Book Description
From one of P. D. James's favorite mystery authors comes the third Shardlake novel
Autumn 1541. A plot against the throne has been uncovered, and Henry VIII has set off on a spectacular progress from London to York, along with a thousand soldiers, the cream of the nobility, and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, to quell his rebellious northern subjects. Awaiting his arrival are lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his loyal assistant, Jack Barak. In addition to processing petitions to the king, Shardlake's task is to protect a dangerous conspirator until he is transported back to London for interrogation.
But when a local glazier is murdered, things get a little more complicated as the murder seems to be not only connected to Shardlake's prisoner but also to the royal family itself. Then Shardlake stumbles upon a cache of secret papers that throws into doubt the legitimacy of the entire royal line, and a chain of events unfolds that threatens Shardlake with the most terrifying fate of the age: imprisonment in the Tower of London.
Customer Reviews:
"Politics is a hard and cruel game.".......2007-09-30
C. J. Sansom's "Sovereign" is the third mystery in this critically acclaimed series featuring Matthew Shardlake, a thirty-nine year old lawyer, and his assistant, Jack Barak. The author demonstrates his prodigious historical knowledge as he traces Henry VIII's Great Progress to the North in 1541. Along with Catherine Howard, his fifth wife, a large number of soldiers, and members of the nobility, Henry and his retinue made their way from London to York with the goal of bringing the king's discontented northern subjects under control. Archbishop Cranmer sends Matthew Shardlake on the trip to process petitions for the king and to safeguard an important prisoner who is to be interrogated in the Tower of London. Matthew travels with a heavy heart, having recently buried his father, whom he had neglected. With the money that he will earn from this mission, Matthew hopes to pay off his father's remaining debts.
After the Progress finally reaches York, a glazier falls off his ladder and is impaled on fragments of glass. Shardlake quickly realizes that this was no accident. There may be a conspiracy afoot against Henry; papers hidden in the glazier's house would wreak havoc if they were to fall into the wrong hands. Since Matthew caught a glimpse of these papers, he becomes a target and narrowly escapes repeated attempts on his life. Meanwhile, Jack Barak has found love; he is smitten with a pretty young woman, Tamasin Reedbourne, who works in Queen Catherine's household. Matthew and Jack join forces to discover the identity of the killer and to uncover a secret so explosive that it could bring down a mighty monarch.
The strength of "Sovereign" lies in the author's exhaustive attention to historical detail; Sansom immerses the reader in the political, religious, and cultural events of Henry VIII's reign. Tudor England was filled with ruthless individuals who committed immoral acts because of their lust for power, a desire for wealth, and religious fanaticism. Scenes of cold-blooded murder, torture, and suicide reflect the violence and desperation of those volatile times. There is a contemporary flavor to the novel's themes; the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Matthew Shardlake is as admirable and likeable as ever. He has an abnormally curved back which makes him the butt of cruel jokes, but his deformity has not robbed him of his self-respect. His keen intellect and determination propel him to disregard his personal safety in order to bring a murderer to justice. Shardlake and Jack make a solid team: Matthew has experience, a thorough knowledge of the law, and patience; what Barak lacks in seasoning and judgment he makes up for in loyalty, courage, and strength. Jack looks up to Matthew, who has taught the younger man to venerate learning and behave with integrity.
Ironically, the initial strength of the novel ultimately becomes its undoing. The author gets carried away with his verbiage, and the novel soon becomes repetitious and tedious. At nearly six-hundred pages, "Sovereign" would have profited from careful pruning. The large cast of characters is too unwieldy to allow for much shading, and the impact of the mystery is diluted because of the many subplots that compete for the readers' attention. Although "Sovereign" is packed with fascinating information and colorful atmosphere, it would have been far more satisfying had it been more streamlined and better focused.
Very, very good........2007-09-10
This is the first of the Shardlake series that I have read, and I loved it. I came onto Amazon tonight to order two copies of the first two books, one for me and one for my daughter. Now, I usually don't do that...I usually order one copy and pass it on to her when I am done. In my recent memory, Harry Potter is the only series I have ordered multiple copies of.
The Henry VIII time period is my favorite historical period, and I do know quite a bit about it. Sansom is remarkably true to historical accuracy....which is more than one can say about the recent miniseries about Henry VIII which had his 2 sisters condensed into one, marrying the wrong king, and murdering him! Titulus Regulus, which is a key plot item, actually existed.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book.
Beth O'Keefe
Shardlake and the "true" king of England.......2007-08-03
For those who think that the reign of Henry VIII was, relatively, a peaceful one, this book should come as quite a shock. It discusses very briefly the Pilgrimage of Grace, a northen uprising in 1535 by followers of the Catholic faith that almost toppled the throne. Because of this, and the discovery of another potential conspiracy a few years later, Henry VIII, Queen Catherine Howard, and a huge retinue make a progression through the north to go to York, the hotbed of papal activity. Our hero Matthew Shardlake is dragooned by Archbishop Cranmer to go along and watch over a prisoner in York associated with the latest plot. On this theme hangs another excellent book, and our hero finds himself deeply into murders, conspiracies, and the possibility that the Tudor line may not be the "real" royal line, and Henry may be a usurper. To tell more would spoil a wonderful plot that races along, and keeps the reader going page by page, long after he or she should probably be asleep (in my case). I hope that there will be more of these books in the future.
