Book Description
A short, sleek novel of encounters set in Tokyo during the witching hours between midnight and dawn, and every bit as gripping as Haruki Murakami’s masterworks The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore.
At its center are two sisters—Eri, a fashion model slumbering her way into oblivion, and Mari, a young student soon led from solitary reading at an anonymous Denny’s toward people whose lives are radically alien to her own: a jazz trombonist who claims they’ve met before, a burly female “love hotel” manager and her maid staff, and a Chinese prostitute savagely brutalized by a businessman. These “night people” are haunted by secrets and needs that draw them together more powerfully than the differing circumstances that might keep them apart, and it soon becomes clear that Eri’s slumber—mysteriously tied to the businessman plagued by the mark of his crime—will either restore or annihilate her.
After Dark moves from mesmerizing drama to metaphysical speculation, interweaving time and space as well as memory and perspective into a seamless exploration of human agency—the interplay between self-expression and empathy, between the power of observation and the scope of compassion and love. Murakami’s trademark humor, psychological insight, and grasp of spirit and morality are here distilled with an extraordinary, harmonious mastery.
Customer Reviews:
let's be honest.......2007-10-05
Let's just be honest here and not mince words with our darling author Mr. Murakami. Yes, we all love his earlier work. Hard Boiled Wonderland, Wind Up Bird, Kafka on the Shore are deep bright wells of metaphysical insight and terror. After Dark is just terrible. It's boring, and intellectually light to say the very least. The characters are flat and the plot refuses to budge. I applaud Murakami for his bravery in breaking with his traditional style and his takes on the Japanese I novel and trying something different with his narrative structure, but that alone does not make it an interesting or well written novel, just unique in his oeuvre. Let's not let our love of his previous work cloud our reception of his current novel.
Simple and wonderful.......2007-09-12
Wonderful character studies with hints of Kafkaesque and Lynchian environments. It seems that there is a lot going on under the surface of the world these people inhabit and the different levels people exist on. It also shows beautifully the nature of the mind.
Minor work from major artist........2007-09-10
There are two great philosophical passages in this novel that- had they been attached to characters or a story with more at stake- would have been profound character moments. Instead, they're poorly hidden attempts by the author to include a tidbit of personal, casual conversation. The characters come off as slight and forgettable, and some even border on stereotype. I definitely had the impression that the author stayed outside of these characters and used trivial physical details as camouflage for an absence of real understanding. Call girls, love hotel managers, and musicians who occupy late night Tokyo all have reasons for being there, and Murakami seems to be too hypnotized by the world to investigate it fully. It's as if he wanted his readers to feel that he had kept himself clean of too much involvement.
Teases the Murakami thirst.......2007-09-04
Pure Murakami in simple, sweet and shortened form. Descriptive and mind numbing to the senses as he tackles a night in the big city from multiple perspectives. I would not start reading Murakami with this one, as it does not define his true creative ability, but it does make for a soothing read after you have already identified with the authors style through one of his modern gems such as Kafka on the Shore, or the Windup Bird Chronicle.
Cover Story.......2007-08-29
You can judge a book by its cover. Chip Kidd, who designs Murakami's book covers, captures the enigmatic, off kilter quality of his work. It takes a close look to reveal the secrets of the cover as it does to reveal the secrets of this enigmatic, hallucinatory, at times insomniac book. I found it hard to put down, impossible to forget.
Book Description
Seven sisters...and a legacy of magical secrets.
Bestselling novelist Kate Drake is one of seven sisters gifted with amazing powers of witchcraft. Returning home in time for her northern California town's annual Christmas pageant, Kate catches the spirit of the season and decides to open a bookstore in a charming but run-down historic mill. Decorated former U.S. Army Ranger Matt Granite, now a local contractor, doesn't mind working in the undeniably eerie house -- not if it means getting closer to Kate. There's something about the quiet, sensual woman that powerfully attracts him.
When an earthquake cracks the mill's foundation and reveals a burial crypt, Kate senses that a centuries-old evil has been unleashed?and that it's coming after her. Though Matt vows to guard her from dusk till dawn, Kate knows she will have to summon all of her and her sisters' powers to battle the darkness threatening to destroy both Christmas and the gift of soul-searing passion her hometown hero wants her to keep forever....
Download Description
" Seven sisters...and a legacy of magical secrets. Bestselling novelist Kate Drake is one of seven sisters gifted with amazing powers of witchcraft. Returning home in time for her northern California town's annual Christmas pageant, Kate catches the spirit of the season and decides to open a bookstore in a charming but run-down historic mill. Decorated former U.S. Army Ranger Matt Granite, now a local contractor, doesn't mind working in the undeniably eerie house -- not if it means getting closer to Kate. There's something about the quiet, sensual woman that powerfully attracts him. When an earthquake cracks the mill's foundation and reveals a burial crypt, Kate senses that a centuries-old evil has been unleashedSand that it's coming after her. Though Matt vows to guard her from dusk till dawn, Kate knows she will have to summon all of her and her sisters' powers to battle the darkness threatening to destroy both Christmas and the gift of soul-searing passion her hometown hero wants her to keep forever.... "
Customer Reviews:
Loved this Christmas/Paranormal Romance!.......2007-10-05
Okay this is book 2 in the Drake series and it was great! Matt and Kate are so good together. Basis of story is Matt is an Army Ranger and he has returned home to Sea Haven and he is totally in love with Kate Drake, that scene with the truck was so funny I mean he runs off the road and his brother is just making things worse. It is Christmas time and there is a haunting. I loved the little poem above each chapter it was telling you sort of what was happening in the book. Jonas and Hannah are so cute together I mean you know it is true love when Hannah blows his hat off everytime she sees him lol! Sex was pretty steamy and the story kept me intrested till the end oh yeah another great Jonas and Hannah moment.
twilight before chrismas.......2007-09-21
This is one of the best books in the drake sisters series. A must read in a christine feehan fan club.
