From Black Rooms

Book Description

Natalie Lindstrom has finally left the underworld behind for a new career in the art world. But there’s one world she can’t escape: the Other world of the dead. As a former Violet, an elite crime-fighter with the power to channel murder victims, Natalie is now using her paranormal gift to summon the spirits of legendary painters. But she’s about to discover how far some people will go to keep their hold on her–and others like her…. Evan Markham, her ex-lover-turned-Violet-Killer, has escaped from prison. And he’s been made an offer he can’t refuse: Natalie. But first he must help contact a deceased geneticist whose most intriguing experiment was brutally interrupted: an attempt to manufacture Violets.

To protect her young daughter and herself, Natalie must search for the scientist’s only living test subject–a handsome but tortured artist to whom she is dangerously attracted.

For he is caught in the grip of two opposing forces, one that wants his survival, another that wants him–and anyone connected with him–destroyed….

Customer Reviews:

A good read.......2007-09-23

I was lucky enough to come across Stephen Woodworth with his debut novel of Through Violet Eyes and I was hooked. I adored #1.

From Red Hands left me breathless and wanting more! I was terribly disappointed in The Golden Blood.

In From Black Rooms, Stephen is back on form. I was glad to see that Natalie was meeting someone else, although I really still haven't forgiven Woodworth for what he did to Dan.

One note for new readers of Woodworth's books: YOU MUST READ THEM IN ORDER OF PUBLICATION!!!!

I was very lucky to have started at the start and have always looked out for his books so I naturally followed the order. If you don't follow the sequence, you'll ruin the other books for yourself because the entire plot of each book is rehashed.

Terrible writing by Stephen Woodworth.......2007-08-21

I absolutely loved the first three books of the Violet series. The stories were rich, full of drama and with many characters that made the story that much more interesting to read about. I have to say that Stephen's writing in this book was seriously lacking. The entire story seemed to drag on and on, until finally something semi-interesting would happen, only for it to go back to dragging on shortly afterwards.

While the whole concept of "gene therapy" made me really want to read this book, I feel that Stephen didn't do any proper research into this topic to even give himself some insight into how he could use the information to make his story better.

While some of the new characters introduced in this story were interesting and beneficial parts of the story, I feel like he didn't really explain why the "bad guy" was doing the things he was. Also, the ending was completely flimsy and pointless. I was really disappointed in this book. Stephen could have done so much more with this story.

Love the Violets.......2007-04-01

I love this concept. I can't get over how Mr. Woodworth keeps revealing more and more about the Violets and how they function. I love how the series is progressing. He is really showing how full his characters are that he's developing and adding different characters for you to care about as he kills off others to make you feel it. I'm not going to write a plot summary since so many others have already did this. I will say that you need to read the previous books for you to get the complete picture of Evan. He's back and badder than ever. I loved the science of how a Violet works and how the brain nodes function. I didn't really like how fast the book wrapped up. I felt that Mr. Woodworth skipped over some things very quickly that I'm hoping he explains more in detail in his next book. I highly recommend this book and the series.

great book no. 4 from Stephen Woodworth.......2007-03-08

This book is good if you like suspense and humor. But you may need to read the first 3 book to totally understand this one. I give all 4 books five stars.

An Excellent Series.......2007-02-09

I can't wait to read Stephen Woodworth's next Violet installment. He pulls the reader in. I get to the point in which I can't but the book down.

For new readers, you should read his books in order. You really get to know the characters, but not in a long boring drawn out way.

I never know what to write in one of these reviews, but read all 4 books in order - you won't be disappointed!

