Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey

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Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey
Alison Weir
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345494857
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Book Description

I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live.

Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen”–a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century.

The child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she is merely a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, Jane Grey was born during the harrowingly turbulent period between Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the demise of Jane’s infamous great-uncle, King Henry VIII. With the premature passing of Jane’s adolescent cousin, and Henry’s successor, King Edward VI, comes a struggle for supremacy fueled by political machinations and lethal religious fervor.

Unabashedly honest and exceptionally intelligent, Jane possesses a sound strength of character beyond her years that equips her to weather the vicious storm. And though she has no ambitions to rule, preferring to immerse herself in books and religious studies, she is forced to accept the crown, and by so doing sets off a firestorm of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy.

Alison Weir uses her unmatched skills as a historian to enliven the many dynamic characters of this majestic drama. Along with Lady Jane Grey, Weir vividly renders her devious parents; her much-loved nanny; the benevolent Queen Katherine Parr; Jane’s ambitious cousins; the Catholic “Bloody” Mary, who will stop at nothing to seize the throne; and the protestant and future queen Elizabeth. Readers venture inside royal drawing rooms and bedchambers to witness the power-grabbing that swirls around Lady Jane Grey from the day of her birth to her unbearably poignant death. Innocent Traitor paints a complete and compelling portrait of this captivating young woman, a faithful servant of God whose short reign and brief life would make her a legend.

“An impressive debut. Weir shows skill at plotting and maintaining tension, and she is clearly going to be a major player in the . . . historical fiction game.”
–The Independent

“Alison Weir is one of our greatest popular historians. In her first work of fiction . . . Weir manages her heroine’s voice brilliantly, respecting the past’s distance while conjuring a dignified and fiercely modern spirit.”
–London Daily Mail

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party

Average customer rating:

I am in awe
It doesn't matter how it ended
Highly imaginative historical novel -- should be marketed to adults not teens
Challenge your perceptions
An Astonishing Novel/Puzzle

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party
M.T. Anderson
Manufacturer: Candlewick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0763624020
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Book Description

A gothic tale becomes all too shockingly real in this mesmerizing magnum opus by the acclaimed author of FEED.

It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother — a princess in exile from a faraway land — are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments — and his own chilling role in them. Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson's extraordinary novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. The first of two parts, this deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today.

Customer Reviews:

I am in awe.......2007-09-23

This book was profoundly disturbing to me on so many levels. At various points in the book, I almost had to put it down because I was so heartsick. (Before I begin my praise of this amazing work - I do have to ask...this is a work for young adults? Seriously?)

When I added this book to my list - I tagged it as Fiction and Science Fiction. When I started the book - I was sure I was reading some sort of Gothic, maybe post-apocalyptic cautionary tale. When I found out the book was set in pre-Revolutionary Boston - I was shocked.

Once I got over that...I was then shocked to find out that Octavian and his mother were slaves. I kept having to change my mindset as I went through the book...one of the reasons I think I was so affected by it. I was just starting to wrap my mind around the "knowledge for knowledge's sake - consequences be damned" philosophy of the "college" when the sickening reality of Octavian and his mother's imprisonment set in. The frills and finery were torn away to reveal the true inhumanity of their situation.

Again - this book was disturbing on so many levels. Was I more bothered by Octavian's defense mechanisms when confronted by despicable acts" "...after I saw the philosophers of this college acquire a docile child deprived of reason and speech...beat her to the point of gagging and swooning; after such experiments as these, I became most wondrous observant, and often stared unmoving at a wall for some hours together." (Reading that passage again turns my stomach.)

Or was I more disturbed by the complete lack of hope that permeates the book: "Do you feel it child?" he asked. "The wall is gone. Space is gone from behind us." I could feel nothing. "He said, "All that is there now is the eye of God." He shivered. "The pupil is black, and as large as a world." And later, "At long last, you may no longer distinguish what binds you from what is you."

Or was I most saddened by the hideous irony that the men who gave Octavian freedom of the mind were the ones that denied him the freedom of his body. "They gave me a tongue; and the stopped it up, so they would not have to hear it crying." And "...they told me of color, that it was an illusion of the eye, an event in the perceiver's mind, not in the object, they told me that color had no reality...And then they imprisoned me in darkness; and though there was no color there, I still was black, and they still were white; and for that, they bound and gagged me."

And I don't even have the words to address the powerful juxtaposition of the colonists struggle and cries for "Freedom from tyranny!" against the silent reality of slavery.

The way that Anderson phrases the most hideous of realities in the most matter of fact ways is by turns, startling and beautiful. It makes me think that there are no other ways these words could be put together - that the way they are set upon the page is the only way they can exist together.

"What have you observed?"

"The solidity of shackles. They increase the solidity of the body. When I walk free, I am not conscious of my solidity."

"Yes. Shackles, like all matter, are defined by resistance."

"Do not tell me," I said to them, "what is defined by resistance."

As I start into the above paragraph, I am observing as Octavian does. Then I am considering the truth of what he observes - that one does not FEEL freedom until one loses it. That it is difficult to experience a positive without knowing the negative. And then - with a killing blow - my eyes absorb that final sentence...and I feel ridiculous for not mourning Octavian's shackles with him...and then I feel a fierce admiration of his spirit and his refusal to accept shackles of the mind along with shackles of the body. All this - in under 50 words.

I am in awe.

This book made me feel like I do when watching movies like "Schindler's List" or "Saving Private Ryan". Every molecule in my body and soul rebels against the horror I am a witness to. All I can think about is turning my eyes away, making it stop, which is the one thing I am not allowed to do. These atrocities existed, they were real. Humans were and are capable of such evil, such cruelty, such viciousness. It is important to me that every once in a while, I remind myself of this. I am so incredibly lucky to have been born in the circumstances I was, and to have been given the privileges I have, and to have lived in the time an place I do. The least I can do is to acknowledge the pain of those who are not as lucky as I.

This book, like those movies, is one where the reader cannot put aside after finishing and think, "It was just a movie/book." These times and events were real. These things happened, even if details have been changed.

Octavian, and those real people he is representative of, experienced horrors I hope I never do. Horrors that most of our world would say happened in the past..and yet we all know are happening every day - somewhere, to someone. My soul aches for those who are robbed of their humanity by beings inhuman themselves.

Because I am who I am, I must end this review with a beautiful and tragic set of passages - mirror images of the same truth:

"I lifted up the first, blank, page, and surveyed those beneath, to see, as Bono quoth, what the man on the street was wearing. It was a catalogue of horrors. Page after page of Negroes in bridles, strapped to walls,...masks of iron with metal mouth bits...razored necklaces...collars of spikes that supported the head..."

"...Mr. Gitney burned Bono's fashion catallogue an hour later."

"Let us rid ourselves," he said, "of this noisome object."

"But I could not rid myself of it. It was the common property of us all."

Previous to this - there was one of the few glimmers of hope in the book:

"Music hath its land of origin; and yet it is also its own country, its own sovereign power, and all make take refuge there, and all, once settled, may claim it as their own, and all may meet there in amity; and these instruments, as surely as instruments of torture, belong to all of us."