Drake Sister series is terrific.......2007-09-20
Christine Feehan is an excellent writer and I've loved all of her books. Twilight Before Christmas is yet another example of her great writing skills, as she excels at bringing characters to life for you so that you care about them, not just the love story. I highly recommend this book, as well as the whole Drake Sisters series.
Good Chick Book.......2007-09-02
Great summer read and fun for adult women. As the series progresses the plots get better but all have the hot romantics interests.
Kate's story........2007-08-14
This was a nice romantic read.
Matt Granite (former military) has had a crush on Kate since school. And Kate has liked Matt. She is shy around him. They end up finally getting together to redo a haunted house. There are ghosts coming after them that Kate can stop with her "abilities."
Enjoyed it!
Average customer rating:
- Dark But Entertaining
- Wait, that's how it ends?
- Great book for McCarthy fans
- Compelling Read
- The Wasteland and the Grail King
|
Outer Dark
Cormac Mccarthy
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 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
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
McCarthy, Cormac | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0679728732
Release Date: 1993-06-29 |
Book Description
Outer Dark is a novel at once fabular and starkly evocative, set is an unspecified place in Appalachia, sometime around the turn of the century. A woman bears her brother's child, a boy; he leaves the baby in the woods and tells her he died of natural causes. Discovering her brother's lie, she sets forth alone to find her son. Both brother and sister wander separately through a countryside being scourged by three terrifying and elusive strangers, headlong toward an eerie, apocalyptic resolution.
Customer Reviews:
Dark But Entertaining.......2007-09-19
Cormac McCarthy was born in Rhode island and grew up in Tennessee, but now lives in Tesuque, New Mexico. He is viewed by many as one of the more unusual and most talented of the current American writers. For example, Harold Bloom has written a number of things about McCarthy. I selected this book after reading pretty Horses. I was interested in some of his early work.
This is McCarthy's second novel published in 1970. The story is about a very poor brother and sister living in the rural south some time around 1900. The sister has a baby and the brother, Culla, does not want the baby and tells his sister it died and leaves it in the woods. The sister, Rinthy, does not believe him and sets out on a journey to find the baby. Simultaneously, Culla sets out on his own "dark" trip.
McCarthy has developed trademark prose, and some might not like it. He writes long rambling sentences to describe the natural setting and between he uses spartan narrative and dialogue.
The prose is complicated by design. I thought the prose was very effective in the middle of pretty Horses. He uses the same technique here but in a less developed way. He opens the book with just three sentences in one page, including one sentence 12 lines long. He reminds me a bit of the opening of Farewell to Arms where Hemingway tries to set the mood through the use of prose: Hemingway uses a narrative of the natural surroundings. McCarthy uses expressions such as "the sun sat blood red and elliptic" in his late book Pretty Horses" and here again we find the similar expression. Sometimes this prose seems out of place when compared to the spartan dialogue of a father and son talking over a breakfast of eggs and coffee.
Also, in later books McCarthy uses what is called polysyndeton, or the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted. It is a stylistic scheme used to slow down the tempo. As pointed out by others, polysyndeton is used extensively in the King James Version of the Bible. For example:
"And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark." Genesis 7:22-24
We see a bit of that here in the early work.
So, this a pretty dark novel about some poor people traveling around rural America set around 1900 or earlier. It is a short but entertaining read and gives us a picture of the young McCarthy as a writer.
Recommend: 4 or 5 stars.
Wait, that's how it ends?.......2007-07-10
I was/am very intrigued with Cormac McCarthy's writing style and prose. Right from the beginning you get a sense that he knows his craft and he knows it well. His clipped, descriptive sentences add much more color than you would think could be added to such a desolate setting. For example, "Holme swallowed the leached and tasteless wad of meat, his eyeballs tilting like a toad's with the effort." I was drawn into this book from the beginning.
At first there seemed a general theme to Outer Dark. Many abandoned buildings in a desolate and poor countryside and yet every person they met offered them food or a place to stay. The exception being Culla Holme, who invariably seemed to be chased by bad circumstances for what he did with his incestuous child. A kind of retribution was being enacted on him.
But this is where it got confusing. All of a sudden there would be a quick excerpt or scene of violence and death. You don't know why it happened or who did it, but it always happened just before or after a Culla chapter. So conclusions are drawn. We soon find out that it isn't him, that it is the villains of the novel. Culla himself runs into them several times as part of the retribution enacted for the incestuous relationship coupled with the attempted murder of his newborn son. Then the novel goes haywire and turns macabre and horror like, leaving you finishing the book not understanding anything, not understanding what the book was about. Perhaps I missed something.
I am definitely intrigued with McCarthy's style of writing and I will definitely read some of his other books. And I think I would find that this is a book more for the diehard McCarthy fans than it is for someone like myself who has never read any of his other novels. I would recommend McCarthy, but not necessarily this book.
3 stars.
