Book Description
Bed-and-breakfast hostess Judith McMonigle Flynn isn't exactly bellowing "Bravo!" over the news that obnoxious opera star Mario Pacetti and his entourage are coming to stay at the Hillside Manor. The world-class tenor is a renowned pain-in-the-neck—a bloated buffoon who could easily eat her out of house and home. So when the puffed-up, would-be Pavarotti inadvertently drinks poison and falls down dead on his tosca, accusing eyes turn to Judith and her amateur sleuthing partner, cousin Renie. Now it's curtains unless the cousins can unmask the real culprit—before a killer's final, fatal encore.
Customer Reviews:
No false notes in this one.......2001-03-07
Judith McMonigle Flynn runs a bed-and-breakfast in the Seattle area. Her latest guests are the egotistical opera star, Mario Pacetti, and his entourage. Judith is led a merry chase while she keeps up with the various demands of this group. She and her cousin Renie decide to go to Pacetti's performance, but during the first show he dies! Since Judith's policeman husband is away at a convention, what's a girl to do but to solve the mystery without him. The plot and its solution are somewhat convoluted but, all in all, this is a satisfying mystery with amusing characters.
I just don't get it!.......1999-09-22
I really want to like this Mary Daheim series of Bed and Breakfast Mysteries. I am a devout fan of her other series, The Alpine books. But time and again I keep shaking my head at the lead character, Judith's, actions. Why in the world would she want her foul mouthed, disagreeable, insulting mother any where near her? Any normal person would be dancing a jig to get some distance between them! And this worrying about what Joe thinks....it's her house, and if he didn't like anything, I'd tell him to take a hike!! Please!
The end to this mystery is so convuluted one would need a chart to try to figure it out. I've read all the previous novels in this series, and keep hoping that they will live up to their sister series, the Alpine novels. Not yet.
I've read much worse books, but this one is certainly no mystery classic.
Seattle's Queen Anne Hill!.......1999-09-11
This is one book in a series of bed-and-breakfast mysteries set in Seattle, Washington. Anyone familiar with the city can tell that the author, Mary Daheim, has changed the place names, but retained the feel of the city in accurate descriptions. Heraldsgate Hill is really Queen Anne Hill. Norway General Hospital is really Swedish Hospital. Papaya Pete's restaurant is really Trader Vics. Donner and Blitzen department store is really the now defunct Frederick and Nelsons. Nordquist is Nordstroms. The Belle Epoch is The Bon Marche, now known just as The Bon. Moonbeams coffee house is really Starbucks, and so on. The descriptions are so accurately and fondly drawn that the reader experiences a warm sense of being there, especially if one has actually lived in Seattle at one time. The relationships of the characters are sometimes feisty but honest and often very funny. I recommend this whole series.
Customer Reviews:
Everyone should pursue his/her dream...even if you happen to be a rooster!.......2007-08-03
With a title and a story line that is affectionately parodying the Leroux classic, the book is a wonderful tale for preschoolers and elementary-aged children. Though it helps to have a little knowledge about opera, it's not a prerequisite for the child. The adult reading the story to the child, however, would benefit by having some awareness, just in cast "inquisitive minds" have any questions.
And they will because of the book's stimulating and vivid artwork and its tantalizing prose.
Opera Buffs Take Note.......2006-08-19
Mary Jane Auch has written a charming picture book, purportedly for kids. "Bantam" does double-duty, however, as a fine coffee table item for opera lovers. The depictions of opera audience and opera cast are right on, and anybody with a sense of humor combined with a taste for opera, will love this. I gave it as a gift to an adult, where it was well-received.
Luigi the rooster wants to sing opera instead of crowing.......2004-06-18
Luigi might have been hatched a bantam rooster, but he clearly has the soul of a great musician who is quickly bored crowing the same old thing every morning. The head rooster disapproves of such showing off, so Luigi goes off farther a field each day so he can sing what he wants without being heard. That is how he first happens to hear the opera music coming from the radio inside the farmer's house. Every day Luigi sings along with the operas on the radio and learns his favorite aria, "La donna e mobile" from "Rigoletto," by heart. Then comes the wonderful day that the radio announced that the Cosmopolitan Opera Company was coming to the local city for three performances of "Rigoletto," and when the farmer and his wife head to the city Luigi slips into the back of their truck.
