Non-fiction Books

An evocative memoir of the author's stay [1953-6] in what's now Northern Cyprus. Much of the landscape was still as he described it when we visited Belle Pais, Famagusta, Kyrenia, and Nicosia, the Tree of Idleness and other sites on our hiking trip to Cyprus in 2001. His adventures in buying and maintaining a house rival those of Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence"written many years later. The peaceful interludes in the hills are marred by foreshadowing of the political turmoil and tragedies that would engulf Cyprus in the following decades, leading to the departure of Durrell and other foreign nationals. Some of those towns and even cities remain ghost towns to this day

I visited Mr. Durrell's house in 1991 while visiting my relatives in the American Embassy (it has a little sign that says Bitter Lemons). I didn't want to go to Cypress; it was just something to do to kill time one summer with my family. I read the book on the way there and finished it a day before the trip to the Turkish side of the island. It was like a light had been turned on and it has never been out since. I plan and I go everywhere now and as often as I can. Good enough to purchase another copy after 15 years of use.

I read this book because I'm planning a trip to Cyprus next year. My only previous exposure to Lawrence Durrell's work was PROSPERO'S CELL, his evocative memoir of Corfu. In that book, he tells of having to leave the beautiful island because of the impending World War II. In BITTER LEMONS, Durrell once again finds an island paradise that he has to leave because of political violence. The early chapters of the book are mostly humorous sketches about the lazy life of beautiful Cyprus and the colorful local characters. His happy island home becomes a kind of salon for globetrotting artists and intellectuals. Then about halfway through the book, political trouble starts brewing and terrorism becomes a fact of daily life, destroying Durrell's friendships with the people he had come to love. During this crisis, Durrell, a schoolmaster, is enlisted to serve as an administrator in the British government. There, he finds himself in the frustrating position of watching the crisis escalating all around him and being powerless to do anything about it. Durrell documents the events leading up to a standoff between the British and the Cypriots, primarily the result of British bureaucratic indifference. The book is beautifully written. Durrell was a poet and novelist and his descriptive prose evokes the colors, tastes and smells of the island in a way that is very moving. I enjoyed the early part of the book more than the parts dealing with politics. Durrell could easily have written this as two books and, in a way, I wish he had. The book left me with a terrible sense of loss, but that is perhaps what Durrell intended. This is a sad book.

_Bitter Lemons_ begins as you would expect a piece of travel writing to do-- with Durrell's impressions about Cyprus, some history, the stories of his first days there and the way in which he comes to make himself a home on the island.

Where it ultimately goes, however, is somewhere far different than most travel writing. Durrell is drawn into the conflict around Cypriot independence and is forced to examine his position as expatriot in a troubled environment.

The initial chapters of the book are so lovely and the scenes sketched so charming, that something in the reader rebels when the book turns its attention to the problem of terrorism and the echos of violence. That very quality, of course, is what lifts the book above the average travel book as it creates a Cyprus for the reader than is far more real-- not just a utopian garden existing somewhere far, far away for the weary reader to someday visit.

This book, along with a couple by Henry Miller and a few others of Durrell's, was responsible for causing my husband and me to leave life and jobs in LA and move to Greece for nearly a year. Bitter Lemons is part memoir, part political commentary, part travel writing, and part philosophy. It's the story of Durrell's fairly brief stay on the island of Cyprus, conflict between Greeks and Turks, impending world war, buying a house and trying to settle into a unique niche of the world. It's a book about Life and all its myriad difficulties.
Tip-top - and wonderful writing. It's one of those books whose memory will stay with me always.

I read Marrying McCabe(my personal favorite) and once I did I had to hunt down the others from this series. Blade and Anna have been connected since she was 11 and he was 17. She's been running from her step-father for the last 10 years since he was trying to kill her to collect her inheritance. Blade has had "flashes" and dreams of Anna but has always thought that they were in his mind. Now he's found her and he's determined to keep her but first they have to solve the problem of her step-father. Fiona Branda's books remind me of early Linda Howard(Mackenzies espcecially) They are sensual and fun to read. It's very rare that I find a "new" author that goes right to the top of my favorites list. This book and other from this series are heading right for my keeper shelf and I will be waiting for more by her!!

