Short Stories Books

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Short Stories Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

A Cowboy Never Lies 2

Published in Paperback by New West Press (1999-02-15)

Author: Dan Burnett

List price: $12.95

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Average review score:

Double the Fun!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-07

A Cowboy Never Lies was a hysterical first effort and now Dan Burnett has penned the second volume of short stories: A Cowboy Never Lies 2.

This is a great book and just as funny as the first, if you can imagine that. Kudos to Mr. Burnett for publishing two winners in a row!

A Rokit-Signrests Cowboy Review

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-16

Hoss reminds me of the crazy cowboys I dealt with in the mid-60s working out of White Deer, Texas. I strapped Old Billy B. on many snot slinging cowboy killing mad North Texas bulls. Dan Burton is a world-class story teller of the first order. The pranks and antics that he tells about brought long ago not forgotten memories. I really think both books I & II are first class. I have recommended them to all of my remaining friends. Thank You Dan Burton, you have given me lots of laughs and pleasure.

Knee Slappin Good

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-12

I didn't think he could top "A Cowboy Never Lies" but I was wrong. And I didn't think it would get in the way of my yard work, but it did. My wife couldn't wait for me to put it down. But then I found out why. She picked it up. Good work cowboy. How about volume III now.

Knee Slappin Good

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-12

" Is this guy for real?"

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-07-03

Just when I thought I'd heard about everything, this man is one of kind. I not only have read his incredible adventures, but met the man for real. He is all he says and more. Don't pass a chance to read his books, and if he crosses your path, you will walk away laughing and wanting to hear more.

Crazy Weather

Published in Paperback by University of Nebraska Press (1994-02-28)

Author: Charles L. McNichols

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Average review score:

An undiscovered classic

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-06

This little-known book is, IMHO, one of the greatest books ever written. Reading it as a boy, I was puzzled by how it made everything seem so real in so few words - everything in it seems to have a life off-camera that we had just glimpsed part of.

Tale of Two Worlds

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-18

I've decided to write reviews of the books that not only caught my attention early on, but lived in my memory all of these years, words and phrases coming unbidden to mind occasionally from a literary experience far removed but not forgotten - a spirit residing within your own as an old friend. This book was one that probably never got the acclaim it deserved, although I never spoke with anyone who didn't like it. If your culture or experiences spring from a youth originating in the West or Southwest, you will be enchanted with it because you will recognize parts of it as your own.

This is the "long hot summer" story of two boys, friends since infancy, South Boy, a white youth, son of an Arizona rancher, and Havek, a Mojave Indian boy - whose intertwined trails to maturity took one last summer to complete for them.

During the course of the summer,it takes you through the complex and oftentimes uneasy coexistence between white and indian culture; and the coexistence between the "cultured white" and the "earthy ranch people" is equally tenuous. In the words of the long haired outlaw foreman that ran the ranch for South Boy's father during one of South Boy's Learning Sessions: "Don't put no stock in those wild ideas of you mother's. She's a Lady. Naturally, she's ignorant!"

The adventure begins with the rising thermometer and a youth sleeping in the shade of the grape arbor - he makes his way to the river under the blazing summer sun, goes to sleep on an overhanging limb with the muddy water flowing beneath him; and there Havek finds him "with a dream on his face". Havek is aspiring to become a "great person", is of an age to take a better name for himself in the Mohave tradition; and reads into South Boy's slumber something South Boy is reluctant to dissuade him from for appearances sake, so he agrees to travel "name taking" with him.

They spend one last glorious summer together as adolescents blundering through the Arizona mesquite and greasewood, in a variety of scenarios, some curiously noble, some ill-conceived and dangerous - before the final departing from the comfortable innocence of childhood, where a friend is a friend regardless of anything else; and moving into the complex world of the adult where nevermore will their friendship be as simple as it was on the banks of the slow-flowing, muddy river that day. It is evident in a very poignant scene as they are returning home after the adventure of death, rituals, ignorance, survival, all stunningly woven by Mr. McNichols into a tale spawned from the living of some of it, you can tell. The mesa is awash in rain water dropped by a violent storm after a long draught; South Boy suddenly applies the teachings of the "Foreman" to his immediate reality and comes up with the idea that he can make a lot of money putting weak, cheap cattle on it. Havek, on the other hand, is on his way home to celebrate his new name with his people, and "financial gain" is of absolutely no interest to him - and there they go their separate ways, each to the world he springs from, the same physical world, but in all other ways as different as the ideals and teaching that shaped them.

One feels a certain sadness that it should be so and most of us probably secretly wish that we could reside in our youth forever, never growing up.

Good forever

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-03-04

McNichols crisp writing, detailed knowledge of Mojave Indian and Colorado Desert ranching, and realistic plot make this a genuinely timeless work., My tattered copy was given to me 45 years ago by the writer Madge Harrah. Every half decade or so I dig it out and read it again. It taught me to write and, in a way, was a model for my North Of Nowhere. Bravo Charles!