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A Portfolio of Home Entertainment Ideas
Cowles Creative Publishing , Inc Staff Cowles Creative Publishin , and Black & Decker
Manufacturer: Cowles Creative Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Design Ideas for Basements (Design Ideas Series)

ASIN: 0865738912

The Black Room at Longwood: Napoleon's Exile on Saint Helena

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Part memoir, part psychohistory - provocative
Sometimes clever, sometimes dull, ALWAYS pretentious
A travellers tale of St Helens, captivity and Napoleon
Dull, dull, dull
The Last Laugh

The Black Room at Longwood: Napoleon's Exile on Saint Helena
Jean-Paul Kauffmann
Manufacturer: Four Walls Eight Windows
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1568581718

Amazon.com

This is an unusually intelligent, elegiac book; not merely an account of Napoleon's last days in exile on the remote Atlantic island of St. Helena but a meditation on the interrelations of past and present and the shadow a figure as gigantic as Napoleon casts onto futurity. On one level, the book is a travelogue, as Jean-Paul Kauffmann revisits modern St. Helena and describes what he finds; the small-scale lives of the islanders are related with tenderness as well as humor. But we also learn a great deal about Napoleon as Kauffmann passes through the places associated with him and attempts to get inside the head of the deposed emperor.

There is a danger of pretentiousness, and there are moments when the Gallic gush is a little much; but overall the sheer force of Kauffmann's imagination fuses the whole into a powerful and affecting unity. In particular, his lyrical, poetic style has been well translated (by Patricia Clancy) and there are many striking moments. The beaches of St. Helena, for instance, are described as "black shingle, shiny as nuts of coal." Even the sunrise in this part of the world has a prison-like feel: "only one ray from the rising sun manages to pierce the clouds, falling on a corner of the coast as through a basement window." Thought-provoking and often exquisite, this is a unique sort of history. --Adam Roberts, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

Like his subject, Napoleon, author Jean-Paul Kauffmann has experienced captivity, as a three-year hostage in Beirut. He brings his insider's knowledge to this moving account of the most famous French soldier's last years in seclusion on a tropical island. After his defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled and imprisoned by the British on the island of St. Helena. He became increasingly withdrawn, surviving on a diet of memories that he recounted to the few people around him. But the book -- part history, part travelogue -- portrays the leader as a prisoner also of his mind, poisoned by nostalgia for his triumphs and grief over his defeats. "A haunting, unforgettable book....Kauffmann captures the desolate atmosphere of Napoleon's last home with evocative precision." -- Boston Globe

Customer Reviews:

Part memoir, part psychohistory - provocative.......2006-02-14

It may be fair to call this book a meditation on how some places are perfectly fit to induce particular states of mind. As promised by the title, "The Black Room at Longwood" describes the prison by describing its effect on the prisoner.

Kauffmann describes the sights and smells of St. Helen in such detail that its desolation is almost palpable. He makes many self-conscious efforts to find the relics and remembrances of its most famous prisoner. Kauffmann brings the place to life--but such a life--dreary and meaningless--and contrasts it with known preferences and dislikes of Napoleon so that every little pinprick can be felt.

When I tried to picture as active a man as Napoleon Bonaparte in that place, I couldn't help but pity him (from my comfortable vantage point, in 2006). As described in the book, Napoleon's own mind was beginning to give way to the horror of that oppressed place by the time he died.

Sometimes clever, sometimes dull, ALWAYS pretentious.......2004-09-08

The author has a seemingly great idea : cruise to out-of-the-way St. Helena and combine a historical hunt with a modern day travelogue of his journey.

The premise works well at some points, but lags quite often. The most annoying trait of the book is the author's tendancy to wax poetic for literally PAGES describing paintings or other works of art to be found in Longwood. I don't really understand what Mr. Kauffmann's opinion of "The Last Phase" has to do with Napoleon's exile.

I've finished reading the book and I'm still actually not quite sure what I just read. It was certainly unique and well-written, I'll give Kauffmann that much. But I don't believe that I learned anything about Napoleon's exile that I didn't already absorb from more thorough, historical works. I genuinely expected to hear some unique tales and speculation about Napoleon's last days... but alas, none were to be had. This was a fruitless read if you're looking for fun or irreverant facts about Napoleon's final days.

Bottom line : Not worth your time and money unless you are completely obsessed with Bonaparte, or if you plan to visit St. Helena at some point.

