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Grove Press
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Fame) 『 Fame
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. ----Abraham Lincoln
Conrad and Breeland trained up to New Haven for The International Arts Festival and we were totally psyched that O'Nan was doing a reading at 5 o'clock. Stew O'Nan's new book The Speed Queen had just come out and he was scheduled to read from his novels. We'd been drinking since noon, whooping it up down at The Anchor Bar with some intellectuals---grad students in lit crit---and we decided it would be funny to arrive with armloads of O'Nan's books for him to sign after the reading. We knew Stew from summer camp years earlier and had watched his meteoric rise as a novelist with admiration and some surprise.
The Center Church on the Green is just a stone's throw from the Anchor. We wanted to get seats down front, so we arrived about half an hour early. We walked right in and immediately an earnest young woman in a tight green man's suit informed us that O'Nan's reading had been cancelled. Her tie was really thin and had tiny red hearts on it.
"The reading has been cancelled. We're terribly sorry," she said. She could see that we were armed with O'Nan's books, and cocked her head and made one of those pained I'm really sorry expressions. She had bright red lipstick and catwoman glasses on a silver chain. I was pretty wound up from our conversation and drinks with the deconstructionists---Derrida and dark beer make me crazy, and Conrad and I lived to prank on each other---so without missing a beat, I said: "Oh no, I'm here. I'm Stew O'Nan." Her face fell and then she smiled and shook my hand apologizing all over the place. She looked back and forth from Breeland to Conrad and they nodded smiling.
"No worries, " I said, suddenly adopting a slight Austrailian accent. I caught Conrad shoot a glance at Breeland, but they fell right in with the hoax and suddenly looked like an entourage.
"Hold these man," I said loading three hardcover O'Nan novels on top of Conrad's armful of books. "No problem, Stew," he said. Conrad trained at Juilliard so I couldn't really quibble with the way he emphasized the "Stew" a little more than I would have. The woman hurried outside to stop two guys who were just about to post a big show cancelled sign. I could see her gesticulating wildly through a thin crack in the church doors. So we went down the center aisle and I had a sudden rush of self-consciousness, not because I was afraid of being found out, but because I was in a church. Now Conrad and Breeland were really starting to enjoy themselves. They set up right down in the front pew right beneath the pulpit, and Breeland strode right up into the spot light to check the sound system. "Check. Check one. Check, check check." A tall thin guy all in black with a long ponytail appeared with a scowl and rushed across behind the altar to us. He apparently hadn't gotten the message that O'Nan was in the house. "What the f*#@ man?!," he stage whispered at Breeland. Even though he whispered, the mic picked it up, and Breeland grimaced and shook his finger and then pointed theatrically at the mic. "These babies are really sensitive," he said. People in the balcony were laughing. Then Breeland gestured to me and said "That's O'Nan right there, and I was just checking the levels." The guy turned and stared at me, and for a second I thought the jig was up, but he looked back at Breeland and gestured okay and sorry but take it easy with my system. He led Breeland off backstage. Now Conrad settled in, stretching his feet out and throwing his arms back, lacing his fingers behind his head, with a huge Cheshire Cat grin on his face, saying "Stew, I think tonight I'm gonna enjoy your work more than I ever have."
This whole hoax of course depended on the probability that no one in New Haven knew what Stewart O'Nan looked like. I knew----a lifetime ago he had been my 16 year-old camper when I was the 20 year-old counselor. He looked nothing like me: O'Nan was six two with a big nose, blond hair, and eyes a bit close together; I am five seven with dark hair and eyes that were now spinning in counterclockwise spirals. Right there on the dust jacket of The Speed Queen was a photograph of the author leaning up against his 442 in front of the Speed Parts store. His legs looked really long.
The church was starting to fill up. I didn't know that O'Nan was so popular. Just then the woman in green appeared with a small bottle of Perrier and asked me if I needed anything else. I leaned in really close, smelled her neck, and whispered "I love you."』
(Good idea, poor "execution") 『I've read a couple of outstanding novels by O'Nan ("The Night Country," "Prayer for Dying"), so I was sort of looking forward to this one. Sort of? Well, I'll admit, I was a little worried since the story, without having read it, sounded a lot like "Badlands." I wondered, before going in, if this was just a reworking of what has become an American story where a young couple of social misfits go out in a bloody blaze of gunfire and weird love. If only the Speed Queen had of had that kind of narrative coherence going for it!
