The Magic Journey: A Novel

Book Description

Boom times came to the forgotten little southwestern town of Chamisaville just as the rest of America was in the Great Depression. They came when a rattletrap bus loaded with stolen dynamite blew sky-high, leaving behind a giant gushing hot spring. Within minutes, the town's wheeler-dealers had organized, and within a year, Chamisaville was flooded with tourists and pilgrims, and the wheeler-dealers were rich.Spanning forty years, The Magic Journey tells the tale of how progress transformed a rural backwater into a boomtown. At first, it was a magic time for Chamisaville-almost as if every day were a holiday. But the euphoria gradually dissipated, and the land-hungry developers, speculators, and interlopers moved in. Finally, the day came when Chamisaville's people found themselves all but displaced, their children no longer heirs to their land or their tradition. With mounting intensity, The Magic Journey reaches a climax that is tragically foreordained. A sensitive, vital, and honest chronicle of life in America's Southwest, it is also an incisive commentary on what America has become on its road to progress.The Magic Journey is part of the New Mexico Trilogy, which includes The Milagro Beanfield War and The Nirvana Blues.

Customer Reviews:

An extraordinarily written book.......2005-06-09

John Nichols is perhaps one of our best contemporary writers, and it's a shame that he isn't more prolific and more accessible to the general reading public. He uses language like poetry, and his characters jump off the pages with their idiosyncracies. There are good guys, bad guys, and everything in between. Here, Nichols explores the subject that seems to most interests him, namely, the cultural destruction of a small southwestern town due to "progress," and the never ending quest for more riches. He never pretends that life was so great before, or that gentrification is always bad, but Nichols certainly wants the reader to understand the unfortunate consequences of converting a small town into a vacation spot on the lives of those who live there.

It is not easy to read "The Magic Journey." The plot tends to drag in places, and, Nichols liberally sprinkles his prose with Spanish, which, unfortunately, I don't speak. Nichols also tends to show off his prodigious knowledge concerning the southwest and its environment, and is somewhat heavy handed in his anti-progress stance. However, the writing is so beautiful that it is well worth it, even if you can read only a few pages of the book each day. Eventually, I intend to read the other two books in the trilogy.

Reaching Back to Roots.......2005-05-20

This book gives a true meaning of going back to your roots especially when you can make a connection with the characters. This book is thought provoking in the sense that one can see the authors insight of the past, and apply it in the current debacle of our current society and its quest for wealth, even in the face of destroying culture and people in the process. The genious prose that sets John Nichols apart is clear and being able to bring to life a culture and people lost to time and greed is amazing.

About The Magic Journey.......2004-01-10

Apparently this is the second book in a trilogy, something I failed to notice until I'd finished. It stands alone quite nicely and I suspect the other two would do the same.

It is loosly the story of a forgotten southwestern town named Chamisaville during the Great Depression, and how it went from being small and self sufficiant to being a much larger "better" modern city thanks to a rattletrap bus loaded high with dynamite exploding and leaving a miracle behind that a few quick thinkers were quick to exploit.

It is also the story of April, the daughter of one of the foremost of those interested in the Betterment of Chamisaville. Vibrant, intoxicatingly beautiful, full of life and enthusiasim for everything but a tendancy to jump from one thing to another that leaves those in her wake feeling rather lost.

It is a story of how important fighting againt progress for the sake of progress is, and how futile... The fight that is going to be lost eventually, but you desperately struggle to hold off the inevitable as long as possible.

The writing style is such that though its about the same length of the books I normally read, I think it took me about twice as long to get through. Some of this was because I found myself needing to take breaks to think about what was happening, some of it was that it was not dry, but... the style itself conjured images of a forgotten town that was happier being forgotton.

Had you asked me at the beginning if I liked it, the answer would have been no. Half way through I couldn't have said, and by the end I thought it was worth having read, if not one I would be likely to read again. Now that its been a few days I would have to say it is not one that I would likely read again soon, but it is entirely possible that at some point in the future I may pick it back up and see what I can find on a second reading.