A travellers tale of St Helens, captivity and Napoleon.......2002-07-12

This is a strange mixture and I have to admit to very much disliking it when I first picked it up. It is a translated version of what was originally a French work and the English to me seemed a bit florid and dramatic. I am not sure if that is the translation or if the French naturally write in that style. I would however recommend people who are interested in Napoleon to persevere - it is a strange sort of book but worth the read.

I say this for two other reasons - firstly because Kauffmann has read just about every primary source about Napoleon's exile on St Helens - a tiny island pretty much in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and secondly because Kauffmann knows first hand about captivity.

After reading this book a little = and not enjoying it I read the author biography - this man spent some years as a captive in Beirut in the 1980's. Returning to the book I started to realise that this is more than just a book about Napoleon, or about a travellogue to the island. This is a story about captivity and its psychological side. Kauffmann is very clearly the right man to write about it. The oppression of captivity overwhelms the writing sometimes. Kauffman clearly found the place oppressive - he keeps talking of the town itself squeezed between two mountains - it is one of his repetitive themes and I get the sense that if he didn't sail out there expecting to dislike the place, his dislike of it coloured his later writings about it.

I think this book could just as easily be named 8 days on St Helens as the book is divided into chapters for each day. So his trip is dealt with chronologically - the information about Napoleon ducks and dives - often with seemingly little logic to it. However if you are looking to learn about Napoleon's last years they are touched on - more so Napoleon as a man is revealed. His impatience (he drove each day on the island in a carriage with two wives of his officers - but went at such high speed as to throw them around - a demonstration of power?) his arrogance.

There are also interesting insights into the man prior to his captivity - for instance I never knew Napoleon couldn't speak perfect French - (he spoke it badly and confusingly at times - muddling his words and pronunciations). However I don't think Kauffman explains anything new to most scholars of Napoleon. He mentions that Napoleon considered going to America before settling for surrendering to the English - why did he change his mind?

So you can read this book on many different levels - a story of St Helens, a mixed bag of Napoleonic history, or a story of captivity. All have different merits in this - but they are all mixed together. I don't know that I would recommend making a special trip to get it - but worth reading if you haven't much else to do.

Dull, dull, dull.......2001-10-15

I went searching for a book about Napoleon for a friend. This is that book. If you want to know anything about Napoleon's last years, this isn't the book to read. I found this book dull to the extreme. It reads more like "what I did on my summer vacation.' I kept waiting to get into the informative part of the book but it never came. Kauffmann talks of paintings that aren't shown, quotes that came from other works as he wanders around Longwood.What the English women have to do with this book is a mystery. A complete waste of time and paper. Read something else if you want to know about Napoleon.

The Last Laugh.......2001-03-16

I read this book on a flight to France, and was mesmerized by the author's lapidary prose and his ability to bring to the reader a keen sense of loneliness and desolation. According to the author, Napoleon spent a good deal of his last six years trying to figure out what went wrong at Waterloo...the sort of torment worthy of Greek mythology. Feeling broken and forgotten, the former emperor, to quote General McArthur, "faded away", dying as much of depression as of physiological causes.

Book Description

The submissive trainees at Pentagon Agency derive pleasure from even the most demeaning tasks. Their lives are dedicated to sexual servitude; they enjoy pain and humiliation on a daily basis. There is only one punishment they try to avoid: the black room. When private investigator Jo Valentine is assigned to infiltrate the Pentagon Agency, she is prepared to do anything to get results - but nothing can prepare her for what lies in the black room. The more she discovers about the agency, the more she learns of her passion for dark and bizarre sexual games that go beyond anything she has experienced before.

Customer Reviews:

Did not do it........2007-03-09

I did not care for this book. It was poorly written and there were many spelling and gramar mistakes that took away from the story. The editor was not doing their job.

Front Porch Stories: at the One-Room School

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Front Porch Stories: at the One-Room School
Eleanora Tate
Manufacturer: Yearling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0440409012
Release Date: 1993-12-01

Book Description

Twelve-year-old Margie Carson loves hearing stories. And her daddy loves to tell them. One hot summer night Daddy, Margie, and her seven-year-old cousin Ethel troop over to the old one-room school for round of special storytelling. Daddy tells the girls about the time Aunt Daisy was chased by a scary, eight-foot-tall shadow one Sunday night in her backyard...about the flood that nearly washed away the whole town and left a catfish on a neighbor's pillow...stories about rocks that bite and walnut wars...stories about Mary McLeod Bethune and the time Eleanor Roosevelt came to town...ten wonderful stories in all.

