Book Description
Ute shaman Daisy Perika is no stranger to eerie dreams, but when she has a nightmare, lives could be at stake. Convinced that her visions of a wisp-thin girl with blood dripping from her hands are omens, the old woman calls on her nephew, Charlie Moon. Moon, a part-time tribal investigator and full-time Colorado rancher, is skeptical, but he knows better than to dismiss his quarrelsome aunt too quickly. After all, she has been right before. But what can he do? Although Daisy can see what's left of a dying man's face, she can't get a clear look at the girl's. Without that, Moon doesn't have anything to go on. Then he gets a call about a very real murder. Sarah Frank, an Ute-Papago orphan and daughter of Moon's childhood friend, was spotted standing over the battered body with blood on her hands. Moon and FBI Special Agent Lila Mae McTeague cross the border to investigate, but they're too late. Not only has little Sarah vanished with a one-of-a-kind family heirloom, but Moon and McTeague aren't the only ones on her trail. Off the reservation and across states lines, James D. Doss's clever mystery finds Moon on the law enforcement side of the investigation and his aunt Daisy decidedly on the other.
Customer Reviews:
Blood of Dreams.......2007-10-02
Ten Charlies Moon stories and John Doss still keeps the high pitch that made us fans from his first book. During my librarian days I always put John's books in the Kentucky collection, he is one of our finest writers no matter where he lives.
Charlie Moon has moved to full-time ranching, but Aunt Daisy has other plans for his time after she has a nightmare. Charlie has to cross state lines to follow her bidding when Sarah Frank, an Ute-Papago orphan disappears with a valuable heirloom and is suspected of murder. Aunt Daisy has other plans for the child. Both Charlie and Aunt Daisy are vivid characters crafted by a master.
New to the series, get to reading and discover why the old-timers and Publisher's Weekly put James D. Doss as one of the best.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS and TRAVELERS.
Charlie Moon is always terrific.......2007-07-03
As always, the Charlie Moon books are great reading. Doss does his expected outstanding job of bringing Charlie, Aunt Daisy, and a cast of character to life. His descriptions of the desert and canyons of Ute country are so real you can smell the sage.
Stone Butterfly.......2007-03-25
Stone Butterfly tells a story of greed, murder and betrayal. Charlie Moon and his aunt become involved and things start to heat up. I kept wondering how it was going to end and I was in for a surprise when it did. I never caught the ever so subtle clues. I can't wait to read the next one!
I'm a fan of James Doss and love all the books he's written. Charlie Moon and his aunt Daisy are two of my all-time favorite characters. They are old friends I get to visit with every time Doss brings out a new novel in the Charlie Moon Series. The stories are full of humor as well as mystery and have yet to disappoint me.
Too clever for its own good.......2007-03-24
I've read all of Doss's Charlie Moon mysteries but I thought this one was trying to be too clever for it's own good. At times the characters seemed to be babbling. The plot was devised in such a way that the reader could not figure out the story until the very last twist, and even that left quite a few questions unanswered...(which I can't list in order not to spoil the read for prospective readers.)The book left me frustrated and ready to write to the author to get him to fill in the holes. Not one of Doss's best by a long shot.
Probably the best Moon story yet........2007-03-15
From beginning to end this held my interest. His previous book was good, but it does not hold a candle to the Stone Butterfly.
Average customer rating:
- bearstone
- Bearstone, Aeneas Shanghai
- Bearstone, Aeneas Shanghai
- Bearstone, Aeneas Shanghai
- Overall, An Interesting Book
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Bearstone
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Book Description
A Dramatic Tale of Grizzlies and Gold
Fourteen-year-old Cloyd Atcitty has been skipping school for years. He's run away from a group home for Native American boys, and is now being sent to work for Walter Landis, an old rancher on an isolated Colorado farm.
In a cave above the ranch, Cloyd finds a turquoise carving of a bear. Knowing that his people, the Utes, have a special relationship with bears, he keeps the small stone, hoping it will bring him strength. A terrible blow-up with Walter ends in near disaster, but the old man offers Cloyd one last chance: they'll ride together into the mountains to reopen Walter's abandoned gold mine. Among the high peaks that harbor Colorado's last grizzlies, Cloyd's courage and loyalty will be tested to the limit.
