Book Description
"The city had begun to enter me. It was the ultimate distraction. London was an endless maze of places I could lose myself….Walking, I wanted to live on every gorgeous London street."—from Off the King's Road
In an understated, urbane style that recalls such memoirists as Joan Didion and Paula Fox, Phyllis Raphael describes how she landed in London in December 1968 as the restless wife of a Hollywood movie producer. She had brought her three young children from Los Angeles and the plan was to live in London for three months on MGM's dime while her husband was producing a film there. Instead—in a maneuver Raphael wasn't expecting—he left her for an eighteen-year-old actress. And in a decision she could never have predicted, Raphael stayed.
In Off the King's Road, Raphael writes of being an exile and an accident victim, an expatriate let loose in a country and in a world that in the turbulent 1960s was becoming expatriated from itself. She arrived in London naïve, dependent, and dissatisfied, and left several years later as another person entirely—a woman in command, for better or worse, of her own life. Written with seductive elegance, humor, and sexual candor, Off the King's Road speaks to women of all ages of the possibilities of a life transformed by circumstance.
Customer Reviews:
entertaining but self-preserving..........2007-08-29
the book is well written and entertaining but it is less a memoir then a justification piece. it seems that ms. raphael is justifying her behaviors and making excuses for bad decisions she has made in her life. this is not a down to earth, honest memoir. it is a self-preservation attempt. if you can overlook this, you might enjoy it.
STUCK IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY, ALONE WITH THREE KIDS . THINK IT WAS FUN? WELL IT WAS.......2007-04-04
Against the backdrop of mad, insane psychedelic London of the 60's, Phyllis Raphael recounts her saga of going from the devastation of an
unwanted divorce, to her completely unexpected and often naughty adventures on her to way to a rebirth of herself as a mother, woman
and dynamic creative force. With great elegance but without any trace
of Ladies Home Journal bogus gentility, Raphael writes as a writer in the 21st century. She packs her poetry with a punch and hysterically funny turns of phrase that will have you lingering on them the way you would hold a the best red wine on your lips, all the while taking you on the trip of trips: the inspiring journey to consciousness, creativity and an undaunted open-heartedness. MICHAEL LUTIN
Customer Reviews:
it makes you think.......2007-10-18
Well researched and argued with lots of background and technical detail. Well worth a read as it is good to understand some of the alternative theories that are out there.
Little Ugly Duck.......2007-07-04
Charles Hapgood made an outstanding scientific work on Piri Rais map, together with his students and professional map-makers. The conclusion of the book, that there were excellent navigators with sophisticated techniques to set the longitude over 4000 years ago, was difficult to swallow for the established learned culture, which assumes that Progress is a one-way process, from ancient barbarians to ourselves being on the top. This explains in part the lack of reaction of scientifics. But the worst drawback was the enthusiasm of Esotericians and Traditionalists who praised Hapgood on the basis of the Platon's Atlandide tale.
Last but not least, Hapgood developped a theory of the terrestrial crust being subject to brisks slippages and displacements. Althoug A. Einstein approved the idea, the theory of continents drifting was institutionalised and widely accepted. Hapgood was therefore tagged as an outsider amateur, and forgotten.
Very well written book.......2007-06-16
Anyone interested in exploring ancient historical anomalies should absolutely begin with this book. This is NOT a von Daniken-esq hack job written by some pulp fiction fanatic looking to cash in on a popular trend. Hapgood was a professor at Keene State College NH, and he approached the analysis of these maps from a rigorous academic point of view, but presents his findings in an easily readable format. He did an excellent job researching and describing these maps, including the Piri Reis map of South America, and the Oronteus Finaeus map of Antarctica published in 1531 - some 300 years before Antarctica was discovered by western explorers. This latter map even shows the true coastline of Antarctica as it appears under hundreds of feet of ice (something we only recently were capable of verifying circa 1950). Hapgood was one of the first to present hard evidence which challenges the fundamental assumption taught by modern Anthropology that man only recently developed the intelligence to explore the Earth's oceans. In fact, this evidence shows very clearly that humans many thousand years before the Renaissance actively explored and mapped the Earth's oceans well in advance of Columbus or Magellan, with a skill level that easily exceeded that of Columbus as well as all of his contemporaries. (The active exploration of the new world by ancient peoples has since been validated by more recent research, such as the forensic evidence published by Balabanova et. al. showing cocaine and tobacco in dynastic period Egyptian mummies.) The material on the Oronteus Finaeus map alone is well worth the read.
But wait, there's MORE!.......2007-06-08
Yes, Hapgood's book is a great read. But there is a wonderful treasure waiting for those who would like more evidence of these ancient mariners. And on this subject, "the dead yet speak." Cyrus H. Gordon, who passed away in 2001, left us a fine little book in 1971 called Before Columbus. This book provides a very scholarly foundation for the theory that intercontinental trans-oceanic commerce commenced and flourished at times so long ago that Columbus is a relative newcomer. So, if you like Ancient Sea Kings, by all means order yourself a copy of Before Columbus.
