Amazon.com
Catastrophic, world-altering events like the September 11 attacks on the United States place the millions of us who experience them on the "fault line where World History and Personal History collide." Most of us, however, cannot document that intersection with the force, compression, and poignancy expressed in Art Spiegelman's In the Shadow of No Towers. As in his Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus, cartoonist Spiegelman presents a highly personalized, political, and confessional diary of his experience of September 11 and its aftermath. In 10 large-scale pages of original, hard hitting material (composed from September 11, 2001 to August 31, 2003), two essays, and 10 old comic strip reproductions from the early 20th century, Spiegelman expresses his feelings of dislocation, grief, anxiety, and outrage over the horror of the attacks---and the subsequent "hijacking" of the event by the Bush administration to serve what he believes is a misguided and immoral political agenda. Readers who agree with Spiegelman's point of view will marvel at the brilliance of his images and the wit and accuracy of his commentary. Others, no doubt, will be jolted by his candor and, perhaps, be challenged to reexamine their position.
The central image in the sequence of original broadsides, which returns as a leitmotif in each strip, is Spiegelman's Impressionistic "vision of disintegration," of the North Tower, its "glowing bones...just before it vaporized." (As downtown New Yorkers, Spiegelman and his family experienced the event firsthand.) But the images and styles in the book are as fragmentary and ever-shifting as Spiegelman's reflections and reactions. The author's closing comment that "The towers have come to loom far larger than life...but they seem to get smaller every day" reflects a larger and more chilling irony that permeates In the Shadow of No Towers. Despite the ephemeral nature of the comic strip form, the old comics at the back of the book have outlasted the seemingly indestructible towers. In the same way, Spiegelman's heartfelt impressions have immortalized the towers that, imponderably, have now vanished. --Silvana Tropea
Book Description
For Art Spiegelman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Maus, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were both highly personal and intensely political. In the Shadow of No Towers, his first new book of comics since the groundbreaking Maus, is a masterful and moving account of the events and aftermath of that tragic day.
Spiegelman and his family bore witness to the attacks in their lower Manhattan neighborhood: his teenage daughter had started school directly below the towers days earlier, and they had lived in the area for years. But the horrors they survived that morning were only the beginning for Spiegelman, as his anguish was quickly displaced by fury at the U.S. government, which shamelessly co-opted the events for its own preconceived agenda.
He responded in the way he knows best. In an oversized, two-page-spread format that echoes the scale of the earliest newspaper comics (which Spiegelman says brought him solace after the attacks), he relates his experience of the national tragedy in drawings and text that convey—with his singular artistry and his characteristic provocation, outrage, and wit—the unfathomable enormity of the event itself, the obvious and insidious effects it had on his life, and the extraordinary, often hidden changes that have been enacted in the name of post-9/11 national security and that have begun to undermine the very foundation of American democracy.
Customer Reviews:
Dull.......2007-03-09
In a small series of comic strips originally designed to be printed as large, two-page newspaper spreads, Spiegelman illustrates his personal experiences of the attack on the World Trade Center. He focuses mainly upon four themes: his concern over the safety of his daughter who was attending a school right near the towers, his growing paranoia over the government, the funny but disturbing display of blind patriotism that arose amongst the US population and media following the tragedy, and, lastly, how slow he is at producing comic strips.
Given the emotions still surrounding 9/11, it would take extraordinarily bad writing to fail to get any reaction from a reader, and perhaps that is why Spiegelman is so lazy and sloppy here. I'm sure he felt emotions while he was writing this, and he DOES do a good job of making the reader feel some of his anxiety over his daughter's safety, and some of his anecdotes are interesting (his never-used TV interview about how "American" 9/11 made him feel -- it didn't -- is quite humourous). But overall the writing lacks direction, is amateurish and hackneyed, and surprisingly ineffective at eliciting a strong emotional reaction from the reader given the subject matter. It usually wasn't so much Spiegelman's writing that made me feel emotions, but the memories it drew from inside of me (like the images of people falling from the towers). Without those memories, it was just history.
The problem may in part be due to the format of his stories. In each spread we tend to get a glimpse of a storyline, then we get to the next strip and we see basically the same glimpse of a storyline with much repetition and little progression, rendering his storytelling completely choppy. It reminded me of newscasts where they keep repeating the same "coming up" message over and over again, and when they finally get to the story itself, it winds up being even shorter and less informative than any of the multiple previews you sat through. And sometimes he doesn't even go that far. To illustrate, Spiegelman repeatedly tells you how paranoid he felt. But he does not get his feeling of paranoia across. He doesn't make the reader feel any of his paranoia or really show its effects on his life (other than some lost sleep). And it comes across as completely matter-of-fact. He might as well be telling us that he ate a salami sandwich for lunch yesterday without even describing its taste, his hunger, etc.
Some of his artwork is interesting as he draws upon classic strips from the early 20th century for inspiration, but this technique rarely adds any depth to the story's content. It is interesting style, but that's all it is -- style. It makes for pretty pictures, but fails to redeem the text.
