Adaptations Books

This is a timeless classic enjoyed again and again. Illustrations are great and the story capivates young & old audiences alike.

This audio book has no read along for kids, a big disappointment!

Paul Galdone's adaptation of The Gingerbread Buy is a wonderful version of the story. It is great for teachers and for families. I use it in my classroom every year with my first grade students.

This is one of the great books for parents to get for their kids bookshelves. I've really enjoy reading this book when I was kid. It's about a childless old couple who got lonely and the old woman decide to bake herself a gingerbread boy, who ran away once done and kept on running from and cow and a horse, but only to end up getting outsmarted and eaten by the fox. A great classic tale and racy read. You even found yourself running along the gingerbread boy as you read this book.

An old woman and an old man have no kids, so the old woman makes a gingerbread boy. When she opens the oven, the gingerbread boy jumps out and runs away. He gets chased by the old woman and old man, a cow, a horse, and some farmers out threshing. Eventually, a fox manages to catch the gingerbread boy through cunning, and the fox eats him up. Some kids may find the story quite scary, and may find the unhappy ending a bit disconcerting. But it's a classic tale and quite engaging. The book has about 1300 words.

Melodramatics from Lady Windermere. Mrs. Erlynne and Lord Windermere meeting but incomprehensibly deaf to the rumors about them. Yes, this is not Oscar Wilde's best play but, oh, the zingers he does get in, namely through Cecil Graham. Example: "Well, there's nothing in the world like the devotion of a married woman. It's a thing no married man knows anything about." Read it for the pithy lines.

I have always enjoyed all of Oscar Wilde's works, but this is not very good compared with the others, but none the less still worth reading. The characters were sort of dull, but the plot intresting which made up for it. I'd reccomend this to fans of Oscar Wilde, but if you have just discovered Wilde, skip this and start with either, "The picture of dorian gray" or "the importance of being Earnest".

I just wanted to say that i really love this play and that i highly suggest that everyone should read this funny and witty masterpiece. Lady Windermere is so naive but i liked the bit when she threatens to slap Mrs Erlynne across the face. That's what i call Girl Power!!

Anyway, i wanted to know if there are any notes to accompany this play. I need some notes that focus on the language of the play, social context, characters, etc.

I would be eternally grateful if anyone could help.

Oscar Wilde entirely dedicates this play to the exploration of the way a woman can be saved from destruction in this society of appearances. A woman was the victim of an imbroglio in the past and abandoned her daughter. This woman comes back and the daughter ignores her relation to her. She is brought back into societry by the daughter's husband who knows the truth but does not want his wife to know it. But there is some kind of malediction that flies over the heads of these women. The daughter nearly does the same mistake as her mother but she is saved by her mother who accepts to be tainted in her daughter's place. Bus Oscar Wilde must think there is some kind of reward for a good deed and all is well that ends well, and this play has a happy ending. In spite of all the melodramatic sentimentalese atmosphere, Oscar Wilde definitely explores in this play the great disadvantage of a woman in society. Men can do nearly all they want. Women are extremely limited and have to walk a very straight and narrow line. Oscar Wilde seems to be ahead of his time as for the fate of women: he seems to aspire for real equality for them, though he shows in all possible ways that this is impossible in his society.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

My first experience reading Oscar Wilde... and certainly not my last.

Wilde's sardonic wit and ineffable satire had me enchanted from page one. Wilde writes with devastatingly appealing witticisms, and with a style and cleverness matched by few other authors. It is said that he is one of the more oft-quoted authors in the English language, and I now understand why.

In addition to axioms and aphorisms of pure genius, the plot both captivates and surprises the reader. Lady Windermere discovers that her husband has been cheating on her, and a folly of misunderstandings and poor advice then unfolds; all the while satirizing society.

My 6 yr old daughter loves this book. In fact, we read it to her 1st grade class. The halograms are a big part of its charm.
The fairies' faces could be scary but none of the children felt that way.

This book has so many neat things about it. The story itself is great...my daughter is six, and she was caught up in it and just a tiny bit scared until she got to laugh at the end. The pages are thick quality paper with a very sturdy cover...this will last! The best part of all is the holograms of some of the fairies...even my 13 yr old son wanted the book just for those! An all round excellent book and worth every penny...buy it for anyone with kids!

