Tempest (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 3)

Book Description

Forty years after the Battle of Yavin a dangerous new era in the Star Wars epic begins–the revelations are shocking, the stakes desperate, and the enemy everywhere.

As civil war threatens the unity of the Galactic Alliance, Han and Leia Solo have enraged their families and the Jedi by joining the Corellian insurgents. But the Solos draw the line when they discover the rebels’ plot to make the Hapan Consortium an ally–which rests upon Hapan nobles murdering their pro-Alliance queen and her daughter.

Yet the Solos’ selfless determination to save the queen cannot dispel the inescapable consequences of their actions, that will pit mother against son and brother against sister in the battles ahead. For as Jacen Solo’s dark powers grow stronger under the Dark Jedi Lumiya, and his influence over Ben Skywalker becomes more insidious, Luke’s concern for his nephew forces him into a life-and-death struggle against his fiercest foe, and Han and Leia Solo find themselves at the mercy of their deadliest enemy . . . their son.

Customer Reviews:

Continuing down the dark path.......2007-09-25

This is the third installment in the Legacy of the Force series and, in my opinion, the best so far. The basic plot of Jacen Solo's decent into darkness may not be all that original, but it does make for some entertaining reading.

While an assortment of old friends and even older enemies make an appearance, Han and Leia are the emotional heart of this book. Having allied themselves with Corellia, a decision that strained family ties, the Solos find themselves being manipulated into a plot to assassinate the Queen Mother of Hapes and thus into direct confrontation with their son.

Denning has a knack for capturing the essence of the Solos and a real gift for penning Han's obligatory cocky comebacks. The book is full of the usual political intrigue and blasterfire. Yet at its core, it is an expoloration of conflicts between parents and their children.

Overall, this is a solid entry in the Star Wars library.

CHANGING of the guards.......2007-08-05

I do like the idea of the Star Wars galaxy advancing past the Luke/Han/Leia era. Titled Legacy of the Force, I can only hope that Lucasfilm is headed in that direction. Not that I don't love the characters. But, it IS 40 years after A New Hope. And Humans don't live forever. The younger characters are being well developed in this series. I have seen reviews that complain about the little focus on the "main" characters, when, my hope is that they do get retired or phased out. Darth Vader plays an enormous role in the Star Wars galaxy, as it's HIS Legacy, really, that is the driving 'force' behind the franchise. Denning does a great job of playing with politics in this book, and keeping to the theme of the "quite" approach Sith now have. When Han/Leia/Luke/Mara etc/etc have gone, either through, dismemberment or just plain death (boring), or go into hiding somewhere, they'll still be tremendously influential, just like the "old" characters from my "childhood". It's time for a new generation.

Tempest is very well written........2007-05-10

Tempest, the 3rd book in a 5 part series is very well written. The plot flows evenly. The biggest complaint I have is that Luke, at least in this series seems to be "Lost in Space". He appears weak and ineffective and as "Grand Master" of the Jedi he is a collossal failure, his & Mara's failure to contain Jacen and bring Ben Skywalker back is Mind boggling. Are you telling me that the power that Luke and Mara have between them can't overcome Jacen is unfathomable. It almost appears that Luke is being marginalized or on the verge of being written out of existence. After all, HE IS the main character in Star Wars along with Han and Leia. The story line is good but I'd like to read more of Luke and for God's sake lets bring Lumiya out into the open so that we can hate her properly.

OK but not for the casual SW fan........2007-05-07

This book was fine, the writing was good, but to it felt like the plot was treading water in the middle. If you aren't really into the SW universe, this book might not be for you. There are a number of characters that the causal SW fan might not have come across in the book. The writing is good enough that you can go on reading without knowing their history, but they do complicate the enjoyment of the book for someone not immersed in the SW scene.

Plus, just a personal peeve, but I couldn't figure out who the woman on the cover was supposed to be.