Overall, Spiegelman has nothing new to say on the subject of 9/11. It has all been done far more competently and compellingly elsewhere by numbers too great to count. Ultimately lightweight, Shadow is printed on nice, thick boards to create the illusion that it is far more substantial than it is. It includes reprints of several interesting vintage comic strips which are included both to allow the reader less versed in comics to see where Spiegelman drew stylistic inspiration, and to pad out the books extremely small page count.
Not quite what I expected.......2006-04-02
I thought this would be more of a story of the artist's personal experience & less political. I don't disagree with his politics, but it was still somewhat of a disappointment. Spiegelman's artwork is always amazing, often moving & thought provoking. I was really moved by his quote: "I finally understand why some Jews didn't leave Berlin right after Kristallnacht!" I also enjoyed the section on old political cartoons
"I finally understand why some Jews didn't leave Berlin after Kristallnacht"---Art Spiegelman.......2006-02-17
Before this book, I had never picked up a book on 9/11, being that I assumed they are all so politically biased (be it one extreme or another). There are also so many of them, some released very soon after the attack. It is frustrating to look at the "new books" section of the local library and see ½ the shelves filled with 9/11 books. I couldn't help myself with this curio, however. I am a fan of history and comics. Browsing through the large, thick, colorful cardboard panels of "In the Shadow of No Towers", I saw a vintage newspaper page on the shooting of President McKinley (the author doesn't elaborate on why this was used, must be the terrorism theme, in this case anarchism) and what looked like on first glance a vintage comic on the Titanic (it turned out to be an even older comic). I knew this book was right up my alley. Having never read Maus, I wasn't sure what to expect but looked forward to checking it out.
It didn't take long to find the politically-biased stuff I dreaded.. On the very first plate: "In those first few days after 9/11 I got lost constructing conspiracy theories about my government's complicity in what had happened that would have done a Frenchman proud. (My susceptibility for conspiracy goes back a long ways but had reached its previous peak after the 2000 elections)." In fact, in his "...No Towers" comics that make up the first 10 panels of the 18-plate book, the author reveals a preoccupation with the 2000 elections. At one point he calls George W. Bush that "creature in the White House" (7). This book came out before the 2004 elections, so one can only wonder if the author has yet to let 2000 go. On panel 7, he has a red/blue zone look at the 2000 elections "the one that put the loser in office," with what I'm guessing is the percentage of the popular vote showing Gore the winner (of course, it is not the popular vote that determines the winner).
The "...No Towers" strips are very aesthetically interesting with computer images mixed with colorful comic artwork. The author relives his experiences during the tragedy, getting his daughter from the UN school near the towers, a run-in with a predictable crazy lady living on the street, etc. He then goes into his own internal struggles with what had transpired and the aftermath. My favorite line is "sometimes complaining is the only solace" (9). The vintage comics section I found to be the most intriguing as I enjoy (though I don't often understand) that early 20th century humor. Spiegelman chose is 8 comics, it seems, based on themes of buildings and American patriotism. I am grateful he includes an explanation of them, especially the Krazy Kat comic, as I would probably not understand the connection he drew between them and 9/11 otherwise. Actually, I was a little disappointed in the vintage comics used. I thought they'd deal with how comic writers dealt with other tragedies. My favorite vintage comic is the first one used in plate 1 "Etymological Vaudeville" where Happy Hooligan gets ready for bed and takes off one of his shoes that goes "Klomp!" Not wanting to wake his family, he quietly takes off the other shoe and goes to bed only to be awakened by his family cussing and yelling, "Drop the other @*g! shoe so we can go to sleep!".
What strikes me the most is the reoccurring theme that the end of the world is upon us. I think that probably people from every generation felt this away about the tragic events of their time, be it war, famine, plague, etc. Spiegelman makes statements like "I worry whether New York City or I will still be around" (7). I think we all are guilty of taking our time on earth too seriously. We like to think that we witnessed the worst thing to ever happen in the history of man. Horror is all relative of course, but in the scheme of history, as horrible as 9/11 was, it was not the worst thing to happen on earth. Worse things have happened in the past and will happen in the future. Spiegelman himself hints at this at the end of his introduction: "I still believe the world is ending, but I concede that it seems to be ending more slowly than I once thought" (i).