Deep Like The River

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-20

South Boy goes with his friend Havek on a Mojave name-quest. It sounds simple -- but under the surface is a breath-taking wealth of experience, mythology and understanding of the many personalities in one person, or one horse, or one culture. Every sentence of this book is laden with knowledge of its time and place. Even the mention of the "little yellow catfish," about which no more is said than that they "make good eating," reflects the fact that in this period the US Government seeded the Colorado river with the Yellow Catfish, a transplant from Texas. This is the key to the book -- that everything is in flux, as two cultures melt together, and new ways try to live with old ways. The ending seems to be a conclusion -- until you realize that it's only one more step to escape from final decisions. The book begins a long way before the first sentence -- and would finish a long way after the last. Dreams and visions reverberate through the telling, and Great Things are done.

Informative, and a good story too

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-12

Having recently moved to Mohave County in Arizona (not far from the Colorado River), I was interested in reading "Crazy Weather" to get a little of the "flavor" of the area, and to learn something about the Mojave Indian culture as well. The book lived up to my hopes in both of those respects, but what surprised me was how absorbed I became in the story itself. On one level, it's a simple adventure story involving South Boy (who's actually white but was partially raised by Mojaves and was given that name by them) and his best friend Havec (a Mojave) as they travel up the Colorado River into Piute territory --- and in some places it almost reminded me of Huck Finn travelling along the Mississippi with the runaway slave, Jim, and meeting an assortment of characters along the way. On another level, though, it's really about the challenges of truly understanding another culture and way of thinking --- and in the end the pull of their respective societies is too strong and the two friends inevitably have to part and follow their separate destinies.

The author seems quite knowledgable about Mojave culture and history, as I've confirmed from subsequent readings on the subject. If you're interested in the American Southwest, the Colorado River, native American cultures, or just a good story, I think you'll enjoy this book.

A Crown in the Stars (Thorndike Press Large Print Christian Historical Fiction)

Published in Hardcover by Thorndike Press (2007-10-17)

Author: Kacy Barnett-Gramckow

List price: $28.95

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Average review score:

Short review but a good book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-09

As both an author and reader of fiction, I was impressed with "A Crown in the Stars". Maybe it is because I have always enjoyed a book that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time. In a nutshell, the characters are believable and yet a little out of the ordinary and the story line unique. Give this book a try.
The Christian fiction book that I have written main story line is about ten years in the life of a little girl who was "chosen by God" to be the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ.
Tommy Taylor
Author - The Second Virgin Birth

The Cycle Is Complete

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-02

A CROWN IN THE STARS is the final chapter in the beautifully written Genesis Trilogy. The book takes place just a few years after the previous book, HE WHO LIFTS THE SKIES, left off. The younger generations are aging faster and Karen and Zekaryah's youngest daughter, Shoshannah has grown into a young women full of beauty. She looks much like her mother and shares her faith in the Most High. However, her parents have sheltered her from much of their past troubles in the Great City. Shoshannah knows that her parents have enemies, but she cannot comprehend the depths they will go to seek revenge. While visiting relatives, Shoshannah is taken to the Great City. Mistaken for her mother she is captured and brought before the Queen, Sharah, her aunt. Sharah and the rest of the city's ruling class learn that Shoshannah isn't who they believed her to be, but decide to use her in their own scheming and conniving plots. Meanwhile, Shoshannah's betrothed, Kaleb, discovers what has happened to her and enters the Great City with his brother to enlist as guards so that they can watch over her. The people of the Great City haven't forgotten Nimr-Rada. His death has turned him into a martyr and the building of the Tower continues. Things look bleak for Shoshannah, but the Earth is stirring with winds of change. The Most High has not forgotten his people and he will respond to their rebellion.

Like the previous two books in the trilogy, A CROWN IN THE STARS is eloquently written. It is full of vivid images and wonderful characters. The story that Kacy Barnett-Gramckow began in THE HEAVENS BEFORE reaches its conclusion here. She holds nothing back. A person could read this book without having read the previous two books of the trilogy, but it helps to have read those books before reading this. Also, whereas the first book was more of a straight romance and the second was more suspenseful, A CROWN IN THE STARS finds balance between the two. Any Christian who likes a good story could enjoy reading A CROWN IN THE STARS.

interesting reading

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-24

This whole trilogy was well-written and interesting. It's neat to think about how the story worked in between the parts the Bible reports. They are a fast read, but the names are somewhat difficult.

Wonderful, but not as much as the other two books

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-02

Once again, Barnett-Gramckow gives us an excellect narrative of the origins of the Hebrew nation. This book finishes the story of the Tower of Babel and it's results.