Of course, Luigi wants to do more than just see the opera, he wants to sing along, and the chief fun in "Bantam of the Opera" is finding out how he is going to get his chance to be an opera star (the solution is something that comes naturally, in a manner of speaking, to chickens). This picture book for young readers is written and illustrated by Mary Jane Auch, who has done other books featuring extremely talented chickens, such as "Hen Lake" and "Peeping Beauty." That last one is obviously the most likely of this particular trio of titles where young readers will instantly recognize the original source material that Auch is fowling, er, I mean, fooling around with. But if these other books lead young readers to check out an opera or a ballet, this would not be a bad thing.
Another Winner of my "Cool Title" Award!.......2002-09-19
Luigi, the barnyard bantam rooster, is bored with plain old "Cock-a-doodle-do." He has aspirations of arias. His favorite is "La donna è mobile" from *Rigoletto.* He loves singing it: "Cock-a-la- DOOdle-lay! Cock-a-la-DOOdle-low!" and he may have his shot at becoming a contender, if the Opera's jealous tenor doesn't carry through with his threat to carve him into cacciatore!
This is fun book for all, richly enhanced by the author's vibrant illustrations.
Something for everyone...........1999-07-16
Colorful, funny something for everyone; but if you're an adult who enjoys opera, you'll get extra delight in reading this book to a little one. If you not an opera buff you'll still enjoy the story and art work!
Average customer rating:
- A bit boring
- Wonderful Conclusion
- Not Free SF Reader
- The secret you've been waiting four books to know: It turns out it's all magic!
- Much more than science fiction
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The Rise of Endymion (Bantam Spectra Book)
Dan Simmons
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Simmons, Dan | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Hardcover | Simmons, Dan | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
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Endymion
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The Fall of Hyperion
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Hyperion
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Ilium
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Olympos
ASIN: 055310652X
Release Date: 1997-08-04 |
Book Description
In The Rise of Endymion, Dan Simmons brings to a triumphant conclusion one of the most celebrated, compelling, and dramatic science fiction sagas of our time. Brilliant, provocative, unfailingly inventive, the odyssey began with the Hugo Award-winning Hyperion, continued through the critically acclaimed The Fall of Hyperion and Endymion, and now ascends to its greatest heights yet....
The final chapter of this magnificent saga begins with two momentous events: the death and resurrection of Pope Julius XV and the coming-of-age of the new messiah. Her name is Aenea and she is the only person who can counter the pope and his plan to unleash the Pax Fleet, the Church's military wing, on a final genocidal Crusade to gain total dominion over the universe. The Church is allied with the infamous AI Core, which has offered immortality to humankind--or at least to those faithful who pledge total obedience to the Church--but at what terrible price? The Core has its own dark motives and secrets, and only Aenea knows what they are.
Aenea, too, has an ally. Her protector, Raul Endymion, onetime shepherd and convicted murderer, finds her in exile undergoing a strange apprenticeship on Old Earth. Here she has gained access to an information matrix created by the Others--the same mysterious Others who moved Old Earth to save it from the Core. But who are these Others? What has Aenea learned from them? And why has Old Earth been turned into a stage upon which cybrids from the past--from John Keats to Frank Lloyd Wright--repeat historical dramas of human genius for purposes known only to the Others?
The answers to these questions must wait. Together with the android A. Bettik, Endymion and his beloved Aenea embark on a final mission to find and comprehend the underlying fabric of the universe. The surprising nature of this medium and Aenea's ability to instruct her growing army of disciples in its discovery and use could provide the one weapon powerful enough to thwart their enemies while liberating humanity. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Shrike--monster, angel, killing machine--has followed them on their intergalactic sojourn and now stands ready to complete its own mission, revealing at last the long-held secret of its origin and purpose.
In The Rise of Endymion, Dan Simmons masterfully weaves together the complex strands of this extraordinary series. He answers all of the unsolved mysteries posed in the earlier volumes and brings the story full circle to the planet Hyperion, where it all began. A work of unparalleled power and vision, The Rise of Endymion is a masterpiece of the imagination by one of our most gifted writers.