The Magic Didn't Last.......2000-11-26

Owl needs a better editor. The typos in the book are extremely distracting and very large in number. Although I was interested in the plot, I tired of the pathetic characters long before the end. Keep a Spanish dictionary handy if you are not bilingual. (This is another reason that I did not enjoy the book.)

Possibly the best book I have ever read!.......1998-08-22

This novel of the cultural, political, and economic evolution of northern New Mexico, starts with the "miraculous" explosion of a bus filled with dynamite in the 1930's and documents the devastating effect that discovery by the outside world has on separate but intertwined white, Hispanic, and Indian cultures in a small mountain town. This evolution is described through the eyes of strong, well developed characters that sparkle with complexity and humor. Nichols paints a picture of cultural and environmental destruction with dry humor and stark narrative. For anyone wishing to understand the recent history of the most beautiful portions of New Mexico, a must read.

Average customer rating:

Great stuff
Journey to Toog A Thrilling Ride

Akiko and the Journey to Toog (Akiko)

Manufacturer: Yearling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0440418933
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Amazon.com

Akiko to the rescue again! On her way home from school one day, the intrepid fifth grader is picked up in a space ship masquerading as a police car by her alien friends Mr. Beeba, Spuckler, and Gax. Quickly they explain: their friend Poog was recently called back to his planet, Toog, which apparently is in grave danger. But Poog hasn't returned, and his buddies are concerned. So off they all go, in spite of Akiko's misgivings: "We were heading to a planet none of us had ever been to before--a place where we were apparently not the least bit welcome--to deal with some sort of terrible threat that we knew absolutely nothing about. It sounded like an excellent recipe for total disaster." But Akiko has faced danger before, and has always made it through in one piece (Akiko and the Intergalactic Zoo , Akiko on the Planet Smoo , etc.). Surely she can save little purple Poog and make it home in time to relieve her replacement robot on Earth before another school day…

Mark Crilley's Japanese anime-inspired Akiko series offers plenty of intergalactic adventure and a spunky, likable heroine who is surprisingly down-to-earth for being so often in outer space. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

“Poog’s in trouble.” Just three simple words, but they’re enough to launch fifth-grade Akiko and the rest of her crew—Spuckler Boach, Mr. Beeba, and Gax—on their next mission. And it just might be their most important mission yet: To save the planet Toog, home of their good friend Poog.

Someone’s out to destroy Toog, and only Akiko and the gang can stop them. But first they have to escape from a Toogolian jail cell, zoom through a barrage of exploding drobe mines, and enlist the help of Spuckler’s old friend Fluggly Ragstubble—who’s anything but helpful. The clock is ticking and every second counts. Will they win the race against time and save Poog’s home planet?

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Great stuff.......2007-01-27

I got this for my 9-year old daughter. She was feeling isolated in school, and I wanted to find a new world for her that she could enjoy. Akiko is now her (fictional) sister. My daughter got so excited reading this that every few paragraphs she would stop and hug the book to her chest.

Journey to Toog A Thrilling Ride.......2003-09-27

AKIKO AND THE JOURNEY TO TOOG

What a thrilling read! Although she may be a pretty average fifth grader, in a pretty average town, Akikoýs extremely dull life turns almost instantly into one of the most exciting adventures anybody could have.

Mark Crilley, the author and illustrator, combines sparkling humor with thrills and chills as he leads Akiko and the rest of her crew---Spuckler, Gax, Mr. Beeba (and later Poog) in taking on the dreaded Toogolians.

Whether itýs the deliciously-funny Mr. Beeba trying to speak Toogolian, or Poog swearing heýs never seen his dear friends before in his life, the reader is soon caught up with the heart-pounding twists and turns of discovering drobe mines, watching Ragstubble eating disgusting slimy, green and alive little wormy things, finding a way into the interior of the fearsome Core eater, doing battle with the well-armed Tri-Yarm sentries, watching with terrifying fascination as Poog is trapped in an enormous block of yellowish ice and Gax is rendered into a virtual pile of worthless junk.