Excellent as usual.......2007-07-25
CJ Sansom has hit upon a formula that, at least to my way of thinking, combines the perfect elements in a novel: history, suspense, religion and relationships. I have thoroughly enjoyed all three books.
I wanted to add to the other comments that this book would be particularly interesting for readers of Philippa Gregory's The Boleyn Inheritance, because all of Sovereign takes place during the Progress to York, which also figures importantly in the Gregory book. There are many overlapping historical characters, but the two writers' perception of them is very different.
I hope Sansom continues chronologically-- I would very much like to read an Elizabethan Shardlake story. I hope Brother Shardlake has a long and healthy life!
Great characterization and a fast-paced story line which provides for a compelling read.......2007-07-11
The third in the Matthew Shardlake series takes us to York , in the midst of Henry VIII's brutal supression of Northern England known as the Progress.
Matthew Sharlake comes face to face with Henry's reign of terror (and the machinations of his henchman such as the conniving Sir Richard Rich) the book revealing Henry as a cruel tyrant , while discovering embaraasing facts that put his life in danger , and keep us speculating in an excellent cross between historical and detective novel.
The sights , sounds and smells of Tudor England are brought to life as are the violent conflict in the England at the time between 'traditionalists' and 'reformers' in the church , the repercusions of which would continue for centuries to come , to rock England and cause wars and turmoil.
In this novel we read of the tragic fate of Catherine Howard , Henry's fifth young wife.
Also interesting is the story of Jack Barak , and his secret Jewish ancestry.
Barak , a brawling street boy who , became a clerk to Thomas Cromwell , is constantly by Shardlake's side , and in this novel, finds the love of the pretty and pert Tamasin Reedbourne , and attendant to noblewoman Mistress Jennet Marlin , who herself is a central character in the intrigue.
Great characterization and a fast-paced story line which provides for a compelling read.
Book Description
The work of Giorgio Agamben, one of Italy’s most important and original philosophers, has been based on an uncommon erudition in classical traditions of philosophy and rhetoric, the grammarians of late antiquity, Christian theology, and modern philosophy. Recently, Agamben has begun to direct his thinking to the constitution of the social and to some concrete, ethico-political conclusions concerning the state of society today, and the place of the individual within it.
In Homo Sacer, Agamben aims to connect the problem of pure possibility, potentiality, and power with the problem of political and social ethics in a context where the latter has lost its previous religious, metaphysical, and cultural grounding. Taking his cue from Foucault’s fragmentary analysis of biopolitics, Agamben probes with great breadth, intensity, and acuteness the covert or implicit presence of an idea of biopolitics in the history of traditional political theory. He argues that from the earliest treatises of political theory, notably in Aristotle’s notion of man as a political animal, and throughout the history of Western thinking about sovereignty (whether of the king or the state), a notion of sovereignty as power over “life” is implicit.
The reason it remains merely implicit has to do, according to Agamben, with the way the sacred, or the idea of sacrality, becomes indissociable from the idea of sovereignty. Drawing upon Carl Schmitt’s idea of the sovereign’s status as the exception to the rules he safeguards, and on anthropological research that reveals the close interlinking of the sacred and the taboo, Agamben defines the sacred person as one who can be killed and yet not sacrificed—a paradox he sees as operative in the status of the modern individual living in a system that exerts control over the collective “naked life” of all individuals.
Customer Reviews:
The Body = The Nation.......2006-12-13
I was first introduced to this text in one of my college courses. I'm not quite familiar with all of Agamben's theory on power, but I have read portions of, "The Camp as Biopolitical Paradigm of the Modern." This text I found to be weighty and at times difficult to read, but it sparked an interest in me to read more. I would like to contribute to the reviews with a simple interpretation of a few things that I read.
I'm intrigued with Agamben's idea of how society creates the category of the devalued through the category of the valued. An example of this categorical sorting is how the Nazis created this category of the devalued with the Jewish people, thus raising their own status of the valued. The Nazis were able to gain control/domination through the use of their concentration camps. By labeling others in society as lower than oneself, one can easily determine whether one's life is worth keeping around.
Another interesting point is how one's body/identity doesn't belong to that person, but rather the government and society owns that body. An example is of the creation of our American society, which came about through the killing of the Native Americans and bringing in of Slaves to further gain land and power. By controlling and taking over the body, the new America was created. It's fascinating to think of one's identity and body as one with the nation/government through citizenship, yet there are many examples within our own American society. America has taken citizenship away and than contradicted itself to ask the non-citizen to contribute to our causes (i.e. "war" or "economy"). An example of this control over citizenship is related to the Japanese-American internment camps during WWII. Once in these camps, Japanese-Americans' rights as a citizen were taken, than the government asked if they would fight for America. Thus the Japanese-Americans would have to prove themselves worthy of being a citizen/body of the United States of America.