Plenty Good Room: Women Versus Male Power in the Black Church

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Plenty Good Room: Women Versus Male Power in the Black Church
Marcia Riggs
Manufacturer: Pilgrim Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Devotionals | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0829815082

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of Glue, Shadow, and Ghosts
A Master of Short Stories
A breath of fresh air

Black Shapes in a Darkened Room
Marshall Moore
Manufacturer: Suspect Thoughts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Black Shapes in a Darkened Room is a collection of witty, visceral, and darkly imaginative short fiction from the author of the novel The Concrete Sky. Revenge and eroticism, humor and despair, the supernatural and the everyday... Marshall Moore draws new contour lines and makes new connections in this nighttime map of the human soul.

Customer Reviews:

of Glue, Shadow, and Ghosts.......2005-11-11

Opening with a quote from Murakami Haruki's novel Norwegian Wood, Marshall Moore's short story collection Black Shapes in a Darkened Room takes the reader into a realm where ghosts await the deaths of those who have wronged them; vicious men wear suits of raw meat; and deaf boys can heal with only a touch. Dark and disturbing at a visceral level, I found myself uttering, "Oh my God" a number of times as I read through the collection, especially such gems as "Enough Oxygen" and "The Glue Factory."

However, while I recoiled at some gory bits that would please Clive Barker, it was Moore's attention to detail that truly disturbed me. The abusive mother's brutality in "Hurricane Season" both angered me and made me have to stop reading for a bit to let the imagery fade that was floating through my mind. One can literally feel the steam of the scalding bathwater and taste the fear of the children whom the mother has threatened to drown.

Yet, although the stories are filled with death, the stories also have a macabre sense of justice. People mistreated during life get revenge in death. Vicious mean and women are killed and the killers, who the reader is cheering for, are not caught and brought to justice by the law. No, instead they have been able to kill their oppressors and are able to get on with their lives after the murders. It might seem a bit odd to call this refreshing, but living in a world where child abusers and wife beaters go unpunished, it is nice to see them suffer a bit of the torment they have caused others.

While the story collection contains ghosts, tattoos made of the night sky, and dragons, well maybe on the last one, the collection also contains a number of other stories completely grounded in reality such as one concerning a young man who has grown tired of caring for his disabled father and another about a shut-in who is trying, or not trying, to get over a broken relationship.

The collection is also filled with sex that is entirely of the homosexual variety, but the collection does not use this aspect as a crutch. The stories are powerful enough on their own so it seems like one is reading stories that contain characters who just happen to be homosexual instead of the story leaning on this aspect for the sell.

Black Shapes in a Darkened Room is a very interesting collection that is definitely a cut above a good portion of fiction that is being released. If you want to read some stories that will terrify and intrigue you give this one a spin.

A Master of Short Stories.......2005-10-29

In "Black Shapes in a Darkened Room", the follow-on to his debut novel "The Concrete Sky", Marshall Moore brings his writing to a new level.

Moore delivers to the readers what his fans have come to expect: an exploration of the darkest aspects of human nature, woven with a razor wit and a sly humor that somehow make it fun. But this collection goes beyond his previous works, delivering a wild array of ideas, each one probed, explored, and exposed with a laser focus. The short story format is a wonderful boon for readers, allowing Moore to present vastly more of the lucid and disturbing products of his imagination than the novel format ever could.

The stories in this collection are haunting, stimulating, original, and utterly enjoyable - if you have the stomach for it. They'll make you squirm uncomfortably, wonder about human nature, snicker with guilty pleasure, and in the end will leave you with plenty to think about. Each one illuminates another hidden corner of the psyche, and showcases Moore's ability to give us touching but terrifying glimpses of the damaged souls that inhabit his tales.