Knowledge.......2006-06-26
Still reading the book as part as an old hobby regarding the origin and nature of our world.
This is only one more volume on a subject for which I have read tens of books ranging from Carl Sagan, Louis Powels and Jacques Bergier, Charles Hapgood, Arthur C. Clarke and Asimov, Van Daniken, Huxley,...
As a retired petrophysicist anything to do with our planet is a worthwhile subject for me. The Piris Reis map has long been on my list of item to read more about. I am still looking for subject such as The Epic of Gilgamesh and others.
Book Description
The definitive history of the epic struggle for economic justice that became Martin Luther King Jr.'s last crusade.
Memphis in 1968 was ruled by a paternalistic "plantation mentality" embodied in its good-old-boy mayor, Henry Loeb. Wretched conditions, abusive white supervisors, poor education, and low wages locked most black workers into poverty. Then two sanitation workers were chewed up like garbage in the back of a faulty truck, igniting a public employee strike that brought to a boil long-simmering issues of racial injustice.
With novelistic drama and rich scholarly detail, Michael Honey brings to life the magnetic characters who clashed on the Memphis battlefield: stalwart black workers; fiery black ministers; volatile, young, black-power advocates; idealistic organizers and tough-talking unionists; the first black members of the Memphis city council; the white upper crust who sought to prevent change or conflagration; and, finally, the magisterial Martin Luther King Jr., undertaking a Poor People's Campaign at the crossroads of his life, vilified as a subversive, hounded by the FBI, and seeing in the working poor of Memphis his hopes for a better America. 16 pages of illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Recalling memories.......2007-07-13
As one who lived through the history recalled in this book,I found it excellent.It is great to read a book in which you personally knew all the people written about and recall all the events.Michael Honey has done an excelllent job.I highly recommend this book to all students of the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King jr. Especially I recommend it to all residents of Memphis and Tennessee.May we never allow this history to repeat itself
A Measure of the Men.......2007-01-06
This might be the finest book written on Martin Luther King: it certainly is the best one that I have read about him. Honey is a splendid writer, with a style that I find more accessible than Taylor Branch's. No doubt that Branch has written the seminal history of King and his times, but his writing can become tedious due to too much detail and meandering sentences.
Honey is an award-winning historian who has written two previous excellent books that demonstrate his skill as an oral historian. The outstanding feature of this book is the numerous interviews he conducted with important figures, which keep the book always absorbing.
King receives much attention, but Honey shows that the Memphis strike was led by local workers and union officials who were fighting to escape the living hell of dangerous working conditions (the strike grew out of the deaths of two sanitation workers who were mangled in a malfunctioning garbage truck when they sought shelter from a rainstorm).
In addition to the stories about the local workers and organizers, King is portrayed as an important influence who was struggling with internal fighting among black civil rights groups, includng the NAACP, the Urban League, SCLC, and SNCC, the FBI, Lyndon Johnson, who was angered by King's anti-war proclamations, and most whites who thought King was moving too fast. Any reader who questions King's leadership and selflessness, needs to read this book to have those views dispelled.
Ultimately, the Memphis strike paved the way for labor improvements throughout the South.
This superb book should be considered for all major book prizes. For King scholars, it is essential and for all other informed readers, it is an excellent narrative of King and his times.
Book Description
Paris has just moved in with the Lincoln family, and isn't thrilled to be in yet another foster home. She has a tough time trusting people, and she misses her brother, who's been sent to a boys' home. Over time, the Lincolns grow on Paris. But no matter how hard she tries to fit in, she can't ignore the feeling that she never will, especially in a town that's mostly white while she is half black. It isn't long before Paris has a big decision to make about where she truly belongs.
Nikki Grimes has created a portrait of a young girl who, in the midst of being shuffled back and forth between homes and realizing things about other people and the world around her, gradually embarks on the road to discovering herself.
Customer Reviews:
Okay.......2007-08-20
I found this one predictable and somewhat shallow. Also, a bit unrealistic, in the space of a couple of months, the alcoholic mother turns her life around, meets a man, marries and sets up a stable home with plenty of room for the two children she abandoned. The issues of racial prejudice and religion are handled completely without subtleness.
It was good, but it could have been better.......2007-03-26
I was slightly disappointed. After reading the great reviews I picked up this book. It got off to a very suspenseful start and then kind of stagnated. I felt like the author was going somewhere with it but then didn't. Paris' background is interesting. She is described as African-American, but with blonde hair; that in and of itself is unusual. The author, however, only touches on it briefly in her general description of Paris. I was left wondering if this young girl felt ostracized by both races and if she felt any kind of identity crisis. I also thought it a bit odd that she rarely thought about her Caucasian father who walked out on her family. I was also left wondering about her older half-brother and protector, Malcolm and if he ever had any awkward feelings about his mixed race sister. Since he was older and would have had more memories of Paris' father I wondered how he felt and if he harbored more resentment for their mother than Paris.
I also got the impression that the author tried to omit any references that might date this story; however, I found it dated by the absence of technology. Unfortunately, the foster care system is just as flawed today as it was then. I'm considering giving this book to a student of mine who is dealing with some similar issues.