I only happened to pick up this book by chance but what sold me on it wasn't the storyline or the author (I'd never heard of her before)---it was one line, a recommendation by my all-time favorite author Linda Howard. Anytime I see a book endorsed by Ms. Howard I'll buy it, won't even bother reading the synopsis on back. I was blown away! This book was hot and sexy and incredibly romantic. I LOVED IT!! I also quickly purchased her other two novels Cullen's Bride and Heart of Midnight. This author is really talented and I can't wait for her next book. She ranks right up there with Linda Howard and Stephanie Laurens. Fiona Brand's heroes are sexy and dangerous and very tender.

It's always difficult to find good books, but I'd definitely recommend this book.

As a first-time reader of Fiona Brand, I was not disappointed.

I thought the writing style was reminiscent of Linda Howard.

It is a sexy romance that contains a slight paranormal element, mixed with the right dose of action. If you've read anything by Linda howard you're sure to enjoy this novel.

I love this book! I've read it countless times and it never bores me. Blade and Anna have been connected psychically since Anna was 11 and an attempt was made on her life. Several years later, Anna is still in danger when she and Blade finally meet after another attempt on Anna's life. When they meet its kismet and their romance is ignited. Although Anna has been on the run for years, you do not pity her; rather admire her strength and route for her. Blade is the ultimate hero: loving and gentle with a fierceness to protect what he loves. I travel with my job, and I always bring this book with me. The characters are wonderfully written, the plot is great, and there are moments that just enrapture me. There's a scene where Anna figures out that she's in love with Blade. Every time I read it, I love this scene more.

After reading Blade's Lady, I hunted down her other books Cullen's Bride and Heart of Midnight. They were both well worth the hunt. If you love Linda Howard's Mackenzie books or Suzanne Brockmann's Tall Dark & Dangerous books, you'll adore Fiona Brand's books.

Anna, a lost heiress, has been running for years. During that time, she dreams of a fantasy man. During attempts on her life, she finds herself reaching out to him, calling to her fantasy knight.

Blade has had dreams of a mysterious red-haired since he was 17. But one night, one of the nightmares lead him to his dream lady. Now he takes up her fight, to protect, save, and love her.

The sensuality rating is high and the action gripping. What a man! If you like Linda Howard's writing, you will love this author. She's definitely a keeper!

As a big fan of vampire books,this is by far of the best. Sackett pulls you right in with vivid imagery and makes you part of the book. Not only should it be put into print,there should be a sequel.

My aunt gave me this book to read because I love vampire books. I love this book it should be put back into print. It is very hard to find even in Hardback which I am looking for because I have nearly read this book to peices. I have read it over 15 times and keep finding things that I missed the last time. This ia a deffinate must have to any vampire book collection.

This is the Sequel to Dracula. It is an amazing book. I had 2 go all over the place to get a copy of this book. Y is it out of print? I dont know. It shouldnt be. Sackett is King. I love Sackett. He can write books, speak different languages, and teach the difference between mercantalism and imperialism. Fascinating book with a fascinating story written by a fascinating man.

This is the Sequel to Dracula. It is an amazing book. I had 2 go all over the place to get a copy of this book. Y is it out of print? I dont know. It shouldnt be. Sackett is King. I love Sackett. He can write books, speak different languages, and teach the difference between mercantalism and imperialism. Fascinating book with a fascinating story written by a fascinating man.

I had the pleasure of being taught by this author. While taking his class the students enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed this book very much. It basically ended the story of Dracula and I enjoyed it very much.

This book is brilliantly constructed account of the 24 hours leading up to one of the maximum effort raids on Germany. Large cast of well portrayed character's recounts the incredible courage of the airmen of both sides and the appalling results on the ground.

Only one in three Bomber Command aircrew survived WWII and over 50,000 perished bringing the German war machine to it's knees. There has never been a battle like it. Fought in the middle of the night for 4 years with the prospect of a horrific death ever present night after night.

Imagine going "over the top" in WWI and surviving it, then being asked to do it again the next day. And the next.

Not only that but after the war being branded as murderer's by the very people whose lives you were protecting. The post war government quickly distanced themselves from what Bomber Command achieved, and no gratitude was ever publicly forthcoming for these boys sacrifice.

To this day it still beggars belief.

