Batman: Fear Itself

Book Description

Batman strikes fear in the hearts of criminals, but there’s a killer stalking Gotham who’s even better at inspiring fright–and his method just might be unbeatable . . . because it’s invisible.

Unbeknownst to the general public, a powerful new designer drug has hit the streets of Gotham, courtesy of an evil genius determined to turn the expression “scared to death” into lethal reality. Unlike the Caped Crusader, who petrifies only villains, this mastermind is targeting decent citizens–and he’s come up with the ultimate delivery system. After all, the public can’t refuse something they can’t see, hear, or smell. That’s the beauty of a terror toxin that is undetectable by the human senses. And with all of Gotham’s super-villains incarcerated, Batman must hunt down a mystery madman about whom he knows nothing.

Maybe the Dark Knight should be afraid . . . because there’s plenty to fear when you go head-to-head with fear itself.

Customer Reviews:

If only reading this book would have killed me . . ........2007-09-14

The plot: Batman discovers that readers of a horror novel have been literally scared to death. Who could be behind this???

The problem: Bo-ring. Honestly, I expected MUCH better from someone who wrote for Batman: The Animated Series. In this case, it was obvious from the beginning who the supervillain behind the plot was. Had Reaves misled us (and if they had not given it away on the front cover), it would have been more interesting and a better book.

This book is as chilling as its name.......2007-06-25

I tell you, the recent series of Batman novels produced have been...on and off for me. Dead white was a very good novel, but Inferno was written in a poor, first person narrative style that I found very distracting. So, picking up this book, I knew that it could go either way. What I found was a very intense and bone chillingly descriptive book about fear and one of my favorite Batman villains, the Scarecrow. Its fast paced, and with more twists and turns than a mountain highway. I really enjoyed this book, and I think any Batman fan should read this.

a great new entry to the batman novel series.......2007-03-29

Well, once again a new batman novel is out in stores and the time has come to review it. This like the previous two novels, is well written and adds to the legend of the Batman. This novel, in particular, explores the topic of fear. This topic is constantly mentioned thorughout the story and is the major mystery that batman has to solve. Most of the story can be predicted easily, but the book is still well written.

I would recommend this novel for batman fans and readers looking for a novel the explores parts of the human mind.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOOKS LIKE AND IS.......2007-03-24

It can be said (and proved) that in life...nothing is linear.

Nothing moves in a straight line. Everything curves, bends, crosses, intersects and comes together and falls apart in a series of waves, explosions and tears throughout this reality (and all those still left to discover). So, it comes as some (but no real) surprise that there is an expection to this rule and that expection is FEAR ITSELF by Micheal Reaves and (not good enough for the cover) Steven-Elliot Altman.

From the cover to the final page there is not one plot twist, turn about, curveball, surprise, or GOTCHA! moment to be found in this book. As sure as B follows A there is no mystery here. Who's behind the latest bio-terror generated fear attacks in Gotham? What fiend is "thrilling" people to death with pulp fiction? The cover gives the game away even before you turn to page one... and it takes Micheal Reaves (and shy guy) Steven-Elliot Altman nearly three quarters of the book to catch up to something YOU already know (and, I should point out here, that I lay full blame for this on the marketing department at BALLANTINE BOOKS, not on Reaves and (hide and seek) Altman. I'm sure if BALLANTINE released a novalization of CITIZEN KANE, ROSEBUD would rest dead center on the cover - giving the jig up). So, as Batman and company work their way fresh through the "mystery" the only thing you have to do is keep turning the pages and fight the urge to skip ahead to find out how this villain managed to do what he did and why.

Don't fight that urge. Skip three quarters in and just finish the book. Don't worry about who's who or what they have to do with the plot or each other, they're just company characters with cardboard problems and stock and trade payoffs. It's so linear, so common and so mindless that it amazes me that it took two people to write it. I assume one was there to wake the other if they happened to fall asleep while typing (which must have happened often).

If there is ever any more perfect example of SWEAT SHOP FICTION, then FEAR ITSELF is it. A major disappointment here for BATMAN fans. Avoid.

Major Primer for The Dark Knight in 2008.......2007-03-22

I hope they keep cranking out these new Batman books!

Batman: Inferno had trumped Batman: Dead White by leaps and bounds but Fear Itself is an entirely different animal devoid of the money-shot moments from Inferno. I admit I'm usually a little biased in favor of Joker stories but this book was more what I'll call passively satisfying - a very real world with nothing too over the top, very believable.

