Book Description
Find Your Path!
·Detailed maps for every part of the world and every major city, plus special maps for every key section of the main quest.
·Specific chapters on how to create your character and maximize your abilities and skills.
·Over 400 full-color pages packed with information on everything you need to know about the massive gameworld of Oblivion.
·Walkthroughs for every quest in the game, including the main quest, all faction quests, as well as miscellaneous and freeform quests.
·Sections on various gameplay systems including stealth, combat, magic, spellmaking and enchanting, alchemy, and more.
·Detailed bestiary chapter to help you best deal with the denizens of Tamriel and Oblivion.
·Includes new chapters on Knights of the Nine and Oblivion downloadable content.
Customer Reviews:
elder scrolls IV: oblivion.......2007-09-08
it is just as wonderfuly detailed as guide for morrowind was...so ah yeah it's awesome lol
Well worth buying even if you don't own the game.......2007-08-14
The guide is well put together, I borrowed a friends and I had to have my own. If your indecisive on whether or not to get the game after reading this guide and seeing how large and in depth the world of Oblivion is the decision should not be a hard one.....Get the game, get the book in any order.
Must Get for Oblivion Owners.......2007-07-11
This is a great guide. It has info on all the quests in the game. Tons of maps and info on character creation. Buy it.
Good Guide.......2007-05-12
Covers just about everything. Might even be a little too expansive. Some quick view tables instead of all the reading would help.
Great companion to the Game........2007-05-09
This game guide is a great extra if you own the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion game. I have it for the PS3, but it covers all systems. It has great tips and walk throughs for the entire game. Especially helpful on those areas that you might get caught up on, or if you're just looking for some additional information on areas that you think you might be missing things in. It has very detailed explanations, very easily followed as well as some good screen shots to go along with it. One of the better game guides I've purchased, I Highly recommend getting it if you own the game.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Similar Items:
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
Find Your Path
* Detailed maps for every part of the world and every major city, plus special maps for every key section of the main quest.
* Specific chapters on how to create your character and maximize your abilities and skills.
* Over 300 full-color pages packed with information on everything you need to know about the massive gameworld of Oblivion.
* Walkthroughs for every quest in the game, including the main quest, all faction quests, as well as miscellaneous and freeform quests.
* Sections on various gameplay systems including stealth, combat, magic, enchanting, alchemy, and more.
* Detailed bestiary chapter to help you best deal with the denizens of Tamriel and Oblivion.
Customer Reviews:
Buy the newer Revised & Expanded version instead.......2007-07-09
I'm not happy that Amazon recommended this edition to me without a mention that there is a newer, more complete version available... and Amazon offers the newer one at a lower price than this one, too! Sadly, this is a feature of Amazon's inadequate recommendation engine: they recommend inferior versions of the same product instead of later ones... it's really not very smart.
It also seems odd to me that this book was published in March 2006, but the "revised and expanded" version is published November 2006. Surely at the time this version was published, they were aware that they would be making it obsolete a few months later with a more complete version. Perhaps they should have subtitled this book "Incomplete & Unfinished in time for deadline version".
Superb.......2007-07-05
This is an excellent full featured very thorough and useful game guide.
Highly recommended!!
I originally bought it as a means to keep track of all the locations for the 1000's of things in the game - "where was that cave?" "I know I saw that ingredient somewhere..." "I spoke to this NPC before but where were they??"
This book has been invaluable for this alone and ended frustrating hours spent trying to re-locate something I'd already found but forgot to write down or remembered as being in a different place.
But the books usefulness doesn't end there. There are many many quests in the game I simply wouldn't have discovered on my own. Some amusing and some adding yet more depth and background to the world and some that I could NOT figure out on my own :P
And more.. alchemy combinations, story lines not so obvious, enchantment combo's, and so much more that added value and enjoyment to an already excellent game.
Not as good as everyone is claiming it to be, but...........2007-06-15
It's still nice when you get stuck.
It's really geared towards smash-and-bash characters, but the quest help alone is well worth the price.
Amazing........2007-04-10
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is THE game I have been looking for. This is an RPG that should be played by any fan of the genre. It doesn't beat Baldur's Gate (IMHO), but it's the next best thing. This game is very open, meaning not linear. Don't like the main story line? That's fine, go do your own thing. The world is massive. The NPCs have decent AI. They come up with random conversations with each other, but they keep on topic. It is rather amusing to hear a group of them talking to each other.
You may customize your character down to the very detail of how the eye brows sit above the eyes. Unless you just accept the default character or randomize one, you could spend A LOT of time making your character look just like you want.
The combat is fairly close to realistic, but can be frustrating with a few quirks (I don't see how a dagger can block the blow of a longsword and cause recoil). I really like the leveling system. You level based on the skills you regularly use (i.e. if you jump a lot, always run, wear certain armor, regularly use a particular weapon, etc.). For instance, if your character wears light armor and wields a bow, during combat, you will notice that you gain skills in light armor proficiency and marksmanship. If you run from one location to the next, you may notice your athletics skill increase.
Enemies are VERY persistent. They will pursue you until the death (yours or theirs) or until you outrun them by a VERY long distance. Not to mention, they will attack you on spot. They will make chase through buildings, into or out of towns, and even through the path of another enemy. They can be relentless. However, you can have them chase you until you reach a nearby city guard, which the guard will quickly dispatch of the pursuer (that is IF you can outrun the enemy for that length of time).
One VERY unrealistic quirk I have for this game is this. I observed an NPC, engaged in a relentless pursuit, chase the player through water while swinging their war hammer. Bear in mind that the water was VERY deep, so the player was swimming. Meanwhile, the NPC was right behind them swinging away with their war hammer (while swimming) as if they were standing on land. All you could hear behind the player was the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of the hammer as if the water wasn't even there.