Though the title implies that this is the story of a single bomber crew over Germany in 1943, "Bomber" goes farther - much farther, only starting with the crew of the heavy bomber "Joe for King". Deighton proceeds to cover the families of the crew, other crew members and their superiors before cutting across the channel to the enemy - night-fighter pilots, their controllers in German air defense, various suspicious characters from across the spectrum of Germany's military - from "respectable" Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht personnel to shadowy types from the "Abwehr" and the SS. We also meet the civilian residents of Altgarten, a Ruhr-area town nobody would think of bombing, but which manages to get plastered all the same. It's mid-summer 1943, when "Joe for King" is sent into the Ruhr as part of a massive night-time raid against the industrial centers of Krefeld. Lacking night-vision goggles, RAF pilots drop their bombs on targets marked by flares left by directing aircraft - in this case, specially equipped Mosquitoe night-fighters. When the marking aircraft for the Krefeld raid is shot down too early, its flares are released over Altgarten. This error is compounded by inherent flaws in RAF tactics (like targeting bombs in the center of cities, where bombs are more likely to hit civilian homes than factories and military installations), and the town becomes the unintended target for the massive strike. "Bomber" is to RAF's wartime bomber command what "Traffic" is to the DEA - a story of massive scale borne by wide cast if characters that never stops growing. Deighton doesn't let something meaningless as nationality get in the way of determining who is good or evil (the Germans get the bombs here, but Nazi genocide also gets prominent mention, with plenty of nasty Waffen SS to remind us why people were fighting). On the British side, we see officers acting less like gentlemen than soldiers. Political correctness is the rule (this is the country that gave us "1984"; "Joe for King"'s commander is suspected of incipient Bolshevism - it's very name hints at Stalin). Those who won't fall in line risk being labeled as LMF (Lacking Moral Fiber) - officially branded as cowards. Though books with such a command of detail normally favor the efforts of those they depict, Deighton is uniformly negative on the subject, a tone reinforced by his many subplots. Lambert, "Joe for King's" rebel pilot, plays the best cricket in Bomber Command - leading his odious superior to compel his participation in an upcoming tournament on pain of getting LMF'd. (Worse - the commander puts pressure on Mrs. Lambert after her husband has departed for the big raid). The bombers fly from Warley Fen, a once verdant field seized from its original owners who now stare at the airfield, mourning for what they know they will never have again. In Germany, ADF is managed by August Bach, an aged warrior preparing to marry his young son's nanny, not knowing how her youthful looks have made her the target of vicious rumors through Altgarten. The pilots of a night-fighter squadron (nichtjagdeschwader), preparing for a feared RAF attack on the Ruhr, are thrown into turmoil when Abwehr and Gestapo appear in search of a stolen classifed memo. The memo, it turns out, details hypothermia experiments on concentration camp prisoners (this may be same memo mentioned early in Robert Harriss' superb "Fatherland"). The corrupt assistant to Altgarten's Burgomeister arranges for the downgrading of the town's remaining Jews (from 1/3rd to 2/3rd "Jewishness" - though these jews are even more likely to face deportation and certain death, they will have greater freedom to marry other jews). Altgarten itself is flooded with profiteers funneling goods looted from conquered parts of Russia and the Netherlands. It seems that war is the only thing keeping the world safe because it occupies all the amoral typed who have to fight it. The only morally just adults are the TENO - the civil safety personnel who dig people out of bombed buildings. Because they are stationed in Altgarten, they get the biggest break: when the raid comes, they have the shortest commute. With so much going on, you just know you're bound to miss something. This is the sort of book that speed-readers hate. You'll probably lose count of all the characters that Deighton throws at you, though this doesn't hurt the plot as much as make the book one you'll want to re-read. Be warned - once you pick up bomber, you'll probably be spoiled for any other novel on the war in the skies over Europe.

This is a superbly plotted panel book in which every story ends with some sort of twist or irony. I write only to correct one error made by an earlier reviewer. Lambert's plane is NOT 'Joe for King', but 'the Creaking Door'. The CO is so out of touch that he mistakes the planes, thereby indirectly saving Lambert's life, much to his young wife's relief. (The casualty rates were horrific for bomber crews.)

It is somewhat amusing that the reviewer made the same mistake.

Bomber follows the progress of an Allied air raid through a period of twenty-four hours in the summer of 1943. It is not for weak stomachs as it shows the brutality of war.