Customer Reviews:
bearstone.......2005-11-27
This is a pretty good book. The two main characters in the book are Cloyd Atcitty and Walter Landis, an old farmer. This book is about a 14 year old boy named Cloyd who is part of a Native American tribe called the Utes. Cloyd isn't a very intelligent boy because he has been skipping school for years. Cloyd has been sent to Walter in Colorado to help him do some chores. The conflict in this book is between Walter and Cloyd; Cloyd finds out that Walter has some friends who hunt bears. Once Cloyd finds out about Walter's friends, he destroys a part of Walter's farm. The setting of the story is around an isolated farm in Colorado. Near this farm Cloyd fines a turquoise stone in a cave up high in the mountains, it's a carving of a bear. The Utes have a special relationship with bears so this stone is a very special to Cloyd.
This book has an action and adventure genre. Bearstone is for those readers who like to read a book about a boy who goes to the mountains alone, and goes to a gold mine with a friend. I think this book has a good story line and readers won't get lost while reading it. Readers of 9 and up will enjoy this book.
Bearstone, Aeneas Shanghai.......2005-11-27
This is a pretty good book. The two main characters in the book are Cloyd Atcitty and Walter Landis, an old farmer. This book is about a 14 year old boy named Cloyd who is part of a Native American tribe called the Utes. Cloyd isn't a very intelligent boy because he has been skipping school for years. Cloyd has been sent to Walter in Colorado to help him do some chores. The conflict in this book is between Walter and Cloyd; Cloyd finds out that Walter has some friends who hunt bears. Once Cloyd finds out about Walter's friends, he destroys a part of Walter's farm. The setting of the story is around an isolated farm in Colorado. Near this farm Cloyd fines a turquoise stone in a cave up high in the mountains, it's a carving of a bear. The Utes have a special relationship with bears so this stone is a very special to Cloyd.
This book has an action and adventure genre. Bearstone is for those readers who like to read a book about a boy who goes to the mountains alone, and goes to a gold mine with a friend. I think this book has a good story line and readers won't get lost while reading it. Readers of 9 and up will enjoy this book.
Bearstone, Aeneas Shanghai.......2005-11-27
This is a pretty good book. The two main characters in the book are Cloyd Atcitty and Walter Landis, an old farmer. This book is about a 14 year old boy named Cloyd who is part of a Native American tribe called the Utes. Cloyd isn't a very intelligent boy because he has been skipping school for years. Cloyd has been sent to Walter in Colorado to help him do some chores. The conflict in this book is between Walter and Cloyd; Cloyd finds out that Walter has some friends who hunt bears. Once Cloyd finds out about Walter's friends, he destroys a part of Walter's farm. The setting of the story is around an isolated farm in Colorado. Near this farm Cloyd fines a turquoise stone in a cave up high in the mountains, it's a carving of a bear. The Utes have a special relationship with bears so this stone is a very special to Cloyd.
This book has an action and adventure genre. Bearstone is for those readers who like to read a book about a boy who goes to the mountains alone, and goes to a gold mine with a friend. I think this book has a good story line and readers won't get lost while reading it. Readers of 9 and up will enjoy this book.
Bearstone, Aeneas Shanghai.......2005-11-27
This is a pretty good book. The two main characters in the book are Cloyd Atcitty and Walter Landis, an old farmer. This book is about a 14 year old boy named Cloyd who is part of a Native American tribe called the Utes. Cloyd isn't a very intelligent boy because he has been skipping school for years. Cloyd has been sent to Walter in Colorado to help him do some chores. The conflict in this book is between Walter and Cloyd; Cloyd finds out that Walter has some friends who hunt bears. Once Cloyd finds out about Walter's friends, he destroys a part of Walter's farm. The setting of the story is around an isolated farm in Colorado. Near this farm Cloyd fines a turquoise stone in a cave up high in the mountains, it's a carving of a bear. The Utes have a special relationship with bears so this stone is a very special to Cloyd.
This book has an action and adventure genre. Bearstone is for those readers who like to read a book about a boy who goes to the mountains alone, and goes to a gold mine with a friend. I think this book has a good story line and readers won't get lost while reading it. Readers of 9 and up will enjoy this book.
Overall, An Interesting Book.......2005-11-24
Cloyd Atcitty has a problem. His poor attitude and rebellious nature have contributed to school and tribal expulsion for this Native American boy. When he is sent by his tribe to live in Colorado, however, a new chance at life unfolds. It remains to be seen whether he can control his impulsive actions enough to make a new beginning.