Despite the few quirks of the game, Oblivion's fantastic gameplay, great detail and brilliant RPG engine more than make up. I can see this game providing 100+ hours of gameplay.
If you like fantasy setting RPGs, buy Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Fantastic value!.......2007-03-19
Worth every penny. The reference tables and maps alone justify spending the money for this product. Gameplay tips are practical and they work. Highest recommendation.
Book Description
IS OUR WORLD COMING TO AN END?
Progress tempts us to assume that our world will last indefinitely. But as we face a new millennium, it becomes increasingly apparent it won't.
Hurtling Toward Oblivion is a guided tour of the realities that present a logical argument for the end of our age. Dr. Swenson combines the trends of social change, the nature of humankind, and the rapid advance of progress and technology in a fascinating and disturbing look at our most probable future. Understand our direction and why we are Hurtling Toward Oblivion.
Customer Reviews:
A real disappointment..........2007-06-10
I initially became familiar with Richard Swenson after reading his excellent book "Margin." Having heard him speak on the margin concept several times, I increasingly came to respect his gift for analyzing a problem and prescribing some potential solutions. It is this affinity for Swenson's work, rather than any sort of specific interest in end-times or apocalyptic propositions, that drew me to this particular book, and I was left sorely disappointed.
At just over 100 pages, Swenson doesn't have space to waste much time. He quickly dives into his thesis, that the world is speeding along toward its ultimate and permanent demise. He draws this conclusion based on such realities as the exponential growth of all things. As he deftly describes, our society is all about more stuff, more gadgets, more money, more activities, more pollution, more war, more technology, more people, and so on.
My frustration with the book is that he seems to take a huge leap from his data to his conclusion. It is indisputable that our world is experiencing explosive growth in many, if not all, major categories. While never explaining how this perception will inevitably lead to the destruction of the world, he speaks as if the connection is obvious and indisputable. He suggests that the slowing and eventual ceasing of these explosive growth trends is utterly impossible, yet he specifically cites one reputable author who made that exact claim and provided evidence of several such slow-downs. I was never convinced and Swenson didn't bother to provide evidence that exponential growth must continue indefinitely until destruction ensues.
One other minor complaint is strictly mathematical. Swenson takes pains to explain that he has a degree in physics and is a person who studies the data from an analytical, scientific perspective. Unfortunately, he includes many charts throughout the book that purport to demonstrate exponentiality, yet they show straights lines. Obviously, these lines demonstrate linear growth, with a constant slope. That is not exponential!! It seems sloppy to fail to actually use exponential curves and seems to discredit the author's indisputable mathematical prowess.
Ultimately, I found this book to be repetitive and unconvincing. Swenson has some important insight to provide, and there is value in much of what he says. Unfortunately, he overextends his conclusions without providing sufficient validity to his rather alarmist claims. I agree that much of the modern human experience is unhealthy and unsustainable, but I remain unconvinced that the world is coming to an end.
Don't waste your time - nothing new here!.......2007-05-01
We had a name for a guy in college that kept telling us what we already knew - Moto for Master of the Obvious. Dr. Swenson is Moto. He writes about his study of the culture for the past twenty years and comes to the conclusion that mankind is on a collision course with destruction - and that this inevitable crash is going to happen soon...real soon. As a Christian, Swenson writes having one eye on Scripture and one eye on the world, but unfortunately his eyesight is a little hazy on both. The first problem is that Swenson associates the concept of sin or "fallenness" (his word) with the problems of the world...and then concludes that because there are more people, there is more fallenness. Simple logic, but unfortunately not supported in Scripture nor in the annuals of human history. For example, before the flood, the bible tells us that mankind was incredibly wicked, so much so that God grieved for His creation and His wrath eliminated all but a small handful of humans. Also, when you look back at the depravity of Sodom and Gomorrah and see how God brought swift and severe destruction upon their sin, one can logically conclude that although there are more people, mankind is just as depraved now as it was at the beginning. And while we have continued to invent new ways to destroy life, we also continue to invent new ways to prolong and enhance life - as Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes nothing is new under the sun.
But, according to Swenson, something is new - a new "era of progress" that is not like the rest of human history; everything is different now, he claims. Everything is economics, and the beast of modernity who is controlled by economics cannot be fed enough to alter its destructive force on mankind. Swenson then gives a bunch of large words and interesting mathematical equations and again reaches his same conclusion - the path to destruction is a downhill road and mankind is rolling down faster and faster and faster. Again, though, Swenson forgets about the biblical narratives in the Old Testament that demonstrate first that God is in control, not the laws of nature or the laws of mathematics and secondly that God has given man a chance for repentance in the past and may well do so again in the future. While Sodom was destroyed, Nineveh repented and was spared (much to the chagrin of Jonah).
Swenson tries to reduce God to a formula so that the negatives and the positives of life can be weighed against each other. Of course this exercise is completely futile as if man knows the ways of God. God has been glorified greatly even in the midst of horrendous human suffering - ask anyone who has gone through the trial of cancer only to come out on the other side with a deeper relationship with the Lord and a greater appreciation for their family, friends and life in general. Swenson's "negative" is actually a positive in the spiritual sense. And this is Swenson's greatest error - reducing all things in life to the physical realm effectually eliminating the sovereignty of God from the lives of man.
While the argument may well be logical, I found it flawed at the core and learned that Swenson told me nothing that Scripture hasn't already made perfectly clear - there is a day of judgment coming, a day when this earth will be destroyed and a new earth will be the dwelling place for the redeemed. The only question for man today is the same was it was thousands of years ago - in whom do you trust, in the wisdom of man or of God?