But I'm sorry to say it's not quite as interesting as the first book of the three. I felt like I didn't get to know Shoshannah very well, nor did she really do anything terribly interesting or exciting during her captivity in the Great City. But considering how we know little about the customs or people of the time, the author did a lovely job. But the ending is exciting, though! It ends the trilogy on a great note with the events of, the confusion of languages the scattering of nations, and the 'passing the torch' on to Abram.

I only wish I knew 2 things---where Ra-Anan's tribe ended up, and what those mysterious sunstones were! lol

A fascinating telling of the Tower of Babel

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-01

A Crown in the Stars picks up where He Who Lifts the Sky left off. Shoshannah, the daughter of Karen and Zekaryah, has grown up with belief of her parents in the Most High God and loves to hear the stories I'ma-Annah tells her of before and during the Great Flood. However, she was unaware of the enemies her mother made years earlier when Karen was involved in the death of Great King Nimr-Rada.

When Shoshannah goes to visit relatives, leaving behind Kaleb, the man she plans to be betrothed to, Karen finally warns her daughter of the danger of going to the Great City. Both Karen's sister, Sharah, and brother, Ra-Anan, would like nothing better than to kill Karen. Nevertheless, events force Shoshannah to go through the Great City and her cruel relatives take her captive.

A Crown in the Stars is a bittersweet finish to an excellent trilogy. It was very sad to see the falls of mankind, first with the Flood and then the Tower of Babel, through the eyes of the three women: Annah, Karen, and Shoshannah. Each of their stories were beautifully written and seemed so realistic.

The Curious Accounts of the Imaginary Friend

Published in Paperback by Virtual Tales (2007-10-26)

Author: P.S. Gifford

List price: $14.95

New price: $14.95

Average review score:

Master of the U turn

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-11

This first offering from this rising star, has the thrill built into every story, and has made me a new collector of anything P.S.Gifford wants to write.
When it comes to understand what scares a reader, and where the reader wants to be after that scare, Mr. Gifford has no equal.

This book now has a place of honor in my liberary and I have made room for the next.

If you like a great campfire tale, you need this book.

Roger Haller
CEO of Cowboy logic Press.Diamonds in Time

The Curious Accounts of the Imaginary Friend

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-07

As a collector of first editon crime and horror books, this one rates among the top of the list. This new writer is at the infant stage of a budding career that has no end. He is full of imagination, therefore the title fits the contents perfectly. It is rare for me to review a book, but in this case it is a must. My congratulations for a job well done and my best wishes to you and your career. Your book sits amongst several thousand books in my library. A terrific read.

Warped and Witty

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-30

P.S. Gifford brings a breath of fresh air to horror with suspense, adventure, gore, and knee slapping laughter. Brilliantly written! Be on the lookout for this author in the future, and know you were here for the beginning.

All my best to Paul,,,,,,,,,,,,,Kimberly Raiser

A Darkly Entertaining Read

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-19

PS Gifford's collection of short stories quickly grabbed hold of my attention and didn't let go until I had finished the book. He does this with a strong and engaging narrative style that flows in a natural manner. He writes the way his characters would speak. He also has a flare for good descriptive passages and creating tension/suspense in his tales. Although he doesn't use it excessively Gifford has a definte knack for the macabre/gore and uses it effectively in his stories.

The use of 'The Imaginary Friend' to introduce and follow each story is a clever way to loosely connect all the stories. In some ways it reminded me of Tales From The Crypt and Twilight Zone. But Gifford's style and tales are uniquely his own.

If you like clever, well-written Horror then check out this book. Definetly an author worth the time and money.

Classic Old School Horror Stories

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-31

I first discovered P.S Gifford's work a few years ago and was amazed at the time as to his wonderfully fertile imagination and perpensity for adding the most glorious twists to his tales.
In the years that followed, his tales continued to deliver that lovely old school style of horror. Not your "gore and guts, swearing every second word" type horror that is so fashionable these days, but charmingly atmospheric tales, filled with weird and wonderful characters in situations that often imply the horror rather than shove it down our throat. Often with twists that will leave you speechless.
Now, for the first time, Mr Gifford has collected many of his best tales into this top notch compendium that reads like an episode of shows like The Twilight Zone or Tales From The Crypt, the cleverly interwoven narrative of the Imaginary Friend, binding the whole thing together.
For fans of old school horror, i can't recommend this book enough.
Well done Mr Gifford. I can't wait for Part 2!

Daddy's Girls

Published in Paperback by Xlibris Corporation (2000-11-17)

Author: Suzanne Gold

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Average review score:

Understanding Abnormal Behavior

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-14

I was impressed by how the author gave me a feeling that I was a fly on the wall. I could really understand how the characters felt. I think the book would be an excellent textbook in a psychology or similar course as a reading on abnormal behavior. The short, chronological style and the interactive dialogue approach was effective.