During the time he spends with an elderly white rancher, Cloyd exhibits positive and negative personality traits. The reader has insight into Cloyd's thoughts, especially the fears he carefully hides from others. Some fascinating Native American traits are brought forth, for example, the practice of pointing with the lips instead of the finger or hand (rude).
As an adult reading Bearstone, I often felt frustrated with Cloyd's character because he was immature and reactionary. The scene that describes Cloyd's petulant destruction of twenty-two of the rancher's peach trees by chainsaw was particularly infuriating. If this was real life and I was the rancher, I would have gladly sent Cloyd home never to return. In the book, Cloyd does get sent back to the reservation, but he returns, apologizes, and is accepted back by the rancher. This had to happen for the rest of Cloyd's personal growth to occur, but I felt it stretched the believability of the book.
Despite this, I felt warmth toward this story, perhaps because Cloyd's character was significantly flawed yet lovable. The description of the Colorado Rockies was beautifully rendered. Several hunting scenes were graphic, but necessarily so to convey their impact on the peaceful Cloyd. This depiction was in stereotypical keeping with the view of Native Americans as nature worshipping sages, yet it was not insulting.
Bearstone was written in 1989, before the term `Indian' was viewed as politically incorrect.
Book Description
Across the great bay from San Francisco, the city of Alameda evolved into an island hometown of fine Victorian and Craftsman architecture and a port containing a naval air station, shipbuilding center, and the winter home of the long-gone Alaska Packers fleet of “tall ships.” But Alameda also was a busy railroad town. In 1864, a passenger railroad with a ferry connection created a commute to San Francisco. In 1869, the city became the first Bay Area terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad. Alameda became an island because a railroad allowed construction crews to dig a tidal canal, separating it from Oakland in 1902. Later generations rode steam, then electric, trains to a grand ferry pier where ornate watercraft guided them the 20 minutes to San Francisco. An auto tube, and later the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, hastened the demise of ferry, then rail, operations before World War II.
Book Description
Majerus tells his own story of how a chubby kid from Sheboygan came to be North Americas best-loved college basketball coach. Filled with wit, candor, insight, and the kind of bold statements that caused Notre Dame to rescind a job offer, My Life on a Napkin delivers what sports fans love most: good talk, good stories, and good game.
Customer Reviews:
hoped for much more.......2007-09-20
the rare times rick put down a fork and talked in depth about playing point guard or some other keen insight, the book was marvelous, that happened in maybe 10 pages ... i have read hundreds of sports books and next to vitale's first book, this was probably the worst one i muddled through ... loved rick as a coach--his triangle and two vs zona is legendary--but i would've liked to have heard some of his ex-players discuss what it was like to play for him--word on the street, it was far from a picnic basket ... akin to coach k's books, who saints himself w/o ever revealing his darkside, it's fun to see the real story ...
read dean smith's 'a coach's life,' feinstein's 'a season inside,' 'breaks of the game' by david halberstam, or 'the miracle of st anthonys' if you want to digest great basketball stories ... or the best of them all, pat conroy's MY LOSING SEASON
compared to those, rick's was a lady finger dud
The world through the eyes of one of college ball's most eccentric coaches........2007-05-14
It's forty-five minutes before the WAC tournament championship game. Majerus has pulled into the parking lot in front of the gym only to discover that some nimrod has parked in his space, a space that costs him $2,000 a year to reserve. What does he do? He parks somewhere else, comes back and lets the air out of two of the guy's tires. When his friend asks him why he only selected two tires, Majerus says, "Because he only had one spare."
Such are the experiences that encompass 'My Life On A Napkin'. We see Majerus for what he is, the world traveling, food connoisseur, who values loyalty, a good massage, and an occasional fantasy involving Cindy Crawford. Covered in his book are some of the following:
* Majerus' discipleship under Al MacGuire while at Marquette, and Don Nelson while with the Golden State Warriors.
* Majerus' quick process of overtaking BYU as the team to beat in the WAC.
* The difficulties of recruiting, particularly in a place like Utah.
* Majerus' propensity for speeding. Upon accelerating to over 100 MPH, Majerus once told a concered friend, "Hey, if we crash, I'm you're airbag."
* His affinity with living in hotels.