One Of Those Books Can Just Takes Your Breath Away.......2006-05-14
This book is disturbing, sobering, and fascinating all at the same time. While some may choose not to believe "fundamentalist" religious views that say the world will soon come to an end, this book essentially says the same thing in a different, perhaps more rationalistic way. The author, Dr. Swenson, methodically presents his case, showing that mankind is on a path to almost certain self destruction. It's a fairly easy read; Swenson gives good, scientific explanations for his conclusions, but the book isnt weighted down with too much scientific jargon. The book is also hard hitting in a relatively compact size, lengthy enough to convincingly make the author's case on multiple fronts, but not too long that it becomes tedious. If you've ever felt that our world may be heading towards a catastrophic end, this book makes the case for you, giving rational, logical, and scientific reasons for anyone to be convinced that mankind has long been sowing the seeds of his own destruction. Well worth the price, and then some.
DeskTopDetective reviews Hurtling Toward Oblivion..........2004-08-09
The other reviews listed here have pretty much covered this great book quite well, so I can only add that the graphs, which are simple, and seemingly accurate, show his points exceedingly well! They demonstrate exponentiality, and include: life expectancy, health care expenditures, Gross Domestic Product, Gross Federal Debt, Air Miles Traveled, Volume of Advertising, Third Class Junk Mail, Total Mail-Surface & E-mail, World Population, Explosive Power of Weapons, Data Transfer During War, One Soldier/Defensible Area, and more. Graphs such as these speak a thousand words! A very thought-provoking book!
We should've seen it coming..........2002-11-05
I first heard Dr. Swenson discuss this book about 4 months prior to 9/11/2001 on a Focus on the Family radio broadcast, but I only heard the first day of the two-day broadcast. I thought at the time that his reasoning was very compelling.
After the events of 9/11, this broadcast came to mind, and I contacted FOF for a tape copy of the broadcast. I heard the second day broadcast for the first time, and his discussion on terrorism, in which he talked specifically about bin Laden and the previous bombing of the WTC. I had to get the book.
I believe Dr. Swenson's analysis of trends inevitably lead to the conclusion in the title. That being said, what is amazing is that the book is not a depressing read...not, that is, if you know Who is ultimately in control of all of history. If you are not a Christian, I think you will find this a fascinating read. If you are a Christian, I think you will find this a fascinating and uplifting book with some very practical applications on how to live in the here and now.
Average customer rating:
- A fantastic book
- Not Your Average Who Dunnit
- Unique lead character
- A Good Psychological Thriller!
- Suspense with a twist
|
Oblivion
Peter Abrahams
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Release Date: 2006-03-28 |
Book Description
Nick Petrov was a world-famous private investigator -- until a brain trauma destroyed part of his memory and changed who he is forever.
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Download Description
"
Nick Petrov was a world-famous private investigator -- until a brain trauma destroyed part of his memory and changed who he is forever.
Now a killer is on the loose, looming up from a past that Nick can no longer remember.
"
Customer Reviews:
A fantastic book.......2007-09-13
I stumbled upon this book at the bargain priced hardcover section of a bookstore. It was the best $4.98 I've ever spent. The book is fast paced and the narrative is often hilarious.
Not Your Average Who Dunnit.......2007-04-19
This was a really fun read; great for the beach. Abrahams takes the who dunnit and turns it on its head. The protagonist, Nick Petrov is a real good PI, smart, experienced, logical and plodding, who manages to just about solve the mystery given to him early on in the book. Your thinking wait a minute, is this going to be a book with vignettes of the best of Nick Petrov's cases because there's still 300 pages to go. But no, Petrov suffers some kind of brain cancer/anurism and winds up in the hospital. A big chunk of his memory gets cut out when they patched him up and so he has to go through the entire investigation from the start without the aid of any of those great smarts, experiences or logic that he used to count on. Petrov turns from cocky jerk to humble human and you like him all the better for it. Take this book to the beach this summer and then wait for Abraham's next book.
Unique lead character.......2006-11-09
OBLIVION starts as a rather ordinary mystery, but picks up steam when private eye Nick Petrov suffers a brain hemorrhage resulting from a tumor. Another unique element is that the reader knows more about what's going on than Nick does when he wakes up in the hospital.
The early part of the book deals with a woman hiring Nick to find her daughter. He accumulates clues, painstakingly entering them in code in his notebook. After his operation he no longer remembers the code and must recompile the evidence.
Nick's main claim to fame was his role in the capture of serial killer Gerald Reasoner. Armand Assante even played him in a movie about the case. As he reaccumulates evidence, he begins to find similarities between the new case and the Reasoner murders. Someone is also trying to thwart his efforts, as he loses a key piece of evidence when an intruder breaks into his house.
A subplot involves Nick's love life. His former lover is now the LA chief of police. Their affair ruined his marriage. In his new world, Nick begins to fall for Billie, a black nurse who cares for him while he's in the hospital.
Another rather unique element is the presence of Nick's dead father, a former KGB investigator, as Nick pursues the missing girl. We're never quite sure if this is a consequence of his brain tumor, or if he really thinks he's talking to his father. The father also goads Nick for his ineptitude
One drawback of the book is that Abrahams telegraphs the culprit about midway through the book; we even recognize his/her accomplice when he arrives on the scene.
I've read one other Abrahams novel, END OF STORY, and one element they both have in common is originality. If you're tired of formulaic writing, give Abrahams a try.
A Good Psychological Thriller!.......2006-10-25
Interesting tale of a prior investigator (Nick Petrov) who had gained fame for cracking a serial murder case. He is hired by a woman to track down her daughter. What seems like a typical missing persons case then starts to turn weird and strange people seem to be attacking Nick. When it looks like he made some headway in the case, Nick has a severe medical problem that causes him to have amnesia including not being able to remember anything about the missing girl case.
Nick comes across some of the items he had collected from the missing girl case and realizes they must mean something. Little by little he starts to piece things together and get up to speed to the point he was before amnesia. The more Nick learns, he seems to realize that maybe this was more than a missing girl case and maybe it is related somehow to the serial killer case that he had worked on.