I bought this book with myself in mind but my 7 1/2 year old son is enjoying it more that I am. Currently Scary Fairies is sitting on the coffee table and I have caught many of my so called "adult" friends becoming engross with the pictures. We have found that we discover new things in the pictures each time we open the book. If you enjoy busy picture books...this one is a keeper.

It is beautifully written like poetry. My daughter 6-1/2 loves it.....She found the halograms a bit "scary" at first but later loved looking at them. It became her favorite book overnight...

I got this book for my three-year-old son. The poem is interesting but he was more preoccupied with the book's holograms. This was a first time he had seen one and so he kept asking me to help him "find a hole to get in" it... and was pretty surprised to find nothing on the other side of the page. Bottom line, it is a fun book with beautiful illustrations. I would recommend it for any age.

This small work is an excellent introduction to Arabic calligraphy, especially for beginners. It contains numerous, but not comprehensive, illustrations of many styles and periods. Highly recommended for general information or for someone considering 'taking up' Arabic calligraphy.

This book is well thought out. Extremely informative. It has lots and lots of pictures. The best part is for those of us who are trying to teach ourselves Arabic Calligraphy, and are somewhat limited in reading Arabic. The author gives full details on the calligraphy along with dates, english translation, etc. There is no guess work, the author assumes you don't have any Arabic so, if you don't have an arabic teacher, this is the book. Informative, easy to read and full, full of detailed information, the author was very generous with pictures.

I know you will enjoy it.

Definitely a good buy.

This richly illustrated volume on Arabic calligraphy is truly a feast for the eyes. The book begins with a brief introduction on the evolution of the Arabic script from its pre-Islamic origins to its blossoming into the many calligraphic forms we see today. Examples of the script throughout its development are provided, from early Nabatean scripts to modern attempts at introducing capital letters. Particularly interesting is the letter from the prophet Muhammad to Mundar ibn Saui (the script used by Muhammad is a bit different than contemporary Arabic script). In the next section, each letter is individually given at least a two-page discourse on various calligraphic forms, the symbology associated with the letter, its current use, how the letter relates to the Qur'an, and pronunciation of the letter (e.g. the Arabic letter 'shin' is used as an abbreviation for path and to Sufi mystics 'shin' symbolizes personal destiny). The final section shows examples of texts, manuscripts, and other sources depicting the wide range of calligraphic styles. Examples include excerpts from Qur'ans, from medieval-era scientific treatises, from talismans, and from other sources dating from antiquity to the present. The glossary at the end of the book, though too brief, is quite helpful.

This book is more about the artistry that is inherent in the Arabic script rather than on teaching the reader how to write Arabic letters - and you don't need to know Arabic to fully appreciate the artistry. Khan's work will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in Islamic art, culture, or the Arabic language.

This is a really beautiful and informative book, a true collectable. Wish I had a first edition. If you love Annemarie Schimmel's books, you MUST buy this. It would be a great present for anyone interested in Arabic, and I haven't seen it in any of the Arabic bookstores.

I'm afraid I must start by saying I haven't read the English edition, but the Italian original. I approached it with high expectations, which were dashed.

Why did I find it disappointing? Perhaps I was expecting a bit more content; instead the book had the feel of a book thrown together to create a book. This is even more true of his companion volume, 'L'alfabeto ebreico'.

The illustrations seem too small to provide a useful guide to the caligrapher, and tend to concentrate - like to many books on Arabic calligraphy - on the illumination to the detriment of the calligraphy itself. The book also relies too heavily on Arabic typography, which isn't really the same as calligraphy, and which so often breaks the canons of calligraphy, with the result of seeming both ugly and hard to read.

I'd like to have know far more on the tradition of calligraphy and the calligraphers themselves; a more focused investigation of the styles used and how they've developed; a useful bibliography.

All in all, disappointing.

I'm familiar with four translations of the Mahabharata - those of C. Rajagopalachari, K. M. Ganguli, K. Subramaniam and J.A.B. van Buitenen. The first of these, that of C. Rajagopalachari (1951), contains, in its 326 pages (in my edition), a selection of over one hundred of the more interesting stories and episodes from the Mahabharata with interspersed comment.

Rajagopalachari's translation is a joy to read. The quality of his English style is on a par with that of the finest English writers, and his vivid and dynamic versions of these stories capture much of their humor and poignancy, and have a real vigor, sparkle, and human interest. Anyone approaching the Mahabharata for the first time could do worse than start with this wonderfully readable selection.