Great book for McCarthy fans.......2007-06-20
"Outer Dark" is the story of a brother and sister and their child. The child is born in a desperate cabin someplace in the Appalachian Mountains. The brother, Culla Holme, takes the newborn while the mother/sister sleeps and sets the child in the night woods. The child is found by an iterant tinker. The sister/mother, Rinthy Holme, awakes. She confronts her brother, they argue, and eventually both set out separately on the road--the sister to find the child and the brother for no reason other than perhaps desperation.
Once they are on the road, the book follows a classic journey narrative. The landscape is dark and strange. The people they meet even more so. A few of the chapters are perfectly written. There is a chapter about halfway through the book where Culla meets a snake hunter. Now there is nothing particularly important in this chapter as it relates to the rest of the novel--no important aspects of character revealed, not important action or theme, it is just a beautiful handful of pages that form a perfect circle. The dialogue is brilliant. The snake hunter talks about his well, his wife, his hounds, the neighbor with whom he still carries a feud despite the fact that the neighbor has been dead nearly a decade. The chapter is a great example of Faulkner's observation, "The past isn't dead. It isn't even past." This is true among certain communities in the South, but I also think it belongs to a broader class and generation of people; people who frame their individual and collective lives as narratives to live, relive, and pass along. And I suspect that the reason this chapter stands out for me is that unlike other chapters that rely on strangeness and cruelty for much of their emotional tension, this small chapter is, at least by McCarthy standards, benign. There are no corpses hanging from trees, no drooling mutes or eyeless crones or murdered infants. And I believe that these moments, moments that lean on something other than the weird or cruel, are McCarthy's best. And it is unfortunate that they are often overlooked for the sheer spectacle of his violence.
There are several things I found problematic in this novel. Firstly, there is a triad of evil men prowling the land. They are composite characters that we find in other McCarthy novels. There is the sentient evildoer, the learned man who pontificates the meaning of mankind. There is the cadre mutants, misshapen and nameless--in this case, one man is actually nameless. McCarthy never tells us where they come from or what motivates them. They are just there, a part of the landscape perhaps--a force birthed by the landscape. I don't know. I can only speculate and with very little evidence from the text. Now perhaps they are a reflection of real life, the evil we hear about on the evening news or witness through history. But so what, as I've heard time and again in workshop, life does not good fiction make. Perhaps my problem is that I do not necessarily believe in evil, but rather in motivation--in that people can be motivated to do some awful things. And good fiction is in that motivation. And it does not have to be much. I found the motivations toward evil in Blood Meridian convincing--racism, imperialism, greed, desperation, ceremony. But evil simply for evil's sake, or even as a reflection of some aspect of the human psyche, collective or individual, does not work and detracts from the overall effect of the work.
Then there is the issue of coincidence--or perhaps it is meant to be fate. Either way, the key events of the novel depend upon happenstance that felt incredible and I must say a bit contrived. The first time that Culla Holme meets the triad of evil, he is washed from a ferry on a flooded river. He stumbles into their camp to warm by the fire. And I am trying to figure out why this meeting feels so forced. I suspect that it has something to do with the needless drama of the ferry scene, a drama with no narrative significance other than to put Culla within view of the triad's fire. It would have felt more credible if no great event or drama preceded the meeting, or if some event of greater significance, an event tied inextricably to the progression of the novel, preceded their meeting. As it stands, the action packed ferry scene serves no purpose other than to position the characters.
And then it happens again. McCarthy creates an interesting, high drama scene involving a hog drive, thousands of animals driven through the mountains. One of the hog drivers is forced off a bluff by stampeding pigs. He dies and the blame is assigned to Culla. It is an interesting scene, the dialogue is sharp and the characters of the itinerant preacher and the hog drivers are vivid. They plan to hang Culla but don't have a rope. They march him back to camp for the proper hanging equipment--as one of the characters explains, it is the Christian thing to do. Culla jumps from the bluffs and into the river to escape. And guess where the next chapter finds him? Another river drama, another visit to the evildoer's camp.
A terrible act of violence beings the book to a close. It is turely awful, but it does complete the novel. And were it not for the questions raised by the unmotivated evil, and the coincidences that brought the characters together, the novel would be nearly perfect.
I can't help but wonder how McCarthy could solve the problems of the novel, though I suspect, given his other work from this period, he preferred to leave certain questions unanswered. And these things I label problems are in fact intentional. In any event, I believe an answer resides somewhere in that perfect chapter in the middle of the novel, the chapter with the snake hunter. The thing that makes this chapter work is what Charles Baxter calls rhyming action: "When narratives move in reverse--when they come dramatically or imagistically to a point that is similar to the one they already seemingly passed." I sense that is perhaps something of the intention in this work--much of it doubles back upon itself. One of the reasons the murder is so disturbing is that it had already been committed at the beginning of the work, when Culla left the newborn, naked, in the night woods. But the dramatic events, the river dramas, that bring about the final rhyming murder, ring dissonant with all that came previously. Even though they are repetitive, they stand out from the rest of the work and seem to develop in their own direction--a misplaced rhyme--until the writer pushes Culla into the river and gets him drifting in the right direction.
Compelling Read.......2007-05-13
This is a great book- almost as good as 'The Road'. I didn't want to put it down. The natual slowness doesn't hurt the urge to continue to read. If you like The Road, you will like this!