Octavian and his story belongs to all of us. Though not as fully to those who experience such events in their lifetime...it belongs to those of us who must make sure that the realities contained within the fiction become less and less prevalent. We need these "noisome objects" today more than ever.

Any time I find myself feeling complacent about our world? I need only look at the cover of this book.

It doesn't matter how it ended.......2007-08-20

Okay... here's the deal, I love to read. I love to read good books. Our librarian, excuse me, media specialist whatever, at school suggested this book to me. "I don't have time to read it, and I need an opinion. It seems like something you would like. Take as much time as you need."
Believe me, I was extremely excited to read this book. It was different than anything I've ever really read before. So I took it on with great enthusiasm.
At first, I was very intrigued with Octavian and his situation. I really did think that the story was good. But only the story. I was so bored with the book, it seemed to drag on forever. Pages of writing, and I only needed a paragraph. But I persevered because it was so interesting, only bits at a time though, because I could only handle so much.
Then I talked with my friend Katie who was also reading this book. Pretty much in the same situation I was in only a little farther along in the book. She said it didn't get any better and gave up. And that's not like Katie, she reads A LOT and EVERYTHING so I was surprised. But I liked the story so I continued. Farther than Katie had read and farther than I wish I would have read. It never became worth it. NEVER! It sat in my locker for possibly two months because I was determined to finish it no matter how much I hated it. But in the end I couldn't do it. I had moved on to other books and I have trouble reading more than one novel at a time, if I really like one.

So in the end, I say you can try BUT if it doesn't satisfy you within the first couple chapters... don't put yourself through it.

Highly imaginative historical novel -- should be marketed to adults not teens.......2007-07-28

This is a well-written, well-plotted historical novel with an unusually imaginative premise. It takes place in the late 18th century.

I have no idea why it is marketed as a "teen" novel -- it is not a fantasy, nor is it light reading, and it has a number of very disturbing sequences. This is not to say that a well-read, intelligent teen with mature tastes would not enjoy the book -- but the book should be marketed to adults, who are far more likely to appreciate it.

I won't spoil the book by giving a synopsis -- it has a number of surprises, so I advise potential readers to read the book without too much foreknowledge.

I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

Challenge your perceptions.......2007-07-10

Octavian Nothing a historical fiction set in 18th century America illuminates society, politics, education, philosophy and science including a very controversial human experiment. I found it truly thought provoking and look forward to the sequel.

This is rated for grades 9 and up. The writing style and concepts are not lightweight by any means. I think adults will appreciate it as much as teens who are looking for challenging literature.

An Astonishing Novel/Puzzle.......2007-06-22

The bad news is, since you are reading this in the Customer Review section, you have probably read enough about the setting and plot of this excellent novel to have spoiled the carefully crafted setup chapters. (Fortunately, the book's dust jacket contains no spoilers.) One of the central themes follows the boy Octavian's process of solving the mystery of who he is and how he is being raised and, reflecting this process, M. T. Anderson skillfully constructs the opening so that the reader at first can't tell when or where the book takes place. Clues about the characters are gradually revealed, all true and all misleading - nothing is ever quite what it seems, and both the narrator and the reader navigate deeper and deeper levels of understanding as the story progresses.

I have no idea why this is reviewed and marketed as a young readers' book, except that (a) Anderson's prior books were YA, (b) the narrator is a boy, and (c) there is no explicit sex. Anyone who expects this to be delightful and engaging light reading for teenagers will be disappointed. This book is deep, clever, moving, darkly funny and fascinating. The Booklist comment "it demands rereading" is right - it's even better the second time through, because you can see how much foreshadowing there was, and how beautifully everything ties together.

Average customer rating:

2 1/2 Star Summer read
slow moving
Great fun but the plot has one twist too many
The Traitor
His characters are people, not caricatures

The Traitor: A Tommy Carmellini Novel
Stephen Coonts
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312994478
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Book Description

When he is assigned to Paris, CIA officer Tommy Carmellini joins his old boss Jake Grafton on a bold mission: To locate a French intelligence agent who has secret investments in the Bank of Palestine. Together they work to unravel a tangle of espionage, deception, and murder…and develop an elaborate strategy to infiltrate the highest levels of Al Queda.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the G-8 industrialized nations will soon meet in Paris—an event that would make a tempting terrorist target. Throw into the mix the beautiful, clever daughter of the French ambassador to Washington and an Israeli spy or two, and the stage is set for a tour de force of deception and drama.

Soon Carmellini and Grafton unearth a horrifying plan to shake the West as never before. But can they stop the conspiracy without compromising the intelligence source that could bring down Al Queda once and for all?

Customer Reviews:

2 1/2 Star Summer read.......2007-08-10

Typical cookie cutter international thriller. The author places the hero in the Special Collection Service, a little known but important element of the intel community. However he then gives Tommy duties that have nothing to do with the SCS. Nice try. Late in the book after doing a brief search the hero and his boss find multiple explosive devices at a G8 meeting site that the entire French security establishment had missed. I bow to no one in my low esteem for the frogs but that is a bit much even for me. Two main characters and one secondary character are jailbirds. Think about it, if you wanted people who are reliable, able to think through the consequences of their actions and who can keep a secret would you go to a jail to find them? Don't think so. Anyway this is barely, barely a book you might want to buy for a vacation or business trip. I started it in Tunis on a business trip and got 3/4 of the way through before I came home. It has taken me almost two weeks to finish the other 1/4. That about sums up the book.

slow moving.......2007-06-25

Amazed by the positive reviews and I suppose I am asking to be shot down here, but......
I have really enjoyed much of the author's works, but of late the standard has slipped., perhaps because he is hanging onto characters past their sell by date. This balanced with a rather average story does not a great thriller make, this had little pace and tension and nothing to make me keep turning the pages.
Sorry, but I thought it was a very weak effort.

Great fun but the plot has one twist too many.......2007-04-30

I love Coonts and particularly enjoy his Tommy Carmellini novels, since the cat burglar Carmellini is much more fun as a character than Coonts' other main character, the everyman regular-guy Admiral Jake Grafton. I enjoyed this one but had some problems with it; the plotting takes some implausible twists and turns at the end, and certain characters' fates are left unresolved (making me suspect Coonts has sequel plans for them.) Grafton and Carmellini are assigned to foil a terrorist plot suspected to be in planning for an upcoming G-8 summit conference in Paris, a plot they think the head of French counterintelligence knows more about than he's telling, courtesy of a closely held spy he has successfully planted in the terrorist world. Lovely computer criminal Sarah Houston is thrown into the effort as well. Carmellini's tradecraft is half the fun, as he finds ingenious low-tech methods (plus the occasional high-tech toy) to break into key locales to plant bugs, hack computers or what have you. I think Coonts might have given this plot one twist too many, however.

The Traitor.......2007-02-18

An exellent read. Had everything I was looking for, mystery, action, humor and character development.

