From Hell - New Cover Edition

Amazon.com

The mad, shaggy genius of the comics world dips deeply into the well of history and pulls up a cup filled with blood in From Hell. Alan Moore did a couple of Ph.D.'s worth of research into the Whitechapel murders for this copiously annotated collection of the independently published series. The web of facts, opinion, hearsay, and imaginative invention draws the reader in from the first page. Eddie Campbell's scratchy ink drawings evoke a dark and dirty Victorian London and help to humanize characters that have been caricatured into obscurity for decades. Moore, having decided that the evidence best fits the theory of a Masonic conspiracy to cover up a scandal involving Victoria's grandson, goes to work telling the story with relish from the point of view of the victims, the chief inspector, and the killer--the Queen's physician. His characterization is just as vibrant as Campbell's; even the minor characters feel fully real. Looking more deeply than most, the author finds in the "great work" of the Ripper a ritual magic working intended to give birth to the 20th century in all its horrid glory. Maps, characters, and settings are all as accurate as possible, and while the reader might not ultimately agree with Moore and Campbell's thesis, From Hell is still a great work of literature. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

Legendary comics writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell have created a gripping, hallucinatory piece of crime fiction about Jack the Ripper. Detailing the events that led up to the Whitechapel murders and the cover-up that followed, From Hell has become a modern masterpiece of crime noir and historical fiction.

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Moore and Campbell have delved deeply into the story of Jack the Ripper, to present a version of what might have happened, based on what they knew and discovered in the research.

While odd looking to start with, the artwork seems to fit the squalor of the times once you start reading, and the density of the work is pretty impressive.

A masterpiece! What did you expect me to say?.......2007-08-07

Thick as a phone-book and often difficult to navigate. 'From Hell' is a comic that demands a lot from the reader and not is possible to finish over a single visit at the restroom. But it will yet be a highly rewarding experience for whoever who dares to give it a try.

In one of his most ambitious works Alan Moore gives his version of the still unsolved crimes of Jack The Ripper. Stories of the police, the prostitutes, citizens of London and the killer himself are neatly meshed together with a enthusiastic analysis and ideas that appears very realistic though most is fiction. Comics are rarely seen as intelligent or complex as this.

Eddie Campbell's drawings has this raw and unpolished look that suits the story just perfect and he makes a great deal of portraying the locations, the people and the gruesome killings in details. The killings are extreme and not for the weaker but they naturally also plays an important part and should certainly not ever be left out.

Now, just imagine the enormous research both must have done for this book!

UNBELIVABLE.......2007-06-06

i made the decision to purchase each of the 10 books individually. only needing #'s 8 and 10 i DO NOT regret my decision. the individual 10 books are WAAAAAAY cooler than the one volume with the whole story in it. it means you get 10 covers with 10 different paintings... cant get cooler than that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Best Graphic Novel written by Alan Moore.......2007-05-25

It's in black and white, a foot thick and will give you nightmares for a month.

If I could sum it up in a few sentences I'd be doing it a disservice and be a liar.

Buy it, read it and weep, for there will never be another book like it.

Watchmen for grown ups.

Superlative.......2007-03-17

'From Hell' has been in the world of literature for quite some time now. Like several other works by Alan Moore, it had also led to a paradigm shift in the world of Graphic Novels right from the beginning. But this work has a particular shade attached to it that we don't encounter elsewhere. Jack the Ripper has been the subject of so many works that sooner or later he/she may also become the butt of jokes like Knights' Templar (e.g. truest sign of one's insanity being his launching of discussions related to Knights' Templar). However, this book is no joke. It is a grim yet fictitous account of the Whitechapel murders based on Stephen Knight's now infamous "Royal Conspiracy" theory.
The story is briefly about the indiscretions of Queen Victoria's grandson Prince Albert Victor (Prince Eddy) that leads to her marriage to a shopkeeping lady and causes the birth of a girl. When the matter is attempted to be suppressed by the Queen through Sir William Withey Gull, Annie Crook (mother of Prince Eddy's child) becomes insane, but this secret is learned by Marie Kellie. She forms a loose confederacy of some of the other "Joy Maiden"-s of Whitechapel to blackmail the royalty through the painter William Sickert, which leads to their being butchered by Sir William Withey Gull, as per masonic rituals. These crimes are finally exposed, but masonic cover-ups as well as other efforts to silence Inspector Abberline succeed in suppressing the actual occurrences and distorting the entire picture.
Like all other works of Moore, it is a research paper, aimed at analysing those killings and to come up with meanings that our philosophy can not explain. This book is not for those who might wish either to read it for pleasure or to brush up their knowledge regarding "Ripperology". It is a work that might very well challenge your sanity and compell yourself to look at those faces, leering at you from the shadows, with a little more concern.

Average customer rating:

Too much talk
Not Up to Expectations
Prepare to lose your preconceived ideas of what a detective novel can be.
Fritz Malone is back!
Sophomore Jinx

Cold Day in Hell: A Novel
Richard Hawke
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400064260
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Book Description

In the stew and dazzle of New York City, savvy, irreverent Fritz Malone–who Susan Isaacs called “the perfect balance of noir P.I. and decent guy”–is embroiled in a string of grisly murders that drags him behind the lurid headlines into the tangled affairs of some the city’s most beautiful people and their ugly truths.

When two women linked with charismatic late-night TV personality Marshall Fox are found brutally slain in Central Park, Fox becomes the prime suspect and is charged with the murders. At the tabloid trial, one of Fox’s ex-lovers, Robin Burrell, is called to testify–and is instantly thrust into the media’s harsh spotlight. Shaken by a subsequent onslaught of hate mail, Robin goes to Fritz Malone for help. Malone has barely begun to investigate when Robin is found sadistically murdered in her Upper West Side brownstone, hands and feet shackled and a shard of mirror protruding from her neck.

But it’s another gory detail that confounds both Malone and Megan Lamb, the troubled NYPD detective officially assigned to the case. Though Fox is in custody the third victim’s right hand has been placed over her heart and pinned with a four-inch nail, just as in the killings he’s accused of. Is this a copycat murder, or is the wrong man on trial?

Teaming up with Detective Lamb, Malone delves deeper into Fox’s past, unpeeling the layers of the media darling’s secret life and developing an ever-increasing list of suspects for Robin’s murder. When yet another body turns up in Central Park, the message is clear: Get too close to Fox and get ready to die.

And Malone is getting too close.