The Wasteland and the Grail King.......2007-01-03
=Outer Dark= describes a barren Wasteland and Holme is the Grail King, complete with a wounded "leg" as a symbol of his inability to love acceptably. In a Wasteland where women are not valued, children are not nurtured either, and the child ends up burned and half-blinded, in the way that its father and his culture are blind to his disregard for his sister and their child. I love the poetic prose of this writer. And the words-- where does he get those words? Cormac McCarthy is the best writer writing in America today, similar to but better than Steinbeck and Faulkner.
Average customer rating:
- Not Free SF Reader
- Not the best one in the series
- Meets and Exceeds the Fun Factor in Reading!
- A SHIFTER IN THE FAMILY...............
- In a real (?) world ..... vampires
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Dead as a Doornail (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 5)
Charlaine Harris
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books | Action & Adventure | Children's Literature Guides | Classics by Age | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths | General | Humorous | Literary Criticism & Collections | Poetry | Popular Culture | Read-Aloud | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Short Story Collections
United States | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Dark Fantasy | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Vampires | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Harris, Charlaine | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0441012795 |
Book Description
When Sookie's brother Jason's eyes start to change, she knows he's about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population-and Jason's new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who's behind the attacks, unless the killer decides to find her first.
Download Description
When Sookie's brother Jason's eyes start to change, she knows he's about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population-and Jason's new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who's behind the attacks, unless the killer decides to find her first.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-25
Lightweight, disposable, but enjoyable almost mystery about a telepathic waitress with a taste for highly exotic boys. Definitely something you can read while doing two other things at the same time. The female protagonist comes across as a pretty normal woman, stuck in a waitress job at a garden variety American standard bar/burger joint, that is quite recognisable.
Not the best one in the series.......2007-09-21
I loved the previous books in the series, but I don't think this one measures up to the rest. First, I think the subplot with Charles Twining was kind of silly and unnecessary (and confusing). Second, I am getting tired of Sookie hopping from one guy to the next -- first it's Bill, then Eric, then Sam, then Alcide. My head is spinning. I was disappointed that Harris made Alcide kind of a wimpy jerk in this book, because I really liked him in the last book. Also, how long will Bill have to grovel for Sookie's forgiveness? Yes, he was unfaithful, but he has explained why he had to go back to his former lover. It's obvious that Sookie and Bill should be together, so just let her forgive him and move on with it!
Meets and Exceeds the Fun Factor in Reading!.......2007-09-09
I've been reading the "Southern Vampire" novels for a while now. Charlaine Harris has created a host of memorable characters for this series: Sookie Stackhouse - telepathic barmaid; Bill - Civil War era vampire; Eric - once a Viking raider, now a tall, blonde vampire with killer good looks; Alcide - a sexy Cajun Werewolf. There's more, but you'll have to read the books to learn about them.
Her novels in this vein (forgive the pun!) are like a weird cross of romance novel, horror novel AND mystery novel. Whatever it is, it works. Poor Sookie finds herself romantically and politically enmeshed in the supernatural world inhabited by her friends and lovers. She's guaranteed to land in the middle of something bad every time she steps out the door. Brought to the brink of death at least twice in every book, she's lucky her friends are nearby to save her, or, is she? Sookie, when not deeply involved in a liason with one of these sexy guys (if she overlooks the fact that they're either dead or grow lots of hair at the oddest times)she's landing in the pooh because of them.
Humor abounds. The heroine of the series is plucky and peevish by turns. Lots of great R rated sex runs rampant across the pages. You'll find yourself looking forward to each reunion with the cast of players and wondering "What will happen next?"
The "Southern Vampire" novels meet every standard for a darn good read - not too heavy, not too light. Try one, you'll want them all.
A SHIFTER IN THE FAMILY......................2007-08-19
Sookie has embraced every aspect of the paranormal; from her own ability to read the minds of humans, to vampire love interests and friends and a boss who is a shapeshifter. But when her own brother Jason begins to change into a were-panther for the first time, she is most concerned with his ability to accept what amounts to a complete life change. Her concern for Jason is heightened when it becomes clear that there is a sniper loose in the area that is targeting the shapeshifting community. And that same community has become most suspicious of its newest member...Jason himself. Can Sookie find the culprit before the culprit finds Sookie?
Fans of the series will not be disappointed, as Ms. Harris continues to create winning pageturners.
DYB
In a real (?) world ..... vampires.......2007-08-15
Charlaine Harris' vampires are like potato chips ... you can't have just one! I picked up number six in the series "Definitely Dead" and couldn't stop.
Book Description
Christine Feehan has thrilled legions of fans with her seductive, sensual Carpathian tales. Now, she presents the enthralling story of Rafael, a savage hunter from the darkest jungles, and the beautiful prey he would never let escape.
Download Description
Christine Feehan has thrilled legions of fans with her seductive, sensual Carpathian tales. Now, she presents the enthralling story of Rafael, a savage hunter from the darkest jungles, and the beautiful prey he would never let escape.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best in this series.......2007-09-18
I read several of the books in this series a few years ago, then just stopped buying them, as they all started to sound the same. However, I picked this one up at the store the other day on a whim, to see how things were progressing.
Much of the style is the same - the phrase "can do no other" still appears an awful lot - but it seemed a little less prevalent than I remember from earlier books. However, I thought this particular one had better characterizations and more realistic reactions on the part of both the hero and the heroine to their situation.
