Ghosts of the Abyss: A Journey Into The Heart of the Titanic

Book Description

A breathtakingly illustrated true tale of adventure and discovery to tie in with a groundbreaking new 3-D large-screen movie from the director-producer of Titanic.

In the late summer of 2001, James Cameron, the director-producer of the highest-grossing picture in Hollywood history, led a new deep-diving expedition to the wreck of the lost liner Titanic. With him was a team of underwater explorers that included the artist Ken Marschall, the historian Don Lynch, and two actors from the movie, Bill Paxton and Lewis Abernathy (who played Brock Lovett and Lewis Bodine). Their equipment included state-of-the-art digital 3D cameras, a pair of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and a specially built deep-water lighting platform that illuminated the fabled ship as never before. In a series of historic dives they filmed deep inside the ghostly liner, obtaining haunting, never-before-seen images.

In spring 2003, this remarkable journey into the heart of the Titanic will be presented coast-to-coast in a digital 3D giant screen film, Ghosts of the Abyss. For those who will be drawn anew to the story of the Titanic, as well as for those who have never stopped being fascinated by the ship's tragic fate, Ghosts of the Abyss will be a revelation in pictures and words. Cameron compellingly describes just what keeps him returning to the Titanic, and the meticulous journals kept during the dives form a dramatic adventure narrative. But what will truly astonish are new, incredibly vivid images from within the ship's staterooms and public rooms, matched with archival images from 1912 and new paintings and diagrams--a "then-and-now gallery" that captures as never before the history, the drama, and the legend of the Titanic.

Customer Reviews:

Ghosts of the Abyss: A Journey Into The Heart of the Titanic.......2007-04-01

Bought for my grandson's 7th birthday. He loved it, he is into everything Titanic right now. Even my husband loved it book, as did his father.

She still stands as a silent sentinel..........2007-02-18

This book is an excellent tribute to those who designed,built and sailed on the world's most famous ship. It is also a fine tribute to those who sacrificed so much to find the ship laying on the ocean floor,at a depth of 2 1/2 miles below the surface,375 miles SE of Newfoundland,and 1,000 miles due East of Boston; and bringing back to us, in unimaginable detail ,how this magnificient ship, in all her splendor, looks today in her final resting place.For many decades ,there was wild speculation of how the ship would look after so many years under such great pressures and even if she could ever be found. All that speculation has been resolved,thanks to the efforts of these determined and talented people.Not only have they found her,visited her,returned with fantastic photographs;but have also done a superb job of sharing it with us through Motion Pictures,Documentries, beautiful,haunting and imaginative drawings and keepsakes such as this dazzling book.
Where this book shines is that it shows what things originally looked like ,using actual pictures at the time;and then showing what they look like now,after over 90 years of ravages by time and elements.
While the photos alone would make this an exiquisite volume,the text covers much information on the ship,how events unfolded and why things happened the way they did.
The painting by artist Ken Marschall of the Titanic, majestically forging ahead ;while she is being fatally ripped open by the iceberg shows the spirit of man against all odds of nature;and even though man is often set back,he refuses to be defeated. This scene in History is reminiscent of the spectacular explosion and loss of life with the Challenger Spaceship.We all owe a gerat debt of gratitude to the artists who portray images such as Marschall and who have the imagination and talent to paint such a picture as is on page 35, showing the Titanic breaking up,the many unfortunate passengers and crew heading with the ship to their watery graves;while a few fortunate are saved.The lifeboat with its few survivors ,where the artist shows that while some look on,others can't even bear to watch.While photographers can produce excellent images of events,if they get the opportunity;it takes an artist to record events like this.
The book is dedicated to those who perished on April,15,1912,and on September 11, 2001. As the world watched the events of 9/11,the crew who gave us the scenes in this wonderful book,were actually at sea ,diving on the Titanic.
We need books like this to remind us of the hopes, struggles and endurance of Man against both the forces of Nanure ,as with the Titanic and and the Evils of Man, as we saw on 9/11.