Some parts of the book are slow and others are a little difficult to understand but the reader wants to learn everything they can along with Nick. So many clues need to be pieced together to figure out and tie all the loose ends.
Nick is an extremely interesting character because he was a smug, domineering individual before his illness and after his illness he tries with difficulty to be the same way but is stifled by his new physical shortcomings.
A good read!
Suspense with a twist.......2006-10-09
Peter Abrahams is known for his suspenseful thrillers that capture readers within moments of beginning one of his books. Oblivion is no different. We are introduced to Nick Petrov, a Russian-born private investigator made somewhat famous by a high-profile serial killer years ago, who takes on what seems to be a simple missing person case. However, as his investigation lengthens, it becomes obvious that this particular case runs much deeper than anyone would have imagined. Just as he nears a breakthrough, the story is thrown into disarray as he suddenly develops amnesia and loses his memory of the entire investigation. He then has to piece the case together from scratch, without knowing why he was involved in the case in the first place. The events that follow are well-crafted with several unanticipated twists that would keep any reader turning the page for more.
While the amnesia scenario is somewhat of a cliché, it was done in a way that did not detract from the "reality" factor of the book. It was also an interesting way to add flavor to a missing person's story that could arguably stand on its own as an intriguing read. The story seemed to drag a bit in the middle, but very few novels are able to maintain the fast pace that Abrahams uses in the first hundred or so pages, and slowing things down was hardly a negative thing. Instead, I felt it brought maturity into the narrative. He also used flashback at timely moments to answer questions that tend to linger in your mind, and he has a way of using one or two word descriptions that many people would need several paragraphs to illustrate.
If someone is a fan of the detective thriller sub-genre, this is a "can't miss." Before I even realized it, I was a quarter of the way through the book, which means that if you are too busy to sit down for a while you may find yourself frustrated with having to put the book away. This is what has made Peter Abrahams the successful writer that he is and what keeps his fans coming back for more. Not only that, but it's also what makes reading enjoyable and relaxing. Thumbs up for Oblivion.
Reviewed on behalf of MyShelf.com
Customer Reviews:
Introspection at it's finest.......2005-04-16
Each of White Wolf's games, even the little ones, like mummy or freak legion, are beautiful efforts to focus play around a single role-played theme, and the effects of the gameplay, the character creation, and even the obscure little optional rules in the index act to support and strengthen those themes. Wraith is truly a perfect example of this. The game does not simply present a depressing setting, then ask players to "get in character". The character creation process is involving and requires deep thought. The rules effects that come into play from game one act to draw the players in, and the character's emotions out. And each successive twist and turn of the game builds depth and meaning into what started out as a very gothic and thoughtful environment. In wraith, there is horror and danger in every form you can imagine, from the slow, personal draw of your own mind turned against you, to the shrieking nightmares of Oblivion's spectres, to the opressive weight of the hierarchy of Charon, to the mind numbing immensity of Oblivion itself. 31 flavors of fear, served to order. If you like horror games, this is your ticket.
Simultaneously, I wholeheartedly agree with previous reviewers in stressing Wraith's role-playing aspects. This game will actively kill hack and slash gaming, not only the characters, but the game style itself. All power, healing, existance and ability rely on you acting out the deepset needs and passions of your character. All that stuff that you make up when you generate a character that usually winds up on the third or fourth page and gets ignored by the other players is now at center stage, guaranteed vital, and everybody cares. The interpersonal interactions are pushed to the limit, crying, raging, and even falling in love are totally believable results of this masterpiece of pole playing.
Pick up your copy before it fades away forever.
White Wolf.......2004-07-18
While I'm fond of Dungeons and Dragons, my heart has a special place for white wolf, and if you're any kind of white wolf fan, then you would know: this game was their destiny.
Every White Wolf game is all about being miserable, even though you're an awesome demon!
Well in Wraith, despite your very cool powers, there is a part of your brain trying to turn you to Shadow, and make you a servant of Oblivion, which expands greater everyday, threatening to destroy the underworld.
it's a very dark game. intense.
White wolf needs more games like this all-accessible tragedy.......2004-02-08
This RPG is, quite simply, the greatest of its kind. White Wolf went out of its way and beyond the call of duty to put this gorgeous piece of work on the shelves. The fact that it's out of print is just appalling. This book is beautifully written and the art is amazing, in every sense of either word. The atmospheric darkness and overwhelming despair of the book itself is oddly uplifting compared to the forced grittiness or plagiarism of most other RPG books. The great bits of this book (and game) are the humanist bits. The fact that you're playing a character who, regardless of race, creed, whatever he/she did in their life, they are all so uniquely (well, like real people, as unique as everyone else) and subtly damned, in a way the vampires and Werewolves of the rest of the WW world can't even dream of. This game's only fault is that running it requires an incredible amount of concentration, a huge degree of single-mindedness and very good knowledge on how to set an atmosphere. If you can find a truly good storytller (like we were lucky enough to)who can give his (or in our case, her) own touch to an already spectacular world and you're willing to possibly soil yourself from fear or break down crying from a role-playing game, then this is for you. This book follows the White Wolf traditions of actually being a fun and involving (if chillingly accurate and intensely personal) read. The art is all along the high-contrast black on white lines that a book like this demands, and it works perfectly. The writing has the somber feel of being so meticulously done that the writers mustn't have gotten sleep for weeks. The continuing story of the wraith writer separating each chapter is heartfelt and remniscient of the work of Neil Gaiman, and the long passages describing every aspect of the fleshed out land of the dead are so harsh and real that this book gives new meaning to role-playing. So, basically, if you're into a game that reallly, truly is a character driven game, this is the one for you. If only it were still in print...
Slipping into Oblivion.......2003-08-25
To this date I still have every original paperback release of every WoD games as well as their subsiquent hard back re-releases, but in all this time only one of these games was ever able to capture my heart and stir my emotions; Wraith the Oblivion.