If all you want is a brief summery of the great epic, then this one will make do. But you will not have any idea of the depth, sweep, and glory of this awesome epic. Nor will you ever really get to know the amazing characters, since their thinking processes are hardly ever revealed--we just watch them act. And the action, especially the war, is quite synoptic, greatly omitting important reasons and details.

But worst of all is the author's repeated interruptions of the story with his pontificating and sermonizing, trying show that he really understands the story. I have read other Mahabharata accounts (with commentaries) which lead me to the conclusion that this author had little, and often an incorrect, understanding of Krishna (The Supreme Lord playing the role of a warrior), and his great devotees (demigods playing the roles of warriors).

In some places, the author had the audacity to sit in judgement on the Lord's (Krishna's) instructions, often implying, by his false mundane standard, that they are immoral or unethical. If you read Krishna Dharma's Mahabharata (over 900 pages, not much higher in price, and a million times better), you will come to realize how shallow and irreverent Rajagopalacari's froth-filled commentaries actually are.

Mr. Rajagopalachari was a politician by profession, not a holy man, so it is not surprising that he tried very hard to appear like the sage that he wasn't. His book appears very much like a body without blood--lifeless! You never really get to bond with the characters in them, for they remain distant and elusive.

This is the best book about Mahabharata that I have ever read. Rajaji gives a thrilling account of this classic. I cannot recommend it enough!!

Interspersed entirely through this excellent transalation of the epic are overt lessons in modern politics, group dynamics and diplomacy by the great master Rajaji himself; but he out does himself in elucidating the subtle homilies that make this epic so great.

This book was laid out, edited, and proofed rather poorly--it is rife with typographical errors, and its glossary is rather hit-or-miss. In addition, Rajagopalachari's translation is stilted, full of phrases that were unidiomatic even when this volume was first released in the 1950's. With its repetitions, odd constructions, and the like, it reads almost as an initial draft.

The translation is definitely not a great work of literature in its own right. However, the Mahabharata assuredly is; and Rajagopalachari's translation, though strange, does not dampen its impact as much as one might expect. He does manage to get across to the reader its essentials and, as others have said, its humor and poignancy. Be forewarned that the battle scenes at Kurukshetra do suffer somewhat. Though Rajagopalachari says he will not skip over the battle, long as it is, it seems he can't help himself; the fighting is described, but only factually, and in a very condensed style. That which must have taken hours on the battlefield is often compressed into a few sentences, and the narrative continuously jumps from scene to scene. In short, there is little sense of being present in the midst of the death and destruction. In addition, Rajagopalachari's editorializing is interesting but does make the chapters seem a bit like school lessons at times. This, however, should be no surprise, considering that this Mahabharata was the first publication of Bhavan's Book University.

When all is said and done, this is not a perfect translation, but it is eminently serviceable and has a charm all its own. I might suggest picking up both this and another translation, as the Mahabharata is so rich and detailed (and long!) that what one version lacks another stands a good chance of having.

The first time I read this my 3-year-old niece slammed it shut in fury. The next time I had to read it again, and again, and again . . . . . Jon Sciezka and Dan Adel you are a couple of lunatics but man she loves that book!
Even now, at 11, it gets taken out.

I agree with the reader who said it's for parents, not necessarily their children. The illustrations are astonishing and darkly humorous, but really too cynical for the very young children it is marketed for. Adults: read and enjoy. I haven't met a child yet who didn't put it down almost immediately.

This book starts a complete and utter 'gigglefest' at my house every time it's read (which is quite often!), we discovered it from the library and now it's a favorite gift item for all the children that we know. The characters and illustrations are great, and my 5 year old son just loves seeing these well known characters (from other stories) present in this fun book.

I'm a student teacher and I have used this book in the class I'm with and they love it! The words are powerful and have a very interesitng rhyming pattern. Each page has a new line, that explains the page before.

What I like best about this books is how is repeats itself over and over. The kids love it. Towards the end of the book, they were saying it along with me.

The illustraions are INCREDIBLE!!!

If you're a teacher, I highly suggest you get this book. If you're a parent, I highly suggest you buy this book. You won't be sorry.

This book has been a favorite of my 6 year old son since he was 3 or so. For quite a while, it was almost an every evening affair. Now that he's older, he is starting to realize pieces are taken from other stories, and the wonderful circular silliness really appeals to him. Finally, it's a wonderful book to read aloud, playing games with rhythm and speed. Few of his books have held his interest for so long and continue to delight him. How much more do you want in a children's book?