Fear Itself is a toned down, flat black story. As with the previous books, it is set in a kind of post-Batman Begins continuity that blends some flavors from the modern Batman comic. There is a constant mention of "The Quake" which rocked Gotham - very reminiscent of Cataclysm/No Man's Land story line. Other ingredients of modern Batman include the familiarity with a long list of various martial arts Bruce has studied, mention of Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy and the introduction of an improved grappling gun, resembling the current mono-filament grapnel in the comics.

This book does a little better job of the previous 2 in the series in making you feel in a very familiar world to Begins. You have Lucious Fox's involvement, plenty of Wayne Enterprises involvement, new gadgets, & a very healthy dose of the Bruce Wayne side of things. The ratio of Bruce Wayne to Batman in this book seemed like 85% to 15% to me and that's not a bad thing at all so don't let is scare you. It's done very well and taps into what they were trying to do in Begins since it is such an interesting side to the story.

Bat-Fans will salivate when reading this at all the possibilities for the new movie that they touch on in this book, including suit modifications to a reactive hardening material, mentions of the new improved Batcave & its entrances, layout, systems etc.

Despite the give away cover art & title, you'll find yourself in suspense when the villain you're waiting for is merely suspected for two thirds of the book before anything happens - the building action was very satisfying & a good amount of character development done on new characters Grey Berwald, horror novelist & Maggie Tolleyer the journalist type. Reaves has a solid grasp on the Batman universe. He really makes you want to see Jonathan Crane pop up again in full-on Scarecrow garb!

If you liked Batman Begins and are counting down the days until the next movie is released, then this book is definitely for you.

Average customer rating:

New Characters, Familiar Entertainment!
Fearless II
The only thing to fear is Fearless himself
Fearless Jones and Paris Minton - fast friends and unlikely warriors
Mosley weaves a Faulknerian history tale in his LA web

Fear Itself: A Fearless Jones Novel
Walter Mosley
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0316591122

Book Description

Paris Minton doesn't want any trouble. He minds his used bookstore and his own business. But in 1950s Los Angeles, sometimes trouble finds him, no matter how hard he tries to avoid it. When the nephew of the wealthiest woman in L.A. is missing and wanted for murder, she has to get involved-no matter if she can't stand him.What will her church think?She hires Jefferson T. Hill, a former sheriff of Dawson, Texas, and a tough customer, to track him down and prove his innocence.When Hill goes missing too, she tricks his friend Fearless Jones and Paris Minton into picking up the case. Paris steps inside the world of the black bourgeoisie, and it turns out to be filled with deceit and corruption. It takes everything he has just to stay alive through a case filled with twists and turns and dead ends like he never imagined. Written with the voice and vision that have made Walter Mosley one of the most entertaining writers in America, Fear Itself marks the return of a master at the top of his form.

Download Description

eBook Special Feature: Includes two original articles "The Writing of Fearless Jones" and "Black to the Future" both penned by Walter Mosley and a chapter excerpt of BAD BOY BRAWLY BROWN. ike most of us, Paris Minton is a man who would just as soon walk away from trouble as stand up to it. But in 1950s Los Angeles, sometimes trouble just comes and gets you. Bartholomew "BB" Perry is missing and wanted for murder - and the reputation of his very proper and influential aunt, Winifred L. Nice, is at stake. She uses her connections to get tough cop Jefferson T. Hill on the case, and when he goes missing too, Paris and Fearless Jones are double-crossed into taking a case that will turn out to be the most riveting ride of their lives. Paris and Fearless find themselves drawn deep into a world of conflict and corruption, rife with shady dealings and rogue lawmen - not to mention dangerous women. More corpses keep turning up, and, worst of all, Paris doubts that BB, the adulterous thief whose name he's trying to clear, is innocent after all. But if he can find his way out of trouble and escape with his life, Paris Minton just might become an accidental hero. Buzzing with energy, excitement, and suspense, this is yet another example of why the New York Times calls Walter Mosley "one of America's best mystery writers."