His characters are people, not caricatures.......2007-01-09

Granted, some of the technical elements are stretched. But his characters are almost real. Coonts's writing style is excellent without much of the over-technicalization that is typical of many adventure writers. Yes, the ending is slightly over the top, but not impossible. Think about 9/11.

Between Jake, Tommy, and Sarah there is good rapport. I felt as though I was watching the action, not merely reading. Their travels around Paris make me want to go there.

The Traitor's Wife: A Novel of the Reign of Edward II

Average customer rating:

An Anglophile's Must-Read
A Solid First Outing for Higginbotham
for the history buffs
The Traitor's Wife
Very Enjoyable

The Traitor's Wife: A Novel of the Reign of Edward II
Susan Higginbotham
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0595359590

Book Description

In fourteenth-century England, young Eleanor de Clare, favorite niece of King Edward II, is delighted with her marriage to Hugh le Despenser and her appointment to Queen Isabella's household as a lady-in-waiting. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Eleanor's beloved uncle is not the king the nobles of the land—or his queen—expected.

Hugh's unbridled ambition and his intimate relationship with Edward arouse widespread resentment, even as Eleanor remains fiercely loyal to her husband and to her king. But loyalty has its price…

Moving from royal palaces to prison cells, from the battlefield to the bedroom, between hope and despair, treachery and fidelity, hatred and abiding love, The Traitor's Wife is a tale of an extraordinary woman living in extraordinary times.

A noblewoman pays the price for her loyalty to an unpopular king and her unfaithful husband...conveys emotions and relationships quite poignantly...ultimately, entertaining historical fiction.

-Kirkus Discoveries

Download Description

Hugh's unbridled ambition and his intimate relationship with Edward arouse widespread resentment, even as Eleanor remains fiercely loyal to her husband and to her king. But loyalty has its price.

Customer Reviews:

An Anglophile's Must-Read.......2007-10-09

Susan Higginbotham has created an intricate and substantial tapestry of English life in the fourteenth century. The Traitor's Wife recounts the history of the reign of Edward II and the beginning years of his son's reign. The story revolves around Edward, the likeable king who was nevertheless not strong enough to hold the loyalty of his people, and Isabella, his beautiful but icy young Queen. However, the central character is a relatively unknown person from history: Eleanor de Clare, granddaughter of Edward I and, when the story opens, thirteen year old bride to an up-and-coming young commoner, Hugh le Despenser.

Ms. Higginbotham writes in a clear and precise style, and her subject has been painstakingly researched. The author's clarity is particularly helpful considering the legions of characters who all bear the same names. There are scads of Edwards, Eleanors, Isabels, Joans, and Hughs. In addition, half the cast bears a title as well as a given name, and their habit of intermarrying means that everyone is related to everyone else. Thankfully, Ms. Higginbotham skillfully guides the reader through the complexities of these relationships until we know the people well enough to tell them apart. It wasn't until I realized that I had grown to know all the characters that I truly appreciated the author's skill.

The Traitor's Wife is the story of a king who loves intemperately and unwisely, showering his lovers with gifts and favors which bring doom upon their heads. It is the story of a queen who exacts psychological and physical revenge for the humiliation of being loved second-best. It is a story of men who stop at nothing to obtain and hold onto power, selling out their integrity, their friends, and even their bodies. And it is the story of how one woman's loyalty - to her husband, her king, and her family - is tested by fire.

I have given The Traitor's Wife 5 stars with this caveat: it is not a quick or light read. However, for Anglophiles and those with a particular interest in English history, it is a must-read. Once engaged, you will find yourself compelled to learn more about this tumultuous time of British history and wondering how, with leaders like these, the country of England ever survived the middle ages!

A Solid First Outing for Higginbotham.......2007-09-13

This is a fascinating tale of treachery and intrigue, focusing on the life of Eleanor De Clare who married Hugh le Despenser. Hugh's ambitions embroil him in the life of Edward II of England and eventually lead to his downfall. As several reviewers have already summed up the story, I need not recap it again.

This is a complicated tale, with many characters with the same names so you do have to pay close attention, although the author does provide a list of characters at the front of the book. This is not a period of English history I have read before and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in Eleanor's tale. Side note, having recently read Nigel Tranter's The Bruce Trilogy it was an extra treat seeing that part of the story from the English perspective.

Although I found Eleanor to be an engaging topic, I like other reviewers found her to be a tad bit too perfect -- I mean really she should have known what Hugh was up to! Or maybe not, we'll never know. All in all a very enjoyable read and one I would recommend for any lover of historical fiction or those interested in this time period.

for the history buffs.......2007-09-03

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, so I was pretty excited to read this book. As far as historical fiction goes this book had a lot of pluses...but I guess I wanted something different from it, because I wasn't enthralled the way I had hoped to be. The writing is very accurate and thorough, and the characters have personality...you're able to become immersed in the story and become involved with the characters. I just found my mind wandering fairly often. I'm pretty sure that much of my problem with the story was my own bias and disinterest in that particular portion of history. I can't keep all the King Edwards straight, I can't keep the dates straight...and as a result, I never fully became engrossed with the story.

As I mentioned, the writing itself is superb--the author has definitely done her research (then again, the facts could be all wrong and I'd never realize the difference..) and her characters are well developed and likable. I just found the story a little too long and drawn out for my liking. But that's me. I don't want you to read this and think I'm giving it a negative review, because I'm not. Not even close. It just wasn't my cup of tea. However, as a piece of literature its incredible...so long as its something that you're interested in.

If you enjoy historical fiction -- especially in relation to King Edward and his reign, this is definitely a book you should check out. I'd highly recommend it to the history buffs.

The Traitor's Wife.......2007-07-14

The Traitor's Wife is a fictional tale based upon the real life, genealogical records, and whispered gossip of Edward II of England. This tale gets right into the hearsay of Edward and Piers Gaveston's special relationship right at the opening of the action. The book even has the two discussing the need to produce heirs and determining an appropriate match for Piers. Infighting, schemes, and scandals continue throughout the rest of the entire story. This book definitely shows a more private, hidden face of Edward and his peers than most works written about this time period.

As I first started reading this book, I was really glad that the author had included crib notes describing who each person was and their relationship to others in the story. After a while though, I found it much easier to figure out who was who. This was particularly true of those main characters that always seem to be at the thick of the latest melodrama.

Very Enjoyable.......2007-05-09

I kept this book with me for quite a while. I loved the depth of the characters. This was a very enjoyable historical novel!

The Venona Secrets, Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors

Average customer rating:

Shocking Details
A Biased Account
An Important Book on USSR espionage
The Facts Laid Bare
Organized More as a Reference Book than Straight Read

The Venona Secrets, Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors
Herbert Romerstein , and Eric Breindel
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Russia | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0895262258

Amazon.com

Some historians and journalists are starting to regard the cold-war-era American Communist Party as nothing more than a quaint club of polite if misguided ideologues. In The Venona Secrets, Herbert Romerstein and Eric Breindel intend to create a new impression of treacherous Americans "who willfully gave their primary allegiance to a foreign power, the USSR.... For Communists, true patriotism meant helping to make the world a better place by advancing the interests of the Soviet Union in any way possible." By using the now-celebrated Venona documents--top-secret Soviet cables sent between Moscow and Washington, D.C., in the 1940s--Romerstein and Breindel tell a frightening story of how deeply spies penetrated the U.S. government. There was the famous case of Alger Hiss, whose guilt as a Soviet spy is now beyond doubt thanks to Venona. Less well known, but still important, were the roles of Harry Hopkins in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's White House and Harry Dexter White in the Treasury Department.