Ghosts of the Abyss: A Journey Into The Heart of the Titanic.......2007-01-11

Awesome, in every sense of the word... One of the best books on the wreck i have ever viewed and it ties in brilliantly withthe movie which is probably one of my favourites too! I recommend this to any Titanic bod..

Going to an abyss can be a good thing.......2006-08-13

This book is a welcome additon to any on the RMS Titanic. Its not just history but of the crew of the deep sea submarine. The Titanic always captures ones imagination. This book shows the wear, and tear that nature is bringing the wreck of the Titanic. Its sad how much has changed since her discovery by Bob Ballard. The book goes into depth through pictures, and artwork of famed painter Ken Marschall. What is happening to the liner is awful. I also can respect a book that goes to the abyss without raping the Titanic that is a graveyard too, that deserves to be left alone to its fate by nature. Thank you for Amazon for allowing me to review this book, and give a little opinion on the subject of Titanic.

Haunting.......2006-08-06

"Ghosts of the Abyss" features a collection of the greatest Titanic Wreck images to date. Cameron has wandered into areas of the ship inquiring minds like my own have often wondered about. The contrast of the Titanic then to what she is now reveals the tragic aspects of this signifciant historical disaster. What was by far catching were several 3-D models present here and there such as the Grand Staircase among other locations within the ship. The angles of the images taken and lighting of the wreck were brilliant. If anything, the rare images of the D-Deck vestibules make the book worth the price. A must have for anyone who is captivated by the former elegance of the ship of dreams.

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Sad but true
Much more than an AIDS memoir
Dissection of a heart
What is Love?
Heartfelt Story of Love

Geography Of The Heart
Fenton Johnson
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671009834

Amazon.com

In 1990, Larry Rose, the partner of novelist Fenton Johnson, died of complications from AIDS. In Geography of the Heart, Fenton, author of Scissors, Paper, Rock, Songs of the Soil, and Crossing the River, honors Rose with a beautifully written memoir. Alternating between his own story and Rose's as far back as childhood, Johnson fashions a moving portrait of the man who was "a teacher, [who] taught me how to love."

Book Description

From the author of the award-winning novels Crossing The River and Scissors, Paper, Rock comes a powerful book about the transformative power of love. Fenton Johnson recounts the history of "how I feel in love how I came to be with someone else, how he came to death and how I helped." Johnson interweaves two stories: his own upbringing as the youngest of a Kentucky whiskey maker's nine children, and that of his lover LarD Rose, the only child of German Jews. survivors of the Holocaust.

Customer Reviews:

Sad but true.......2007-05-13

AIDS memoirs became a rather popular genre in the 1990s. Geography of the Heart fits well into this genre, yet transcends the majority of these books, largely because of Fenton Johnson's deep, faith based observations and beautiful prose. The book is, of course, sad, yet the prose moves us to an understanding of the meaning of love and the factors which discourage us from entering into this most vulnerable state. It also talks about the deep transformation that occurs when we let down our guard and allows us to love, in spite of risks involved in all relationships. This is challenging as well as encouraging. I found Geography of the Heart to be well worth reading.

Much more than an AIDS memoir.......2003-11-16

Two very dissimilar men meet in San Francisco, fall in love, and one cares for the other as he dies of AIDS in Paris in 1990. That's it, on the surface. But Fenton Johnson's exquisite memoir goes much deeper to explore the depths of a relationship that didn't stand much chance when it began. Rose, HIV+ but aware of his status, was asymptomatic when he met Fenton. Rose was the only child of Holocaust survivors whose father escaped the Nazis and hid for three years with broken vertebrae. Fenton, OTOH, grew up the youngest of nine in a Catholic family in isolated Appalachia.
Johnson writes with crystal clarity of his working through fear, toward grief and into eventual emotional renewal.
Beautiful.