Homo Sacer is a must read........2006-06-06
Agamben's best known work lives up to the hype. One of the most powerful aspects of this book is its shocking predictions about the world to come. Published many years before the initiation of the war on terror, Agamben signals the beginning the of a style of governance built on permanent exception. He insists that the extermination of the Jewx by the Nazis was not simply a horrible enigma that should never return, rather biopolitical atrocities have continued to intensify. This book is a must read for any person interested in understanding how the deep seated structure of sovereignty and its spatio-temporal course through power relations have brought us to the seeming limit poit of exception become rule. A handbook for contemporary politics. This is a great book.
Political Ontology and Bio-Politics.......2005-11-29
Agamben begins his inquiry into sovereignty in the light of the problematic left to contemporary political ontology via Hobbes, Schmitt, and up to Heidegger (Dasein being that being who's very being is always at stake for that being, and ontological difference), post Heideggerian political thought (Nancy, Lacoue-Labarthe, and Derrida) and finally Foucault's bio-politics. While Agamben's criticisms of these thinkers is brief (and somewhat reductive) it does serve the importance of situating his own conception of bio-politics, sovereignty and life as a radicalized "state of exception".
The Logic of Sovereignty is not one of a mere inclusion of beings into a political sphere or form of life specific to it (bios) which emerges or is transformed from an originary bare life (zoe). Rather Sovereignty establishes itself as "sacred" or "set apart" from the polis. There is nothing legal about law, in that the very founding moment of political ontology is apolitical and extra-juridical (because there is no normative law that has been set up yet). Benjamin distinguishes between two forms of violence (constituting and constituted). However, while the Sovereign constituting power of law must claim to be wholly outside the law in order to have created it, it must also regulate and constitute its power through law itself, thus including itself within the law. The Paradox of Sovereignty then is that its life is an "inclusion through exclusion". The signifier of law is absent (or non-signifying form) but is signified through this very non-signification of absence.
Homo Sacer then is the non-criminal criminal , the "extra-juridical" exception that is designated by the sovereign. The homo sacer can be legally killed by any person but is not a juridical killing. That is to say, killing the sacred human is not homicide nor is it sacrifice. The norm of political subjects are set against the exception of the homo sacer, but also included in the norm in its very opposition and ability to exile homo sacer. Agamben sees homo sacer and the sovereign to have this very inclusion by exception in common. Both the Sovereign and homo sacer can be killed but not sacrificed. (It is not a legal issue to kill a King but rather a heretical or anti-juridical one in this account). The Werewolf (half man and wolf inside the city and outside of it, man and animal, political and non-political) and the Sovereign, the inside and outside become an "indistinction" which no longer holds up for modern politics.
The Camp is the modern political space or "coming to light" of this "indistinction" between nature and law in the form of bio-politics. Modern politics as bio-politics takes life as what is at stake for its own life. Bare life as the state of exception, or the sacred, now becomes the rule. As for homo sacer everyone was sovereign, for the sovereign everyone is homo sacer. "The Enemy" as constitutive outside to the norm of civil society now becomes the inside in a society as war carried out by other means (politics). Society as life itself is the `enemy outside which is inside'. In fact, it was the rule from the inception of western politics. The camp then refers to the Nazi bio-political movement where law and fact are indistigusihable. The "suspension of law" and "states of emergency" are not purely juridical, and the holocaust cannot be understood in terms of law alone, but can only be understood as the indefinite suspension necessary for sovereign power to kill without crime, and without sacrifice.
One of the strengths of Homo Sacer is that it is able to weave the problems of political ontology together with the historico-political configurations and aporias of Nazism/mythology/capitalism/ and statism. In a subtle way Agamben is challenging the whole of contemporary political ontology to begin to rethink politics in terms of (actual)potentiality: (Life). Bio-politics as the state of exception (as rule) is no longer oriented toward the impossibility of the law (as form of the law without signification) but is rather concerned with the form-of-life (as indistinction/exception). A political ontology that is not concerned with the impossibility of laying claim to bare life as such, or the fascist mobilization of its totality and implementation, but rather with the practical creation and proliferation of non-statist, non-hierarchical experimentations in political practices that would create new ways of living and maximize the diversity of lives that would decide these ways. Life as potentiality (never reducible to any given definition or determination (totalitarianism) always calls for the emergence of a new politics of the actual, pointing always to the inexustablity/infinity of Life itself.
Critique of Agamben's somewhat reductive (although appropriate) critique of Heidigger, Battaille, Nancy, Derrida etc. aside for a moment, what remains a gapping hole in this work is the complete lack of eco-critical perspective on life. Almost every time Agamben speaks of life it is always in terms of a human life (a human political refugee, a proletariat, the life of a human political body, or a human sovereign king or people). It is his call for the creation of a people (resonances with Deleuze here) that he seems to close up his work on life. His very inquiry into the `open' of Bare Life (potentiality) as always political (indistinction) is closed up through the work in his neglect of animal, plant, and non-organic life, and hierarchical (statist?) (almost humanist) privileging of the bios politicos of the human.
