Mount Dragon: A Novel

Book Description

Mount Dragon: an enigmatic research complex hidden in the vast desert of New Mexico. Guy Carson and Susana Cabeza de Vaca have come to Mount Dragon to work shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest scientific minds on the planet. Led by visionary genius Brent Scopes, their secret goal is a medical breakthrough that promises to bring incalculable benefits to the human race. But while Scopes believes he is leading the way to a new world order, he may in fact be opening the door to mass human extinction. And when Guy and Susana attempt to stop him they find themselves locked in a frightening battle with Scopes, his henchmen, and the apocalyptic nightmare that science has unleashed . . . .

Customer Reviews:

Decent book.......2007-09-25

This is the first Preston and Child book, I've ever read. Concept of the book was good and it seemed like (atleast to someone who is not genetian), like they had done their research. However, it also seemed like they were showing off their research by providng too much non-essential detail. Some of the parts just didn't seem to add up. However, while the plot got heavy and going, the book was amazing and hard to put down. The ending wasn't anything to write home about, either. It seemed like, the authors tried too hard to make the ending what it was, rather than letting it flow. over all, I would say its an ok of a book.

Western cowboy in a sci fi nightmare.......2007-09-24

Mount Dragon is one of those rare novels where the less you know, before you read it, the better.

One of Preston & Child's absolute best! Don't miss it!

bad writing, mostly clichés, but worth a quick read.......2007-09-10

The writing in this novel is so bad that it is almost comic. Both of these guys would seriously have flunked out of my university writing classes. And the plot is anything but original. Douglas Preston is an even worse writer than his brother Richard Preston, whose Hot Zone was such a remarkable piece of pseudo-journalism.

These guys shouldn't be writing about computers since it is clear that they actually know nothing about them. There are so many computer issues in the story that are beyond laughable, not just improbable, but impossible scenarios. I don't think there were any characters that were not clichés bad enough to bring high school English teachers to convulsions. The evil, greedy, but genius CEO, the altruistic but, stunningly beautiful, but extremely intelligent, Mexican lab assistant with purple eyes (for christ sake), the crippled computer hacker with more power than a god, the Jewish university professor whose sole purpose in life has to do with the Holocaust. Ooh, and the oh so scary doomsday virus. And don't worry there are plenty more.

Still, there were some interesting parts of the story itself. I would say it is worth a quick read all the way through. If you can get past the painfully bad prose to the clichéd story behind it does have its moments. As bad as it is, I'm a sucker for books about doomsday viruses. Have I mentioned how bad the writing is?

If This Book Doesn't Spur Anti-Bacterial Soap Sales..........2007-08-20

P&C do it again. These authors have a knack for making an interesting storyline from a little science, technology, and lore.

Mt. Dragon is well-told, taking a great science vs.nature controversy and building several characters in which to battle their opposing idealism. The archrivals that catapult the action are Brent Scopes, the billionaire science-hawk looking to expand his empire, and his antagonist Dr./Prof. Levine: the virtuous, yet attention-hungry, anti-science activist. These two stake their lives in battle over their beliefs and involve others to further their causes. Through the extended characters, the scientists of a remote, desert research laboratory (Mt. Dragon), we see the conflict of high risk/high reward microbiology enacted and debated. When things go awry (that's not too much of a spoiler - don't you think?! If the research went smoothly there would be nothing to write about!!), the story really takes off on a thrilling chase to see who will survive (if anyone at all!).

I would only give this book a 3.5/3.75 stars (it falls just short of 4.) Why not a higher rating? It's just not quite up to par with their best. The authors used a little too much cliche in the story plots, for my taste (I'll refrain from specifics as not to spoil) and the main characters were developed too quickly to explain some of their later actions. You could almost envision this being a hundred pages longer to feel more complete. All these criticisms aside, it is fast moving and involves just the right mix of intertwining plots and interesting characters to make it a worthy read. If you are a fan of P&C or this type of action/adventure/mystery type story, you'll be sufficiently entertained reading this book.

TO sum it up, those of you that enjoy witty, yet brief action/mysteries will enjoy this book. Those of you that yearn for a comprehensive version of action/mysteries, might be left a little short.

Happy page turning!

Great Book!.......2007-05-15

Douglas Preston, along with Lincoln Child are expert suspense writers! They leave you hanging onto your seat and you will find it hard to put this book down! All of their books are nail bitters and great to read!

Mount Vernon Love Story : A Novel of George and Martha Washington

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George and Patsy
Mount Vernon Love Story
Mount Vernon Love Story
MVLS
Perhaps they should have kept the original title...

Mount Vernon Love Story : A Novel of George and Martha Washington
Mary Higgins Clark
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743448944
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Book Description

In Mount Vernon Love Story -- famed suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark's long-out-of-print first novel -- the bestselling author reveals the flesh-and-blood man who became the "father of our country" in a story that is charming, insightful, and immensely entertaining.

Always a lover of history, Mary Higgins Clark wrote this extensively researched biographical novel and titled it Aspire to the Heavens, after the motto of George Washington's mother. Published in 1969, the book was more recently discovered by a Washington family descendant and reissued as Mount Vernon Love Story. Dispelling the widespread belief that although George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, he reserved his true love for Sally Carey Fairfax, his best friend's wife, Mary Higgins Clark describes the Washington marriage as one full of tenderness and passion, as a bond between two people who shared their lives -- even the bitter hardship of a winter in Valley Forge -- in every way. In this author's skilled hands, the history, the love, and the man come fully and dramatically alive.

