Shadow Books

Shadow Scourge may be looked as another sci-fi doomsday book when examined. But what Outlanders is is totally the opposite. The author uses history and future all in one: The book takes place in the future yet they encounter things thousands of years old.

I cannot describe the total uniqueness in these novels. While most future books are man books straight sci-fi, this isnt. If you look at a catagory this book is in in the store its catagory is Western/Men's Adventure. Yet this book had fantasy, humor, facts, sociology, history, romance, friendship, drama and BRILLIANT storyline. Everything is in these books that anyone could want to read about. Therefore it isn't western or men's adventure.

In this particular book, the group journey to South America where they encounter the descendents of the Mayan Empire that headed south after their descendants were murdered by Hernan Cortes. Their culture is still the same after 700 years. These characters which take place 200 years into the future expierience things not seen in 500 years. Anyone into history would enjoy this book.

Also, In other comments you hear about vampires and this and that. Im not a fan for vampires but they play a small part in it. Anyone that likes horror would like this.

Anyone into romance, friendships, tension, aliens. you name it, its in this book as well as all the Outlanders Series.

The author is very intelligent and thats no lie.

Shadow Scourge was a very well done novel. Even after talking to the author about it and being told to be disappointed, that wasn't what had happened.

Sure, it was more combat oriented than most of the previous novels and there was a creature that may or may not have been a vampire, but the rest of the novel more than made up for that.

The story centered more around Brigid and Dafore. It was great to see these two characters getting more attention than ever and learning more about the medic from the Cerberus redoubt. That alone makes the novel worth while picking up.

Then there is the scientific explination on the swampies, as well as the vampire family from Bloodlines, and a re-visit to South America and the natives that were encountered in Emerald Fire.

I was told that Science Fiction and Horror do not mix. Sometimes it's true, other times, take the Alien movie series, it works. As long as the writer takes the time to explain things, it will always work out.

And there is an added bonus that we learn more about the Magistrate training as well as what happened to the installation where the Aurora crashed in Armageddon Axis.

Worth while reading folks!

Shadow Scourge is about as different an Outlanders book as you can get. Though it has lots of action, it's more like a horror story with a really creepy and nasty villain. The best part about it for me is that Brigid gets star billing in this one. She's not in the back seat like she was in the previous novel but right there in the thick of things--and the things in this book even creeped me out who's a big Steven King fan. Like all books in this series, I recommend this one.

I don't usually read horror stories because they never scare me. I didn't expect to find a horror story in an Outlanders novel...and I didn't expect to have it "creep" me out. Shadow Scourge has a lot of action in it, a lot of violence but the supernatural overtones made it a winner for me. Outlanders is usually high adventure and action with sci-fi overtones, so this book came as a nice surprise.

"Shadow Scourge" may be one of the strangest stories in the series so far and maybe that's why I liked it so much. With its references to a couple of old Deathlands adventures and echoes of Lovecraft, its fast-moving, VERY action-packed and filled with deviltry and derring-do. Our heroes face a villain of the likes they never encountered before and probably pray they never do again. The way the swamp muties were featured made them some of the most repellant creatures ever to appear in either Outlanders and Deathlands--and so of course I hope they show up again. So far the track record of this series is 100 percent. There are some novels I liked better than others but I haven't come across a bad one yet.

I am not sure what came first---my love of history or my love of photography but they merged together 40 years ago when I cared for high-risk infants. Part of my job was consoling parents at the loss of their child and part of that job was photographing the family....to provide proof for this fleeting moment. Life is commemorated through photographs---why not death? This book examines images of the dying and death and gives us a complete history of mourning customs in America from these paintings, photographs, tombstones, funeral cards, and newspapers. The only topic left out is mourning jewelry, dress, and tear bottles. A great book for the beginner who wants to study the Victorian time period and very useful for social workers, historians of photography, and health care professionals who work with death and mourning.

If you saw the wonderful film "The Others" you were doubtlessly exposed to one of those gloriously macabre Victorian traditions: the Mortuary Photograph. Yes, those images featured in that splendid little "Book Of The Dead" were real images of deceased individuals taken in the 19th century by bereaved relatives. The images in the film were from the collection of Stanley Burns, whose long out-of-print collection, Sleeping Beauty (and its recently re-issued sister Sleeping Beauty II), is considered the masterpiece of Mortuary Photography. However, if you can't seem to locate a copy of Sleeping Beauty, there is an alternative: Jay Ruby's Secure The Shadow. This excellent book may not pack the same photographic punch as Sleeping Beauty but the excellent text makes up for it. For many people in current times, the idea of photographing corpses and displaying them around the house seems unbearably morbid. However, Ruby does a good job of explaining the underlying philosophies of the time that made mortuary photography so popular. He uses newspaper clippings, old funerary photography advertisements, letters, and photographer's account books to explain the how the connection between photography and death developed and continues to this day, in a somewhat altered form. This book has made me want to start perusing Ebay on a regular basis looking for vintage mortuary pics. It's a tremendous hobby, really - and this is a very good book!

