Wreckers' Key: A Novel of Suspense

Book Description

In her Seychelle Sullivan novels, Christine Kling has brilliantly rendered the world of South Florida, as seen from the teeming waters around it. From harbors of Key West to the wilds of Biscayne Bay to the night lights of Miami, Kling’s tough-minded heroine has carved out a life that is uniquely her own. Now, this fiercely independent woman is at a turning point . . . and in a dangerous duel with an unseen enemy.

In the 1800s, Key West was built by wrecking skippers who in feats of derring-do raced to shipping disasters to save valuable cargos from the ocean depths. Today, as too many boats chase too few wrecks, salvage has turned into a cutthroat corporate enterprise. Seychelle Sullivan, who pilots a tug her father built by hand, is unable and unwilling to compete. She is overwhelmed by issues of love, trust, motherhood, career, and family. But when a friend is killed, Seychelle begins to suspect a chilling scenario: that modern-day wreckers are causing yachts to crash onto the reefs–and killing off whoever gets in the way.

Nestor Frias was piloting a billionaire’s luxury power yacht on its maiden voyage when it ran aground. A few days later, Frias was dead. His eight-months-pregnant widow is distraught, and a host of questions surround both Frias’s death and the ship’s accident. When another man dies while asking questions, Seychelle navigates the dangerous shoals and channels of the case and her life, unaware that a greater danger is looming: a murderous human storm designed perfectly for her.

With its vivid, colorful characters and rich sense of sea and land, Wreckers’ Key is a brilliant addition to Christine Kling's fascinating, entertaining, and thrilling Florida mystery series.

Customer Reviews:

Good Mystery.......2007-06-07

This is an easy summer read. Christine hooked me from the first few pages. i'm a fan now. She knows her boating and the twists & turns in the plot go every which way.

Wreckers key.......2007-04-27

Great story I had not read any of the authers books until now , very easy reading the story is like a movie makes you feel like you are in the scenes.

"She's baaaaack!".......2007-04-19

Wreckers Key was everything I expected from this talented author, and a little more. I read this one straight through. She seems to get better with each publication and this one is the best, so far. Not only has her mystery writing matured, but I truly enjoyed the way she described and used the different area of Key West and her knowledge of Ft. Lauderdale. I felt very confortable with her use of Schooner's Warf, Stock Island, etc. It's obvious that she has "been there, done that". I am looking forward to her next installment.

Atmospheric murder(s) on the high seas of the Florida Keys.......2007-04-17

Fort Lauderdale salvage and towboat operator Seychelle Sullivan finds herself in Key West during race week in Kling's fourth. She's come to tow a mega-yacht back to Lauderdale after its hired captain, her friend Nestor Frias, ran it aground.

Nestor suspects the boat's obnoxious owner messed with the GPS but Seychelle, something of a luddite, thinks sailors who rely on technology make mistakes, period.

Then Nestor dies in a windsurfing accident and his pregnant wife insists it's murder. While humoring her, Seychelle finds more reasons to suspect the yacht owner. And she discovers that one salvage company seems to be landing a suspicious amount of business.

Before leaving Key West she also runs into a childhood friend who has shed his ugly duckling nerdyness for a buff and ready success as a handsome charter captain. But the boyfriend back home, B.J., uncertain as that all is, keeps her honest and soon she's headed back to Lauderdale with the yacht, a new crew member and a lot more worries.

Kling keeps things moving and winds up the action with a terrific storm. Readers may figure the culprit before Seychelle does, but the beauty of the book is the water-oriented setting and salvage background and the salty descriptions of the Florida Keys and Lauderdale and their sometimes-shady history.

MYSTERY, INTRIGUE, & SEYCHELLE SULLIVAN IN "THE FLORIDA KEYS" & BEYOND.......2007-03-13

Five MESMERIZING Stars! "Wreckers' Key" by Christine Kling is a highly entertaining novel full of mystery, interesting people, and great scenery. Seychelle Sullivan is a tall unmarried tugboat captain with an artistic eye and deep yearnings inside. And she's got her strengths and vulnerabilities: man problems and legal problems, among them. She comes to Key West from Fort Lauderdale to assist a friend and tow a damaged boat back. Such is the background of this standout novel that starts out interestingly and then hits a high gear of intrigue when tragedy strikes and there is a death. And we are inside of Seychelle's interesting mind the entire way, as her past keeps catching up with her, the mystery deepens, and interesting men catch her eye-but what about B. J.? Quite frankly, the high level of Ms Kling's writing artistry was such that I couldn't put the novel down. And truth be told, Seychelle's life seems to enjoyably overpower the storyline at times, although it's subterfuge. But it's fun just to watch Sey 'navigate' through the storyline.