Overcoming the stigma of being a biracial girl in a white town........2007-02-04
Nikki Grimes' THE ROAD TO PARIS tells of Paris, who has been moved from one mean foster family to another, never fitting. She expects no betters from her latest family the Lincolns - but they are different - perhaps even different enough to help her overcome the stigma of being a biracial girl in a white town.
The Road to Paris.......2006-10-24
Eight-year-old Paris Richmond barely remembers the white father who gave her blond hair; he left when she was four. The story goes that he hated owning up to a child with dark skin. Paris' ten-year-old brother, Malcolm, hadn't fared much better. His dad left when Malcolm was just a baby. But being father-less didn't mean that they ever accepted their mom's latest husband as any kind of substitute, so when he walks out, Paris and Malcolm are actually glad. Their mom, on the other hand, slips into depression and turns to alcohol for comfort. Things get so bad that their mom often abandons them to spend hours at the bar. That's when Child Services steps in, and Paris and Malcolm are shipped out to a foster home.
But life is hardly pleasant at the Boone house, and Paris knows it will never be home. After getting locked in the closet for days on end, punished for crimes the Boone daughter did, and then beaten black and blue, Malcolm and Paris know they have to get out of there. They run to the only family they have left, their grandmother.
Unfortunately, their grandmother is hardly glad to see them. According to her, she's raised her kids and now she's done. She contacts Child Services and new foster homes are considered---but this time they separate Paris and Malcolm.
Malcolm is Paris' strength, hope, protection and only source of love, and it tears her to pieces when they send him to a boys' home. Paris ends up in the suburbs, with a family by the name of Lincoln. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln have two boys of their own, plus a teenage girl fostering with them. She enters the old but comfortable house with trepidation; she holds no hope for her present or her future. But within a few weeks, she knows she's not with people like her mom or the Boones'. She has her own small, but cozy bedroom, and no one beats her or locks her in the closet. The Lincolns never coddle her, yet they make her feel welcome, accepted and safe with their acts of kindness. And when she goes to their church for the first time, she discovers amazing joy in the music, and happily joins the choir. She even uncovers faith in God that helps her through the anger she feels for her mom.
Even though she constantly misses her brother, she begins to feel she can call this place a home. She even made a friend at school. But then she gets a phone call from her mom---and her mom wants her back.
Ms. Nikki Grimes is an award-winning author, and her talent shows in her newest story, THE ROAD TO PARIS. Her life-like characters speak from the heart, and her expressive and colorful descriptions are perfectly presented through eight-year-old eyes. The story line moves smoothly and engagingly. Ms. Grimes is sure to see more writing awards in her future.
--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of Finding My Light and The Black Pond
--- Courtesy of www.kidsreads.com
The long and winding road.......2006-10-09
Here's a fun way to determine whether or not a book will make for a good discussion in either a classroom or a bookclub. First, read the book. Two possible choices now lay before you. If you finish the title and find yourself 100% perfectly clear on why every character performed as they did, that is not a good book for discussion. If, however, you do as I did with "The Road To Paris" and after finishing the book suddenly find yourself thinking and rethinking the book's ending in a vain attempt to determine whether it was happy or sad, then THAT, my friend, THAT book has incredible promise. All the great classic books, from "The Giver" to "Charlotte's Web" have that quality. Now "The Road To Paris" has it too, and I would not hesitate to thwap it soundly on the head with the CLASSIC stick. This is a good book. A good book that manages to talk about a serious, even depressing subject without dragging the reader down into the realms of misery. No small feat, to say the least.
"Ask Paris if a phone call can be deadly. She'll tell you. She learned the truth of it last night." For years, Paris and her older brother Malcolm have only had one another to count on. Though they've been taken from foster home to foster home, Paris can still remember and be hurt by the memory of their alcoholic mother. So when Malcolm and Paris escape the latest abusive home to stay with their grandmother, she's unprepared for the horror of being separated from Malcolm after all these years. Paris has been sent to live with the Lincolns, a kind family who've dealt with foster kids before. It takes a great deal of love and understanding on their part to break through Paris's wary shell so as to convince her that she is finally safe. But when a phone call comes from her real mother telling her she can come live with her again, Paris must decide what "home" really is.
Reviewers seldom comment on the length of a children's book, unless they happen to be dealing with a 700+ page fantasy tome (or, as the book industry calls them, "the norm"). I, however, would like to point out that "The Road To Paris" stands at a handsome 153 pages. From this length, we may understand that Nikki Grimes does not stand for overwrought flowery speech. Her language is remarkably beautiful, as much in what she doesn't say as in what she does. When, for example, you read right at the beginning that, "In the world of Paris Richmond, normal was rare, and rich", those words weigh heavy on the page. Descriptions abound and they aren't there to merely fill up space but to give the narrative itself a three-dimensional quality. There is a moment where Paris sees for the first time in her life her neighborhood buried until a thick covering of white powdery snow. "Paris thought it was a shame to disturb all that perfection, but she planted her bots into the snow, one step after another, creating a trail of fat footsteps even the man in the moon could see..."