In Cold Day in Hell, Richard Hawke has again given readers a tale about the dark side of the big city, a thriller that moves with breakneck speed toward a conclusion that is as shocking as it is unforgettable.

Praise for Richard Hawke’s Speak of the Devil

“Richard Hawke has managed what some writers spend a lifetime trying to accomplish: He has come up with a character and place that should entertain in countless stories to come.”
–Rocky Mountain News

“Fast-moving, first-rate . . . Hawke’s plot grabs us by the throat. . . . He keeps the suspense mounting.”
–The Washington Post

“[A] bang-bang thriller . . . We are absolutely powerless to stop reading.”
–Chicago Tribune

“Mr. Hawke’s [novel] tours the city . . . with unusual streetwise panache . . . but this isn’t a book that coasts on its urban geography. It lives by its wits, and its wits would work anywhere.”
–The New York Times

“A deftly paced debut that crackles and pops from page 1.”
–Booklist (starred review)

“Thrill-a-minute pacing and inspired plot twists.”
–Newsday

“[An] amazing thriller . . . Hawke’s dialogue is sharp and snappy and the plot moves with all the energy of New York City.”
–Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Hawke razzle-dazzles us with . . . bada-bing narration and quirky, well-drawn characters.”
–The Boston Globe

“[Packed] with a breathless pace and hair-pin turns.”
–South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Customer Reviews:

Too much talk.......2007-06-09

Worse than his last book. Too many questions being asked all the time. Rambles on and on.

Not Up to Expectations.......2007-06-06

Hawke's Fritz Malone was a great character in the debut novel by Hawke, Speak of the Devil. He was funny and likeable. He a had a great girlfriend and great relationship with her that added to the book. He also had a relationship with the girlfriend's father (his former partner) who added spice, wit, wisdom and and color to the book. Unfortunately, these aspects were missing in Cold Day in Hell resulting in a middle of the road mystery. Fritz' humor was in check. He and the girlfriend were shallowly on the outs because of Fritz' case and the father never appeared.

Fritz is a unique PI. He has an excellent rapport with the NYPD - how many fictional PI's can say they have good relations with their local police force? He shows humor without being cynicism - although less humor in this novel than in the first. He is generally a good guy for whom it is easy to root.

Cold Day in Hell opens with a murder that looks like it was committed by the same perpetrator that committed two prior murders. That suspect is a late night TV star currently being tried for the first two murders. Is it a copycat? Is the star innocent? The victim was a lover of the star and had testified in the nationally telecast trial. Soon a second murder occurs that also points to the TV star and Fritz is on the case.

The mystery is fairly good. There are plenty of suspects and motives to keep the reader hopping. However, I found the presentation a bit disorganized. I also found that Fritz' involvement was a bit far-fetched. He had no client nor interest, except that he had met the first victim - who lived across the street from his girlfiriend - to look into hate mail she had received after testifying against the TV star.

As good a character as Fritz is, the other characters in this book, especially the show biz ones seemed boilerplate. There is an excellent police woman who does have depth and is interesting. She and Fritz carry the book.

All in all, this was a decent murder mystery. I don't know that if this were the first book I read by Hawke that I would read any others by him. However, his Speak of te Devil was so excellent, I look at this as a temporary misstep - that was still okay - and I look forward to his next one.

Prepare to lose your preconceived ideas of what a detective novel can be. .......2007-05-30

Having written only two books, Richard Hawke already has earned himself a place on the "must read" list of detective fiction fans. SPEAK OF THE DEVIL introduced Fritz Malone, a very different (and memorable) private investigator whose territory is New York City. It must be noted that Hawke doesn't write straightforward crime novels; to say that he deconstructs the genre would be inaccurate, but he certainly stretches and tests its boundaries. The result is an implicitly edgy narrative that creates an atmosphere in which anything might happen.

COLD DAY IN HELL centers on Marshall Fox, a wildly popular late-night television personality whose professional and personal life is fodder for daily morning water cooler discussion. The fact that Fox is a bit of a rake only fuels his reputation. But when two women who are linked to him are found brutally slain in a unique, sinister fashion, he is charged with their murder. The trial is, as one might expect, a circus --- it is even referred to as "O.J. East" --- and the testimony of Robin Burrell, one of Fox's many ex-lovers, regarding his points of arousal only serves to further inflame the rabble. Burrell, who happens to live across the street from Malone's significant other, retains Malone to deal with the avalanche of harassing mail and phone calls she receives.

When Burrell herself is murdered in a fashion similar to those for whom Fox is on trial, it raises the issue of whether Burrell has been executed by a copycat killer or if the D.A.'s office is trying the wrong man for murder. Malone is working with Megan Lamb, an emotionally troubled New York police detective assigned to the investigation. They begin digging into Fox's life and discover no lack of suspects or motives for any of the killings. When yet another brutal murder occurs --- similar but not identical to the first three --- Malone comes to the realization that knowing Fox is dangerous, and investigating the murders of his associates might be even more so.

Hawke is not afraid to take chances with his plot or characters. I about dropped the book at the end of Part 1 and then again near the violent climax of this exciting work. Hawke's ability to tinker with the form of his narrative while keeping the story true to the genre results in a unique, and ultimately addictive, reading experience. Pick up COLD DAY IN HELL and prepare to lose your preconceived ideas of what a detective novel can be.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Fritz Malone is back!.......2007-05-08

I thoroughly enjoyed the first installation of the adventures of NYC gumshoe, Fritz Malone and am sooooo happy to see that Richard Hawke is continuing the series. Yeah!

Sophomore Jinx.......2007-04-21

The second in a series is often disappointing failing to live up to the promise a first book, such is the case with Richard Hawke's COLD DAY IN HELL. Mr. Hawke, who also writes the wonderful Hearse mysteries under the name Tim Cockey, established a strong character in Fritz Malone in SPEAK OF THE DEVIL but does nothing with him this time around. This isn't a bad book but it drags almost from the beginning only to pick up in a series of two page chapters towards the end but never really kicks into gear and the final action sequences are disjointed, contradictory and, in the end, unsatifing. Mr. Hawke/Cockey has done much better in the past and, based on his terrific track record, should do better in the future. As for this one, wait for the paperback.