Go Shopping and Be Afraid.......2006-02-04
There's no way this project could be as tremendous as Spiegelman's life's work, "Maus," but it's tough not to make comparisons. This book consists of just ten large-scale comic strips that Spiegelman created to explore his feelings about 9/11 and its aftermath. Spiegelman's personal experience of the disaster – his family lives and works literally next to the World Trade Center – gives his accounts a direct poignancy, with more strength and emotion than the jingoism you get from pundits who weren't there. And as always, Spiegelman's artwork is outstandingly expressive, with his gifts for artistic allegory and surrealism in full eye-popping display. However, things go asunder when Spiegelman extends his comic strips to the political aftermath of 9/11. I don't disagree with the idea that the Bush administration has used the disaster to consolidate votes and bully a fearful public into backing their political agenda, and I won't accuse Spiegelman of conspiracy theorizing as others have. However, Spiegelman's social and political philosophy is rather undeveloped and sketchy, and frankly too weak to stand next to his outstanding artwork. Meanwhile, the second half of this very meager book consists of reprints of old comic strips from the early 1900's, which Spiegelman says have influenced his artwork and his opinions on the post-9/11 American political landscape. These strips are certainly interesting from a historical standpoint, but I'm not really buying Spiegelman's claims of a direct connection to the rest of the book. [~doomsdayer520~]
Deeply moving, but ill-informed.......2005-12-26
With Maus, Spiegelman showed how well he could tug at our emotions and portray a sense of struggling and grasping in the most hopeless scenarios. Here, however Spiegelman tries to weave the same effect based on conspiracies and propaganda, and the result is to cheapen Maus and Spiegelman alike. Readers of Maus are advised to steer clear of this book, as it will destroy the power of Spiegelman's narration by destroying the credibility and the sense of a frank and honest witness to the events.
Book Description
From the boundless imagination and talented pen of a young storyteller springs the fabulous first novel in a major new epic fantasy series. Steeped in the traditions of its classic forebears, yet boldly original in its vision and sense of wonder, The Tower of Shadows swells with heroism, sings with enchantment, and carries the reader at full gallop into a marvelously wrought world of breathtaking adventure.
Untold ages ago, vainglorious spirits battled with the three gods in a bid for dominion over all–only to be defeated and banished below the earth to fester in their unquenchable evil. One of these vengeful demons eventually broke free and rained bloody death upon an innocent village in the land of Ellynrie. Few survived. The Starcross brothers, mere children orphaned by their parents’ slaughter, suffered very difficult fates. Corin Starcross was delivered to safety by the wizard Dale, while his brother, Cade, was abandoned to the flames that devoured their childhood home. Likewise, the mercenary Wren Tident saved his infant daughter, Kayla, from the monstrous fate that claimed her mother. When the demon retreated to its black abyss, the haunted souls left in its murderous wake did their best to carry on–save for one, who vowed retribution.
When Cade Starcross reappears, he immerses himself in a secret study of the blackest arts, and a grim dance of destiny begins. His humanity withered by grief and his mind twisted by his apprenticeship to darkness, Cade seeks to use sorcery to wreak vengeance on his demon nemesis. But in order to succeed, a dagger of unearthly power wrought by the gods themselves must be found. And the blood of Cade’s brother, Corin Starcross, must be spilled.
Yet all of Cade’s fury and magic will prove no match for the evil set free upon the earth. By any means and at all costs, the doomed vendetta must be stopped. A fledgling wizard, a tormented warrior, and a young girl burning with her father’s untamed spirit must rally together as the only hope of a world poised perilously at the abyss.
Customer Reviews:
There Is Certainly Potential Here.......2007-07-14
I was surprised while reading this book for it turned out to be quite an entertaining tale. I thought the description was wonderful and the plot was interesting enough for a first novel, although a bit unclear at times. However, I felt that the story overall did indeed feel rushed. For a second novel, the author should take his time and slow down the pace. Also, get deeper into the characters.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-06-08
Technically, neither of the Starcross brothers should have survived the massacre that night. The night the magician, Dale, interrupted a dark ritual, and the monsters destroyed the town. Had it not been for Wren Tident and his pregnant wife, Lori, no one would have been there to save baby Corin from the monster who devoured his parents. His older brother, Cade, is left for dead in the tower of flames that was the Starcross home.
Fast-forward some sixteen years.
Wren Tident is a single father. After having tragically lost his wife, he has given up adventures. He's intent only on the safety and welfare of his daughter, Kayla. Kayla finds him to be overbearing and overprotective, but distant. She's heard stories of her father from before she was born, and she has a hard time believing that the daring, exciting, almost carefree Wren Tident could be the same man she lives with.
Dale has become a bit of a recluse. With the exception of the training of his apprentice, Adriel. Dale and Wren have had very little communication since they parted ways many years ago. While they were close friends once, Wren now prefers the lack of contact.
Corin lives in the countryside, where he was raised by an uncle. He has lived, to this point, a simple and relatively quiet existence. Despite being an orphan and a cripple (one leg is permanently lame thanks to the events of the night he lost his parents) he is a curious and generally cheerful young man.
They are all being hunted.
Survival requires Wren to re-enter the dangerous lifestyle he abandoned for the sake of his daughter. And he'll have to drag Kayla in, too, not that she requires much convincing. It means that old friends, turned enemies, will have to reconnect. It means danger and loss and sacrifice and faith in each other at the darkest of moments. To save themselves, and the world around them, they will have to face the darkness that has taken over the boy who was left for dead. And Cade Starcross does not intend to lose.