The Speed Queen fails on a number of levels. Even its unique Stephen King is-writing-my-story twist wears on you after a bit. By novel's end, it's a stale gimmick. The novel is all bits and pieces of a story. By themselves, these bits and pieces are interesting. Dialogue and descriptive passages are often dead-on, which makes this novel such a frustrating read. Oh, the possibilities! Marjorie drinks a lot, though it's never really clear why. Her parents were pretty kinky, but can you trust her, since she has her own sex toy issues? Like a lot of death row types, she's found Jesus on the eve of her state mandated destruction. She's discovers she's bisexual, after a short stint in prison. She loves her kid, she does speed. She kills -- reluctantly, though reading in-between the lines, you doubt that. What a mess! So yes, you have "Badlands," a bit of "In Cold Blood," and neither of those stories' cold-hearted integrity. The book is dedicated to Stephen King. He deserved better. 』
(intense) 『I really liked this book. The beginning I was a little confused on where it was going but once you got over that it got really good and intense. Quick read too.』
(Brutalism, or the psychology of losers) 『This novel by Stewart O'Nan probably can fit under the category `brutalism' or more appropriately, brutes. The conceit is a woman in prison narrating her story to Steven King, because of its gruesome and salacious nature. O'Nan predicates two losers who think that ownership of an Oldsmobile 442 in red with mag wheels is the pinnacle of life, who are meth freaks, and who can't make a good drug deal. Enter a bisexual, manipulative woman marginally smarter than the duo, add a big debt owed to dangerous people, and you have a crime spree that kills many, including two of the three heroes. O'Nan succeeds in this book, because he understands all three, and understands that they are heroes unto themselves. What happens unfolds with a sense of inevitability because O'Nan makes it clear who these three are, what they want, and what they think they want. There are definitely people like this outside the book who have no internal compass, who can love and kill what they love. There are people walking about like these who will kill their co-workers in a fast food restaurant for five and change. Read this book if you want to see the patently stupid, dark heart of the criminal culture, and if you can stand that small bit of recognition when Stewart writes out your hind brain, your own prehistoric bit of the beast within.』
(Maybe worthwhile) 『My first take on this book is that it's pretty light, has some great Americana stuff, but doesn't seem to say much. There are some nifty tricks with an unreliable narrator and I'm sure you could spend quite a bit of time guessing at what really happened, but in the end this is just gravy and I wanted a bit more meat.
One interesting thing: I was listening to a track on Bob Dylan's "FreeWheelin' Bob Dylan" and something clicked about this book. They both capture a unique feeling of America. The throw-away, casual, but how do you put it? It's like a nostalgia for what seems like not much but there's a feeling to it. Anyways, hard to describe, but I think there's something to the Speed Queen that gets under my skin as an American who likes the funky, back-alley side of life...』 『
Stewart O'Nan is one of the most highly acclaimed fiction writers of his generation, selected by Granta as one of the Best Young American Novelists and hailed by The New York Times as "a master." Grove Press is proud to reissue his haunting noir novelThe Speed Queen. The Speed Queenis the gripping story of a twisted love triangle's drug-fueled killing spree across the desert plains, told in the voice of Oklahoma death-row inmate Marjorie Standiford, who is recounting her experiences for a best-selling horror writer researching the murders. It's a chilling, unputdownable crime novel in the tradition of James M. Cain -- a voyage into the dark soul of the American West.
』 『Stewart O'Nan'sThe Speed Queenopens on Oklahoma's death row. Marjorie Standiford, scheduled to die that night for the murder of 12 people, dictates the story of her life into a tape recorder. Before she goes, she wants to set the record straight. It seems that one of her accomplices, Natalie, has already produced a bestselling book on the subject, and Marjorie doesn't want to be outdone. Her tape will be sent to an unnamed writer known as the King of Horror with a list of titles identical to those of Stephen King.