* The 1998 NCAA tournament and his famous triangle and two defense that shut down number one seeded Arizona and North Carolina.
Also of note is Majerus' ceaseless wit and humor. A group of cheerleaders once came to do a promotional at Rick's hotel. He told them, "Don't worry if you see me staring at your belly buttons. It's mostly because I haven't seen mine in years."
Majerus shares truth about recruiting, the intense competition between other coaches, and how he took a bunch of non-sensational and mostly mormon kids and came within 5 minutes of being the 1998 national champions.
No coach is as openly eccentric as Majerus, and in 'My Life on a Napkin', you will find out why he is not only revered as a basketball mind, but also as a comedic juggernaut.
"The only thing bigger than his belly is his heart".......2003-04-14
Far and away the best book I have read in the past year. Coach Majerus' passion for his players will leave you mesmerized. The best part of the book are all the quotes added from former players, friends, coaches, family members,etc...Rick never was much of a great athlete, but he knew the game from an early age and was considered the epitome of a team player. Majerus' stories from his days at Marquette and Ball State to his time with Don Nelson and Del Harris make for a great read. If you like sports and admire the true work of a "team" you will love this book.
Catching a Wonderful Coach at an Opportune Moment.......2001-02-28
Sports books that attempt to cash in on the immediate popularity of the author often suffer in quality due to the desire to strike while the iron is hot. I am glad to say that My Life on a Napkin does not suffer from this flaw.
Gene Wojciechowski, contributor on this book, did an extremely good on format and finding and maintaining Majerus' voice. His previous work on Nothing But Net (Bill Walton's autobiography) has served him well.
The most interesting technique used in the book is the interjection of short anecdotes culled from Majerus' friends and family. The juxtaposition between his view and the view of his friend/family member/player is humorous at times. This is a technique I haven't seen used before in this type of book and I find that it seems to work better than simple paraphrasing would.
In short, the only reason this book doesn't deserve four stars is because it falls far short of the high standards set by autobiographies/biographies of individuals whose careers have already ended. I feel this book focuses too much on the recent to the detriment of the early years. For example, A Coach's Life by Dean Smith has an entirely different perspective because in many ways his story is finished. This allows him to devote equal time to all portions of his life and career.
Additionally, it would have been nice to have an appendix containing information on every player who had ever lettered for Coach Majerus. If we could see the tremendous legacy that he has had on the lives of all the students who have passed through his programs it would reinforce hsi commitment to his players' well-being. To me, that would be an even greater testimony to his legacy than the stories presented in the preceding chapters.
Not only is Majerus a great coach, he's hilarious!.......2000-08-01
After getting this book I could not put it down. I first became aware of Majerus after he led his un-athletic Utah team to the NCAA Final Four in 1998. His press conferences after those games were part basketball pontification and part stand-up comedy routine. His book is a lot like those press conferences: serious about the game he loves, but not afraid to crack a joke at anytime. The stories about his lack of fashion sense and eating habits will leave you doubled over. For "gym rats" everywhere!
Customer Reviews:
My kids like but.......2006-09-13
My kids liked this book but. There is NOT enough details to me. For instance they name the three bees, but do not tell their jobs. My daughter asked, I didn't know. LOL. Then there was the tools they use for bee keeping. They did not say what they were used for. The kids are asking me. I don't know. Thats why you buy a book. But the pictures, colors, and see thru pages are wonderful. But more information would have been nice.
MUCH better than the other books in this series.......2006-02-08
This series is an imitation of the Eyewitness format for younger readers. I'd recommend it primarily to preschoolers.
Good points:
-talks about how bees make honey
-lovely pictures
-some "bee culture"
-talks about how bees make wax
-discusses queens, drones, and mating
-discusses life cycle of a bee
-discusses swarming
-discusses wax and honey harvesting
Weaknesses:
-claims that bees communicate to others about nearby sources of food by "flying in circles." Bees communicate by dancing inside the hive, not flying!
-doesn't explain that there is only one queen, a few drones, and many workers per hive
-doesn't warn against pestering bees because of their stingers
-takes domestication as the norm for bees and barely, barely touches on wild bees (all beehives in the main text are manmade, for example)
-goes off on a tangent about other colony/nest-building insects that just distracts from the main text
For the reading level, though, it's a pretty darned good book, and one of the few in the series that I'd recommend.