Amazon.com
This conclusion of the Hyperion saga (Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, and Endymion) finds Raul Endymion, Aenea, and M. Bettik still on the run from agents of both the Pax and the TechnoCore. But Aenea is reaching maturity, clearly growing into the messiah who will one day bring down the church and stop "the resurrection." One answer lies in Aenea's blood, which she shares with her followers through a ritual of communion; the blood allows anyone to travel through the Void Which Binds, but it cannot coexist with the cruciform that brings immortality. And although Aenea's gift makes her both a power and a danger, she is also a young woman, vulnerable to the forces allied against her.
Customer Reviews:
A bit boring.......2007-09-10
I will try to be laconic, a quality the author apparently lacks. Overall I like the story and the characters, however the story at times gets a little boring. There are pastoral descriptions that run over several pages that I had to skip, otherwise I would have fallen asleep. The science part is rather enjoyable and innovative, the part about the genetic algorithms and their hyper-parasitic nature is rather clever without getting into too many computer science details as to the nature of the algorithm, my only comment at this point is the author's obsession with lengthy forays into minutia of events which ultimately have no relevance to the plot.
Wonderful Conclusion.......2007-09-08
The Rise of Endymion is a wonderful and fitting conclusion to one of the most interesting, broad ranging series in Science Fiction...or just fiction, for that matter...since Asimov's Foundation series. It's inevitable that Simmons won't satisfy everyone; with so many currents running through the previous books many readers are bound to find something to quibble about, whether it's a perceived anti-Christian/Catholic storyline, or the 'quantum love' idea, or planets that routinely have only one ecosystem, or perhaps a feeling that the Shrike wasn't explained well enough given his importance, or any of a number of issues; and they might well be right--but all that would pale into insignificance when regarding the scope of Simmons' accomplishment. What a series this was, with ideas flying fast and furious; and to me, The Rise of Endymion was a most satisfying conclusion. Other reviewers have written about 'tying up loose ends', but that trivial phrase does no justice to the mastery of Simmons' plotting. Yes, what is revealed here conflicts with what we were told in previous books; that the source of the earlier 'information' provided disinformation should come as no shock. Indeed, for me the revelations in this book were almost entirely uniformly satisfying, especially the reason that so much of previous books were spent traipsing around the galaxy in what seemed to me at the time a really unnecessary and awkward plot device designed primarily to show off Simmons' talents at world-building. I was ahead of Simmons on a few crucial plot points, wondering why a particular character couldn't figure out a particular series of events, and I suspect that most thoughtful readers will be, also; but I was behind him on many more and those revelations were so well done that I was in awe of how Simmons so clearly laid the trail as far back as the first book. These were not storylines Simmons hadn't had the time or interest to clear up that "loose ends' implies; they were carefully laid traps, red herrings, tangled stories twisted between present, past, and future for our entertainment. I'd love to see Simmons' notes for the series, those would make fascinating viewing.
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Aenea, along with her protector Raoul Endymion, must try and avoid the fate of almost all messiahs to stop the Catholic Church's genocidal military operation to wipe out all resitance to its plans, and really, the plans of the TechnoCore.
With the help of the Others, a rebel faction of the Core, and a visit to Old Earth, Aenea has to come to understand the nature of the universe, to enable humanity with the power to escape AI domination, and have the ability to face the Church's Pax fleet.
The secret you've been waiting four books to know: It turns out it's all magic!.......2007-08-19
If you are a long time reader of science fiction, you are probably used to a certain amount of disappointment in the later parts of any series. Whether it's the Ewoks in "Return of the Jedi" or the ever less relevant backstory provided by the successive Pern books of Anne McCaffery, every fan has their favorite example of a good concept taken to destruction by a writer with no respect for their own previous work. My own pet peeve up to this point had been the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card, where a compelling character had been destroyed by the author's attempt to combine science and mysticism into a new "rational" religion. Unfortunately, in this last book of the "Hyperion" series Dan Simmons makes exactly the same mistake, and even uses almost exactly the same concept to do it.
What I mean by this is that it turns out that the mysterious power that has been at the edges of every piece of drama for the last two books is a mystical conglomeration of the souls of all the other species in the universe, a conglomeration which is both intrinsically good and, of course, scientifically based. As these sorts of plots are wont to do, this science is also used to "explain" the great philosophies and religions of our past, including Jesus and Buddha.
What is especially annoying about this is that it completely abandons the conflict that drove the first two books and seemed, until nearly the end, to be driving the conflict in the second two as well: There is no mention of a future war between machine and man, between machine ultimate intelligences and super evolved humans. There is in fact so little connection to the events of the first two books that the last two books should, in my opinion, have been written as completely separate entities.