Those familiar with the Key West part of the storyline will recognize places such as Duval Street, Turtle Kraals, Schooner Wharf Bar, the Dry Tortugas, the incredible sunsets from Mallory Pier and will feel right at home as she populates her landscape with interesting and unique characters both there and later in Fort Lauderdale. We are also introduced to a facet of boating that may be new to many of us who have visited there. And that's where the trouble starts and develops, and for Seychelle Sullivan it gets way too personal. The specific writing about the Gorda/Grady-White incident is spellbinding. In "Wreckers' Key", Christine Kling has conjured up a taut, carefully-plotted tale with interesting twists and turns that are the basis of an engrossing page-turner with a surprise resolution. But watch out! You may fall in love with the amazing Seychelle Sullivan. I did!! And the Florida Keys as well. Highly Recommended. Five MYSTERIOUS Stars!!

(Note: this review of "Wreckers' Key" is based on an unabridged digital download in secure eReader format.)

Average customer rating:

The Wreckers By Anna, Megan, & Brigida
The Wreckers by Hashem, Chris and Zac
The Wreckers
Looking for a dad while trying to live -Daniels review
See if you can survive on this mysterious, murderous island! By Carri, Cheyenne, Shaina, and Anna

The Wreckers (The High Seas Trilogy)
Iain Lawrence
Manufacturer: Yearling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Adventure & Thrillers | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Teen Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0440415454
Release Date: 1999-11-09

Book Description

There was once a village bred by evil. On the barren coast of Cornwall, England, lived a community who prayed for shipwrecks, a community who lured storm-tossed ships to crash upon the sharp rocks of their shore. They fed and clothed themselves with the loot salvaged from the wreckage; dead sailors' tools and trinkets became decorations for their homes. Most never questioned their murderous way of life.

Then, upon that pirates' shore crashed the ship The Isle of Skye. And the youngest of its crew members, 14-year-old John Spencer, survived the wreck. But would he escape the wreckers? This is his harrowing tale.

Customer Reviews:

The Wreckers By Anna, Megan, & Brigida.......2007-03-13

Have you ever had your life on the line just because you survived a ship wreck? Well John Spencer has, in the thrilling book called The Wreckers. After John escapes the ship wreck, more trouble begins, when he is being chased by the wreckers. Iain Lawrence has a style that keeps you in suspense. You never really know what is going happen. The setting in the book was on the coast of an island, called Cornwall, which was supposedly haunted. The main characters, John Spencer and Mary go on many adventures to find Johns father. John is determined to find his father because he knows he's alive. One weak point of the book was when Mary's pony fell into the mine shaft. The author doesn't describe this scene that well. The strongest part of the book was when a deranged man without legs is chasing John. This is one of the important parts and it is very descriptive. The author is trying to convey is that you should never give up no matter what. When John tries to find his father, he goes through many rough times but he keeps at it and doesn't stop. This book would be good for 6th and 7th graders who are in to survival and suspenseful books.

The Wreckers by Hashem, Chris and Zac.......2007-03-13

"Adventures, Extraordinary, Suspenseful"

Living the life as a sailor can be hazardous. It takes intelligences takes bravery, and as shown in the book The Wreckers, written by Iain Lawrence. This book is filled with adventure and excitement, as John Spencer tries to survive on the island of the wreckers. John, a fourteen year old boy survived a brutal boat crash into the tombstones of a mysterious island. After the boat crash, Johns father is taken away by a group called the wreckers. John is now desperate to find his father, and will search high and low, above and beyond to find him. On the island of the wreckers, it looks like it has been deserted for years. It also looks like an old country western town. Some strong points of the book are that the author uses strong verbs and adjectives, and has a very good and strong vocabulary. We would recommend to anyone who likes adventure, who likes suspense, and loves to be throne off their seat in amazement. Be sure to catch the sequal, The Smugglers, also by Iain Lawrence.

The Wreckers.......2006-07-19

If you saw your rescuers drown a fellow sailor, would you trust them? That is exactly what John Spencer, a survivor of a mysterious shipwreck, wonders in the book 'The Wreckers'. As John enters the world of treachery, he finds that things aren't always what they seem. First of all, his true rescuer, Simon Mawgan, makes suspicious outings whenever a ship might be wrecked. This happens in many other homes in Pendennis, people getting ready for a shipwreck, getting ready to kill the survivors and plunder the ship. While he tries to solve the mystery of the mastermind behind all this, he also has the complication of finding his father. Will this determined fourteen-year-old defeat the wreckers, or will they defeat him?