A true sequel to the marvelous Vanished Child. Though I enjoyed Knowledge of Water perhaps more than some of the other readers writing here, this third volume is much, much better. Don't stop here whatever you do, Sarah -- when can I expect a fourth volume?

Having read Sarah Smith's first two novels, I could hardly wait to read the third -- reportedly final installment of a trilogy. Like the second, this novel contains an involving new story as well as gripping developments in the ongoing saga of Alexander Reisden and Perdita Halley -- and my only objection is, I can't believe this is the final novel of the series! Without giving away the plot of this book, I have to say it strikes me as being set up for another sequel. And it's only fair to point out to future readers that, while this book is set in 1911, Smith earlier reported that she intended the final novel of the trilogy to be set in 1914 -- World War I. I'm still waiting for that novel! -- A Passionate Fan, Kirsten Russell

Having now finished Sarah Smith's Vanished Child Trilogy, I can conclude that the sequel is rarely ever as good as the original.

While Vanished Child thrilled, and Knowledge of Water disappointed, A Citizen of the Country strives to bring readers once again into the dark clouds that hang over Alexander Von Reisden since he was recognized and proven to be the missing Richard Knight, who vanished at the age of 8 on the night his grandfather was murdered; himself being the killer.

But this time around, Reisden and wife Perdita are parents to a happy, healthy boy. However, Reisden and Perdita are far from happy themselves. Reisden mistrusts his nearly blind wife to care properly for their son; Perdita strives to understand why Reisden has distanced himself from Gilbert Knight, a surviving Uncle of Richard's, who can end the financial woes of Jouvet, the psychiatric facility that Reisden owns, nearly destroyed in the Paris flood described in The Knowledge of Water.

Enter Maurice Cyron, who holds the key to delivering a Government contract to Jouvet that will ensure its financial well-being for years to come. Cyron charges Reisden to complete a task begun long ago at Jouvet, to help put to rest the demons of his adopted son, Andre, a friend of Reisden's youth.

Andre, the unbalanced host of alter-ego Necrosar, writes dark, murderous plays for a 'Theater of Horror' in Paris. Being shut in with his dead parents for days when just a young boy seems to have permanently unhinged Andre, though he has married a beautiful young woman, Sabine, who obsesses with bearing a child for Necrosar, whom she worships, herself a witch.

Andre and Cyron bring Reisden and company to Montfort, Andre's ancestral home, to film a treatment of Macbeth, a la Necrosar, complete with the beheading of the heroine, played by Sabine, by guillotine, as the culmination of the film. But amidst all the make-believe death and gore, real bodies begin to turn up, and a mystery unfolds. Reisden and his friend Jules are blackmailed to uncover the 'secret of Montfort'...Jules' sister Ruthie uncovers Sabine's secret, and a witch's poison, which nearly claims her life. Tunnels below Montfort itself are found to be far more than just a challenging labyrinth, and Reisden is forced to overcome his owns demons about committing murder in order to help solve the mystery surrounding the death of one of the principal characters, lest an innocent person suffer the same fate.

Sound good? Technically it is...Smith delivers dark, gloomy prose, of the same ilk as Vanished Child. Citizen is far superior to Knowledge of Water, in the respect that, like Vanished Child, there was a central plot that the other sub-plots fed from, and that affected them all. The 'secret of Montfort', while not quite as exciting as I had hoped, feeds into all other plot-lines, like a body of water feeding tributaries. Many demons are laid to rest by the end of the story, which is one of its strengths, a 'satisfying' conclusion for several of the story threads.

But where the novel fails to live up to the original is a lack of excitement when the 'secret' is finally revealed. The so-called 'secret' of Montfort is lackluster at best, and really not enough to keep perpetuating its mention time and again as a plot line. Further, Smith shoots herself in the foot by foreshadowing the death of one of the principals in the story, so that when the event takes place, it is expected, and therefore not much of a shock. While the first novel held my interest until the end to find out 'the truth', this novel does not deliver the same satisfaction. A contrived 'resolution' (from the characters of the novel) does not really answer one of the major questions of the story; the identity of the person who commits the 'shocking' murder. It seems as though Smith, in the hopes of a resolution for all the characters involved, left out a resolution for the reader.