Interesting picture book of dead people and funerals. In the mid to late 1800s, it was popular for people to take pictures of dead loved ones (almost like that person was still alive) as a rememberance of that person. No gore, or accident scenes.

This book explains why people did, and still do, take pictures of dead people and their funerals and use those pictures of those they love to mourn their loss.

This quote was an early photography advertising slogan and is the thesis sentence for this outstanding analysis. Not as assuming or stylized as Sleeping Beauty, it has a wonderful perspective. I just love it. Makes you wish other authors would persue the subject. Having worked in the death care industry, and I think folks are just too removed from death. We are born ,live and die..and how we feel about death should be as contemplated as birth. This book allows us to do this, if you were raised removed from death, this book as well as Sleeping Beauty I&II are a good place to start feeling more comfortable with death as part of life.

this book not only provides information on post- mortem memorial photography,but early paintings as well.makes an excellent edition to sleeping beauty 1&2,as they do not cover paintings.take it from a long time hard core collector of this subject matter,sleeping beauty 1 and 2,and secure the shadow.great conceptual text as well.this is not only a book with pictures of dead people.all photos are blk&white,but there are a good number of realy fine ones.if you are interested in the subject or a collector,get it!

Shadow Cats was such an exciting story-and I am not even a cat lover. A dog person like me would never have guessed that rescuing kittens on the streets and back alleys of New York City could be so fraught with drama. J. Jensen took me places I never knew existed and I've lived here for 20 years. Her sensitive descriptions of felines made me want to own one. She proves that nature provides us with adventure no matter where we live. I've read stories about safaris in Africa that weren't half this enthralling.

This book is a combination of suspenseful drama, personal journey, and expose of inner city feral cats and those who love them. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what happened next to these feral cats with names and personalities, living on the edge of living or dying. Janet Jensen's writing was suspenseful and personal, making me care for these otherwise unwanted and unnoticed creatures of the night. I became acutely aware of an underground of cat lovers who take many risks in order to care for these unwanted orphans. Although it reads like a novel, the book is also full of useful and fascinating information.

Janet Jensen is a one of kind feral friend. She not only helps the feral cats in NYC, she understands their nature & needs. I have read many books on feral cats. Most approach them as wild, separate unapproachable animals. Janet challenges that conception. She shows how respect & love for our fellow creatures through understanding & care can cut through red tape, help mobilize caring people and keep a watchful, loving eye on animals that both need us & need their space. A must read for any feral activist.

I just loved this book. I was recommended it by my dogwalker of all people (http://www.petaholics.com). It is a very interesting book, don't miss it.

Heartwarming look at cats not quite so lucky as those who share our laps and hearts. It also is a facinating portrayal of people who go the extra mile for cats who cross their paths. You do not have to be a cat lover to appreciate this book but by the end of the book you may be one

Set along the desolate coast of the Pacific Northwest, Shadow Coast, conjures up a wonderful supernatural story involving ghosts, fear of the unknown and Native American mythology.
Mark Sayles sails to a remote island off the Washington coast to visit his wife who has been working on an archeological site. A powerful storm sinks his ship and two of his crewmates are killed. Half drowned Sayles is rescued by local islanders but once he recovers from the accident his world is thrown upside down when he discovers his wife is missing, and she isn't the one.
Then the mist and fog envelopes the coastline and Sayles and the town's folk begin seeing visions of people that should not be alive. The story develops with Sayles having to accept his wife's disappearance and probably death as he wrestles with the fact that supernatural forces may be at work and that no one is safe from the town's past or the superstition of a mythological deity that comes in with the mist to cleanse the town for long ago misdeeds.
The physical descriptions of the area are magnificent. I have never been to the Pacific Northwest but through Mr. Halderman I could envision myself standing along the bleak rocky coastline, with thick forests standing behind me and I can envision the fog as it forms over the sea and moves inland--I get scared just thinking about it.
Hopefully, Mr. Halderman has some more stories for us in the future and I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great supernatural tale. One word of caution: Don't read this book if you find yourself alone on a remote island and the fog starts to roll in.

James Clifford
Reviews Editor, Northwoods Journal
Author, Double Daggers

I love this book, it is quite simply the best thing I have read in a really long time. I am recommending this to everyone I know. The story is exciting, eerie and chilling. The writing is wonderful and the characters believable. I cannot wait for Mr. Haledman's next book!

My husband read the first chapter and made the mistake of putting the book back on the coffee table. I was curious about the book, picked it up and could not put it back down. I even got up an hour early one morning to read more - and I am not a morning person... At night, I turned my daughter's nightlight on because I was too afraid to sleep in the dark.