An important book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-09

This is an amazing book about heavenly intervention, terrible circumstance, and what can flower through the combination. It's a powerful, disturbing and inspiring autobiographical novel by a remarkable writer that explores territory most of us have never experienced. It made me sad, shocked, hopeful-- the full gamut of emotion-- drew me in, opened my heart, and changed my perspective about mental illness, family relationships and the meaning of life. It`s entertaining and a compelling page-turner, and it helped me to survive a dysfunctional family. It also helped my spirit learn to adapt and grow through difficult situations. What more can a reader ask?

a fascinating inside peek

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-01

It takes a lot of courage to write a book like this, where the hearts and feelings and egos of the characters are relentlessly exposed and the reader is listening to their thoughts, not a narrative that's been dry-cleaned for public approval. It is an uncomfortable, yet utterly fascinating peek into their minds and souls. Told with amazing insight, wit and humor, the author, a trained therapist, writes with so much depth and compassion that the reader is entertained, amused and disconcerted with a story that is both heart-wrenching and funny, sometimes at the same time. I hope Suzanne Gold will write a sequel, because after reading this book, I want more.

A fascinating kaleidoscope

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-24

Daddy's Girls is not only wonderfully written, it's a fascinating glimpse into the inner worlds of three very different, very complex women. The approach of having all three female characters speaking in the first person (including the several voices inside Cherie's head) gives the story an intimate feel, and it also mirrors the fragmented world of the schizophrenic. I love the writing -- descriptions are just wonderful. Suzanne Gold's keen attention to detail makes scenes pop off the page. I learned a lot from the book and the story touched me deeply.

The best book I've read since THE HOURS

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-03-05

I received the galleys of this book from the author -- I'm right in the middle of a remodeling project, so I didn't have much time, but I thought I'd just read a few pages before turning out the light. WRONG! I wound up reading until 4:00 a.m. and was back up at 8:00 to finish this marvelous book.

The story centers around Allison and Cherie, the unfortunate offspring of a marriage between Ruth and Warren, two very unhappy people. The dysfunctionality (is there such a word) of this family is difficult to watch, but the author's style is so compelling that you cannot put the book down.

This is not light reading, but it is a book that will speak to you on many levels.

This book is worth your time!

Dagon and Other Macabre Tales

Published in Hardcover by Arkham House Publishers (1986-10)

Authors: H. P. Lovecraft, T. E. Klein, and S. T. Joshi

List price: $27.95

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Average review score:

One of the Indispensable Additions to Any Lovecraft Collection

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-27

This is one of the five volumes that any Lovecraft fan MUST have in his or her collection.

The Library of America's Lovecraft collection contains all of the classic tales of Lovecraft's maturity. S. T. Joshi's exhaustive and elegant bio tells all you need to know and more about the man and his world. One of the volumes of Lovecraft's collaborations and revisions (i.e. THE LOVED DEAD AND OTHER REVISIONS) brings together that little-known but fascinating aspect of Lovecraft's career. And TALES OF THE CTHULHU MYTHOS brings together the best of the multi-faceted tales inspired by Lovecraft's creativity.

This volume is surely unsurpassed as a collection of Lovecraft's earlier tales--both his conventional "fright tales" and his apprentice "weird tales"--many of which appear to be influenced by one of Lovecraft's idols, Lord Dunsany.

And it includes his classic (and seminal) essay, "Supernatural Horror in Literature." Nobody interested in Lovecraft or in weird fiction in general can afford not to have this essay in his or her library.

May this anthology always remain in print.

These stories are not for the Lovecraft uninitiated...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-21

This collection of work ranks as my second favorite, falling just short of "At the Mountains of Madness" also published by Arkham house. It contains most of his earlier works, and does a better job providing the reader with a glimpse of the forces which shaped his work through the years than any other collection could hope to. If you are new to Lovecraft, these works would probably not be appreciated as much as others. They are much more enjoyable when one has a better understanding of what Lovecraft is all about. I would suggest starting with the collection "The Dunwich Horror and Others" also by Arkham house. It contains most of Lovecraft's most popular work, including "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Colour out of Space". For any fan or collecter of Lovecraft, however, this book is an absolute must have.

The greatest writer of all time!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-01-07

I highly recommend everything Lovecraft wrote. Few people are ever blessed with the talent for writing about the macabre and the fantastic. Lovecraft was the greatest. He explored the deepest secrets beneath and went to realms unfathomable. There will only be one H.P. Lovecraft and he should be acknowledged world-wide for his accomplishments. This book is one of three hardcovers that contain most, if not all, of his work. Turn out the lights and spark a flame while reading this one. Explore the unknown and dare places feared by man...

Master Collection!!!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-12

This book contains such greats as Herbert West - Re-animator, and The Strange Case of Arthur Jemyem and his Family. The Arkham House editions are the definitive Lovecraft Library. A definite must have.