I canýt give away the ending, of course, but talk about a roller-coaster ride of emotions! Akiko is at her courageous best as she uses her skills, wisdom, imagination and boundless energy to confront the dreaded Zeem monster.

Itýs a page-turner alright. But do you know what? When I got to Chapter five I said to myself, ýIf I donýt limit myself to reading just one chapter a day, Iým going to finish this book in one sitting! So from then on I disciplined myself to reading only one chapter a day.

Customer Reviews:

On my list of top 10 graphic novels of all time.......2002-06-13

I LOVE THIS SERIES. It's filled with heart and emotion and coupled with great artwork. The feeling of vastness and numbness in exploring the endless realm of space oozes from these stories. One begins to realize how small we are in the grand scale of the galaxy. The stories in this volume continue the linear storytelling of mankind's advancements into space exploration, so read Volume 1 first! Great great stuff. I'm surprised this doesn't make it on the top 10 essential graphic novels of all time. I mean, I love Alan Moore and all, but he's not the end all, be all to great comic storytelling - sheesh! Try Yukinobu Hoshino's masterpiece, you'll not be disappointed!

Tales of future wonders that stand out........1998-03-31

Graphic novels are usually overlooked or thought of as the big brother of comic books, but some of them, stand out as surpassing what can be done in either text or art alone.

The 2001 Nights series is one of them.

Imagine the various yet interconnected Arabian Nights tales mixed with a bittersweet realistic hard sci-fi reality. 2001 Nights uses the anime drawing style to deliver stories of mankind's first steps into space.

Each story is set years apart, at the next logical step in the possible evolution of spacetravel. Some are fairly far-fetched (the Devil Planet, about a world made of anti-matter) while others seem sad and poingant (I am Rocket, where a robot probe is given artificial intellegence and sent out to a neighboring star never to find out that it has become obsolete).

Book Description

Young readers meet a Charmander with more than a hot tail - it's got a hot temper, too! When Arbok falls in love, can Hazel figure out which Pokemon it has a crush on so she can help the affair along?

Customer Reviews:

It is cool!.......2004-01-01

this is more for girls. first hazel(maron) has to help a arbok who is in love with a wigglytuff? (i read this looong ago.) then the pokemon meet a hot tempered charmander. can they get along? it is a must have for girls who like pokemon and hate the ash kethcum storyline. plus, it does not cost much.

Magical Pokemon Journey, Journey 3: Abra and Kadabra Magic

Average customer rating:

Great book
Magical Pokemon Journey 3
BEST POKE COMIC EVER!!
Excellent!

Magical Pokemon Journey, Journey 3: Abra and Kadabra Magic

Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569316449

Book Description

Book three in the Magical Pokemon Journey series features many new and old characters. There's Walnut, a young ninja who's learning martial arts from his master; Pikachu, who finds everyone in the Pokemon world has vanished; Eevee, who attempts to sneak some candy to its owner but finds the delivery intercepted by Primeape; and many others. Even a picnic turns wild when the Pokemon decide to eat lunch by a river, with hilarious results.

Customer Reviews:

Great book.......2006-05-14

You don't even have to like the normal pokemon to like this book! If you like cute stuff, then this is the book for you.

Magical Pokemon Journey 3.......2003-05-05

This comic book is so cute. It is great for younger kids between the ages 10-12. There is some gross mushy stuff in it that I could have done with out but other than that it is wonderful

BEST POKE COMIC EVER!!.......2002-04-14

Hazel, a ditzy-lovesick kinda gal, is in love with the handsome skilled Pokemon Trainer Almond... He would actually BE skilled if Hazel would let him catch any Pokemon.
So basically Almond hates Hazel for not letting him catch any Poke's.
But then Grandpa, an old man, tells Hazel that if she catches Pokemon for him he'll prepare a Love Potion for Almond.
So Hazel tries to catch Pokemon (Although she didn't catch many) to win the Love Potion and Almond's heart! But many other characters soon appear making Hazel's quest easier/harder than ever! HILARIOUS COMIC!!!!!!!! READ IT EVERYONE!!

