A very good combination of Dean Koontz' tales. A must read for anyone interested in DK and his cross-genre books.
Not the greatest Kootnz has written.......1999-10-30
The book was very intriguing for the first 20 and last 50 pages, but the middled seemed to lose the reader in meaningless information. The antagonist of the story, Roy, was a great character. Pay close attention to him because you can never tell if you love him or hate him. Koontz did a great job with the characters in that aspect. The story line seemed to lack in something but it was an all around average book.
Can you spell Boring?.......1999-05-21
OK. Let me see here. This book was boring. Was also boring. And I can't forget to say that it was boring. And not to metion it's boringness. But overall this book was B-O-R-I-N-G. It should of been called STRANGERS:The book that will bore you to death.
Customer Reviews:
very well written !.......2006-07-03
very well written ! couldn't put it down and it gave a real understanding of that type of event
Authentic voice from the survivors.......2005-09-22
This is a collection of stories gathered from first hand survivors of the Great Galveston Hurricane that occured on September 9th in 1900. There are letters that were written in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, as well as memoirs written in the years that followed. Oral histories are transcribed, so that you "hear" the voices of those that went through the storm and the recovery efforts. Many of the sources were collected from the Rosenberg Library in Galveston. The letters and the memoirs are reproduced in their original form, which only adds to the pure authenticity of the horror and despair of the residents of Galveston.
The book begins with excerpts from a daily journal kept by Isaac Cline who was the U.S. Weather Bureau meteorologist in atime when meteorology and it's vital importance was in it's infancy. What follows are horrifying accounts of the total destruction of what had been a city in the midst of an economic boom, the 3rd richest city in proportion to it's population, a railroad center, a banking center, and a huge exporter of cotton, wheat, cattle and corn. As the economy boomed, the citizens of Galveston turned away from the possibility of a major hurricane striking them.
When the hurricane did strike Galveston, the city was nearly wiped clean. Estimates of the dead start conservatively at 6000 and as high as 12000. Marshall law was declared in order to quell the looting and other forms of civil disobedience that occured. Rumors ran rampant in the streets after the storm creating fear and panic to a decimated population. The death toll was so immense that bodies of the deceased were brought to the beach in any form of conveyance available and stacked in piles. Seeking the missing family members and friends was a hideous labor. Insurmountable odds faced those that searched the stacks of the dead.
As recovery efforts progressed it was realized by all that a complete reorganization of the local government was critical to the future of Galveston. The new government that was chosen streamlined the decision making process and it also provided clearly defined lines of responsibility. while Galveston did rebuild both physically and financially, it took careful planning and a realistic look at it's future.
There are over 70 photographs showing the aftermath of this catastrophic storm and the destruction wrought upon Galveston.
This book adds a clear and vivid account of the lives of those that survived this storm. This is a remarkable book that brings us a look at the human spirit of people whose lives are forever impacted by disaster and yet manage to continue on despite the hardships and vast loses.
History at its Best.......2001-07-14
This is the best book available on the Great Storm of 1900 and its effect on Galveston, Texas. An unbelievable amount of research obviously went into it. Very well written. Highly recommended.
SILENT STORM.......2001-06-24
I bought this book on the basis of a National Public Radio story which promoted it in an in-depth study of the devestating 1900 hurricane that killed thousands in Galveston, Texas. The radio spot spared no expense with the sound of hurricane force wind surrounding the historic taped voices of survivors describing a night where death pounded on the door. It made a much better radio show than it does a book. The problem is, the eyewitnes accounts are all in cloudy retrospect, some were taped seventy-plus years afterwords and are shaky historic accuracy. The book is a compilation of various communications from victims and survivors; personal letters, weather reports, diary entries, newspaper headlines and the mighty storm soon becomes as redundant as a 'Weather Channel' report. If the authors had found a grocery list of a victim, it would be included. Surely this hurricane which killed over 5000 people in an American coastal community in 1900 was more horrific than the drab, hearsay accounts given here. There is no journalistic quality. Even the photographs show page after page of what appears to be the same pile of wooden rubble.
The Best Book on the the 1900 Storm.......2000-09-08
This is a must-own book if you're interested in the great storm of 1900 or Galveston history generally.If you're going to buy just one Texas history book this year this is definitely the one to get. Despite the fact that the scholarship and research that went into this book is first rate,it is highly readable and you can almost hear the voices of people who experienced first hand the tragic events of this greatest of American natural disasters.The pictures and maps in this book are also woven together in a marvelous fashion. The Rosenberg Library in Galveston is to be commended for using its collection to put together this extraordinary book, which tells a powerful and moving story.This is history at its best.
Ed Cotham Author of Battle on the Bay: The Civil War Struggle for Galveston
Average customer rating:
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Vocal Direction for the Theatre: From Script Analysis to Opening Night
Nan Withers-Wilson
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ASIN: 0896761223 |
Books:
- A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005
- A Rose in Winter
- Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford History of the United States)
- Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (Heechee Saga, Book 2)
- Bloodline (Repairman Jack Novels)
- Brian Jones Straight From The Heart: The Rolling Stones Murder
- Broken Wings
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Issue 2
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Issue 2
- Can't Wait to Get to Heaven: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
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