Lawrence has written a remarkable tale that fascinates readers of all kinds and leaves you with characters hard to forget. It's treachery and justice make it exciting. 'The Wreckers' is an amazing story filled with mystery galore. This book is an adventure story packed with action and suspense, leaving you wanting for more.

~AD

*The two other books in the trilogy can't compare to this one. It leaves the other two FAR behind.

Looking for a dad while trying to live -Daniels review.......2006-04-19

This is a book of excitement and adventure that you would never want to miss.It's about a boy named John who is wrecked on shore by false beacons. Sad thing is, is that he is the only survivor.Once he is helped by a stranger he meets a girl that will be his guide and best friend forthe rest of his stay on the English province. Then after everything that has happened he realizes that his father is missing. After meeting a man with no legs,the man tells John that he has his father captive. So this book turns around and in to a race against time to find John's father before John is forced out of the province and back home. After freeing his father they decide to help a ship that is beeing enticed by the Wreckers.It's a great story that everyone should read. It is all about friendship, trust, and the right thing to dobut most of the book is about cruelty from salvaging ships to looting and murder of others.

See if you can survive on this mysterious, murderous island! By Carri, Cheyenne, Shaina, and Anna.......2006-03-31

From sharp, rocky cliffs, to misleading lanterns, to a legless man, The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence is an exciting, heart stopping novel about trust and survival. John Spencer, his father, and his father's ship, The Isle of Skye, have wrecked on an un-mapped, mysterious island by supposedly misleading lanterns. While being hunted by vicious wreckers (who killed off the remains of his crew), John is on a quest to find his father who's being held captive by the legless man.

Simon Mawgan, a plump, wealthy character with unnatural mood swings who owns the land, and his brave, kind-hearted niece, Mary, take John in to help him survive. John, the main character, a semi-cowardly, suspicious, independent young man, has the ability to solve the mystery of the false beacons, but can he do it? Can use both his brain and his brawn?

Although the plot is a little predictable, it has strong voice and great description, especially when he describes his father's rotting foot. Ages ten and up for violence and shocking images.

The Wreckers: A Story of Killing Seas, False Lights, and Plundered Shipwrecks

Average customer rating:

Mostly rubbish....
Fascinating Look Into A Little-Known Area
Lively Tales of Rocky Seas and Rocky Morals

The Wreckers: A Story of Killing Seas, False Lights, and Plundered Shipwrecks
Bella Bathurst
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0618416773

Book Description

Bella Bathurst's first book, the acclaimed The Lighthouse Stevensons,told the story of Scottish lighthouse construction by the ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson. Now she returns to the sea to search out the darker side of those lights, detailing the secret history of shipwrecks and the predatory scavengers who live off the spoils. Even today, Britain's coastline remains a dangerous place. An island soaked by four separate seas, with shifting sand banks to the east, veiled reefs to the west, powerful currents above, and the world's busiest shipping channel below, the country's offshore waters are strewn with shipwrecks. For villagers scratching out an existence along Britain's shores, those wrecks have been more than simply an act of God; in many cases, they have been the difference between living well and just getting by. Though Daphne Du Maurier made Cornwall Britain's most notorious region for wrecking, many other coastal communities regarded the "sea's bounty" as an impromptu way of providing themselves with everything from grapefruits to grand pianos. Some plunderers were held to be so skilled that they could strip a ship from stem to stern before the Coast Guard had even left port, some were rumored to lure ships onto the rocks with false lights, and some simply waited for winter gales to do their work. From all around Britain, Bathurst has uncovered the hidden history of ships and shipwreck victims, from shoreline orgies so Dionysian that few participants survived the morning to humble homes fitted with silver candelabra, from coastlines rigged like stage sets to villages where everyone owns identical tennis shoes. Spanning three hundred years of history, The Wreckers examines the myths, the realities, and the superstitions of shipwrecks and uncovers the darker side of life on Britain's shores.