Ms. Grimes also has the remarkable ability to preach without sounding preachy, if that makes any sense at all. In this book, Paris finds God. Early into her foster care stay with the Lincolns, her new foster brother David tells her that he combats fear by keeping "God in my pocket." Later, as Paris grows emotionally strong, she holds fast to her belief that God is with her, even in the most unpleasant of circumstances. Some authors wouldn't be able to write any of this without making the book into some kind of didactic sermon. Instead, Grimes balances out the good with the bad, allowing the reader the chance to decide for themselves whether or not Paris's faith with help or hurt her in the future.
Until I read this book the only Nikki Grimes title I'd ever read was her Coretta Scott King Award-winning, "Bronx Masquerade". Honestly, I didn't like "Bronx Masquerade" very much. I thought the characters used too much contemporary slang that would grow outdated very quickly, thereby making an otherwise well-written book a relic before its time. "The Road To Paris", in contrast, could not be more different. First of all, it's difficult to say when exactly this book takes place. It could be in the past or it could be next week. It features a foster care system that performs in a believable fashion, sometimes making a situation better (for Paris) and sometimes making a situation worse (for Malcolm). The language doesn't have a drop of soon-to-be-outdated slang anywhere, and nobody goes about yammering into the latest cell phone or iProduct. I hate to drag out that overused word "timeless" to describe "The Road To Paris" but the book leaves me with very little choice in the matter. How else am I going to describe a story that feels this real and, I know, will continue to do so for years to come?
Name five children's chapter books written by and about African-Americans in the year 2006. Go on. Name `em. If you can't do it, and I know that you can't, then we have a problem. Nikki Grimes is an amazing writer but publishers would do very well to know that she can't do it alone and she needs some company. If "The Road To Paris" doesn't find itself included on every single Best Children's Books of the Year list for 2006 then you'll know something is terribly awry. One of the smartest titles to come out this year, to say nothing of its bravery. I won't tell you the ending of this book, for obvious reasons, but a co-worker of mine recently commented that adults and children will have very different reactions to Paris's final decision. Consider this a great title for discussion and contemplation. A book worth remembering for a long time to come.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Navigational Tool.......2007-01-10
I decided not to go fancy, and buy a GPS navigation system. However I wanted a reasonably compact map book that I could carry in my truck. I drive mostly in Pierce County. I gave this map book a five because it illustrates all the local roads, and points of interest, at a fine level of detail. I use this all the time to look for shortcuts or to route around traffic jams and construction. Even if I had GPS navigation, I would still keep this book as a backup.
fine map.......2007-01-09
If you're still using paper maps instead of GPS, this one is the one to have. Without a doubt, get the 3 county instead of the single King county map. It's big, but it's effective. Load the free cd in your computer too.
Customer Reviews:
Sturdy waterproof map.......2005-12-31
The Trails Illustrated maps are often the benchmark guide to many of the US national parks. Sequoia and Kings Canyon Parks are a huge chunk of land to squeeze onto a two sided map. This is great for planning and for a very long one way trip. But if you plan to hit the more remote regions--and there are a great many in this region-- you should probably spend a little more dough and get some more detailed maps such as those from Tom Harrison (also waterproof) or the USGS (most detailed).
Book Description
This photographic survey is richly illustrated with images of one of the world's largest private collections of bicycles from the 1850s to the 1950s, and includes some never-before-published photographs. From antique high wheelers and "boneshakers" to tandems, tricycles, and circus cown bikes, it provides a fascinating historical retrospective of the bicycle's development and evolution.
Customer Reviews:
The next best thing to an actual visit.......2006-09-23
I too have had the privilege of visiting Mr. Metz's garage-cum-museum, which is only a half hour's drive from here. If you can't get to see his collection first hand, this is the next best thing.
fascinating reading and a fascinating museum.......2002-06-28
this book is an excellent pictorial trip through one of the world's finest collections of bicycles and related items. i have actually been to the Metz Bicycle Museum in Freehold, New Jersey and have had a personalized tour by David Metz, the owner of the museum which is the basis for this book. this book is a very good introduction to the history of bicycles and the photograpy is excellent. however, on an actual tour of the museum you get some of the most interesting stories first hand from David Metz. this 87 year young collector is only too happy to share his knowledge of bicycles with any visitor to his museum. the book and a trip to the museum if at all possible will both be something to remember
Book Description
In the grand storytelling style of Watership Down and Tailchaser's Song comes an epic tale of adventure and danger, of heroism against insurmountable odds, and of love and comradeship among extraordinary animals who must brave The Wild Road . . .
Secure in a world of privilege and comfort, the kitten Tag is happy as a pampered house pet--until the dreams come. Dreams that pour into his safe, snug world from the wise old cat Majicou: hazy images of travel along the magical highways of the animals, of a mission, and of a terrible responsibility that will fall on young Tag. Armed with the cryptic message that he must bring the King and Queen of cats to Tintagel before the spring equinox, Tag ventures outside. Meanwhile, an evil human known only as the Alchemist doggedly hunts the Queen for his own ghastly ends. And if the Alchemist captures her, the world will never be safe again . . .