But this issue is bad comparing to the others really.

Excellent!.......2001-11-21

In this book, there are 6 'chapters' plus 2 bonus stories and 2 bonus bounuses.

What happens in the 6 chapters is that a new character, Walnut, appears, and he's a ninja. Then, Almond wants to record the daily life of Jigglypuff in a journal, with disastrous results. Also, Hazel celebrates the anniversary of when she first met Pikachu (kind of like in the third short movie ^_^). Hazel and co. also celebrate their second Christmas. And then, they go on a potato hunt, to find the pink potato! (But then, I can't exactly remember the order of all these stories.... ^^;;)

In the bonus stories, Hazel tries to find her lost picture of Almond, and a Psyduck is asking a lot of weird questions (like why carrots are orange).

In the bonus bonuses, Yumi Tsukirino (the author and artist of this lovely manga) tells how she played 'Hey You, Pikachu!'. And she also retells traditional Japanese folktales using the characters of MPJ. ^_^

Book Description

This entry in the popular series introduces gym leader Koga, a martial arts student. Who better to teach camouflage and hiding? When Pikachu tries to pick a flower for Hazel, he discovers that everyone in the Pokemon world has vanished!

Customer Reviews:

compilation.......2006-03-31

This book is a compilation of several previously released books put together. It's great for those pokemon fans who have not read any of the series, but just a repeat for those who have.

Magical Pokemon, Volume 2: Cooking With Jigglypuff (Magical Pokémon Journey)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Series
Pika-pi, chuuu! (Translation: Wadda great book! )

Magical Pokemon, Volume 2: Cooking With Jigglypuff (Magical Pokémon Journey)

Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156931456X

Book Description

Joined by her friends, Maron sets out to research and maybe collect as many Pokemon as she can. The first they encounter is Jigglypuff, and they drop by for a snack. A Jigglypuff can sing - but can it cook?

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Series.......2001-02-04

The entire Magical Pokémon Journey series is excellent, and this is no exception! Although it has no complex plot or many climaxes, the flat-out comedy of the series is enough for almost anyone. Some people who hated Pokémon like this series. Whether Pokémon are in the series or not is irrelevant; what's important is it's funny. I believe this is good for all ages, not just 4-8. I think this book is for 7-101 years old.

Pika-pi, chuuu! (Translation: Wadda great book! ).......2000-06-11

Cooking With Jigglypuff countinues the story of Pikachu & his trainer Hazel on her (Hazel's) quest to get her stubborn crush, Almond to fall in love with her. Along the way they meet jigglypuff, a spoiled little pink puffball that's not as bad as she seems, & Tangela, A misterious ball of blue vines with a secret. Also, Almond shows that he might care for Hazel after all. If you are a fan of Pokemon, Shojo manga (japanese girls' comics,) or anything totaly kawaii (cute) you should definately check out this simple, but extreamly fun series! (& don't pay any attention to the "age group, 4-8" thing; I'm 14 & loven' it.)

Magical Pokemon, Volume 3: Pokemon Holiday (Magical Pokémon Journey)

Average customer rating:

Christmas fun!

Magical Pokemon, Volume 3: Pokemon Holiday (Magical Pokémon Journey)

Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569314578

Book Description

It's a very Pokemon holiday! The travelers meet Squirtle and Wigglytuff, and everyone makes presents and decorations. What will a holiday party hosted by Squirtle be like? And what will Armondo give Maron?