Dissection of a heart.......2002-06-27

Rarely does a book come along which changes the way you see things. Johnson writes with such command and passion that you are immediatly drawn into his world. I started this book when I was in low spirits and the book quickly made me see the brighter sides of life. Although, its about the death of the loved one the way Johnson writes it doesnt make it fall into the catergory of a b-rate tear jerker. Its more about coming to terms with love, death and life. The reasons to live are the central plot rather then the reasons to die.

I weeped at times but at times inwardily smiled because Johnsons perceptions and fears are so human, just like the rest of us!

I suggest this book strongly for all those who want to get a little closer to reality.

What is Love?.......2002-02-03

If you want to know the true meaning of "Love", read this book! Mr. Johnson has written a highly moving and emotional account of his life's journey with his (now deceased) partner-Larry Rose. Two men who came together from two extremely different upbringings shared a life a love together that few of us ever have a chance to have, yet we all yearn for. Their individual families histories alone are worth reading! The writing is strong and effective, although I did have a few problems with it in spots. I cannot deny feeling nothing but joy at having the opportunity to read this excellent book! In an age where the AIDS crisis seems to be forgotten this is an all to important account of how all lives have changed and is a great testament and history lesson to remind us all. Highly recommended!

Heartfelt Story of Love.......2000-05-05

I read a review of this when it first came out and felt that I had to read it. The emotion is so true and heartfelt. I felt the sadness as Fenton and Larry realized they would eventually lose each other because of AIDS. The story of their relationship is a testimony to the strength found in relationships of all kinds. This book helped me appreciate love and my sexuality. It's a must read for all who love life and want to feel how true homosexual love can be.

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The Journey of Lewis and Clark from a different perspective
Indian Tales, Historic & Modern
A prose-poem that peers into the soul of Sacajawea
Sacajawea Deserves Better

Stone Heart: A Novel of Sacajawea
Diane Glancy
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 158567365X
Release Date: 2003-02-24

Book Description

In Stone Heart, Diane Glancy grippingly retells the story of American legend Sacajawea, the young Shoshoni woman who traveled with Lewis and Clark on their expedition to the West. Presented in Sacajawea's voice in the form of a diary, the book makes moving and illuminating fiction out of a famed piece of history that has long been masked by myth. Glancy adds breadth and immediacy to the story by juxtaposing excerpts from Lewis and Clark's diaries with her brilliantly imagined journal of Sacajawea.

Lewis and Clark recorded the external journey; its physical challenges and its wonders. Glancy's Sacajawea experiences the expedition on a different plane, one in which the dream of a small white stone shaped like a beaver is emblematic of the thin membrane between the worlds of the mundane and the magical. Sacajawea hears the clouds talking, feels the thunderous hooves of ghost horses, and savors the wetness where a buffalo calf licks her arm from the other side.

In Stone Heart, the Lewis and Clark Trail springs back to life in a stunning work of imagination that vividly depicts the day-to-day tasks, ordeals, and triumphs of the famed expedition. At once a trail uncovered and a life revealed, Stone Heart draws a lingering portrait of a woman of resilience and courage.

Customer Reviews:

The Journey of Lewis and Clark from a different perspective.......2005-03-15

This is a beautifully written and brilliantly conceived telling of the Journey of Discovery from the imagined point of view of Sacajawea. Ms. Glancy dispensed with the myths surrounding S's role as guide and simply told of the adventures and rigors of the trip from the point of view of a lonely l6-year old mother with a two month old son and a brutal husband. The juxtaposition of Lewis' journal with the views of Sacajawea was fascinating. I loved this book and will remember its magic for quite some time.