The best fictional account of the "Other Side's" (German) view of being the "attacked". Mr. Deighton obviously has done his homework in showing how one massive,confused attack on a German town in the Summer of 1943 devastates everyone involved from the British RAF planners and pilots, politicians, and even more the German civilian home front, not to mention just about everyone else on the German side,from the SS,Luftwaffe, to the totally innocent on the ground. When the air raid alarms go off in the ficticious German town to the inevitable,terrifying end, mistakes and all, you know you're reading from a master. The ending is as terrible as you can imagine...

Adrianne Lee exhibits her flare for well-plotted stories and fascinating characters in her Gothic treat, The Bride's Secret. Enjoy the atmosphere, the danger and a hero with a unique conflict. You'll be coming back for more.

I really liked it. Not as good as ALIAS: DADDY, my all-time favorite, but very entertaining. Read it!

As always, Adrianne Lee has delivered another one of her outstanding stories. All the elements are there for a terrific read. Just kick back and enjoy. I certainly did. She's a wonderful story teller.

Adrianne Lee strikes gold with THE BRIDE'S SECRET, a wonderful modern gothic with enough twists and turns to keep even the most avid mystery reader turning the pages. Like the TV show "Mystery, She Wrote" Ms. Lee gives the reader plenty of suspects and keeps them guessing to the very end. Well done!

I am a HUGE fan of Adrianne Lee's. Very few romantic suspense authors can keep me guessing until the last moment - but Adrianne Lee does. THE BRIDE'S SECRET is no exception. Not only does Lee weave a tight plot but her characters are so wonderfully drawn that I hate to say goodbye. Don't miss this one! Adrianne Lee strikes gold once again!!

There is a reason that Neil Simon is revered by the public, yet basted by critics. His plays contain characters and situations that just about anyone can relate with. BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS is based upon Simon's youth. It is a family play; not only is it about a family, it is a play that the whole family will enjoy. Lots of laughs and tons of fun.

I remember watching the movie version of Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" years back and thought it was fantastic. Now, years later, I decided to pick up the play and read it.

As usual with the written version, there is quite a bit more detail in the play. Eugene is the story's main character, and while his family struggles with all sorts of family issues. His brother Stanley comes to him with his dilemma about possibly being fired from his job. His cousin Nora, her sister and her aunt Blanche all live with the Jerome family in their Brooklyn home. Eugene's main concern is dealing with the rigors of growing up--and winning the World Series for the Yankees. His character really comes out in the play; there is the sense of witty spirit that he has in dealing with his family and his own problems. Another great aspect of the play is the sense of family spirit it evokes, especially in troubled times, and you see that in the final act when Eugene's dad is able to talk some sense into his wife and her sister, but Stanley as well.

Neil Simon's ability to create funny and memorable characters and a story that is both insightful and humorous makes this a fantastic read. It is easy to see how this play got adapted into a full length film. This play is the first in a series of three plays covering the life of Eugene Jerome.

If you enjoyed this book, another great movie or book to check out is Biloxi Blues, which is the second installment of this series. If you watch the film, it stars Matthew Broderick as Eugene, and narrates his exploits as he goes into the military.

Easy reading, but also very meaningful for the family.

"Brighton Beach Memoirs" by Neil Simon is just superb! I saw the movie before reading this play, and I love it, so I knew I would at least like the play. I *love* the play; it's become one of my favorites. I fell in love with all of the characters and just adore the feeling of family that comes through while reading it. With witty dialogue (that can truly be appreciated my by people of the Jewish faith), I couldn't stop laughing, smiling, and just enjoying myself. I recommend.

The first of his three semi-autobiographical plays about the "Jerome" family, Neil Simon's BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS takes place in Brooklyn, New York toward the end of the Great Depression. Fourteen-year-old Eugene Morris Jerome (Simon's alter ego) is the protagonist and narrator of the play. Struggling to find his niche among his large, extended family, Eugene writes his own witty observations about them in his journal, sharing them with us as he does so. Yet the focus of the conflict is on the older family members (including Eugene's parents, Kate and Jack; his brother, Stanley; his cousin Nora; and his widowed Aunt Blanche), all of whom struggle daily to make ends meet. Though a comedy, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS asks a serious question, one posed in earlier eras by playwrights like Clifford Odets and Arthur Miller: that is, how can one preserve one's morals and integrity in difficult economic times, when it is all one can do just to put food on the table? BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS is an affectionate though often painful family comedy; in it, Simon establishes characters for his two later "Jerome" plays, BILOXI BLUES and BROADWAY BOUND, while anticipating the impending WWII era, the setting for the former title.