Interesting but Problematic.......2005-05-23
Agamben's sets up his work in the left-open space of Foucault's work, the void in which "subjectivization" (the internalization of the order into the individual psyche)and police/political strategies might intersect. It is this void that Agamben desires to write, a (non)place in which "life" is incorporated into the political order. Agamben goes about this by beginning with a reading of Greek and Roman philosophical and poetic texts and weaving a continuity from these early works through the works of Thomas Hobbes, Carl Schmitt, and Jacques Derrida. The continuity he describes is that of sovereignty founded upon the "suspension" of "bare life." "Life," here, is "natural life," natural being that element (like the referent in language) that is the always already included absence (or as Agamben calls it the "exclusive inclusion"). This relation of suspension also creates the possibility of the "state of exception," a space in which the force of law is exerted outside of law.
This state in which the law is outside of itself allows for a renewal of the force of law, it transforms the law through its absence. Such a process involves the creation of sacred life, the life that can be killed without sacrifice and without guilt. It is from here that Agamben takes a look at the concentration camp and comes to the conclusion that this exceptional state of political life is in fact the norm of our contemporary reality: the exception has become the rule. "Life" in modern times is the life in the camp, whether it be in a totalitarian regime or one of mass democracy.
The strengths and faults of Agamben's lie in this continuity of sovereingty. On the one hand, it provides a discourse (indeed, a kind of meta-discourse) for placing philosophy and politics in relation to each other. It makes a poignant argument for the politicization of life as not merely a modern affair (as Foucault largely situates it) but, in fact, the founding moment of Western civilization, of the civis and the polis. However, this poignancy is also the achilles heel of Agamben's argument. Agamben's argument accounts for modernity as a "coming into light" of life's incorporation in politics. This subordination of modernity to a realization of what was already there is reductive to the point of excluding some of Foucault's most interesting insights into the diagramming (or beuraucratization) of life. In other words, much of Agamben's argument seems to derive its powers from excluding particularities. (This exclusion of particularities extends to a reductive reading of Derrida's "The Force of Law.")
Don't get me wrong, Agamben's work is important, especially his considerations of Walter Benjamin and Aristotle. Like Benjamin, he raises the stakes. Revolution becomes not merely the transition of one state to another but an eradication of the state that must also involve a revolution of language. Like, Benjamin in his "Critique of Violence," this transformation is ambiguous. Agamben locates it in the sphere of ontology's limits: the revolution will deconstruct the difference of world and person and of pure being and being. It will heal the fissure of life and politics that captures life in politics. Though this is a noble cause, it could certainly use elaboration, an elaboration that may not be possible within the reductive limits of Agamben's historicizing.
Well, there are some problems..........2005-05-23
WOW! Agamben's work continues to become more accepted and it continues to get shorter and shorter; his texts these days seem more like pamphlets than anything else. While Homo Sacer is the exception to this, it is perhaps the one text where Agamben's brevity lends him to making some theoretical blunders.
First, many people believe Agamben is the new Foucault. This simply is not true. There are no new "X's"; each thinker is who her or she is and not another. Yet, Agamben does make the move early in Homo Sacer to read Foucault and Arendt together on the question of totalitarianism. Well, this could be a problem since Foucault believes that the Holocaust has no ideological underpinning, while for Arendt it is the ideology of national socialism that constitutes the Holocaust. Seems like an irreconcilable difference that he not only does not mention but does not overcome.
Second, his notion of biopolitics, well, is hardly Foucauldian. So, are we operating with a new conception of the biopolitical? I think Agamben needs to be more clear about this. Agamben thinks the origins of biopolitics is contained within the difference between zoe and bios and does not understand, as Foucault articulates, the transformation of the sovereign right to kill to to sovereign's necessity for creating and enhancing the social body, which understands the human being as a species and not as an individual or citizen in Foucault's reading of the emergence of the state. Now, with the specialization of the human it becomes necessary that the biological existence of the human being become what is at stake for the state; however, it is this move to the biological existence of the human that it can become specialized.
All of this work by Foucault, which is more nuanced than what I have put forward in this review...but its a review so I chose to leave it brief, is missing in Agamben's work and as I stand on the Foucauldian side of the fence and find his work more compelling and thorough, I really find Agamben's notion of the biopolitical theoretically problematic
Book Description
The Fourth Edition offers a comprehensive treatment of the entire subject of personnel law that reflects the author's personal experience as both a practicing lawyer and personnel director. Written in simple language that bridges the gap between law and human relations management, the new edition explores the legal considerations that occur when an employer-employee relationship is established, and focuses on permissible activities in handling personnel problems, when to seek legal counsel, and how to stay out of court. Offers
new case law where the legal principles have been changed by the courts. Covers
all the new statutes. Continues to find an economical way for the
Epersonnel function to live with its law partner,
<70> whose principles are laid down by legislation and interpreted by the courts. An excellent resource for those in the personnel/ human resources field.
Customer Reviews:
do NOT use this as a textbook.......2002-11-06
The very first sentence of the Prologue of this book contains a grammatical error (it should be "principles," not "principals") and I am sorry to say that things don't get much better. I purchased this book as a text for an Employment Law class and it was terrible; I quit using it halfway through the course and recommended the instructor find another text. The author seems to think he's the most credible person in the world but, as someone who is also a human resources practitioner, I can assert from experience that many of his opinions (several of which are presented as "facts") are wrong. He clearly doesn't even understand what the field of human resources IS, and in many cases I found his tone very offensive.