Tempest Review.......2007-04-12

One of the worst Star Wars books i have ever read, and i've read all the novels.
Bloodlines was just as bad. Betrayel was good, i really like Aaron Allston.
I'm getting very sick of Jacen, in particular. Enough said- ann

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place

Average customer rating:

Nothing Unnatural About It; It's Sacred
This verse unlocks the heart.
If you have been affected by cancer it is worth reading!!!
Suprising turn of events
Disappointed

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Terry Tempest Williams
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Grief & Bereavement | Death & Grief | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

The Open Space of Democracy (New Patriotism)
Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert
Desert Solitaire
An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (Harper Perrennial Modern Classics)

ASIN: 0679740244
Release Date: 1992-09-01

Amazon.com

The only constants in nature are change and death. Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and writer from northern Utah, has seen her share of both. The pages of Refuge resound with the deaths of her mother and grandmother and other women from cancer, the result of the American government's ongoing nuclear-weapons tests in the nearby Nevada desert. You won't find the episode in the standard history textbooks; the Feds wouldn't admit to conducting the tests until women and men in Utah, Nevada, and northwestern Arizona took the matter to court in the mid-1980s, and by then thousands of Americans had fallen victim to official technology. Parallel to her account of this devastation, Williams describes changes in bird life at the sanctuaries dotting the shores of the Great Salt Lake as water levels rose during the unusually wet early 1980s and threatened the nesting grounds of dozens of species. In this world of shattered eggs and drowned shorebirds, Williams reckons with the meaning of life, alternating despair and joy.

Book Description

In the spring of 1983 Terry Tempest Williams learned that her mother was dying of cancer. That same season, The Great Salt Lake began to rise to record heights, threatening the herons, owls, and snowy egrets that Williams, a poet and naturalist, had come to gauge her life by. One event was nature at its most random, the other a by-product of rogue technology: Terry's mother, and Terry herself, had been exposed to the fallout of atomic bomb tests in the 1950s. As it interweaves these narratives of dying and accommodation, Refuge transforms tragedy into a document of renewal and spiritual grace, resulting in a work that has become a classic.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing Unnatural About It; It's Sacred.......2006-10-28

The first time I went to Utah, I read Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" and loved it. This time, at a bookstore in Moab, I picked up Williams' "Red" for a contemporary view of the ecological issues around this gorgeous desert landscape, which is unlike any place I have been. Although I liked "Red," people told me "Refuge" was even better.

This is a very special book. I'm no birdwatcher, but it made me want to be. I'm no scientist, but I wished I were. I'm no Mormon, but it gave me respect for a religion I have never been able to fathom. Terry Tempest Williams has profound insights into the natural world. Her observations of the Great Salt Lake and the many migratory birds that visit it are as moving as her account of the death by cancer of her mother and grandmothers. Not surprisingly, they taught Williams awe of birds and sunsets and their own bodies. All of them are brave and spiritual women, and we would be wise to learn from them.

I think what I most admire about Williams as a writer is her emotional courage. Time and time again, she strikes out where more conventional writers would hesitate. She finds redeeming passages from the Book of Mormon. She follows her mother through her long and circuitous spiritual journey with cancer. She follows her grandmother as she moves into Eastern thought and modern physics. She dips respectfully into ancient Indian and Mexican culture. She walks in the desert at some peril to her well-being. She speaks of the intimacy of her marriage and about her decision not to bear children.

Yet his is not a book "about" the desert or cancer or birds or Mormonism, but about life and how it can be richly observed, experienced. shared and redeemed. It's one brave woman's answer to "Desert Solitaire."

This verse unlocks the heart........2006-10-16

Terry Tempest Williams is a national treasure. Her unvarnished verse carries one deep into the mystery of the Earth and sends us helplessly into the depths of our own hearts. The landscape of wildness breaths a spectacular wisdom under the watchful eyes of this keen observer of wind, rock, desert, sky, sage, along with the birds who soar and dance and play in a benediction to non-sentient life.

When I need to recapture my own mortality along with my own humility, I always return to the verse of this elder of silence and truth. Williams stands alone in the power to convey both outer and inner wildness. Her verse is poetic and healing. One does not read these words but are instead initiated into the heart beat of wild nature. Savor its beauty as you might a calming sunset or a wind swept sea shore calling you ever deeper into your own soul.