Romerstein, a veteran cold warrior, and Breindel, the former editorial-page editor of The New York Post (he died before the book's publication, at the age of 42), are not the first to discuss the Venona papers in depth--readers of The Haunted Wood, by Allen Weinstein and Alexander Vassiliev, and Whittaker Chambers, by Sam Tanenhaus, will know much of the story. Yet this may its most aggressive telling. Romerstein and Breindel include necessary chapters on the Hiss-Chambers dispute, the Elizabeth Bentley spy ring, and the charges against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. They are particularly forceful in arguing that journalist I.F. Stone and atomic scientist Robert Oppenheimer were Soviet spies. Another target--and a provocative one--is Albert Einstein, whom they describe as "tainted" by his indirect ties to Soviet intelligence. The Venona Secrets will make heads turn, and it will show that the debates over the cold war and its meaning can be as hot now as they were then. --John J. Miller

Book Description

The Venona Files are several intercepted communiques between the Soviet Union and American Communists following WWII.

Customer Reviews:

Shocking Details.......2007-07-03

Much in the way revelations about the cracking of the German Enigma code have forever altered the history of the Second World War, the Venona Secrets should change the history of Soviet espionage in the United States.

This book reveals details about the extensive Soviet penetration of the Communist Party of the United States, unions, the government, industry, the Democratic Party and the media. No account of the era of McCarthyism can be viewed as complete without including some evidence of how extensive was the decades-long Soviet infiltration of the U.S. government at the highest levels -- including Harry Hopkins, a close advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt -- and of the atomic program. Soviet spying, which led to the Russian atomic bomb only four years after our own, reached the highest levels of the Manhattan Project, including J. Robert Oppenheimer; Soviet spies even targeted Albert Einstein for anti-Western propaganda efforts.

One result of the successful Soviet atomic spying was that Stalin, who knew about the atomic bomb, felt secure in giving the green light for the North Korean invasion of the south in 1950, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties.

My only, relatively minor, criticism of the book is that it is almost too detailed for a casual student of history. As someone who hasn't studied Soviet history for twenty years, some of the names had faded from my memory.

A Biased Account.......2007-02-22

The Venona Secrets is a deceptive book. It tries to pass itself off as an objective portrait of Soviet spying in the US, but by the time the reader is a third of the way in it becomes apparent that the authors are more interested in smearing "Liberals" than in painting a true portrait of their subject. Although the information the authors provide is interesting, the biased and heavy-handed way it's presented negates whatever scientific value it might have. For example, the authors insist that J. Robert Oppenheimer was working for the Soviets (they call this a "fact") yet they present absolutely no proof that Oppenheimer was anything more than an idealistic, naive man who couldn't keep his mouth shut and whose only contribution to the advancement of Communism in America was money to the CPUSA. The book is full of these so-called "facts" with little to nothing to back them up. The authors praise Joe McCarthy and claim in the last chapter of the book that he was barely a factor in the anti-Communist hysteria of the 1940's and 1950's, ignoring the fact that MCCarthy capitalized on fears of Communism obscenely and was wrong far more than he was right about who was and was not loyal. McCarthy's methods of terrorism and hypocrisy in running hearings that could have been chaired by Stalin are completely overlooked, as are the innocent lives he destroyed in his smear campaign. The authors also praise Senator Henry Jackson as some sort of all-American crusader against Communism, not even mentioning that all of Jackson's anti-Communist attacks were motivated by his virulent anti-Semistism and hatred of blacks. Overall this book is nothing more than an indictment of Liberal ideology -- one can simply hear the disdain for Liberals dripping from the authors' prose -- and should not be given much credence by scholars not interested in right-wing propaganda who want an objective account of Venona. The authors have sacrificed their credibility for their Conservative agenda; they deserve not to be taken seriously.

An Important Book on USSR espionage.......2006-08-13

If you went to school before the Soviet archives & Venona papers were opened up/released (1991-1995), you must read this book. If you don't know what the Venona Project's papers say, then your knowledge on immediate pre and post WWII Soviet espionage is incomplete and, most importantly, probably not accurate. The truth is uncomfortable to some- Alger Hiss was definitely a spy, as were the Rosenbergs, and penetration into New Deal personnel was very deep. Plenty of material for the anti-FDR types, and the "McCarthy was right" folks. I personally feel very uncomfortable with the fact that about 2 our of every 3 names that pop up here as spies were Jewish. Most humiliating. The authors, no anti-semites they, make the irony of Jews spying for the virulent Jew-hater Uncle Joe very clear. Like many peoples, though perhaps more so, Jews have an unfortunate tendency towards self-delusion. The book is a bit of a bumpy read, sometimes flowing smoothly, sometimes reading like its out of Reader's Digest (a bit...lowbrow??), which accounts for the 4 stars, rather than 5. It has photos of many of the spies, but overall the photographs could be much stronger.

The Facts Laid Bare.......2006-07-17

This book is the most complete "who's who" of the entire Soviet Communist movement from the early 1900s on. It effectively destroys the old notions that there was no connection between the Communist Party U.S.A. and Moscow. It demonstrates beyond question that Moscow's two-fold plan in the United States - influencing government policy and spying - were carried out for years by the people identified in the government hearings. The Venona decrypts, together with the examination of Soviet and American Communist archives, bring together the entire despicable story. A must-read book for those who want to sort fact from fiction concerning the history of the Soviet Union.

Organized More as a Reference Book than Straight Read.......2005-12-31

Traitors, of course, imply treason and that is exactly the charge Romerstein and Breindel substantiate in this book. Specifically, that the American Communist Party was a knowing tool for Soviet espionage; that the alleged anti-fascism of American Communists was a facade unsupported by their behavior during the German-Russian Non-Aggression Pact; that American Communists probably supplied Nazi Germany with military secrets during that period; that the U.S. government of the 1940s was riddled with Soviet agents including Alger Hiss and Harry Hopkins, personal friend and advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and that J. Robert Oppenheimer was among the Soviet spies on the Manhatten Project.

The decoding of Soviet messages from 1940-1948, coupled with documents from the Communist governments of the former Warsaw Pact, provides the evidence for these charges.

Romerstein and Breindel write in a clear prose, and this book can be read fairly easily cover to cover in a few sittings. However, its organization seems more that of a reference book for scholars of Soviet espionage and U.S. political history rather than a straightforward narrative. The individual chapters cover the most famous spy rings operating in the U. S. during the years of the Venona message, espionage directed toward stealing nuclear secrets, anti-Trotskyite activities, and co-opting journalists for propaganda purposes. The index is comprehensive and includes listing for the many code names used by the NKVD and GRU.