Such completely absorbing fantasy that you won't want to come up for air. And when you've finished, you'll want to go back and read it again to see what you might have missed. Thankfully, this is intended to be only the first book. What I'd really like to read, though, is the story of the time in between. There is a big chunk of time missing between the prologue and the beginning of this piece of the story. That was the only thing I found lacking in this book. I want to know how and why everyone got to where the story starts. I guess I just liked these people, the world they live in, and their story so much that I want to know more about all of it!
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
Two Words: UBER TERRIBLE.......2007-04-17
Ok, I am dissapointed in Terry Brooks and Christopher Paolini for giving this book any kind of Blurb. This book had everything going wrong. Plot line was nothing original, the execution of the plot was just horrible. To disjointed, and used too many bad literary tricks like the constant jump in narrative. Their was no cohesion. It seemed like a Cliff Notes version of the book. No real dialogue, no real description, the book just jumped along. It really did seem like a book a shortcutting teenager would write. Very Bad Read in my opinion
Shows potential but definitely not there yet.......2007-03-26
Unfortunately, I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how this book got such good blurbs from established writers. It's basically just a series of fight scenes held together by a very thin, disjointed narrative thread, with two-dimensional characters and a very shallow backstory.
Bowling would have used his time and space much more wisely if he had spent more of it developing the characters and plot, which was basically that the survivor of a massacre (by demons?) is trying to find his brother and use his blood to gain power, supposedly to avenge their parents' murder. He couldn't even be bothered to come up with original names, filching Ariel from Shakespeare for one of the world's gods, and the name of the knight who magically appears out of nowhere whenever the characters are in a tight spot is priceless - Sir Lancet Rhymewind. The main characters are the "good" brother who is the target, a reluctant wizard with poor self-esteem, an embittered and cynical ex-warrior, and his plucky daughter. Yawn. I couldn't bring myself to really care about any of them, and what ever happened to Kayla's artistic talent, anyway? That was a promising trait that piqued some interest in me at the beginning, but then it was just dropped.
The author has some nice descriptive touches in his writing (although "the sky was the color of a clotting wound" is _not_ one of them), and perhaps he can do better in future books, but I felt that this one was just a waste of my time.
A good story!.......2007-03-09
Considering that Drew is only a sophomore in college, I say that this first book of the trilogy is quite an achievement. Though admittedly a bit rushed, it's well written (some have said it's "not as well written as Eragon", but I have to disagree there...), it has a good (original!) plot, and follows interesting characters. Hats off to Drew, and bring on Book Two!
FYI: This book will probably appeal to fans of any/all of the following: Lord of the Rings (Tolkien), Harry Potter (J K Rowling), the Obsidian Trilogy (Lackey and Mallory), Shannara (Terry Brooks), the Chronicles of Narnia (C S Lewis), the Saga of Recluce (L E Modesitt, Jr), Eragon (Paolini), and Earthsea (Ursula K Le Guin).
Average customer rating:
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In the Shadow of the Tower (Dana girls mystery stories, 3)
Carolyn Keene
Manufacturer: Grosset and Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Keene, Carolyn
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ASIN: B000860EPW |
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful!.......2006-09-29
Some of my best memories from 30 years ago, were the hours I spent curled up with a Dana Girls Mystery!
They were wonderful then, and wonderful now!
Book Description
Here is the book that Tolkien fans have needed for half a century--a detailed, book-length chronology of J. R. R. Tolkien's complex tale. Whether you are a serious Tolkien fan or simply someone who enjoys reading the story over and over again, this is the book for you. It's the first totally new reference for The Lord of the Rings since the 1970s.
Beginning over 1400 years before the major events in Tolkien's epic, it describes, year-by-year, the amazing and imaginative background history that Tolkien created for his masterpiece. Then for the main narrative, it becomes a day-by-day reference, describing what each character does on that day and all the places where those events are described in Tolkien's writings. You can find out, for instance, what Merry and Pippin are doing as Sam perpares rabbit stew on the morning of March 7.
Probe deeper into Tolkien. See why someone as serious as Gandalf was interested in fun-loving Hobbits. Discover an exciting new plot, based on Tolkien's notes, that begins when Aragorn captures Gollum. Follow along as the Black Riders and Gandalf race for the Shire. Decide for yourself whether Sauron and the Ring have any ties to Hitler and Stalin. Explore what Tolkien believed about nature and technology.
A few facts illustrate how helpful this chronology is. Most of narrative is a deliberately confusing sea of next days and third days that leave readers as confused as the tale's main characters.The middle 60 percent of The Lord of the Rings gives the current date only once. In the narrative as a whole, the date is given only 23 times, or once for every 43 pages, and most of those come when the plot is moving slowly. That's why those who want to dig deeper and understand better what Tolkien was saying will find this book a must-have.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Resource.......2006-12-10
Perry has done a wonderful job in untangling the very intricate tale woven by J.R.R. Tolkien. Of particular help are the copious margin notes which reference exactly where Perry is drawing the information contained within that section of his book. The commentary made by the author is a welcomed pause for reflection on the events that are taking place and keep the book from being a mere listing of dates and events. I teach a course on J.R.R. Tolkien and have found Untangling Tolkien a valuable resource, since it covers the entire history of Middle-earth: what comes before The Hobbit and what takes place after The Lord of The Rings. Bravo Mr. Perry, I look forward to reading your other books.