The heroine's reactions, especially, I thought were finally closer to how a real woman would react to a) discovering the new hottie in her life is actually a Carpathian, b) waking up buried underground and c) her boyfriend expects her to do everything he says without question.
The resolution of these conflicts was a little simplistic, in my opinion. Going through a traumatic event just suddenly makes everything okay for our heroine, but doesn't actually change anything. But, overall I felt this title was one of the best in this series.
I found the hero, Rafael, quite appealing. As usual, he is tall, dark and dangerous, but also had some sensitive moments and was actually trying to see things from the heroines point of view, even if failing miserably for the most part. Let's just say that a Carpathian male can rationalize his way into doing whatever he wants like nobody's business.
All in all a solid entry that may actually entice me to read a few more in this series.
Disappointed Writer's Lack Of Culture.......2007-08-20
It's frustrating that in the year 2007 there's still people that not even know what the language is spoken in Brazil. Some not even know where it is geographically. More frustrating when it comes from well known best seller's writers like Christine Feehan, in Dark Secret, and many film producers. Brazil has nothing to do with Mexico or Argentina. Brazil is the only country in Central and South America that doesn't speak Spanish. They speak Portuguese only. How come someone writes a story about Brazilians and give them Spanish names like Chevez and De La Cruz? I'm sorry to say it this way, but there's a clear demonstration of ignorance. There's no such names from Brazilian origin. It's amazing to see movies about Brazil where Mariachis (traditionally from Mexico) are blowing trumpets to play Salsa as Brazilian music. Brazil is famous worldwide for their Samba and Lambada. I think movie producers and book writers should be a little more competent. This would make their work even better.
This could've been a good book..........2007-06-25
This could have been a good book but the main characters ruined it. I like a strong heroine as much as the next gal but Colby was just annoying. I found myself rolling my eyes every time she couldn't understand or was afraid of pretty much everything. I don't think I've ever read a story with a more dense or stubborn female character. Things have to go her way or she has a b***h fit unwilling to see reason or common sense. Raphael was just very one dimensional and more of a caveman then 18th century hunter/warrior.
The story dragged on forever it could easily have been half the length. The sex scenes were too long and too frequent. I liked the idea of the story but I couldn't get past my dislike for the main characters. I had never read a Feehan book before and unfortunately this one hasn't made me want to take a chance on another.
exactly what I would expect!.......2007-06-17
This book was a wonderful book i enjoyed it so much i read it again whitch is unuasual for me.
HOT.......2007-04-05
I agree with the other reviewers who thought Rafael was a bit of a jerk, but, give the guy a break. He hasn't felt emotion or any of that crap for centuries. Naturally our hero is going to be rough around the edges. I am reading this book a second time and really enjoy it. Sometimes I find myself skimming over paragraphs when I find Feehan is re-hashing thrice established information (I did this the first time I read it, too), but most of this book is a gripping read. I just with they used an uglier guy for the cover. It slows down my reading when I have to keep stopping to gaze at the cover every couple of pages. lol. I would recommend this book to anyhow who likes romance, but is getting bored with the usual plain vanilla bodice rippers.
Book Description
From the moment Celeste Dawson was born, her big sister, Katrina, had it in for her. And as much as Celeste yearned for Katrina's love, the sibling rivalry only got worse. For Celeste, the ultimate betrayal came when she was seventeen, and Katrina seduced her boyfriend. That was the day Celeste gave up trying for any kind of friendship with her sister. Now the two are grown, married, and leading separate lives. Until tragedy strikes.
When her husband is found murdered in a seedy motel room in a very compromising position, Celeste is devastated. Rather than comfort her, Katrina is more than happy to suggest that Celeste wasn't properly "taking care of" her man. But the tables soon turn as Katrina's husband falls into a coma from an illness no one knew he had. And that's not the only surprise. A second wife soon comes out of the woodwork, looking to stake her claim. Oblivous as ever, Celeste's parents want her to help Katrina fight back—even as she's looking for her own husband's killer.
Blindsided as she is by grief, Celeste can't help wondering: now that she and Katrina are finally on the same side of pain—will blood finally become thicker than a history of jealousy and deceit?
Customer Reviews:
Interesting.......2007-05-21
This is one of those books that will appeal to only certain readers. I can't say that this is the best book I have read all year and to be honest I wouldn't put it in my top ten. However, it will keep you guessing and you won't believe the ending. If you are interested in reading something that will pull you away from your everyday life, this is the book for you.
Very Good Book.......2007-03-16
It held my interest. I read it because I did not see the play. I want to read the rest of her books. Very well written.
Very good book.......2007-03-01
This book was well written and full of drama. The author did a good job revealing the fact that just because you're family doesn't mean there will be love. This was truly a dysfunctional family. This book kept my interest from beginning to end. Very well written.
Way too much drama!.......2007-02-14
I didn't like this book at all. There was so much going on that it was hard to keep track of it all. The dialogue between the characters at times was just unbelievable and took so many different tangents I didn't know what I was supposed to be reading. The language used was very, very, strong and explicit and it was way too much for me. I read all of the reviews and I was so excited about reading it, but I think everyone needs to find their own preferences and stick to them.
When Darkness Falls.......2007-01-20
Gloria Mallette's latest novel focuses on a subject that's nearly as old as time itself - sibling rivalry. Since they were children, to say sisters Celeste and Katrina didn't get along is an understatement. Katrina hated her little sister with a passion. Whenever she could do something to upset Celeste she did. Although the sisters' always had problems, it was Katrina's decision to sleep with Celeste's boyfriend that was the final nail in the coffin of their relationship.