Customer Reviews:

Mostly rubbish...........2006-05-03

The main problem with this book is that it confuses the definition of what constitutes a 'wrecker,' with what constitutes a 'salvager.' The two are very different, even though they both deal with shipwrecks. The wrecker encourages or lures ships to crash onto the rocks and reefs, and thus benefitting from the resulting valuable cargo from the wreck at the cost of the lives of the sailors on the vessel so wrecked. A salvager simply benefits from the recovery of the cargo of a vessel that has wrecked itself, and ordinarily after rescuing the crewmen aboard forst. Two very different things! This book is about salvagers, not wreckers! To be fair, I believe Ms Bathurst originally intended to write about wreckers, but because her research methodology was so weak, she simply switched to writing about salvagers without changing the title of the book. The failure of her methodology for obtaining original source information is hardly surprising; if you simply walk into waterfront pubs as a stranger and start asking people if they were, or know anything about wreckers, they will understandably all deny any knowledge. You might well ask them if they were murderers, or criminally insane! Information of this sort is very closely held, very rarely divulged, or even spoken about, and certainly never to strangers! In any case, if you would like to read a book about salvagers from around the British Isles, this may be your cup of tea. If you are looking for information about wreckers, this ain't it!

Fascinating Look Into A Little-Known Area.......2006-01-09

We all know about shipwrecks, but I had never heard of people who make a living off of these tragedies - even whole communities that basically lie in wait for these wrecks to happen - until I stumbled on this book.

Bella Bathurst's look into Wreckers is really interesting, though a tad overwritten. Nonetheless, it's totally worth reading. She's particularly good at capturing the personalities of the people involved, as well as giving a great historical overview of this bizarre and fascinating pocket of human life.

If you like books about seafaring, this is a great little detour.

Lively Tales of Rocky Seas and Rocky Morals.......2005-07-12

You are walking along the beach, and you find a box that has obviously washed up from the sea. You look inside, and find something valuable. What do you do? For almost anyone, this is as clear a case of finders keepers as can be. But what if you saw the ship on the rocks from which the box came? What if you rowed out deliberately to take such boxes from the foundering ship? What if in rescuing boxes you refused to rescue passengers? What if you had lured the ship upon the rocks deliberately by making a false lighthouse? The wreckers can tell you the answers to these questions, if you can get any of them to make frank replies. Wreckers are those who are eager to claim soon-to-be-lost cargo as their own, and the history of British wreckers (frank replies and all) is told in _The Wreckers: A Story of Killing Seas and Plundered Shipwrecks, from the 18th Century to the Present Day_ (Houghton Mifflin) by Bella Bathurst. The author's previous book, on the lighthouse-building family of Robert Louis Stevenson, was a sort of preparation for the current one, the light as opposed to the dark. It is full of death, riches, and good and bad luck, and therefore cannot help being fascinating.

The complicated legal status of wrecks, wreckers, and wreckage is here covered in detail, but it is fair to say it is not made plain. No English law has supported "finders keepers" in any form, but wreckers pretty much depend upon it. After all, as Bathurst invites us to consider, if a foundering ship has been properly evacuated of all its crew, and it is about to break up with all its goods going to the bottom, what can possibly be wrong with nimble wreckers climbing aboard and plucking whatever they can? It's a different issue from wreckers luring ships to their doom. Go to Cornwall now, the setting for _Jamaica Inn_, and they will sell you souvenirs from the age when wreckers deliberately wrecked ships, and they will deny that such things ever occurred. There is much less malevolence described on most of these pages, although they are full of those who live by the sea and try to profit thereby. If you don't like the dark of _Jamaica Inn_, which may or may not be based on real history, try the rollicking _Whiskey Galore_, which is really based on the sinking of the _Politician_, with a quarter million barrels of malt whisky, wrecked off parched isles of Scotland in 1941. The _Cita_ ran aground on the Isles of Scilly in 1997 and gave the islanders tons of toys, car engines, and brand name Nike trainers. These are fine stories that anyone will enjoy, because wrecks are inherently fascinating. One man who photographs says anyone will go look at them, "Not necessarily to go and pick it over, but just to go and see it. It seems to create an awful lot of interest in people."

Just so this book. Bathurst has visited the locales described, and most importantly, has actually sailed these dangerous waters, with expert local guides. Off Scotland, for instance, is the Gulf of Corrievreckan, with monstrous rocks and a subaquatic pit known as "the Gateway to Hell". Bathurst is mystified by her scary visit: "A couple of hours ago, I though I understood the laws of physics." Valleys of water, liquid obstructions, and boiling cold water teach her differently. A captain unaware might be sailing along, only to realize that a great pit of water is opening in front of him and there is nothing his vessel can do. The Goodwin Sands, near the narrowest part of the English Channel, are islands that can disappear or reappear irregularly, depending upon how the sands shift, and since they are in a busy waterway, they have dragged innumerable ships down. The wreckers (locally called "levellers") assist such vessels if they can, but pick up whatever merchandise they can, too. Even the members of the legendary and fully respected Royal National Lifeboat Institution, one man says, would get to a wreck first and rescue the survivors, and then "... if they got some perks of it, well..." This is an engaging tale of the gusto of sea life, of unsure waters, and of uncertain morality.