Customer Reviews:

New Characters, Familiar Entertainment!.......2007-01-06

While I enjoyed the Easy books, I prefer the new characters of the Fearless Jones books. I purchased this book on unabridged audio while on a business trip, and soon lost all bearings on the road. Don Cheadle is a masterful reader, combining the many voices seamlessly on CD. The audio quality is superb. We are taken through many eccentric characters, including Paris Minton, the first. Fearless Jones, his best friend and co-conspirator in his adventures, is a man expertly skilled in the art of survival in racist Los Angeles in 1955. I won't divulge the plot, but their adventures take them into the world of black wealth and white criminals. It is Mr. Moseley's mix of humor-Paris's self-professed weaknesses-with a labyrinthine plot that kept me listening for the many hours required. In the couple of months since I purchased the book I have listened to it again, simply for the pleasure of Mr. Cheadle's voice. I have since purchased his third Fearless Jones mystery on CD and am awaiting shipment on the first.

Fearless II.......2006-11-26

This is Walter Mosley's second Fearless Jones novel. Somehow I missed the first. The premise of the book is that the narrator is a bookstore owner from Watts named Paris Minton. Tristan "Fearless" Jones is his friend and sometime partner. The current book is set in mid-50s Los Angeles, the setting that made Mosley his reputation with the Easy Rawlins series. Fear Itself is apparently Mosley's path back to where he enjoys setting his stories the most: pre-Civil Rights movement LA.

In Fear Itself, Paris is awakened in the middle of the night, first by Fearless, then by a mysterious man looking for Fearless. Paris is suspicious of white guys banging on his door at three in the morning, so he lies and says he doesn't know where Fearless is. Soon, the two men are on the hunt for various people among the black neighborhoods of LA, tripping over dead bodies of rich white people, and getting shot at by that mysterious fellow, who's apparently pretty homicidal. The plot of this story has more twists and turns than a plate of spaghetti, but it's all good fun and the characters are entertaining.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, and would recommend it.

The only thing to fear is Fearless himself.......2006-08-13

Paris Minton is trying to live quietly as a black man in 1955 Los Angeles. He owns a used book store and to save money he lives in the back of the building that he bought with the money he made in the first fearless jones novel. Fearless asks him to help find a man for a woman (with a young son) who in distress. Paris knows that if Fearless is involved, trouble can only follow. But what's a friend to do?

Paris gets caught in a deadly game of find-and-seek whose players lie, cheat, steal, brutalize and kill. Members of the family of millionaire black businesswoman Winifred L. Fine are playing games that are much more dangerous than they know. Neither Fearless nor Paris is sure who or what the various players are after. The child (who was kidnapped), a wedding day pendant given to Winnie or a family diary. Wanting to help his friend Fearless initially motivates Paris, but finding that a voice of the past is more important to the future than money, he is determined to follow this odyssey to the end.

The characters are well structured and realistic; and the attitudes towards race in the early fifties is right on. Mosley does a great job of explaining how black people lived their everyday lives, dealing with poverty and racism.

Fearless Jones and Paris Minton - fast friends and unlikely warriors.......2005-12-05

This book makes you want to take a time machine so you can taste black Los Angeles in the 1950s. It makes you crave the moldy smell of fine second hand books, and envy the life of Paris, a bookstore-owning man who spends a great deal of time studying his own wares. Paris Minton, short on physical courage, long on curiosity, is half of the mystery solving duo -- Fearless Jones, as good hearted as Mosley's other brave character Mouse is bad, is the other half. Both are drawn into a puzzle, replete with Black and white dead bodies. The characters of Mosley's books people historic Los Angeles with sound and fury.

Here's a bit of what I like about this book. Paris is inclined to take fright and flight. In the midst of the mystery, in the early morning hours, he hears a knock at his door, and unlike Mosley's other protagonists, Easy, Mouse or Fearless he instinctively runs out his backdoor "like a six-year-old." He is convinced that "who but Trouble could be knocking at my door that early in the morning? Like I said before, I'm a small man. I've been chased, caught, and beaten by big-boned women."

"Runnin' ain't a bad thing, baby," my mother used to tell me. "when you're dead you'll wish you had the legs for it."

Paris runs, tucks and rolls, and he dives into adventure and solves the mystery while musing over literature and suppressed history. Can't beat that.

Mosley weaves a Faulknerian history tale in his LA web.......2005-11-30

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Eye Catching Title
A Visual Tale of Fear and Torture
A Great Idea, But...
Solid, but not that scary...
Fear?