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"Charming, insightful and immensely entertaining in its unique presentation of one of America's legendary figures, Mount Vernon Love Story, by famed suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark, shows the reader the man behind the legend, a man of flesh, blood and passion, and in the author's skilled hands, the story and the man come fully and dramatically alive. Mary Higgins Clark's interest in George Washington was first sparked by a radio series she was writing in the 1960s, called ""Portrait of a Patriot," vignettes of American presidents. Always a lover of history, she wrote this biographical novel -- her first book -- and titled it Aspire to the Heavens, which was the family motto of George Washington's mother. With all events, dates, scenes and characters based on historical research, the book was published in 1969. Its recent discovery by a Washington family descendent led to its reissue under its new title, Mount Vernon Love Story. In researching George Washington's life, Mary Higgins Clark was surprised to find the engaging man behind the pious legend. He was a giant of a man in every way, starting with his physical height. In an era when men averaged five foot seven inches, he towered over everyone at six foot three. He was the best dancer in the colony of Virginia. He was also a master horseman, which was why the Indians gave him their highest compliment: "He rides his horse like an Indian." In Mount Vernon Love Story, Mary Higgins Clark tells the story of a rare marriage and brings to life the human side of the man who became the "father of our country."

Customer Reviews:

George and Patsy.......2007-01-22

This is a quick read and has some good information. It's a book for the young teenagers.

Mount Vernon Love Story.......2007-01-10

Very interesting historical novel about an aspect of our first president not commonly appreciated.

Mount Vernon Love Story.......2006-08-27

This is by far one of the very best historical novels that I have ever read. I read it as a part of a book club to which I belong. Mary Higgins Clark made George and Martha Washington and those who surrounded them very real people, not just historical figures whom we have revered. It was warm, wonderful and a totally delightful read. The review by members of our book club was absolutely glowing.

MVLS.......2006-08-14

I found this book to have interesting information about our first President. However, I was not hooked on this book. I know a book has been great when I am disappointed to finish it. That did not happen with this book.
I encountered an error at the beginning of the chapter where Sally is in Bath, England waking up thinking about Washington. It states that it is 7am in Bath and must be noon in the States. This is untrue. There is indeed a 5 hour time difference between England and the Eastern time zone, however England is 5 hours AHEAD of the east coast. 7am in England would be 2am on the east coast. Noon on the east coast is 5pm in England.

Perhaps they should have kept the original title..........2005-08-26

I really liked this book. It was friendly, charming, and undemanding. It flowed gently and easily without too much undue excitement, but enough to keep from being bored. Its pace was like that of a good marriage: Simple, straightforward, honest, reassuring, with occasional surprises to keep things interesting.

I read a lot of really intellectual and fast paced, intricately dramatic stuff. This book was just sweet and light -- I read it in three evenings -- but made me want to be a better person, and made me proud of my country's heritage (if not its current political situation). I like our founding father even more now that I realize he was a real person with real emotions and struggles not unlike my own.

On the other hand, it is much more of a biography of George than a story of his simple yet real romance with Patsy (Martha). I did feel like I got to know her (and would have liked her) pretty well, though. Its original title, Aspire to the Heavens, is also a bit too grandiose, however. I might have called it simply George Washington at Home.

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A symbollically non-Euclidian adventure in mountainclimbing.
A terrific read and a literary classic
A Mountaineering Must
One of the top three books that I have read.
A small gem.

Mount Analogue
René Daumal , and Carol Cosman
Manufacturer: Overlook TP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585673420

Book Description

In this novel/allegory the narrator/author sets sail in the yacht Impossible to search for Mount Analogue, the geographically located, albeit hidden, peak that reaches inexorably toward heaven. Daumal's symbolic mountain represents a way to truth that "cannot not exist," and his classic allegory of man's search for himself embraces the certainty that one can know and conquer one's own reality.

In this novel/allegory the narrator/author sets sail in the yacht Impossible to search for Mount Analogue, the geographically located, albeit hidden, peak that reaches inexorably toward heaven. Daumal's symbolic mountain represents a way to truth that "cannot not exist," and his classic allegory of man's search for himself embraces the certainty that one can know and conquer one's own reality.

Customer Reviews:

A symbollically non-Euclidian adventure in mountainclimbing........2004-08-01

This is one of those 'secret books' passed from friend to friend, artist to artist. My own initiation into this work certainly came at the most needed moment, and I hope this deliriously engaging analogy speaks to you now as sweetly as it whispered to me back then. Daumal's intriguing characters are hell-bent on marking the mountain that unites heaven and earth, a geographical place that "cannot not exist." Daumal draws obvious inspiration from his metaphysical tutelage under G.I. Gurdjieff, and the book has been radically reimagined by filmmaker and Tarot master Alejandro Jodorowsky in his epic 70's masterpiece "The Holy Mountain." Have a go-go.

A terrific read and a literary classic.......2004-06-12

This is a terrific book even for those who are not into mountain climbing or the spiritual philosophy of Gurdjieff. Indeed, when I first read Mount Analogue more than 25 years ago--back in the days when I ignored introductions and back-cover blurbs--I took it for a surrealistic parody of the SciFi travel fantasies of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Part of its appeal for me lay in the way it connected my childhood interests in SF and Fantasy to my growing fascination with the high road of literary modernism. Like some armchair basecamp, Daumal's novel helped me to acclimatize myself before ascending to the loftier and more rarified air of The Magic Mountain and The Waste Land and Ulysses. But it's continuing appeal is that it is an absolutely gripping story, one that seizes you from the first page with all the tenacity of its half-crazed visionary hero Pierre Sogol, and doesn't let go for days and even weeks after you've finished reading it. Here, I think the translator, Roger Shattuck, deserves half the credit, for his English is a pleasure to the eye and the ear and to whatever it is in us that aspires to reach those sublime states where, like Daumal's narrator, we can say : "I ASSURE YOU THERE WAS FIRE AROUND US IN THE AIR!"