Average customer rating:

Super Reader
GREAT series!
Ok, but not the best Nightside book.
i want to give it a 4.5
Excellent book in a very good series

Hell to Pay: A Novel of The Nightside
Simon R. Green
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0441014607

Book Description

In the wake of the war that left the Nightside leaderless, Jeremiah Griffin-one of the last of the immortal human families-plans to fill the power vacuum. But his granddaughter has disappeared, and he wants John Taylor to use his special abilities to find her. Except someone-or something-is blocking Taylor's abilities.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-26

Back on form here as John Taylor goes back to work after the events of the Lilith War. He gets hired by one of the filthy rich guys that are left, who also happens to be immortal, to find one of his descendants.

So, John goes around turning over rocks to see what crawls out. A few of the things that do are Jimmy Thunder from Drinking Midnight Wine, the Salvation Army Sisterhood Christian Terrorist Nuns, a Hand of Glory, and a Duke of Hell.

GREAT series!.......2007-05-09

I've been a big fan of this series ever since book one! Great setting and very interesting menagerie of charaters. I highly recommend this series to anyone.

Ok, but not the best Nightside book........2007-05-02

I've read all of Simon Green's Nightside books and I've got to say this one was a bit disappointing. After the demolition job Heaven and Hell's major hitter's did there should have been more death and destruction evident imho. There was also a lack of spark in the plot. This book might have been better placed earlier on when John Taylor was just a PI.

i want to give it a 4.5.......2007-04-30

i've loved this series but this novel... kinda of a let-down after the Lillith war. but heck, what can you follow up with after such a catastrophic incident? but DO give it a read. i hope Green's got more tricks up his sleeves, or this series is going downhill.

Excellent book in a very good series.......2007-04-27

John has gone back to being a detective after a stint of metaphysical adventures and saving the nightside. This book has a lot of humor: parody, satire, sarcasm and irony. The Salvation Army Sister hood is pretty good as is the scene on The Street of the Gods. John has been contacted by the Griffin ( a very wealthy immortal) too find his granddaughter Melissa who is missing an presumed kidnapped. The Griffin's fashion hound wife, their two children and the grand children all make up a nicely dysfunctional family, The characters are very well done and the plot if quite good with a nice twist.

IN Sweet Silver Blues (Garrett Files) Garrett is a plain detective but later in the series goes off into saving the world, similarly Jim Butcher detours into saving the world in Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, Book 7), So far the only one who hasn't is Kim Harrison For a Few Demons More (Rachel Morgan, Book 5) but she is coming close. It appears to be an occupational hazard of the authors of these paranormal detective books.

But this book is back to the detective part and is an excellent read; highly recommended.

Hell and Back (Sin City, Book 7: Second Edition)

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
Wonderful conclusion to a great series.
Neither a Bang Nor a Whimper
An unnecessary final Sin City volume
A "Sin City" experiment with success and failure

Hell and Back (Sin City, Book 7: Second Edition)
Frank Miller
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1593072996

Amazon.com

Can anything be darker than noir? Try Frank Miller's Sin City series. The tasty Hell and Back features Wallace, a brooding artist with a decided talent for hurting people, and Esther, a stunningly beautiful actress accidentally mixed up in a slavery ring that extends far and deep enough to transcend the word conspiracy. The tale twists, turns, and backtracks, teasing the reader with hints of terror to come--until the explosive climax. Miller's art is exactly right for his words; he uses more black than white, and color only when appropriate. The chapter dealing with Wallace's drug hallucinations is beautiful, heartbreaking, and terrifying in turn. Readers interested in the human dark side should find out what fans of Sin City already know: Frank Miller has seen it and wants to share. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

In the Town Without Pity, good men are hard to find. Enter Wallace, a man of mystery. He's a nice guy who's very good at killing people. Out for an evening drive along the beach, he meets the woman of his dreams - and she's trying to kill herself. Why? And who are the shadowy cabal of power brokers who wrench her from his arms? When will all hell break loose? Comics legend Frank Miller, creator of the groundbreaking Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, pounds out his longest Sin City graphic novel to date - a bare-knuckle barrage of brutal action, dark secrets, and heroic sacrifice. What the hell - it's a love story! The most recent story in Miller's gritty crime saga, Hell and Back includes color sections and pinups by a who's who of comics luminaries.

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-04

A new character is introduced here. Wallace is a struggling artist, just trying to get along. He rescues a woman, and gets into a whole lot of trouble for it.

Finding himself in the middle of a conspiracy, his high level of talent at the killing thing holds him in good stead, as does his Vietnam war background.

Wonderful conclusion to a great series........2007-07-26

Frank Miller's Sin City is always full of surprises, with its gritty dialogue and creative/graphic violence. Book 7 of 7, Hell & Back is a love story. This book is quite different then the others, some color is shown and you'll see what I mean if you read it. I hope you enjoy this book!

Neither a Bang Nor a Whimper.......2007-07-09

The final book in the Sin City series, HELL AND BACK is a solid conclusion that neither reaches the heights of some of the earlier books though, thankfully, also does not reach some of the low points we have seen. Any reader who makes it through everything will not be disappointed.

HELL AND BACK's main character is new to the Sin City collection. Wallace is a war vet with fighting skills that rival those of Marv. Like Marv, he is motivated by an altruisitic, indeed tender, concern for others that he deems worthy of his troubles. The girl he just meets and saves, Esther, is worthy enough. When Esther is kidnapped, Wallace kills about...oh, exact numbers are hard to come by, but an awful lot of scum bags to get her back.

We once again encounter Delia, the beautiful yet deadly assassin introduced in Book 6, BOOZE, BROADS & BULLETS and we get a better understanding of exactly what kind of organization she works for. Let us just say, not many people will be busted up over the pile of bodies left in Wallace's wake. I do not know if there are any plans to make this book into a Sin City movie, but if there are, some of the more tender-hearted may experience some sleeping problems after seeing it.

Given that HELL AND BACK introduces new and interesting characters, it is hard to complain that the book is considerably bigger than the others in the series. (Who would do so anyway?) If Frank Miller ever writes more of these stories, picking up right here would be a-ok.

An unnecessary final Sin City volume.......2007-07-08

This is the final volume in the Sin City collection, and it's clear from the start that this is nothing you'll remember forever. The tale is more or less standard Sin City-material, a brooding dark hero, (an artist in this case), trying to rescue his damsel in distress, a black girl attempting to end her life when the two meet. He manages to save her the first time, and (as usual) she ends up being taken away from him at the very start. He then decides to start a personal crusade (as usual) against her captors, and the story unfolds as usual, in a whirlpool of violence, promiscuity, action and hardboiled language. He kills a lot of people, he is beaten up a lot and finally he seizes the day. The story is nothing more than "okay", seeing as I feel we've all read this before, in the previous volumes, and for some reason this particular volume is the longest, even though it is also possibly the dullest.