Knits up the ravels.......2004-10-31
An amazing accomplishment by a dedicated Tolkien fan.
That is how I'd sum up the book Untanging Tolkien. Michael Perry has first unraveled all Tolkien's "dates" -- which can be extrapolated from phases of the moon -- and then knit them together again in a cohesive outline, presented in much greater detail than Tolkien's own timeline (found buried in Appendix A of LOTR). By incorporating information from other Tolkien writings, the author of Untangling Tolkien collates additional facts about all the characters and the circumstances surrounding the War of the Ring, folding them all into this detailed chronology. He includes material that sheds light on possible parallels between Tolkien's work and events that were contemporary, and he provides original commentary that suggests some additional motivations for Tolkien's characters. Sidebars offer references to every source for the information presented and for each conclusion the author has drawn.
I found the format, with quick-reference bulleted lists and clearly delineated sections and subheadings, well-organized and easy to use.
NOTE: I read the third printing that was published in May 2004. Apparently the author has corrected many of the errors that David Bratman objected to (below). You won't find a better overview or a more throrough treatment of time and dates in LOTR than Perry provides in this book.
A Radiograph of LotR........2003-12-27
This book is layed out as a chronological record of the events covered by Tolkein's masterpiece with prefaces that explain the calender system created by Tolkein and its conversion to our more mundane (and possibly inferior) system. The type is clear, and margin citations clear and present for every entry. It's primary utility, at which it succeeds admirably, is as a kind of radiograph of Tolkein's work that reveals its astonishing complexity more clearly and allows one to admire, and more importantly, explore the book itself more quickly, easily, and deeply.
The book also contains copious notes inline with the chronology. These vary from informative to tangential, but at worst do not detract from the book's primary function. Mr. Perry is perhaps foremost as Lewis scholar, and so C.S. Lewis, a close acquaintance and friend of Tolkein, makes a number of appearances. Also making appearances in the notes are William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill.
All in all, a unique book which will save anyone who wants to do an in depth study of LotR a lot of time.
Splendid Tolkien Reference Work.......2003-12-21
Superb, exhaustive chronology of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga. Perry does a superior job in untangling a number of thorny chronological issues in Tolkien's narrative, and he employs some fine literary detective work in reconstructing what events are happening across Middle Earth on any given date. Especially admirable is his reconstruction of how much moonlight there was during each day of Frodo and Sam's journey into Mordor.
In addition to chronology, Perry supplies a lot of background information about Tolkien's themes and sources, as well as biographical tidbits about Tolkien. For example, there are fascinating discussions of Tolkien's views of technology, freedom, and totalitarianism. Perry also discusses Tolkien's stance toward the misuse of Germanic myths by the Nazis.
This is a great resource for Tolkien-lovers everywhere.
a giant mass of undifferentiated trivia.......2003-12-21
A year-by-year, later day-by-day, chronicle of the war against Sauron from the founding of the Shire to the glorious conclusion seems at the outset like a good idea. Perry calls LOTR's Appendix B, the Tale of Years, "far from complete" but it covers the whole period: what he means is that it's not detailed enough for him. Appendix B won't tell you which day Sam cooked coney for Frodo; Perry will.
But alas, the book does not stop there. The entries are written as bullet lists like a PowerPoint presentation, and many add pointless little flowcharts such as two-generation family trees. They reduce Tolkien's magnificently complex subcreation into a giant mass of undifferentiated trivia. And each yearly or daily entry comes with its commentary, whether directly relevant, side points, broader considerations, or dogmatic essays in applicability. The unrelieved banality and inappropriateness of these must be read to be believed; as also the author's clumsy, grammatically inept style, and his smug superiority to the characters. (He frequently criticizes the good guys' "blunders," all of them more complex than he implies.)
There's actually some good chronological analysis and speculation hiding in here. But how can someone who knows his Tolkien that well say that the wizards were Valar, or that Rohan gave Isengard to Saruman (it wasn't theirs to give, and Saruman was made its warden, not a freeholder), that Boromir and Faramir had a sibling rivalry (Tolkien specifically says not), or suggest that Galadriel should have sent daily eagles to check up on the Fellowship?
These are not isolated examples: the bloopers and misconceived ideas go on and on. The whole book is like that: it has the soul of a PowerPoint presentation. I can't recommend it on any terms.
Customer Reviews:
Great read.......2005-07-26
I've been reading Fantasy for years. From Jordan through Erikson, Marco and a ton others. McKeirnan continues to be one of the BEST story tellers. His skills are amazing and in the Iron Tower Trilogy anybody can see what keeps McKeirnan on the top.
Buy it. Read it. Be happy!