It's evident why a horror writer might be interested in Marjorie's story--the details of her life are pretty darned horrifying. A deep love of cars is what attracts Marjorie to her husband, Lamont, in the first place; an unplanned pregnancy is what pushes them into marriage. In the early days of their love affair, driving around in Lamont's convertible with the baby in the back and doing a little speed on the side is enough, but possession leads to prison time for Marjorie. There she meets Natalie, who will complete their deadly triangle. Once on the outside, Natalie, Marjorie, and Lamont start mainlining speed, then dealing it, and before long, a landscape of drive-thru restaurants and convenience stores becomes the backdrop for a series of gruesome murders. Marjorie may not be the most reliable narrator, but she is an original one, andThe Speed Queenprovides one heck of a joy ride.』
Kakaku：279 saved$2.79
St. Martin's Griffin
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (A light-hearted read spoiled by graphic violence) 『The Chili Queen: A Novel
I really enjoy most of Sandra Dallas' works, and in particular the Persian Pickle club. This one was lighter than most, with a touch of farce. What ruined it for me was the graphic description of the violent end of Emma's husband and daughter. While the event sets up her motives, we could have got the idea without reading about how her 7 year old is raped and her skull is crushed. That image overpowered the rest of the story.』
(So predictable) 『I loved Sandra Dallas' Tall Grass so I thought I would read another Sandra Dallas book, but, I was very disappointed.
There were moments that I liked the book but it was so predictable. The only twist was that Welcome was a man, other than that, the story and its "twists" were extremely obvious.
It was a quick read but not worth the little time needed to read it. But, do read Tall Grass, since it was a very well written book that was well thought out.
』
(worth reading) 『I would say that I feel that this book and "Buster Midnight's Cafe" are Sandra Dallas's best books. The others just aren't as good.』
(What a hoot!) 『I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a while. The characters were, well - characters. Dallas really fleshes them out, as she does so well in all her books. This was a tough book to put down. Full of surprises. Great read.』
(Not one of my favorites...) 『While I like most of Sandra Dallas' books - generally historical fiction set in a variety of periods and places - I thought this one was sort of lacking her usual charisma. I have to admit, this story about a whorehouse madam in 1880s Arizona, her bank-robber boyfriend, and a mail-order bride who latches onto them after her groom rejects her is well-written -- none of the characters are who they appear to be, and the ending totally had me going, "WOW! Never would've suspected THAT..." But after I finished, I was also just left with a sense of...eh. 』 『
Life may have been hard on Addie French, but when she meets friendless Emma Roby on a train, all her protective instincts emerge. Emma's brother is seeing her off to Nalgitas to marry a man she has never met. And Emma seems like a lost soul to Addie-someone who needs Addie's savvy and wary eye. It isn't often that Addie is drawn to anyone as a friend, but Emma seems different somehow. When Emma's prospective fails to show up at the train depot, Addie breaks all her principles to shelter the girl at her brothel, The Chili Queen. But once Emma enters Addie's life, the secrets that unfold and schemes that are hatched cause both women to question everything they thought they knew. With Sandra Dallas's trademark humor, charm, and pathos,The Chili Queenwill satisfy anyone who has ever longed for happiness.
Kakaku：848 saved$8.48
Roc Hardcover
Not yet published 『From the national bestselling author— the new novel set in the “darkly fascinating world”(SF Site) of the Black Jewels.
Dena Nehele is a land decimated by its past. Once it was ruled by corrupt Queens who were wiped out when the land was cleansed of tainted Blood. Now, only one hundred Warlord Princes stand—without a leader and without hope.
Theran Grayhaven is the last of his line, desperate to find the key that reveals a treasure great enough to restore Dena Nehele. But first he needs to find a Queen who remembers the Blood’s code of honor and lives by the Old Ways. The woman chosen to rule Dena Nehele, Lady Cassidy, is not beautiful and believes she is not strong. But she may be the only one able to convince bitter men to serve once again.』
Kakaku：699 saved$6.99
Berkley Sensation
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Good Read) 『This was another good read. I enjoyed the book and the good mood as well as getting to share this one with friends.』
(Christmastime for Betsy) 『It's Christmastime for Queen Betsy and the gang, and she's in for yet another rough week. She's trying to plan a wedding (which her fiance may or may not want to go through with), figure out how to tell her beloved she can hear his thoughts during sex, get to know her half-sister (who happens to be the daughter of the devil), and baby-sit her half-brother (while not killing his mother). Oh, and figure out another streak of murders plaguing the St. Paul area.