But even more basic, the premise itself rankles. Asserting that wonderful things are possible is what books of the future excel at. Asserting that these wonderful things are possible because we have figured out the science of godhood is just lazy. Because no matter what scientific wrapper you put around it, a god can do anything, and an omnipotent actor is inherently boring. An omnipotent actor IS a deus ex machina who comes not only at the end of the plot, but casts her shadow over the entire previous story with the question "well if you're so powerful, why didn't you just DO something"?
As disappointing as this was, I was still compelled to give the book an extra star for the beautiful language and imagery. Dan Simmons is one of those authors who has built up a lot of credit with me, and I'll still pick up a few more of his books before giving up hope.
Much more than science fiction.......2007-07-25
This book may disappoint the science fiction fans who read the first three books. It slows down, moving away from the intertwined story arcs and space ships of the Hyperion series.
Instead, Dan Simmons offers a vision of hope for our mucked up, violent and tribal world. While pulling together the story lines he left behind, he offers up a vision of love, interconnectedness and acceptance that just might work to help our besotted race survive and advance.
This is fiction at its best: engaging, imaginative, and most of all - inspiring.
Book Description
Erik has the voice of an angel, but the face of a monster. When he takes off his mask, people scream and run away. So he hides himself away in the darkness below an opera house. There, he falls in love with a beautiful singer. But will she be able to return his love?
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Download Description
He lurked in the shadows of the Paris Opera House--a man with the voice of an angel but the face of a monster. His only hope for love is a beautiful soprano who draws him . . . to disaster.
Customer Reviews:
Much better than the 2004 film!.......2006-06-20
(I am 14 years old) The Phantom of the Opera in the Modern Library version was much better than the 2004 film. I loved the film but then I wanted more so I read this. Gaston Leroux characterizes the Erik (The Phantom) so differently from the Don Juan-ish charcter in the film. Erik is just searching and longing for someone to love him as himself, he's not overly lustful or seducing as in the movie. He also isn't attractive beyond his face, but more described by some as a "living corpse." This new idea about Erik made my parents approve of the book more than the movie (they haven't read the book but they said that Erik was too "creepy" in the movie). I love how Leroux tells it as almost a documentary or a report, I haven't read a book told like that before. Although it seems that it would be so much more descriptive and attention holding if he told it as if he were there. Nonetheless I am very satisfied with this book and I will re-read it in the future! I highly recommend this book to adventure/love/suspense/not-so-gruesome horror story lovers! Enjoy!
A better translation for American students.......2006-03-20
Some of my students were asking questions about the book that I was reading. It was Gaston Laroux's, The Phantom of the Opera.
A few tried to read it when I was finished, but many of the references were lost to fourth graders. I ordered this one and they love it! Now, they want me to buy the young reader editions of all the books I read.
Easy to understand.......2006-02-24
This version of The Phantom of the Opera is an excellent one for beginning readers and adults as well. For beginners, it is an easy-to-understand way to introduce the classic work. But this is also true for older readers. The unabridged version is an excellent book, but it might be hard to follow or just plain intimidating for many readers. Reading the Stepping Stone version first will give a clear understanding of the book. For instance, time jumps around in the regular version - and the history of the Phantom isn't even given until the very end. The Stepping Stone version proceeds from start to finish with the normal time frame. Readers who enjoy the book, will find the transition to reading the "real" book much easier. Stepping Stones are a great way to ease kids and adults into classic reads.
Worth re-reading........2005-12-02
This story comes off as a pretty typical penny-dreadful sort of tale at first glance, but there are subtle themes that are not apparent on the first read. I won't bore with details, but it is an unusually rich, human story despite the somewhat fantastical setting and the exaggerations inherent in the character of Erik.
Speaking of Erik (that's "The Phantom" to those of you who don't know), he's one of the best villians I've encountered in a while, right up there with Darth Vader. he is capable of extreme wickedness, but is still sympathetic, and those are always the villians that you remember. While Andrew Lloyd Webber did a fair job of adapting this tale to the stage and eventually film, much changed in the process, particularly Erik. He is not so slick in this book as he is in the musical, and definitely a bit more crazy, but I actually prefer Leroux's original to the derivative. The 2004 film did not quite do justice to this complex story and those who have only seen the film and no other form of the Phantom story ought to do themselves a favor and read the book.