There is some interesting material on the struggle to root Communists out of American unions. The question of Jewish involvement in Soviet espionage is briefly and unsatisfyingly touched on. The authors acknowledge that Jews had a heavy and disproportionately involvement in the early Soviet intelligence services. But it is also true that Jews later became a target of those same organizations and Jews were purged out of them. What was the initial attraction to begin with?

However, there is a repetition of details about individual agents from chapter to chapter and no attempt to give a chronology of their activities. I suspect the authors organized the book around the idea that their fellow scholars would simply pick individual chapters to read depending on their interests rather than completely read the book.

This is not a biographical look at spies. For instance, we get almost no idea why Elizabeth Bentley went from NKVD agent to double agent for the FBI. It was perhaps because her NKVD lover/controller Jacob Golos had died, and she was miffed at the NKVD's lack of confidence in her ability to continue to run agents. Likewise, we are presented with no explanation for Jack Childs remark "What took you so long?" to the FBI when they confronted him about decades of spying for the USSR.

While the book offers a brief explanation on the interception and decoding of the Venona messages, there are certainly better accounts of it elsewhere.

The book does have a nice appendix where we are presented with several photocopies of the decoded Venona messages so you get a feel of the raw data the authors worked with and what the NSA and its predecessor, the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Service, produced in a job that lasted until 1980.

Average customer rating:

Best supplement out to date for Paranoia XP...

Paranoia XP: The Traitor's Manual
Gareth Hanrahan
Manufacturer: Mongoose Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1904854273

Book Description

The Traitor's Manual is the first supplement for Paranoia, perhaps the most unique roleplaying game ever produced. Filled with the same black and ironic humour, The Traitor's Manual will reveal a host of new secret societies, guiding players on how to subvert the power of the computer. It will also teach players how to turn in their friends and fellow players, making it the ultimate guide to getting ahead in the weird world that is Paranoia. Acclaimed publisher Mongoose has brought Paranoia back for a new generation, focussing on a surreal, twisted vision of the future where players are positively encouraged to betray each other merely to survive. There has never been a roleplaying game like it! With a full supporting programme of future products already in development, Paranoia is destined to once more provide roleplayers with the sort of frantic gaming experience that proved so popular at the game's inception.

Customer Reviews:

Best supplement out to date for Paranoia XP..........2006-06-01

And the kicker of being the most treasonous as well.

Simply put, this book outlines every secret society for Paranoia XP, each one is given 3-5 pages.

Besides those pearls, there's a complete adventure in the back and a section on why and how the Secret Societies exist. Now that the corebooks have gone through the entire color spectrum once, I can safely say that if you have the core book and don't have any supplements yet, your best bet is to get either this for explanation on Secret Societies, or Flashbacks for some great adventures in all their hardbound glory.

The Traitor's Tale (Dame Frevisse Series)

Average customer rating:

Frevisse and Joliffe working together again
First time I've been disappointed in this series
Historical fiction or mystery?
More good writing from this author
Dame Frevisse and Simon Joliffe together spell winner!

The Traitor's Tale (Dame Frevisse Series)
Margaret Frazer
Manufacturer: Berkley Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0425213706

Book Description

Dame Frevisse of St. Frideswide's nunnery is in London to assist her cousin Alice, the widowed Duchess of Suffolk, in burying her husband-but the late Duke was so hated that even being in the presence of his corpse is unsafe.

Wandering player Simon Joliffe is also in London, on a mission with vital information for the exiled Duke of York: a list naming the English noblemen who purportedly betrayed their King by conspiring with the French, including some of Suffolk's men, whom Joliffe has been seeking-and now found dead.

Joining the player on his search for the men on the list, Frevisse starts to wonder whether or not the list is real-or part of an even greater conspiracy against the crown.

Customer Reviews:

Frevisse and Joliffe working together again.......2007-07-15

I adore the Player series featuring Joliffe, perhaps more than I enjoy the parent series where the character was first introduced, so any Frevisse novel that features him makes me happy. This follows on from The Sempster's Tale, with Frevisse still carrying out the task asked of her by her cousin, the newly widowed Duchess of Suffolk. In this one, Joliffe is finally the spy we always knew he'd be and the political turmoil is greater than ever before. (And to the reviewer below who thinks this contradicts the Player series, note that the Frevisse novels are far ahead, time wise. This book is set in 1450 while the most recent Player novel was set in 1435). Geat book, I'm already hungering for the next!

First time I've been disappointed in this series.......2007-05-13

I have enjoyed the Sister Frevisse series since the beginning, and you could tell that from my reviews of a couple of the previous volumes in the series. This one, however, marks the first time I have found a book in this series barely worth finishing. Usually, the books in the series focus a great deal on Sister Frevisse's thoughts, on daily life in the cloister, on characters whom we meet and get to know well. This book, however, concentrates almost entirely on politics, and not at all on character.

I like the separate series with Joliffe as a travelling player, als the "A Play of..." books. And I have enjoyed the books in which Joliffe and Sister Frevisse have been together, because those books included the humorous side of Joliffe's personality, as well as his intelligence. In this volume, though, Joliffe is all spy, with only the most glancing references to his past as an actor, as if he has been a spy and nothing but a spy, for many years - which does not jibe with the rest of the books in this series, and certainly not with the books in Joliffe's own series. (For example, A Play of Dux Moraud (Joliffe Mysteries).) Frevisse, as well, is almost entirely out of the element we have most often seen her in, in the past. At the beginning of the book, she is sent on a mission outside the convent, and we have almost nothing at all of convent life after that. In fact, there are a few downright unbelievable moments, when she does return to the convent, where she pretends to be sick - and then says she'll stay in the guest house, so as to risk the guests getting sick rather than the other sisters - a more un-nunlike sentiment I can't imagine.

In fact, the personalities of all the characters have changed so much that when Frevisse, her cousin Alice, and Joliffe are talking together, one has to go back and count sentences to tell who is talking; they all sound exactly the same, talking bitterly and cynically about political intrigue and nothing else.

As those reviewers who enjoyed the book have provided descriptions of the plot, I'll leave it to them. I'll just say that if you wanted to know more about King Henry, about Somerset and York, about Jack Cade's Rebellion, then you'll get plenty of that, in lieu of any personalized plot involving characters we might feel as if we know personally.

In short, if you were reading this series mainly because you were interested in the English history parts, and wanted to know more about the rebellions, then you might find something worthwhile in this volume; if you were reading the series because you liked the character of Frevisse and the details of daily life and of her regular interactions with other well-drawn characters, you will find almost none of that here, and it will disappoint you as it did me. Again, this reflects that my interest in reading the whole series was in the details of Frevisse's life, and in the drawing of individual characters; many people enjoy the series for other reasons, and may well find this book still satisfactory.