Adulthood found both sisters married with children and living separate lives, most times not seeing each other for years at a time, if that often. Their parents have always tried to overlook the girls' rocky relationship, not comprehending its seriousness. They did not realize that because one of their children intensely despised the other, it would lead to a series of events that would tear apart an already distant family.
When Celeste's husband is found murdered in a hotel room among evidence of infidelity, Katrina pays her a visit. Even in the midst of tragedy Katrina can not hide her malicious intent and that call ended just as all the others did, in a hail of spiteful words. Upon returning home Katrina is presented with her own problems. Her husband has died suddenly and left her to settle his affairs which include a secret family and `special' friend.
At her parent's insistence, Celeste is forced to help Katrina sort through her issues, even as her own husband's death is still an unsolved mystery. Not for a second does Celeste think her sister will have some sort of revelation and accept her help with open arms, but she does hope for some sort of civil communication. And she actually gets it. What she doesn't get is why her oldest niece expresses a hatred that exceeds Katrina's by far.
Gloria Mallette has once again put together a story that satisfies the most avid reader's appetite. The characters were interesting and made me want to read more about them. The plot was entertaining and the conclusion satisfying. All in all...a great story.
Englishruler
ARC Bookc Club Inc.
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Average customer rating:
- Vampires without the Urban
- Better vampire tales than this are out there
- Informative; Not as Entertaining
- A "Tweener" Book
- Sister of the Dead Review
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Sister of the Dead (The Noble Dead)
Barb Hendee , and
J.C. Hendee
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Dark Fantasy | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Dark Fantasy | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 045146009X
Release Date: 2005-01-04 |
Book Description
The Noble Dead saga continues as Magiere and Leesil, the slayers of the undead for DHAMPIR and THIEF OF LIVES, embark on a quest to uncover the secrets of their mysterious origins - and those responsible for orchestrating the events that brought them together....
Magiere is a dhampir - half human, half vampire - sired for the purpose of slaying the undead. Outside the village of Chemestúk, where she was born and raised, stands her father's keep. Within its walls, she hopes to discover the secrets of her past and figure out why a vampire would wish to breed a creature capable of slaughtering his own kind....
But there are those who don't want Magiere to learn the truth—and when her half-elf partner, Leesil, makes a startling discovery in the keep, he can understand why. Before Leesil can reveal the truth to Magiere, they must vanquish a creature of unimaginable and unlimited power who has damned a small village of people with a horrifying curse...
Customer Reviews:
Vampires without the Urban.......2007-07-18
For those looking for vampires without the urban twists and turns, here is the book for you. It is filled with lots of fantasy and is rated with authors like Jim Butcher and Naomi Novik. Great read, but definitely start with number one...Dhampir.
Better vampire tales than this are out there.......2006-08-15
I'm not really sure what I expected from this novel, but what I got wasn't it. This is Magiere's origin story, but it raises far more questions that it solves. It felt like an in-between type novel with the action falling flat and mysteries more annoying than enthralling.
Maybe I should have given this three stars instead of two, but I finished the entire series (to date) recently, and the more I read, the more disappointed I became. The characters were unique... but the plot was meh, the 'romance' wasn't present or paired characters I didn't like (and therefore didn't care about), and the action wasn't inspired.
I guess as neat as the world the authors have created is, I thought they could do better. Techinically the writing was good, but I couldn't bring myself to cheer.
Informative; Not as Entertaining.......2006-05-06
Although this was easily the least interesting of the first three books in the series, this is the one you need to read to understand how Magiere came to be a Dhampir. The story itself seems like it was added afterwards to give the story a narrative flow, and has the weakest plot of all the books. There are fewer fights, fewer interchanges between the main characters, and many of the fight scenes seem to be here solely to have fight scenes. Chap is given a more prominent role than Leesil, which is unfortunate because Chap simply doesn't have the personality that Leesil has.
A step down from the previous entries, but I'm still ready and eager to move on the fourth installment.
A "Tweener" Book.......2006-04-16
Sister of the Dead is the third novel starring vampire hunters Magiere and Leesil and their expanding group of friends and flunkies. In this novel, Both Leesil and Magiere inexplicably get bitten by the 'find your sire' bug and decide its time to find their respective parents. Unfortunately, there is a vast group of people out to prevent this from happening and that essentially is what this 400+ page novel is about.
While I liked Sister of the Dead I found the plot a little ho hum. Too much focus on the 'scholar' Wynn, (who reminded me of a first season Gabrielle from Xena), which is both a good and bad thing; because Gabby was annoying season one and so is Wynn. Wynn, seemed superfluous to the dynamic duo of Leesil/Maggie, and her romance with the evil Chane while interesting took up too much time from the main couple.
And while we are speaking of couples, I felt the romantic tension between Leesil and Magiere was almost dead in this book (no pun intended). What started as an interesting dynamic seemed completely flat. Magiere knows Leesil is devoted to her, doesn't mind if she uses him to feed, and seems content with their relationship... There is no tension. They seem like an old married couple, not very exciting.
The plot meanders around to its end with Magiere finding some sinister clues to her origins. This novel felt like a 'tween' novel. A novel leading up to a more complete and satisfying conclusion. 4 Stars. PS: If the authors feel Chane/Wynn are so interesting, why not give them their own book? I'd buy it.