A Mountaineering Must.......2002-03-09

I first had the opportunity to read this book following a mountaineering course run by the National Outdoor Leadership School. One of our group, named Dave, had been passing the book on and everyone who read it wrote in the cover and sent it to the next person to read. NEVER a bad review. Helps you to understand how everything ties together in the world. Not too deep but just enough to make you think. Don't let the fact that the author died before completing the book throw you. Read it and you'll understand. Excellent!

One of the top three books that I have read........1998-01-21

This is a book that is wise . . . see if you can finish it. I use it as a text in my outdoor recreation classes. Daumal discuses the adventure of life.

A small gem........1998-01-03

This small, unfinished work is packed with wonderful ideas and a spirituality that appeals to both the head and the heart. Daumal's characters have the conviction that the mythical mountain that reaches from earth to heaven must actually exist, so they do the only reasonable thing -- they mount an expedition. A beautiful book.

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Myths or Beliefs or Facts?
The great mountain
Great., Great Novel...
excellent
Great Sky Woman Gives Voice and Power to the Science Fiction Genre and African Americans

Great Sky Woman: A Novel
Steven Barnes
Manufacturer: One World/Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0345459008
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Book Description

Thirty thousand years ago, in the heart of the African continent and in the shadow of the largest freestanding mountain in the world, lived the Ibandi. For countless generations they nurtured their ancient tradition, and met survival’s daily struggle with quiet faith in their gods. But when brutal intruders arrived from the south, a few brave souls dared the ultimate quest–to climb the Great Mountain, seeking answers and a way into the future.

In this breathtaking blend of imagination, anthropology, and sheer storytelling magic, Steven Barnes takes us to the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and into the realm of our own ancestors, who lived, hunted, celebrated, and died side by side with roaming herds of wild animals and great golden clouds of migrating butterflies. A people whose skin was the color and smell of the earth itself, the Ibandi formed a hierarchy based on strength of limb and spirit. In this extraordinary novel, we follow the adventures of two of the Ibandi’s chosen ones: T’Cori, an abandoned girl raised by the powerful and mysterious medicine woman Stillshadow, and Frog Hopping, a boy possessing a gift that is also a curse.

Though the live in different encampments, Frog and T’Cori are linked through the revered and powerful Stillshadow, who has sensed in them a destiny apart from others’.

Through the years, and on their separate life paths, T’Cori’s and Frog’s fates entwine as an inevitable disaster approaches from the south–from the very god they worship. For as long as there have been mountain, sky, and savannah, there has been a home for the Ibandi. Now, in the face of an enemy beyond anything spoken of even in legend, they must ask their god face-to-face: Do we remain or do we depart?

Great Sky Woman not only brings to life the world of prehistoric man but also shines a brilliant light on humanity itself. For here is a story of rivalries and alliances, of human fear and desire, of faith and betrayal . . . and, above all, a story of how primitive man, without words or machines, set in motion civilization’s long, winding journey to the present.

Customer Reviews:

Myths or Beliefs or Facts?.......2007-09-17

Excerpt:
"Was it possible the only reward for a lifetime of work and risk was deterioration and disease? The naked eye of death seemed to fix him, the terror that none of his fellows seemed to fear, because unlike him, they believed. And if that was true, then who was really more alive in the mind? He who saw through the tricks and lived in constant fear? Or one who succumbed to the mirage and lived his life in joy? And if there was nothing but the struggle of life, then what good was it all?"

These words slapped me across the face harshly. I can relate to the turmoil of Frog Hopping. When you see things as they really are, rather than living in a world of belief and fantasy, life can be quite interesting. You don't have too many illusions, and facts, not belief, generally rule your existence. However, at the same time, you may feel envious of people who live in a world of illusions and fantasies and myths, because they seem to have joy from believing, than knowing. As they say "ignorance is bliss", and when you are no longer ignorant, the world can be quite painful. Is having knowledge freeing or imprisoning? I think it is both - painful and freeing.

I feel that the story of T'Cori and Frog Hopping nem was a very interesting read. The author has done some serious research to write such a book. The book is well written and takes one's mind to another place and time.

The Ibandi are fictionalized and are the first humans to stand erect. They are most likely the ancestors of us all. The Msk may be the Neanderthals, being partial ape and human, not having evolved to full human status. These half humans posed an enormous threat to the Ibandi. They were bigger and stronger. Eventually the Neanthrals died out.

Places that I never gave a second thought, now they are firmly etched in my memory. Mt. Kilimanjaro now has a permanent place in my head. Mt. Kilimanjaro is situated in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain on earth. Mr. Barnes story has encouraged me to know more about the mountain and the people and/or original inhabitants that live in its shadows. This is the sign of an excellent writer.

I generally don't like to give detail information about a book. I prefer to give the reader an idea of why I like a book. This is a book that I know I will read again. If you want a great story, I would highly recommend Great Sky Woman.