Average customer rating:

A remarkably enjoyable story for all ages!

The Young Wrecker on the Florida Reef
Richard Meade Bache
Manufacturer: Ketch & Yawl Press LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0964173522

Book Description

A fifteen-year-old boy from New York, in 1839, finds himself thrust into a sea-going adventure in the Florida Keys. A popular book when first published in 1869, The Young Wrecker offers a wonderful depiction of nineteenth-century life in South Florida and in Key West.

Customer Reviews:

A remarkably enjoyable story for all ages!.......2001-10-06

With its genuine classic "old style" of writing, this book will take and place you into the center of a wonderful journey of youth and growth. A great book and an interestingly easy read for those moments when catapulting yourself into another life, time and location is just what you need. I highly reccomend it, and don't forget to share this one with the younger generation in your homes!

Florida Keys: The Wreckers (Florida's History Through Its Places)

Average customer rating:

Florida Keys: The Wreckers (Florida's History Through Its Places)
John Viele
Manufacturer: Pineapple Press (FL)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1561642193

Book Description

In this third book in a series on the history of the Florida Keys, John Viele tells the true story of the Florida Keys wreckers, the daring seamen who sailed out in fair weather or foul to save lives and property from ships cast up on the unforgiving Florida Reef. From the archives of the federal court at Key West, or “wrecking court,” and from contemporary letters, diaries, and newspaper articles, the author has captured the drama of the lives and times of the Florida Keys wreckers with accuracy and clarity.
Richly illustrated with drawings from nineteenth-century magazines and newspapers, artists' concepts of wrecking scenes, and reproductions of old paintings and photographs, this book will fascinate sailors and landlubbers alike. •

The evil crew of a wrecked Spanish slave ship hijacked their would-be rescuers and forced them to carry their wretched human cargo to Cuba. •

Wreckers salvaged some strange cargoes—an Egyptian mummy, the fossilized bones of a prehistoric sea monster, a railroad locomotive, and cavalry horses. •

The crew of a small wrecking vessel barely escaped with their lives when they were attacked by a war party of Seminole Indians in dugout canoes. •

Wrecking divers, working without benefit of any apparatus, plunged into the black, polluted waters of flooded cargo holds to wrestle out barrels,

Amazon.com

"Emergency! Emergency! Calling the Little Green Tow Truck to the main highway, intersection one.... A red convertible needs a tow."

With a little help from young readers, the spunky little tow truck is on the job. Turn the key, put on the turn signal, check the map, and away we go! Maneuvering through a traffic jam, the truck reaches the convertible and hooks it up with a towline, then cranks the handle to lift the front end. Now it's just a matter of slipping past the giant trucks at the traffic light and finding the way to the garage for repairs. This interactive mini board book will enthrall any child who has entered that developmental phase characterized by an obsession with all things truck. Readers pull, flip, flap, and slide the merry green tow truck through its mission, and cheer at a job well done.

Be prepared for some repairs on the little green truck itself: small, eager fingers will make quick work of the sturdy--yet never sturdy enough--tabs and flaps. For more fun with transportation, collect Ken Wilson-Max's other interactive board books: Little Red Plane, Big Silver Space Shuttle, and Big Blue Engine. (Baby to Preschool) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Trouble on the road? It's Little Green Tow Truck to the rescue! Kids can change the truck's tire, turn the key to start the engine, steer the wheel, weave through a traffic jam, tow a stalled car, and much more!

Customer Reviews:

Great for church or the car!.......2003-06-02

This book is great for when we need to have our children- ages one and three- entertain themselves quietly. It is perfect for church and its small size allows me to keep it in my purse or diaper bag for other times. There are a lot of parts for them to move or connect with each other. However, I do agree that the parts are not very durable and we are now on our second copy of the book- but it is well worth the money!

Please make the moving parts sturdier!!.......2000-09-13

We have bought 5 of Ken Wilson-Max's books--2 of the titles twice over because they fell apart badly. As much as our 2-1/2 year old son loves the stories, pictures and movable parts, the moving parts lasted average of 3 readings before they came apart. Only if Mr. WIlson-Max could come up with ways to reinforce those moving parts so that they will last long enough to pass the books down to our infant son . . . I would be happy to buy all his titles over again for our younger son, if a new version with sturdier moving parts became available.