Fear Itself: A Novel
Jonathan Nasaw
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743446526

Amazon.com

E.L. Pender, the FBI agent introduced in Nasaw's previous mystery (The Girls He Adored, is a few days short of retirement when he gets a letter from a California woman with an unlikely premise--that the deaths of three people who, like her, attended a conference for people suffering from a variety of phobias (some very strange indeed) were not the random accidents they appeared to be, but the work of a serial killer. Once Pender meets Dorie Bell, the letter writer, he believes her, and with the help of a gutsy agent sidelined from an active career in the FBI by her recently diagnosed MS, he tracks the murderer--the man who bankrolled the conference in order to meet his victims, learn their vulnerabilities, and use their fears to kill them. The sociopathic villain of this suspenseful novel is a sort of junior-grade Hannibal Lecter who gets his bloody comeuppance in the end; having written him out of the picture, and set Pender up for retirement, one wonders who the resourceful author will turn to for his next thriller. --Jane Adams

Book Description

From Jonathan Nasaw, whose heart-stopping debut was hailed as "a superior thriller" (The Washington Post) and "wickedly compelling" (The Oregonian), comes a new novel that takes readers into the depths of

Fear Itself

Is it possible to be scared to death? FBI Special Agent E. L. Pender thinks so -- when a man afraid of heights falls nineteen stories to his death and a woman terrified of blood is found with her wrists slashed. Could it be that the apparent suicides are actually the work of a twisted psychopath?

To stop him, Pender joins forces with Investigative Specialist Linda Abruzzi, and before long they find themselves facing their own worst terrors -- and a madman who is as immune to fear as he is fascinated by it.

Download Description

"Injecting fresh potency into the phrase ""scared to death,"" the wickedly talented author of The Girls He Adored has delivered a spine-chilling follow-up, introducing an unforgettable villain who confronts his victims with their phobias. The charmingly disheveled FBI Special Agent E.L. Pender is strapping on his nonregulation calfskin shoulder holster one last time on his last day on the job, showing the ropes to his eager successor, Investigative Specialist Linda Abruzzi. Then a letter from Dorie Bell arrives at FBI headquarters. Last year Dorie attended a phobia disorders convention in Las Vegas. Since then, three attendees have died under suspicious circumstances. A man with fear of heights jumped from the nineteenth floor of a building. A woman with fear of blood managed to cut her own wrists in the bathtub. A third victim with fear of suffocation was found in the bathtub, with a plastic bag over her head. ""If you won't help us,"" Dorie begs Pender, ""who will?"" But it may already be too late: Dorie's friend Wayne Summers has now disappeared, too. Wayne's phobia is fear of birds. He's currently tied to a bed in a dark basement. And above his head, looms an enormous, starving barn owl.Fear Itself pits Agent Pender, one of the more endearing sleuths in recent fiction, against a man as immune to fear as he is fascinated by it. It's a duel that will jolt you time and time again and force you to confront the inevitable "

Customer Reviews:

Eye Catching Title.......2007-10-03

Such a dumb book. Almost like a drawn out definition of "FEAR" itself.
And I mean the "word" fear itself.

A Visual Tale of Fear and Torture.......2005-03-05

This novel is another spin on the popular genre of serial killer tales.

Simon is a particularly malicious individual, in search of the ultimate adrenalin high. He discovers early in his sadistic career, that by inducing fear in his victims, the rush is the best he can attain. Mixing drugs and torture, he has found the perfect combination. Simon is a smart killer, sophisticated, and plans his fear games to the last detail. He is also rich and can spend full time exploring this deadly activity.

Enter Special Agent Pender, a large, witty and terribly dressed veteran of the FBI on the verge of his retirement. Pender is a likable fellow - he drinks too much, a live-alone divorcee, at the end of a long career. But appearances can be deceiving because this roly-poly officer of the law has been chasing serial killers for twenty years and knows how they think.

Dorie Bell is a middle-aged artist with an unusual phobia - prosoponophobia, fear of masks. Simon has her in his reptilian sights and when she least expects it, he strikes and his malevolent activities begin.

Nasaw writes his descriptions realistically and effortlessly. He's a visual writer, placing the reader directly into his scenes. As you turn the pages of this novel, the images of Simon's sadistic games appear before your eyes - Nasaw is a fly-on-the-wall- writer, which makes this kind of story that much more enjoyable.