Unlike other games in the WoD series wraith centers around feelings and emotions. Where vampires drink blood to survive Wraiths my tangle with pathos to survive. Where Werewolves truggle against the mighty Wyrm wraiths must fight their own inner demons, less they be swept into oblivion.
Unfortunately, Wraith: The Oblivion is all but gone. The WoD's has pretty much shunned Wraith for it's core games; Vampire, Werewolf, and Mage. However wraith will always be my favorite of the series and I would strong encourage everyone who has played an WoD games to please purchase this title and give it a try.
Wraith, so gothic it's dead.......2003-04-24
Wraith is the ultimate in personal horror. You create a dead character, control that charcter as it fights it's darker half, and the end is never what you could possibly imagine. In a previous review someone mentioned 'saying Wraith was a gothic game would be to say Lord of the Rings is a story about elves.' That is the truest comparison one can make about Wraith. If you want a game that you pick up and play with very simple rules and stories, go play DnD, if you want a slugfest, get Werewolf, if you want a game in which you must always use your head before your fists and be nine steps ahead of your darker half just to get by with your sanity intact, purchase Wraith. You won't be dissappointed.
Book Description
Originally published in 1983, Leo Steinberg's classic work has changed
the viewing habits of a generation. After centuries of repression and
censorship, the sexual component in thousands of revered icons of Christ
is restored to visibility. Steinberg's evidence resides in the imagery
of the overtly sexed Christ, in Infancy and again after death. Steinberg
argues that the artists regarded the deliberate exposure of Christ's
genitalia as an affirmation of kinship with the human condition.
Christ's lifelong virginity, understood as potency under check, and the
first offer of blood in the circumcision, both required acknowledgment
of the genital organ. More than exercises in realism, these unabashed
images underscore the crucial theological import of the Incarnation.
This revised and greatly expanded edition not only adduces new visual
evidence, but deepens the theological argument and engages the
controversy aroused by the book's first publication.
Customer Reviews:
Theology of the Divine Phallus through Art.......2006-03-21
As a visitor enters the nave of the Episcopal church I attend, his gaze is immediately drawn to the stark pentagonal brick wall behind the raised altar, and to the large cross on it with a life-size statue of a crucified Jesus, naked except for the loin cloth about his hips to satisfy the normal decency criteria of the Church. Although we do know that crucifixion victims were stripped of all their clothing, and that the Bible specifically describes the Roman soldiers gambling for Jesus' garments, good taste forbids us to show Jesus naked. Yet there was a time when this was not true.
This book examines the Renaissance period (14th to 16th century) when artists presented Jesus either completely naked or covered by a simple loincloth that accentuated a rigidly erect member. Three hundred beautiful plates show this state of undress of both the baby Jesus and of the dying or resurrected Christ. What caused the artists to break the normal decency codes, asks the author, and he advances various theories to answer his own question. The first half of the book was written in 1983 and is divided into two parts: the main analysis and 39 excursuses (appendices to you and me) that amplify various points made. The second half was written thirteen years later and presents the author's newer thoughts plus a detailed refutation of the arguments put forth by his critics.
The paintings examined in the book relate to three periods of Jesus' life: his infancy, his baptism, and his crucifixion. Those depicting his infancy show a progressive diminution of worn apparel with passing time: in the 12th century Jesus is shown covered completely by a long philosopher's tunic; in 13th century paintings he appears in short child's dresses; and in the next two centuries he is painted either completely nude, or wearing short, sometimes see-through shifts, that are pulled up by either the baby or his mother to reveal his genitals, while the actions of the surrounding figures direct the viewer's attention to them. Whether it is Mary's mother poking at them (in Hans Baldung Grien's "Holy Family" 1511) or a magus staring at them intently (in Monticello's "Adoration of the Magi," c. 1470), or even the baby himself holding or pointing to them, these treatments of a baby's, let alone baby Jesus' genitals seem to transcend good taste.
Steinberg explains it as an effort by the painters to bring to the viewer's attention Jesus' full humanity, and to remind us that as a true Jew he shed his first blood for us during his circumcision. It is, "I, your Creator, have come to share your humanity"; or, "See how I have not delayed to pour out for you the price of my blood." The Magus's almost indecent examination is just an effort to certify the sex or the circumcision status of the child. St Anne's poking, in Grien's woodcut, is explained away as some type of the artist's preoccupation with fecundity and miracle-working spells.
The manner in which the adult Jesus was painted relates to the beliefs regarding original sin held by the Eastern Orthodox and the Western Catholic Churches. The Orthodox Church believed that there was no sex in Paradise, and that there never would be. "God did not need marriage to fill the earth," preached St John Chrysostom. The Church maintained that Adam and Eve had been created sexless and it was only after they sinned that they were endowed with procreative organs. The author presents an 11th century Spanish drawing showing Adam acquiring a penis after he sinned. Since Jesus was not subject to the original sin, he resembled the original man having no genitalia. So this is how he was painted in Medieval times (12th and 13th centuries); during his baptism, or on the cross, he was shown naked and sexless. Since there were no sexual organs to give rise to feelings of shame these naked paintings of Jesus could be freely exhibited in and out of church.
In later years, the Catholic Church in the West was influenced by St. Augustine's theory of original sin. According to him Adam and Eve were created with all their genitalia intact, but after they sinned God punished them by removing from them conscious control of these organs. Instead of performing the procreative act in a calm and emotionless manner, they were now subject to the vicissitude of their lustful emotions; Adam could no longer control the erection status of his member. (Charitably the author did not mention St. Augustine's sexual history: as a young man in Africa he took a concubine and produced a son; then he turned to his childhood boyfriend Alypius; and finally moved to Rome where, with five other friends, he took a vow of celibacy, upon which his concubine took his son and left.) The question then became, how did this affect Jesus since he was not subject to original sin?