Indian Tales, Historic & Modern.......2004-12-01

I read both this and several other novels by the same author,though none of them is easy reading. They are sometimes not the most exciting read but they are well informed about Indian culture and other aspects of history:perhaps the best is her first novel,"Pushing The Bear" about the Cherokee Trail of Tears in 1838. It is both erudite and historical and contains a great deal of grueling detail about the history of this perilous journey filled with treacherous pitfalls and the grim reality of death; also it provides many details about the Cherokee's animistic religion, dance rituals, language and world view. Revd. Bushyhead, a secondary character, is a Christian minister, formerly a Cherokee; the novel also contains conjurers or shamans. "Pushing the Bear" is a metaphorical way the lead character Maritole, a young Cherokee female, has of describing the difficulties of the journey. "Stone Heart" is about Lewis and Clark's journey up the Missouri and Columbia Rivers in 1807, where Sacajawea a Shoshone Indian kidnapped in her youth served as a part-time guide and interpreter. This novel is notable for its numerous excerpts from Lewis's and Clark's actual journals in the margins, as well as for Sacajawea's fictional musings about various aspects of the trip, including many references to her baby Jean Baptiste,who is often sick, to hunted animals, landmarks, horses and to various Indian cultures. Sacajawea was Charbanneau's husband, a rather brutal fellow. A map is also provided which is very helpful.
The two contemporary novels, "Flutie" and "The Mask-Maker", both set in Oklahoma, were also interesting. The first is about an adolescent 1/2 Indian girl from a family of mechanics in Oklahoma with a developmental disability (she can't speak) who eventually overcomes her disability to become a geology teacher. The novel is good at portraying her day-to-day life as well as her mythical or symbolic dreams derived from her Indian heritage which seem to lead to her interest in geology. "The Mask Maker" is about a divorced half -Indian mother of two who becomes a mask- maker and travels to Oklahoma high schools teaching this art. The latter novel also uses the technique of additional text in the margin to clarify or expand on the main text. Her house and trunk of her car are full of her masks. You will be impressed by Diane Glancy's knowledge of Indian history and religion and culture in any or all of these 4 novels. For example, "Flutie" discusses sweat lodges, while "The Mask Maker" has information on the Pawnees and on Pawnee Bill who was a business associate of Buffalo Bill.

A prose-poem that peers into the soul of Sacajawea.......2004-06-08

I read this book a few months ago and couldn't stop thinking about it. Combining excerpts from the journals of Lewis and Clark with a beautifully written prose poem written from Sacajawea's point-of-view, this book, although fiction, gives a realistic voice to the women of this story.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to feel what it must have been like for a women to travel with this group of explorer's on their journey across America.

Sacajawea Deserves Better.......2003-03-10

The mythical status of Sacajawea is seductive indeed, and Diane Glancy attempts to fashion a novel that gives that myth a much needed rest, trying to get into the voice and experience of the "real" Sacajawea, but as always, language is the heart and soul of any recreation of historical voice, and here is where voice fails Glancy. The writing simply is not good enough. The second person narration makes the character a bit too literary, a bit to fashionable, leaving this reader bored by its simplistic syntax and unimaginative detail. Who knows what Sacajawea thought and dreamed! As Irish poet Eavan Boland suggests, one improvises when faced with this mystery. The improvisaiton here is uninspired. The fragments of journals from the expedition, rather than moving the novel along, impede its flow. This novel is considered experimental, I suppose, but the experiment fails. Why? Because the voice and language fail.

David Smith's Mapping the world by heart: An innovative approach to learning geography

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David Smith's Mapping the world by heart: An innovative approach to learning geography
David J Smith
Manufacturer: Tom Snyder Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Chasing the Dragon: Into the Heart of the Golden Triangle

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Shawcross or Kaplan he ain't, but it's a good read
C'mon, it's a great read!
You can't go wrong when you're writing about Khun Sa
This book is a big letdown
Interesting at times, but overall disappointment

Chasing the Dragon: Into the Heart of the Golden Triangle
Christopher R. Cox
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Shore Beyond Good and Evil: A Report from Inside Burma's Opium Kingdom

ASIN: 080505507X

Amazon.com

Cox, a reporter for the Boston Herald, traveled into the Shan State, the lawless region of northern Myanmar (or Burma) that produces much of the world's opium, to interview Khun Sa, the drug warlord who built himself a jungle empire on drug profits and who styled himself a Shan freedom-fighter. Khun Sa, who has since "retired" and lives in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), is a complex character. This account of bearding the devil in his lair combines thorough research, high adventure, and prose pungent with the odor of poppies blooming on remote mountainsides.