In addition to using more current information, Sovereign would be well-advised to better consider his audience and to research the field of human resources in general. I would suggest he start with professional organizations such as SHRM or ASTD; the advice and information on their web sites is far superior to anything in this text.
Hodgepodge of mismatched topics.......2000-06-30
Sovereign seems to skip around often in a half-hearted effort at being comprehensive. The cases are not very recent, despite the publication date, and the book has a definite lack of flow. It is almost as if the author threw together several mismatched segments and forgot to edit it for comprehension and cohesiveness.
Adequate on the law; suffers from poor editing.......1998-02-27
I have to use this book as the text for a class I teach in Employment Law (i.e., non-collective-bargaining law) to students matriculating to a Master of Science Degree in Human Resources. The text adequately surveys the law, but suffers from terrible proofing and editing; it also needs an update, because the 1994 edition obviously was not written any later than early 1993, based on the omission of certain important U.S. Supreme Court cases from 1994 and since. The book also suffers from an extremely strong pro-management tone; a more balanced approach would serve the untutored reader better. There are better books, such as the ABA Guide, which I commend to potential readers of this book.
Average customer rating:
- Giants of the Faith
- Outstanding book, outstanding series!
- Listen to the voices of Christian history...
- Concise but comprehensive
- Inspiration for New Christian Leaders
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The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin (The Swans Are Not Silent)
John Piper
Manufacturer: Crossway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Faith | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Church History | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Theology | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Augustine | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Luther, Martin | ( L ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Piper, John | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1581348134 |
Book Description
We admire these men for their greatness, but the truth is Augustine grappled with sexual passions. Martin Luther struggled to control his tongue. John Calvin fought the battle of faith with worldly weapons.
Yet each man will always be remembered for the messages he declaredâmessages that still resound today. John Piper explores each of these men’s lives, integrating Augustine’s delight in God with Luther’s emphasis on the Word and Calvin’s exposition of Scripture. Through their strengths and struggles we can learn how to live better today. When we consider their lives, we behold the glory and majesty of God and find power to overcome our weaknesses.
If ever you are complacent about sin, if ever you lose the joy of Jesus Christ, if ever you are dulled by the world’s influence, let the lives of these men help you recapture the wonder of God. Book 1 in The Swans Are Not Silent series.
Customer Reviews:
Giants of the Faith.......2007-08-19
The books in the Swan series are taken from a conference for pastors, where Dr. Piper presents these biographies. The biographies are never meant to be exhaustic treatment, but tailored to encourage pastors.
I find these brief biographies to be so wonderful and often whet the appetite for more. One can only be encourage and motivated to do more for the Lord, having bathed the soul in these well-written, tailored sketches.
Outstanding book, outstanding series!.......2007-04-05
Incredible. This is the first book of a series of four that Piper wrote to expose this generation to some of the great saints of the past. I started by reading book three, moved to book four, just completed the first and am looking forward to diving into the second book to finish the series. This book was very powerful, enlightening and challenging. As a Reformed believer, I've grown up with a tremendous appreciation of Luther and Calvin, but knew little about the incredible influence of Augustine. As I've matured in my walk and the more I read, the more I see the fruits of Augustine's thoughts in the works of so many great thinkers and writers that followed. Piper's expose on Augustine gave me an even greater appreciation for God's sovereign grace in the life of Augustine and for how God used him like the source lake from which mighty rivers of knowledge and grace have flowed down throughout history.
I think what I enjoyed most about the book is the concept that the central theme that connected these three men was their love for God's Word - they digested it daily, they wrestled with it, they sought to squeeze out every truth that could be known about God Himself from His divine and inspired Word. Their lives were devoted to the study of Scripture and to the accurate and passionate teaching of God's Word to the people. While each lived in tumultuous times, it was amazing to read about how diligent they were with their time and how much they accomplished without any of the modern conveniences that we enjoy today.
I would highly recommend this book and the entire series to all followers of Christ to gain an even greater appreciation for God and how He has used ordinary men throughout history to accomplish extraordinary things. The books are easy to read and relatively short, but are packed with great encouragement for every believer.
Listen to the voices of Christian history..........2006-04-16
The Legacy of Sovereign Joy is Book One of John Piper's series The Swans are Not Silent. Each book of the series (of which there is currently four) collects three of the biographical lectures Piper gave at the annual Bethlehem Conference for Pastors over the past two decades. When Augustine resigned as Bishop of Hippo it was said that the "swan is silent." Piper aims to show that the swans, those in our heritage of Christians throughout the centuries, are in fact not silent.
This book expounds on the lives and thoughts of Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. It begins with an introduction about "savoring the sovereignty of grace in the lives of flawed saints." Piper explains that each of these men "had this in common: they experienced, and built their lives and ministries on, the reality of God's omnipotent grace." (18) Noting some of the flaws of each of these men, Piper believes that "the glory of God, however dimly, is mirrored in the flawed lives of his faithful servants." (37)
Each chapter is about half biography and half theological survey and averages 34 pages. There is a pattern to each chapter: after a brief introduction John Piper provides a biographical sketch and then brings out a prominent theme from author's theology. For Augustine, the theme is sovereign joy, for Luther it is sacred study, and for Calvin it is the divine majesty of the Word.