Not like the first book.......2005-05-10
The second volume of The Iron Tower Trilogy picks up right where the first one left off. In fact, McKiernan is considerate enough to provide a synopsis of the first book for the reader who either hasn't read it or doesn't remember it. As the book opens, the lovely Laurelin, betrothed to Prince Galen, is in the last waggon train of refugees being sent to safety from Challerain Keep. Escorted by the Prince's younger brother, Prince Igon, they hope to escape the Dimmendark and Modru's Horde and rally the High King's Host from the southern realms. Unfortunately, their greatest fears become reality and Laurelin is captured and taken to the Iron Tower, Modru's stronghold. Meanwhile, back at the doomed Keep, the small band of Warrows, including Tuck, Patrel and Danner, has been separated during the chaos surrounding the final battle. McKiernan follows as each of the characters goes their separate ways and new groups of allies are formed. Elves, Dwarves, Warrows and Men all form alliances to fight the encroaching evil. The High King's forces are embattled on every front and the situation looks dire for our small band of intrepid heroes.
Once again, McKiernan has written a fast-paced, interesting story. I especially liked the Warrows' outlook on life. No matter how dreary the situation, they are still able to see the silver lining. This ability allows them to find humor in all but the worst scenarios. The plot may be familiar, but the characters are likable and you can't help but cheer them on. In this volume, McKiernan provides more information about Modru and the forces driving him on. By the end of the book, the situation is looking grimmer and grimmer for Tuck and his friends, but they fight gamely on, determined to resist the Horde and turn it back. As with the previous novel, the main plot line is left unresolved. However, this is one of those novels where the journey is half the fun. Knowing that there is a third and final book in the series, I don't mind waiting for the next installment to find out how our heroes will fare.
Literally Laughable.......2004-12-07
This book was a discard I picked up at the library. Unfortunately, this was one book that truly deserved to be discarded. I am never critical of Tolkien-esque books solely because they are Tolkien-esque. This book was not only a rip-off, but also badly written to an extreme extent. It takes cliche to a new level, showing why the fantasy genre has had a reputation as "not good literature". This book's wimpy, unrealistic, cliche characters, painful use of fake "Olde English" grammar and sentence structure, and poor writing style in general made it unreadable. Perhaps because I am an actor, I always pay attention to dialogue. This dialogue is so incredibly melodramatic that I literally burst out laughing at several points. Imagine someone actually saying this stuff, or trying to act it! I kept wondering if this was being written seriously- was McKiernan perhaps trying to spoof bad Tolkien copies? Even the descriptions are fantasy cliche. And you can read one paragraph and count at least one stupid made-up name (usually with apostrophe!) per sentence. Ridiculous and unbelievable. Please, please read _The Tough Guide to Fantasyland_ by Diana Wynne Jones to find out just how pathetic and unoriginal this book really is.
Like a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.......2004-11-21
McKiernan in his foreword tells us that he is paying homage to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Homage? Hmm. According to the American Heritage® Dictionary "homage" is defined as: "Special honor or respect shown or expressed publicly." I fail to see the "honor" to Tolkien in McKiernan's "The Iron Tower" trilogy. While it is true it is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, McKiernan's books are less like flattery and more like regurgitation. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind if a writer is heavily inspired by the work of another. Even Tolkien himself drew much of his thematic elements and ideas from other ancient and mythic sources (Beowulf for example), but he reconstituted those ideas in such a way that they seemed fresh; not copied or reprinted. He was reinventing not simply rewriting.
Unfortunately, such is not the case with McKiernan's work. His ideas are directly lifted from the pages of "The Lord of the Rings" without any attempt at originality.
In McKiernan's story, a Warrow (Hobbit) named Tuck Underbank (Frodo) embarks on a quest to defeat an ultimate evil, Mordu (Sauron) who dwells in the evil land of Gron (Mordor). Along the way he encounters a dwarf called Brega (Gimli), an elf named Gildor(Legolas), a human warrior (Aragorn), etc, etc, etc...The Tolkien plagiarism's go on and on.
He even includes a scene where some of the main characters have to pass through an abandoned Dwarf city called Kraggen-Cor. The city is abandoned because some terrible monster (Ghath) drove all of the dwarfs out long ago. The only way into the subterranean city is through some magical doors that they have some difficulty getting open. While waiting at the doors, a monstrous squid/octopus-like creature attacks them. And yes, there is even a battle with the Ghath in the dwarfin city on a narrow bridge over a bottomless cavern.
I have a one hundred page rule when it comes to books; if the book can't engross me, can't keep my interest by the hundredth page I give it up. In this case, morbid curiosity kept me reading these books; like a horrible car accident, I couldn't tear my eyes away. Page after page I kept telling myself "it can't get any worse" and page after page I was proved wrong.
As bad as the plagiarism is, the writing is even worse.