Customer Reviews:
Sadly, Warriors is better.......2007-08-22
I bought both 'The Wild Road' and its sequel 'The Golden Cat' for little than six bucks at a used bookstore. I was actually pretty thrilled to own them both, mostly because I've seen them at Barnes and Noble and actually wanted to read them. The sequel actually fared a lot better than this, to which I will write a review shortly, but it's a sad sight to see how a sequel is a lot better than the book that started it all.
Plot: A Black-tipped Burmilla cat named Tag is young and inexperienced to the world outside him. Nonetheless, he gets dreams of wanting to go out into the wild ad kill mice, be a wild cat, but the comfort of being a housecat is stronger, and he merely watches his dream through a slate of glass. Then he gets urgent dreams from an old one-eyed black cat named Majicou. Tag realizes he is destined to be the keeper of The Wild Road, an ancient, magical road used by wild animals. He is also the keeper of the King and Queen of cats, to whom he has to find and take to Tintagel before a spring equinox. All of this cannot be complete without the help of Majicou, his assistants, and the evil presence of a man known as the Alchemist, who hunts for the King and Queen of cats to control the wild road, and to seize the Golden Kittens that the Queen will give birth to. The Alchemist isn't an ordinary human, just like the Majicou isn't an ordinary cat.
For one, there are so many things that rightfully make me mad about this book, and for one, it lags, lags, lags. I mean, it is hard to get through, and for most of the time I ended up skimming through it till the end. Then I had another go at it, this time actually reading every word, page for page. It's still boring. It's like you're waiting for a certain game to download on your computer, and you just sit there and wait for something good to happen and see if it's already finished downloading. But like a crappy game you bought that thought was good, 'The Wild Road' does no justice, even for cat fans.
For one, Tag is a silly adolescent who plays his part right, and is the only character who is a bit likeable throughout this book. Majicou, the cat who teaches him the concept of the Wild Roads, and eventually tell him a bit of his past as the Alchemist's cat, is the most selfish and rather dull character in the book. He shows up, insults Tag, gives him little advice, barely shows him the power of the Wild Roads, before he gets up and disappears. No wonder why Tag is so confused half the time. Loves a Dustbin, Majicou's fox lieutenant, isn't a better character either. He tags along with Tag, but he's annoying and just as dull and flat as his master.
The King and Queen of cats are pedigree cats, bred by the Alchemist himself. Pertelot Fitzwilliam is an Egyptian Mau, and her mate is Ragnar Gustaffson Coeur de Lion (or just Rags), a Norwegian Forest cat with hardly any brains, but is a sweet and kind cat who, for some reason, has a healing power, though that isn't discovered until the very end of the story. Both cats have fancy funny names that associate with their heritage, but it's never clear why these two are the King and Queen of cats. Is it because they're both pedigrees from an old breed? Well, that could easily be any cat that's a Norwegian Forest or an Egyptian Mau. Is it because they were bred by the Alchemist? The Alchemist is known for torturing cats to death and harvesting their powers. While the two cats are so called the king and queen, Tag eventually finds them, looses them, finds them again, and eventually get to Tintagel before the spring equinox. With the help of Sealink, a loose calico cat with an attitude who traveled around the world, and is probably one of the coolest felines I've met; and Cy, a small tabby cat who has more than loose screws in her head. Other characters are introduced, but you really don't care for them, and you hardly care for the king or queen. Also, the Wild Roads...this is what the book is about, correct? Well, it talks a great deal about them, and how animals use them for traveling, but so far, no one uses the Wild Roads! It takes you from point A to point B in a heartbeat, but I guess if the Wild Roads were used, then that would have defeated the purpose of a drawn out, tedious quest, thus making the book pretty small.
The Wild Road is a concept that sounded nice, but Gabriel King as a writer failed to give it life. So far, I see only cats using them, and mostly in the flashbacks, no less. The Alchemist...he's supposedly been around for a very long time, so is he some kind of mystic? Majicou is also extremely old, so does the Wild Road grant semi-immortality? There are just so many things that needed to be explained, that never were explained. Also, humans in this story are cruel. Extremely cruel. Like too cruel to even be believable. They torture cats, even the officers who specialize in capturing them. Since when have they used lead pellets to shoot at cats, grab them roughly and actually kick them into sacks? Are you kidding me?! It's not like the stars of the show are in Mexico; they're in the USA! Also, dog lovers, look elsewhere. Dogs in this story are depicted as stupid, unintelligent monsters. It turns out to be comical and funny when told in the eyes of cats, and cats you can't find any attachment for. In the end, when all of this mess is over, and the book is finally finished, you don't feel excited or even glad that Tag has won, the King and Queen of cats have three Golden Kittens, and Majicou has sacrificed himself to destroy the Alchemist. So many inconstancies where there should've been answers and magic that was never explained that could have been told more in its sequel. But although the sequel cuts down on the boringness of what was 'The Wild Road', it still raises a lot more questions than answers, which probably would have been solved in a possible third book, if it will ever be in production. Ah well, all I can say is that this is one book that fails to interest me, cats or no cats.