Brighton Beach Memoirs is a play about a fourteen-year-old boy growing up in 1937. The boy's name is Eugene Jerome. The play is divided into two acts. The first act is one night in Eugene's house. The second act is a week later in his house. Eugene is growing up in a hectic and eventful household of seven family members. He writes memoirs in his journal about his family and different events occurring in his life. During the play, Eugene share's his own personal thoughts with the audience. This really gives the audience an inside look on Eugene's life. I reall liked having this inside view. It really kept me into the book. Brighton Beach Memoirs was a real page turner. I highly recommend it!

This book has playful and engaging illustrations, and helped my toddler daughter fall in love with Dragon Tales! She loved the pictures so much that the book eventually fell apart! For that reason, it is well worth the money to give your little Dragon Tales fan.
However, most Dragon Tales TV episodes have wonderful lessons about how to act and how to treat other people, but I don't believe this story fits. An earlier reviewer wrote that this is a "story about experiencing disappointment and then solving your problem." But Cassie does not solve her own problem; instead, she pouts that she was not chosen for the dragon parade, so her friends create a parade just for her. This did not bother me much at first, but when my husband read the book to our daughter for the first time, he was surprised. "This book teaches you that if you whine and feel sorry for yourself, you can get your way!" he told me. I tend to agree. Your young one may learn that pouting will make others feel sorry for her and give her what she wants. I don't think that's a lesson anyone wants to teach his or her child!

This book is a great example of how to novelize a TV episode. Unlike the Between the Lions book "Red Hat, Green Hat", this book follows the TV episode faithfully, scene per scene, from the point where Max and Emmy are still in the playroom to the point where they're leaving Dragon Land. The illustrations are faithful to the TV series.

Also on the illustration, these are some of the best I've ever seen. They looked like they're lifted directly from the TV series, and I'd believe that too if I didn't take a closer look at the pictures. They're all redone, and this time, with added shadow and highlights to bring out the extra depth in the images.

As for the story, the book's story remain true to the episode on TV. No changes were made and details added. There is the slight bit of the scenes after Max and Emmy returns to the playroom cut off at the end, but it's no big deal.

Overall, this is an excellent book. I give it 5 stars and two thumbs up.

If you and/or your kid enjoy watching Cassie, the smart, somewhat shy pink dragon on "Dragon Tales," then you're going to love this book!

This is a book release of a TV story by the same name. In it, Cassie wants to be in the Dragon Land Parade, but is terribly upset when some other dragons are picked instead. She first shrinks to a very small size, then cries. Fortunately, she meets a new friend and her spirits are soon looking up.

A great, touching story about experiencing disappointment and then solving your problem. Each page is fully and vibrantly illustrated in the style of the show. Enjoy!

This book was very simple and just long enough that my children did not lose interest in a drawn out tale. As usual, the characters work together to find a solution that makes everybody feel good, and it helps my children talk about their feelings and come up with solutions. I love Dragon Tales, and this book is no exception! I am very glad that I ordered it!

As a proud mother of a 2.5 year old "shrinking dragon", I really enjoyed reading this book with my daughter. She is shy and seems to relate to Cassie more than the other characters on the show. When she saw this book, I knew I would only be reading this book to her for some time to come! I truly believe it helps her with her own shyness as well. The repeating passages that she is familiar with from the show make her eyes light up. It is fun to have her read it to me because she remembers so much of what happens from page to page. A must for preschoolers!

I am from England and have bought all of Deric Longden's books there. I am surpries to find that they are all out of print here - he has an amazing way with words that left me laughing out loud. The tale of a small white kitten called Thermal (for reasons which I will not go into here) is one that as well being incredibly funny also has moments of sadness init as well. The books "Diana's story" and "Lost for words" are also not to be missed, although I can guarentee tears as well as laughter with these books.

American readers who enjoy authors such as Cleveland Armory are really deprived of the British author Derick Longden's classics. "The Cat Who Came In From the Cold" was the first of his books I read, but was able to read more only because I have a friend who orders them from the UK. Longden imparts personality and (imagined) dialogues and thoughts from his cats, which will have you chuckling and nodding in agreement with his knowledge of our feline favorites. GET HIS BOOKS!