Little Green Tow Truck.......2000-07-28

We have the 4 -7 year old version and our grandchildren love it. It's a bit too fragile for the young kids so we are ordering a replacement because they use it so much.

Good book for toddlers. Moving parts are too delicate........1998-01-07

My 2-year old son really enjoyed all the moving parts, especially the one where you can have the tow truck lift the car. He can't really do it alone. We let a couple of five year-olds play with it for a few minutes and they immediately wrecked the "lifting the car" feature. It DOES make my son laugh out loud, though, and that counts for a lot. We just use it with supervision.

How Many Trucks Can a Tow Truck Tow? (Pictureback(R))

Average customer rating:

Still One of My Favorite Books
Worn Out Book!
best truck book ever
How Many Trucks Can A Tow Truck Tow
an instant favorite

How Many Trucks Can a Tow Truck Tow? (Pictureback(R))

Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0679878106
Release Date: 1997-03-11

Book Description

Now available for the first time ever in paperback--the beloved book that was named a Library of Congress Book of the Year in 1987! Follow the jaunty little tow truck as he rescues three fellow tow trucks.

Customer Reviews:

Still One of My Favorite Books.......2007-07-02

I was first read this book when I was about 4 or 5 years old.

Since then, I've read TONS. Shakespeare, Hemmingway, Melville, Dickens, and Hawthorne. I've read romance novels, sci-fi novels, political thrillers, John Grisham books, espionage novels, and guides on how to score high on the SAT. I've read some of the best books ever written by some of the smartest people in their field.

And to this day, "How Many Trucks Can a Tow Truck Tow?" is still one of my top 3 favorite books.

Buy it for your kids and read it to them as many times as they want.It's catchy, funny, and cute. Five Stars.

Worn Out Book!.......2004-10-02

My oldest son wore out two copies of this adorable book. He found it at the local library and checked it out every week when he was three years old. Since that time, we've had two copies of our own, bought three copies for other children and I can still recite most of the book from memory! I recommend it to everyone!

best truck book ever.......2002-10-26

By far, my 3 year old son's favorite book of all time! He memorized all the words and spouts them off spontaneously. Any boy will love this book, especially if they love trucks!!! I bought this book for all of my friend's boys and gave them as birthday gifts! Everyone loved it!!!

How Many Trucks Can A Tow Truck Tow.......2002-04-08

This has to be the ultimate book for little boys who love trucks. We got to the point that the boys would "sing" along and I could just close my eyes, because we all knew the words!!

an instant favorite.......2002-02-09

fun to read and not as boring as those tonka books!my son is 3

Average customer rating:

Tow!
Darice Bailer
Manufacturer: Little Simon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0689859724

Book Description

TOW! Leo drives a flatbed tow truck. All day, the big truck hauls vehicles that get stuck -- even an airplane! Drive along with Leo and his truck as they help out.

Towing is hard work!

Customer Reviews:

An essential Darkover novel........2002-04-18

Although this is not the best Darkover novel written, it contains a conflict we all knew had to happen--Terran interests try underhanded methods to gain control of Darkover. How Darkovans deal with it is interesting. I do think it's a shame that the major villain had to be a lost Cheri. Too predictable. However, I like the reorganization of the Comyn which was forced by the ecological disasters and the weakening of the major bloodlines.

The sad thing is, this had a lot of potential..........2001-04-09

There were some very good ideas here, and I suppose that theoretically the other (later and better!) books should have been written to be more consistent with this one, but...

Ditto on what the previous reviewers said about inconsistencies, and another one I noticed - Regis is described as fairly short in World Wreckers, while in Heritage he's 5'10" at 15 (and presumably expected to grow some more).

The romance between David and Keral was written well enough and with enough sensitivity to keep this from being a one-star review, but damn, I wish this had been rewritten as The Bloody Sun was....

Can I give it zero stars?.......2001-03-28

"The World Wreckers" is awful. Plain and simple. Now, I'm a die-hard Marion Zimmer Bradley fan, so this is not an easy thing to say. Take my word for it -- this is a BAD BOOK.

Why? The plot is inane. Basically, some evil scum developers come to the invented planet of Darkover with the intention of exploiting its people and antural resources. The aristocracy of the planet jumps into action, and the author seems to forget their previous indifference to the well-being of the peons.