This is a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very fast paced, very descriptive, very entertaining and may I say - addictive. I loved the writing style and character development. And I got that little kick in the butt which is always nice...

California architect Mark Sayres is on his way to the Pacific Northwest to retrieve his wife, Maggie, when the yacht he's traveling on is in a terrible accident at sea. Mark is hoping to get to Maggie as soon as possible; she's working at an archeological dig near the small island town of Neah Bay, and the last time he spoke to her she sounded strange. After recovering at the home of Sandra Torrel, Mark learns that Maggie has disappeared from the island without a trace. Hundreds of volunteers have been searching for her for days, with no luck. Maggie, though, is only the most recent person to disappear from the island; Sandra Torrel's husband is also missing, along with a string of others. And then, as the fog moves over the island, cloaking it to the point of invisibility, the missing begin to reappear against all odds, and there are whisperings that an ancient Native American evil has awakened from a century-long slumber...

SHADOW COAST's real strength lies in author Philip Haldeman's breathtaking physical descriptions, which evoke mist-laced beaches, verdant, dark forests, and an eerie coastal town brilliantly. These stunning descriptions are relayed with better-than-average prose in a tale of quiet horror. The novel moves along at a nice pace, and I could really feel the tension and fear in the narrative. The inclusion of Native American mysticism in the novel just made it ten times scarier for me.

While the novel's eerie atmosphere is clearly its strength, the characters are also well-fleshed-out and engaging. Haldeman does an excellent job of balancing Mark's grief with his desire to find out the truth, and he effectively relays Mark's internal struggle. Some of the more minor characters are equally fascinating; I really found myself trying to uncover some of the more mysterious characters' motivations and secrets.

SHADOW COAST isn't an in-your-face horror novel, not by any means. The horror here is quiet, subtle, soft as the fog in which it comes. It's psychological horror as much as it is physical, and it is relayed in a way that will send chills down your spine. And SHADOW COAST'S ending just blew me away; it almost reads like a really good horror movie ending -- twisty, unexpected, slightly repulsive, something you'll be thinking and talking about for days to come. SHADOW COAST was a deliciously scary treat, and I can't wait to see what Philip Haldeman does next!

A fantastic book. At once relentlessly paced, eerie, and terrifying, it's easily one of the most memorable horror novels I've read. The claustrophobia of a small town, the bleak forests and coastline, the mysterious mythologies of the Native American culture, and the increasingly bizarre and horrifying storyline combine to create something seriously original and engaging. Great, great stuff.

Deb Abramson has written what we all need to read: the truth. By turns poignant and funny, this memoir brings us into the world of a girl with incredible insight and show us how she managed to grow up. It was so refreshing to read something real for a change, instead of the slick stuff we're too often fed. I highly recommend this book.

There have been only a few books that I needed to finish reading in one sitting! This is one of them! Ms. Abramsom has a wonderfully vivid style of writing that not only develops the characters, but creates the entire emotional setting. Her writing is very "painterly", developing images of color and texture on almost every page. Although I am a male, there are events and psychological insights that remove any gender differences. This work will appeal to either male or female.

There have been only a few books that I needed to finish reading in one sitting! This is one of them! Ms. Abramsom has a wonderfully vivid style of writing that not only develops the characters, but creates the entire emotional setting. Her writing is very "painterly", developing images of color and texture on almost very page. Although I am a male, there are events and psychological insights that remove any gender differences. This work will appeal to either male or female.

I, too, read this book in one sitting. Abramson's exploration of memory is remarkable in its ability to convey entire universes of emotion and pain through a single detail. She retrieves those details despite the risks memory must pose and the temptation to forget, and presents them to the reader with empathy -- for us, for her family, and for the child she once was. Her approach to storytelling -- through snapshots and isolated scenes -- perfectly mirrors the personality characteristic that lies at the heart of her book: what happens when narrative, the way humans tell stories about themselves and make connections with others, breaks down. I was not quite the same person after reading this book. I highly recommend it.

Deb Abramson's memoir is beautifully crafted. She shares intimate family details with strong, descriptive writing. There are many well-chosen scenes and moments that will stay in your memory for a long time. When my husband and I finished chapter one, we had an argument about who was going to read the book first. Difficult to put down and inspiring to read.

Every woman should be able to identify with these wonderful poems of love and life. The book will stir your emotions and lift your heart. A great read that will keep you smiling and allow you to examine your inner self and accept yourself.

I really enjoyed reading these poems. I felt like they were written with me in mind. It took me back to my younger days and made remembering a pleasure. I hope Ms. Caprio is planning on bringing out another book. I look forward to reading it.

Poetry that touches every aspect of a woman's life

I just finished reading this wonderful book of poetry and it brought back memories of love and hope of our own past experiences. It truly gives you insight into Glimpses of yesterday and gives a feeling of a brighter tomorrow! BRAVO! Dottie Guarino

My comment on this poetry book is one of, "Did I write this book, can another person actually feel what I feel". I love this book and can relate to it so personally. Everyone who has had a rough life should read this and find you are not alone and someone has actually put this experience into words as poetry. What a wonderful book.