Very promising!.......2000-06-13
I thought I was buying this book for my son to read a few years down the road when he fell into the 4-8 age range recommended. Imagine my reaction when, at 20 months, he started to push it onto my lap every morning saying, "Bees! Bees!" Now I'm not claiming my son is some sort of prodigy. I think this book is just one of those gems that captures the interest of children exceptionally well. True, part of it is undoubtably the illustrated overlays. Well, if reading this book to him now because of the fun pictures gets a child exposed to science and the world aroung him, it might lead to a real enthusiasm for the subject matter down the road. I can foresee many more of these first discovery books on our shelf soon!
The one thing that disappointed me enough to subtract a star from my rating was the lack of any information about the dangerous side of bees. No mention at all was made of their stingers, or that humans should keep clear of the hive unless they are properly outfitted and trained to handle bees. Parents will have to remember to stress this point on their own.
Otherwise, the text was very thorough in describing these creatures, their habits and social structure, as well as defining the bees' role in the natural world. The tone was straightforward and nonpatronizing enough that I found it interesting even as an adult. This book will definitely have a space on our shelf for all the children to come.
Book Description
Elk Girl, sister of a Ute chief, lives a traditional life with her tribe high in the Rocky Mountains in 1860. Elk Girl is bold: She loves to hunt deer with her brother, and she races her pony to win. She also knows the importance of ceremonies like the Bear Dance, which wakes the bears from hibernation and celebrates spring.
But all of that changes when Cheyenne warriors capture Elk Girl. They take her to the Great Plains and make her a slave. On the Plains, Elk Girl encounters white men for the first time, and she sees how the Cheyenne have come to depend on their handouts. She also sees the truth of what her brother has told her: The white men are the real enemy. Their soldiers are everywhere. Even if Elk Girl could escape, how would she get home?
Thelma Hatch Wyss has crafted a moving story based on the life of a real girl. It is both a gripping personal adventure and a compelling look at two cultures confronting each other at a pivotal time of change.
Customer Reviews:
What can I say, she's my aunt. .......2006-04-05
I love my aunt Thelma and her books!
From the Indian viewpoint.......2006-01-21
Elk Girl, later a pivotal figure in the Meeker bloodbath, tells her story of kidnap, exile, despair, courage and return in a fully engaging "biography" appropriate for ages 9-14. Reading level is about 4th grade, with large print, 175 pages goes quickly. Biography of Native woman who deserves wider readership.
Book Description
The morning after the aged Ute shaman receives a perplexing visits from a silent, disheveled matukach "magician," daisy's neighbor Nathan McFain discovers something astonishing buried in the dirt on his foundering Colorado dude ranch: the bones of gargantuan beast from a prehistoric age. It is a find of enormous scientific importance that attracts the attention of a wide variety of individual: noted paleontologist Moses Silver and his archaeologist daughter Delia; pillars of the scientific community Robert Newton and Cordell York; an Arkansas sharpie named Flye, an overly interested local antiques dealer.. and Charlie Moon of the Southern Ute Police Department. At the McFain spread primarily to keep an eye on the disreputable Flye, Moon is curious about the strange old bones ....and wary as well. For things this ancient and rare have been known to inspire evil deeds in the past, including avarice, mendacity, and murder. And when one of the prime players in this timeless drama vanishes without a trace, Charlie worries that his greatest fears have been realized. But while Charlie investigates the unexplained disappearance --and a very suspicious death that follows soon after--using rational and accepted police methods, his aunt Daisy is being drawn by forces preternatural into a grimly related mystery. For craven murder is not the exclusive domain of contemporary Man--and a cry for justice from the past has reached Daisy Perika and tow extraordinary young girls in her care, ensnaring them all in something old, dark, and dangerous.
Customer Reviews:
Daisy does it again.......2007-09-08
This was a great read. I love the shaman daisy and her french canadian buddy. They make a story flow.. as do all of the characters created by Mr. Doss.
So many dreams, so little sense..........2005-09-24
Apparently, there's nothing in the world that a good dream can't cure--including some tortured labyrinths of human behavior. The book is mildly amusing: there's good description and informative background. But the characters are caricatures and the plot is bogged down with dreams which do little to advance the plot. Final result, in the last few seconds before the book put me to sleep, I had some pretty graphic dreams of my own....