The series is still a fun piece of fluff, but this book didn't quite have the pizazz of the previous installments. Maybe it was Sinclair being all mopey (when he wasn't screwing Betsy's brains out), or maybe it was the ever-annoying Jon. I don't know. I'll still keep reading the series (heck, I've blown through the first four books in 48 hours), and have my eye on one of Davidson's other series, The Alaskan Royal Family.』
(Unfunny and Unsexy) 『This is a review on the Audio Book version of Undead and Unreturnable by Mary Janice Davidson, read by Nancy Wu.
I really loved the first book of this series, Undead and Unwed, I liked the idea of a Vampire Queen who was Blonde and Tall and the ultimate girly girl, complete with a shoe fetish. The first two books were basically there to lay down the premise, to have Betsy discover her powers and her duties to both those she surrounds herself with (vampires and humans alike) and to those she is Queen of, although in my eyes she never gets beyond her own hang ups regarding her love life and her love for shopping. By the third book, Undead and Unappreciated all Davidson has done is introduce new characters and make them trod through boring storylines until you get to the end and wonder how a book series could spend so much time...on nothing. Onto the fourth book, I still had high hopes that Betsy would grow beyond banal sex scenes, shopping for shoes, berating her stepmother, babying her roommates, and ignoring her duties as Queen instead focusing her energy on making her boyfriend marry her. Seriously, that is what the first three are basically about! I know she discovers new powers, and that would be exciting if she did something with them besides go to starbucks in the daylight, and wonder endlessly about accessories! This book is about solving some local murders, and really all of 5 pages are devoted to just that, the rest are spent on yet again more boring sex, fights with her boyfriend, and her talking like a 16 year old hyped up on power bars. Are we supposed to care about her pending wedding? And the planning for it? Or her choice of pajamas, or what her family is doing? Not me. I want to see how she will grow into leading her people, how she will gain the entire planets vampire populations respect, but what do I get " my boyfriend is so totally hot" and "I would sell my soul for those shoes" and " oh crap I cant get a pedicure"
Now onto my views on Nancy Wu, who reads the audiobooks. She stinks, not just stinks, but she doesn't even comprehend what she is reading, I have caught her reading in a voice for one character, when its another. She makes a sexy male vampire sound like a drawling butler, a 21 year old male college student sound like he is 14 and in a bad news bear movie. Nancy is asian, and she sounds like it, and therefore our blonde betsy sounds like Mulan on No-Doze. I have listened to 4 audiobooks worth of terrible valley girl/cheesy vampire accents and I cant take it anymore. Her reading sex scenes is embarrassing to hear, in no way, shape, or form are they the least bit steamy, sexy or provocative.
So that's it for me, books, audio books or otherwise. Save your time and energy and go read the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris if you like amazing vampire literature that is also smart and sexy 』
(Undead and Unreurnable) 『Christmas is approaching and Betsy is busy preparing for her wedding to Sinclair. She is surprised when she is approached by one of the older vampires to write a "Dear Betsy" column for a new vampire newsletter, but quickly finds herself getting into the swing of things. Nick, the cop, is investigating the Driveway Killer, a killer who targets women who just happen to look like Betsy. When a ghost of one of the killer's victims appears to Betsy, what choice does she have but to help? From that point forward, things just seem to go down hill for Betsy. Her sister Laura, Satan's daughter, seems to be having parental problems, and Sinclair finds out that she can hear his thoughts during "intimate moments" and doesn't take it well...Is the wedding off?
Betsy's back! Once again, MaryJanice Davidson's Queen of the Vampires returns with another side-splitting story in Undead and Unreturnable. If MaryJanice Davidson has written a book that has not caused me to wake my husband up giggling uncontrollably, then I haven't read it. Although I enjoy every book that she writes, I have to say that her continuing series about Betsy remains my favorite. Betsy is shallow one moment, and wise the next, all of which makes her such a fun character to read. The continuing development of her relationship with Sinclair is one of the reasons I eagerly await each book. In this fourth book, things have finally really heated up between them. After watching them circle around each other with hit and run encounters in the previous books, it was a pleasure actually reading them having a relationship. I'm already anxiously looking forward to the next addition of the Undead Series!