A breath of fresh air .......2005-04-06

"Black Shapes in a Darkened Room" is haunting, diabolical, and brilliant. One of the best collection of short stories one will find amusing, grotesque, and darkly illuminating. I enjoyed every page of this book and thensome. Authors like Moore are rare and hard to come by.

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Missing Links and Dark Truths

The Black Room (Dark Ground)
Gillian Cross
Manufacturer: Dutton Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0525474870

Book Description

Robert has come back from a horrible ordeal in a strange parallel world. Now he can't stop thinking about the people he left behind to face a winter that most won't survive. When Robert sees a chance to save his friend Lorn, he is desperate to succeed. But is he prepared for the realities of her world? Meanwhile, Lorn struggles to lead the little band of survivors, even as she feels herself drawn to a secret tunnel where an unknown menace lurks.

Seamlessly blending fantasy with a hard-hitting survival tale, Gillian Cross has created a completely original psychological thriller.

Customer Reviews:

Missing Links and Dark Truths.......2007-08-15

Gillian Cross is back with the second book in her Dark Ground Trilogy! Quick note to readers who have not read the first book: The Dark Ground. This review will contain spoilers for the first story, so you may want to read it before you continue on in this review. Fans of Gillian Cross have been waiting quite a time for this next book in the trilogy. Fortunately, the Black Room is now out and this strange saga can continue!

The story reopens not long after we left characters in The Dark Ground. Robert and his sister continue to try and help those tiny folk he left behind, providing them with materials to last out the winter. But the Robert who has returned to his old life is not the same boy he was before--and his best friend Tom is beside himself trying to figure out what's happened to change him so drastically. Tom is not about to lose his friend quietly, but when he discovers what Robert and his sister are doing he's reluctantly forced to accept that something impossible and incredible is going on. Robert desperately wants to help his small friends rediscover their own lives and when he discovers a chance to help his friend Lorn, he'll do anything he can to save her. With Tom's help, Robert is determined to find Lorn and rescue her before the coming winter, but can he deal with the dark truths that he will discover?

This is one of those books where it is nearly impossible to explain the story properly without giving huge amounts of it away. Ms. Cross' work continues to be profoundly different from the usual fantasy story. There is nothing cute or twee or sparkly in this tale, despite using the convention of miniature people and the strange magic that has caused them to be "shrunk". In fact, it's easy to forget this is a fantasy, despite the strangeness that goes on. The author's writing style takes what is strange so matter-of-factly that it becomes just one more piece in a gripping and bizarre story. The style is refreshing after reading so many stories where characters spend endless time reflecting and considering and analyzing things. Characters relate through confrontation and action, all of which seems real without falling into stereotype and painful cliché. Some readers might find the style a bit brusque, but it worked for me. The plot may be less satisfying for some readers in that it doesn't clear up the pervading mystery nor does it exactly hint what's going to happen to our characters by the end of the trilogy. If the author intends to illuminate the why's of what's happened, there's going to be a lot of ground for book 3 to cover! Still, the ending is unexpected and satisfying in its own unique way.

Given the disturbing nature of some of the things our hero discovers about Lorn, this book is not light reading and may be inappropriate for younger readers. This is likely best for those readers who are young adults, although if a mature younger reader liked the first book, they'll probably enjoy this one. I'm hoping it won't be another long wait for the third book in the trilogy, because I'm eagerly looking forward to finding out what will happen next! Those who enjoyed this might want to try The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. For those who are looking for lighter books on little people, try Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad Trilogy!

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

THE NEW EXPLOITS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: The Adventure of the Seven Clocks; The Adventure of the Gold Hunter; The Adventure of the Wax Gamblers; The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle; The Adventure of the Black Baronet; The Adventure of the Sealed Room

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THE NEW EXPLOITS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES: The Adventure of the Seven Clocks; The Adventure of the Gold Hunter; The Adventure of the Wax Gamblers; The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle; The Adventure of the Black Baronet; The Adventure of the Sealed Room
Adrian Conan; Carr, John Dickson (re: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) Doyle
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MPK6MA

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