Rebecca Stowe is a wow of a writer and very funny. Her chief character, born at the end of the baby boom, is approaching middle age, the time when gray overcomes women.

Ginger Moore was required to call her mother by her first name, Virginia. She has no children and likes the dead better than the living since they are complete. She is a biographer. She finds women who for some reason cannot act, do, Freud's hysterics and Dostoyevsky's screamers.

The unproductive women who want their lives written about by Ginger are her neighbor, her friend, and her mother--all alcoholics. It is a sort of chicken and egg problem. Ginger's friend Michael call her a necrophiliac, feeding off the dead. He is a comic. She call her lawyer father, Poppy. Her brother decided to be a bum, she thinks, rather than a lawyer. He also seems stuck at age thirteen.

The book has the form of semi-autobiography. It is a saga of an unhappy family, mother, father, son age forty one, and daughter age thirty eight, with alcoholism playing a large part. It is well-done and filled with humor. The family is trying to enact Christmas. There is a tradition family members follow of watching PSYCHO on Christmas Eve.

The heroine ponders that the hallmark of a coward is regret and she wonders why women are so afraid. At another instance she thinks that perhaps people get stuck at that point in their lives where they think they are at their best. She believes the personalities of her mother and brother died at the same time, a period when a third child choked on a lego piece.

Ginger discovers her friend Melanie has been on the wagon for ten months and is married to her ex-husband. She is a bagger at the supermarket, an ego-smashing undertaking. Ginger learns something from her brother that seems to make his life make sense. Almost too late she discerns some of the features of her mother's life, too. This is a wonderful book.

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This is the story of a young intellectual woman's return home from her happy, productive - if low key - life as an academic and biographer in New York City, to her colorfully dysfunctional family in a small town on the Canadian border, for Christmas holidays. The strength of the book is the author's unfailing ability to observe and report even the smallest of events, with an honesty and insight which is clarity itself.

By turns laugh-out-loud funny, touching, and often thought provoking, it is an exploration of family, especially of the relationship between mothers and daughters; of establishing oneself in the world, and the ghosts we do - and do not - leave behind at home, to do it; of being a woman, succeeding at it, and perceiving oneself to be succeeding at it.

This would be an excellent gift for the daughter of an alcoholic mother, or anyone who has dealt with family alcoholism. It's not a lighthearted read, but worth the time for the insights, and for the well turned phrases. One of the very few books I've finished and then immediately re-read.

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As the book jacket says, 'closely observed.'

This is the story of a young intellectual woman's return home from her happy, productive - if low key - life as an academic and biographer in New York City, to her colorfully dysfunctional family in a small town on the Canadian border, for Christmas holidays. The strength of the book is the author's unfailing ability to observe and report even the smallest of events, with an honesty and insight which is clarity itself.

By turns laugh-out-loud funny, touching, and often thought provoking, it is an exploration of family, especially of the relationship between mothers and daughters; of establishing oneself in the world, and the ghosts we do - and do not - leave behind at home, to do it; of being a woman, succeeding at it, and perceiving oneself to be succeeding at it.

This would be an excellent gift ............ It's not a lighthearted read, but worth the time for the insights, and for the well turned phrases. One of the very few books I've finished and then immediately re-read.

This is a wry and understated book whose emotional power sneaks up on you. Stowe's prose is clean as a whistle, with not one false note. I love her sense of humor -- bone-dry, slightly twisted, wicked but never mean. She feels for her characters and makes you care just as much as she makes you laugh. If your family drives you insane (and whose doesn't?) this book is for you.

I'm really hoping to recommend this book to my Women's Book Group. Upon reading the synopsis, one might infer that this is just another dysfunctional family novel. The actual story-line is somewhat sparse and the "family mystery" unfolds slowly. I was _most_ impressed by Ms. Stowe's use of language...her descriptions and the carefully crafted introspections of the narrator make this book a very enjoyable and thoughtful read.

Americans are familiar with the story of the conquest of the West and the slow disappearance of the Native American way of life, but we know far less about what happened north of our border. Carolyn Garriott's first novel is a sensitive treatment of the story of the Huron tribe as the first incursions of the French into their wilderness began. Before the Europeans arrived, the Indians in the area around Lakes Huron and Ontario existed in a peaceful balance of power, with occasional flare ups and disputes over territory, furs or other goods. As the French slowly pushed west, they made alliances with various tribes to expand the fur trade, and inevitably the peace was disturbed. The introduction of weapons, alcohol, and most importantly, diseases the Indians had no immunity to, devastated their way of life. Unlike the British and the Dutch, the French were aided in their efforts by the Church, most notably the Jesuits.