The epic scope of Tolkien's story is GONE. Tolkien's writing was marked by mystery, grandeur and a poignant sense of loss and realism. All of this is missing from McKiernan's work. The characters in "The Lord of the Rings" (and the "Hobbit" for that matter) were three-dimensional; they seemed almost to have stepped out of the history books and not a novel. Tolkien made us care about his characters and what happened to them. McKiernan is incapable of doing this with the cardboard cutouts that populate his world. For example, Tuck Underbank is written to be a tragic/heroic figure and spends A LOT of time crying and sobbing about this or that. The narrative, time and time again, tries to make us feel sorry for him. After a while, I just started rolling my eyes and hoping someone would put him out of his misery. Throughout the story the dialogue is stilted, completely unnatural and pathetic. This may be one of the only times in history where a story would have been improved if none of the characters spoke.
Rather than "honoring" Tolkien with "The Iron Tower" trilogy, McKiernan dishonors the great writer. For those looking for a well written, enriching story in the style of Tolkien or just a good epic fantasy: Look elsewhere.
The train wreck continues........2003-05-06
Reading Dennis McKiernan's "Shadows of Doom" is not unlike watching a train wreck as it occurs... in slow motion. The first book of the Iron Tower trilogy, "Dark Tide," was irritating and poorly-written, full of elements lifted straight from "Lord of the Rings." One would expect that it couldn't get worse in "Shadows of Doom." Astonishingly, it does.
Picking up where the previous book left of, the Spawn attack the wagons leaving Challerain Keep, killing everyone except Igon (who almost dies) and Laurelin, who is captured and taken to Modru's dungeons. Elsewhere, Patrel and Danner return to the Boskydells, only to find that Modru's Horde has attacked. Galen, Tuck and Gildor set out to find the armies of the late king, teaming up with a very rude dwarf named Brega along the way. Being pursued by Vulgs, they have no choice but to venture into the evil-filled dwarf citadel of Kraggen-Cor.
Not only does the pace slow in "Shadows," but the characters become even flatter and duller and the elements become even more blatantly Tolkienesque. The writing is terrible, the dialogue laughable, and the derivative elements aren't helped by poor plotting. A pivotal plot point appears most of the way through the book, utilizing the cliched villain-gloats-and-explains-his-evil-plot tactic; the attack on the Boskydells has no real impact on the plot, except to make Tuck cry.
The Warrows are copies of Tolkien's hobbits, but lacking in the enthusiastic charm of those particular "wee folk," which the quality that makes people love them so much; the Warrows lack charm, strength, or courage. Similarly with the derivative Elves, who are immortal, cultured, elegant, and dull as ditchwater. Dwarves are crabby and crusty, lacking in personality; medieval human Men are even duller than Warrows or Elves, and the assorted evil beasties who menace our heroes (copies of orcs, uruk-hai, Nazgul and wargs) are not-so-veiled copies of Tolkien's works. Moria, the Dwarves (or as he calls them, the Chakka), the squid-beast, and the Balrog -- in "Shadows," you can find unexciting copies of all of the above. At a certain point, you stop goggling in horror and just find it all immensely funny.
Tuck is still as annoying as he was before, crying and asking stupid questions, although he's somewhat easier to ignore. Still, the idea that McKiernan is setting this little twerp up as an alternate Frodo Baggins is nothing short of hysterical. Galen's sole moment of character development is some very contrived conflict over who to rescue (a real king would not experience any conflict -- he'd do his duty, no dithering). Gildor is still quite dull; Brega is abrasive and bossy; Danner and Patrel lose whatever shreds of personality they might have had. And Modru was a lot more frightening before we actually saw him.
The female characters are still passive, boring and lacking in any strength, except McKiernan tries to make us think otherwise. Laurelin stabs a Ghul after lying down and crying through a fight scene, then sits and cries for the rest of the book. Merrilee, at the Boskydells, has to be verbally defended by Danner when she proves unable to speak up for herself and her fighting skills, then starts sobbing into a male shoulder after a battle (the implication is that women cry when there's a fight). You go, girl.
McKiernan's writing remains hideously repetitive and weird. As if the readers are incapable of remembering anything more than a page back, he constantly mentions that the Mere is black, Tuck's eyes are "sapphirine" and sparkle, that Brega is gruff, and that Elves are graceful. The characters often act in bizarre ways, such as the escaping Patrel and Danner laughing like a pair of recently escaped mental patients; the fight scenes are absurdly hard to visualize, except for the battle with the Gargon (which is just silly -- how often do heavy footsteps sound like "Doom"?).
"Shadows of Doom" o'ertops "Dark Tide" like a wave of Shadowlight. It's a painful experience unless you stop taking it seriously. Derivative, poorly-written, lacking in any interesting qualities at all.
Customer Reviews:
good stuff!.......2006-01-01
Another fine offering from McKiernan. Please ignore the Tolkien fanboys. As a guy that has been reading fantasy books for over half my life (I'm 32), McKiernan stands well above the most other authors in the genre. He isn't a Martin/Erikson/Tolikien quality, but he smokes the Jordans and Goodkinds.
The only complaints I've noticed about his works are that they mirror Tolkien (well duh this is a known fact, if you don't like it don't read it) and that he isn't suitable for younger readers since he tends to not be a lite and easy read.
