Reviews Books

All Babylon 5 fans hear to this: you will really understand how our favourite series was set up, designed and came to life. The book is detailed and written for those who don't have a clue of any behind-the-scenes jargon. It really puts all fans inside the TV series, makes them a part of the building process. Also, if any of the readers has already bought the previous edition, please do spare the money and buy this really new edi- tion: it includes the complete Season 4 episode list and more (new) photos of the Season 4 episodes, plus real updates in the data. It comes to wonder then how the same duo (author, publisher) didn't thought of a real new edition of "The A-Z Guide to Babylon 5" but they reprinted the previous book as a ... "new edition".

Creating Babylon 5 is the sort of coverage B5 has deserved --but not gotten-- for years. It is worth the price for the pictures alone, but David Bassom's text can more than compete for your attention. His writing is as strong here as in the A-Z Guide to Babylon 5. Worth every cent.

The pastoral nature of this novel is such a disguise for it ends with the toughest, grittiest and most challenging ending I have ever read (stronger than Kafka's 'The Trial', or Christopher Priest's 'The Separation'). As a human being facing what we all face this ending is truly awful.

But what is Hudson telling us in this novel? Is it a Victorian approach to telling things that are otherwise inexpressible - that affection is not enough? That real love with all its manifestations must be honoured, because without it there is only death?

Here I find a challenge to psychoanalysis and all the techniques of psychology: 'I only discovered, what others have discovered before me, that the practice of introspection has a corrosive effect on the mind, which only serves to aggravate the malady it is intended to cure.' (If only I could stop introspection ......!) ) [page 279 Dutton edition of 1917]

But here the common man, Smith, plunged into this affectionate pastoral society, bemoans what he has just learned - that the young woman he loves can never love him as he wishes - 'I wish that I had never made that fatal discovery, that I might have continued still hoping and dreaming, and wearing out my heart with striving after the impossible, since any fate would have been preferable to the blank desolation which now confronted me.' [page 303-304 of the same edition]

I wonder what woman of Hudson's acquaintance he had to put aside with such enormous regret that he expressed these words!

Search this book out. Absorb its gentle fantasy and hold tight for a rough ending.

Other recommendations:
The Separation - Christopher Priest
The Trial - Franz Kafka
The Shepherd's Life - W H Hudson
Green Mansions - W H Hudson

JB Priestly wrote a book about time ('Man and Time') and in it he referred to a WH Hudson novel called 'A Crystal Age'. His couple of paragraphs about 'A Crystal Age' stimulated my interest but nowhere could I find the novel he referred to. However, I did find 'Green Mansions' and I have read it several times. It is a beautiful novel with an undertone of darkness (is death the darkness that we all live with during the beauty of life?). Perhaps 'Green Mansions' disappointed me a little after triggering my romantic nerve. I did, however, keep exploring the writings of WH Hudson - 'Long Ago and Far Away', 'The Purple Land', 'Idle Days in Patagonia' and the wonderful 'A Shepherd's Life'.

I have just finished reading 'A Crystal Age' at last. I concur with JB Priestley's assessment. 'A Crystal Age' is worth the effort of pursuing - it is a surprising first-person utopian novel in which Hudson's love of nature does not render him oblivious to the fact that there are downsides in all worlds - all imaginable worlds. Just like the dark shadows in 'Green Mansions'. The end of 'A Crystal Age' is so surprising - I believe very few readers would see what is coming - I certainly didn't as I rushed on towards it. There is a certain illogic to the ending, but there is also something that haunts me continuously.

'A Crystal Age' is a stronger less romantic novel than 'Green Mansions', but it is also exceptional for many reasons. I don't hesitate in recommending 'Green Mansions' but I also urge readers to pursue 'A Crystal Age'.

Author Robert Sellars has done a great job of bringing together all the ITC British TV shows in one very detailed and well researched book. From "Robin Hood" to "The Prisoner", "The Saint" to "Thunderbirds", its all here. Complete with the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, that give the reader even more reason to view the shows again, all these years later. Specially since most of them are readily available on dvd through Amazon.

ITC was -legendary TV and entertainment mogul Lew Grade. Later knighted by the Queeen, for his services to the industry. Grade took on Hollywood at their own game and for the most part won out. A master showman and salesman, he was of another era. A time that saw him green lighting new ITC shows on just a smile and a handshake. A time when personal instinct and loyalty usually paid off. The late 1970's and early 80's,saw ITC moving into the movie market with not always so good results, remember "Raise The Titantic"? But Sir Lew did introduce us to "The Muppets" both on TV and on the big screen. His detractors called him Sir "Low" Grade, but when you consider what he accomplished even before he created ITC. And then to bring us such an iconic British TV output on such tight budgets and schedules and with such diverse talent as Richard Greene, Roger Moore, Patrick McGoohan and alike -well it's all in this book -with plenty of pictures!