The Jesuits were an elite order of priests, founded a hundred or so years before. They were highly educated, politically savvy, often the sons of noblemen. In joining with the French in the push west, they perhaps unknowingly contributed to the destruction of the lives they sought to save. In their travels, they made maps and recorded their observations for reports that were invaluable to the French.

Although fiction, Garriott's novel meticulously portrays the land of the Huron, the wildlife, the isolation and the beauty. She has obviously carefully studied the culture of the Huron and the life they lived in the long houses, their rituals, systems of law and family structures. Garriott tells the story of Fr. Daniel who takes the place of a Jesuit in one of the missions, which turns out to be a small village with a rude hut for a church. Having read the accounts of the priests who came before, he is surprised to find a sophisticated people who place high value on community, family and fairness, and who understand the political forces surrounding them. Daniel realizes there's much to respect in their way of life, and dares to consider whether forcing them to give up their culture totally and adopt the Catholic faith is the wisest course. He also dares to think that educating the Huron is one way to help them survive in the new world, a view at odds with the Jesuits' practice.

Garriott focuses on Fr. Daniel, Haiki, the mother of Yongahe`, and Shadow the wolf. I had my doubts about an animal as a character, but it works! Garriott's descriptions of the lives of the wolves and their encounters with humans make the story incredibly more vivid. How alien is this metal THING the wolves find--a trap. They've learned the natives won't harm them if they steer clear, but these loud "hairless ones" may be different. Haiki is a warm and sympathetic character--through her, Daniel and the reader come to understand the intricate society that at first seemed so primitive. I thought Daniel a bit unrealistic, however--his character before the tale begins was of a young man interested in the Church for personal security and recognition--we don't get a sense that this is a guy apt to rebel against the status quo, which is basically what happens.

I enjoyed "Shadow" a lot. I would have loved a little more historical background, and a map! But this is an excellent read, and well worth your while.

In her first novel Shadow of the Cross, Carolyn Garriott well-understood the principle that it`s not only the story that is of great consequence, but rather the manner in which you recount it. How often have we read a novel that contained some very fascinating information, yet the way it was presented was bland and unexciting and after reading the first fifty pages we chucked it aside? However, in the Shadow of the Cross Garriott shines with not only her amazing story-telling talents but also her perspective or take on the relations between Native People and the French missionaries who were sent to New France believing that they would convert and civilize these "heathens."

I deliberately use the term "amazing" for Garriott is enjoying a fifth career that has included school teaching and farming. Now, at the age of 70, Garriott has become an outstanding novelist. The publisher's publicity material states that "Though she claims to be an ordinary woman, the facts of Carolyn Garriott's life suggest otherwise. Though she has never sought fame, she has nevertheless become very well-known in the Southern Alberta region because she often departed from the commonly accepted way of doing things."

Garriott offers us a novel that effectively integrates fiction and historical fact with a sensitive interpretation - one that is perhaps quite dissimilar from the history books we may have been exposed to while in elementary or high school. Native people are portrayed as not the "savages" or "les sauvages," as the French termed them in New France, but rather as particularly intelligent individuals who had an insightful and deep understanding of mother-nature as well as the animals that shared the natural world with them.

The first three chapters sets us up for a thought-provoking and compelling story with a great deal of tension thrown in that intertwines the lives of a newly ordained Benedictine missionary, Father Daniel Deschien, Haiki, a Huron mother, and Shadow, an orphaned wolf. The interactions provide the story's central focus as we witness a clash of cultures between the Natives and the prejudices and insensitivity of the French clergy who sincerely believed that the Huron or the Wendat, as they preferred to be called, were immoral and barbaric. Moreover, as Father Daniel comes to realize and as he confesses to his bishop, slight attention was paid to the Natives' political and civic life wherein a system enabled them to survive in extremely complex surroundings.

Haiki's version of her culture and customs is portrayed with so much fervor that we can easily empathize with Father Daniel Deschien's confusion who can't quite comprehend why the Natives are reluctant to embrace his European ideals, morals, and his Christian religion. Nor can he grasp the extent of the Natives' relationship with animals such as the wolf that acts as their protector with a gift that can warn them of eminent danger. When Haiki tells Father Daniel that she has heard the wolf's warning of death that will visit the valley, his reply is that it is foolish to believe in a wild beast. It also comes as a surprise to Father Daniel, when in answer to his question, why the Huron cannot become allies with the French, Saksari, who is the son of Haiki, tells him that "The French were not good friends."