Sister of the Dead Review.......2006-03-14
Althought not as spell-binding as the first two books in this series, Sister of the Dead is an intriguing and fun book to read. The only aspect of the book that I didn't like was that it focuses more on the character Chap than on the overall developement of the Dhampir's powers and abilities. Overall, Sister of the Dead is an exciting continuation to the Noble Dead series and I am looking forward to book four.
Book Description
In Dark Sister, Lynn V. Andrews sheds brilliant light on the dangerous, destructive aspects of women's power by following the remarkable story of Sin Corazn, an initiate in the Sisterhood of the Shields. As she begins her apprenticeship, Corazn is encouraged to explore and confront her fascination with the dark mysteries of the soul in order to overcome them. When her husband abandons her for another woman, however, she succumbs to her dark side and unleashes the full extent of her rage. It is only through love that she is able to find peace.
Using the shamanistic themes and language that have formed the core of Andrews' work, Dark Sister offers a timely lesson that helps women accept -- and harness -- their sexual power and capacity for aggression. It is an eloquent, empowering parable that ultimately teaches readers an essential key to achieveing greater self-knowledge and inner tranquillity.
Customer Reviews:
Lynn Andrews' books and work.......2000-04-14
I am a 4th year student at Lynn Andrews' school and I am living in Germany. I read all of Lynn's books that are very precious and important to me. The books and the school led me to a completely new and sacred vision of life. I am very grateful for my experiences with Lynn's and the Sisterhood of the Shields' work.
Passionate Betrayal.......1999-12-14
This book was an amazing discovery of spiritual forces which even though can commence from the place of power and wisdom can if not vigilant become a force of darkness and sorcery. It is a lesson in forgiveness and the importance of protecting your spirit self from the dangers of evil forces which disguise themselves well. This book was particularly relevant in my work with others and a timely reminder that sometimes not all things are as they seem and that spirituality has two directions and not all spiritual people are working towards light. I found the writing visionary as are all Lynn's books but also show us her vulnerable and sometimes niave nature in her belief that we are all here to serve for the greater goodness. Could not put the book down until it was finished and recommend it to anyone who is in the healing or spiritual realm.
Find love, find the light........1998-09-27
Dark Sister is another winner for Lynne Andrews. Lynne and her teachers, Agnes and Ruby, explore the dark mysteries of the soul. I enjoyed this tale of a fallen sister, Sin Corazon and her powerful journey from the dark side of sorcery to the light of the Sisterhood of the Shields. Lynne has shown us that through love a person can conquer the darkness we all carry within us. Lynne also explains that we all can find and peace and tranquillity we search for through love. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for the key that will open the door that leads to greater self knowledge and inner tranquillity.
Average customer rating:
- great series-but when's the third one comming out?!
- not as good as the first one...but worth reading
- So-so...
- The Soul of an Angel
- NUMBER TWO / A Success
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The Soul of an Angel (Sisters of the Night)
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Bachman, Richard | Baker, Nancy | Baldick, Chris | Banks, Iain | Barker, Clive | Barnes, Johnny Ray | Barron, Neil | Bates, A. | Bates, Michael | Beach, Lynn | Beckford, William | Been, Dwight | Bellairs, John | Benson, E. F. | Berenstain, Jan | Berenstain, Stan | Bergantino, David | Betancourt, John | Bierce, Ambrose | Bingley, Margaret | Birkin, Charles | Bischoff, David | Bishop, M. | Black, Campbell | Black, J. R. | Blackwood, Alegernon | Blair, Cynthia | Blatty, William P. | Blaylock, James P. | Bloch, Robert | Bloom, Clive | Bloom, Harold | Bonansinga, Jay | Borton, Douglas | Botting, Fred | Boulle, Philippe | Boyll, Randall | Bradbury, Ray | Bradley, Marion Zimmer | Brandner, Gary | Brennan, Stephen | Bridges, Bill | Briery, Traci | Brightfield, Richard | Brindle, Jane | Brite, Poppy Z. | Brooks, Felicity | Brown, Charles Brockden | Brown, Charles N. | Brown, Roberta Simpson | Bunting, Eve | Burleson, Donald | Burleson, Donald R. | Butler, Marilyn | Byars, Betsy | Byers, Richard | Byrne, John
Yarbro, Chelsea | ( Y ) | Authors, A-Z | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Dark Fantasy | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Yarbro, Chelsea-Quinn | ( Y ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0380974010 |
Book Description
Young and beautiful, Fenice Zucchar lives in opulent splendor on the world's richest island. The pampered daughter of a wealthy and powerful owner of ocean-going merchant vessels, Fenice's soul yearns for the freedom of the sea--for the adventures and breathtaking sights and sounds that await her far from Venice, her velvet prison. Determined to flee, she feigns an audacious kidnapping and stows away on one of her brother's ships on the very eve of her own arranged wedding.
But her plans are dashed to bits when, upon discovery, her brother refuses to offer her safe quarter--and abandons the young noblewoman in the teeming port of Varna, just as panic is descending upon the city. For death has come to this place, spawning stories told in hushed, frightened whispers in the night--a being of strange, alluring power and dark sensuality who has chosen Fenice, offering her more freedom than she could know in a hundred lifetimes.