The story ends with a grand finale, as is common in the series, and the conspiracy behind the evil committed is relatively punished for their heinous crimes. I enjoy Sin City for what it is, an amusing light read for adults, and if you've enjoyed the previous volumes, you'll enjoy this too, but let's all be glad he decided to end it with this one. For completists only.

A "Sin City" experiment with success and failure.......2007-05-06

With production on Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City 2" beginning within the next few months, Frank Miller has stated that there is definite potential for more "Sin City" comics in the future. At the moment, however, 2001's "Hell and Back", the seventh "Sin City" graphic novel, is the most recent tale to emerge from the seedy depths of Basin City. It's also the weakest, due to a number of bold moves on Miller's part - some of which succeed, some of which don't.

Subtitled "A Sin City Love Story," "Hell and Back" follows Wallace, a war hero who saves a beautiful woman named Esther from committing suicide on "one of those clear, cool nights that drops into the middle of summer like a gift from on high." He takes her back to his apartment building, gives her fresh clothing, and takes her out for a drink at (where else?) Kadie's. As they leave the bar, however, Wallace is shot with a tranquilizer. He awakens surrounded by cops and with no clue what has happened to him - or much more importantly, to Esther. Naturally, no hard-boiled Miller hero can let something like that slide, especially Wallace, who is considerably more violence-inclined even than Marv. Thus Wallace embarks on a no-holds-barred quest, not for revenge, but for Esther. Of course, just because it's not about vengeance doesn't mean he's afraid to kill ...

If not one of his best works, "Hell and Back" is one of Miller's most interesting. The tale is a disjointed experiment that holds together enough to satisfy at its end, but also to leave the reader longing for the pulpy sweetness of previous "Sin City" yarns like "A Dame to Kill For" or even "Family Values." The most risky of Miller's maneuvers involved Wallace's full-color hallucinations after he is drugged. This is a blast, as Wallace envisions rude cherubs, ferocious dinosaurs, the Cat in the Hat, and even Mike Mignola's Hellboy at one point (timed with a character's uttering of "Hell, boy!"). Mr. Miller does get a little carried away during this sequence, though.

Another change is Miller's drawing style. His previous "Sin City" tales featured rounded, full, shady, and lifelike illustrations. Miller draws "Hell and Back" in the same fashion in which he drew his seminal work, "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," with gritty, less sensuous illustrations. On the upside, his wife, Ms. Lynn Varley, adds some new color the series in the form of an orange-haired femme fatale. The final and, arguably, most bizarre and amusing of "Hell and Back"'s experiments, is a tale recounted by a hospitalized teenage boy to his father about his first sexual encounter. Titled "My Blind Date: A Sin City Tale of Woe," the absurd interlude is a hilarious piece of work that will irritate as many fans as it will entertain.

As usual, a wealth of familiar characters pop up throughout the tale, including Manute, the hulking, one-eyed henchman, and most importantly Delia (a.k.a. "Blue Eyes," who previously appeared in the short story collection Booze, Broads, & Bullets). And, as any "Sin City" fan has come to expect, there's some great, noir-esque narration as well as a deliciously sweet conclusion. Still, "Hell and Back" is the weakest of the series. Maybe it'll work better when Rodriguez adapts it for the third "Sin City" movie (in which Johnny Depp is rumored to be playing Wallace), but on paper, the story just doesn't shine. Nevertheless, it's a lot better than most comics, and for anyone who enjoyed the other "Sin City" stories, it's still essential.

Average customer rating:

A Time Bending Tale of Innocence and Metaphor for Complicit Madness
Imaginative tour-de-force!
Descent into Hell
Invoke the Doctrine of Substituted Books
Timeless Truth Visits Suburbia

Descent into Hell, a Novel
Charles Williams
Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802812201

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In Charles Williams's novel Descent into Hell, Hell turns out to be nothing other than a refusal to see things as they really are. Arguably his finest novel, the "descent" in the title happens to an ordinary (if extraordinarily selfish) historian named Wentworth, whose daily choices to cheat on the truth slowly but surely lead him into a terrifying state of isolation and egotism. Heaven, by contrast, is increasingly inhabited by the novel's heroine, Pauline Anstruther, who as the book proceeds learns to face her fears (and her ancestors!) and to love the truth exactly as it is. The plot turns around the latest production of fictional playwright Peter Stanhope, but for Williams Pauline's realization of the divine glory incarnate in all of life is the deeper truth that sustains this and every other drama. --Doug Thorpe

Book Description

They had gone down the hill together, the man and that creature of illusion which had grown like the flowers of Eastern magic between the covering and uncovering of a seed. The feminine offspring of his masculinity clung to him, pressing her shoulder against him, turning eyes of adoration on him, stroking his fingers with her own. The seeming trance prolonged itself in her in proportion as it passed from his own senses; he could plunge again into its content whenever the creature looked at or spoke to him. Their betrothal had been celebrated thus before they began to walk down the hill, and in that betrothal a fraction of his intelligence had slept never to wake.

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Customer Reviews:

A Time Bending Tale of Innocence and Metaphor for Complicit Madness.......2007-05-31

I finally decided to check out `the other guy' from The Inkling and picked up a copy of Charles Williams' Descent into Hell in which he seems to explore the idea of `the terrible good' a relatively fruitful line of thought. The characters are layered and the descriptions rich with subtle observations about connection, human nature, art and scholarship. Williams is poetic without seeming self important. His dream and fantasy sequences however, can be ponderous and difficult.

Descent into Hell's protagonist Pauline, is a poetic soul haunted by apparitions. I was engaged in her story as it interwove with that of an eccentric poet and the dead of generations past on her way to apprehending the vaguely name omnipotent. It is the secondary (counterpoint) narrative of Wentworth, however, that makes this little novel truly memorable. A historical scholar's objectification of a woman takes a mystical and corporeal turn providing a jarring metaphor for the costs of maintaining an alternate reality. William's description of Wentworth's complicit delusion was horrifying in its familiarity. Wentworth's preference for a controlled unreality to an uncertain actuality and its associated madness was a creative and memorable centerpiece for a generally pleasant and intriguing story.