Historical fiction or mystery?.......2007-05-13

With this book, Margaret Frazer moves from historical mystery to historical fiction. Set during the years before the War of the Roses, this novel teams up Dame Frevise, the nun, with Joliffe, the one-time actor. Lots of issues are left unsolved at the end and I can hardly wait for the sequel.

More good writing from this author.......2007-05-02

The Traitor's Tale, 16th in the series of Dame Frevisse Medieval Mysteries, is set in the summer of 1450 as the Hundred Years War wound down, amid riots against King Henry VI, murders, political plots and the loss of English territory in France.

Dame Frevisse is called out of her cloister to assist her cousin, Lady Alice, recently widowed by the brutal murder of her husband, the Duke of Suffolk. Lady Alice however is in need of more than Frevisse's emotional and spiritual support--she also needs her skills in solving plots and mysteries. Several of her retainers are missing or murdered, and she fears for her young son. One of the missing is Burgate, her husband's secretary, and there are tales that the Duke of Suffolk wrote dangerous letters shortly before his murder that were entrusted to Burgate--but no one seems to know where he is.

Simon Joliffe, player and spy, crosses paths with Frevisse and Lady Alice's retainer Vaughn in pursuit of some similar information that may help or hinder his employer, the exiled Duke of York. Travels across the kingdom, riots, beheadings, stabbings, hidden parcels, and behind-the-scenes political machinations, all weave through this book like the fine-patterned satin on a Duke's doublet.

Armchair Interview says: Fans of historical fiction will also find much here to enjoy. And, the author has notes listing several sources for her "plots."

Dame Frevisse and Simon Joliffe together spell winner!.......2007-04-06

As usual, Margaret Frazer delivers and this time she weaves Dame Frevisse's and Simon Joliffe's storylines together. The result? A compelling tale, well told. Let's hope she has more stories coming!

Eleanor Sullivan, author of Assumed Dead

Average customer rating:

Wonderful, beautiful, enchanting
When is Book 4 coming
The series really starts to get interesting.
flawed
Not the best of her work

Traitor's Moon (Nightrunner, Vol. 3)
Lynn Flewelling
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553577255
Release Date: 1999-07-06

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, beautiful, enchanting.......2006-08-08

I admit that I first picked up this series because I knew there was a love story, and I can't resist a fantasy novel with a good love story. The first book, Luck in the Shadows, was good, filled with a story that took me by surprise, and had me buying the second book almost before I'd finished the first. Stalking Darkness was another hidden gem, and at the end, I thought nothing could beat the wonderful, touching story that filled it. Still, I wanted to continue on with the characters' stories, so I picked up Traitor's Moon.
I was a bit wary of the book; I've heard of it being the lesser of Ms. Flewelling's works. But just a few chapters in, I knew it was the best.
Yes, the story is mostly political intrigue, but that line has been building since the first chapter of the first book. Yes, Ms. Flewelling's writing style has changed, but, I think it has made a turn for the better. Her prose takes on an almost poetic tone as Alec and Seregil venture into the heart of Aurenen. My favorite line? 'Like the moon, I'll hang close to you through the night, reflecting your brilliance by virtue of my own dark surface.' Who can resist someone who writes as beautifully as that? The scenes she describes are equally as breathtaking, and most of them are just enchanting. I find myself smiling as I read through her descriptions of Sarikali, Akhendi, and all the other delightful places her creative imagination has come up with. The exchanges between her characters are as passionate and full of life as ever, if not more.
As our beloved character continue on their journey, a new language begins to develop, and things might become a bit more confusing. But compared to the other books, where whole sentences were spoken in unknown tongues and went untranslated, the new words here are easy enough to follow, and each is carefully explained. The long names are not difficult, either, if you're willing to take a few extra seconds to puzzle them out. The similarities between Aurenen names can become confusing sometimes, I admit, but I must say I've read far worse.
All in all, I would say that the flaws in this book are minor things, mostly changes in style, and any true, avid fantasy reader will appreciate the world and culture that Ms. Flewelling has brought to life for us. This is a jewel to be discovered, the best book of them all. Of course, I strongly recommend that you read the Luck in the Shadows and Stalking Darkness first; knowing the characters makes you love and appreciate them all the more. But when you've finished with them, don't hesitate to pick this book up. You will be missing out on something lovely if you don't.

When is Book 4 coming.......2005-05-16

Traitor's Moon was a very exciting book. It was the 3rd book of the Nightrunner Series. I'm looking forward to book 4 and more adventures with Seregil and Alec.

The series really starts to get interesting........2005-05-01

I will offer a view contrary to several of the other Amazon reviewers who seemed to like this book less than the first two in the Nightrunner Series. I thought that it was at least on par, and in some respects I actually liked it much better.

I enjoyed Luck In the Shadows and Stalking Darkness. At least, I enjoyed them enough to go ahead and pick up the third. My issue with them was that they were a little too focused on the individual characters. There was a whole lot of Destiny and Magical Quests going on. While Flewelling is a fresh writer, parts of the plots felt like stale retreads of similar books in the genre.

Traitor's Moon goes a lot farther down the road of politics. The Aurenfaie became a lot more interesting to me as parties quarreling about trade routes than they were as mystic Tolkeinish semi-elves. The plot line with Korathan and Poria was much more interesting and complex this time around. I was genuinely surprised by some of the character shifts, and that takes some doing.

I was a little bit disappointed to see that Flewelling has not written with these characters since Traitor's Moon. I think that I will wander back over and take another look at the Bone Doll's Twin. I had read it before I read these three books, and I believe that I am now inclined to give it another chance.

The Nightrunner series is recommended for Swords & Sorcery fantasy fans. While it has some adult situations, it should be fine for teenage readers. Begin at the beginning with Luck in the Shadows, and not here with Traitor's Moon.

flawed.......2005-02-11

(I am not a native speaker, please overlook my style)

With the third book of the series Ms Flewelling shows us that even a most accomplished writer's inspiration may fall short.

To create a world, a whole culture, is a terrifying task: it took ages to Tolkien to create one and he failed (in a masterly way, but he failed); Ms Flewelling is a good writer, but not as good as Tolkien and she tries in this third episode of creating a second world in the same series...

The Aurenen are not believable nor lovable: un unmeshable mixture of millenarian wisdom and unexplainable barbarity.
Ms Flewelling has tried to avoid the elf commonplaces only to be punished by having created a world no one would ever care to go back to, least of all someone as clever, witty, unconventional as our hero.

This third episode being based exclusively on this homecoming it results in a failure too: it is often boring, nothing of what takes place makes any sense.
And still...
characters are still finely pictured: even the formerly unsufferable Beka becomes nearly believable and enjoyable. The love story of Seregil and Alec is now established, lacking therefore the thrill of the first two books, but it is outlined with lovely subtlety.
Ms Flewelling has made a heavily wrong choice; everyone should honestly admid though that it takes a very good writer to write a good book out of such a deficient background.

The book may still be worth reading and enjoys the assets deriving from the previous ones, therefore the four stars.