Customer Reviews:

Christmas fun!.......2001-04-09

This book was funny and I really really enjoyed it. At first pikachu is suppost to give a fortune telling mirror to hazel. But when pikachu breaks it he goes hasterical.Hazal fogives him of corse, and you'll have to read it to find out what happens to grampa.(hahahahaha)Then Hazal,Almond, and Pikachu are invited to jiggypuff's mansion for a chrismas party. They meet an extra cute squrtle and lots of other pokemon. Pikachu and clafariy decorate the christmas tree and squrtle trys to make friends with Almond. The pokemon have a give exchange! It's fun to see who gives what to who. And what Grampa gives! Mr.Absested with himself. Anyway I would recomend this book to anyone who loves pokemon!

Magical Pokemon Journey, Journey 2: Pokemon Matchmakers

Average customer rating:

a fne product
Enter the Coconut! and Other Tales

Magical Pokemon Journey, Journey 2: Pokemon Matchmakers

Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156931554X

Book Description

This second entry in the Magical Pokemon Journey series introduces new characters and more wild adventures. Almond takes the Pokemon on a trip through an underground cave. Can Clefairy, Jigglypuff, and Pikachu tough it out? Hazel, Pikachu, and friends go skiing, but are they really wise to enter the territory of the icy Articuno? Hazel has a new rival for Almond's affections, Coconut, a self-proclaimed scientific genius whose pet, Eevee, is smart too. Meanwhile, it's Valentine's Day — will Coconut or Hazel get the chocolate?

Customer Reviews:

a fne product.......2006-07-30

I bought this for my daughter for her birthday (she turned 10).
THe book came in perfect condition and she truly enjoyed reading it.

Enter the Coconut! and Other Tales.......2001-09-15

In the second graphic novel of this increibly kawaii (that means cute in Japanese) manga series, Hazel meets a rival for Almond's love: Coconut! Who will end up with Almond?

One of my favorite stories in this graphic novel is "Panic at the Cherry Blossom Festival." In it, a drunk Dodrio messes up a cherry blossom festival. But Eevee (Coconut's Pokemon) and Hazel's Pokemon can't stop it - because they're also drunk! How will the story end? (Parents, don't worry for a second about the drinking, because it's not nasty or anything.)

Another cute story is the second part of the story where Ash, Misty, and Brock are trapped in Hazel's world. Misty is drawn so cutely! And the story is funny.

Book Description

The whole gang goes to a mountain hot-spring resort where a herd of Ditto cause loads of confusion! Soon, it's Valentine's Day, and everybody - even the Pokemon - knows what that means!

Customer Reviews:

Uh oh, Pokemon have gone to the hot springs..........2003-06-15

This issue of the shojo(girls) manga, Magical Pokemon Journey, has these stories:
(1)Excitement At The... Hot Springs?!: Cute little Hazel wins a trip to go to some Hot Springs Resort, and brings along Granpa, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Clefairy. While inside the Hot Springs, Granpa resorts to his perverted ways and peers in on Hazel while she's bathing, but luckily Pikachu ends up stopping the sicko, with 'shocking' results. Unfortunately that distraction causes a Ditto to sneak in without notice, causing a whole lot of confusion...
(2)Valentine Heartbeats: A little story about Clefairy and Pikachu and valentine's day. Crazy hijinks are to unfold later...
(3)Bonus Bonus 1 'Yumi Tsukirino's Road To Becoming A Pokemon Master': The artist and creator of this manga answers some fan questions about the manga and the Pokemon RPG.
(4)Bonus Bonus 2 'Let's Catch Some Pokemon': The cast of this manga meet the cast of the Pokemon anime. Ash and Misty introduce Hazel and Coconut to the signature Pokemon-catching tool, the PokeBall.Jigglypuff and Brock face-off in a cooking contest. Pikachu and Pikachu try to balance things on their heads, and Misty and Hazel answer some often-asked questions.
If you like Pokemon, you should get this manga; especially if you like shojo manga. For such a cheap price, you've got nothing to lose. :)

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