As a fan of this genre, I'm intrigued how so many good writers out there can continue to come up with new spins on the ways and methods of the serial killer; Nasaw certainly ranks with the best of them. He seems confident with this genre and writes it superbly well.

A Great Idea, But..........2004-10-12

I went looking for this book, having been told by a friend who had it on her to read list that it involved a serial killer, targeting phobics, and using their worst fears against them.

Wow, I thought, what a great idea for a plot. And it is, it really is. But that's where the great part ended.

The writing style was pretty much average for this type of novel. The ideas behind some of the characters were really good, original, potentially interesting, but that's again where it ended. In the idea stage. When it came time to develop, things began to unravel, and then, to rather promptly fall flat. With many years of experience behind him, and retirment in the offing, the main? FBI agent character suddenly goes brain dead, and forgets how to behave like a professional. Instead, he nearly gets one of the victims killed. I didn't buy that anyone with that vast a field of experience, attracted to a witness or no, would suddenly get that stupid. It frankly reeked of agism. Oh yes, and poor characterization.

The other partial, Persecuted due to disability, mostly former agent with MS, again, potentially a good character, also continues to hang, fall flat, etc. What she's even doing there is often questionable. Were it not, again, this might also be quite good. The author does have a real sensitivity, on some levels, to the plight of the disabled. Perhaps he should have stayed there.

The sister of the killer has downs syndrome. The Killer, who is far too soon revealed, and long before he could really get down to thinking up ever more horrendous ways in which to off his poor victims, frankly what one would expect, considering the idea, yet again, manages to fall flat.

Of all the characters, the sister is the one I actually liked best. Her ultimate disposition, however, felt so contrived as to be ridiculous, lead-ins for it, or no. Too, within this story line, there are places he started to go, then didn't. Rather a tendency toward tangents, that, indeed, I found running throughout the work.

The other character I liked was the phobic female artist. Having found, only halfway through the book, however, what her fate would be, I set the thing aside. Every now and then, I picked it up, thereafter, to slog on through, having paid full price for the paperback, and hoping it would get better. No such luck. The villain, who goes on the run, looks up old chums, etc., just doesn't manage to overcome the yawning.

Perhaps the author's other works are better. If ever I'd be inclined to find out, I'd do it at the library.

Solid, but not that scary..........2004-02-09

If the first Pender book was by turns revolting, scary, and creepy...this one tries to be, but has a lighter tone. Pender is great fun (I wish we had more of Sid, the wise cracking, dapper best friend to Ed), but we don't get even get as much of him. Linda is a decent character, who is not fleshed out. We get a lot of Simon Childs (not real clever with that name, but oh well), who is fascinating in theory, but only fairly interesting in reality. I would have liked more Pender. The book is good in that it does not dwell too long on any one chase (as the last book did at times). The last one worked for pure scare factor, this was more fun, but there are many better thrillers out there. Oh, and why is Nasaw always trying to show us that he must have scored well on his Verbal SATs? I wonder what he is trying to overcompensate for. Still, I'd welcome another Pender novel, but I hope he enjoys his retirement first.

Fear?.......2004-01-27

I'm being generous with a 2 star rating, gripping this story was not. I had put this book down several times and it was shear stubbornness that I made myself finish it. Revealing the killer in the first quarter of the book lost my interest.
I experimented in reading the remaining chapters by skipping all sections that had reference to the killer 'Simon'and a really obscure section dealing with his sister. This did not present any problems in following the storyline. I have read many thriller stories dealing with FBI investigations and this had to be the sloppiest. Skipping sections of the book sped up the reading considerably and shortened the story, thankfully.
If this killer was using 'fear', it was a poor attempt. Just pick anyone off the street and torture them, you'll get the same results. I really want to give this one star, I'm just sorry that I spent the time finishing it.