Book Description

A reporter's journey into Burma to interview the mysterious drug lord, Khun Sa.

Customer Reviews:

Shawcross or Kaplan he ain't, but it's a good read.......2001-07-23

I just finished reading Cox's book, and while I heartily agree with the criticisms of his literary style (there is a reason that Cox writes for the Boston Herald rather than the Economist or Atlantic), I found parts of it to be very engaging, with only the second-to-last chapter being a disappointment. The epilogue in particular makes up for a lot of slow going towards the end of Cox's Shan State visit. While he attempts to keep the hero worship under control, Cox does not exhibit the maturity that a seasoned writer like William Shawcross does, nor is Cox as adventurous as he seems to believe; the current king of the hill among hardbitten, well-educated nightmare-travel journalists has to be Robert Kaplan, whose penchant for jumping into open graves ought to shame Cox. Nonetheless, I learned a great deal about the history of Burma and the autonomous states within what is now dubbed 'Myanmar'. Cox appears to have assiduously researched his destination, much more than I would expect the author of a ... paperback to have done. Provided one does not demand exhaustive political analyses and policy recommendations from every travel writer on the shelf, this is a light-weight adventure tale which happens to be shelved in the non-fiction category, and should not disappoint those looking for material concerning one of the few remaining mysteries among Southeast Asian countries.

C'mon, it's a great read!.......2000-10-06

Wow. Talk about a peltering! Poor Chris Cox writes a good and entertaining book about his looney adventure in Thailand and Burma, and the critics go ballistic. The venom is astonishing!

Well, the fact is that Chasing The Dragon is a pretty interesting tale, and certainly offbeat considering that it begins with a private mission to find MIAs in SE Asia ... in 1994!

But its more than simply a whacky story. There's a goldmine of history on Burma and Thailand, and I think Cox is one of the few writers to have actually put recent (post-1950) Burmese politics into a coherent framework.

Along the way Cox gets his interview with Khun Sa (the crux of his journalistic mission), and that's quite a coup. But that he also has some adventures; takes Xanax to adjust to his 12-hour jet lag; and describes some of the seamier corners of Asia is not outside the scope of the story. That's the way that travel in Asia often is!

Ecotourists might be offended. There is too much here that doesn't work for that strict Puritanical mindset ("Porno tapes as a gift to Khun Sa! My God!"). But you don't have to be a Robert Pelton fan to understand what's happening in Chasing The Dragon. You just have to have gone off the Lonely Planet path to a world that is markedly different from your own.

You can't go wrong when you're writing about Khun Sa.......2000-02-19

Although Cox's journalistic adventure narrative begins slowly, mired in pretentious descriptions and glamorized, over-dramatized, Hunter S. Thompson wannabe-gonzo bragging, it soon settles into a much more sophisticated groove, bolstered by Cox's significant grasp of Burmese history, Southeast Asian politics, and obligatory willingness to mix with the locals, dabble in a few vices, and refreshingly steer clear of "ugly American" stereotypes and boorish behavior abroad. The meandering of the book, between wandering Thailand's red-light district, sharing the quest of obsessed American POW hunters, and a good deal of astute political analysis, can lose the reader a bit at times, but by the last hundred pages one is fully engrossed, engaged, and rooting for Khun Sa and his ragtag band of drug-financed outlaw good guy rebels, while booing and hissing the bureaucratic US officials who forego supporting the Shan, valiant enemies of the odious Burmese regime, because of our hypocritical and shortsighted "war" on drugs. Sadly, since Cox published this ambitious work, Khun Sa has given up his guns and his poppy fields, betrayed by his own Shan rebels beause of his half-Chinese ancestry and perceived greed, and the old man is now doing lucrative hotel/casino business deals with the Rangoon regime. Oh well, at least Cox got in one hell of a narrative description before this "drug lord" decided to call it quits. Anyway, the relevance of the Golden Triangle to the international smack trade is now fading away, as the Afghan Taliban find that they can endure their diplomatic isolation quite nicely, thank you, by flooding world heroin markets in the name of political Islam.