With a clean and elegant style, Garriott writes in a likeable voice-even at times poetic, as she integrates her content in a clever and fascinating way with many a dramatic moment thrown in particularly the powerful scenes involving T'hattan who is painted as a cruel and threatening antagonist whom Haiki dislikes and whose hand she refuses in marriage. It should be mentioned that T'hattan was captured as a young child in a battle between the Huron and Seneca and was given to Haiki's aunt to replace a son who had recently died. Unfortunately, he proves to be quite a scheming character who has even threatened to kill a wolf even though T'hattan had been adopted into the Wolf Clan knowing full well that the wolfs were their protectors. Moreover, as Haiki disgustedly points out, it was a white wolf-the most sacred of the wolves. And as she states, "What did he want to do-destroy the People?"

This book is quite a little gem examining history from a fresh perspective that will undoubtedly awaken readers' minds to certain historical misconceptions that for centuries have plagued us. And thanks to authors as Carolyn Garriott that we are now able to have a better understanding of the contributions of the Native people particularly as to their knowledge of the environment, ecological problems and animal behavior. I do hope we will be reading more emanating from the pen of Carolyn Garriott.

What a delightful surprise this little book turned out to be!

Ms. Garriott packs some mighty powerful punches in this gem of a story! Chocked full of stunning imagery that is set within the raw beauty and fierce brutality of nature, we return to a supposedly "savage" time.
Instead, we find a gentle people that greatly respect mother earth and all her gifts very passionately, including the wild animals and the elements.
We also find a "bad seed", an evil person who makes us cringe and we sense that great tragedy will ensue because of his vileness.
In this novel, nature brims with a cunning intelligence that commands both respect and attention... for to survive... is to be ever aware of one's surroundings and life forces.

As `old meets new' a gradual joining in understanding of different cultural beliefs gently evolves and adds a richly poignant layer of appreciation to the novel's main characters.

There is no "fairy tale" ending though and you may find yourself hoping, as did I, for a kinder, gentler outcome.

However, Ms. Garriott gives us what she is compelled to give us as a very talented author and careful observer of history, the truth of those harsh times.

And, we come away with a much deeper and more resonant echo of a "shadow" that will follow us for quite some time!

Shadow of the Cross is an extraordinary novel, providing the reader with three unique windows into a period of history that has been presented in far too simplistic terms over the course of history. Well-researched and beautifully written, Carolyn Garriott's debut novel transports you back into the world of the Huron (Wendat) people back when the New World truly was new and French missionaries and traders first established contact with the Native American peoples. The accounts of Jesuit priests who came to convert the heathen natives to Christianity describe a barbaric, violent culture direly in need of salvation, and history teachers have tended to reinforce this blatantly biased viewpoint in the course of many an overview of early American history. Garriott gives these people a long-overdue voice of their own.

Father Daniel Deschien comes to New France somewhat reluctantly. As a newly ordained Benedictine monk, his ambition was to be placed in a well-established parish where he could attain status and power. No one disputed his intelligence and passion, but his somewhat liberal theological views resulted in his placement as a replacement priest in Huronia, where he would stay until a Jesuit priest was found to take his place. Based on Jesuit accounts of New France, he arrived in the New World expecting to shepherd a flock of uncivilized souls living primitive lives. While he struggles initially to bond with the Wendat (or the People) and to understand the rich facets of their culture, he soon begins to realize that Jesuit accounts of these people have been biased and woefully incomplete. His greatest help in acclimatizing to his new life comes in the form of Haiki, a young widowed mother in the village who takes on the duty of caring and providing for the man the Wendat call Longrobe Tah-ni-hel.

Haiki is a wonderful, completely engaging character - and the fulcrum upon which this story rests. She is the sister of Saksari, the tribe's leader, so the reader is able to get an intimate look at the various workings of the tribe through her interactions with family and friends. She is a great helpmeet in helping Father Daniel understand the culture and the division of labor of the Huron people - as well as the deep spirituality that stands at the very heart of their daily lives. Daniel grows to appreciate the native religion that the Jesuit priests ignored completely. One of the primary aspects of that religion is the belief in spirit guides. For the Wendat, wolves represent their most personal connection to nature. The spirit song of the wolf can reveal the mood of nature herself, pointing to bad times ahead such as death, while the very appearance of wolves around the village is taken to mean that the coming harvest will be a good one.

Weaving in and out of the lives of Father Daniel and Haiki is a young wolf named Shadow. She and her siblings emerge from their den just as Daniel arrives in the land, and Shadow comes to have a special affinity for the Gentle One (Haiki), despite the fact that she learns how cruel and evil other Hairless Ones can be - particularly one man in the tribe who also becomes a threat to Haiki. Shadow's is the most emotional story in the novel, as far as I'm concerned, as she goes through some terrible experiences both physically and emotionally (all directly caused by humans). Later in the novel, a dog that Father Daniel calls Aider becomes another central character in the story, one that allows Garriott to close with a movingly symbolic conclusion.