The great mountain.......2007-02-10

Steven Barnes in GREAT SKY WOMAN tells the story of two youngsters of the Ibandi people living below Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is known to the Ibandi as Great Sky. T'Cori, abandoned to wild animals by a father who thinks she is blind, is rescued by a mystic, Stillshadow, who teaches her to be a dream dancer. Frog Hopping, an undersized teenager who is being raised by his Uncle Snake, is attempting to prove his worth as a great hunter. Frog Hopping realizes he also has premonitions that let him know what is about to happen. After a brutal and hairy group attack the Ibandi people, the hunt chiefs who are left and the dream dancers must climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to set things right.

Steven Barnes has spun a wonderful tale of life during prehistoric times in Africa. He delves deeply into the religious beliefs, the customs and cultures of the Ibandi people and what they must do to survive in the harsh region on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The suspense keeps you tense and wondering what is going to happen next. How can even extraordinary teenagers survive the many tribulations that beset them and their people? The story has many twists and turns that confound you before a possible solution is discovered. Barnes is a wonderful writer well worth reading again and again.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Great., Great Novel..........2007-01-04

I have been a fan of Steven Barnes work for the past 4 years. This newest novel of his is wonderful. It reads like a history novel, you can imagine these very events happening so clearly. Yet you can almost forget you are reading a novel set 30,000 years in the past as it contains elements true to this day. T'cori and Frog dared to question the unquestionable. Its what youth has always done and always will. It always frightens the elders who don't take change in their beliefs too lightly. If you decide to pick this up be prepared to expand your mind and think. Think about what might have been and what might actually be.

excellent.......2006-12-09

I am ashamed that this is my first Steven Barnes novel, as I have been meaning to "get into" his work just as I have with that of his wife (T. Due). With that said, this is an excellent novel and I agree with the editorial review. His attention to detail and sense of place and time are outstanding, as is his pacing: the novel covers a good near-20 years yet progresses seamlessly. For those who are interested in both good writing and humanity's ancient history, this is a must for you. I hesitate to compare it to anything, but I'll go ahead anyway and say that it more than on par with "Clan of the Cave Bear," and even more relevant for those of us with African Ancestry (which ultimately is actually everyone).

Great Sky Woman Gives Voice and Power to the Science Fiction Genre and African Americans.......2006-12-03

As always, Barnes has written another phenomenal, detailed piece of fiction that allows African American's to feel like we are truly a part of mainstream literature. When I read Barnes, I feel as if I have a story too--one that is rich with details, hope and beauty. Something that is fiercely lacking in most other literature. The new craze among writers to depict us as one demensional sex-craved vixens and thugs is neither uplifting or representative of what I believe most African Americans want when they go to a book store. We fought too hard for the voices of Langston, Zora, Alice and Toni to be heard to now have them silenced by this new generation of writers that have started "selling themselves" to the highest bidder.

T'Cori (the nameless one) is an orphaned girl raised to be a Dancer. Frog is a young man raised to be a warrior. The two, whose path cross in a way that is unimaginable, allows both T'Cori and Frog to become greater than the selves they started out to be. Both rely on the other's strengths and change their history and the history of their people. We need literature like this. One that allows us to see ourselves as the beginning not the end of what makes this civilization of ours great.

I appreciate writers like Barnes, his wife Ms. Due and the late great Octavia Butler. They allowed us to be a part of the science fiction genre in a way that challenges the status quo and gives credibility to the fact that African American readers want to be challenged and put in the forefront of the literature that is written about us in a way that is classy and multi-layered. Thank you again, Mr. Barnes for another wonderful work of literature. I look forward to the sequel to this book(if rumor proves correct).

Translating Mount Fuji: Modern Japanese Fiction and the Ethics of Identity

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Lost in Mount Fuji's Translation

Translating Mount Fuji: Modern Japanese Fiction and the Ethics of Identity
Dennis Washburn
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 023113892X

Book Description

Dennis Washburn traces the changing character of Japanese national identity in the works of six major authors: Ueda Akinari, Natsume S?seki, Mori ?gai, Yokomitsu Riichi, ?oka Shohei, and Mishima Yukio. By focusing on certain interconnected themes, Washburn illuminates the contradictory desires of a nation trapped between emulating the West and preserving the traditions of Asia.

Washburn begins with Ueda's Ugetsu monogatari ( Tales of Moonlight and Rain) and its preoccupation with the distant past, a sense of loss, and the connection between values and identity. He then considers the use of narrative realism and the metaphor of translation in Soseki's Sanshiro; the relationship between ideology and selfhood in Ogai's Seinen; Yokomitsu Riichi's attempt to synthesize the national and the cosmopolitan; Ooka Shohei's post-World War II representations of the ethical and spiritual crises confronting his age; and Mishima's innovative play with the aesthetics of the inauthentic and the artistry of kitsch.

Washburn's brilliant analysis teases out common themes concerning the illustration of moral and aesthetic values, the crucial role of autonomy and authenticity in defining notions of culture, the impact of cultural translation on ideas of nation and subjectivity, the ethics of identity, and the hybrid quality of modern Japanese society. He pinpoints the persistent anxiety that influenced these authors' writings, a struggle to translate rhetorical forms of Western literature while preserving elements of the pre-Meiji tradition.

A unique combination of intellectual history and critical literary analysis, Translating Mount Fuji recounts the evolution of a conflict that inspired remarkable literary experimentation and achievement.

Customer Reviews:

Lost in Mount Fuji's Translation.......2007-03-15

Whew. You might feel like you've actually climbed Mount Fuji after reading this book. It is an extremely dense exercise in literary criticism, written by Dennis Washburn primarily (or so it seems) for the appreciation, edification, and enjoyment of his peers, i.e. other professors of Japanese literature. Very little about this book is user-friendly, and it probably takes itself a little too seriously. And whole paragraphs are loaded down with rather turgid abstractions about identity, ideology, authenticity, modernity, and other boogaboos that keep folks in academia awake at night.