I first picked up the audio version of "The Cat Who Came in From the Cold" from our library while preparing for a marathon car trip with my husband (not a man who thinks highly of cats) and sons (ages 23, 20 and 14). I was pretty skeptical that the male majority would really 'let' me listen to a book with a cute little kitten on the cover, but I added it to my stack anyway (it's good to be Queen!). After having had my fill of "Tom Clancy" and his friends, I plugged in "The Cat Who Came in From the Cold" and soon ALL of us were all laughing the miles away. On our return leg of our trip, all these big guys (and their mom AND DAD) wanted to hear the "Thermal" tapes again (listening to a story a second time through is unheard of around here!) Along with most of Deric Longden's other books, we now own our own set of tapes to share with family, and the book version (which my 14 year old son, who hates to read, read cover to cover in about a day). Cheeky Thermal is an oft quoted cat around here. It is also nice to find a book that appeals to everyone in the family without any objectionable material. This is just great, light-hearted fare.

I listened to this book on audio cassette while I cleaned my barn. It was so much fun to listen to, I cleaned more and more each day because I didn't want to turn off the tape. My barn is now immaculate, and I was sorry to come to the end of the story!

Having read Deric Longden's first five books (the others include Diana's Story, Lost For Words, I'm a Stranger Here Myself & Enough to Make a Cat Laugh), I can confidentally say that this is when the author is at his best. He delivers enough comedy (something to be expanded upon in subsequent books), but mixed with a subtle version of his own blend of tragedy (already established in previous books). Whilst many thought that his characterization of his mother's mental decline in Lost For Words was distasteful, I would think that even the harshest of critics would fail not to find the story of a lost kitten a least a little endearing.

Although it may be easy enough to dismiss this as simply a children's novel, I would say that, given enough suspension of disbelief & a little imagination, this can be a thoroughly enjoying read, and (cliche) a book that you will want to keep coming back to, time & again, even if only for some of the amusing anecdottes presented by Thermal.

Catseye is another book based in and around the Dipple slum settlement/camp, or whatever you want to call it. There are only a few options open to those that live here. In Judgement on Janus, the main character there chose one, the young man in this book chooses another, taking temporary jobs to try and get by.

He lands what is basically a pet shop job dealing with exotic animals, who turn out to be far more than they seem. This leads to a dog and his boy sort of escapades, or the other way around.

After reading just about anything science fiction put in front of me for years, I hate to admit that this is my first foray into Andre Norton's work. The characters and the world instantly start out feeling stable and developed so there doesn't have to be any long spots of backstory narrative. All the details fall right where they need to go so the reader doesn't have to do much work. It's like you open the cover and the adventure begins.

I very much enjoyed Troy's plight through a place that's not exactly friendly to his type and how he grew as a man throughout the story.

The action of several of Norton's science fiction novels have begun on Korwar, whose people deliberately chose to make the planet a playground for the rich and powerful of the galaxy. Ironically, this is the best possible protection for Korwar from the interstellar corporations represented by those same people - while they often plunder worlds for natural resources, they won't foul their own nest.

Despite their protection, however, Korwar isn't untouched. During the great war between the Council and Confederation governments (its aftermath appears in several books, such as DARK PIPER), the capital city of Tikil became the site of a refugee camp. After the war, those whose worlds were gone, whether destroyed or traded away at the peace table, had nowhere else to go, so the refugee camp became the Dipple, an unofficial 3rd face of Tikil making an ugly contrast to the expensive haunts of tourists or even the working city of the spaceport and warehouse district. The Dipple is a perennial problem, and CATSEYE follows Troy Horan, brought to this sterile warren as a youngster from the plains of Norden. There are only three options open to a Dipple-dweller: attempting to join the Thieves' Guild (as Ziantha of FORERUNNER FORAY escaped), signing on as indentured labor for a frontier world (as Niall of JUDGEMENT ON JANUS did), or scraping by without sub-citizenship by competing in the very tight casual labor market, as Horan does. Consequently, while the protagonists of FORERUNNER FORAY and JUDGEMENT ON JANUS also came from the Dipple, Troy Horan's story is the first to concentrate on Tikil and Korwar - the other tales leave the planet early in the story.