That said, I do recommend reading this book if you have already read the other two. Without having them as a background, many things here will not make much sense to a reader, and although the story can be read autonomously, a foundation of the first two parts of this trilogy only adds to the overall read.

I sincerely hope that Smith will revisit the characters, and expand this trilogy into something larger. She is a capable writer, with a talent for creating a hazy, gloomy setting, and painting equally despairing characters to populate that setting.

Sarah Smith has once again wriiten a beautifully intricate novel. Her third, it is definately not to be missed. In this carefully crafted novel, she once again deeply explores each of her charecters; their hidden motivations, secrets, mental standing and fears. In essense, she brings her charecters to life by making a 3-d copy of who they are and why- a DNA of personalities.

Alexander von Reisden returns in this book, along with Perdita, the blind pianist. To reveal the plot would not only be sinful but almost impossible to do. The only way to know and understand the plot is to read the book.

Although it is possible to read this excellent book without reading the first two, it would be a tragedy to miss the Vanished Child and the Knowledge of Water.

A Citizen of the Country succeeded where The Knowledge of Water failed, in that it was truly worthy of being called a sequel to the tremendous opening book, The Vanished Child. While typically complex, the mystery plot here was at least understandable. But, as always, the key to these novels is the human plot introduced in the Vanished Child, and the denouement of that plot here was just fantastic; it was truly a payoff for people who have read all the books in the trilogy. Hopefully, the author will reconsider her decision to make this only a trilogy, and write one more episode set during World War One. The ending of this book certainly sets up the possibility of such a sequel. All in all, this was a great read, and anyone who may have been slightly turned off of this series by The Knowledge of Water should definitely give this book a try.

This is an exceptional documentary analysis of what goes on in the making of a film. The author, Julie Salamon, was given the opportunity to follow Brian De Palma for the total duration of a very difficult film project, Bonfire of the Vanities, the remake of the famous Tom Wolfe novel. It is an exceptional replay of everything that happened from original purchase of the rights to the novel, to the publicity and reviews of the famous movie, to the ultimate collapse at the box office. One only wonders how this book would have read had the movie been a success.

While I really enjoyed this book, I would not recommend this book to anyone that does not have an intense interest in Hollywood and the making of movies. Excessive time is spent poring over the roles of line producers, second unit directors and production assistants. The book gives you a great understanding not just of the stars but also what it takes to break into the business and what the career path can be. Particularly as it relates to De Palma's assistant looking for an assistant producer credit and the second unit director looking to break out and become a director of his own films. In addition, it does touch on the stars, both actors and director, and how their idiosyncrasies shape the movie and its making.

This is not a short book. So if you are looking for an exciting page turner, this is not for you. You will spend many pages following the tale of obtaining rights to shoot at certain locations, tales of screen tests of local judges, and boycotts and publicity by Bronx politicians.

Overall, this controversial book detailing separation of the haves and have-nots of the 80s becomes an even more controversial movie with screw-ups in producing of the movie and casting of the roles. But if you want to know what Hollywood is really like and not what just is on the screen, this is the book. You will learn why making movies is so personality driven. For the movie fans, Tom Hanks comes off as the incredible good guy he appears to be. Melanie Griffith and Bruce Willis are not so lucky. But maybe the most interesting personal portrayal is of De Palma. A creature of the 70's decade of the auteur, his portrayal is of a troubled genius that struggles with communication skills.

I strongly recommend this book if you have a detailed interest in the business of film. If not, take a pass as it will be too detailed.

First rate account of the making of Brian De Palma's Bonfire of the Vanities. Salamon, at the time a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, received what appears to have been total access to director De Palma, the actors, costume designers, cameramen, and practically everyone else involved in the making of the movie. The level of detail may be too much for someone looking for a quick account of what went wrong in the making of this film, but I found it all fascinating. The only other book I know of that provides a comparably detailed inside look at the making of a movie is Lillian Ross's Picture, which was an account of the making of John Huston's Red Badge of Courage in 1951. A fair amount has changed in movie making since this book was written. For instance, Salamon devotes considerable time to following the second unit director as he attempts to set up some difficult shots, one involving the landing of a Concorde jet at sunset. These days, I imagine most movie goers would assume such a shot was actually cgi. I read the Da Capo Press 2002 reprint. (Interesingly, the subtitle of the book changed from "The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood" to "The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco." Probably an indication that this film had been largely forgotten by 2002.) The reprint edition has an afterword that briefly discusses the reception of the book -- Bruce Willis was livid -- and the impact of the film on the careers of De Palma and the other people who are the focus of the book. Unfortunately, the photos from the first edition are not reproduced and the quality of the printing is a little off. Whatever reproduction technique was used imparted a bit of waviness to many of the lines of text.