Melissa reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed』
(Undead and Unreturnable) 『I love this series by Mary Janice Davidson, she is a great author! And she makes her stories fun and exciting! I fell in love with Betsy, Queen Vampire after the first book. I'd recommend this to anyone who is a vampire fan and interested in the new romantic, comedy twist!』 『Queen of the Vampires Betsy Taylor is in the middle of planning the perfect wedding to drop-dead gorgeous vamp Eric Sinclair. But all is not bouquets and bridal showers-Betsy is plagued by ghosts who demand her help in rectifying their past mistakes, and a serial killer is on the loose. With his victims all being tall, blond women, Betsy fits the profile exactly.』
Kakaku：995 saved$9.95
Headline Book Publishing
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (As always, fascinating) 『Michael Jecks is a very, very accomplished writer. He brings the Edward and Isabella period to brilliand life. I recommend everyone who has interest in mistery and medieval history to read his books as soon as possible and, just like me, to crave for the next installment of the series』
(Great story light on mystery) 『This is the first book in the series that fails to deliver on an enjoyable mystery. The author almost apologizes for the radical change in his crafting of this story. Mr. Jecks does a wonderful job of weaving his character into the historical backdrop of the English-French conflict and provides a solid story line to follow. It is however not his typical work that builds details and characters to a climax of understanding who the culprit is. I would recommend it as a good read for someone who is like the time period of the setting, as the story touches on many of the little known facts of the events, just not a good mystery.
』
(They Just Get Better!) 『I can only apologize to Michael Jecks for not having written a review before now. Although I had the long wait, it arrived earlier than originally expected. I pledged to wait and finish the book that I was reading at the time by an excellent author. But, the flesh is weak and before I knew it, I was carefully taking the dust jacket off the precious tomb and finding it most difficult to put down despite a set back in health. Jecks has been good, no excellent before now. Then he wrote outside of his "home ground" and one or two nay sayers where there to chide him for leaving home as it were. I could not agree! He grew and his character development grew apace. Now Jecks has proven to me that he can weave a great story in a most complex web while one enjoys every minute of reading not just the "who done it," but absorb the historical period at the same time. I will leave it at that because I don't plan on telling the story. But, Jecks, you had best get the next one on the shelves soon. I am also glad to see that the book stores are keeping his older works on the shelves as never before that I have seen in this part of the U.S. I certainly hope that British readers appreciate what they have in this author and give him credit. The book is good enough that I over looked the few typos that I don't credit the author with, but his publisher should take greater care for Jecks. I am looking forward to the release of his friend, Bernard Knight's, latest work. I hope for earlier than expected release here.』
(One of Michael Jecks' best) 『First, I'll admit to two of my biases: I have enjoyed all of Michael Jecks' books, and I love medieval mysteries in general. And I hate the fact that these are sold as being "Knights Templar" mysteries, because that is hardly their main focus.
That being said, this book is more Templar-oriented than most, and Jecks is as scrupulous about history as always. I also love the fact that the title is in some ways a potentially misleading riddle.
For those who are used to seeing Jecks' characters in the English countryside, this novel, which is set mostly in France, will be new and different. I applaud Jecks for branching out geographically, while keeping the characters with whom I was comfortable. It is another book that teaches a lot of history painlessly while amusing us with interesting characters and a good mystery.』 『
It is 1325, and an atmosphere of dread and suspicion hangs over England like a thick fog. The last years have been racked by treachery and mistrust, and even the mightiest in the land have been affected. In the gilded cage that is the Palace of Westminster, Queen Isabella is troubled by court intrigue. Her jealous husband, King Edward II, has removed all her privileges, including her regal status and even access to her children. When Isabella is dispatched to France to negotiate peace with the French, Sir Baldwin de Furnshill is sent along to ensure her safety. No one, it seems, can be trusted, not least the Queen’s own retinue. Murder, betrayal, adultery, and cold, calculating evil soon litter Baldwin’s tempestuous journey.
Kakaku：480 saved$4.80
Harvest Books
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Where good prose meets a poor storyline) 『This is my first encounter with Eco's work, and it may possibly be my last.