A personal favorite, but not for everyone........2007-01-28
After reading some of the reviews on this page, I felt compelled to write one myself. I own the Wild Road as well as the Golden Cat, and read both when I was still a young student in highschool. I enjoyed the Wild Road especially but found the plot a tad convoluted and confusing, both due to the author's writing style, and the puzzling and fantastical qualities of the subject matter in general. Upon reading it at a later date a second time, I was able to appreciate it much more thoroughly, picking up on subtle nuances in the writing that made it a much more understandable read; it has since become among my favorite books.
However, it is not to be mistaken as kin to Tailchaser's Song, Watership Down, The Sight, or other animal epics; if you expect to read a book of those sorts, you will probably be dissapointed. The Wild Road and The Golden Cat alike are first fantasty, and secondly animal epic; you must be open to some extremely outlandish concepts traditionally only found in the realm of fantasy and sci-fi novels to enjoy this book. It deviates vastly from the very natural, organic approach most animal epics take, delving deep into the mysticism and allegory that are usually only found as small underlying currents in the genre.
Furthermore, the author of this book was clearly an animal welfarist (or even animal rights activist), as evinced be re-occuring motif of man's cruelty. Starving strays, tortured victims of vivisection, and similar themes dominate both books. This may be difficult for sensitive animal lovers and irritating to those who will percieve this as "PETA propoganda." I personally think that the element of graphic violence brutality gave the book more weight, but many found it gratuitous or offensive.
In short, this book is a fantastic read if you can keep an open mind and enjoy it for the writing and particularly the fantastic characters, but if any of the above comments have made you think twice, trust you SECOND instinct and pass it by. It is certainly not a book for everyone.
Terrible.......2007-01-21
I purchased this book because I was under the impression it would be similar to "The Ghatti's Tale". This book was very hard to read and I didn't even finish it. It jumped around and didn't seem to have any point. Not only did I buy this book that was such a disappointment, I also bought the second book and now I have two books that I won't read and wasted my money on. While I did not read the second book, I have no doubt it is as bad as the first.
Extreme dislike.......2006-11-29
I loved "Tailchaser's Song" by Tad Williams (although I did read it as a teen) and I like cats, so I thought I'd try this cat-character fantasy novel. I really did not like it. I read it to the end because I kept thinking "maybe it will get better and it will all have been worth it". But no. The main cat character was very juvenile and annoying. He is a young cat, so maybe his characteristics were "realistic", but it was still annoying. The whole "wild roads" concept was extremely strange and just not "believable" fantasy. A fantasy world needs to be built up in such a way that the reader is drawn in and finds the world believable and compelling. This was not the case for me. I scanned a few of the reviews and several people seemed to really like the book, so maybe it is a "loved it" or "hated it" book. I am still searching for a quality "Tailchaser's Song" or "Watership Down" type book. I would not recommend this book.
A Wild Ride On The Wild Road.......2006-11-10
Even if you're not a cat lover, this book won't fail to intrigue you. It's a mgical journy of cats surviving in the wild as they see life through feline eyes and interpret it so. Their simple philosophy on different situations made me laugh, cry and ponder my life situations. The story is so absorbing that at times I forgort I was reading what a cat was thinking. This was one of a few books that I couldn't wait to read every night and was sad to see it end. I'm giving a copy to all my cat owner friends. Put it in the top ranks with Watership Down.
Book Description
In 1970, Stephen King embarked on what would become the crowning achievement in his literary career-the Dark Tower. The seven-volume series, written and published over a period of 30 years, was inspired by Robert Browning's poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came," as well as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and the spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone.
With the full cooperation of Stephen King himself, The Road to the Dark Tower examines the epic journey of the author to complete a story that threatened to overwhelm him. In this indispensable companion, Bev Vincent presents a book-by-book analysis of each volume in the series, tracing the Dark Tower's connections to King's other novels including The Stand, Insomnia, and Hearts in Atlantis, and offering insights from the author about the creative process involved in crafting his lifelong work-a work that has consumed not only Stephen King, but his legion of devoted readers. This is essential reading for any Dark Tower-or Stephen King-fan.
Download Description
"In 1970, Stephen King embarked on what would become the crowning achievement in his literary career-the Dark Tower. The seven-volume series, written and published over a period of 30 years, was inspired by Robert Browning's poem ""Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,"" as well as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and the spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone. With the full cooperation of Stephen King himself, The Road to the Dark Tower examines the epic journey of the author to complete a story that threatened to overwhelm him. In this indispensable companion, Bev Vincent presents a book-by-book analysis of each volume in the series, tracing the Dark Tower's connections to King's other novels including The Stand, Insomnia, and Hearts in Atlantis, and offering insights from the author about the creative process involved in crafting his lifelong work-a work that has consumed not only Stephen King, but his legion of devoted readers. This is essential reading for any Dark Tower-or Stephen King-fan. "
Customer Reviews:
Good guide to the Tower.......2007-05-03
I think that this book was interesting. You had everything at your fingertips if you wanted to look something up. I understand why a few people would be dissapointed because it doesnt dive too deep into the story. An interview with King would have been pretty cool, I will admit. Oh well...I still found the book pretty interesting.