Read everything she writes and find peace deep within.

If you have been affected by cancer it is worth reading!!!.......2006-06-26

I loved and hated this book. It is beatifully written. I found the author frustrating at times. Some parts got a little long winded about the birds. It takes you on a emotional rollercoaster but the pay off of finishing this book is worth it. Any one who has been affected by cancer will find this book very inciteful to the process of going through treatment and also the death process. Terry Tempest gives the most authentic and honest account of what life is like living through cancer I have every read. She put into words thought and feelings I could never express fully.
The research of the history of the Great Salt Lake was very fun to read about. I have lived in Utah all my life, but I have never been to the Lake I now am very curious to see it and the bird refuge. I think I will find the trip much more interesting now than if I had gone before reading this book.

Suprising turn of events.......2006-03-02

Terry Tempest Williams is a naturalist living in Utah who has the history of cancer in her family. Cancer in this novel is paralleled with the flooding of the neighboring Great Salt Lake. Overall this book goes to show that cancer goes deeper than the person who it is diagnosed to. I would suggest this book on limited circumstances: One-if you can get past the strong feminine presence and domination of this novel. Two-do not read the last 60 or so pages. I approved of this book up until that point. If the book ended at that point, leaving out the harassment of the government it would be ten times better. To anyone who is in the process of reading Refuge, you won't want to read past around page 230. Enough said.
My rating(first 230 or so pages): 7.5/10
My rating(after page 230 or so) 2.5/10

Disappointed.......2006-02-03

Although I found the passages about Ms. Williams relationships with her mother and grandmother and their struggles with cancer to be well-written and moving, I am surprised that she and many other reviewers imply that the cancers were the consequences of nuclear testing. I think of myself as an environmentalist, and I believe that such testing is likely to have been harmful to human health; however, the striking family history of breast and ovarian cancer in this case strongly suggests that there is a genetic disorder (mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene) that was responsible for the cancer in these women. I was living in Salt Lake City during the spring of 1983, and the flooding was indeed dramatic, but I was bored by the rather repetitious descriptions of the refuge and the birds.

The Tempest (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Average customer rating:

A later work of Shakespeare
Good Seller
Great textbook
The storms that lead us to "ourselves."
The Tempest

The Tempest (Folger Shakespeare Library)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Greek & Roman | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Classical & Early | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

King Lear (New Folger Library Shakespeare)
Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library)
Hamlet (Folger Shakespeare Library)
The Merchant of Venice (Folger Shakespeare Library)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Folger Library Shakespeare)

ASIN: 0743482832

Book Description

Each edition includes:

• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

• Scene-by-scene plot summaries

• A key to famous lines and phrases

• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Barbara A. Mowat

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

Customer Reviews:

A later work of Shakespeare.......2007-05-25

This play is a fantasy and romance. The story is of a wise old magician and his unworldly daughter. There is a gallant young prince and a cruel, scheming brother. It is very much like a fairy tale written in Shakespeare's wonderful prose. In it ancient wrongs are righted and true lovers live happily ever after. The play is also an allegory, and it holds so much of Shakespeare's mature reflections on life. It is enjoyable.

Good Seller.......2007-02-20

The book was recieved in good shape and very fast. We ordered several bookes from different places and this was the first one we recieved.

Great textbook.......2007-01-17

I bought this for one of my classes, and I like this as a text because of the notes are way down in the footnotes, but on the opposite page,

The storms that lead us to "ourselves.".......2006-08-21

I recently re-read THE TEMPEST prior to attending The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's performance of this play under the summer stars here in Boulder. Shakespeare (1552-1616) produced this emotionally-moving, poetic romance at the end of his career, in 1611, and published it in the First Folio in 1623. In fact, it was his last play.