Michelangelo's response was "Risen Christ," a work more resembling pagan Greek and Roman works than Christian Church statues, a completely nude Christ holding onto a cross. It seems, however, that Michelangelo was not very interested in this work since he had one of his pupils finish it. Even so, at least seven copies of it were produced during this period, but in all of them Christ was suitably covered. So why did Michelangelo produce such a statue? Before they sinned Adam and Eve had walked naked in the Garden without feeling shame. It was only after they sinned that they became ashamed of their private parts and covered themselves. By this reasoning, since Jesus was without sin he did not need to feel ashamed and cover himself. Most other paintings of the period, however, do not show this much frontal nudity. Although Christ's naked body may be shown removed from the cross, one of his hands is usually placed strategically to prevent exposure. This can be explained, argues Steinberg, by the common belief that a dying man often tends to place his hand on his groin.
Perhaps more shocking to the viewer are those paintings where the dead Christ's loincloth clearly shows a massive underlying erection. In the first part of the book, the author advanced various explanations for this practice: in pagan days the phallus was equated with power; in the Egyptian Osiris myth the erection and resurrection motifs were almost combined. But by the time he wrote the second half of his book the author had come up with his Theory of Penile Erection. Since, according to St. Augustine, after the Fall man lost his ability to control this member of his body, what better way for a painter to show that Jesus is unaffected by the original sin than to depict him in control of his erections. And to dissociate it from any sexual involvement, and thus sin, these erections occur either after his death or during his infancy.
All in all this is a very interesting book that can be appreciated by even non-artistic types like me. It obviously contains much more that I have space to comment upon. The only thing that I failed to understand was another reviewer's description of breaking up with hilarity while reading it. Perhaps it is because I am neither an artist nor a trained theologian but, with the possible exception of Joos van Cleve's "Holy Family" where Joseph is portrayed reading a book with his spectacles on, I didn't see anything particularly funny in this book.
(The writer is the author of "Christianity without Fairy Tales: When Science and Religion Merge.")
Scandalous and brilliant.......2004-02-15
Several art historians of my acquaintance, experts in the period, say that this is the best art history book ever written. I'm not an expert, but I can say that it's terrific, and one of the few academic books that, at first reading, had me lying on my back on the floor with my feet in the air, laughing hysterically. Steinberg had the audacity to wonder, looking at a Renaissance painting, why is it that Jesus's male member is so, well, *prominent*? Instead of averting his eyes (which is what most of us would do) he started looking for other paintings with which to compare it, and lo and behold, he discovered lots of them where indeed the painter seems to be deliberately *accenting* a part of the anatomy which normally one would expect to be concealed. He concludes that the painters were trying to show that the son of God had become Incarnate as a man in the most literal sense. In that sense, what seems scandalous to us is simply a manifestation of Renaissance humanism.
Beyond the screamingly funny prose lies a serious argument, about the Renaissance, and the way to do art history. Finally, Steinberg teaches the reader's eye how to look at a painting.
Average customer rating:
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Oblivion
David Maisel
Manufacturer: Nazraeli Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000OF1HC6 |
Product Description
Edition limited to 1,000 copies. The 15 aerial photographs of Los Angeles that make up Oblivion are distressingly beautiful, their post-apocalyptic feeling enhanced by reversed-out tones. Maisel shares with us his "shadowland," a place previously unobserved that coexists with its sunstruck version. Introduction by William L. Fox.
Hardcover, 12 x 12,
48 pages, 15 duotone plates.
Average customer rating:
- Fascinating story marred by unconvincing "conclusion."
- Good story, bad ending
- Good story, bad book
- Entertaining reading, but does not "solve" the mystery
- Interesting case
|
Oblivion: The Mystery of West Point Cadet Richard Cox
Harry J. Maihafer
Manufacturer: Brassey's Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Military Science
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Relations
| International
| Politics
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1574880438 |
Book Description
On Staturday, January 14, 1950, at 6:18 p.m., Richard Cox left his room at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point gto go to dinner with an unidentified visitor. He never returned.
Despite a massive manhunt and several plausible theories, Cox was never found. In 1957, he was declared legally dead, and the files were closed.
Then, in 1985, Marshall Jacobs, a retired teacher, decided to pursue the case as a research project. Through the Freedom of Information Act, he obtained voluminous once-secret files from the Army and FBI. Jacobs plunged into a labyrinthine search--and what began as a hobby became an obsession. After more than seven years, Jacobs found the one witness who helped him bring the case to a close.
This is his story.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating story marred by unconvincing "conclusion.".......2003-05-22
I've been interested in the Richard Cox mystery since I was very little and read about it in LIFE magazine in 1950 and then a few years later in CORONET. From time to time over the years I would research the topic hoping for new information. I'd almost given up until I came across this book , containing lots of details never before disclosed. Unfortunately, as mentioned in some of the above reviews, the proposed "solution" at the end is thoroughly unconvincing.
Good story, bad ending.......2001-06-01
This book held my attention as I read it practically cover to cover. It is very interesting, albeit annoying at times as the author goes in great detail about numerous leads, only to have them ruled out a few pages later. I can see why the author did that -- to show the exhaustive work done by CID and FBI investigators, and also to give the reader a small, small taste of the incredible frustration these investigators must have felt at the time. The problem with the book is that it is highly anti-climatic. The researcher, Jacobs, did not "give up" (as some have implied), he basically solved the mystery it's farthest moral extent. I do recommend reading this book, as it shall hold your attention through and through, but be prepared to be disappointed with the anti-climatic end.
Good story, bad book.......2000-04-23
...and I wanted it to be good so badly! But, it just was not to be. This is a book about someone who did a lot of research and decided to publish every word of it, rather than just the pertinent information. It becomes irritating to continue to learn information about the subject, only to be told that it is all totally worthless. And, the end is anti-climactic. In the end, a diligent researcher accepts the word of a single source as fact. Doesn't seem like the same man. Perhaps he was just ready to retire. I suggest this would make a pretty good movie, but not a book.