Imaginative tour-de-force!.......2006-08-27

W. H. Auden and T. S. Elliot admired this eccentric author and found his novels great reading. My small voice echoes "Darn Right!" Gently invite anyone still laboring under the illusion that you "make your own reality" or that "by following your heart you'll never go astray" to a good slow read of this mystical horror. Laurence Whitworth is as good a cautionary protagonist for which one could hope. Two parallel themes, the lightness of love's burden and the burdened suicide's call to light are both deeply moving. After my third reading I'm glimpsing what Williams' tried to reveal, but hope subsequent rereads will take me even deeper. Don't give up! this book's worth every minute you spend in it.

Descent into Hell.......2006-02-12

Just the first page is an example of some of the worst writing I have ever read. The prose is convoluted and unreadable. He uses the word "stairs" when he means "stares". How basicly illiterate can you get?If this man can get published, there is real hope for all those neophyte writers out there. Keep throwing your manuscripts over the transoms --somebody's going to give you a chance.

Invoke the Doctrine of Substituted Books.......2004-06-26

and instead read something slightly more coherent. Like Finnegans Wake. Or, if you must read Williams, either War in Heaven or All Hallows' Eve are much better. It's not that the book is all bad. After you get past the overwrought and near unintelligible prose, a subtlety of plot that borders on disregard of the reader, silly and unsympathetic characters, and some very naughty heresy, there are a few good things to be said of Descent Into Hell. For one, the picture Williams draws of lust, pride, and despair is outstanding. For another, some of his more subtle observations regarding the effects of sin on an individual are also excellent. And there may be an interesting observation or two about the Communion of Saints (although Williams adds a dash of heterodoxy to this concept as well). But mostly the book is just wacky. Sinners get a second (and maybe third or fourth) bite at the apple in the hereafter, the reality of hell is oddly diminished through Williams' apparent desire to draw a psychological portrait of its existence, a heretic is punished by the noble and pious Mary Tudor yet saved by God for relying on his malformed conscience, and daffy Golden Dawn freak-shows carry each other's burdens in an evident misunderstanding of the Church's spiritual treasury, how it is filled, and how it is put to use. I would recommend the book only to Williams completists. The middle third is hard slog but it picks up at the end.

In a nutshell, it's not the best book for right-wing orthodox Catholic monarchists. But if you're a hippy-freak new ager with a taste for poorly drafted gothic novels, this might be right up your alley.

Timeless Truth Visits Suburbia.......2004-02-18

Ask any minister what part of the Apostle's Creed elicits the greatest number of questions from parishioners. He or she will say without hesitation, "He descended into hell."

This is a puzzling phrase for us. If we want to have a Biblically accurate and theologically sound understanding of the most difficult phrase of the Apostle's Creed, we may wish to turn to The Book of Confessions. Or John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. Or we might want to read this novel, by one of the most dazzling Christian novelists of the past (Twentieth!) century.

Charles Williams should be better known that he is, as a brilliant scholar, inventive writer and faithful Christian of modern times. A forceful, inventive and compelling person, Willams was a member of the famous "Inklings"-the creative Oxford University Christian writers whose company included C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

The setting of the book is an affluent suburb of a large city where a group of interesting residents have prevailed upon one of their most famous neighbors, a world-renowned playwright, to produce his newest play. We meet them all as the rehearsals are taking place-and we learn that each person is on a spiritual journey fraught with dangers, toils and snares. There is love and lust, loss and confusion, the meaning of life and the meaning of work, all wrapped up in the preparations for performing the play.

If Shakespeare is to be trusted, all the world's a stage... Williams uses the metaphor of the play to portray life, in this world and the next. So we have the world of "The Hill" (their neighborhood-but could it be any suburban enclave), intersecting with the world of the play. We also have a larger challenge. For, as he does in all his novels, Williams reveals the intersection between the "real world" and the spiritual realm. Past and present at times merge. Memory and hope combine. People make choices that will affect their lives for all eternity. Sometimes, without thinking.

We meet the wise and kindly playwright, Stanhope. The eminent and ambitious historian Wentworth. The beguiling and mysterious Mrs. Samile. The fear-stricken Pauline, whose perils help us grasp the key to the most famous verse in Galatians... "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." For that passage alone, the novel is unsurpassed.

But you will also not want to miss Wentworth's Choice. Classic Christian truth portrayed unforgettably.

If you are of a literal bent, you may find it hard to wrap your mind around some of his images. Don't give up! Allow yourself to be guided by a pro, into a world you may not have visited before. Read this book slower than you are accustomed to read novels. Intersperse its reading with Biblical study on the same concepts: wholeness, healing, Christian love, jealousy, anger, fear, faithfulness, joy, life and life eternal.

(Note: This novel is one of a series that also includes these titles, by the same author and from the same publisher: All Hallows Eve, War in Heaven, Many Dimensions, The Place of the Lion, The Greater Trumps).

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
The Calm Before the Storm
Leads up to the incredible finale
Ain't Got That Old Feeling
Almost there...

Preacher Vol. 8: All Hell's A-Coming
Garth Ennis
Manufacturer: Vertigo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Preacher Vol. 9: Alamo
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ASIN: 1563896176

Amazon.com

It's trite but true: you can't keep a good man down. Holier-than-anyone Jesse Custer comes back from the dead--or wherever--in the eighth collection of Preacher, All Hell's A-Coming. Garth Ennis's knack for developing characters slowly and almost effortlessly pays off more and more with each issue, and by now Custer, his lover Tulip, and his vampire friend Cassidy are as complex as anyone you're likely to meet. The story arc focuses on Tulip's own resurrection from her unlife of booze, drugs, and Cassidy as she reunites with the Preacher, and this powerful tale doesn't require any superheroic conflict to affect the readers. (Fans of the Voice will be disappointed to learn that it's only used once, in an amusing throwaway scene.) As this develops, the nefarious Grail suffers from internal struggle, and poor Arseface finds himself on the backside of fame, setting the stage for plenty of future weirdness. In addition to the regular collected issues, All Hell's A-Coming includes the one-shot "Tall in the Saddle," a fast-moving story from Jesse, Amy, and Tulip's younger days. If you've never met the Preacher, isn't it about time you found the fear of God? --Rob Lightner

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Some history of the hell raising (among other nastiness) of both Jesse and Tulip, plus a confrontation, reconciliation and more of the same at an old friend's. Jesse fancies her friend, her friend fancies Jesse, especially compared to the usual losers she comes across. Neither will do anything, partly because both of them realise that Tulip will blow the hell out of them if they do, for one thing, and that they are more valuable as friends. Jesse does it to Tulip again.