The premise of the novel was promising - a sixty-year-old man (Yambo) wakes up from a coma having lost all of his memory except for all the books he has ever read. Eco also served up some delightful prose in the first few pages, presenting in vivid contrast the richness of our hero's cultural memory vis-a-vis the depressing poverty of his personal memory. The stage was set for a narrative with a good plot and a healthy blend of introspection.
The rest of the novel, however, presented a plot I felt was far too shallow and introspection that went a tad too deep. While there were certain hints on possible plot twists arising from Yambo's re-discovery of his love life, the plot thinned out by the middle of the novel and suffered increasingly under the strain of Yambo's (and Eco's) excessive self-absorption and also fascination with the like of sixty-year-old Italian comics, most of which I found difficult to relate to. It was really Eco's stroll down his own literary memory lane - a journey I found increasingly tedious as I progressed through the novel.
Two-stars for good prose, but nothing more. An ultimately unsatisfying read, probably best reserved only for Eco's die-hard fans. 』
(Yet again Eco at his best) 『Umberto Eco is one of my favorite contemporary authors and his newest novel did not disappoint me. Although it is his first novel dealing with modern times and not as imaginative as The Island of the Day Before or Baudolino, it is still Eco at his best. Great narrative, interesting and clever plot, and lot of information about the past, this time near past, make this novel enjoyable reading. Perhaps even easier reading than some of his previous works, that need a lot of concentration to throughly follow.』
(Eco again) 『Not one of Eco's best. sometimes quite engaging, other times eco goes to some other plane. Definitely for the die-hard Eco fan.』
(First 1/3 is thought provoking...) 『but the second third is tediously repetitive unless you're fascinated by fifty year old Italian comics, and the last third is little more than 150 pages of cud chewing. Kind of like that guy I met in a pub the other day whose self-absorbed prattle was entertaining for the first five minutes. If you want to read a really semiotic novel check out Darkmans by the very wonderful Nicola Barker.』
(best fiction I've ever read) 『This is definitely the culmination of Eco's fantastic fiction career, and he's writtten some doozies. He continues to go beyond impressing to capping his reputation as one of today's best writers, if not the best. I was really amazed at this book, part Modernist (T.S.Eliot would have been proud), and part post-Modernist, he weaves a tale here that makes us all look in the mirror and think really hard about who we are&how we come to that conclusion. Thank you, Mr Eco; I think this is his best yet. Would have rated it twenty if I could have.』 『
Yambo, a sixtyish rare-book dealer who lives in Milan, has suffered a loss of memory-he can remember the plot of every book he has ever read, every line of poetry, but he no longer knows his own name, doesn't recognize his wife or his daughters, and remembers nothing about his parents or his childhood. In an effort to retrieve his past, he withdraws to the family home somewhere in the hills between Milan and Turin. There, in the sprawling attic, he searches through boxes of old newspapers, comics, records, photo albums, and adolescent diaries. And so Yambo relives the story of his generation: Mussolini, Catholic education and guilt, Josephine Baker, Flash Gordon, Fred Astaire. His memories run wild, and the life racing before his eyes takes the form of a graphic novel. Yambo struggles through the frames to capture one simple, innocent image: that of his first love.
A fascinating, abundant new novel-wide-ranging, nostalgic, funny, full of heart-from the incomparable Eco.
(06/05/2005)』 『The premise of Umberto Eco'sThe Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana,may strike some readers as laughably unpromising, and others as breathtakingly rich. A sixty-ish Milanese antiquarian bookseller nicknamed Yambo suffers a stroke and loses his memory of everything but the words he has read: poems, scenes from novels, miscellaneous quotations. His wife Paola fills in the bare essentials of his family history, but in order to trigger original memories, Yambo retreats alone to his ancestral home at Solara, a large country house with an improbably intact collection of family papers, books, gramophone records, and photographs. The house is a museum of Yambo's childhood, conventiently empty of people, except of course for one old family servant with a long memory--an apt metaphor for the mind. Yambo submerges himself in these artifacts, rereading almost everything he read as a school boy, blazing a meandering, sometimes misguided, often enchanting trail of words. Flares of recognition do come, like "mysterious flames," but these only signal that Yambo remembers something; they do not return that memory to him. It is like being handed a wrapped package, the contents of which he can only guess.