Oddly readable without actually being enjoyable. .......2005-08-14
Caveat lector. A dog days of summer/blizzard of the week series, to be taken liberally with any period of inclement weather or bout of ill health. Caveats: This doting grandpa of an author never did meet an uber-precocious 6 year old girl who couldn't save the day with the right dream sequence. Special Neo-Freud caveat: You'll have to come to terms with the endless [and quite boring] dream sequences which are had by dang near every character in the series way too often. Special note for the ethically challenged [and aren't we all]: If you like cops who will, with astonishing little soul searching, cover up minor crimes to major felonies when it involves a friend and, more importantly, saves them a bit of embarrassment, Charlie Moon and Scott Parris are your kind of cops. For those of you who like rigorous and thoughtful plotting that doesn't deus-ex-machina to beat the band, well, keep looking. But for those of you who just want a book that can be read with a minimum of disquiet and disgust, where you can skip vast stretches and always know what's going on, why, you've struck gold! Anyway, I'm starting my third in the series with high hopes.
A Mammoth Endeavor.......2001-02-22
I always enjoy reading about Charlie Moon and Aunt Daisy. I find the characters believable, and the action suspenseful enough to keep me reading until the last page. Although I know nothing about the Ute tribe and their culture, the books read as authentic information, like Hillerman's Navajo tales. If you enjoy Native mysteries, try Doss on for size.
Somewhat disappointing.......2000-09-03
I was disappointed in the convolutions of the plot and felt that at some points I needed to diagram it all out on a pice of paper about five-feet-long and three feet wide. I found it very hard to literally imagine a Native American the size of Charlie Moon. Unfortunately, his fried food diet is all too believable. On a positive note, I did enjoy the quirkiness of the characters and their approaches to life, and felt they were very well constructed.
Amazon.com
It's pretty well understood that mysteries come with an implied contract. Authors, for their part, promise to deliver plots and resolutions, however improbable, with some degree of plausibility. Readers, in turn, give an author a 50-50 shot by turning down the gain on their innate disbelief. Then along comes Grandmother Spider and all bets are off.
Southern Ute tribal policeman Charlie Moon has a problem. It seems that, thanks to the imprudent squishing of a wayward spider, the giant spirit Grandmother Spider has risen from her cave below Navajo Lake and exacted revenge on humanity by snatching the research scientist William Pizinski and Tommy Tonompicket, the local carouser with whom he was drinking. Charlie knows this because the squisher was Sarah Frank, the 9-year-old ward of his elderly, shamanic, and altogether elsewhere aunt, Daisy Perika. And Daisy got it straight from a dwarfish spirit called a pitukupf.
The pitukupf half smiled, exposing jagged rows of yellowed teeth. He vigorously stirred the crooked stick in the embers under the apparition, kindling new flames. The dwarf ceremoniously lifted the helical baton like a conductor calling dark chords from an unseen orchestra. The glowing sparks swirled up the column of heated air... and the hideous image of the eight-legged creature followed. As it ascended, the grayish form took on the bright orange hue of the yellow flames beneath it. The apparition grew larger, the entrapped man struggled vainly in hope of release. And screamed piteously for someone to help him.
And that's not the half of it. Before long, Charlie and his friend, Granite Creek Police Chief Scott Parris, are up to their gun belts in national security issues, mutilated bodies, hideous creatures roaming the countryside snatching sandwiches from the mouths of 80-year-olds, and the bizarre reappearance of the two missing and now-amnesiac tipplers. And, happily, that's still not the half of it.
Grandmother Spider is Charlie Moon's sixth, strangest, and perhaps funniest airing (from 1994's The Shaman Sings through 1999's The Night Visitor). With mystery and mysticism enough to satisfy Hillerman's fans, and humor, memorable characterization, and good writing enough to satisfy everyone else, who's going to quibble about a silly old contract? -- Michael Hudson
Book Description
The incomparable mysteries of James D. Doss, featuring the amiable, outsized Ute tribal policeman Charlie Moon and his irascible shaman aunt Daisy Perika, are brilliantly conceived, richly atmospheric puzzles generously sprinkled with humor and Native American mysticism, and teeming with characters as colorful and memorable as any found in contemporary fiction. The enchantment is more potent than ever before in this spellbinding tale of lethal human depravity and a legendary nightmare come alive.