The Calm Before the Storm.......2004-10-16

In this, the penultimate instalment to the remarkable Preacher run, Garth Ennis sets the scene before it all comes crashing down in The Alamo. An interweaving of narrative focuses on things that were: the younger lives of Tulip and Cassidy; the last story, `Tall in the Saddle,' looks at a younger Jesse, Tulip, and Amy, and shows the extent of Jesse's moral imperatives. Jesse's Texas-style justice borders on the sadistic in much of these pages. Nothing new there, I suppose, but there's some pretty graphic stuff, which further makes difficult the ability to unequivocally embrace Jesse as 'the hero.'If Preacher can 'mean' anything, surely the interrogation of whether good people can do bad deeds must be one of its hallmarks.

There's an undercurrent of themes here, most notably, the grand vision of America as the home of second chances and fulfilled dreams. That such a naïve suggestion could even be seriously articulated in as cynical and dark a text as Preacher (particularly when it's delivered by an ex-porn actor), shows the broadness of the canvas with which Ennis paints. Although Ennis clearly does believe in the notion of redemption, as witnessed by Jesse's spiritual rebirth in the appropriately-titled `Salvation,' and Tulip's deliverance from her own personal hell in these pages, our good buddy Arseface, though, is a living example of what happens when we too-openly trust and believe in goodness and decency. And people like Cassidy demonstrate the morality of people who manipulate that trust for their own benefit...

All in all, this is a good read. I would have liked more plot and less background (did I really need to know all I did about Tulip? And why is her father's hand inexplicably replaced by a hook?), but I can see Ennis playing the role of maestro here, having things quiet down before the finishing crescendo.

Leads up to the incredible finale.......2003-05-12

This collected volume, which leads up to the incredible finale of the Preacher series, finds Tulip leaving her new life of booze, drugs, and Cassidy to try to get her life back together. After that (and a rousing backstory on Tulip's childhood and her meeting with Amy), she and Jesse are re-united proving one of Preacher's many themes: love is stronger than death. The best parts of All Hell's A-Coming is undoubtadly Jesse learning all of Cassidy's dark and dirty past. This part is pivotal for a few reasons: longtime fans of the series have no doubt grown to love Cass, and now their opinions will be surely changed. Also, this is the plot progressing set up the final, pivotal events that come in the next and final collected volume; Alamo. The final story, a backstory on one of Jesse, Tulip, and Amy's criminal misadventures, isn't one of Ennis' better written stories, but think of it as an added bonus.

Ain't Got That Old Feeling.......2002-10-18

I had really high expectations for this volume. It didn't quite measure up.
Okay, yeah, the characters are great. Fine. But the Tulip backstory feels obligatory and pointless, and I don't think it develops too much about her. It really didn't require two issues, that's for sure.
The rest of this volume seems kind of useless, repeating all the themes that have gone before. And between this volume and the last one, I'm wondering when Ennis will stop feeling the need to include sexual perversion in every issue. I'm not a prude, I just think it's a little past the point where it enhances the stories. It just feels repetitive now.
There's no real action in this book, and not a lot of solid story.
Finally, the action Jesse takes at the end of this volume, together with his actions towards Gunther at the end of Salvation make me truly question Jesse as a hero. This would bother me less, except that Ennis seems to think these actions are fine and jim dandy.

Almost there..........2002-09-01

This is the next-to-the-last (the penultimate, if you will) in the series of collected Preacher graphic novels, and it's a good one. It's probably not as good as Salvation, but still it's one of my favorites.

This is the last bit of breathing space we're allowed in the series before the plot takes over and bulldozes us towards the conclusion in book nine. Here there's still some room to move sideways as well as forward.

The books starts with some backstory on Tulip. We visit her childhood and find out why she's who she is, and why she's so good with a gun. Then at long last Tulip and Jesse are reunited.

Book Description

Within twenty-four hours a nightmare will be unleashed that could cause the death of untold millions and devastate a great nation. It's a plot being carried out by the unlikeliest of allies. A powerful mole within the deepest reaches of U.S. Intelligence has secretly conscripted the very criminals he's been charged with investigating -- former IRA terrorists, Latino and Asian gang members, Middle Eastern assassins and others -- creating one of the most insidious terrorist networks law enforcement has yet to take down.

One man stands between the destroyers and the death tide: Jack Bauer, lone wolf operative for America's brand-new elite Counter Terrorist Unit. But he's three thousand miles from the CTU command center without backup in a strange city, New York. He's been artfully set up and is being hunted by the FBI for the murder of two of its agents. And time's almost up . . .

Customer Reviews:

Not as exciting as the show.......2007-08-01

I am a big fan of the TV show so thought I'd give the first book a shot and was somewhat disappointed for various reasons:
1. The personalities of the characters do not come out in the book. Jack comes across as a "nice guy" always saying "please" and "thank you". Not the gritty, take-charge Jack of the show. Most of the other CTU characters only have one liners and their characters are not developed at all in the story.
2. The plane flight from Atlanta to LaGuardia is a key part of the entire story and lasts for several hours in the book compared to only 2 hours in real life.
3. Some chapters were action packed, but others were dull and boring to get through.

I don't think this book comes anywhere close to the thrill of the TV show.

Could have used a continuity editor..........2007-06-19

This book offers up many things that I think have been missing from the TV show in the past few seasons, including a coherent plot that runs through the entire 24-hour period and a lot of "in-the-field" thrills without getting bogged down in inane presidential politics and battles over the 25th Amendment. But, while I'm not a military expert, so I can't comment on the technical blunders in the book (although I believe that they are blunders), the fact remains the continuity editing is truly horrible.

Without ruining the plot, lets just say that a plane takes off from Atlanta at 1:30 in the morning but does not arrive in New York City until 8:45 a.m. Were it the Wright Brothers plane I might buy it, but the plane is a 727! The plane takes two and a half hours just to get from Trenton, NJ to NYC!

All told, while the plot concept is not bad, the book itself is drivel written by a lazy writer with virtually no editing. If you love the show and need a fix, buy the book and read it in a couple of hours on the beach. Otherwise, it just isn't worth it.