Why else? The characters are better described as caricatures -- always seen by the reader as stereotypes and extremes. The writing itself is confusing, unstructured, and full of grammatical errors. The book lacks originality, and reads like every other science fiction pulp ever written. Even if you love the Darkover series, skip this one.

Another nonsensical thing.......2000-06-15

Ditto what the previous reviewer said, I've got another thing that was wrong - the fact that in this book it was stated that all Comyn with laran were red haired and grey eyed when she previously described Dyan Ardais (who no one would doubt his telepathic power) as dark haired. Also, she made Danilo (among other things) red haired in this book, and in Heritage, he was dark haired. =] Just some additions to the previous reviewer's list!

Makes no sense in context.......2000-04-10

Of all the Darkover books, this is the one that should have been either rewritten completely (a la Sword of Aldones becoming Sharra's Exile) or never reprinted. It was written early, before the development of many Darkovan characters and plots, and it quite simply does not make any sense given later novels.

Among the worst examples:

1. At the end of Sharra's Exile, Darkover has joined the Terran Empire (which turns out to be a democracy, not a monolithic Evil Empire out to destroy primitive planets). Given this, there is no reason for the World Wreckers to attempt to destroy the planet.

2. In Heritage of Hastur and Sharra's Exile, Regis Hastur is depicted as bisexual with a preference for men (or rather, for *a* man, Danilo Syrtis). Danilo is his own age, and is his best friend as well as his lover. The romance with Linnea may just *barely* make sense (it's foreshadowed in Heritage of Hastur), but Danilo's complete lack of jealousy (and his apparent age!) are absurd.

3. The "sex settles everything" ending worked *once*, in Forbidden Tower. It comes across as very, very dated and early 70s.

4. Given that the Comyn have officially surrendured power on Darkover at the end of Sharra's exile, the attempts to kill what Comyn are left should rather be directed at the non-Comyn authorities, such as the Renunciates.

5. Andrea Closson is supposedly out to kill the Comyn because they displaced the chieri. However, considering that chieri intermarried with the Comyn, and that chieri features such as polydactylity and laran are dominant, destroying the Comyn means that she's destroying the last remnants of the chieri. Huh?

If the Chosen Continuators such as Adrienne Martine-Barnes *really* want to do Darkover a service, they should rewrite this. Right now it's probably the weakest of the MZB-written books, and that includes some mighty weak books.....

Average customer rating:

Very good overview of TG/Coum

Another Story

Essential Reading

Industrial Pioneers

the gentleman from new york is not entirely correct

Wreckers of Civilisation
Simon Ford
Manufacturer: Black Dog
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Reference | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Punk | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Throbbing Gristle (Re/Search #4/5)

England's Hidden Reverse: A Secret History of the Esoteric Underground

Amok Fifth Dispatch: Sourcebook for the Extremes of Information

The Situationist International: An Introduction

Industrial Culture Handbook: Re # 6/7

ASIN: 1901033600

Book Description

Performance artists Coum Transmissions and the music group Throbbing Gristle are subjects of the first major book by critic and art historian Simon Ford. The four key members of the groups, led by Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti, were shocking and controversial, exposing the physical and emotional truths that were at the core of the political and social makeup of England in the 1970s. Paving the way for the onslaught of the punk movement, Coum and TG extended the boundaries of both art and music, where the profane was provocative and private acts became public display. P-Orridge exposed the groups' essential credo when he exclaimed, "When in doubt-be extreme." Tory MP Nicholas Fairbain responded by calling groups like Coum and TG "the wreckers of civilisation."

Customer Reviews:

Very good overview of TG/Coum.......2002-11-25

It took me all of 1999 to get hold of this book, and finally amazon.com sold me a slightly damaged copy for $32. People are waiting for a second printing and/or a US edition. The cover looks cheap, white with a cut-out and rearranged photo of TG members from the «20 Jazz Funk Greats» album cover. But that's about the only negative thing I could say about the book. This will stand as the definitive work on the subject for a LONG time. It's incredibly thorough, and with many picures and illustrations never or rarely seen before, including many photos of the pre-TG hippie version of Genesis P-Orridge. It tells the full story from GPO's birth in 1950 up to the split of TG in 1981.