Still, for all that, there's much that's of interest in these chapters. I'm a bit biased, of course, for Washburn discusses some of my favorite authors (Ueda Akinari and Natsume Soseki) as well as ones I follow regularly (Mori Ogai and Yokomitsu Riichi), along with one I'm not so familiar with (Ooka Shohei) and one I generally love to hate (Mishima Yukio). He even gets a word in edgewise about Murakami Haruki in the epilogue, which is all fine and well, if a bit rushed and sudden--like he's changing the subject rather than bringing the book to a satisfying conclusion. The parts in each chapter where Washburn analyzes the specific novels of these particular writers in detail are more or less full of intriguing and convincing analysis--these were the meaty bits, as far as I was concerned. As a whole, though, the book doesn't cohere quite so well, giving the sense of a bunch of good independent articles rather sloppily wielded together with vague invocations of common themes and issues tacked on after the fact--at least that was my impression, though I'll admit it's quite possible that I just didn't "get it" upon a single read-through. Often the intended referents in the abstract bits framing each chapter remained fuzzy and unclear to me, and the relation to the chapter's main focus tenuous or else abrupt though never, I must say, completely arbitrary. As a nitpick, too, it seems that any book that hopes to address issues of cultural identity and its political and ethical reverberations should probably include some mention of Kawabata Yasunari at least if not Tanizaki Jun'ichiro as well ("In Praise of Shadows" especially)--no book can include everything, of course, but these seem like glaring omissions for any adequate consideration of the subject at hand. But so it goes; perhaps they were too "obvious" to be included.

In any case, "Translating Mount Fuji" is alternately fascinating and frustrating if consistently heavy-going and just a tad overwrought, but overall it's well worth wading through if you are seriously studying modern Japanese literature.

The Tiger Killers: Part Two of The Marshes of Mount Liang

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A Chinese Classic Brilliantly Translated to English
Interesting work by the translation isn't top notch
Wonderful Tales

The Tiger Killers: Part Two of The Marshes of Mount Liang
Luo Guan-zhong , Shi Nai-an , Alex Dent-Young , and John Dent-Young
Manufacturer: The Chinese University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9622017517

Book Description

The Tiger Killers is the second volume of a new translation of the Chinese classical novel generally known as The Water Margin. Like the first volume, The Broken Seals, it follows the fortunes of various outlaw heroes as they move through a world of treacherous officials, jealous toadies, bullying jailers, hired assassins, foolhardy generals and cannibalistic innkeepers.

This volume contains some of the most famous scenes in the novel, starting with the episode in which Wu Song gets drunk at the tavern, ascends the pass in late evening and kills a notorious man-eating tiger with his bare hands. His subsequent encounter with his midget brother's flirtatious wife, Jinlian or Golden Lotus, and her vain attempt to seduce him lead into a tale of adultery, callous murder and bloody vengeance. The second half of the book is concerned with Song Jiang's attempts to serve out his prison sentence honorably and avoid becoming an outlaw, until he is unjustly condemned to death for a misconstrued poem. Towards the end of this volume we meet the violent Li Kui, variously known as Iron Ox or Black Whirlwind, who also turns out to have a way with tigers. This volume consists of chapters 23 to 43 of the full 120-chapter version of the novel by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong. It is the first English translation based on this version.

Customer Reviews:

A Chinese Classic Brilliantly Translated to English.......2005-01-09

The Marshes of Mount Liang is one of the great works of ancient Chinese literature. The father and son team of John and Alex Dent-Young have done a brilliant job of translating the Shui-hu Zhuan by the 14th century author Shi Nai-an from ancient Chinese into contemporary English. Although this is the 2nd volume of the 5 volume book, this review easily applies to all 5 volumes. The novel is set around 1100 during the Northern Song Dynasty. The story revolves around 108 heroes from throughout China who fall afoul of the law or the corrupted law, as the emperor is surrounded by evil and malicious advisors. The series describes how each of the herores makes his way to the Marshes of Mount Liang, a giant outlaw sanctuary. The theme is that the heroes would like to serve the emperor (who himself as the son of Heaven is blameless), but the Imperial Court is infested with corrupt vermin. The first half of this series describes the gathering together of these heroes. There are a number of adventures after all have reached the marshes and are seeking the Imperial Pardon. And then after they are pardoned, that last book deals with their work under the emperor and the ill fates that happen to many of the party. Besides creating a translation that flows very smoothly (despite being over 2000 pages in all 5 volumes), the Dent-Youngs have used epithets and nicknames for the Heroes (e.g., Twin Rods, the Monk, Opportune Rain, White Water Dragon, etc.) that make it much easier for English speakers to follow the actions of the different heroes. Otherwise, it would be like sorting out the characters of a Tolstoy novel, but worse. Another plus to the translators is that they have not shied away from the cannibalism, crude language and other violent descriptions that previous translators had felt necessary to edit out. I have read all 5 volumes and heartily recommend them all!

Interesting work by the translation isn't top notch.......2003-09-17

The novel is no doubt one of the great masterpieces of Chinese literature. Yet, the tranlsation isn't that well executed and much of the original flavor has been lost in the process. Quite a pity.