It tells the story of Prospero, the exiled duke of Milan, and his beautiful daughter, Miranda, who have been stranded for twelve years on a desert island with two servants, the airy sprite Ariel (who Prospero rescued from being imprisonment in a tree) and the savage Caliban. Upon learning that his usurping brother Antonio is sailing near the island with the Neopolitan King Alonso's party, he uses his magic powers to conjure a sea storm that not only leaves the ship and its passengers wrecked on the island, but which also sparks a courtship between his daughter and the king's son, Ferdinand. The survivors of the wreck are separated into several groups, believing one another dead. Three subplots then alternate through the play. In one, Caliban befriends two drunken crew members, whom he believes to have come from the moon, and drunkenly attempts to raise is own rebellion against Prospero. In another, Prospero works to establish the romantic relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda. In the third subplot, Ariel thwarts a murder plot at Prospero's command.

The shipwrecked passengers are eventually reunited by island spirits to discover the marriage of Miranda and Ferdinand. In the end, as its title suggests, THE TEMPEST is as much about the opening scene's violent storm, as the journey that brought Prospero to the island and the psychological storm--"the sea change"--leading him to quit his magic and his remote island to return to Milan.

G. Merritt

The Tempest.......2006-06-16

This was Shakespeare's final piece of work. He created the character of Prospero in the image of himself. Being the main character, he was toppled in a coup set in his homeland of Milan, was a God-like magician capable of initiating storms and other kinds of magic. By coincidence he saw his enemies in a ship riding towards his island. Where he lived with his daughter Miranda and the native "savage" Caliban.He brought his enemies on his island. And in turn he made them do many interesting things on the island. yet in the end it was all nice and happy, unlike the tragic mood of "Hamlet" or "Romeo and Juliet".

The language was great as usual with all of Shakespeare's great works. Prospero's last lines said also became Shakespeare's last words in terms of writing was concerned. There were plenty of comedy scenes in the play involving the mean spirited native Caliban, who was a servant of Prospero and attempted to rape his daughter, Miranda and later tried to kill him. As the plot went, all became comedies as Prospero saw through everything, the good and the evil, the well planned and the silly.

As many of his contemporaries during the time. Shakespeare despised the natives and saw them as savages. This became clear with Caliban. I found Shakespeare's depictions of him relentless and cruel, almost as if he was describing a pig.

But, overall, the story was very interesting. If you like Shakespeare, then you are sure to like this.

The Open Space of Democracy (New Patriotism)

Average customer rating:

The Open Space of Democracy
DEEPLY ENGAGING
A Masterpiece

The Open Space of Democracy (New Patriotism)
Terry Tempest Williams
Manufacturer: The Orion Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Democracy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert
An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Leap
Pieces of White Shell

ASIN: 0913098639

Book Description

Terry Tempest Williams presents a sharp-edged perspective on the ethics and politics of place, spiritual democracy, and the responsibilities of citizen engagement. By turns elegiac, inspiring, and passionate, The Open Space of Democracy offers a fresh perspective on the critical questions of our time.

Customer Reviews:

The Open Space of Democracy.......2006-02-20

Terry Tempest Williams is amazingly articulate. This book while a short, easy read can be read over and over again as her messages can be applied to our everyday life. I bought five copies as this book makes a wonderful gift!

DEEPLY ENGAGING.......2004-09-27

After interviewing Terry on radio, I am convinced that this gentle soul's strong undercurrent provides us with a rich new model of citizen involvement in this, our participatory government. Too many of us dismiss a deeper involvement in democracy with crusty cynicism - we feel ground down by the backhanded tactics used by government officials to strip us of our civil liberties and rape the earth's environment.

What Terry Tempest Williams proposes not only facilitates transformation within our democratic system, but by the simple act of learning to listen with open minds and hearts, we may receive one another's views on a very human scale. If we endeavor to connect in this manner, not only will we have a more functional democracy, we will become better human beings.

Bela Johnson, Medical Intuitive
http://www.belajohnson.com

Host, Alternative Currents
http://www.weru.org

A Masterpiece.......2004-09-18

I have not read a book in the last ten years that I would give this description to, but The Open Space of Democracy will or at least should go down as an American masterpiece, and a seminal contribution to environmental and political writing. I pre-ordered my copy direct from the publisher and so received and read, or rather devoured, it right after it was published. The triptych of essays in this volume are woven together and inseparable from each other in the way that Aldo Leopold's "Land Ethic" is inseparable from the rest of A Sand County Almanac.