Great for those fans that are completely lost but..........2006-07-07
... for those with any intelligence what so ever a pointless read. Vincent points out all of the obvious connections to Kings other works. There was no interview with the author to speak of... There was no new insight into the characters or about the worlds. Disappointing through and through.
Must Have For Dark Tower Fans.......2006-04-28
It's taken years and seven books but we have finally finished our quest for the Dark Tower. Now, we have this book to help us make sense of the journey. There is a love for the story that Bev brings to this book that many of us can empathize with. Bev's information, especially when discussing influences, is a very helpful adjunct to the series. There are bios of the characters, also a big help in keeping things straight. The poem which inspired it all (Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came) is wonderful to have.
Bev knows his topic very well and brings this knowledge to all of us. Another trip to the Tower will be in order once you have this guide at your side.
Worth reading, but frustrating at times.......2006-01-25
Being a huge fan of The Dark Tower books, I bought this book with high expectations, hoping to gain more prespective on Roland's quest and what it all might actually mean. What I actually got was a book that was very heavy on summary and rather short of actual literary analysis.
This book reads like something I would have written in high school as a thesis paper for AP English. It's very obvious that Vincent is trying to prove a point, but he offers the same evidence over and over to illustrate said theory (I don't want to include details, just in case someone reading this hasn't actually read the Dark Tower series). A great deal of the footnotes offer pointless observaions and connections that have little, if anything at all, to do with the story. On the other hand, Vincent glosses over other connections, or fails to emphasize their importance. There's very little mention of the poem that inspired King to write the series, Robert Browning's "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." He mentions it only when the books themselves make reference to it. The section of the book devoted to character analysis was thorough, although it does not offer anything readers cannnot discern for themselves while reading the series.
For all of the books faults, though, it was still an entertaining read. I enjoyed travelling back to Gilead, the Tower, and everywhere inbetween from a more scholarly point of view. For some reason, King's work transcends what I felt to be the amateur analysis of Vincent, and still makes this book worth delving into.
As a side note, perhaps if I hadn't been so excited to read it, it would not have been such of a let-down for me. It's definitley more of a companion read - a way to answer any unanswered questions you may have about the series, rather than an attempt to analyze what it actually means.
Helpful, but..........2005-05-23
First off, I haven't finished reading this book, but there are a few errors that I feel the need to point out.
First--I sat with my copy of Drawing of the Three and could not find the man in black disappearing into any doorway--perhaps this happens in one of the later books. If so, a footnote to that fact would have been nice.
Secondly--The author of this work neglects to mention obvious connections between the Dark Tower books and other works of literature. A discussion of Eliot's The Waste Land would have been interesting and possibly invaluable, especially considering both King and Eliot use Tarot cards and play fast and loose with Aurthurian legend. At least a mention of the fact that Rhea of Coos is the witch of coos as a nod to the Robert Frost poem of the same name should have been in order.
All this being said, I have appreciated the author's attempt to bring all of King's writings regarding the Dark Tower together... an inspired work.
Overall, A few quibbles that only an English professor would complain about...
Average customer rating:
- Yeah. Too bad.
- End of a terrific fantasy trilogy.
- Not the Best Effort
- Out of Control
- He lost me
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The Shadow Roads: Book Three of the Swans' War (Swans War)
Sean Russell
Manufacturer: Eos
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Similar Items:
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The Isle of Battle (The Swans' War, Book 2)
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The One Kingdom (The Swans' War, Book 1)
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Beneath the Vaulted Hills : The River into Darkness
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The Initiate Brother Book One
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Sea without a Shore (Moontide Magic Rise)
ASIN: 038079229X
Release Date: 2005-09-27 |
Book Description
The savage war between two mighty families has ravaged the kingdom both wish to rule—spawning treachery within the ranks of the Renné and Wills, drawing the brave, the innocent, and the malevolent alike into the bloody conflict. But a far more terrible consequence has arisen from the carnage—for Death himself has been roused from his dread domain . . . and is preparing to walk the world again.
Customer Reviews:
Yeah. Too bad........2007-03-25
I loved The One Kingdom, the first book in this series. The Isle of Battle, however, gave me serious pause. I had hoped that The Shadow Roads would return to the freshness and attraction of the first, but no such luck. Sadly, I have to agree with the reviewer that The Shadow Roads only compounds the mistakes of the second book.
It seems to me that the biggest mistake Russell made was that he could not figure out on which characters he should focus. Part of what made The One Kingdom so nice was that it seemed like the beginning of a nice coming of age story with the focus on Tam and his friends. I was happy with that. The best epic fantasy is all coming of age stories of one sort or another. Unfortunately, in book 2, Russell shifts the focus to the more powerful and eternal figures.