Like a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.......2004-11-21
McKiernan in his foreword tells us that he is paying homage to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Homage? Hmm. According to the American Heritage® Dictionary "homage" is defined as: "Special honor or respect shown or expressed publicly." I fail to see the "honor" to Tolkien in McKiernan's "The Iron Tower" trilogy. While it is true it is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, McKiernan's books are less like flattery and more like regurgitation. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind if a writer is heavily inspired by the work of another. Even Tolkien himself drew much of his thematic elements and ideas from other ancient and mythic sources (Beowulf for example), but he reconstituted those ideas in such a way that they seemed fresh; not copied or reprinted. He was reinventing not simply rewriting.
Unfortunately, such is not the case with McKiernan's work. His ideas are directly lifted from the pages of "The Lord of the Rings" without any attempt at originality.
In McKiernan's story, a Warrow (Hobbit) named Tuck Underbank (Frodo) embarks on a quest to defeat an ultimate evil, Mordu (Sauron) who dwells in the evil land of Gron (Mordor). Along the way he encounters a dwarf called Brega (Gimli), an elf named Gildor(Legolas), a human warrior (Aragorn), etc, etc, etc...The Tolkien plagiarism's go on and on.
He even includes a scene where some of the main characters have to pass through an abandoned Dwarf city called Kraggen-Cor. The city is abandoned because some terrible monster (Ghath) drove all of the dwarfs out long ago. The only way into the subterranean city is through some magical doors that they have some difficulty getting open. While waiting at the doors, a monstrous squid/octopus-like creature attacks them. And yes, there is even a battle with the Ghath in the dwarfin city on a narrow bridge over a bottomless cavern.
I have a one hundred page rule when it comes to books; if the book can't engross me, can't keep my interest by the hundredth page I give it up. In this case, morbid curiosity kept me reading these books; like a horrible car accident, I couldn't tear my eyes away. Page after page I kept telling myself "it can't get any worse" and page after page I was proved wrong.
As bad as the plagiarism is, the writing is even worse.
The epic scope of Tolkien's story is GONE. Tolkien's writing was marked by mystery, grandeur and a poignant sense of loss and realism. All of this is missing from McKiernan's work. The characters in "The Lord of the Rings" (and the "Hobbit" for that matter) were three-dimensional; they seemed almost to have stepped out of the history books and not a novel. Tolkien made us care about his characters and what happened to them. McKiernan is incapable of doing this with the cardboard cutouts that populate his world. For example, Tuck Underbank is written to be a tragic/heroic figure and spends A LOT of time crying and sobbing about this or that. The narrative, time and time again, tries to make us feel sorry for him. After a while, I just started rolling my eyes and hoping someone would put him out of his misery. Throughout the story the dialogue is stilted, completely unnatural and pathetic. This may be one of the only times in history where a story would have been improved if none of the characters spoke.
Rather than "honoring" Tolkien with "The Iron Tower" trilogy, McKiernan dishonors the great writer. For those looking for a well written, enriching story in the style of Tolkien or just a good epic fantasy: Look elsewhere.
The Middle of a Great Trilogy.......2000-07-17
If you've read part one of this Trilogy, then you probably couldn't wait to get your hands on part 2. And you certainly won't stop here until part 3 is read as well.
McKiernan takes all the human emotions from the highs of noble exhileration to the lows of death's despair and injects them into his wonderful and vast world. Join us now in the Winter War....
Average customer rating:
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Sin la sombra de las torres/ In the Shadow of No Towers/ Spanish Edition
Art Spiegelman
Manufacturer: Public Square Books
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1594970882 |
Book Description
In his first new book of comics since the Pulitzer-Prize winning Maus, Art Spiegelman gives us a deeply personal, politically charged, graphically and emotionally stunning account of the events and aftermath of September 11, 2001. In a large, two-page-spread format that echoes the scale of the earliest newspaper comics, Spiegelman conveys--through his singular artistry, his outrage and wit--the unfathomable enormity of the event itself, the obvious and insidious effects it had on his life, and the extraordinary, often hidden changes that have been enacted in the name of post-9/11 national security and that have begun to undermine the very foundation of American democracy.
Product Description
multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
Books:
- Into the Void... with Ace Frehley
- Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (Facets)
- Legacy (Guardians of the Flame)
- Let's Ask Michael : 100 Practical Solutions for Interior Design Challenges
- Little Red Riding Hood
- Longing for Darkness
- Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)
- Love's Executioner: & Other Tales of Psychotherapy (Perennial Classics)
- Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook
- Nationalising and Denationalising European Border Regions, (GEOJOURNAL LIBRARY Volume 53)
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- Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466
- Designing Brand Identity: A Complete Guide to Creating, Building, and Maintaining Strong Brands
- The Onion Field
- The Years of Rice and Salt
- Words of My Perfect Teacher, Revised Edition
- Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam, 2006-2007 Edition
- Agency and Autonomy in Kant's Moral Theory: Selected Essays
- The Persian Album, 1400-1600: From Dispersal to Collection
- The Future of the Northern Forest
- The World Economy: Global Trade Policy 1999
Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed
Palestine
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began (Maus)