This book maps a future for America and Americans that is luminous, hopeful, fierce, and prophetic all in one. Anyone who truly cares about our democracy and about the health of the natural world NEEDS to read this, be inspired by it, and take action in honor of it.

Average customer rating:

Great things come in small packages
Fascinating, Erotic Travelogue of the Mind

DESERT QUARTET: An Erotic Landscape
Terry Tempest Williams
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Deserts | Ecosystems | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert
An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field
Coyote's Canyon
The Open Space of Democracy (New Patriotism)
Leap

ASIN: 0679439994
Release Date: 1995-09-26

Book Description

Beautifully illuminated with drawings and paintings by noted artist Mary Frank, Williams, one of the West's most intense and lyrical writers, invokes the lure and drama of the landscape. This is an incandescent meditation--in word and image--on the physical vastness and beauty of the desert and the spiritual place one woman finds for herself there.

Customer Reviews:

Great things come in small packages.......2000-08-12

Williams has put together a visceral, haunting, beautiful stream of consciousness aria here. This little tiny book has become one of my very favorite works over the past few years I have owned a copy of it. It is one of those books that tends to find itself hidden on my bookshelf, and when I rediscover it I am in for a real treat. This is the story of a woman who is so aware of her soul that it is almost ethereal. Walking the slot canyons of Utah and Arizona has always brought out powerful emotions within me, but after reading this book a few times I literally lose myself in the earth when hiking there now. Yes, this is a tale of love and love-making, but on such a spiritual level that it is easy to fall asleep and drift into a dreamy, watery place of serenity after reading it. What more can a book offer than that???? Save yourself the money usually spent on a "relaxing vacation" to a crowded get-away and set a fire in the fireplace, put on some Loreena McKennit and lose yourself in this treasure of a book. Mary Frank's sketches and watercolors set the stage and Terry Tempest Williams provides the magic carpet.

Fascinating, Erotic Travelogue of the Mind.......2000-06-27

This book is short: 62 pages is an exaggeration, since many of those pages are filled with sketches and since the book itself is only about the size of a CD case. But what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in beauty. Terry Tempest Williams is an incredible, widely respected writer, and this book was released to much critical acclaim. Her book details a woman hiking in the canyons of southern Utah, and the thoughts that flash through her mind as she walks, and the freedom she feels in nature: the kinds of thoughts we all have when we go hiking, but aren't able to put down on paper as well as she.

Customer Reviews:

Newer And Better Sinister.......2007-06-30

Out of all my Ultimate X-Men Novels this one rates as one of my favorites. Short of Vol. 6 and 8. I love a good read and solid story and though this may have little to do with future stories it takes a sorry, sad, goofy looking villian and turned him into a crazy and scary man with 45's. He looks better and his power of hypnosis works well with what he trying to do, kill mutants. The possibility of another major villian in this novel also leaves you with some high expectations for future novels.

Thank God for Ultimate Universe

two thumbs up.......2007-05-25

this was really good! It had every thing that makes a comic good. With a story so good you can,t miss. but too top it off with the great art work to! this is a realy good read1

Fabulous.......2005-12-30

Mr. Sinister is one of those characters who always seemed kind of silly and over-the-top in the regular Marvel Universe. In "The Tempest," Brian K. Vaughan has revamped the character, making him essentially a nutjob with a gun. While I'm sure that will tick off many of Sinister's longtime fans, I think the revamp works well for the Ultimate Universe. Sure, Vaughan could have given us a retread of the original Sinister, but let's face it--that story has already been told. One of the beautiful things about the Ultimate Universe is that we can get a new spin on familiar characters.

Other familiar characters in this volume are Northstar and Sunspot, but save for their ages and backgrounds, little has changed about their characters. The introduction of Northstar (one of my favorite characters) was a little short for me, but hopefully, we'll see lots more of him in the future.