Gosh, I just can't even begin to put my thoughts on this novel into words. It's just so beautiful and meaningful. The way Garriott ties the stories of Daniel, Haiki, and Shadow together is beyond wonderful. Events do not play out as you might expect, and the power of Garriott's storytelling really makes Shadow of the Cross a story that touches your mind, heart, and soul. The fact that she manages to capture the world and character of the Huron people so intimately, restoring to these peaceful men and women a sanctity that history has too long denied them, makes this more than a worthwhile read - but even that great accomplishment pales in comparison to the spiritual enlightenment that seems to shine forth from every page. Don't look at the title and think this is just a story about converting a group of Indians to Christianity, as that is not what Garriott is writing about at all. If anything, Father Daniel's own faith is tested by the undeniable spirituality of those he came to convert.

Shadow of the Cross is just a uniquely fantastic book with great historical significance. You'll learn more about the Huron people from this novel than you ever will from the pages of history. You may even find your own outlook on life affected by the power of this emotionally gripping story.

The words of Lieutenant John Dunbar of "Dances With Wolves" fame are strongly echoed in this tale of European intrusion into North America. Daniel Deschiens, a Benedictine monk, is sent under Jesuit tutelage to New France. The "heathen" native peoples are in need of instruction into the tenets of Christianity. They are "savage", "ignorant" and cannot be trusted. They have but limited capacity to learn. Worse, they have no "religion" and must be taught the ways of "The One True God" from the beginning. In this tightly woven tale, the author captures the monk's feelings well. Garriot does even better in following the life of another, rather special, character which inhabits the forest near the native people.

Daniel's arrival seems to reinforce the prejudicial view imparted by his mentors. He's simply dropped ashore along a river and given vague instructions to his destination. Caching his belongings and gifts to the native people begins a process of doubt. When he meets the villagers, his host tells him that the tree containing his sacks is sacred and would be untouched by anyone living in the area. This is something wholly alien to Daniel's experience. And while most of the village welcomes him, one of the warriors seems highly resentful of his presence. Part of the reason for that is the lack of respect shown by his predecessor for village ways. That lack was responded to by the villagers who built the missionary a chapel and residence. The building is the smallest in the village, clearly done to humble the previous occupant.

Daniel's entry in village life is hesitant and fraught with misunderstandings. He tries to help Haiki, a woman with a small son. Told in no uncertain terms that he must not be seen doing "women's work", he struggles to make converts. The villagers accept his presence, but his god seems to offer them little or nothing. The best he can do is a hasty baptism to villagers dying from "the red sickness" - measles - a virus for which they have no immunity. It's hardly a true "conversion" and The People accept it only as another death ritual. They have their own pantheon of spirits. In this village's case, it is the wolf that provides guidance.

The wolves live in the surrounding forest, kept separate from the village by the river. A small pack roams the area for food, but they avoid contact with "The Hairless Ones". Garriot does a fine job of placing herself in the mind of the wolf, Shadow, a spectacularly coloured young female. Shadow and Haiki have a special relationship, which the wolf is barely conscious of. An injury brings Haiki to Shadow's aid, and the wolf learns that not all The Hairless Ones are enemies. Haiki's relationship with the wolf, coupled with her gentle demeanour and Daniel's growing knowledge of the way The People cope with the challenges of life in 17th Century Quebec provoke questions in Daniel's mind. He must confront what he believes with what his eyes reveal. It's a challenge not readily resolved. Garriot deals well with these developments. One might wish she had written this as a work for adults instead of young readers. Yet, perhaps it's young readers who will comprehend it best. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This is one of Lovecraft's best and most fascinating (and longest) stories. It tells the story of a scientist who faints in class one day, only to wake up without any memories of who he is. As the story goes on, the incredible, awful and mindboggling truth is revealed. It begins on a small scale (an individual with memory loss) and ends on a cosmic scale. Less horror story and more some kind of cosmic SF/Fantasy I think... Well, this shouldn't be discussed in advance, just read it. The Shadow out of Time is included in other Lovecraft collections. This edition, though, is not only beautiful (with original cover art) but also includes the corrected text with many commentaries made by Lovecraft-scholar Joshi.

While this story wouldn't be the entree I'd recommend to Lovecraft, it is definitely one of his major works. And this edition is worth reading for the beginning and hardcore fan.

The editors' introduction details how long Lovecraft had been considering this story, his inspirations, and how he, as before his great creative year of 1927, undertook a reading program to sharpen his style and improve his writing before starting it, his most science-fictional, tale. They also offer some intriguing observations about the specific dates in protagonist Peaslee's life and their significance to Lovecraft's.

As to the annotations, it's not the largely unnecessary vocabulary lessons that Joshi and Schultz offer that are valueable, but how they point out similarities in motifs and language to other Lovecraft works, specific factual sources Lovecraft used, and the many links between this and other Cthulhu Mythos stories of Lovecraft and his friends. Even fans who have read this story more than once will probably learn something new in these notes.

I can't say as I noticed any difference between the corrected text and earlier versions of the story, but then I didn't look at the appendix showing all the textual variations. But it's there for the really hardcore Lovecraft fan and scholar.