You'll hear from the actors, the writers, the producers and directors that worked on the ITC production assembly line. Memories both good and bad and all with that distinct British sense of humour. Notice being British myself and having grown-up with these shows in the old country, I continue to spell certain words differently. But you'll have no trouble understanding the meaning of what these TV imports had on American viewers.

ITC exists today, only through its exstensive and profitable library, which is part of some other multi-national media conglomerate. But the Grade name continues in showbiz, through his nephew Michael who heads up the Pinewood-Shepperton Studio group. However, as the cover of the book shows and the title name "Cult TV" implies, it is Patrick McGoohan's cult 1960's show "The Prisoner", that continues to stand out the most. An ITC failure at the time that went on to become one of life's strange ironies. A personal "inside joke", that would have Sir Lew himself, turning in his grave to light up another of his big trademark cigars for!

Film/television writer and journalist Robert Sellers presents Cult TV: The Golden Age of ITC, an examination of the legendary media company responsible for just about every cult/fantasy television show of the 1960s and 70s, from "Thunderbirds" to "The Prisoner" to "The Muppet Show". Vintage black-and-white photographs pepper this exciting behind-the-scenes history, drawn from interviews with more than 50 stars and big names. An amazing behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of 60's and 70's American popular culture.

JIll Austin truely hears the voice of God, and again in this book she has imparted revelation to ignite the desire within all us to draw closer and deeper into relationship with Jesus. Jill's books are what Miracle Grow is to the plant world. This is a must read (and read and read) if you have desire to be closer to God.

this book is for everyone and anyone who believes the Lord has called them for such a time as this
you will be so encouraged and energized to continue on you journey to the completion of your destiny
be blessed

I remember meeting Jon Davis at a reading in Salt Lake City. I don't exactly remember the place, but I liked the way he shifted his stance while reading his poems aloud to the crowd of dying soldiers. He tore through the air, a warrior escaping the arrows that flew at him like pigeons in search of the worm of an apple. Jon Davis' words are neither apple nor worm. They're the seeds of our bodies erupting as candles on the bridge to the other side. I recomend this book to anyone who seeks enlightenment in a supermarket checkout line.

I'd just like to attest to the power of these poems. I've not come across a poet as strong as Jon Davis in years.

If it ever comes back into print, it's well worth buying.

With so much publishing money funneled into Chick Lit and the next mass market success, it is more than just a little refreshing to find a book of poems of such caliber. Wright, with his dark, lyrical style is the sort of poet who is the real deal. His sensibilities, reminscent of Roethke and Dickey, materialize in his masterful images and his language; while his approach to nature (especially a blue crab) is fresh and unique. His perception of the South denies the current trends of focusing on the "redneck qualities" and instead, revisits Southern landscape and relationships in a tone both comically horrific and heartbreakingly beautiful. Wright is an emerging enchanter to enjoy.

Give this book a chance, and see why the University Presses are putting out the best work right now.

It's hard to remain sedate about a book that shows such promise: I was one of the few who had access to the manuscript of William Wright's Dark Orhard before it was selected for the Texas Review Breakthrough Poetry Prize. For a first time book, Wright's poetry strikes me as masterly; he has a inherent sense of line break and meter, although most of his work is free verse. In addition, Wright's work synthesizes the sensibilities of preceding poets like Roethke, Dickey, Ammons, James Wright, Richard Hugo, and, in his more lyrically obsessive pieces, Dylan Thomas; Wright's style is definitely his own. My favorite pieces from the book include "Dreaming of My Parents," "Cruelty," "Benfield, Remembered," "Dead Dog," and "In Fear of Holiness"-- all of these poems interlace Wright's half-imagined, half-experienced childhood with interior exploration, really great stuff.

Nature and humanity coalesce in some of the best, freshest poetry that I've recently read, a welcome relief from the esoteric, propaganda fueled poetry that claims much of today's literary landscape.

THIS IS INFORMATION FOR YOUR BOOKSTORE'S PURPOSES. I am the author of De La Palabra. Trout Creek Press published it during the nineties as one of five books of mine published under the DOG RIVER REVIEW SERIES.

My current email address is samsilva54@email.msn.com (my server was for a brief period a local server called "Faynet")

My postal address is Sam Silva 309 Spring St. Fayetteville N.C. 28305

I mention all of this because in links you have mentioned that your bookstore has "music" of mine as well. There is a well known Brazillian musician named "DANI SAM SILVA"...HE IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF DE LA PALABRA...I AM! I have not published or professionally recorded any music in my life.

Thanks,

Sam Silva

Of the five chapbooks of Sam Silva's poetry published by Trout Creek Press, DE LA PALABRA is the finest. Here the reader will confront not the business-as-usual poetry of contemporary America, but rather a passionate verse that is a throwback to a time when sound and rhythm were at least as important as content. Just a sample from "Prayers to an Infant King": One morning again! One wind-shot dawn! One ache of the sea and the sky and the palm.