Pretty good.......2005-09-04

I actually rather liked this story. It's a nice easy four-issue arc, that fit well in the aftermath of the last volume. I thought this Ultimate Sinister character was actually pretty good, in my opinion. Anyway, I thought it was much better than the previous volume (some reviewers didn't like this revamping of Sinister, but at least that's much better than the skewering of Emma Frost, and the uselessness of most of the new mutants introduced in vol. 8). I especially liked Vaughan's take on mutant politics (sure, Xavier's school provides a safe haven for mutants, but is isolationism from the human population necessarily a good thing?).

Wonderful art but the story is forgettable........2005-08-25

Synopsis: Some one is hunting down mutants and killing them... again. But this time its not monolithic killing machines, its just some guy with a gun. One intended target (Northstar- in his debut in the Ultimate universe) has survived, giving the X-Men a possible lead in finding and stopping the shooter. It turns out the killer is Sinister, but he is simply a pawn for the mysterious Apocalypse, and he has vowed to murder a score of X-Men with Xavier as his prime target.

The scenes with the X-Men are great, but don't dig too deep and the lackluster Sinister plot takes away from the overall story quite a bit. The artwork is top of the line however, so it is a shame the story wasn't as inspired.

In "The Tempest", new writer Brian K. Vaughan uses Ultimate X-Men not as a venue to develop the core characters so much as it becomes a forum for Vaughan to state how lame he thinks staple villians are, namely Mr. Sinister, and how much better they would be if only they used guns and wore wife-beaters.

Postcards from Ed: Dispatches and Salvos from an American Iconoclast

Average customer rating:

Good Insight into the Life of a Great Writer
Rarely is reading someone else's mail this much fun.
A Wakeup Call From Ed
Classic Ed Abbey
copious collection of Abbey's shorter, but always acute, writings to friends, editors, acquantainces, etc.

Postcards from Ed: Dispatches and Salvos from an American Iconoclast
Edward Abbey
Manufacturer: Milkweed Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Letters & Correspondence | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Essential Grizzly: The Mingled Fates of Men and Bears
Walking It Off: A Veteran's Chronicle of War And Wilderness
Desert Solitaire
Confessions of a Barbarian: Selections from the Journals of Edward Abbey
A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis in Deserto): Notes from a Secret Journal

ASIN: 1571312846

Book Description

“But hell, I do like to write letters. Much easier than writing books.” And write letters Ed Abbey did. In his famous — or infamous — 45-year career, Abbey’s cards and letters became as legendary as his books for their wit, vitriol, and ability to speak truth to power. Published here for the first time, the letters offer a fascinating, often hilarious glimpse into the mind of one of America’s most iconoclastic and beloved authors. No subject was too banal, too arcane, or too deep for Abbey to expound on: sex, cheerleaders, Mormons, Aspen, and the Bond girls are covered as gleefully as Stegner, Dylan, Chomsky, Buddhism, and betrayal. Whether scolding an editor to simplify (“I’ve had to waste hours erasing that storm of fly-shit on the typescript”) or skewering the chicken-hawk proponents of the war in Vietnam, Abbey’s righteous indignation gives hope and inspiration to a generation that desperately needs both.

Customer Reviews:

Good Insight into the Life of a Great Writer.......2007-06-08

David Petersen knew writer Ed Abbey and respected him highly. It shows in both collections David has put together about ol' Cactus Ed. This book, a collection of Abbey's letters to friends, family, other writers, business associates, publishers, and letters to the editor and op-ed sections of dozens of newpapers, is a very fine read if you have any desire to gain a deeper understanding of one of the more talented writers this country has produced. There is humor in these letters, as well as sadness, disappointment, love, teasing, heckling, arguing, and yes, some strong disapproval.

I recommend this and Dave Petersen's and Ed Abbey's other books very highly.