A lawman with a hardy appetite for life and an unshakable faith in the explicable and rational, Charlie Moon has never taken his grumpy aunt Daisy's visions and premonitions seriously. He is especially skeptical of the old woman's stories about "Grandmother Spider," a gargantuan avenging arachnid that allegedly rises up out of Navajo Lake in search of human prey. But on April first, in the still, utter darkness of the Colorado night, Daisy and her young ward, Sarah, see something striding across the Canon del Espiritu. And something carries off Tommy Tonompicket and his unlikely drinking companion, research scientist William Pizinski, that same night, after ripping the hood off of Tommy's truck. And then there's the mangled, headless corpse lying outside a cabin in the mountains, with two large, fanglike punctures in its chest ...
Charlie is not prepared to accept a purely supernatural explanation for the recent occurrences.
This is murder, in Moon's opinion, pure if not simple -- and by human hands, most probably.
Even Charlie's friend, matukach Police Chief Scott Parris-who is more willing than most white men to see the things that hover beyond the edge of this world -- does not yet subscribe to the "mythical monster on the loose" theory that the evidence seems to overwhelmingly suggest. For there are just too many loose threads in this twisted web of blood and secrets, too many lies being spun and sticky pasts being protected -- and soon another death all of which strongly suggest that the dreaded Kagu-ci Mukwa-pi does not, in fact, exist.
But then again ... The most audaciously original and continually surprising of his critically acclaimed novels, Grandmother Spider confirms James D. Doss as a true master of the mystical, the hilarious, and the mysterious.
Customer Reviews:
Love the whole Charlie Moon series.......2007-06-21
Magic, mystery, crime, inticate plots dosed with laugh-out-loud humor set on the Ute Indian reservation in SW Colorado. James Doss' characters are wonderful. Charlie Moon is big, brave, smart and lovable (the big jug head) and always gets his man (or woman). Even though he's a lawman, he doesn't always follow the law (but no one is supposed to know that). His elderly Aunt Daisy Perika gives a wonderful depth with her cantankerous wit and shamanistic dreams. When she teams up with her friend Louise-Marie, you know trouble's on the way. Part mystery, part western, part spooky, always tricky. Once you start this series, you'll hunger for more.
gotcha.......2006-06-16
This was interesting, and very readable. I enjoyed it, although I still say the author uses foreshadowing way too much. But in this story, the author plays some really good tricks on the reader - Charlie Moon keeps repeating there is a reasonable explanation for everything, but we get sidetracked by the metaphysical - the visions, shamans, symbolism, dreams and so on. I usually can figure out just about any mystery, but the author had me on this one. I was surprised at the resolution of the mystery, and had a good laugh, too.
Grandmother Spider: A Charlie Moon Mystery.......2005-08-04
Doss does it again. Charlie Moon is a wonderful character and Doss knows how to spin a yarn!
Great fun! perfect summer reading.......2004-05-28
Finally...a mystery so outrageous it seems unsolvable without breaking the bounds of reason...and a solution outrageous enough to work!! I loved how this book mixed elements of a modern police/detective story with Native American shamanism and even a little of the supernatural. I also enjoyed the characters, especially the old shaman Daisy ,a cranky, fiesty woman with a shrewd sense of humor, and Charlie Moon, the soft-spoken Ute police chief with an appetite for unhealthy food.
After Daisy's young charge Sarah smashes a spider with her biology book, the Shaman tells her of how Grandmother Spider will rise from Navaho Lake to revenge her spider people. That very night something carries off two men...and then the strangely mutilated body of a third victim is found--the victim of a spider attack? Soon, Charlie Moon finds himself sorting through evidence so bizzare, even HE is starting to believe in Grandmother Spider...
Fun Story.......2003-06-20
This book was an easy read. I liked the mystery, but there was little build up of suspense. He's not as good as 'early Hillerman', but it falls in line with some of Hillermans more recent work. I think Kirk Mitchell probably does a little better job of building suspense. I do plan to read one of his other books.
Book Description
Providing information on the main approaches for the analysis of metabolites, this textbook:
- Covers basic methodologies in sample preparation and separation techniques, as well as the most recent techniques of mass spectrometry.
- Differentiates between primary and secondary metabolites.
- Includes four chapters discussing successful metabolome studies of different organisms.
- Highlights the analytical challenges of studying metabolites.
- Illustrates applications of metabolome analysis through the use of case studies.