On the morning the story opens, Troy has incredible luck - the assigner has a job for someone with "knowledge of animals", and Troy's reply that he has that of a Norden herd rider lands him indefinite employment at Kyger's pet shop, which provides exotic pets as status symbols for the rich. Troy's initial worries about the decade separating him from any contact with animals aren't a problem - his initial work assignment to help retrieve some new acquisitions from the port lengthens when an attempted hijack en route puts a full-time Kyger employee temporarily out of action.

But why would anyone try to hijack a shipment of exotic animals bound for a life as pets - even as pets of the Gentle Fem San duk Var, rich and influential though she is? Delivering a fussel hawk and accompanying its first hunting expedition with a Ranger of Korwar (and giving us our first glimpse not only of Korwar's huge unspoiled nature preserves, but of the mysterious Forerunner ruins of Ruhkarv) leaves him with an impression that Korwar's guardians are taking an unusual interest in what is, after all, only a pet shop. After all, it's not *illegal* to convince credulous rich people that their little darlings can't survive without special diets, available from Kyger's. :)

Then the routine of delivering special pet food to a Sattor Commander's beloved kinkajou is disrupted by murder - and Troy covers the kinkajou's odd behavior with a plausible story for the police. He finds himself wondering just how intelligent these animals are - and whether he should ally himself with Kyger, who may provide a permanent escape from the Dipple, or with a certain cats-eye view of the world.

(Ruhkarv, and the disastrous fate of the last archeological team ever allowed in the place, are mentioned in some of Norton's other works - DREAD COMPANION mentions it in passing, while a Zacathan scholar in BROTHER TO SHADOWS attempts an experiment with a revised version of the device that brought final disaster to the Ruhkarv team - but CATSEYE provides more information about Ruhkarv than any other story to date.)

Catseye (1961) is a standalone SF novel in the Dipple universe. When the War of Two Sectors broke out, the Council had evacuated the Horans from Norden to the Displaced Persons center on Korwar. Range Master Lang had volunteered for military service and did not return. Then his wife died of the Cough, a passing illness that was particularly hard on those from Norden. Their son was the sole survivor of the Horan family.

In this novel, ten year later, Troy Horan has only his wide Range Master belt and a few memories to remind him of Norden. Now he is working as a casual laborer in Tikil. One morning, he is offered a job by the mechanical assigner and accepts it. Today he will escape the Dipple for a few hours.

Troy reports for work at Kyger's, a purveyor of extraordinary pets. On his first day, he frustrates an attempt to steal a pair of Terran cats. Supervisor Zul -- a full-blooded Bushman -- is wounded in the attempt and Kyger offers Troy a seven day contract to fill in for the injured man.

During the incident, Troy receives a warning in mindspeech from the cats. Later, he approaches their cage and exchanges a few thoughts. He conceals these communications from his employer and co-workers since he is not really sure what has happened.

Troy has an affinity for animals and does especially well with the fussel hawk, a hunting bird from Norden. He is asked to accompany a customer into the wild to prove the bird's qualities. He will spend three days in the company of Rerne, a high ranking member of the Hunter Clans.

Before this excursion, Troy is sent to a hillside villa to deliver special food for a pet kinkajou owned by Commander Varan Di. Since the Commander had just been murdered, the patrollers warn off his flitter, but allow him to continue after he explains his errand. As he is approaching the villa, the pet runs away from a patroller carrying it out of the building and leaps into Troy's arms.

The patrollers are upset at finding the pet rummaging through the Commander's papers. Troy points out that the kinkajou is a very imitative animal and his probably copying his master's habitual routine. While he is talking to the patrollers, the kinkajoy is pleading with him in mindspeech to take it away from the estate. Eventually, the patrollers tell him to return the pet to Kyger's shop and they fly away.

In this story, Troy finds that a pair of Terran foxes can also talk to him in mindspeech. He even overhears a conversation between the animals and their master. He begins to suspect Kyger of some form of espionage. Then Kyger is murdered and Zul tries to kill these animals. Troy steals a flitter and flees into the wilderness with the five Terran animals.

Troy and the animals are followed by Kyger's associates and the flitter is forced down in the 'accursed place' of Ruhkarv. Now they are hunted not only by Zul and his men, but also by the rangers of the Hunter Clans. They travel deep within the alien ruins and find much to fear therein.