If you are like me and you like books on the business of Hollywood you will love this one. I do not like books by Hollywood "insiders". They tend to write the books for nothing more than to pump themselves up and trash actors/studios, however books by journalists tend to be more even handed. Hit and Run is probably the best book on Hollywood ever written, The Devil's Cany is now second. What makes this book great is that it explains what the jobs of certain people are. For instance I didn't know what a second unit director was till I read this. Not to mention that the story about the adaptation of Bonfire of the Vanities makes for a great tale.

The Devil's Candy is the story of the making of The Bonfire of the Vanities. It is the best (and possible only) book in recent times to describe how a movie is made, in depth, from inception to casting to production to editing to screenings and focus groups through release and box office.

The subtitle, "The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco" is misleading. This is not a book that analyses why a movie production went wrong. It is a journalistic look at how a movie is made, any movie, and this book uses the example of the Bonfire of the Vanities because that happened to be the production Julie Salamon was invited to observe from beginning to end. Tellingly, the original version of the book was subtitled instead "Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood" and the new subtitle was obviously added for the paperback version to try to pump up sales.

Most of the other reviews have said this book is for industry insiders, but it isn't. For insiders, there is nothing new here. This book is for people on the outside who want to know how the movie industry works. And what we learn is that for all the glamour, movie production is mostly meetings and sitting around sets doing endless takes of scenes that eventually get cut.

Assuming you're interested in learning how Hollywood works, from the endless scouting of locations to who is responsible for carrying the director's thermos of coffee, you will be educated. This book, at more than 400 pages, goes into gory detail, from just about everyone's point of view, from the director to costume manager. It's written as you would expect from a journalist on the banking desk at the Wall Street Journal (before she became the movie critic) - straightforward, inclusive, and accurate, not the breathless style with plenty of italics and exclamation points characteristic of showbiz books. But it is also the weakness of the book. There is too much detail that isn't important, too much describing the color of every carpet in every room visited, what kind of shoes everyone wears, and who is holding De Palma's coffee thermos at at every moment, too many people's points of view to keep the narrative flowing.

Overall, if you're looking for a juicy, fast flowing story about Hollywood disaster, you will be entirely disappointed. However, if you want a textbook on how a movie gets made, want to learn how Hollywood really works, this is *the* book.

Julie Salamon was lucky enough to get in at the beginning of what was anticipated to be a great film, and turned out to be one of the biggest critical and financial failures for Warner Bros. The book Bonfire of the Vanities was so popular and written in such a style that taking on the task of adapting it to film was a true challenge and doomed to fail. And fail it did. Salamon also gives a background of the steps it takes to get a picture made from buying the rights of the book to marketing the finished picture. She details the different roles of the movie set, answering the age-old question, "What does a grip do?". You gather a great understanding of how difficult it is to make a picture by studio standards and how the hierarchy on the set works. Fascinating insight from an outsider let into the circus of making a major motion picture. Brian De Palma must curse the day he agreed to let her chronicle the journey.
Also, I have to recommend reading Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities. You can understand why he wanted no part of making the film adaptaton of his infamous book.

Dickson has developed a series of books that allows the reader of today to say what if...? This unique viewpoint allows for the writer to put a 21st century spin on a classic fantasy novel. Characters are real in a fatastic world. This particular book puts Jim the Dragon Knight in the world of King Arthur.

An enjoyable read.

I mean, dont get me wrong, I liked the book but you eventually have to get tired of the same thing with the "dark powers" and Jim(main character) finding a way out of the situation, I just hope in the next book that something big will happen like new characters or old characters dieing, I hope Gordon R. Dickson sees this....

Each book in the Dragon Knight series is pretty decent by itself, and I've enjoyed every single one of them, but in my opinion, the series needs some rejuvenation...

Time after time, has the Baron James been discovering through someone that the Dark Powers once again 'interfere' amok, and time after time has James been finding some miraculous solution. I have no problems with this as a basis for each book, it's just that it has been written the same way each time, perhaps with a few new characters and some backdrops. The highlights of the series, aside from the first book, have been where Jim has been doing something unusual with magick, fighting a battle, or existing as a dragon.