The Lovecraft Experience

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-27

In my humble opinion, there are two ways to read Lovecraft. The first, and best, is to get your hands on an original "Wierd Tales" or other pulp. There is something about the musty smell that adds to the tale. For true conisours, read them under the covers with a flashlight, late in the evening hours.

Realizing that original pulps may be prohibitively expensive, the Arkham House Editions are the next option. These hardback treasures are as much a part of Lovecraft's legacy as the stories themselves. Lovecraft would be all but forgotten if it were not for the small circle of friends who founded Arkham House, with the sole mission of keeping his writings in print. Arkham House is the definitive Lovecraft volume.

The stories in "Dagon and Other MacAbre Tales" are classics, including "Herbert West Re-Animator," "The Doom That Came to Sarnath," "The Strange High House in the Mist," "The Cats of Ulthar ," "Dagon," "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family ," "The Lurking Fear ," "The Transition of Juan Romero ," and his acclaimed essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature [revised] ."

Dear Paramount Pictures

Published in Hardcover by Southern Methodist University Press (2002-09)

Author: Iqbal Pittalwala

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Average review score:

Delightful!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-30

Pittalwala may allow his characters to be baffled by their surroundings, but he never leads his readers astray. Unforgettable!

Wow!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-27

I happened on this book via an interview with Mr. Pittalwalla in a South Asian-audience magazine. My curiosity was piqued by the fact that he was a graduate of my University (in atmospheric sciences, no less). That he stumbled into a writing workshop, and went on to the Iowa Writer's Workshop - that impressed me no end.

I am not normally a fan of short stories, but these are INTENSE. You need to put the book down, catch your breath, and reflect on what you've just read. I haven't even finished reading the book, but the stories "A Change of Lights," "Ramadan," and espescially "Lost in the U.S.A." are some of the best things I've read in a long time. I'm a habitual book-byer (rather an oddity for a librarian) but this is one book that will stay in my personal library for a long time.

By the way, Iqbal, if you ever read this, I love the subtle dig on page 111 about "those idiots Mistry and Narayan" never shutting up.

Lyrical journey

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-25

Mr. Pittalwala is a gifted writer and a keen observer of the individual spirit. I have never been a short story reader; I prefer losing myself in the pages and chapters of a novel. Dear Paramount Pictures changed that! With his perfectly chosen words and incredibly sensitive insights, Mr. Pittalwala magically captures sights, sounds, smells and emotions in his stories about a rich culture of India, both in that homeland and in the U.S. Each story took me into the hearts and minds of the characters, and leaving me satisfied that I have shared their secrets, fears, discoveries and resolves.

Excellent

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-31

A great book. A much needed easy read. Excellent stories and could relate to quite a few of them. Great humour with serious undertones.

Perspectives within Perspectives

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-07

Iqbal Pittalwala's first book of short stories is a very good read. Pittalwala has put together a fine portrayal of the characters in the stories as well as their own readings of their life situation. He has kept the style simple and the pages pretty much turn themselves. It calls to mind Rohinton Mistry's writing in its somber take on life for, mostly, middle class "Bombayites". However, despite its dark world view, the book allows for a gently sly humor at the expense of the vivid characters that populate it.

Whether it is woman confronting her horrific history as a homeless crippled mother in "A Change of Lights" or a father and a daughter's trip to the movies in "Bombay Talkies" or a woman deluding herself about her relationship and her talent in "Guruji" or two wives of one man and their three perspectives on the same situation, we are led with a quiet wisdom into truths about their lives.

Seeing the same thing from the point of view of multiple characters is wonderful, but not particularly unique in fiction writing. Pittalwala's talent is that he can reveal multiple takes on a particular situation from within the same character as well. And all these perspectives live together in this book in a manner entirely appropriate to the multiplicity of viewpoints and life truths that exist, not just for the book's characters, but that most of us encounter in the "real" world.

Death of a River Guide

Published in Hardcover by Grove Press (2001-04-27)

Author: Richard Flanagan

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Average review score:

Moving

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-08

This story made me cry more than any other. Flanagan breaks many "rules" of creating writing, which is to his credit. He tells a story without a plot. The characters were not attracting. He gives away the ending. But, he uses a delivery method of fantasy to tell a truth of the human condition. Brilliant! This is a book about loss, injustice, and suffering, with smatterings of love and tenderness. Beautiful. A most powerful scene takes place in a bar where Flanagan captures the heart and soul of what makes music so dramatic and driving for both musician and listener. This is not a happy book, just great literature. I read this after reading his "The Unknown Terroist," another good one with the same themes.

A vivid narrative of utter despair.