Professor N. W. Peaslee, from 1908 to 1913, suffered a form of amnesia or did he? After waking up he stuffers from dreams of an other time, in a city built before history and a race of creatures long gone. Is he going mad or is it real? The answer can be found in Australia, where in one of the deserts explorers have found ruins over 150,000,000 years old. The question is, does he WANT to find the answer or not?

If you liked 'At The Mountains of Madness' you should enjoy this book AND already know what the answers are!

When Professor Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee is seized by a sudden mental transformation, the psychologists diagnose it as the advent of a second personality. But, it is a strange personality, interested in dark and forbidden occult studies. And when Professor Peaslee returns to his own mind, some six years later, he must pick up the pieces of his shattered life.

However, when dark dreams begin to haunt him, dreams that take the form of impossible memories, Prof. Peaslee begins to study himself, so that he can shake off these strange pseudo-memories. However, when archaeologists discover a ruin in the Australian Outback, a ruin of impossible antiquity, Prof. Peaslee's memories begin to haunt him all the more.

This is the first Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) book that I have ever read, and I must say that I am quite impressed. The author did an excellent job of creating and sustaining in the reader the horror that the main character felt throughout his adventure. Pretty much all my life I have heard of H.P. Lovecraft and his horror stories, and I found this one to be a great book to read. I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.

"The Shadow Out of Time" is one of Lovecraft's finest tales, and this version is a collector-quality edition. The story itself is found in many Lovecraft anthologies, including an excellent presentation in Arkham House's "The Dunwich Horror and Others." However, there are many features that mark this volume as the definitive edition of "The Shadow Out of Time."

The corrected text from a recently discovered manuscript is the highlight. This is the tale as Lovecraft envisioned it. Anyone familiar with "The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft" will appreciate S.T. Joshi's meticulous notes and annotations. He adds another layer of insight to these familiar stories.

My favorite feature, however, is the restoration of the pulp cover from Astounding Stories 6-36 where the story first appeared. It is nice to see the pulp roots of H.P. Lovecraft being honored.

Shadow over Babylon was given to me by a friend, he said that the book was impossible to put down. I thought that this might be a bit of an exageration, so i decided to read it. I ended up reading the book in 4 days while during my summer holidays. I can honestly say that this is the best book that i have ever read. My favourite author may be Wilbur Smith but this book eclipses anything that he has ever written. David Mason's second book Little Brother is also worth reading.

Mason's work in Shadow is an excellent beginning to an author that possesses such a deep understanding of military manuvers, lingo, etc. The details are what captured me in this book, particularly the story of the team's sniper. I felt a little lost towards the middle of the book, but I suppose most book are that way. Overall, he is NO Clancy, however, his next book is still something I would like to take a look at.

GOOD JOB!

-Sunil James

"Shadow Over Babylon" is the first book by David Mason and it's a gripping read very much in the style of Frederick Forsythe or Tom Clancy. The story revolves around a group of British ex-Special Forces men who are hired to assassinate Saddam Hussein and the planning and organisation involved to infiltrate Iraq, shoot Hussein and then escape. They draft in a sniper, Danny MacDonald, who is a deer stalker and we are introduced to Danny at the beginning of the book as he explains about shooting to a deer hunter. This aspect of the book - the technical detail of the sniper's craft - is fascinating and not something I've read elsewhere.

As the book progresses we learn more about the characters and the plans that they are making to carry out this difficult task, although we don't know the full plot at any time - as it unfolds we understand why they organised things as they did. There is a parallel story taking place in the American NRO (National Reconnaisance Office) as they find themselves tracking the team and trying to work out who they are and what they are doing. Big brother was definitely watching them!

The book has some technical detail but perhaps less than a Tom Clancy book - which isn't a bad thing. There is also more characterisation of the men involved in the mission - why they are doing it, how they handle the stress and violence - and even a couple of little romantic storylines for three of the main people involved.

And do they succeed in killing Saddam Hussein? Well, you'll have to read it to find out, but it's a really great read and there's a little twist in the tail which I wasn't expecting and was fun. Enjoy the story and the plot and the characters - this is an excellent debut novel by someone who clearly knows an awful lot about what he's describing and it's great fun to read a book with British special forces, rather than American ones, with the humour and amusing conversation of the Brits.

Mason was good at making this premise work, even though he was working with the handicap that came with setting this a few years back. We know the history of the Gulf War aftermath, so where's the suspense in reading about this crack team headed to take Mr. Hussein down? It's there all right. Obviously this is the work of a sharp intelligence. If Mr. Mason were to write another novel, I'd be sure to at least take a look at it.

An interesting and plausible plot. The author writes with authority, and tells an exciting story. The technical details of a Clancy novel and the twists of a Forsyth spy thriller. I hope Mason writes more.