Not the best of her work.......2004-11-11

This was my last read of all the Flewelling books. I actually started with the later series first and made my way back. I love her books, I love her writing, I love her characters...........just not in this book. I had to keep reminding myself that these were the same characters from the first two books in the series, so far removed were they from their original surroundings. This book is all about politics and names and words you probably can't pronounce. This in itself usually doesn't bother me, but overall the story fell flat. I think the problem lies in that, as Flewelling states, this isn't meant to be a trilogy. As a standalone novel though, the book falls short too though, although that's how you feel when you read it. If you've read the first two books in this "series" I would suggest just leaving this one alone.

My Traitor's Heart: A South African Exile Returns to Face His Country, His Tribe, and His Conscience

Average customer rating:

An insight into the tortured soul of a typical liberal wooftah..
memoirs of an Africaaner-1970-1990
A Rare Look into the Afrikaner Mind...
Magnificent, brooding work
Disturbing

My Traitor's Heart: A South African Exile Returns to Face His Country, His Tribe, and His Conscience
Rian Malan
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802136842

Amazon.com

Like many white South Africans of his generation, Rian Malan fled his country to dodge the draft. He felt incredibly guilty for this act, but would have felt equally guilty for not doing it: "I ran because I wouldn't carry a gun for apartheid, and because I wouldn't carry a gun against it." Malan, the product of a well-known Afrikaner family, returned to South Africa and produced My Traitor's Heart, which explores the literal and figurative brutalities of apartheid. Death is a constant presence on these pages, and the narrative is driven by Malan's criminal reportage. This acclaimed book intends to illuminate South Africa's poisonous race relations under apartheid, and few books do it this well.

Book Description

A classic of literary nonfiction, My Traitor's Heart has been acclaimed as a masterpiece by readers around the world. Rian Malan is an Afrikaner, scion of a centuries-old clan and relative of the architect of apartheid, who fled South Africa after coming face-to-face with the atrocities and terrors of an undeclared civil war between the races. This book is the searing account of his return after eight years of uneasy exile. Armed with new insight and clarity, Malan explores apartheid's legacy of hatred and suffering, bearing witness to the extensive physical and emotional damage it has caused to generations of South Africans on both sides of the color line. Plumbing the darkest recesses of the white and black South African psyches, Malan ultimately finds his way toward the light of redemption and healing. My Traitor's Heart is an astonishing book -- beautiful, horrifying, profound, and impossible to put down.

Customer Reviews:

An insight into the tortured soul of a typical liberal wooftah.........2007-02-28

White liberal draft-dodger hard at work. He's a good writer and the book's a painful look into the heart of a white liberal. My admiration goes rather to those who fought to defend their country.... but it's an insight into the tortured soul of a typical liberal wooftah. Why people put themselves thru all this inner torment I have no idea - have a beer and get over it, bloke! If you'd just done your time in the armed forces like pretty much every other south african had to do instead of taking the chicken run, you wouldn;t be going thru all this turmoil.

memoirs of an Africaaner-1970-1990.......2006-02-24

Before a recent visit to S. Africa, this book was recommended as an introduction to the political climate in S. Africa, especially after Apartheid. This very personal account told by Rian Malan, whose ancestors were directly responsible for the formation of the Apartheid society, traces his teenage rebellion against Apartheid, his career as a liberal newspaper reporter and his ultimate rejection of the violence that the new government has spawned. Be prepared for graphic descriptions of violence committed by both whites and blacks.

A good introduction to the complicated history of S. Africa and leaves the reader with questions regarding the future of that sad country.

A Rare Look into the Afrikaner Mind..........2006-01-27

I really enjoyed this book, although I do have some problems with it. First and foremost I will recommend it because I think it offers amazing insight into the psychology of Afrikaners and should be read-by any serious student of South African History. It is a valid historical document in that sense, because it is an honest and well-written, and sometimes deeply moving, biographical account of a "liberal" Afrikaner who has to struggle with his progressive ideals and his residual prejudices.

Rian Malan is a fascinating individual who fully accepts the humanity of all his fellow men and loves people of all colors-but in a way he has also rather unapologetically bought into the idea of some deep and maybe unsurpassable "cultural differences" between "us and them". This involves repeating a traditional refrain about how outsiders "don't understand" how "they" really are. While I agree that outside observers tended to see things in only one dimension, I also think that Malan is somewhat won over to the colonial discourse of "Darkest Africa", that place where savagery reigns.

What about white savagery? Although Malan talks about some white atrocities and even explicitly says they are savage-e.g., a white man forces a black man to castrate himself at gunpoint and then flicks the testicles away with a stick-and although he suggests the Afrikaner is also "savage", he never seems to make this part of "white" South African character. It is always that the whites are acting from fear, because they are "swamped". But clearly the countless cases of white human rights atrocities cannot be attributed to fear. Somehow the violence of "natives" becomes assimilated to their "culture" in his mind-some ancient "African" culture outside observers can't understand, but white inhumanity, no matter how many instances of it there are, and there are countless, is not portrayed the same way, as an offshoot of "culture" that is somehow independent of environment. Whites are always granted a context for their actions; Zulus are simply doing things the way Zulus "always have".

Still, I do think it's a beautiful book in a number of ways, despite these serious flaws, and if you want to know how some Afrikaners think, I think this is a book to look at. I recently talked to a white South African and found his discourse to be similar to Malan's-talk of fear, talk of "strange cultural rites", talk of profound differences that are unbridgeable, upsetting things I generally disagree with, but this discourse is part of the white South African self-understanding. And although poverty and crime are very real in South Africa, I still believe that white South Africans often have a self-justifying ideology that simply refuses to look at what they've done to bring about the problems of modern South Africa and prefers to look at the problems they are faced with, as if they emerged from a vacuum. (Obviously, I'm not excusing anyone's violence of any kind here, just making a point).

This is only human that people prefer to avoid examining their own consciences, and Malan has more humanity, kindness, compassion and insight than most people do anywhere, but you will see what I mean about his essentializing of difference if you read the book, and you should. He loves these "native" men and women, he jokes with them, he finds some brilliant, and at the end of the book he accepts that he has to let go of his fear if he wants to move forward. But he has somewhat convinced me prior to these last pages that he isn't really ready to make that leap, and that his faith in building a new nation could be easily shattered, as of course it will be, if you think in terms of black and white.

Magnificent, brooding work.......2004-12-24

This book came out when I was working in South Africa. It explores in an uncompromising way two rival phenomena: the hopes of 'white liberalism' and some harsh realities of South Africa's 'African-ness' which many urban liberals at that point seemed to pretend either were not there or were somehow only a function of apartheid.

The passages on Creina Alcock, a 'white' South African who stepped far away from her background to live as a Zulu are are especially poignant, even stunning. I visited Creina in her remote hut on the strength of this book and was astonished by her courage and wisdom. Rian captures this extraordinary story in a moving if (for the average reader?) pessimistic way

This book has universalist insights for anyone interested in whether Civilisations really do Clash. Rian Malan was on to something very profound in this book. It is vivid and appalling in places, and not always easy reading. So what? These issues are as difficult as anything we face. Read it, lots of times.