FDR and Fear Itself: The First Inaugural Address (The Library of Presidential Rhetoric)

Average customer rating:

Absolutely fascinating

FDR and Fear Itself: The First Inaugural Address (The Library of Presidential Rhetoric)
Davis W. Houck
Manufacturer: Texas A&M University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585441988

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely fascinating.......2007-01-05

While researching a book about the 1936 murder of the writer Carl Taylor, I came across "FDR and Fear Itself," a book that talks quite a bit about Raymond Moley, FDR's speechwriter who would later become Carl Taylor's editor. I was interested in reading it, and I was not disappointed. In fact, of all the books I've read in my research, this was certainly one of the best.
This book tells the amazing story of FDR's famous 1932 presidential address -- the one in which he declared to America, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." It tells how Raymond Moley, Roosevelt's primary speechwriter crafted the speech, how Roosevelt and a handful of others helped shape and polish it, and the unbelievable effect the speech had on the then-desperate American public. Many wanted Roosevelt to take charge of America as a dictator after hearing him speak, and the letters this book presents to that effect are absolutely fascinating.
The book is cleanly, concisely, understandably written, and would almost certainly be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in American history. It portrays Roosevelt, his wife Eleanor, and Raymond Moley as fascinating and intriguing individuals, and -- for being a scholarly account of the writing of a speech -- is surprisingly page-turning. I couldn't put it down.
I do wish that the book had told a little more about what happened after the speech -- about how Raymond Moley eventually became one of the biggest opponents of the New Deal he had helped to introduce, about Moley's founding of "Today" magazine (now a part of "Newsweek"), and about how Roosevelt DID become somewhat dictatorial later on, with four terms in office and the cruel internment of thousands of Japanese-Americans during World War II. That all that was only touched upon can be forgiven though, because the book's focus is primarily the famous speech itself, and that focus gives it a dynamic drive.
It's a great book, and one I'll probably read again someday.

Green Lantern: Fear Itself (Green Lantern)

Average customer rating:

Waste of money!
Visually stunning
A good read, but not enough for perfection
Lanterns Light
An Entertaining Read-Outstanding Artwork

Green Lantern: Fear Itself (Green Lantern)
Ron Marz
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563893118

Book Description

The Green Lanterns of three generations, Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, and Kyle Raynereach face a foe that brings their greatest fears to life. The story begins in the 1940s, moving through the 1960s, and concludes in the 1990s, bringing three heroes to life through incredible, computer manipulated-photography.

Customer Reviews:

Waste of money!.......2006-01-08

Wow! This book is bad! I bought it because I'm a huge Hal Jordan/Green Lantern fan and I keep an open mind for all interpretations of his story. Unfortunately, the artwork on this project is so muddy and dark that it's nearly incomprehensible. Had I not seen this type of "let's be artsy" approach before, I would have assumed my copy was messed up by the printer and asked for a new copy.

If (like me) you think Hal Jordan's best work resulted from the Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams pairing in 1970-'71, be aware that "Fear Itself" is 180 degrees different in every way.

Visually stunning.......2004-04-05

This book is worth the price alone for Brad Parker's stunning paintwork. You'd be hard pressed to find a better illustrated graphic novel out there and the visual impact alone is sure to satisfy long-time fans of the GL as well as draw in new readers. The writing does not quite live up to the high standard of the artwork but is still perfectly serviceable and offers a very cohesive, easy-to-digest storyline spanning 3 generations of the GL. Well worth your time.

A good read, but not enough for perfection.......2002-04-26

This is one of those graphic novels, to sum things up for fans only. IT's a great story don't get me wrong. It's just not for everyone.

The story spans three generations of the Green Lantern. Starting in WW2 with Alan Scott, then proceeding to Hal Jordon, and ending with Kyle Rainer. The story starts off with some Nazis attempting to summon a deomn inside the eye of osiris. Instead they awaken a creature who craves energy. It's primary attack is to induse your worst fear upon the character. In that image they are virtually paralyzed unless they can overcome this problem. Alan Scott confronts his worse fear and than we proceed to story two.

Story two starts off with Hal Jordon trying out a new jet for the US Military. In the test it's shot down by a Russian sub which is carrying off the remains of the creature. Hal inadvertadly awakens the creature and then the battle begins. He to is forced to face his worse fear before he can defeat the creature for good.

The final story revolves around the final Green Lantern Kyle Rainer. He is still uncertain about his new gift and is low in the imagination department. When in an art museum he finds a radical priest wannabe preaching about god decending from earth in the form of the dormant creature. Kyle inadvertadly awakens it once again and the final confrontation occurs. In the end The creature is finally defeated and all is well in the world.

This definetly more for fans because it shows us readers what it is each one fears. It really has no meaning to the main storylines themselves but it's good sidetrack for those who like the series. Mostly because of the difference in costume, charcters, and the story as a whole.