Helpful Votes: 24 out of 26 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-11

Aljaz Cosini, a Tasmanian river guide, is trapped under water, his body wedged between rocks in the Franklin River, into which he has dived in an effort to save a reckless rafter. "I have entered the realm of the fabulous, of hallucinations, for there is no way anybody stuck drowning could experience such things," he thinks, as many generations of his family history pass through his mind. As this remarkable narrative unfolds, it alternates between Aljaz's dying, first person memories of his family's past and his objective, third person observations about life in contemporary Tasmania. Through Aljaz's memories, the reader learns the sad history of the island, a former penal colony for the most hardened criminals, the site of total genocide for the aboriginal natives, a remote colony with little hope and no tolerance for differences. A bright boy, Aljaz himself has intentionally failed everything in school, because "by failing, Aljaz begins to fit in with people...there is a camaraderie amongst the ranks of the fallen....They expect to be failed, to be unemployed, to be pushed around, to know only despair."

This is a story of abject hopelessness, the misery of Aljaz's family continuing through the four or five generations we meet during Aljaz's final moments and culminating in Aljaz's own predicament. The author does not even hold out the hope that Aljaz himself will be rescued, choosing to confirm the death in the book's title, before the reader even opens the book. What unites the generations (and keeps the reader going) is the clear and abiding respect for nature we see throughout the book--for the power of the river, for the unique animals of the island, for the stories and myths of the old people--and the belief that there is a unity of man and nature. And Aljaz experiences the ultimate unity with nature in his death in the river, as he becomes one with the sea eagle who "carries the spirits of the ancestors."

The characters one meets in this book are memorable, as they survive the best way they can. The tales of nature and the mystical moments that Aljaz experiences are vivid and uplifting, a fitting contrast to the reality of life. The action on the river is realistic and exciting, and there is a thematic unity which connects the generations of the past with the action in the present. It may be self-defeating, however, to create a novel in which the reader is asked to become personally involved with a main character whose death is foretold from the outset. Though that confirms and reinforces the point the author is making about the hopelessness of Aljaz's life, it certainly makes this novel a depressing ride for the reader. Mary Whipple

unique

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-20

perhaps i found this book enjoyable because i have been a river guide and also because i enjoy magical realism. the sense of time and space throughout this book captures not only a family history but the essence of a river itself, and being caught up in it. as i began reading, i found myself hating the main character for his apathy towards his own life. i resented that i would have to wait until the end of the book for him to finally end his miserable existence and drown. but then as i read on i wasn't so sure what i wanted for the main character. a very satisfying read.

Between a rock and a wet place

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-24

Richard Flanagan has an almost unexcelled capacity to weave historical threads into his fiction. In line with many writers of the Australian scene, he deftly conveys his awareness of the Aborigine condition in this story. Despite his name, Aljaz Cosini, born far away in Trieste, yet manages to return to his ancestral homeland. Ancestral roots bear little, if any, sway on our monotheistic world. In other cultures, however, forebears are the foundation for existence, a tradition widespread and of extended duration. Flanagan's awareness of that cultural milieu is forcefully portrayed in this story of a man's final living moments.

Flanagan's method is subtle. We mourn for the drowning guide as the story opens. His fate is clearly inescapable. Strangely, he condemns neither his situation nor the river that is taking his life. The attitude is far from fatalism, however. His circumstance is opening a new realm of Aljaz' awareness. As he confronts the inevitable, Aljaz comes to perceive his ancestral roots. Visions arrive of events he could not have witnessed, yet bear no skein of fabrication nor the supernatural either in Aljaz' mind or in Flanagan's depiction of them. There are no deities or spirits here. Aljaz resents that at first - "visions ought be given you by divine beings, not ... marsupials and their mates". Yet these visions are events from the reality his ancestors experienced. They are also of those real people - his father, grandmother, and most importantly, his former girl friend and the child they lost. Flanagan accepts the Aborigine view of children - love them intently, but if they are lost, long-term grief is too debilitating a luxury. The white world didn't understand this view when they first encountered it, and it remains enigmatic even now. Aljaz meets death calmly after a tormented life, but it's not release from suffering he gains, but a fuller understanding of who he really is. He is joining with a lost heritage.

Describing Flanagan's style as "powerful" is frail praise. "Formidable" might be something of a start. This is not a book to rush through, or if done, one to turn back to again. Flanagan wants to confront you with the realities of history and become aware of the long-term effects of lack of cultural awareness. These aren't lessons acquired at one sitting. He knows there are deeply set roots underlying behaviour and this book is attempt to reveal some of these to us. He has accomplished this effort with vivid imagery and exemplary characterisation. We must applaud his effort with enthusiasm. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

A great novel about life on Tasmania's Franklin River.

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 1998-01-12

I was interested to read this first novel by Richard Flanagan after reading his acclaimed novel "The Sound of One Hand Clapping". In going back to this earlier work I wanted to see if he was pursuing similar themes and if the writing was as compelling. It was. Here again was a master storyteller at work who refuses to release the reader until the last page has been read and the reader held in the grip of an idea that the broken in spirit will be redeemed.