After these chapters, Piper concludes with four lessons we can learn from the "flawed saints." "1) Do not be paralyzed by your weaknesses and flaws... 2) In the battle against sin and surrender, learn the secret of sovereign joy... 3) Supernatural change comes from seeing Christ in his sacred Word... 4) Therefore, let us exult the exposition of the truth of the Gospel and herald the glory of Christ for the joy of all peoples." (143-148)
It is evident throughout the book that John Piper has done his homework; quoting often from primary texts and secondary sources. While there may be some over simplification in regard to the theological themes, Piper's points are nonetheless insightful and practical. Each chapter serves as a great introduction to the lives and thoughts of these Christian men. The Legacy of Sovereign Joy provides a stimulating resource for those looking to discover some of the motivating themes of the Reformed tradition.
Concise but comprehensive.......2005-09-15
Concise but comprehensive might sound like a contradiction but I couldn't think of any other way to describe it. John Piper really introduced me to Jonathan Edwards, and between the two of them I would say that no other author has had as much of an impact upon me in the last few years as these two. Now Piper introduces us to Augustine, Luther, and Calvin also. This is the first book in a series of three and well worth the investment. I read it in my spare time in just 1 week, have the second book ready to go, but regret not purchasing the third at the same time. Piper's strength is not only in presenting one very compelling argument about the triumph of God's grace (or "Sovereign Joy"), but to do it by presenting numerous facets of the work of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin, which are easy to follow and understand, gives an excellent overview of their lives and ministries, and which leaves you wanting to (and feeling confident of being able to) read from the original sources. Every page was a gem. Be warned though, I got about 10 pages into the book then realised my mistake ... I should have read this book with a pencil and note pad in hand! There are so many great quotes from Augustine, Luther, and Calvin, not to mention Piper himself that you'll want to write some of them down to chew over later (or file away for sermon illustrations). This is an easy read and a great introduction the some major figures in church history, not to mention excellent food for the soul. In a day when people are so biblically illiterate as well as ignorant (or contemptible) of church history, this book demonstrates that our impoverishment is foolish and unnecessary. We need more books like this! I would have given it 6 stars if I could, simply on price, readability, and content alone.
Inspiration for New Christian Leaders.......2005-04-16
As you can see by the book's subtitle, this little book has three biographical pieces on well known historical Christians. Though most Christians know the names of these men, few know any more than that. So this book serves as a useful introduction to their lives and work.
But this book offers more that just a general introduction. These essays were originally conference talks given by the author to an audience of pastors. So there is a specific theme and purpose to them beyond summary historical information. Lessons from the lives of these men are drawn out to inspire and equip a new generation of Christian leaders.
I was personally most inspired by the chapter on Martin Luther. I was greatly convicted to be more diligent in the study of God's word. But all three essays were interesting and provoked personal reflection.
Book Description
9/11 and its aftermath have shown that our ideas about what constitutes sovereign power lag dangerously behind the burgeoning claims to rights and recognition within and across national boundaries. New configurations of sovereignty are at the heart of political and cultural transformations globally. Sovereign Bodies shifts the debate on sovereign power away from territoriality and external recognition of state power, toward the shaping of sovereign power through the exercise of violence over human bodies and populations. In this volume, sovereign power, whether exercised by a nation-state or by a local despotic power or community, is understood and scrutinized as something tentative and unstable whose efficacy depends less on formal rules than on repeated acts of violence.
Following the editors' introduction are fourteen essays by leading scholars from around the globe that analyze cultural meanings of sovereign power and violence, as well as practices of citizenship and belonging--in South Africa, Peru, India, Mexico, Cyprus, Norway, and also among transnational Chinese and Indian populations. Sovereign Bodies enriches our understanding of power and sovereignty in the postcolonial world and in "the West" while opening new conceptual fields in the anthropology of politics. The contributors are Ana María Alonso, Lars Buur, Partha Chatterjee, Jean Comaroff and John L. Comaroff, Oivind Fuglerud, Thomas Blom Hansen, Barry Hindess, Steffen Jensen, Achille Mbembe, Aihwa Ong, Finn Stepputat, Simon Turner, Peter van der Veer, and Yael Navaro-Yashin.
Product Description
This book details the "Offshore Havens of the World" for those concerned with the security of their finances in these uncertain times. It is written by a premiere authority on the subject
Customer Reviews:
Great GAME, story, and campaign.......2007-05-18
This product rocks in every way. It gives plenty of outside opportunities to expand on for future play. It works well as a series or short adventures or long adventures. It follows and builds well on the best fantasy world there is (in my opinion) keeping to the theme and feel. For pure gaming, it is easy to use and follow and is not confusing. Better than Castle Ravenloft or the Fantastic Locations BY FAR. My favorite module from 1st, 2nd, or 3rd edition. THANKS!!