Within the limitations of Yambo's handicap and quest, Eco creates wondrous variety, wringing surprise and delight from such shamelessly hackneyed plot twists as the discovery of a hidden room. Illustrated with the cartoons, sheet music covers, and book jackets that Yambo uncovers in his search,The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loanacan be read as a love letter to literature, a layered excavation of an Italian boyhood of the 1940s, and a sly meditation on human consciousness. Both playful and reverent, it stands withThe Name of the RoseandThe Island of the Day Beforeas among Eco's most successful novels.--Regina Marler』
Kakaku：799 saved$7.99
Wizards of the Coast
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Psychology Shows) 『This is easily the best D&D book I have read. Richard Byers' characterization of the Drow is top notch. It shows that he has a degree in Psychology. No other author has captured their society quite as well as it appears in this book.
This was a fantastic work, easily the best in the entire series of 6. If only the series had been about 3 books, all written by Byers, it would have been much better.』
(Sets the scene for what may be an interesting series; not overly impressive.) 『It was a difficult task set before Richard Lee Byers in writing the introductory novel for this six-book set centered around the fascinating realm of Menzoberranzan. He actually did a pretty good job of setting up the scene for what promises to be a chaotic and difficult time for the Drow. You get a lot of re-hash about how drow society functions and who holds the power, but you get relatively little expanding upon the world Salvatore created so long ago. The characters, new and old, are pretty well hashed out and really start to develop in the second half of the book. Pharaun especially is a fun and interesting character that hopefully plays a large part in the future of the series (nothing like Drizzt from the RAS books).
All that being said, this book could have been better. Until about half way through the book you don't really feel like you have a good grasp on what is actually going on. Everything seems pretty jumbled and confusing with characters you don't yet understand acting in ways that sometimes seem unreasonable. The primary antagonists of the story are never adequately explained, and their reasons for acting as they do are rather obscure. Add to that the just plain unbelievable and extremely far-fetched happenings that occur throughout the book, and your left with an overall less that satisfactory book.
I'll continue with the series, but I wasn't too impressed with this first book.
BTW, since when do drow have to touch their hand to stone to summon a globe of darkness?』
(An Excellent Start) 『I am a big fan of R.A. Salvatore and that's how I decided to start this series. I could not have been happier with the first book. Mr. Byers is an outstanding author, and the book is very well written! After reading this book I've decided to look into other books written by him.
I would caution you about reading this book, however. While this book is extraordinary, the rest of the books in the series do not measure up. You may not want to embark on a six-novel series; I found the rest of the books something of a chore. Which was disappointing seeing as how well the series started.』
(Drow intrigue I've been looking for) 『To me this was a very enjoyable book. When I was reading the first Drizzt series, what I definitely wanted more of was the scheming of Mennzoberranzann. This book delivered. Best of all you don't get the all powerful clerics just raining down from above or scheming behind the scenes on some plot to up their position. This book / series puts them in an entirely different predicament and it was thoroughly enjoyable to read. What happens is the lessor players (ie the males) are put into a much more prominent position.
The characters are thoroughly drow too. All of them have their own agendas, their own plans, and look to see how any situation can improve their position. I'm not sure who was my favorite. Phaurun is a lot of fun, but I became attached to Ryld as well. That was one thing that this book did very well - character development. You learn about the characters and their histories. Where they came from and what they think about their current status.
If you are into the drow, or like the Drizzt novels, you'd like this book. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series to see how this plot turns out and what happens to these characters.』
(An excellent book for all Drow lovers!) 『After reading all of Salvatore's books on the Drow, I was thoroughly enchanted by them. This book and the others after it were a godsend. The characters are great, the plot enticing, and it's about the Drow! Malicious and devious, this book and all five after it are excellent.
About what some of the people said about this first one, though. They are correct in some respect about the writing. Byers does go a bit overboard with the level of language used. Still, though, the book is good enough in and of itself to justify five stars here. An excellent novel.』 『
The debut title of the R.A. Salvatore-inspired series is now in paperback.
Dissolutionis the first book in an epic Forgotten Realms series about one of the most popular races in the setting. A prologue by project consultant andNew York Timesbest-selling author R.A. Salvatore introduces the title and the series.