In the third book, he compounds the mistake even further and dilutes the time and attention he gives to the Whist-- easily the most engaging and real of the eternal characters.
Finally, by book three, so many characters are introduced that it is difficult to keep them all straight, let alone care about them. Even though Tam still is given a small role at the end, it is little more than a nod to the fact that he had to be included in order to round out the series.
Like I said, too bad. I'm honestly giving this three stars instead of two because of what it could have been. I would have a difficult time recommending the series.
End of a terrific fantasy trilogy........2006-09-13
A satisfying finale!
This series by Sean Russell is one of the best fantasy reads I've had in ages. It has everything I enjoy in this genre; love, hate, betrayal, friends/enemies in unusual places, unexpected twists and turns and a liberal dose of magic throughout this work. The conclusion to this epic good versus evil struggle ends with a much anticipated and long awaited battle that will, I think, leave most fantasy reader satisfied.(and maybe wishing for more)
What separates this trilogy from so many others is the quality of the prose. Russell writes with an impressive descriptive style and is able to give us a range of characters that go from easily likable to just plain despicable(and lots in between). I found this novel hard to put down and often read late into the night.
The SINGLE negative (and loss of ½ star) for this book (and the entire series) is the fact that there is no map; a map that would have made following the travels of our heroes so much easier and enjoyable.
All in all, a great final installment for this epic fantasy trilogy. Easily recommended for all fantasy lovers. 4 ½ Stars.
Not the Best Effort.......2006-08-09
It was hard for me to believe that the Swan's War books were written by the author of Initiate Brother. The first two books were pleasant and interesting enough that I bought the third, The Shadow Roads." Unfortunately, I found that instead of reading a story about endless war fueled by the weaknesses of human character, as detailed in the first two long novels, I was reading about a supernatural love triangle, which caused endless war as a side effect. The climactic resolution was effected by characters who had less than 10 pages of development out of a thousand, and all of the subplots and story lines were revealed as irrelevant.
If I had not previously read outstanding work by Sean Russell, I would give up on this author.
Out of Control.......2006-07-09
Oh, how good you could have been, dear "Shadow Roads." You could have been awesome. Even after "the Isle of Battle" was a letdown you could have been amazing. Instead, we got everything that made the second novel bad, but twice over. Characters in the group completely disappear in the group yet again, sometimes for pages, and when they do pop up, there is almost no character to them, just a name and dialogue. Even Alaan suffers. The "whist" is so serious and plain in his delivery here that the trickster archetype that so many people love is completely removed. And the other characters didn't have a chance.
Poor Fynnol and Cynddl again. The original group of four worked so well for Russell in the first novel, he never should have expanded it beyond a couple more. Eber, Llya, Rabal, Slighthands, all those characters just never stuck like the first ones.
The other major problem of the second novel also popped up. The "are we close to him or are the others closer?" Which is just boring. It drags the pace down. The same feel can even be found in the Prince Michael part of the story. So often his is just "are we going to get caught? But no we found a hideaway. And another. And another." Argh! Its suppose to be suspenseful but its not because in Russell's world, no one dies really. Or if they do, its very anti-climatic, or they come back to life. Its worse than Jordan with the Forsaken.
The one bright point of this novel is Carrel Wills and Llyn Renne, both of which are very sweet characters. Though at times it gets too sappy with Russell's love of the melodrama. Every scene of these two is good, has been since the beginning, which is why its so bizarre that after the first few chapters they just disappear until the very end of the novel to wrap things up. Yes, they were kind of out of the action, but they could have been more involved. Especially if Torren, Dease, and some of the others would have stayed instead of going off and getting lost in the group of more interesting characters.
Novels are like chess in some ways, you have to put your pieces in the right places and you have to sacrifice some to win. Russell wouldn't sacrifice any and he wouldn't put them where they could have been useful, that was this novel's biggest weakness, and thus, the biggest weakness of what I believe could have been a great High Fantasy series.
Final Thought: Unless you are really into metaphor and melodrama, you probably should stay away from the trilogy.
He lost me.......2006-03-09
To have taken the time to read the first two books, and then to stop reading 1/3 of the way through this one is a huge disappointment to me. The book sat on my nightstand for days and days, untouched, and I finally realized I had given up.
In a lengthier review of The One Kingdom (to which I gave three stars), I said that the reader needs to know what's at stake in order to be drawn in to the story. We didn't learn what was at stake in The One Kingdom until we were well into the story, and I'm absolutely certain that Russell lost readers because of it.
My "at stake" comment applies to this book even more. Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, the stakes change. Death and Time are introduced, and there is an immense fear that Death - a realized character in the second book - will escape and roam the world. Something that nobody wants to happen.
That's when he lost me. It's when he angered me. It's when I stopped reading the book, because I just didn't care anymore. When a writer doesn't let his readers know what's at stake until the last book of a trilogy, he/she has committed an "epic" mistake.
If there was some good stuff in the last two thirds of the book, well, I guess I missed it. But I don't regret it. There are only nine (now ten) reviews for this book. It seems that he lost more than this reader along the way.
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