Book Description
The present international system, composed for the most part of sovereign, territorial states, is often viewed as the inevitable outcome of historical development. Hendrik Spruyt argues that there was nothing inevitable about the rise of the state system, however. Examining the competing institutions that arose during the decline of feudalism--among them urban leagues, independent communes, city states, and sovereign monarchies--Spruyt disposes of the familiar claim that the superior size and war-making ability of the sovereign nation-state made it the natural successor to the feudal system.
The author argues that feudalism did not give way to any single successor institution in simple linear fashion. Instead, individuals created a variety of institutional forms, such as the sovereign, territorial state in France, the Hanseatic League, and the Italian city-states, in reaction to a dramatic change in the medieval economic environment. Only in a subsequent selective phase of institutional evolution did sovereign, territorial authority prove to have significant institutional advantages over its rivals. Sovereign authority proved to be more successful in organizing domestic society and structuring external affairs. Spruyt's interdisciplinary approach not only has important implications for change in the state system in our time, but also presents a novel analysis of the general dynamics of institutional change.
Customer Reviews:
indispensable state theory.......2003-08-28
I read this book in a class on the formation of modern state. After reading Poggi and Tilly among other texts this one was read and it was amazing. Spruyt explains state formation in Western Europe by taking into account sociology, economy and ideologies. Therefore his theory accounts for more factors than especially Tilly (who can be very persuasive at a first glance but not so much when compared to others) and for more diversity in the paths chosen by the actors. These three writers Tilly, Poggi and Spruyt must be read together to get a sound idea on this phenomenon. Of course there is much more but how deep you will go depends on your curiosity.
Why the sovereign state won the evolutionary contest........2002-09-04
Why do we live in sovereign states now? In the high Middle Ages, sovereign states were certainly not the only form of political organization in Western Europe. Why did sovereign states first come to dominate Europe and then spread their model around the globe?
The author argues that there was nothing deterministic about the victory of the sovereign state. It was not destined to be the most successful form of government and it had competitors. The city leagues, particularly the Hansa, and the city-state, most notably in Italy, were all viable alternatives to the sovereign state up to the high Middle Ages.
By comparing the development of Capetian France, the Hanseatic League, and the Italian city-states, the author shows what political actors made which alliances with one another to the benefit or detriment of their particular political models.
A particularly fascinating book to understand how we got to the dominance of the sovereign state and excellent background for imagining a post-sovereign state world.
Book Description
From the Congress of Vienna to the "war on terrorism", the roles of "great powers and outlaw states" have had a major impact on international relations. Gerry Simpson describes the ways in which an international legal order based on "sovereign equality" has accommodated the great powers and regulated outlaw states since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Simpson also offers a way of understanding recent transformations in the global political order by recalling the lessons of the past--in particular, through the recent violent conflicts in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Average customer rating:
- Great series, poor ending. Worth buying though.
- A stunning conclusion to an epic tale
- Ashes To Ashes, Dust to Dust, Portal To Portal
- Might as well finish it...
- A Decent End to the Sovereign Stone trilogy....
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Journey Into the Void (Sovereign Stone Trilogy)
Margaret Weis , and
Tracy Hickman
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0061020591
Release Date: 2004-07-27 |
Book Description
From acclaimed New York Times bestselling fantasists Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman comes the spellbinding conclusion to the epic adventure of wonder, courage, magic, and ambition that is the breathtaking world of the Sovereign Stone.
Over two hundred years have passed since the mystical Sovereign Stone was shattered and the world of Loerem faced its most dangerous test ever—the rise of the dark lord Dagnarus. But now Dagnarus has stirred from the Void and seeks the utter conquest of all Loerem. Leading a seemingly unstoppable horde of bestial, powerful minions and a host of insidious undead, Dagnarus captures mortal kingdom after mortal kingdom, until he stands before the very gates of New Vinnengael, as traitors within the city plot to yield the crown to the undead lord.
In the darkness and turmoil that follows, all heroes must first master their own fears and weaknesses before they can take up the fight to stop Dagnarus, and the company spreads across many lands to face many perils. Mortally wounded by a Blood-knife wielded by an undead Vrykyl knight, the Baron Shadamehr lies dying, and even the many skills of his beautiful, beloved Alise may not be able to save him. Others face desperate journeys through hostile lands and difficult tests of character. And, unsuspected, a deadly Vrykyl stalks the pecwae Bashae—and his precious burden, the human portion of the Sovereign Stone—through the streets of New Vinnengael.
Yet the gods have their own plans for this imperiled land, and drawn by an unknown call, the Dominion Lords head for the Portal of the Gods, the mystical, haunted site of Dagnarus's terrible treachery two hundred years beforehand. For if all the parts of the sundered Sovereign Stone can be reunited, the Dominion Lords can stop Dagnarus's unholy plans for domination. But one piece is still missing. . . .
As the past and present converge in a desperate race to determine the future, an unlikely hero will arise. A man who will become far more than he ever dreamed possible and who holds the fate of all Loerem in his hands. And to save Loerem he must venture into a realm of utter terror and darkness . . . into the very blackness of the Void itself.