This story is a precursor to the Beast Master series. Although Fors has mental communications with the great hunting cat Lura in Star Man's Son, this tale depicts a team of human and animals. Unlike Storm Hosteen's beastmaster team, however, Troy's group is more accidental than intentional. But it is still a combined force against their enemies.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of human-beast teamwork, future cultures, and high adventure.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I won't go too much into the plot, as another reviewer here has done so quite excellently. However, I want to point out that Catseye was published for the Young Adult market and so can be read by both children, young adults and adults. I originally read this novel as a child and it still remains one of my favourite Andre Norton books.

Far, far into mankind's future, when humankind has spread out into the stars from the original planet of Terra and encountered other races...Young Troy Horan is a refugee/displaced person due to war, living the shadow life of an unwanted, non-citizen in the Dipple camp. His world and past life has gone forever and he has no future. The elite and powerbrokers of the galaxy, gathered on the pleasure planet of Korwar, prefer to ignore the unpleasant truth of the Dipple under their noses.

One day, Troy has the unbelievable luck to secure some temporary day work in a luxury pet shop. While there, he stumbles on a mystery that could cost him his life, and he goes on the run with the special sentient luxury pets he has discovered he can communicate with in the petshop.

Who can Troy trust? He and his Terran animal friends hold a dangerous secret, and various interested and powerful parties now set off in pursuit of Troy and his friends as they escape into the highly protected nature wilderness that comprises most of Korwar, and finally into the mysterious, forbidden and sealed ruins of a previous race which existed on Korwar. The ruins are officially sealed for a reason - can the escapees survive their pursuers and what lurks within?

Language and content are appropriate for children/young adults. In addition, the writing and plot is at an extremely high level, appealing to adult readers as well. Some themes are environmentalism, power, war, refugees and animal rights. One of my favourite SF books still, as an adult reader. Also one for cat lovers.

Another classic story by author/artist Graham Oakley. The church mice books are his best, the artwork is priceless (and hilarious!). Check his other books out too. They are great.

I first came across this book when my daughters were very young. We checked it out of the library and read it over and over again. The inventive approach to getting things done by the mice must have inspired me because I conveniently lost the book, paid the library for it, found it and kept it. I'm so pleased to be able to get some of their other books now because I've looked for them for years without success. Now that I have a grandchild, he will need to hear these tales too.

I definately have to agree with the 5 star rating that other people are giving this book. It is quite complex. However I was reading them in grade 1 so how complex is that. I'm trying to remember exactly how the story goes because I read them like 13 years ago. Needless to say I love this series, my brother in-law is about my age and he remembers reading these books (Church Mice at Christmas was his very favorite). I've been searching for this series for a year now since my son was born because I would like to own the whole set so he can read them. Lastly if anyone at all knows where I can get these in hardcover I would greatly appreciate it! I wish they would reprint them. My brother in-law does, too. My email address is emeraldeire@hotmail.com

As a writer of children's book myself, I was enchanted when I found this book by Graham Oakley in a used book store. I had not read anything by him before. Now I am actively seeking his books. 'The Church Mice at Christmas' is the hilarious story of church mice who are inventing schemes to finance a Christmas party. The text is charming, but the pictures are fabulous. His attention to detail is equal to Graeme Base, author of 'The Eleventh Hour' and 'Animalia'. The pictures have so many bits of humor dabbed about, you have to look carefully or you might miss a real good laugh. This is truly a 10 stars book! It was published in 1980. Hopefully it will be printed again soon.

Young children like these stories, but older kids and adults get the most out of them. Most of the humour is in the fantastically detailed funny pictures, which clash delightfully with the serious-sounding text. This is my favourite of the Church Mice stories. Some wonderful scenes include the Mice raffling-off Sampson (the Church Cat) to raise money for their party, their hopeless attempts at carol-singing for the same purpose, and the burglar dressed as Santa (he has a bag on which he has crossed out "Swag" and written "presents"). Also look out for the bizarre Christmas window displays in town.

If you can't find them here, many of Graham Oakley's books are now in print through Amazon.co.uk

This is a book for re-reading over and over. Each time you look at it you find more wonderful detail. Church Mice are for life, not just for Christmas.