This story of a man drowning beneath a waterfall provides the canvas to explore the emotional history of his family and by extension the emotional history of his island state, Tasmania.

Death, Deceit & Some Smooth Jazz (An Amanda Bell Brown Mystery)

Published in Paperback by Howard Books (2008-04-01)

Author: Claudia Mair Burney

List price: $12.99

New price: $7.34
Used price: $7.02

Average review score:

Girl Colombo

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-18

While Bell may be fully recovered from her bout with `Murder, Mayhem & A Fine Man,' she finds that she's at the scene of another murder. Only this time, the circumstances are more personal, sort of speak. Katie, Jazz's beautiful ex wife, is the unfortunate victim. To make matters worse, Jazz is the police's prime suspect, and Bell , finds that she just may be the star witness. While Bell battles her own insecurities, she knows in her heart that Jazz is innocent, isn't he?

Known for her flair of style, witticism and amateur sleuthing skills, Bell is unwavering when it comes to clearing Jazz's name, even if that means going against the people who love her. While she may not have the assistance of Lt. Jazz this go `round, she's unofficially inducted the assistance of the Detroit Police Department, and a former friend turned reporter, Kalaya, who God sent to her to feed. Can Bell learn to leave well enough alone, or will her incessant fears and need for the truth cost her her life and love?

I could barely contain myself, as I laughed aloud, loved, and felt the sincerity for each and every character in `Death, Deceit and Some Smooth Jazz.' Looking for a good read, filled with love, fear, murder, suspects, sassiness, truth and pain, then an Amanda Brown Mystery is totally for you!

The heart is deceitful above all things...

Reviewed by: Crystal

Amanda Is Back...And Better Than Ever!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-09

Amanda Bell Brown is back with another complex case. But first she needs to mend her broken heart after distancing herself from Jazz. This proves to be a difficult task when Jazz shows up wanting Amanda to give him another chance. Jazz has even bigger issues when his ex-wife is found murdered in his apartment. The pressure is now on Amanda to solve this case and to figure out if Jazz is guilty or innocent. When Amanda finds herself in a life or death situation, will Jazz be there to pick up the pieces? Can Amanda really fully trust Jazz?

Death, Deceit, & Some Smooth Jazz is the perfect sequel to Murder, Mayhem, & a Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney. Mair Burney once again pulls you back into Amanda's story. You will feel the conflict that Amanda has with her feelings for Jazz and with finding out the real truth about who murdered his ex-wife. This mystery is pulled together so wonderfully that readers will feel the same shock and surprise that Amanda feels when the killer is revealed. Some of the old characters like Rocky, Carly and Jazz are back along with some new ones that are an integral part of this story. There are also some of the same quirky romantic and comedic elements as the first novel that will surely delight readers. This can be read as a stand alone novel but readers are encouraged to read the first one to get the full background on Amanda and Jazz. Death, Deceit, & Some Smooth Jazz is engrossing and awe-inspiring. Claudia Mair Burney proves once again that she knows the perfect formula for creating a superb mystery. Hopefully this won't be the last time that we see Amanda and Jazz.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert
for Urban Reviews

4.5 :: Let the Music Play

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-30

Amanda Bell Brown is back in Claudia Mair Burney's Death, Deceit & Some Smooth Jazz. In this second book of the Amanda Bell Brown Mystery series, Bell is back up to her high heels in a crazy mix of murder and romance. Her beloved Jazz is by her side and they are determined to ride this love thing out until they are greeted again by the mystery of another murder, that of Jazz's ex-wife. Bell struggles against all she knows as Jazz's guilt or innocence is put to the test. Doubt and insecurities conflict with love, trust and a desire that will not quit. In the thick of evidence and more dead bodies, Bell fights for the truth and has to wonder if she really knows Jazz at all.

Claudia Mair Burney returns with the goods from Murder, Mayhem & A Fine Man. Bell, Jazz and the rest of the crew are as well developed, witty and hilarious as ever. As for Bell in particular, I laughed with her, cried with her and even wanted to shake her a little bit throughout the story. This novel digs deep. Through Burney's honest and real voice, we are given a story about trust and spiritual healing. A story that proves that even when seeking truth, our love and hearts will be tested. I recommend Death, Deceit & Some Smooth Jazz as well as the first book in the series. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Reviewed by Donielle
APOOO BookClub

(RAW Rating: 4.5) - Amanda's at it again!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-30