Download Description
From acclaimed New York Times bestselling fantasists Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman comes the spellbinding conclusion to the epic adventure of wonder, courage, magic, and ambition that is the breathtaking world of the Sovereign Stone. Over two hundred years have passed since the mystical Sovereign Stone was shattered and the world of Loerem faced its most dangerous test ever -- the rise of the dark lord Dagnarus. But now Dagnarus has stirred from the Void and seeks the utter conquest of all Loerem. Leading a seemingly unstoppable horde of bestial, powerful minions and a host of insidious undead, Dagnarus captures mortal kingdom after mortal kingdom, until he stands before the very gates of New Vinnengael, as traitors within the city plot to yield the crown to the undead lord.
Customer Reviews:
Great series, poor ending. Worth buying though........2005-11-15
Poor ending, though the series was excellent... I'd say that it would be normal to be disappointed by the ending. The entire story build up to that very point and it wasn't as earth shaking as the authors would have you guess. However I did think the adventure there was actually worth the price of getting the entire series!
A stunning conclusion to an epic tale.......2005-08-19
This book is the third and final instalment of the Sovereign Stone Trilogy capping another wonderfully created world by Weis and Hickman. Wies and Hickman have a knack for bringing home the story at the end of trilogies. I've read some authors where the third book is the worst in the series. Not the case here. This book finishes up the story in grand fashion and I can honestly say that I wouldn't have ended the story any other way.
This world is unlike their Dragonlance books in that they have complete control over what happens and it's noticably a little darker than their other works.
The story during the Sovereign Stone Trilogy moves along at a break neck pace. There are multiple twists along the way. I thinkt he thing I like best about this trilogy is that the 'villian' starts off as a good guy for the most part, but with misguided ideals. He doesn't really know he's being evil he thinks he's doing what's best.
Overall, if you are a fan of Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles of Death Gate cycle you should give these books a chance. The world if fresh and different from most that is out there today.
If you're ready for a new journey, jump aboard and get ready for a fun enjoyable ride.
Ashes To Ashes, Dust to Dust, Portal To Portal.......2005-05-19
The conclusion to the Sovereign Stone Trilogy, the predicatively-named Journey Into The Void, follows the path of the sundered stone through Loerem and back to the portal of the gods.
Book three focuses on the abominations called taan and their subservience to the lord of the void Dagnarus and that race's interaction with humans, elves, orken and dwarves. As the level of violence ratchets up, Dagnarus' ambition of ruling the world draws nearer. For 200 years he has plotted the moment when he would fulfill his ambition and walk in the footsteps of his long-departed father King Tamaros. His moment seems assured. Much like its two predecessors, however, Journey Into The Void relies too heavily on simplistic coincidences and twists of fate to be fully convincing. The ending, in particular, seems rudimentary and anti-climatic, although Dagnarus' musings about being a just ruler who will bring prosperity to his subjects are an intriguing contradiction to the linear fable of good versus evil. In the end, the irony is not enough to erase an inadequate ending. A partial redress is left to new and complex characters like Captain Of The Captains, Alise or Baron Shadamehr, but sadly they are stifled in these environs. That will have to do however.
Every rose has its thorns. In this case, the thorns manage to overwhelm the story.
Might as well finish it..........2005-02-14
The most positive excuse I can give for reading this book, is if you've already read the first two, it's not too painful to just go ahead and finish this one too.
That being said, this book read like it was writting to fulfil a contract, with no particular insight or imagination going into the telling of the story. The actual climax was such a letdown as to be almost insulting.
The overall story seems to center around a great cruel joke that the gods play on the people of this world. Giving them a "gift" that they state up front will throw the races into war and chaos. Then three books go by trying to get the stone put back together so the gods will take the damn thing back. Gee, thanks gods.
There was also a very odd juxtaposition of the typical fantasy races. I know it's not written in stone or anything, but the deliberate trashing of traditional racial attributes was very distracting. i.e. Orcs, are an intelligent, if superstitious, seagoing race. Elves are a petty and warlike people. Dwarves are a fanatical horse riding culture. If you're going to mix things up that much, why even start with the same race names. Just make up new ones, it would work far better.
If you didn't start this trilogy, trust me...skip it. If you've already read the first book, stop there, it stands alone anyway. If you read the second, you might as well finish it.
A Decent End to the Sovereign Stone trilogy...........2005-01-04
I am a huge fan of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. But this Soveriegn Stone Trilogy has been at best a so-so fantasy story. Book 1 was more of a prequel, Book 2 seemed to get lost in itself, and Book 3 finally puts it all to rest. This is not their best work. But it did remain interesting throughout. The ending is a bit of a letdown and it seems that any chance of some intense action is dispelled quickly. I would not really recommend this trilogy to a friend when there are simply better fantasy stories to focus on out there. So only read if you read the first two. Then put it on the shelf to gather some dust.
Books:
- Star of the Sea
- Stargirl (Readers Circle)
- Stem Cell Transplantation: Biology, Processes, Therapy
- Tapping the Healer Within : Using Thought-Field Therapy to Instantly Conquer Your Fears, Anxieties, and Emotional Distress
- The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God
- The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn (3 Complete Adventures in 1 Volume, Vol. 3)
- The Alton Gift (Darkover)
- The Annotated Dracula
- The Artists Muse: Unlock the Door to Your Creativity
- The Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers, Diggers, and Wings
Books Index
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