While their whole world is changing around them, four dark elves struggle against different enemies. Yet their paths will lead them all to the most terrifying discovery in the long history of the drow, and set them on a quest to save not only Menzoberranzan but the entire dark elf race from Dissolution.
The War of the Spider Queen begins here.
The first novel in an epic six-part series from the fertile imaginations of R.A. Salvatore and a select group of the newest, most exciting authors in the genre. Join them as they peel back the surface of the richest fantasy world ever created, to show the dark heart beneath.
Kakaku：999 saved$9.99
TokyoPop
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (Another Great Classic) 『Honestly, my fiance loved this series. Typical Shojo drama. There is a Princess, this is a mysterious world and a lot of Manga drama!! It is a very good series if you are fans of The Twelve Kingdoms, Vampire Knight,or Wild Ones!』 『Disaster and destruction strike Phantasma as Yuna embraces her feelings for Rieno. Torn between her longing for Rieno and her duty as Queen, Yuna spends each day in agony. Meanwhile, Libera is also struggling with a secret love, an unspeakable love that leaves her horrified and humiliated. As thunder and lightning fall from the sky, chaos reigns throughout the land. Will the people ever trust their queen again? And will the knights stray when they learn of Yuna's love for Rieno and not Ehren?』
Kakaku：2999 saved$29.99
BiblioLife
Usually ships in 24 hours IPhone 3G used's review (A mediocre translation or was Dumas having a bad-book day? *Review for Wildside Press Edition*) 『Inquiring minds want to know, although I'm going to lean towards the former. The Queen's Necklace begins ten years after the close of Memoirs of a Physician, as France recovers from the grips of a deadly winter and Marie Antoinette takes pity on Jeanne de Valois who claims to be descended from the Valois side of the monarchy, albeit from the wrong side of the blanket. Jeanne soon takes up with Cardinal de Rohan who in an effort to ingratiate himself at court offers the stunning necklace originally intended as a gift for the infamous Madame du Barry to the Queen. Thus begins Dumas' take on the well known "Affair of the Diamond Necklace" which scandalized France and further degraded public opinion of the monarchy.
Dumas brings characters from the first two books into this story, as the mysterious Balsamo reappears under the new name of Count Cagliostro, Andrée resides at court in service to Marie and falls in love with the Count de Charny (who loves the Queen) and Philip (called Philippe in this book) returns from America and also finds himself madly in love with the Queen. Andrée's former servant Nicole (who bears a striking resemblance to the Queen) now goes by the name of Oliva and is drawn into Jeane's schemes as she masquerades as the Queen setting off further scandals, and eventually Marie and de Charny are caught in a compromising position which leads to a drastic ploy by Marie to save both herself and de Charny. Will this ploy fulfill the secret desire of our heroine Andrée, or does a twist of fate forever change her happiness to great sorrow? I'll never tell, but that was one heck of a plot twist!
Unfortunately, what should have been a ripping good read was ruined by a dreadful translation. I've read many works of Dumas and his storylines always move quickly with plentiful action and sparkling dialogue and displays the foibles and machinations of the French Monarchy to perfection. This book was stilted, slow paced with some of the most un-Dumas like dialogue I've ever come across. Worse yet, since most chapters were 3-4 pages long (this from an author who was paid by the word!!??) and from comparing the page count of this version (329) to that of another (432) I'm guessing quite a bit of the story was left out, and frankly I would have bailed on the book except for the fact that I intend to read the rest of the series and didn't want to lose the story. The first two in the series of six I've read were much older publications, published in the early 1900's by P.F. Collier and Son. If you are interested in reading the entire series I recommend you check your library and/or shop the online used sellers for one of those copies. Next up in the series, Taking the Bastile.
I do want to note that this review is for the Wildside Press edition and my comments about translation problems should not be reflected against other publishers of this book. I'm stating this as I notice that any reviews posted for one version of this book are showing up on others, and I suspect my review will show up on those editions as well.』
(amazing) 『this book is amazing!!! loved it. decided to read it because of a friend's advise and now i will recommend it to anyone!!!』 『Illustrated with Drawings on Wood by Eminent French and American Artists』