Amanda Bell Brown, forensic psychologist, is at it again in DEATH, DECEIT & SOME SMOOTH JAZZ. Her sister Carly, calls her to a crime scene, one evening, and Amanda is horrified to find Jazz's ex-wife, Katie, dead in Jazz's bed. Amanda and Detective Jazz Brown had begun a love affair in the previous book, Murder, Mayhem and a Fine Man, but because of religious issues, had stopped seeing each other. Imagine Amanda's surprise when Jazz rang her door bell at 9:30 PM one evening. After leaving Jazz in her apartment, Amanda hurries to the scene, knowing in her heart Jazz could never be this cruel. Others are not so sure, especially the police department and Jazz is first put on leave, then arrested. Amanda is determined to find the real killer. Even though family and well-meaning friends tell Amanda to stay away from Jazz, she can't do it, her heart won't let her, so she plunges onward, searching for any enemy Katie might have had, thus putting herself in grave danger. Even Jazz wants her to stop her investigation.

DEATH, DECEIT & SOME SMOOTH JAZZ by Claudia Mair Burney is another exciting mystery Amanda Bell Brown must solve. The characters once again wormed their way into my psyche, making me want to love them and give them a good smack at the same time. It is filled with passion, fear, scripture and plain old humanity as Amanda searches for the killer of Jazz's ex-wife, while fighting her own fears that Jazz is guilty. This book can stand alone, even if you haven't read the first one. It is definitely a must-read for mystery lovers.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

compelling whodunit

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-02

Police Lieutenant Jazz Brown decides, in spite of a traumatic marriage and divorce, to try a relationship with forensic psychologist Dr. Amanda bell Brown. One night without warning, he knocks on her door to confess he did something terribly wrong by being with his ex-wife Kate who left him for another woman. Before he can finish his explanation, Bell's sister Carly calls to tell her to vacate the house immediately.

Carly says that she is at Jazz's loft with a dead Kate. When Bell gets to the crime scene, her first reaction is things are too perfect as if someone arranged everything to implicate Jazz. When she returns to her home, Jazz is there to finish explaining what he knows. The police look at him as the only suspect and DNA tests affirm their belief; he is arrested, but let out on bond. Bell is determined to clear his name, but someone watches her every step to insure she fails.

An Amanda Bell mystery (see MURDER, MAYHEM, AND A FINE MAN) is a treat to read because the heroine seems so human with her many foibles and insecurities starting with her disbelief that a hunk like Jazz loves her. Jazz has made many enemies even inside his precinct as he feels enforcement of the law is a responsibility that a cop must not abuse and from the criminals he has sent to prison. Thus Bell's quest seems Herculean. Claudia Mair Burney provides a compelling whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

The Devil's Ridge

Published in Hardcover by Mars Media Publishers (2007-12-25)

Author: Andre Bergeron

List price: $23.95

New price: $11.97
Used price: $17.50

Average review score:

What a seat gripper

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-26

In the earlier stages of this gripping adventure, one of the locals who lives in the area where the bigfoot was supposedly seen, says : "the folks around here have known about this sort of thing for generations and accept it as fact".....

This was exactly my experience when as a student in the late 50's, I spent a week camping in woods above Lochness in Scotland looking for the monster, or 'Nessie' as the locals called her. To them also, they had "known about this sort of thing for generations and accept it as fact" because they claimed to see her often".

We were not so lucky, or perhaps unlucky, as the characters in Andre Bergeron's exciting novel. I could almost share the fear, the adrenalin rushes and smell the stink of the hunting bigfoot.

A really good nail biting read and a movie waiting to happen. I think we will see more of Mr Bergeron

adrenaline trip

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-26

I agree with the other reviews- this is an exciting read. Warning: if you are reading this on a camping trip, you WILL catch yourself turning your head to look into the woods for the noises (or the mysterious source of them).
I think Creighton is a good comparison. Or if you liked The Ruins by Scott Smith, you can expect the same level of suspense and intensity in The Devil's Ridge.

Best book I've read in a long time.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-17

I loved this book!! The story has an incredible build up and kept me on edge the whole time. It should seriously be made into a movie!! I couldn't put it down. It's a must read for anyone.

Entertaining and tense read!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-25

Bergeron does a wonderful job of both educating the reader on the background of the mythological Big Foot and creating a tense environment that keeps the reader glued to the page. The last 80 pages are almost impossible not to read in one sitting. If you are a fan of either the Big Foot legend or of action books (i.e. Crichton), then this one is for you. Highly recommended!

Amazing thriller. Beware Bigfoot!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-12

Devil's Ridge is a heart-pounding thriller, which I could not put down after I started it. Bergeron creates a compelling story of several hunters who go looking for redemption in the woods of eastern Kentucky, but they find more than they bargained for. The mythical Bigfoot comes to life in this book, and these creatures are not something you'd want to run into in your local woods.

This is the kind of story, if told around a campfire, would keep everyone up late, looking around and listening for sounds. It was very entertaining and well done. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and stories of the supernatural. 5 Stars!!!