Wonderful Tales.......2000-01-17

This wonderful and amazing book should delight anyone who has any interest in China, and perhaps even a great many who don't, so long as they have at least a sense of humor and a sense of adventure. Here, in relatively short, action-packed chapters, a large cast of well-defined characters, with nicknames such as "Iron Ox" (a.k.a. "The Black Whirlwind"), "Bee Sting Huang," "The Three-Inch Poxy Midget," "Short-Arse Wang," "The Magic Messenger," and "The Opportune Rain," to name a few, hurry you irresistibly along through stories of heroic combat, political intrigue, judicial corruption, last-minute rescue from execution, drunken brawling, adultery, revenge, murder, cannibalism, you name it. The book amuses your sense of adventure in a subtler sense, too, in that you get caught up in time travel and experiences of cultural difference and strangeness that make this narrative unlike anything you've ever read before--really one of a kind.

In terms of style, for example, the translators have worked hard to give you a feel for how perhaps this "novel," a vast collection of diverse tales, was originally derived from or always close to conventions of oral storytelling: characters are dismissed from the scene with verbal formulas like "we say no more of him"; the audience is sometimes primed for action, like a barehanded fight with a tiger, with the comment, "it's slow in the telling, but it happens in a flash"; and the storyteller/narrator sometimes draws himself up to deliver a short, often humorous poem to commemorate or point the moral to what you feel must have been a familiar tale to the audience. The greatest triumph of the book for me, though, in terms of style--and it's certainly related to this matter of oral storytelling--is that the characters, all of whom have plenty to say out loud, speak in distinct styles or accents: colloquial and even slangy for low-life types and the rough-and-ready sense of manliness many of the characters aim to project, but sometimes almost comically formal and elaborate in scenes where characters meet and strive to outdo each other in politeness and a sense of honor.

In terms of what's happening, too, you are carried away into a wonderfully unfamiliar world. Take this matter of the cannibalism, for example, which has often been suppressed in earlier translations of this ancient saga. In their little shop of horrors, the inn by the great tree at Crossways Rise, Zhang Qing, "The Gardener," and his wife, Sister Sun, "The Ogress," drug the wine of hapless travelers, chop up the hefty ones for sale as buffalo meat to people thereabouts, and "turn the skinny ones into mince meat for pie fillings." When Wu Song, one of the heroes of the tale, rescues himself from an attempt by "The Ogress" to carve him up, "The Gardener" realizes they're dealing with someone special, someone with The Right Stuff, Chinese style: he bows to Wu Song, prostrates himself and loudly regrets that his wife "couldn't see what was staring her in the face." The hero, "seeing the husband's manner was so correct," not only releases "The Ogress," but laughs it up with both of them and joins them in a feast (not on mince pies). "The Gardener," to make conversation, says he has to be careful about whom he kills. If he and his wife were "to meddle with"--that is, make mince pies out of--any of the young women who make their living as traveling performers, for example, word might get out and someone "might proclaim it from the stage" that he's no "gentleman." Wow, what an insult! And what an injustice! The incongruities here seem to me wild and funny. But the underlying truth, I suppose, is that we're traveling, as readers, through a world whose values differ from our own in ways that often amuse, sometimes shock, and (at least for me) always fascinate. "Murder one can forgive," as one of the heroes elsewhere says, proverbially, expecting everyone to nod in agreement, "but not an insult to one's feelings." Oh? How would that play in Peoria?

Some readers of this review may be put off by observing that the present volume is the second in John and Alex Dent-Young's on-going translation of this classical Chinese narrative, the SHUIHU ZHUAN, more generally known in the West as THE WATER MARGIN. The first volume, which they title THE BROKEN SEALS, is also in print with the same publisher, of course; but the important thing to say in the present context is that this second volume stands very well on its own, and in fact contains some of the most famous and arresting episodes. For "episodic" is the right way to describe it, I think. The book as a whole (I'm waiting for their translation of the rest of it!) seems to have a large, wave-like rhythm, as these ambiguous outlaw-heroes, outcasts in a divinely inspired but humanly corrupt imperial system, full of toadies, hypocrites and cowardly cheats, gradually converge on a mountain stronghold near the marshes of Mt. Liang. But the real fascination and life of the book for me are more immediate: they lie in the moment-by-moment rendering of the characters and their actions, narrated in this new translation with unmatched vigor, humor and colloquial ease; the insights you get into daily life of Chinese peddlers, soldiers, petty bureaucrats, bawds, outcasts, gentlemen, and countless others; and (as I've suggested) the really absorbing experience you get of seeing what very different things people from another culture--and not only, I suspect, in days gone by--cherish or take for granted. Treat yourself to a classic but completely novel novel!

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Disapointing

The Phantom totally rocks.

The Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks
Ben Raab , Ron Goulart , Fernando Blanco , Mike Collins , Paul Mounts , and Ken Wolak
Manufacturer: Moonstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Phantom: Death In The Deep Woods (Phantom)

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ASIN: 1933076097

Book Description

Join us in celebrating MOONSTONE's 10th Anniversary! NEW PRINTING This will be the ONLY time this sold out TPB will be reprinted! The legendary newspaper strip hero makes his triumphant return to comics right here! Thrill to three rollicking 48 page adventures of the "Man Who Cannot Die", "the Ghost Who Walks": THE PHANTOM! This action-packed volume contains the first three graphic novels: "The Ghost Killers", "The Singh Web", and the SOLD OUT "treasures of Bangalla"! PLUS, extra features: pin-ups, sketches, and author/artist commentary tracks! ALL of this brought to you by the KILLER line up of: Ben Raab (Green Lantern, Human Race), Fernando Blanco (Fallen Angel), Paul Mounts (Wanted), Mike Collins (Transformers), and Ken Wolak (Kolchak)! PLUS A COVER GALLERY OF THE MOONSTONE PHANTOM COVERS! PLUS A BRAND NEW COVER PAINTING BY DOUG KLAUBA!