Rarely is reading someone else's mail this much fun. .......2007-05-12

Published author David Peterson presents Postcards From Ed: Dispatches and Salvos From An American Iconoclast, a gathering of postcards and letters from American writer and cult hero Edward Abbey (1927-1989), known for his books "Desert Solitaire" and "The Monkey Wrench Gang", and also known for his short-tempered personality, which earned him the nickname "Cactus Ed". Arranged chronologically, most of the letters and postcards are brief, often packed with zest and a healthy dash of wit; notes and an index round out this engaging insight into a quintessential American psyche. Rarely is reading someone else's mail this much fun. Highly recommended. "I also drive slowly and 'tranquilly' at all times except when approaching an intersection. Based on mathematical reasoning, verified (so far) by experience, I believe it to be a fact that the faster you flash through an intersection the less your chance of colliding with the opposition. Do not be distracted by traffic lights, of whatever shade of blue or pink; their only function is to confuse the timorous."

A Wakeup Call From Ed.......2007-01-09

"Postcards from Ed" reveal an Edward Abbey that was complex -- provocative and humorous. The letters are well chosen to show Abbey's warmth towards family, anger toward establishment and delight in friendship. More than anything, Abbey's letters create a picture of a man without pretense. Secondhand clothes, trailer-living, rundown trucks and cheap beer were good enough for him so long as he could venture into the deserts of the Southwest to clear his mind and feed his senses. If he wasn't obsessed he was probably depressed. If he didn't have a deadline he was likely lazy. Or so he said.

He didn't tolerate superficial relationships well -- "Yes, to hell with it. Let's call an end to this inane, pointless, worthless pretense at communication. If you're not bored with it, I certainly am." But he knew the value of a good friendship -- "So, let me know what you [Wendell Berry] think, if you care to trouble yourself about this. I would not want to risk endangering the kind of feelings you've shown me in the past for the sake of mere polemical spleen. Your friendship is far more important to me than striving to win points in a formal debate."

He complained, but with a touch of humor -- "This is a complaint. . . What kind of people are you hiring as rangers these days? Where do you find them? They look and act like cops - not rangers - and the next time one of these armed and uniformed goons bothers me I'm going to try to find out if he knows anything about the history, wildlife, plant life or geology of Saguaro National Monument." And - "Your reviewer . . . gives us a good forthright description of the book's author. As the undersigned can testify from personal acquaintance, Edward Abbey is indeed an "arrogant," "xenophobic," "puerile," "smug" and "dopey" sort of fellow. So far, fair enough. But what about the book . . . [he] forgot to review the book."

In the Forward to the book, Terry Tempest Williams wonders what Abbey would be saying right now if he were still alive. "Postcards from Ed" gives us more than a clue. Abbey would not be surprised by today's converging catastrophes and our, so called, war on terror. He might say we get what we deserve. "Postcards from Ed" is another chance to hear Abbey's prophetic voice. I suspect he would say, "Hey, you're still alive, wake up!"

Classic Ed Abbey.......2007-01-03

Great stuff! Ed's missives are wonderful to read. This book belongs right along with Confessions of a Barbarian.

copious collection of Abbey's shorter, but always acute, writings to friends, editors, acquantainces, etc........2006-12-01

Edward Abbey never shrunk from speaking his mind, as evidenced in this collection of diverse cards and notes as in his other writings. Abbey--almost invariably called an "iconoclast" rather than merely a social critic--combined an attachment to nature, particularly of the American Southwest where he lived, with an animosity toward large organizations, particularly corporations and the Federal government. Many of the selections are letters-to-the-editor, with others to friends and relatives and some to acquaintances. In one to the Tucson Weekly, he writes that he is castigated by both "left-wing" and "right-wing" dogmatists. Abbey's gift of being able to antagonize radicals of all strips as well as the muddled masses of robotic bureaucrats and bedazed citizenry testifies to his distinctiveness and provocativeness. What he was on to is further communicated in these selections.

Average customer rating:

Frankenstein (Penguin Readers, Level 3)
Mary Shelley
Manufacturer: Pearson ESL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

Adventure & Thrillers | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

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

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0582426987

The Tempest : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)

Average customer rating:

Thank you Lois Burdett

The Tempest : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)
Lois Burdett
Manufacturer: Firefly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Hamlet : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)
Much Ado About Nothing for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!)
Twelfth Night : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)
MacBeth : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)
Romeo and Juliet : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)

ASIN: 1552093263

Book Description

The Tempest is an exciting tale of jealousy and betrayal, magic and romance, repentance and forgiveness, and has all the elements necessary to ignite a young child's imagination and creative energy. By her use of rhyming couplets, Lois Burdett has once again succeeded in transforming Shakespeare's complex verse into a format readily understood by children.