Lanterns Light.......2002-03-16

Ron Marz. Green Lantern. Need I say more? This man worked WONDERS with GL the last few year. Fear Itself is a great read and Ron outdoes himself again! I highly recomend all the other Green Lantern books and JLA books here on Amazon. As well as Nightwing too! That whole series is just amazing...

An Entertaining Read-Outstanding Artwork.......2001-07-17

...I considered [the book] to be a good, entertaining read about this beloved hero(s). I then reviewed the book again and determined that the book is good, but that it probably upsets some Green Lantern purists.

Since, I'm not particularly a Green Lantern devotee, the story appeared fresh and interesting. The story generates a sense of history and tradition as it chronicles three generations of "Laterns": Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, and Kyle Rayner and how they deal with the same enemy. The story is probably a little short and that is the downfall. Character development of the villian is sometimes as important as the hero in bringing enthusaism in the plot. This, however, does not negate the interesting link with each of Earth's Lanterns.

The artwork is great! Art is often a matter of taste, but the skill involved of using different mediams in this book is truly excellent and criticism in this aera is not warrented. I think non-Green Lantern fans may enjoy this read very much - for the Lantern purists, I don't know.

Average customer rating:

Excellent resource

A very interesting plunge into humanity's dark side.

Significant. Easy for the lay person to understand.

Fear Itself: The Origin and Nature of the Powerful Emotion that Shapes Our Lives and Our World
Rush W. Dozier
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Why We Hate

The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life

The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things

ASIN: 0312247249

Amazon.com

Fear gets a bad rap. Which other emotion can keep us from being killed? Of course, such a powerful tool can be troublesome if it gets out of control, so it behooves us to at least try to understand it. Science writer Rush W. Dozier Jr. has examined the topic carefully and reported back with Fear Itself, a highly readable guide to the biology and psychology underlying fight and flight.

What is fear? Surely not just little parcels of adrenaline squeezed into our bloodstream. Dozier identifies three kinds: the primitive fear system, the rational fear system, and consciousness, which he believes developed primarily as a means for relatively defenseless hominids to handle dangerous situations. Describing these systems and their interactions using personal examples, stories from people in stressful situations, and scientific sources, he paints a picture of an invaluable system that is delicate and ripe for exploitation. (At one point, he lists the stories broadcast on an L.A. news program that seem to be designed only to provoke anxiety in viewers.) Suicide, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder all make appearances here, examples of fear gone awry. But it's not all bad; throughout the book, and especially in the last chapter, Dozier stresses fear's great value to us and suggests that by thoroughly integrating our three "systems" we might find ourselves happier, healthier, and even (when needed) heroic. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

What are you afraid of?In Fear Itself, Pulitzer-nominated science author Rush W. Dozier, Jr., takes on such challenging questions as: What is fear? Where does it originate? What purpose does it serve? He reveals how our daily lives are shaped by fear, and yet, how it also pushes us to fulfill our greatest potential. Succeeding in making complicated points of modern neuroscience both accessible and fascinating, Dozier takes us on a thriling journey through the science of the brain and the everyday reality of this most human emotion.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent resource.......2003-09-22

I highly recommend this book as an intelligently written, well researched account of fear, our first emotion from birth. As the previous reviewer commented, this is not a self-help book and makes no pretensions to that. Thankfully (as I find most self-help books excessively subjective and "feelings-based"), it an academic and objective study of what fear is to a human. I am a fan of the horror genre, hence my initial interest, but I recommend this to anyone, as it is neither dry (very readable) nor exclusive to my interests. One of my favorites on the subject.

A very interesting plunge into humanity's dark side........1999-05-19

The author writes with supreme knowledge on the subject of fear, it's causes, it's origins, it's nature. Biologically and emotionally, he takes us step by step through this sordid emotion, leaving us with a better understanding of our nature. Though a bit too technical at times for the average reader, still an excellent study and an emotional journey through our darkest side. I was anticipating a bit more advice on how to overcome fears, however, and would have preferred more discussion in that area. I recommend this book for anyone interested in human emotion.