Customer Reviews:

Disapointing.......2003-11-25

I am a huge Phantom fan, he's the hero of my childhood, and probably the only comic book hero that has survived the transition. In fact I think he's a better hero than Batman (who by the way I adore). No gadgets, no side kicks. Just his smarts and his pistols. Also The Phantom knows how to have a family life. I remember fondly waiting each Friday afternoon for the paper so that I could get my Phantom fix.

However this treatment by Ben Raab doesn't bring back much nostalgia. It is absolutely is atrocious and does nothing for the character. The dialogue is awful and the story silly...since when did the Phantom talk like a California surfer?
I hope Moostone replaces him as a scribe. And replaces him with someone who actually understands the character.

The Phantom totally rocks........2003-06-13

Phantom fans everywhere, look out for this new graphic novel about the Phantom. Before spiderman, superman, batman, or even the justice league, there was the Phantom. He is a purple-clad protector of the jungle. This book is definitly there for anyone looking for action, adventure, or just another superhero to idolize. And if you turn out liking the Phantom, there is also a movie(starring Billy Zane, and Catherine Zeta Jones).

American Symbols (Chester the Crab's Comics with Content Series)

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American Symbols (Chester the Crab's Comics with Content Series)
Bentley Boyd
Manufacturer: Chester Comix
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0972961607

Book Description

Which words were added to the Pledge of Allegiance decades after it was written? What color was the White House before it was burned? How did American students help pay for the Statue of Liberty? Who carved Mount Rushmore? You'll learn about these and other famous American icons in this funny, colorful graphic novel that will excite reluctant readers, prepare students for standardized history tests and help homeschooling parents!

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Landvik just keeps getting better!
Lorna Landvig's best job of storytelling
Sentimental and Beautiful ...
What A View
Fantastic Book. As good as Angry Housewives. . .

The View from Mount Joy: A Novel
Lorna Landvik
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0345468376
Release Date: 2007-09-04

Book Description

The View from Mount Joy, Lorna Landvik’s delightfully quirky and intensely moving new novel, is about a man, a supermarket, the roads not taken, and the great, unexpected pleasures found in living a good life.

When hunky teenage hockey player Joe Andreson and his widowed mother move to Minneapolis, Joe falls under the seductive spell of Kristi Casey, Ole Bull High’s libidinous head cheerleader, the kind of girl a guy can’t say no to, even when saying yes guarantees trouble. Joe balances Kristi’s lustful manipulation with the down-to-earth companionship of his smart, platonic girlfriend, Darva. But it is Kristi who will prove to be a temptation (and torment) throughout Joe’s life.

Years later, having once dreamed of a career in pro hockey or as a globetrotting journalist, Joe can’t believe that life has deposited him in the aisles of Haugland Foods. But he soon learns that being a grocer is like being the mayor of a small town: His constituents confide astonishing things and always appreciate the value of a hard-to-pass-up special, a free toy for a well-behaved youngster, a pie for the best rendition of “Alfie,” or simply Joe’s generous dispensing of the milk of human kindness. For Joe, everyday life is its own roller-coaster ride, and all he wants to do is hold on tight.

The path Kristi has charged down, on the other hand, is as wild as Joe’s is tame–or at least that’s how it appears to the outside world. But who has really risked more? Who has lived more? And who is truly happy? As Joe discovers–in this dramatic, heartbreaking, and hilarious novel–sometimes people are lucky enough to be standing in the one place where the view of the world is breathtaking, if only they’ll open their eyes to all there is to see.

The View from Mount Joy is truly glorious: a warm, wonderful picture of life as seen from the deepest places in the heart.

Customer Reviews:

Landvik just keeps getting better!.......2007-10-06

When I began reading this newest book, I was surprised that Landvik had chosen a male protagonist. And yet very quickly I found myself falling for Joe Andresen, connecting to him like an old friend. We first get to know him as a goofy-but-thoughtful high schooler, and watch him create a quiet, benevolent life into his middle age. His story is peopled with colorful, believable characters: family and friends who challenge him, recognize his strength, and make the reader laugh and cry. Through Joe, Landvik reminds us that everyday life--even with its heartaches--can be the arena for astounding goodness and joy. I couldn't put this book down and carried its satisfaction around with me for days.

Lorna Landvig's best job of storytelling .......2007-10-05

This is Landvik's seventh book, and her best-but then I have said that about each of her books when it came out.

Joe Andresen moves to Minneapolis from Granite Falls, Minnesota with his recently widowed mother and starts a job at Haugland's Foods, and high school at Ole Bull High in Minneapolis. Joe is an excellent hockey player and attracts the fleeting, flattering attention of mesmerizing (like a poisonous snake) head cheerleader Kristi Casey. He also attracts the friendship of awkward artist and activist Darva Pratt. They all graduate in 1972. These two women, and his work at Haugland's, become a big part of his life.

Darva goes on to fullfill her dream and travel and study art in France; Kristi travels to find herself; and Joe graduates from the University of Minnesota and takes on the job of assistant manager at Haugland's. Life throws them all for a loop occasionally. There are some horrendous tragedies in Joe's life; and some incredible joys. We follow Joe's life through to the climax-his beloved wife's 50th birthday party, where he acknowledges how much joy and fulfillment his life holds.