Book Description
What is it like to be a contemporary American Indian mystic? What sequence of experiences come together to form a mystic's path? How would you deal with the visions that come and carry you to alternate dimensions without notice and at the most inopportune times? In The House of Shattering Light: Life as an American Indian Mystic, Joseph Rael reveals how such questions shaped his life and his visions for the future.
"This House of Shattering Light — this perceptual reality in which we live and of which we are a part — exists only for the soul's purpose of continuing its own livelihood."
—Joseph Rael
Very early in his new book, Rael's message is clear — trust in the path. In The House of Shattering Light, Rael lays bare the main theme of his life, one with which many of us can identify: "Without realizing it, we are led in a particular direction. We are not always completely aware of the reason, but it takes us wherever we need to go, even when we don't know that's what's happening. All we know is that in some way everything's perfect."
Rael's life has been pulled into virtually every conceivable magical, mystical and disastrous experience. Born a "split"—half Southern Ute and half Picuris Publan—he enjoyed the sweet embrace of Native American shamanic practices while also confronting the unimaginable bitterness of inter-tribal racism, which forced early feelings of isolation. Fascinated early on by sounds and vibrations, one of Joseph's first experiments, at age six, was to lie with his sisters Corleen and Gloria, with their ears pressed to the train tracks. Mesmerized by their ability to capture the sounds of the oncoming train—Joseph's sisters, ages seven and eight, perished on the tracks, and only Joseph survived. From this tragedy he went on to deal with the death of his mother and being placed with a foster family, where he found a mentor, Grandfather, who schooled him in the mysteries of tribal ceremonies. Here began Rael's life as a medicine man and his exploration of the power of language, inspired by his study of the Tiwa language in which each word and sound is a metaphor expressing some aspect of the great mystery. Through his story, he leads us beyond a mentally-oriented way of perceiving reality to one based on intuition. One observation in particular is meant for this time:
"My experience is emblematic of what all of humanity is experiencing at this moment in our history. As diverse cultures come together and different ways of thinking clash, there's stress, tension. Because of this there's more capacity for the visionary to come forth out of that tension and to take the front of the world stage.
"The very tension of the masses of people in turmoil creates new insights for the overall population. Out of these insights new determinations are made as to how—socially and politically—we are going to develop in the next twenty-five or thirty years on the planet."
Rael describes his most powerful vision, in which he was directed to share his medicine with the outer world, beyond the Indians. He was told that non-Indian people need this information because they're the ones who are going to save the Indians. In House of Shattering Light, Rael inspires us all to embrace the great mystery through his life story.
Customer Reviews:
Shimmering..........2006-10-21
This is a beautiful book that somehow lifted me to a different perspective. The whole time I was reading it, I felt as if the air around me shimmered with diffuse light. It is interesting to read about life in Joseph Rael's culture, fascinating to learn about the perspective of different Native American languages, hopeful to learn of Joseph's dream and continuing work for all of us, and transfixing to experience the effect his writing had upon my heart.
I recommend this book for all who are not afraid to expand their view of life and their world.
A Treasure.......2006-05-21
Joseph Rael is one of the most interesting people you'll read about. This is basically his life story, and how he acquired the teachings to complement his natural gifts. The discussion of the Tiwa language is brilliant. Be one of the fortunate to read about this amazing man.
A Must Read.......2005-07-08
This book is not a physics text. It is the highest level
work on Native American religion I have ever seen. It would
also be of interest to linguists as it presents words from
the Tiwa language which uses verbs and not nouns.
But the interesting part is the actual experiences of
a man who is a healer and ceremonial dancer and peace
worker. It is well written amd presented in a personal
style.
The book is much better than this review.
Physics of String Theory Owes Debt to Pueblo Philosophy.......2003-11-05
The vision of this book is remarkable especially when viewed in the light of string theory. So much of the philosophy of the Pueblo people from whom Joseph Rael sprang seems to be confirmed by modern physics. A must read for the serious seeker.
Books:
- Surprised by Truth: 11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic
- Taking Sides: American History, Volume I (Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American History)
- Tasha Tudor's Garden
- The Alibi Man
- The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road, 15671659: The Logistics of Spanish Victory and Defeat in the Low Countries' Wars (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern History)
- The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 14921792 (Cambridge Illustrated Atlases)
- The Challenge of Crime: Rethinking Our Response
- The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics
- The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars: The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga
- The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (Sandpiper Books)
Books Index
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