In reference to the specific edition I purchased, the Greg Hildebrandt illustrated one, it is not, as has been mentioned in some reviews above (probably due to the fact that Amazon has made an unholy mess by crossing reviews from the umpteen different versions of this book), an abridged version. There are distilled children's editions out there, one by Peter Neumeyer, and another in the Illustrated Classics series but this isn't a children's edition despite the illustrations. This is, as far as I can tell (at least by comparing it to the free Gutenberg Project version) a complete translation of the original French text. I bought this edition specifically for the illustrations, which I enjoy, but some people do not care for the Hildebrandt style. If you like this artist, though, it is worth having for the pictures alone.
The Phantom of the Opera.......2005-12-01
If you're looking for a scary love story, then this is the book for you! Eric has the voice of an angel but the face of a monster. When he takes his ask off people scream and run away. So, he hides himself away in the bottom of the opera house.
Eric falls in love with a beautiful singer named Christine. Christine is forced to love him but she loves another man named Raul. Raul knows about the phantom and wants to hurt him.
The phantom scares everybody by turning the lights off and tacks Christine to his dungeon there she sees Raul in the dungeon...but you will have to read the book to hear the ending.
Amazon.com
Jordan McKell thinks he's pretty unlucky, but most of us would gladly trade places with him. He's a freelance star-freighter captain who plies the hyperspace folds between worlds, trading exotic goods and meeting bizarre aliens. His latest job, to pilot the Icarus and its sealed cargo to earth, seems simple enough, but it rapidly turns into a crisis of interstellar proportions. The man who hired him goes missing, governments and the underworld alike put a price on the Icarus and on McKell's head, and one of his crew is murdered. He'll need to call upon his wits, his courage, and even a few tricks if he wants to survive.
Space opera veteran Timothy Zahn, a Hugo award winner and author of the bestselling Star Wars Thrawn trilogy, brings us a tale that's as convoluted and complex as a hyperdrive motor. Although there's plenty of action both in space and on the ground, The Icarus Hunt is primarily a murder mystery. Chapter by chapter, even page by page, the list of suspects and their motivations grows and evolves, constantly shifting as McKell relentlessly cuts through webs of deception and subterfuge. But the murder is only the opening move in a game that could alter the power structure of hundreds of solar systems. Zahn always provides an entertaining ride through the galaxy, and readers will find him very much in his element with this book. --J.B. Peck
Book Description
From Timothy Zahn, Hugo Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of two landmark Star Wars® series, comes an original new tale featuring a renegade space pilot, his unusual alien partner, and an unknown cargo that can change the course of galactic history.
Jordan McKell has a problem with authority. Unfortunately for him, the iron-fisted authority of the powerful Patthaaunutth controls virtually every aspect of galactic shipping. In order to survive, Jordan ekes out a living dabbling in interstellar smuggling for outlaw concerns that represent the last vestiges of free trade in the galaxy. So when Jordan and his partner, Ixil--an alien with two ferret-like "outhunters" linked to his neural system--are hired by a mysterious gentleman to fly a ship and its special cargo to Earth, they jump at the job.
Caution has never been one of Jordan's strong suits. But this time he may have taken on more than even he can handle. The ship, Icarus, turns out to be a ramshackle hulk, the ragtag crew literally picked up off the street, and the cargo so secret, it's sealed in a special container that takes up most of the cramped and ill-designed ship. As if that weren't bad enough, it looks like the authorities already suspect something is afoot, there's a saboteur aboard, and the Icarus appears to be shaking apart at the seams.
It doesn't seem as if things could get any worse. That is, until a beautiful crew member helps McKell uncover the true nature of the cargo he's carrying. With his enemies closing in on the lumbering Icarus, the unknown saboteur still aboard, and authorities on Earth pressured to turn them in, McKell and Ixil become fugitives. Their only chance is to stay one step ahead of their pursuers as they try to make it home.
A bold and epic novel filled with unrelenting action and a good dose of humor,
The Icarus Hunt is a wild hyperspace romp through the galaxy.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
A very good yarn, with some twists you don't necessarily see coming.
Noir in space? Your standard down on his luck guy, struggling to get
along in space, comes across something. He has various entanglements
with local and not so local crime figures to try and sort out. However,
all is most definitely not what it seems as you get much further into
the book.