Entertaining reading, but does not "solve" the mystery.......1998-12-28
I enjoyed the story; it is a very interesting subject. But too many leads and dead ends are thrown in, and the book becomes confusing and disjointed. Also, it ends with Robinson's story being accepted as the final word as to what "really" happened. How do we know we can take this man's word as gospel, any more than what anyone else said? How do we know it's not just another hoax or more speculation? Or, as the book suggests, was it merely an effort to get Jacobs off the case, for whatever the reason may be? I applaud Jacobs and his excellent, painstaking research. But I still don't think we have a definitive, reliable answer to this mystery. To be sure, the offered conclusion is plausible, but there remain too many questions left unanswered. A good yarn, but I remain unconvinced.
Interesting case.......1998-09-02
As a graduate of West Point I had never heard of this case, of course the Academy covering things up is not unheard of. I also recommend another novel about West Point titled THE LINE by another graduate.
Book Description
The stage is set. The curtain lifts. Behold the man in the pallid mask, the King in Yellow. Rehearsals for Oblivion: Tales of the King in Yellow, ACT I is the first volume in a comprehensive set of weird fiction and poetry focused on one of the genre's most mysterious and intriguing figures. Contributors include Richard L. Tierney, William Laughlin, Mark McLaughlin, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., John Tynes, Will Murray, G. Warlock Vance, Ann K. Schwader, Roger Johnson & Robert M. Price, and many others. The world is a stage . . . filled with nightmares.
Customer Reviews:
Adequate but unspectacular.......2007-03-01
This book isn't bad, but it's basically a rehash of the original Chambers book "The King in Yellow". That's not bad, either, except there is really very little new here, or creative. At least most writers who pastiche Lovecraft add something new to make the mythos theirs. I don't see that in this book. Instead, some fairly decent writers rather slavishly pastiche Chambers without even a hint of actual creativity. It's not a bad read, and parts of it are actually quite good, but it's still a mere copy of Chambers.
A wonderful book of fiction inspired by RObert W. Chambers.......2006-10-23
Rehearsals for Oblivion, Act One is a book of fiction inspired by the stories of Robert W. Chambers, particularly The King in Yellow. This is a subgenre I have always been fond of, that I have most often encountered in collections of Lovecraftian stories. Purists would argue whether Yellow Sign works should be called mythos fiction (of course most HPL fans like most weird fiction, including Chambers' stuff, so this is where the audience is). HPL admired the Yellow Sign stories and briefly mentioned a few of the names and ideas in some of his own stories, but otherwise was not a big fan of Chambers' books. Most mythos fans know of the ambiguous use of the name Hastur, first as a pastoral spirit by Bierce, then as a place name as well as an entity name by Chambers, before it was co-opted as the Unspeakable name of Cthulhu's half brother by Derleth. Maybe this is why Yellow Sign fiction has ended up part of mythos collections? Compared to Cthulhu stories, the relative volume of Yellow Sign stories has been small in the past, but here we have an entire book of them, most of them new, labeled volume one (I don't know if this promises a second book or it's just being hopefull). Maybe we are on the edge of a Chamber inspired fiction deluge; the enterprising Rainfall Books has started a chapbook magazine called Death Songs of Carcosa devoted to this genre, and have also published some of Chambers' dark poetry and a chapbook by Pulver, Carcosa: Where the Long Shadows Fall. This is just like the way Clark Ashton Smith inspired fiction has previously been inextricably linked to the mythos, but is now finding its own niche in books like The Last Continent and Lost Worlds of Space and Time. Unfortunately I don't think any of Rainfall's titles are available through Amazon. I'm not sure why. Most readers attracted to this title don't need to be introduced to Chambers but those who do can find the Yellow Signs stories online for free. Another good source that also has some previous Yellow Sign fiction (including a great story by Karl Edward Wagner) is The Hastur Cycle from Chaosium, one of the best of the cycle books. I think it might be hard to come to this collection de novo, so new fans really should read the Chambers stories first. The current book is published by Dimension Books, an imprint of Elder Signs Press. I am a bit fuzzy about how this works; I think that Dimension Books is devoted to subgenres of weird fiction that may be of interest to the general horror or Lovecraft fan. Why ever it appears from Dimension Books
instead of ESP is irrelevant however. It's a magnificent achievement and we must be grateful whatever the provenance. It is a handsome trade paperback, well made like all ESP titles. Page count of the stories and poems is a very generous 246. I wish there were authors' notes or an editorial introduction to put it all into context. It lists at $19.95 but is discounted to $12.21 on Amazon and available for free shipping if you get $25 worth of stuff. The marvelous cover art is by Tim Wilson, with the cowled, bloody and appropriately obscure face of the King in Yellow arising between the two moons of distant Carcosa. Editing by Peter Worthy was flawless. My only beef with the layout was that across the top of each of the facing pages was the book title: Act One and Rehearsals for Oblivion, rather than the title and author of the story occupying those pages. That wasn't very useful! Here are the contents:
The Curse of the King by Richard L. Tierney -poem
The Dream-Leech by William Laughlin
Ambrose by John Scott Tynes
In Memoriam by Roger Johnson & Robert M. Price
Cordelia's Song from The King in Yellow by Vincent Starrett - poem
Chartreuse by Michael Minnis
Cat With the Hand of a Child by Mark McLaughlin
Lilloth by Susan McAdam
Reflections in Carcosa by Mark Francis - poem
Broadalbin by John Scott Tynes
The Adventure of the Yellow Sign by G. Warlock Vance
Tattered Souls by Ann K. Schwader
What Sad Drum? by Steve Lines - poem
The Machine in Yellow by Carlos Orsi Martinho
The Peace That Will Not Come by Peter A. Worthy
The Purple Emperor by Will Murray
A Line of Questions by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr - poem.