While TG has been the subject of quite a lot of writing before, in two of the RE/Search books and many music mags, the performance art COUM period has had very little attention and critique. This is fully rectified here. When TG put out their first LP, you're more than halfway thru the book. Ford's unfolding chronological work is strong on both personal biographical detail and assessment of COUM/TG's place in art history.
I see TG/GPO as much stronger conceptualists than actual artists, much like their mentor William Burroughs. But as such, they have wielded an extremely strong influence on others, and sown the seeds of whole new genres of art and music. The unorthodox use of synths, «industrial» noise and cut-ups are now commonplace, while in the 70's it could cause riots when presented to an audience most used to the popular music of the time.
The COUM group's extreme use of bodily fluids and food in performance could be viewed as a continuation of the ground-breaking work of people like Hermann Nitsch and Otto Mühl. Coum did some far out stuff, but were in my opinion not as much pioneers in their field as TG was. But the scandalous 1976 «Prostitution» show at the ICA in London must have been a lot of fun. Backed by tax-payers' money, Cosey Fanni Tutti tore out nude pics of herself from men's magazines she had posed in, and presented them as art. If it's in a gallery, it must be art, right? Not quite. The exhibition created a massive moral outrage.
For record-collecting geeks, a full discography listing ALL releases (official, semi-official and bootlegs) is included in the back of the book, but in the book itself only the recordings released while TG was active are discussed. Which is a perfectly valid decision, as these are the original «manifestos» authorized by all TG members.
An indispensable book for anyone with an interest in 20th century art and music history.

Another Story.......2001-07-17

Having been a member of COUM TRANSMISSIONS from 1971 to 1976 I must say that Simon Ford has done a commendable job in his overview of the work of COUM and TG.I have corresponded with the author and he recognises that there still remains more to be told.There certainly is much about performances and first hand experiences that needs to be added.Hopefully in a subsequent edition ,or in a new contribution by another author, this will be addressed. Another reviewer asked the question "what became of Foxtrot Echo and Fizzy Paet?".We are alive and well and living lateraly,as allways, in England.

Essential Reading.......2001-06-17

Anybody interested in truly subversive music / art / anti-art needs to read this. This obsessively documented and well written tome lays out the attempts by Coum Transmissions / Throbbing Gristle to wreck civilization, and for good reason. Dadaists P-Orridge, Tutti, Sleazy and Carter meet in post industrial collapsed welfare state Britain and decide that things must be changed or at least destroyed and set about to do so. Musically influenced by the Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, 50-Foot Hose, Nico and a number of other artistes you've never heard of, t/g created the soundtrack for industrial society's post-mortem. On the surface apolitical, t/g was severely antiauthoritarian on all levels, deconstructing the 20th century while advocating a true revolution of the cortex, where everyone would be free to think for themselves without the restraints of normality or even sanity. Simon Ford does a very good job of putting t/g in context, and reminding us blase 21st century dwellers just how provoking they were. These four people shook the art and music world, and the reverberations affect people who've never heard of them, let alone the many that have heard of but never heard them. Read this while listening to "Second Annual Report", "Special Treatment", "Rafters" and "D.O.A." Can the world be as sad as it seems? Don't worry, t/g is long gone and civilization is safe.

Industrial Pioneers.......2000-01-26

Can I just say that the constant linking of Throbbing Gristle to modern day "industrial" acts is totally fallacious. TG have nothing to do with these groups, the only possible link is in the use of loud aggressive electronic music (which was only a part of TG's oeuvre) - but then Faust (even Hawkwind!) were doing that schtick long before TG. True, TG did coin the phrase, "Industrial Music For Industrial People" -but with a socio-political/ cultural intent and meaning far beyond the ken of a bunch of spoilt American middle class kids trying to shock their "moms". Read the book.

Speaking of the book. Looks great and is generally very well researched and highly recommended. For me, the COUM Transmissions part was the most interesting 'cos the least documented - even so it would have been interesting to hear from other COUM participants such as Fizzy Paet and Foxtrot Echo, also to find out what these people are doing now. The TG part told few stories that I hadn't heard before but did confirm that, sometime around 1979-1980, Genesis P-Orridge seriously lost the plot: I'm afraid the comments on Hitler and Nazism from this period are ill-informed, naive and plain stupid - not worthy of a man who, I have on good authority, is actually an extremely nice person. All in all, I was left feeling rather sorry for Gen, who seems a bit too artistic and sensitive for this nasty old world of ours.

the gentleman from new york is not entirely correct.......1999-10-16

though it is true that without throbbing gristle and their off-shoot, psychic tv, industrial music as we know it today would simply not exist. However, throbbing gristle was not the absolute first industrial group in the world. The first was Cabaret Voltaire, though they and Gristle started so close to each other that it probably doesn't matter. Piece of little known trivia.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books