Disturbing.......2004-02-29

This book is an investigation into the attitudes of a liberal who was raised in South Africa. In the book, Malan tells us that his original charge was to write the history of his racist ancestors, who were among the first Boer settlers in the region. But when Malan began his project, he found he needed to first explore and develop his own perspective on race in South Africa before he could begin. And once he began doing this, he never really got around to the history project.

The book is divided into 3 sections. In the first, Malan describes his own childhood and adolescence, leading up to his forced flight from South Africa, with a major focus on his youthful love for Blacks (especially in the abstract). The second part of the book details a number of violent murders that Malan investigated upon his return to South Africa in 1986 to write this book. In this section, Malan describes the intense violence that was occurring in South Africa at the time, and how all Whites, even doctors providing humanitarian services in the townships, became targets for Black rage. He also explores violence between rival Black political groups. In the closing section, Malan visits a White woman named Creina Alcock, who lived on the border of Msanga, a tribal homeland, where she and her husband had struggled to build a sustainable rural development project with the local Blacks. The woman was widowed after her husband was killed while trying to negotiate peace talks during a tribal disturbance in Msanga.

The book doesn't have a strong narrative thread- -instead it seems that Malan was trying to communicate some of his own confusion and ambivalence about racial questions by presenting so many stories and sides of the picture, and flipping rapidly from one to the next. The loose organization is effective to some degree; the reader slowly comes to understand the enormity and complexity of South Africa's problems. Yes, many Whites provoked anger from Blacks by their abominable behavior and laws. Blacks in turn responded with violence that was so overwhelming that even those Whites who tried as hard as they could to do the right thing were in mortal danger. And the worst and most senseless violence seemed to occur in Black communities that had no White involvement at all. The entire society was so focused on violence that as one White living on a farm in a rural area told Malan "The guy with the bigger stick wins." In closing with Creina Alcock's story, Malan tries to leave us with a little hope. He argues that Alcock's and her late husband's love for their community has made a marginal difference in the social structure, despite the ongoing attacks on them and thefts of their property by children they had adopted and raised as their own, and even the murder of Alcock's husband. With the infinitesimally small improvements that the Alcocks managed to make in their community by giving their entire lives over to the project, how many millions more Alcocks would it take to turn such a country around, and where might they come from?

Average customer rating:

A world they never imagined.

Fantastic Book -best thing I've read in a long time

Excellent fantasy book (and I usually hate fantasy)

A compelling mystery and fascinating family dynamics

This book rocks!

Traitor King
Todd Mitchell
Manufacturer: Scholastic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Mysteries, Espionage, & Detectives | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Fiction | Siblings | Family Life | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0439827884

Customer Reviews:

A world they never imagined........2007-09-07

Todd Mitchell's THE TRAITOR KING tells of Darren and Jackie, who have always known their family was strange - but not by how much. A fantasy mystery revolves around the family and once they discover some of the secrets, a vanished uncle's plight draws them into a world they never imagined.

Fantastic Book -best thing I've read in a long time.......2007-08-31

To be honest, I picked up this book because I liked the cover. When I read it, I was expecting a fun read. And the book is fun --great characters, adventure, mystery and imagination. But what surprised me is how much I kept thinking about the book afterwards. There's far more going on beneath the surface of this book than one might expect of YA fantasy. Some heavy issues are dealt with in a new way. I've since spoken with ten year olds who love this book, teachers who discuss it in their classes, and family therapists who have their clients read it. All I can say is check it out --I haven't read a book this good in a long time. And I envy you for getting to experience The Traitor King for the first time.

Excellent fantasy book (and I usually hate fantasy).......2007-08-02

I absolutely loved this book. Everybody I know who has read it says they finished it in one night, and I did the same. Mitchell immediately drew me into his story with his quirky, dynamic characters and his page-turning plot. Darren and Jackie are completely intriguing, and while their adventure ventures into fantasy, their struggles are grounded in reality. Mitchell does a fine job of portraying complicated family dynamics - highlighting the ways in which we all struggle against our heritage and they ways in which we also long to embrace it. Anybody who has ever wondered about the mysteries of their family or their past will love this story.

A compelling mystery and fascinating family dynamics.......2007-06-05

Eleven-year-old Darren Mananann is pretty sure he knows exactly what to expect for his two-week summer vacation at Uncle Will's run-down house in Maine. There will be lots of card games and cocktails for the adults, and no TV or Internet for the kids. Plus he'll have his annoying cousin, Kini, to deal with.

At least his eccentric uncle will have set up this year's scavenger hunt, a truly challenging annual event that usually keeps Darren and his older sister Jackie occupied for several days. Darren is especially anticipating the hunt, hoping it will keep his mind off of the disturbing dreams he's been having.

But when Darren, Jackie, their parents and other relatives arrive at Uncle Will's dilapidated home, Will is not even there. All they have is a note that reads "Stepped out for a bit...some things came up" and advice about watering the plants and returning books to the library. Darren's mother is convinced that Uncle Will has finally lost his mind, seizing the opportunity to do some long-overdue housecleaning.

Soon, though, Darren and Jackie are convinced that Uncle Will still wants them to carry on with the annual scavenger hunt --- and that his cryptic note is actually the first clue. Sure enough, the siblings are soon involved in the most exciting hunt of all, one that will lead them deep into their family history and even bring them into close contact with the scary figures from Darren's nightmares.

As they follow Uncle Will's clues, Darren and Jackie begin to suspect that their unusual family might be even more extraordinary than they had imagined. They all seem to have second sight, or "shadow sight," a very useful thing for playing poker, as it turns out. Do Darren and Jackie also have the shadow sight? Why is their family name in the big book of Celtic mythology at the library? Is the librarian more than what she seems? Why has Uncle Will's research into the family story been burned? And who is the skeletal man who shadows their every move? Seeking the answers to these questions leads the siblings far into Celtic mythology, all the way to the mythical land of Tir Na N'Og.

THE TRAITOR KING is Todd Mitchell's first novel, and it clearly owes a great debt to some classics of children's literature, including Elizabeth's Enright's SPIDERWEB FOR TWO and Susan Cooper's OVER SEA, UNDER STONE. But that's not to say that Mitchell's book is derivative --- it integrates Celtic mythology well and also includes plenty of original plot ideas. The most appealing parts of the novel are in its first half, as Darren and Jackie work to navigate their uncle's clues and their new knowledge about the Mananann family. These sections include realistic, concrete imagery as well as a compelling mystery and fascinating family dynamics.

The portions of the book set in Tir Na N'Og are less robust and vivid, at least until the final confrontation that pits Darren against supernatural elements and even against the decisions of some of his own family. Mitchell leaves the ending wide open for a sequel in what he's calling The Broken World series. Readers will be eager to see how Mitchell continues to develop his mythology, and his most unusual family, in future installments.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

This book rocks!.......2007-05-12

If you don't believe that this book is completely outstanding, and a definite must-read that will change your life, check out the other images above. Pictures don't lie.

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