Need a "24" Fix Between Episodes?.......2007-04-29

Jack Bauer and the rest of the Counter-Terrorism Unit have 24 hours to stop a plot that would devastate the citizens of Los Angeles and the entire nation. However, no one is entirely sure what kind of threat is forthcoming. Is it a plan to shoot down dozens of domestic airliners...or something even more terrifying? The hunt for answers will take Jack Bauer to New York City where as Jack scours the city for leads, each hour has the potential of leading him and an entire city closer to death...

As a fan of the TV show, I had fun reading about characters that are not on the show presently for various reasons. I would definitely recommend this book for someone who is a fan of the show or has never seen it. The story has plenty of action, drama, and suspense to go around. However, if you have never seen the show, I would also recommend renting the first season DVD. Between the books and the TV show, you will be a 24 convert in no time.

Operation Hell Gate........2007-01-19

Brilliant!!! "All Hail the Power of Bauer". If you love the TV series, you will love the read.

Top Notch.......2007-01-15

Thrilling and intriguing. Keeps the reader on edge. Excellent story line and plot.

Average customer rating:

So disappointed
Big Fan
LOVED IT
What a story
Page Turner

When Hell Freezes Over: A Novel
Darrien Lee
Manufacturer: Strebor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1593090420

Book Description

The unforgettable characters from the bestseller What Goes Around Comes Around are back -- in a smashingly suspenseful tale of love, trust, and the secrets that can make or break our lives.

The dashingly handsome Keaton Lapahie has watched many of his friends do the one thing he has vowed he will never do: get married. His plan is to enjoy his retirement, open a restaurant, and remain a bachelor for life. But when he is unexpectedly put on mandatory medical leave, he decides to visit his sister and her family...not realizing fate is about to take him on a trip -- not just out of town, but toward his own heart.

In Philadelphia, Keaton is reacquainted with Dr. Meridan St. John, his sister's pediatrician. Meridan is seemingly the perfect woman -- smart, bold, and beautiful. Why can't Keaton attract her attention? He soon learns that Meridan is haunted by something in her past -- and though Keaton can read her better than anyone else, he cannot figure out the cause of her nightmares and fears. Things become even more complicated when Jacob, her jealous childhood friend, arrives in Philadelphia and threatens to expose all the dark secrets of her past. Worried that Keaton will not believe she was innocent in her situation, she does the only thing she can...run. Thus, Keaton must decide -- does he follow her, and get to the truth, or does he leave the woman he loves to her own dark nightmares?

Penetrating in language and powerful in meaning, When Hell Freezes Over is a remarkable story about how accepting the past is the only way to make a future.

Customer Reviews:

So disappointed.......2007-08-18

This book sucked on so many levels. I feel like this should have been the first one in the series, because her writing seemed to digress so much. All that and a bag of chips was damn near perfect. The following two books were just as good, but after reading this I am beyond hesitant about reading anything else she writes. It took me almost three months to read it. I felt that the characters were at times overly dramatic, and even her writing style seemed to be that of a novice rather than a published author with a couple of published books under her belt. The story line itself was good. Man, likes woman. Woman's in danger, hesitant to reveal why.... etc. It was good, but the way that Miss Lee presented it was just horrible. At one point she was almost at the top of my Authors to watch" list, now, she's not even on it. Not saying that she can't redeem herself, it's obvious that she has the talent. Maybe this was just a slip. We'll see.

Big Fan.......2007-07-05

I'm a big fan of Darrien Lee. I have read all of her books. I let a friend borrow it and never got it back. So I had to get it to add to my others. I love reading books that follow the characters. It's a great series and I wish she write another sequel or two.

LOVED IT.......2007-03-12

THIS BOOK WAS A GREAT READ, I ONLY HAVE ONE BAD THING TO SAY. I DONT KNOW WHY SHE WAS TRYING TO HIDE HER PAST FROM HIM, THEN WHEN HE FOUND OUT ABOUT IT SHE WAS TRYING TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROMHER THAT'S WHAT MADE ME MAD THE ENDING IS WHAT PISSED ME OFF BUT OTHER THAN THAT I WOULD READ IT AGAIN BUT SKIP THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS.
ASHLEY

What a story.......2007-01-08

All of D. Lee's books are excellent, but this one is my favorite, I would reccomend that you read them in order, that way you will know who's who as they are mentioned. I know there has to be a follow up to this on, focusing on Nikki and Damon.. in the meantime I will read Talk to the hand (which is unrealated to these storylines).

Page Turner.......2006-11-06

I could not put this book down. I've read all Ms. Lee's novels and enjoyed them immensely! I love that she keeps characters from the previous book coming back and I love the added twists. Keep them coming Ms. Lee.

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
Pretentious, dull, and lacking insight
Better Book Than the Title Suggests
Another Bridget Jones
Book Review: Notting Hell by Rachel Johnson

Notting Hell: A Novel
Rachel Johnson
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1416531769

Book Description

EVERY CITY HAS A NOTTING HELL . . .

"A spot of extramarital nookie with a close neighbor is one thing. We're all grown-ups here. But selling a rare-to-the-market mid-Victorian house -- not merely a house but our children's ancestral family home -- on a communal garden, the sort of house that a banker would trample over his own grandmother to spend his bonus on -- is another thing entirely. It's wrong."

Meet Mimi. Mimi may "have it all" -- the house, the children, the part-time vanity job, the skinny jeans, the feng shui guru -- but life chez Fleming is not as cushy as she'd like (husband Ralph prefers the trout stream to the fast lane). And when Mimi meets Si, the new billionaire on the block, at a sushi party, she soon faces a choice of keeping up or keeping it real.

Then there's her best friend Clare, neat-freak garden designer, deep in biopanic about her childlessness with eco-architect husband, Gideon. Clare monitors all illicit activity in the private West London compound, from light adultery to heavy construction, and she is watching Mimi. . . .

Notting Hell is a wickedly funny and oh-so-recognizable comedy of manners, filleting life on a communal garden in London. So take your irreplaceable numbered key and enter Lonsdale Gardens, the world of wealthy one-upmanship, where the old-fashioned laws of love still rule among the stainless steel kitchen appliances, cashmere throws, and compassionately produced cups of latte.

INCLUDES

"Notting Hill for Beginners," a witty guide to the must-haves and must knows of Notting Hill

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-08-17

I had read reviews of this book and was looking forward to reading it. It took me a 1/3 of the way into it to start to be interested, but then it sort of lost me. I kept reading hoping it would improve, but I felt it really fell short. A few funny parts and definately a "chick book" but not worth the effort overall.