Spiral - star gate.......2007-05-03
Major Jordan McKell, Earthguard Military Intelligence, detached on Special Covert Branch and Colonel Ixil T'adee Kalixiri Special command for Drug Enforcement. "Our job these past twelve years have been to work our way inside the spiral worst drug an gunrunning organizations and try to bring them down."
1. Everette is the killer. Everette received instructions from Johnston Scotto Ryland, Brother John. McKell owned Johnston a ½ million commarks in currency debt. McKell tells the crew that Ryland was teaching him a lesson in obedience and McKell tells Everette, "I got the message". McKell works for Ryland and Mr Antoniewicz, who are power drug lords. Ryland protects Antoniewicz. Antoniewicz has over a 1,000 warrants for his arrest across the spiril. Brother John is also a reclusive figure.
2. Problems start when McKell diverted to Meima, instead of continuing on to Xathru and snitches reported the diversion too Ryland, the crime boss became suspicious and believed McKell guilty of treason. Everette was assigned to follow McKell. Everette tails Cameron, clobbers the medic Everette hired as a team member, and take his place, as a member of Icarus. Everettes secret is short lived because Cameron boards Icarus through a secret Hatchway on top of the engine. Cameron tells McKell that he interrupted Everette before he could complete the mixture of lethal chemicals designed to kill Ixil. The sequence leading up to the physical confrontation included: Cameron listening in on plans to examine the Icarus cargo by cutting through the wall; Cameron prevents the probe by causing Ixils torch accident; Everette plans to kill Ixil while he is in his recovery coma; and Cameron confronts Everette and is knock out with a one-two punch; Everette contacts Najiki custom and informs them that Icaru is smuggling gemstones; and Everette must flee Icarus before the Najiki arrive, supposedly chasing Shawn, who has become disease crazed are managed to break free. Icarus's wealth is accidently discovered by Everette and reported to Ryland. Everette believes that Jones is Jordans partner and order his death. Everette tries to put the blame on the path, who have place martial law over Earth and orders preventing any human from assisting the Icarus crew. Everette deflects suspicion by staging the deaths of the Ikyams and then shooting himself, staging his own accident.
3. McKell uses the whereabouts of Cameron, as a bargaining chip with Antoniewicz in exchange for the lives of Ixil, Tara, and himself. Antoniewicz turns back on his deal, but the star chamber works against him, liberating McKell.
4. Alexandar Borodin is Arnon Cameron, the industrialist and funder for the construction of Icarus and salaries of the crew. Cameron offers McKell 3,000 commarks to fly him out of Meima, but he never arrives at the star ship. Instead, Cameron sends a letter stating, "Due to circumstances beyond my control, I will not be able to accompany you and the Icarus after all. I must therefore trust in your honor to take theship and its cargo to Earth without me.
5. Tara is Cameron's daughter. Tara operates the computer that controls the alien star drive. McKell latter tells Tara the secret of Icarus that Icarus is not a star drive but a star gate. Tara is the one of turned on the gravity involved in chort's accident to protect the hiding place of Cameron.
6. The Patth control all the trade routes and want control of the star drive.
Homage to Alistair MacLean.......2006-11-09
It's obvious from the review comments that the vast majority of people reviewing this book (both those who liked it and those who didn't) have no idea what they are reading. This book is, plain and simple, an homage to Alistair MacLean.
Furthermore, it is right up there with the best of the MacLean thrillers (Circus, Breakheart Pass, Where Eagles Dare, Guns Of Navaronne). The plot twists and hidden identities follow the MacLean patterns exactly, as does the intentionally ambiguous first-person narration, in which the main character tells you he is hiding something from you but does not tell you what it is.
Zahn's later novel Night Train To Rigel is similar, but the MacLean influence is toned down a bit and elements of Hitchcock, Noir, and horror films are woven in as well.
However, taken as a whole, The Icarus Hunt works somewhat better than Night Train To Rigel.
Interesting work from Zahn.......2006-08-27
This is an interesting mystery novel from Timothy Zahn set in outer space. The other reviews here give you plenty of details regarding the story so I thought I should only point out a few things I particularly enjoyed:
1) The novel is hard to describe according to type or genre. It is a sci-fi novel wrapped around a mystery story with buddy story elements thrown in. Overall, the novel is thoroughly satisfying on all counts when you realize what Zahn is doing.