Children's enthusiasm toward Burdett's adapted Shakespeare is evident in the wonderful drawings and anecdotes created by her Grade 2 and 3 students at Hamlet Elementary School in Stratford, Ontario. Together with the five other books in the successful and beautifully produced Shakespeare Can Be Fun! series, The Tempest will delight teachers, parents and children.

Customer Reviews:

Thank you Lois Burdett.......2002-10-13

What a great way to introduce children to classic literature and universal themes! My 1st-3rd graders are entranced by The Tempest. They love the way it rhymes and the complicated plot. They have seen parallels between this story and The Hobbit. Immediately, they compared Caliban to Gollum and remembered how Gandalf threw his voice to cause the fight among the trolls much the same way Ariel did. I really recommend this series to teachers and parents alike. The Tempest in particular is great if you are studying Jamestown as it is believed that Shakespeare was inspired by newspaper accounts of a ship (bound for Jamestown) that got lost at sea due to a great storm. It landed on a tropical island where the crew and passengers were stranded for a few months. I most definitely will buy more books from this series (or my students might revolt).

The Day of the Tempest (Dragonlance: Dragons of a New Age, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Poor Dragonlance book.
Better than the first
I hated it
Picking up steam
Day of The tempest

The Day of the Tempest (Dragonlance: Dragons of a New Age, Book 2)
Jean Rabe
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Eve of the Maelstrom (Dragonlance: Dragons of a New Age Trilogy)
The Dawning of a New Age (Dragonlance: Dragons of a New Age, Book 1)
Downfall (The Dhamon Saga)
Redemption (Dragonlance: Dhamon Saga)
Dragons of Summer Flame

ASIN: 0786928573
Release Date: 2002-08-01

Book Description

The Summer of Chaos has ended.

Ansalon’s nightmare has only just begun. The gods have departed the world, heralding a new Age of Mortals. But before the dust of war can settle, vast shadows cover the land. Dragons have come to Ansalon, larger and more powerful than any ever seen, and they will wreak havoc on nations still trembling from war. As the lands themselves begin to change under the dire magic of the new dragon overlords, new heroes arise to lead the fight for freedom.

Customer Reviews:

Poor Dragonlance book........2007-07-20

Unpopular setting in the timeline, coupled with a writing style that seems to be emulating Weis & Hickman but failing, make this entire trilogy overall unremarkable. Only worth reading to keep up with the setting storyline.

Better than the first.......2007-01-23

Rabe gets her groove finally during this book. The first one was very clunky with very little character development. The characters become more fleshed out during this book and the plot twists are surprising. I wasn't holding out much hope after the first, but this was actually pretty good. Would have given 3.5 stars, but didn't have the option for it.

I hated it.......2004-10-06

I couldn't get past the first 150 pages of it. I just found myself lossing to much interest in the story to the point where I didn't care what happened to the characters or Krynn. You could skip this trilogy and completely understand what's going on on Krynn during the War of Souls. Rabes style of writing just isnt for me I guess. The first book of the series was good, but not really this one in my opinion.

If you have nothing better to read, then pick this up, other than that I dont think it's worth it.

Picking up steam.......2004-05-04

This book was far better than the first. A lot of important things are now happening in the dragonlance world and everything is going at a break neck pace. I was very pleased to see that the characters from the first book are being given a lot more depth. New characters are entering in from different sources. This pick has a style very simaler to the Chronicles trilogy. There is a LOT that goes on.

Day of The tempest.......2003-04-11

This book is likley to satasfy you even more than the one preceding it, The Dawning of a New Age, though not as good as the book following it ,The Eve of the Malestrom. I recomend this book highly and know any of the people reading this would enjoy every word.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books