Yellow is the Color of Tomorrow by Ron Shiflet
A quick review of the author list shows many names familiar to mythos fans. Here's another reason Yellow Sign fiction has always been in mythos collections before: the authors are part of the ever widening Lovecraft Circle! Susan McAdam created the artwork for Eldritch Blue, Steve Lines is an editor (maybe editor is too small a word for Mr. Lines!) and author for Rainfall Books and John Scott Tynes has given us much of the Delta Green fiction. Stories by Schwader, Minnis, Worthy, Pulver and Shiflet appear regularly in mythos collections. Robert Price is a veritable mythos maven. Mark McLaughlin gave us Shoggoth Cacciatore, and has storied in Warfear and Lost Worlds of Space and Time, Vol 2. Richard Tierney has published The Gardens of Lucullus and House of the Toad. G. Warlock Vance is relatively newer on the scene with a story in LWOSAT, vol 2 and Lovecraft's Disciples #3. The only other publication by Mark Francis I know is a poem in LWOSAT Vol 2. Vincent Starrett was the recipient of some letters from HPL, I believe, and his poem Cordelia's Song dates to 1938. William Laughlin is a new name for me but I think he's written a few horror stores here and there. I think of Will Murray as more of an HPL scholar than a fiction author, but maybe that's going to change? Carlos Orsi Martinho has a few stories scattered around in mythos magazines. Actually, of all the stories in the current volume I was most intrigued by his, set in Brazil. Just like Kurodahan Press has opened a window into Japanese mythos fiction for us, is it too much to hope that there is a mythos anthology by all Brazilian authors being kicked around out there somewhere?
OK, regarding the poems, they were of somewhat higher quality than the typical mythos-inspired work, but none of them are as evocative as Cassilda's Song by Chambers himself:
Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink beneath the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.
Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa.
Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa.
The Pulver work that closes the book, however, must be singled out for praise. I am only briefly going to touch on the stories; actually as I progressed through the anthology I began to worry that maybe I was admiring it more than enjoying it. Then I reread the Tynes and the Minnis stories and was reassured. The level of craftsmanship for each of the stories was quite high.
*** Spoilers may follow ***
The typical (if there is a typical) Yellow Sign story relates to someone involved in either a new production of The King in Yellow, or watching a new production of The King in Yellow or reading a newly discovered copy/translation of The King in Yellow. The Dream Leech chronicles the motives of man dedicating his life to destroying copies of a certain play. Ambrose, however, is very different. It follows the life of a resident of Carcosa on his strange and lonely adventures. In Memoriam links The King in Yellow with its contemporary, The Picture of Dorian Gray (tell the truth now, don't you wish your local microbrewery had a lager called Dorian Gray so you could order a pitcher?). I thought it was OK, not too bad. Chartreuse by Minnis may have been my favorite story here; it follows a group of German soldiers in their long retreat from the eastern front (reminding me of the great classic book, The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer). The sniper has a worn out copy of a forgotten play...Mr. Minnis is fiendishly talented! Lilloth is also very original, telling how a child (or is she really a child?) comes to dominate the minds of the young preteens around her. Broadalbin is the story of a drugged out petty crook and murderer who hides out in a hotel with some odd guests, and thinks he does so of his own free will. Gosh, can John Tynes write! I am grateful for the two stories here but I'm greedy! I want more Yellow Sign, more mythos and more Delta Green from him! Maybe Broadalbin one was my favorite story. The Adventure of the Yellow Sign was an OK Sherlock Holmes story. Tattered Souls is one of the few previously published stories here; it was in Schwader's Strange Stars and Alien Shadows. It is a terrific little tale of a counselor who does past lives regressions. The Machine in Yellow is the wonderful Brazilian story, about a new production of The King in Yellow but with a mechanical actor for the king. The Peace That Will Not Come reacquaints us with the same government agents we met in Stacked Actors in Eldritch Blue, who are now investigating some long gone by happenings in an abandoned asylum. Unfortunately, as much as I liked this anthology and respect Mr. Worthy's efforts, this story just left me flat. Unlike most of the other tales here, Yellow is the Color of Tomorrow is set in the same time and world as the original story by Chambers. A bored bourgeois buys a book that has a profound effect on him. This effort by Ron Shiflet was very good indeed. A psychic in The Purple Emperor struggles to prevent the king from entering our world. OK for me, readable, nothing special.
So in summary, a marvelous collection. It is the only new anthology available devoted to fiction inspired by Chambers' masterwork and that makes it self recommending. You also be assured that it is a first class production in every way, with top flight stories by some of the best weird fiction authors writing today. What's more, it is heavily discounted by Amazon, so go for it!
Books:
- Elle Decor: The Grand Book of French Style
- False Profits: Seeking Financial and Spiritual Deliverance in Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Schemes
- Freewheeling Homes (The House That Jack Built Series)
- Girlfriend Getaways, 2nd: You Go Girl! And I'll Go, Too
- Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing
- Gurps Powers, Fourth Edition
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
- Harry Potter Schoolbooks Box Set: From the Library of Hogwarts: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Quidditch Through The Ages
- Heaven
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- A Passover Haggadah
- The ITCH : A Novel
- The Gardener's Weather Bible: How to Predict and Prepare for Garden Success in Any Kind of Weather
- The Ruby in the Smoke
- Applied Mathematical Demography
- Wheater's Functional Histology: A Text and Colour Atlas
- The Harriman Alaska Expedition Retraced: A Century of Change, 1899-2001
- Speed Is Life: Street Smart Lessons from the Front Lines of Business
- The Forbes Book of Business Quotations: 14,173 Thoughts on the Business of Life
Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Expansion): Prima Official Game Guide
Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine
Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