Subjugation is the price this mesmirizing creature demands fro the exquisite renegade's eternal pleasure, as Fenice follows her Dark Lord to his mountain domain, where she is to live...and die. But another is waiting there already, lurking in the shadows of the imposing castle keep: a lovely and crazed consort already corrupted by Dracula's terrible passion...a once-mortal girl named Kelene, late of a distant realm called Greece who could prove to be Fenice's staunchest ally and sister, or her most fearsome adversary.
Customer Reviews:
great series-but when's the third one comming out?!.......2006-05-16
i loved the first novel in this series when i was seventeen...i loved this one almost as much when i was 19, now i'm 25 and dying to read the third and final novel in this series which she seems to have choosen not to write, which is a shame, beacause these novels are fluid and beautiful....
not as good as the first one...but worth reading.......2002-09-22
I have to agree with one of the other reviews. This was a good book, but not as interesting as the first and certainly not of the caliber you'd expect if you're a CQY fan.
So-so..........2002-07-15
I was really looking forward to this book, having enjoyed "The Angry Angel" quite a bit. However, this second volume in the series defintely lags behind Yarbo's initial offering.
She spends the first several chapters telling us in many different ways what we already know: that the heroine, Fenice, is bored and frustrated with her life of Venetian privilege and yearning for adventure on the high seas and elsewhere. Enough, already! Let's cut to the chase! But no - these points are belaboured for a while longer; her disapproving family, her boring fiance, her desire to postpone marriage for as long as possible, etc. etc. etc.
In contrast to "The Angry Angel," for most of this book Dracula is basically absent. There seems to be little real connection between him and Fenice, and little reason for one. Unlike Kelene who was trapped in a situation of dire poverty and physical danger, Fenice is in the lap of luxury. How many people in real life are desperate to flee lives of privilege for the squalor and "adventure" of street-life? This motivation is not realistic.
Finally over halfway through the book things begin to pick up, but by this time finishing the book is an act of will. My ennui was completed by the discovery that Kelene, the heroine of the first novel, has somehow morphed from a wise-beyond-her-years, interesting teenager to a spoiled, petulant brat. What?!
Let's hope the heroine of book 3, whoever she might be, realizes there's more than enough of Dracula to go around.
The Soul of an Angel.......2002-03-03
Am reading the first and second books in this trilogy for about the third time. They both get better with every read. When will the third one be out? I anxiously await it. Quinn Yarbro looks at vampirism from a different angle than Ann Rice. Excellent read no matter how many times you read them.
NUMBER TWO / A Success.......2000-06-02
Fenice is the second virgin that Dracula decides to seduce and bring back to his castle for companionship or maybe for the amusement that the rivalry between her and the first virgin Kelene produces. Fenice having been brought up as a wealthy young maid has had a different background than Kelene, but after the initial battles for Draculas favor, Kelene uses her superior mind to form a truce with Kelene. Very good book. Can't wait for number three. Despite the need for feeding, for blood, a true rivalry and believable relationships ring true.
Book Description
If you like the fiction of Henry James, the psychology of his brother William, and have a taste for Gothic mysteries you will enjoy The Dark Sister. The novel is a curious mixture of the Victorian repressiveness about sex, intricate stories within stories, and Jewish humor.
With a new afterword
Customer Reviews:
Dark Sister is, well...dark...oh, so dark...........2006-02-02
This is the 6th book I have read of Goldsteins', and it is definitely the creepiest!
For the first time, her protagonist is not beautiful - quite the contrary; Hedda is grotesquely ugly. Hedda is the author of complex 19th-century prose involving two sisters that turn out to be the same person along with the character William and his brother Henry James. Much of this novel is Hedda's book interchanged with what happens in Hedda's real and psycological life - which takes place in an old light house.
The back-and-forth between Hedda's prose and real existence is sometimes challenging to read, and I found her real life so much more intriguing and readable than her book. There is very heavy language at times - I felt like I missed a lot here and there; however, more often I felt so detached from the story that I did not really bother to reread what I might have lost... Other times Goldstein's language sparkles, which is why I enjoy reading her so much.
All in all, this story did not grab me all that much. Jewish references (another Goldstein trademark) were scant and not seemingly conclusive to the story. The Dark Sister was not a bad book at all; however, of Goldsteins' it is probably my least favorite...
What?!.......2005-08-29
I can't believe that there are no reviews of this novel! Rebecca Goldstein is a fascinating writer: to jump from novel writing to a probing study of Kurt Gödel is not what one expects. This novel is a quantum jump (ahem) from her first two, which are (good) academic tales. It is not an easy, linear read (as she says, she presumes a lot from her readers), but extremely evocative, picking up on themes from the earliers ones. If you don't mind being challenged (if you like Iris Murdoch, for example), give it a try. Can't wait to read the later ones.
Books:
- America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
- Arthur and George
- Asterix and the Laurel Wreath (Asterix)
- Astronomy Today (5th Edition)
- Blizzard of the Blue Moon (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Issue 2
- Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Hope, Healing and Forgiveness (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
- Complete Vampire Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the body Thief)
- Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest
- Dragon Blood (The Hurog Duology, Book 2)
Books Index
Books Home
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- Sins of the Night
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- Give Yourself Goosebumps Boxed Set, Books 5 - 8: Night in Werewolf Woods, Beware of the Purple Pean
- Gobi: Tracking the Desert
- Hanging Sam: A Military Biography of General Samuel T. Williams : From Pancho Villa to Vietnam
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
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Falling Man: A Novel
Divisadero
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