This book is a big letdown.......1998-06-13

After narrating myriad topographical and geographical details of the region in mostly unreadable, ostentatious prose, Cox finally finds his prey. And what does he do? He sits down and turns on his tape recorder while Khun Sa gives his boilerplate speech. Talk about a "shaggy dog story!" Talk about a waste of time!

Interesting at times, but overall disappointment.......1998-01-27

Cox takes on an ambitious journey to write about his impressions of the Golden Triangle, Khun Sa and the opium trade. While Cox does manage to provide an education regarding the region in terms of history, politics, and society, his writing style is lame. Cox writes in a manner that highlights his lofty opinion of himself; he seems to think he is really cool for taking on a journey which not a lot of others would consider. He likes to address his advertursome life of travel, danger, booze, drugs (Xanax) which seems so self-satisfying. And while his one-liners aren't as pathetic as you'll find in Rambo movies, they're not far behind. Basically, if you think the guys who write for Fielding's Dangerous Places, you may like Cox.

Where the Heart Is: A Celebration of Home

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Where the Heart Is: A Celebration of Home
Julienne Bennett
Manufacturer: Wildcat Canyon Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1885171005

Amazon.com

Like pentimento, when time begins to reveal an old painting that's been covered by a new one, Where the Heart Is rubs away at our surface notions of home, until we begin to see the more interesting vision beneath. Writing from his death row cell in San Quentin, Jarvis Masters describes his battle with filth and cockroaches as he determinedly makes a concrete box a sanctuary. A housecleaner reveals the gossip that only a home's mess can tell. Ram Dass tells his secret for making a Holiday Inn a home. These poems, essays, and rituals speak to home as a state-of-mind that we can build and return to throughout our lives.

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Uluru: Australia's Aboriginal Heart
Caroline Arnold
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0618181814

Book Description

In the middle of the Australian continent, a huge sandstone rock rises more than a thousand feet from the flat desert floor. Formerly known as Ayers Rock, this imposing landmark is now called Uluru, the name given to it by the Anangu, the Aboriginal people who live on the land around it. A site of ongoing geological processes and exceptional beauty, it is unlike any other place in the world. In her signature concise and accessible style, award-winning author Caroline Arnold discusses Uluru's role as a sacred site for the Anangu and how the plants and animals that are part of its natural environment are an integral part of their traditional way of life. She describes the geologic processes that formed the rock's distinctive shape and red color, the land and climate of the central Australian desert, and how wildlife has adapted to the extreme conditions. Arthur Arnold's dramatic full-color photographs highlight the unique features and rich colors of the landscape. The area is protected as a United Nations World Heritage Site. In recognition of the rock's significance to the Aboriginal culture, the Australian government has created the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which is visited each year by thousands of people from all over the world. Glossary, pronunciation guide, index.

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Geography of the Heart
Fenton Johnson
Manufacturer: Washington Square
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0671999834

Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood (Action Packs)

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Fairy Tale Delish!
Fascinating Fantasy
Outstanding work of fantasy!
Beautiful!
This Book is a Treasure!

Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood (Action Packs)
Meredith Ann Pierce
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0142500135

Book Description

First she is Brown Hannah, a drab healer living in the enchanted Tanglewood. Then, when she challenges the magician who holds her captive, she becomes Green Hannah. Next, she is Golden Hannah traveling through the land, with talking animals and birds by her side. And, finally, Russet Hannah, when she makes the long journey back to where she first grew, and learns her true story. This eagerly anticipated novel, Meredith Ann Pierce's first in five years, is well worth the wait.