In my opinion, an expansion of these highlights in the next book would be welcome. Perhaps about the formation of a treaty between England and the local dragons...humans with other opinions building one force, and even dragons who do not wish to be involved with 'georges' forming their own group. This would call for James to switch in and out of dragon form alot, and for, perhaps, an emergence of the mere dragons, lead by Secoh!

Oh, well...we'll see what comes up.

Awaiting the next book,

Hypogryph

This is a new adventure that differs greatly from the rest in the series. Even if you have disliked the rest of the series you will surely enjoy this one. The dragon knight returns to Lyonesse but has a completely different battle at hand. What makes this book so exciting is the involvement of the real knights of old like Pellinor, Galahad, and more. This excellent book involves Jim, Daffyd, Brian, and Hob of the main characters but even better is the involment from the Arthurian knights. The story goes that Jim has once again become involved in a battle with the dark powers. The difference is that the dark powers have also recruted some of those from the Arthurian legend. This book is sure to please any who has read this far into the series and even those who just want to read this single book. Dickson has written a standout book in his famous series and this is deffinatly it.

A lot of people seem to have some problem with this book, but frankly, I thought it was a change of pace. Jim is still utterly himself, but he's starting to get comfortable with who and what he is. He came in contact with the greatest knights of all time, and held his own by doing things on his own terms. What I'm looking forward to is how he handles the greatest challenge of all - fatherhood. I can't wait to see how Dickson has his dragon knight cope with being "Daddy" to his adopted mideveil son. I'm sure both author and character will rise to the occaision.

Predictable surprises -- and a few unpredictable ones -- inhabit this volume, a single long poem loosely based on the illustrations of Henry Darger. There are chuckleworthy phrases that rattle about the brain with a happy insouciance for several days after one has read the thing. "The oxymoron gets his rocks off" and "pink shrouds fell on the pansy jamboree." And we like going for the ride, even if we get a little dizzy and a little seasick. The "androgynous truths" bubble perkily to the surface, in a verbal universe where what matters matters as much as what doesn't matter. We know a few of the magician's tricks, but there are always a few swerves and slides which we can't anticipate. The honey drips from a blighted bough -- or is it a bright and sprightly bough? -- and the housepets lap the gruel in their gaily-coloured bowls, and the narrator stands back and lets it all happen. As with anything by Ashbery, there are unwholesome things and things from which the reader runs away, but we marvel at the ingenuity nonetheless.

I, too, have always admired but never been bowled over by John Ashberry's work. With this work I am convinced he is our greatest American poet. Since I am familiar with Henry Darger's pictures and style, Ashberry's imagery seems natural even as it is surreal. The two share an aesthetic of using common cultural artifacts and twisting them so that even though you're staring right at them, you no longer recognize what you're seeing. It is a dream language, and Ashberry has never been so adept at navigating that territory. The poetry, like Darger's paintings, mix the pastoral and the apocalyptic, the innocent and the decadent with such unsettling virtuostic ease that you're not sure which is which. If I had to pick a poetry to compare it to, I might pick Blake--both for the lyric sweetness and hinted threats of "Innocence and Experience," and the cultural commentary/prophecy of his later, longer work. If, like me, your experience with Ashberry's work has left you shrugging, this os the place to start. I don't read much poetry anymore--this will reaffirm your faith in it.

This is the very favorite book that I read. It has an author by John Ashbery. It is real poetry. I wanted to read it 2x before I read it. It is good for the beach reading (date: June 18). Please bring a dictionary to look up the different words. Who are the girls (names)? I took this book to everywhere I was going one day and finished that book in 3 days after going 19 places. Please read this enjoyable imagination.

I picked this up on impulse. I'm interested in the work of Henry J. Darger. But I was not taken by this book at all. Ashbery flows a lot of beautiful verbiage together. But it's incomprehensible at a first reading and I'm not going to spend more time trying to root anything out of it. It seems like a lot of surrealist automatic writing. There were occasional images that would surface in an appealing way like, "count the dogs as furniture as otherwise there will be no chairs," but few of the images recurred enough to give any sense of narrative or unifying theme. I bet Darger's naive literature is a lot more fascinating than this.

Words very good, yes. Ashbery writes best good book. Yes, buy it, good, yes.