DE LA PALABRA is a collection of twenty-eight mostly brief, highly religious poems. But as Ron Bayes notes in the foreward, these are poems that often "shake a fist at God" out of love and despair: But what corpse do we worship? and is it for naught but stones or is it indeed for bread... Besides his advanced sense of lyricism, Silva also creates much memorable imagery as in "Seeking Plenty": Riches, riches and sick despair. Even on a tropical island, the black hoof of God... If you are looking for a poetry that borrows from the past to create something extraordinarily fresh and new, that at once startles, then instructs, then Sam Silva may be for you, and DE LA PALABRA is a good place to start.

Professor Rosenthal specializes in writing clearly about state legislatures. He understands the dynamics of the system and yet writes with a strong attention to detail. While he communicates the problems he is neither a muckraker nor a shill. One wishes that more academics would take the care he does in writing about their subjects. You should also check out his earlier book on the third house.

This work is one that must be read by all people interested in the reasons behind why our governmental system is in shambles. I live in our nation's capital and I cannot understand how people can take for granted the wonders that the US has to offer. The freedoms that we currnetly enjoy are unparalelled to any other time in History. Despite this, people in our society spit on the bill of rights and say 'that is how it has always been.' It must be warned that when a society of ideal people moves to a society of ignorance (presently ours) our society will not be able to sustain itself. This is the essence of this book. People must learn why our democracy is falling apart if they wish to remedy the situation. This situation is one that certainly must be remedied if we are to contonue into the next millenium.

I find myself wondering how we went from a patriotic society of John Adams, George Washington and others to a society of selfishness. We are presently a society that looks foolish in so many regards. The pamphlet, Common Sense was written to energize people to fight for the basic rights of man. It is a sad day when novels like this must be written. However, note the word must. I hope that this book does not need to be read in the future, but presently it is necessary to remedy the problem. This book illustrates they ways in which our society has gone wrong and with enough hard long thought the answers to fixing those problems can be deduced. NOTE: This is not a civics book, nor does it show how government operates but for higher level thinkers, interested in making America the robust leaaderin liberty that she once was, this book must be read.

This book gives one a wonderful outline of how to study the book of Revelations as well as the rest of Scripture, especially for the lay person. Especially useful is the clarity that one can see when using the Old Testament as a way of interpreting the New. For example, the author shows how the santuary service in the O.T. is seen within the the book of Revelations. The outline of Revelations against the backfrop of the rest of scripture is emphasized, thus making the book more easy to understand. This book would be good within a Bible study group.

The biblical book of Revelation has probably had more ink spilled over it than any other book of the Bible. It is an engimatic book to most people filled will weird symbols that are a repository for an incredible range of theories and interpretations. How do we make sense of it? Is there a right way to intepret it? Are there principles that can guide us as we journey through its fantastic landscape?

Jon Paulien has written a brilliant guide to understanding this book in his The Deep Things of God: An Insider's Guide to the Book of Revelation. In an easy-to-read style, Paulien surveys the world of Revelation, the patterns of Bible prophecy from Genesis to Revelation, issues and problems dealing with the writings of dead prophets, safeguards for Bible study, tools to help in interpreting the Bible and Revelation, the overall structure of Revelation, the way that the writer of Revelation uses the Old Testament, and how to see Christ in the pages of Revelation.

Jon Paulien has spent 30 years studying the book and it shows in his gifted explanation of this important book of Scripture. Rather than tell the reader what Revelation means, Paulien's burden is to describe a method for understanding the book for ourselves which is faithful to Revelation itself. It is so easy to read our own agenda into Revelation. Paulien offers a way of avoiding that and genuinely hearing what the author of the book really wanted to say. On the way, though, he illustrates the method by shedding light on some of the most difficult passages in Revelation. This is truly an exciting book for anyone wanting to carefully and responsibly interpret Revelation.

Jon Paulien is a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) scholar and, therefore, has commented on various issues relevant to that denomination's members. Seventh-day Adventists claim that Ellen G White, one of the founders of the denomination, is a prophet whose writings are authoritative for members. In a few places in his book he comments on the relationship between White's writings and interpreting Revelation. These issues are not relevant to non-Seventh-day Adventist Christians and detract from the overall general nature of the book. This should not deter the general Christian reader, however. The general Christian reader can safely ignore those parts which are not relevant. These parts of the book are minimal and the majority of the book is quite brilliant and relevant to anyone wishing to understand Revelation. Seventh-day Adventists, however, should listen carefully to what Paulien has to say to them in particular as he give wise advice on using extra-biblical sources when interpreting the Bible.

If you are interested in uncovering the "secrets" of Revelation then this book is a must read.