Pretentious, dull, and lacking insight.......2007-07-19

Every page has at least three examples of name, brand, and place dropping that only someone living in this pretentious world would actually care about. In very few cases does this serve to help the reader visualize what's happening, leaving the adjectives completely pointless. There is very little wit or insight into the few things that actually cross the minds of the exceedingly shallow characters. The two main characters have different lives and viewpoints but the author fails to develop distinctive voices for them. No one in the novel is particuarly likable since they are all so far removed from reality. A garage addition is a petty focal point for a plot that is already lacking depth.

Better Book Than the Title Suggests.......2007-07-13

I was a little wary about purchasing the book based on the corny title....it all seemed a little contrived. What a pleasant surprise! This is most certainly not "chick-lit". The characters are older than one expects, and their problems are not overly fluffy. This book is engaging and clever and gives a very accurate portrayal of Notting Hill and all the neighborhood hot spots.

The sinker? This is extremely well-written.

Very glad I got past the scary title and gave it a try.

Another Bridget Jones.......2007-06-18

Any book that makes me LOL can't be all bad. This actually reads as a suspense novel, the suspense being what they are going to do with the Americans who build an annex aka garage in the middle of a communal garden in posh London. In the style of Prada etc, this is a better written book. Every once and a while she repeats her cute expressions, and I wasn't keen on the adultery, but its definitely a brilliantly witty book.

Book Review: Notting Hell by Rachel Johnson.......2007-06-14

Notting Hill is one of London's premier communal garden communities. Mimi and Clare are residents of Notting Hill as well as best friends. However, they experience life in their communal garden from different ends of the spectrum. Mimi's husband inherited their home and they are barely making ends meet. Her husband wants to move to a more affordable part of town, but Mimi can't imagine raising her three kids elsewhere.

Clare, a garden designer, cares for many of the gardens in Notting Hill. She's now trying to land an account with their new neighbor, a billionaire named Si Kasparian. She's also trying to get pregnant, but after years of trying she can feel her biological clock running out of time.

Problems abound in Notting Hill. Friendships and marriages in the community may be at their breaking points. Can Mimi and Clare's marriages -- and their friendship -- survive the trials of Notting Hell?

Rachel Johnson brings Notting Hill to life in this chick-lit novel about the upper crust of British society. Johnson is also the author of The Mummy Diaries, a collection of her columns for the Daily telegraph about life as a "yummy mummy."

I wasn't sure what to expect from Notting Hell. I don't read much British chick-lit, but thought this novel looked worth a try. Unfortunately, I found it somewhat dull. Not much drama other than the occasional adultery and garden party. It was a light read, maybe good for an afternoon on the beach.

There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble

Average customer rating:

The funniest book I've read all year
i guess I read a different book
A delightful, hilarious story!
Still a good laugh!
Delightful Fiction Debut

There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble
Laurie Notaro
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

An Idiot Girl's Christmas: True Tales from the Top of the Naughty List
Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?
I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl
Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood
We Thought You Would Be Prettier: True Tales of the Dorkiest Girl Alive

ASIN: 0812975723
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Book Description

The first novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club is a rollicking tale of small-town peculiarity, dark secrets, and one extraordinary beauty pageant.

When her husband is offered a post at a small university, Maye is only too happy to pack up and leave the relentless Phoenix heat for the lush green quietude of Spaulding, Washington. While she loves the odd little town, there is one thing she didn’t anticipate: just how heartbreaking it would be leaving her friends behind. And when you’re a childless thirtysomething freelance writer who works at home, making new friends can be quite a challenge.

After a series of false starts nearly gets her exiled from town, Maye decides that her last chance to connect with her new neighbors is to enter the annual Sewer Pipe Queen Pageant, a kooky but dead-serious local tradition open to contestants of all ages and genders. Aided by a deranged former pageant queen with one eyebrow, Maye doesn’t just make a splash, she uncovers a sinister mystery that has haunted the town for decades.

“[Laurie Notaro] may be the funniest writer in this solar system.”
–The Miami Herald

Customer Reviews:

The funniest book I've read all year.......2007-10-03

I loved this book from beginning to end. It's about a woman who moves from her hometown to a much smaller town and has trouble making new friends while missing all of the friends she left behind. As Maye, the main character, goes from adventure to adventure trying to find a kindred soul, she stalks people at grocery stores, attends a crazy book club and still comes up empty handed. She decides that the only way to make friends is to become the town Queen at the local, nutty pageant and win the title and the hearts of her neighbors. This book made me laugh out loud on more than several occasions and I could easily relate--I just moved to a new town myself and understood the struggle to create a new circle of friends. Though I doubt I'll take the route Maye did in order to get them, it was a blast reading her trials and tribulations, and I just fell in love with cranky old Ruby. I was sad when it ended, but am looking forward to more of Laurie's work. This book is a great read and is one that I'll keep and most likely re-read when I need a good, fun story.

i guess I read a different book.......2007-10-03

first to say I have read and enjoyed Laurie's other writing. She can be really funny. that being said this is the worst book I have read this year. It feels forced and stilted in it's descriptions. I didn't laugh even once and had to force myself to finish. I feel like I read a different book than most reviewers. Stay with the non-fiction Laurie.

A delightful, hilarious story!.......2007-09-14

I bought Laurie's book when it came out in May but did not have a chance to read it until this week. I read half of it on a plane ride to Ohio, and the other half the way back. I couldn't stop, I loved it so much!! This book really shows off Laurie's gift as a writer, she can do non-fiction AND fiction and not lose any of her magic. I fell in love with Maye, and her misadventures had me giggling from seat 20E all the way home. I truly hope Laurie writes another novel very, very soon!!! Viva la Bonnie!!!

Still a good laugh!.......2007-08-26

I can't recommend Laurie's previous books enough. Just the mention of her name puts an idiotic smile on my face! "There's a (slight) chance" is a bit of a departure for me, but still enjoyable. Whereas all the other books flow with complete abandon this one seems a little forced, maybe trying a bit too hard to be comical. Laurie's detailed description of Ruby Spicer and Rowena Spaulding (two of the novels main characters) makes me think these chicks really exist... You'll have to convince me otherwise!

Delightful Fiction Debut.......2007-08-23

Delightful fiction debut for Laurie Notaro. I really enjoyed this very funny book full of typical Notaro descriptions. I love it when authors actually have a beginning, middle and end to their stories.

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