Landvik has created a small town's worth of wonderful authentic characters in her writing life, and this book has its share: Joe, a good man with integrity and a flair for helping others; Darva, a talented artist, and a good and loyal friend; Kirk Casey, Joe's younger co-worker at Haugland's and Kristi's younger brother; Joe's mother Carole and his aunt Beth, and Beth's love Linda; and Carole's second husband, teacher Len Rusk. Kristi Casey is the odd one out-shallow, selfish, mean spirited, and attracted to the limelight. She uses sex and her beauty to manipulate and control the people around her. Of course the customers and staff at Haugland's and Joe's philanthropic spontaneous contests are part of the story as well.

Armchair Interviews says: Linda Landvik does it again.

Sentimental and Beautiful ..........2007-09-30

Someone mentioned that it's as good as "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" ~~ which is one of my all-time favorite books ~~ but this one, I will admit is way better. It tugs at your heart strings, it will make you smile and laugh and it will make you cry. It is probably just a little "too perfect" ~~ but isn't that we all want out of our lives sometimes?

This book is about Joe, a seventeen-year-old uprooted from his hometown to live with his aunt. His dad died when he was fourteen and after several years of grieving, his mom decided she wanted to live with her sister, Beth. Joe only had two dreams in life ~~ being a pro hockey player and a journalist. He meets Kristi at the school ~~ and thus began a life-long off and on affair. While Joe seems to think that his life has stagnated because he took over a grocery store instead of fulfilling his dreams ~~ his dreams came true in other ways that he never expected. Kristi chased after her dreams and never seem to be happy ~~ all alone in the world. Joe realizes that sometimes dreams of the youth just are that ~~ there's more to life than he ever realized.

This is one of the best fiction I've read in awhile ~~ maybe it's not the best-written one (I still hold out for "The Thirteenth Tale" for that title) ~~ it is definitely a sentimental novel and a book that I couldn't put down at all. It is one of the better reads this fall. It's perfect to read while preparing for the holidays as it talks about family, friendship and love. It'd be a perfect holiday gift for the woman in your life!

9-30-07

What A View.......2007-09-27

Ms Landvik does it again. I started this and couldn't put it down. Joe is the guy I would have liked to know in high school. It sure took me back to 1971 and all that high school involved. We all had so many dreams and goals. Joe might not have achieved all he thought he would at 17 but,in the end he made all the right choices. The View From Mount Joy will make you think, make you cry and make you laugh out loud several times.
The only complaint I have is that my copy could have used better proof reading in a couple parts but if you go back and read the parts again you get what they are supposed to say.

Fantastic Book. As good as Angry Housewives. . ........2007-09-20

I got this book the day it came out at the library. It was very hard to put down and I read over 100 pages in one sitting several times! It has the same "formula" as Landvik's other books. A little humor, some tragedy, and lots of happiness. The characters are so likable and the story reads very smoothly. I have read all of Landvik's books and this one is in my top 2 favorites.

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A Bit About Jeff
This book ROCKS!
A Triumph of the Human Spirit
A problem with reality
If you can find it, buy it!

The Ascent: A Novel
Jeff Long
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0688108881

Customer Reviews:

A Bit About Jeff.......2007-09-03

I've had the priviledge of meeting Jeff several times. He's the kind of writer that takes you by surprise. Not only is he one of the greatest writers in the entire world (not just my opinion) but he's an "older brother" or, at least, I consider him an older brother type. My actual older brother used to read to my when I was younger and now Jeff "reads to me" by telling me wonderful stories about human beings and the glories and tragedies of being human. He's reserved, quiet kind of guy, very personable, intelligent and also a gentleman.

The first of Jeff's books that I read was "The RECKONING." Now, it's very hard for me to describe what it's like for me to read any of Jeff's novels (those of you who've read Jeff's books already know). From the first page I'm lured into the story as an interested viewer - an outsider. Before too long, I'm swept along as a PARTICIPANT, living and striving right along with the characters!

People who LOVE to read know this pleasure of being INSIDE the story, and the satisfaction and sadness that comes when reaching the last page and closing the book with a loving hand an a sigh. This is what is readily available within the pages of a JEFF LONG novel - from the heights of the Himalayas to the depths of the earth, the human spirit is a force to be RECKONED with.

Pick up one of Jeff's books. Treat yourself.

This book ROCKS!.......2004-04-28

Long is a talented, insightful, and original writer. He's written a story that never lets up, and leads you places you never thought you'd go. Go ahead, try putting it down once you've started. Can't wait for more............

A Triumph of the Human Spirit.......2000-06-22

This novel is not only about the conquest to defeat Mt. Everest, it is about the strength of the human spirit.

While attempting to top Mt. Everest 10 climbers come to grips with their weaknesses and strengths. They come to understand about morality and the things that are truly important in this life.

This novel was a good read on several levels.

A problem with reality.......1999-11-08

As a fictional novel this is a very good adventure read. The plot is interesting and plausible, however some aspects just don't ring true and that was distraction for me. Having read many actual accounts on climbing Everest and other Himalayan peaks, weather is always the number factor. Here the weather was perfect for 100 days in a row and didn't play a part until the very end. Hardly plausible. Then a character has serious injuries above 26,000 feet (shattered leg) and one other climber is able do the rescue. It took half a dozen people to rescue Beck Weathers in 1994 on Everest and he could at least walk. So other than a few reality problems, a decent novel.

If you can find it, buy it!.......1999-10-29

This is a very well-written book -- also harrowing, scary and depressing. You will finish it feeling like you just barely survived. Long, as a climber himself, captures the desperate alienness of the Death Zone. Read it!

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