Significant. Easy for the lay person to understand........1998-11-03

I like it. It is easy for the lay person to understand. Accessible. Well written. Relevant

Average customer rating:

Good Newcomer

Doctor Who: Fear Itself (Doctor Who)
Nick Wallace
Manufacturer: BBC Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0563486341

Book Description

In the 22nd Century, a few short years of interstellar contact have taught Man a hard lesson: there are powerful, unstoppable, alien forces abroad that are nightmare manifest. It's a realization that deals a body blow to Man's belief in his own superiority and leaves him with the only option he has ever had: to fight. When the Doctor and his friends are caught in the crossfire, they find suspicion and paranoia running rampant, with enemies to be seen in every shadow. The fight against alien forces is no job for an amateur, and for a Doctor only just finding his way in the universe again, one misstep could be fatal.

Customer Reviews:

Good Newcomer.......2006-02-08

So just as the book series ends, BBC makes a real find in newcomer Wallace. He has a crisp intelligent writing style and writes a solid and intriguing science fiction story. As a note this is the only real Eighth Doctor PDA and fits between Earthworld and Vanishing Point.Recommended.

Fear Itself: Inside the FBI Roundup of German Americans during World War II

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Fear Itself: Inside the FBI Roundup of German Americans during World War II
Stephen Fox
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0595351689

Book Description

Originally published as America's Invisible Gulag. Now completely revised with additional chapters on Pearl Harbor and the deportation of Germans from Latin America.

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, the only thing Americans had to fear at home was fear itself, a dread nurtured, ironically, by President Franklin Roosevelt, who had warned the country in 1933 against giving in to panic.

Weaving together first-person interviews and government documents in this one-of-a-kind study, award-winning author Stephen Fox tells the inside story of the internment and exclusion of thousands of German Americans during the Second World War. Officials sought to protect the country from spies and saboteurs, but they strayed far beyond. Soon, political and military leaders, bureaucrats, informants, and suspects became trapped in a dehumanizing web of mutual arrogance, distrust, fear, and panic, where internal security decisions turned on the personality or character of suspects rather than their danger to the country.

Fear Itself is crucial to understanding how the United States stepped so easily into the anxious post-9/11 world of Patriot Acts and homeland security: color-coded terror warnings, ethnic profiling, preventive detention, open-ended incarceration, even for those no longer considered “dangerous,” unchecked executive power, and the loss of citizenship.

Average customer rating:

Fear Itself

Fear Itself: Poems
Stan Rice
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century | Poetry | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0679766006
Release Date: 1997-04-01

Book Description

"In his new collection of poetry, Rice is an expert practitioner of the paranoiac-surreal . . . . His true subject is the uneasy equation between horror and beauty, the 'liquification of flame' and the 'liquid of order.' He is often capable of delivering the instructive surprises of the best poetry."

--Graham Christian, Library Journal

Customer Reviews:

Fear Itself.......2000-03-24

A true artist. Unafraid to search and share, to dig deep into his own heart.

Average customer rating:

Original and intriguing story. Anxiously await a new work!
From science-based mystery to real-to-life romance...
Best book read in a long time
One of the best suspense novels I've read!
Quite a surprise, a bit different

Fear Itself
Barret Schumacher
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 076530130X

Book Description

Devrie gets signals that tell her things that she should have no way of knowing. Her bizarre powers are charming, even amusing to her adoring husband, Reed. Until one of her premonitions comes true: The one about her own violent death.

Customer Reviews:

Original and intriguing story. Anxiously await a new work!.......2003-01-26

I read about this book in the New York Times Book Review and simply had to read it. It did not disappoint!

From science-based mystery to real-to-life romance..........2002-09-17

Couldn't put this one down. It kept my interest on so many dimensions -- I must say, I was sad to reach the last page. If only there were more books like this one!
If you typcially have a hard time staying interested in a book, this is the read for you.

Best book read in a long time.......2002-08-27

20 pages into the book, I said to myself "I got to read his other books"... Hard to believe that this was his first book.
Best book I've read in a long time!

One of the best suspense novels I've read!.......2002-08-18

Combining supernatural abilities with a murder mystery, medical research, relationships and even a little romance, Barret Schumacher has written a page-turning, can't-put-it-down novel! I have only read a few novels that keep my interest and excitement long after the last page, and this has been added to the list. I think I will add it to the top of my favorite discoveries, right up there with Katherine Neville! I highly recommend the book.

Quite a surprise, a bit different.......2002-06-04

Found this book at the library and loved every page of it! I look forward to Mr. Schumacher's next novel (whenever that comes along). I was really surprised that this was his first!

I recommend this for anyone looking for something slightly different.

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