Customer Reviews:

Fairy Tale Delish!.......2007-04-13

If you are a fan of fairy tales - this is a great book for you. It has the damsel in distress, the knight in shining armour, and the bad old baddie. In the new tradition of fairy tales, there is a lot of character development throughout the book. You learn the characters as they learn themselves.

The plot is easily recognizable, and the writing style familiar, yet there is enough difference and twist added in to keep the story interesting. Familiar and fresh, all at once.

This is for a serious YA reader, a voracious reader, not a YA who only reads if she has to. I would also state that it is a girl's book.

(*)>

Fascinating Fantasy.......2004-12-15

Meredith Ann Pierce is known as a writer for "young adults", and I've seen, and bypassed, her books over the years. For some reason, what I'd seen just hadn't grabbed me. However, I came across the "Treasure At The Heart Of The Tanglewood" and read the inside cover, and said, "Well, that sounds interesting..." And it was.

"Treasure" (I'm going to shorten it for all our sakes) is written in fairy tale format. It doesn't start "Once upon a time..." but it very well could. Instead it begins:
"Brown Hannah dwelt at the verge of the Tanglewood. The Tanglewood rose dark and deep..."

Pierce's writing is appropriately archaic, pleasantly so, and her story of the entrapped maid living on the edge of the Tanglewood, reminded me of some of the work of Patricia McKillip. Brown Hannah lives alone in a cottage except for a magpie, a badger, and some fox kits with whom only she can talk. The local villagers come to her for healings and "simples", but seem very much afraid of her. And although physically she seems to be a teenager, the village grannies remember her.

Once a month she removes various herbs and flowers that grow amidst her hair, and brews a potion for a wizard who lives in the heart of the Tanglewood, and seemingly is her protection against the bad old world.

Her story really begins when she saves a knight who is questing for "the treasure at the heart of the Tanglewood" and is forced to challenge the wizard who instead of her protector, is actually her captor.

As the story moves along, Brown Hannah must set out on a journey across the wide world, and becomes Green Hannah, then Golden Hannah, and finally Russet Hannah. Of course the reader unravels the clues long before our Hannah does, but hey, she hasn't been herself. After all, she HAS been deep under a spell.

The imagery, the use of unusual but appropriate words and terms, and the creation of a beautiful nature myth, make Treasure stand out, and be well worth the reader's time.

Outstanding work of fantasy!.......2004-11-14

If you could only read one fantasy book this year you would not be wrong to choose this one. Meredith Ann Pierce is an exemplary author with a rare attention to detail in both settings and characters. I found her use of the seasons imagery to be both original and fascinating. As the circle of life rotates around the year the main character grows in confidence and awareness of the world around her, leading to a thrilling climax that will lead you clamoring for more.

My only issue with this book was that it was too short. As soon as the climax ended there was no suitable resolution with the main characters. I would very much like to see a sequel to this novel.

Beautiful!.......2004-11-04

I loved this book! After returning it to the library I just had to buy it. In the middle of the book, you could just about figure out the ending but it was so beautifully written that you just have to finish it. I love the main character. You could imagine her beauty. I plan to read it again when I receive my order.

This Book is a Treasure!.......2004-10-06

This book is beautifully written, interesting, and lyrical. I love this author's works, but this one ranks as my favorite. It's just a luscious treat to sit down & read this. I highly, highly recommend it! The story circles about a mysterious young girl who lives in the forest and is able to use magic to heal the nearby villagers, but retains no memories of her past or where her abilities come from. As she untangles the mystery she comes to know more and more about herself and her place in the natural world (and there's a little romance as well). I wish I could give this book a higher rating than I did!

Deep Jungle: Travel to the Heart of the Rainforest

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Deep Jungle: Travel to the Heart of the Rainforest
Fred Pearce
Manufacturer: Transworld Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1903919568
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Book Description

Deep Jungle is an examination of the biodiversity that exists in the jungle and which holds the key to our future foods and medicines, our climate and to our understanding of how life works. We neglect this natural treasure at our peril, argues Fred Pearce.

From the Hardcover edition.

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