2) Zahn packs a few interesting plot twists that will have you continuously guessing. Nothing will prepare you, however, for the surprises at the end. Sorry, you will be suckered and surprised no matter how smart you are.
Boring and Tedious.......2006-02-13
Thought from the cover this could be interesting. Turned out to be predictable, cliched, full of stupid characters and barely made and effort to push the limits science. Dashing about in space ships happens in each SF novel and Mr Zahn really has to try harder to make his book more than a whodunnit with laser beams. I shall not read any more of his 'novels' for really; Novel they are not!
Average customer rating:
- War of the Worlds on a global scale!
- Great concept, barely average execution.
- Could have been better
- Some good stories.
- Possibly better than the novel that inspired it.
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War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches (Bantam Spectra Book)
Kevin Anderson
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
Anthologies | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion As Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells
ASIN: 0553103539
Release Date: 1996-05-01 |
Customer Reviews:
War of the Worlds on a global scale!.......2003-03-03
What if the Martian Invasion had happened all over the world? And what happens if it's witnessed by all the great authors, such as Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein and Teddy Roosevelt? From China to Cuba, from Paris to New Orleans, from Africa to Canada follow the reports of the alien invasion. Most of the stories are very good but some are old, like 'Night of the Cooters' which is a cool story about Martians against Texas Rangers, and some don't seem to fit with the rest of the stories, like 'Paris Conquers All' in which the aliens and the machines are NOT the same used in the other stories.
Great concept, barely average execution........2000-11-09
Spreading H.G. Wells's "War of the Worlds" around the Earth and having famous people encounter the Martians was a wonderful idea. Too bad that for the most part the original PLOT was also spread around the world as well, with comparatively little to differentiate the famous people from anyone else. Other than to note that I was seriously surprised that Robert Silverberg did not do better in his entry (featuring Henry James), I will refer to the stories by star rather than author. The best ones were the ones featuring the Dowager Empress of China (which was rightly included in the Year's Best), Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Carter (which nevertheless could have been developed MUCH more than it was), Jack London, Joseph Conrad, and H.P. Lovecraft. The James, Picasso, Texas Rangers, Pulitzer, Tolstoy, Twain, and to a lesser extent Kipling and Churchill were basically retellings of the same plot over and over and over. The Roosevelt was distinctive but too restricted by its format, the Lowell distinctive but restricted by its pre-invasion tone. The Einstein suffered from vagueness (all of the sudden time inside the Martian war machine is relative, no explanation for the implications of that), the Verne was ridiculous, and the Dickinson...well, it obviously wasn't serious and so didn't fit in with the rest of the book. All in all, I'd say this was reasonably entertaining reading, but not NEARLY as marvelous as it could have---SHOULD have been.
Could have been better.......1999-02-24
The idea for this colection is such an intriguing one, but the majority of the stories are poorly conceived - the Henry James entry is almost a point by point recounting of the original work except for the "surprise" ending (and begins with one of the longest sentences I've ever read). I had to force myself to finish the majority of them. A few, however, are quite enjoyable; for example, the Lovecraft story, in which his style is exaggerated to the point of hilarity. This book is really just something to pass the time - light entertainment, nothing more.
Some good stories........1998-11-27
This had "Soul Selects her own Society...." which won a Hugo, & "Foreign Devis" which won a sideways. I found some of the sexual detail in foreign devils irritating, but I love the Chinese flavor. (Fairly knowledgable on China too) Soul... was pretty funny, but perhaps too dry for some. Other standouts were mentioned by the others. Since many great stories come from theme anthologies it's perhaps unwise to make hard & fast rules about them. Some of these stories I read first @ asimov's
Possibly better than the novel that inspired it........1998-10-18
I was absoloutley blown away by the quality of this book. The stories from the viewpoints of Roosevelt, Twain, Joe Pullitzer and the Texas Rangers are just as entertaining (and may even be better) than Wells' original masterpiece. Best read with Jeff Wayne's musical version of War of the Worlds playing in the background, at night.
Product Description
Set of 4 paperbacks by Mary Daheim in her Bed and Breakfast mystery series: Bantam of the Opera, September Mourn, Major Vices, & Auntie Mayhem.
Product Description
Paperbacks
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- Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan Novels)
- Close Your Eyes (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards))
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