Fiction Books

This book reads about as exiting as the monotone drone of a window box fan on a hot sweaty summer night. Gann's style seems didactic to say the least. Muddling through the first chapter I fell asleep and woke up just in time to learn of a near miss in the plane Gann was flying. However in all fairness, most books are written like this, full of details and tangents before coming to the point. Who can get through Moby Dick or Les Miserables without wondering where the authors are going? One should only read books like these if he has a bad case of insomia.

If one is looking for the plot to the movie: Fate Is The Hunter, forget it. This book has almost nothing in common with the excellent screenplay written by Harold Maud except for the title and some flashbacks. Of course it is always a disappointment when the movies don't follow the books, which are usually better than the movies; this case being one of the exceptions.

The paperback book is not an abridged version of the hardcover. So don't try searching for a used copy as I did. It's just a waste of time and money. Quite frankly, I'm sorry I bought the book.

Flight possesses a seductive mystique and "Fate is the Hunter" is one of the few books that has ever really truly captured flight's essence.

It is not only pilots that look skyward at the sound of an aircraft or slow down a little as they drive past an airfield. Similarly, Gann captures what is almost intangible and presents it to the reader with an immaculate style that will engross all who read it.

Gann carefully blends the worlds of the philosophical and aeronautical. In this mix, the reader looks out from the cockpit to at times see better within themselves.

A true classic.

Owen Zupp. Author: "Down to Earth"

www.owenzupp.com
DOWN TO EARTH: A Fighter Pilot's Experiences of Surviving Dunkirk, The Battle of Britain, Dieppe and D-Day

This is the memoir of one of the first 300 airline pilots in America. It tells the story of the development of the airline industry and the Air Transport Command during World War II. It is well-written with wit and pathos. I enjoyed the read.

One will see why this was and remains one of the best works of fiction in any genre, but especially aviation. A great book that every pilot has in the bookcase. I also highly recommend, Flying North South East and West,
a non-fiction book that I think is destined to become an aviation classic.
Flying North South East and West: Arctic to the Sahara,

This is one of those books that has a sneak ending - best appreciated by reading through at a steady rate (which only makes sense once the climax of the book is revealed). The stories, anecdotes and tales seem almost trite and mundane - but build to the showdown, for me a life lesson. Flying is revealed for the joy it is, for its wonder, the thrill of a good landing when one has fought the good fight aloft in peril of ending badly. Gann wrote the thing with a purpose - and it wasn't to entertain you. He is like a grandfather with good advice, and he hits you with a zinger to make the point. You will be grateful, either gender, any station, rich or poor.

What looked at first like a publishing stunt managed, in the end, to bring the dark artistry of Stephen King to a new generation of readers while winning back some others who had drifted after his classic 1974-84 period. 1996's "The Green Mile" is not a great novel, but it has moments of greatness. King's power of sucking in readers is hardly dimmed by a monthly installment plan.

Paul Edgecombe is an old man living with some hard memories in a nightmarish nursing home. His memories revolve around his days as overseer of a penitentiary execution block, a.k.a. "The Green Mile", when a large yet docile convict named John Coffey came to pay for a heinous double murder. About the only thing Coffey can answer for is his name ("not spelled like the drink"), yet there's something in his manner, not to mention his actions as the story unspools, that suggests he is not the man he was judged to be.

I love Stephen King, but in a qualified way. He's one of America's best-ever storytellers, but he can get carried away with that highly charged imagination of his. Here, revisiting the prison milieu that spawned his classic "Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption", he keeps things in check with a largely quiet tale of human suffering and failings, of regret and longing, that draws you in by slow degrees to one of the best, and saddest, resolutions in the King canon. Not everything leading up to the end is great, but it's well worth reading, and in my case, re-reading, as I missed a lot of King's subtleties the first time round.

That John Coffey shares the same initials with another condemned man some two millenia ago is no accident, and in the dismal setting of a North Carolina prison King creates a deeply-detailed Calvary for modern readers. The guards, good sorts mostly like Edgecombe who we get to know well, find grim amusement in the practice sessions they run before each execution, suggesting a kind of bleak, practical existentialism. When strange things begin to happen, we are surprised, even if this is a King novel, because of his way of locking you into the everyday reality of the place.

Take for example a little mouse that wanders onto the Green Mile and befriends a sadsack convict. Before King is done, any reader worth his or her salt has lived and died several times over the fate of the little guy. The convict he befriends dies one of the most gruesome deaths in any King story, yet it is so powerful because it is so real-feeling, not because it's delivered by a possessed car or a rabid hound.

Coffey may be not entirely of this world, but he can feel its pain, more than most anyone else. "I'm tired of bein on the road, lonely as a robin in the rain" is how he puts it to Edgecombe. Is Coffey a gift from a loving Deity, or one of God's cruelest little jokes? Much of the power here comes from the way King doesn't say, right up to the end.

Each of the six books leaves you wanting more with an unresolved story arc. There's even a cleverly weaved framing story of old Edgecombe at the nursing home, where he tries to write his tale and finds himself confronted by an orderly with a strong resemblance to the least human guard at the long-ago Green Mile.

It does take a while, though, and the ending, while again quite wonderful and bracingly sad, does go on for a few pages more than it should. Perhaps I am just looking at it as a middle-aged guy who doesn't quite like its hard message of life's inevitable end. When I first read it, right when it came out, it left me entirely cold. Now I understand better what King was trying to say, about aging and how the road can feel so terribly long.

It's a long road getting through "Green Mile", but it stands up well, only gaining power and momentum as it drives on, fiercely and inexorably, to a grim yet satisfying end. I can't agree with those who place it at the top rank of King novels, but it is quite good, and very much worth your time, whether read in chunks or all at once.

One of King's best works. Fortunately I read the original version which, when introduced, came as 6 separate short stories. One released each month for 6 months. It's so good I would read one part then be on pins & needles waiting for the next part to come out the next month. Character description & the prison descriptions were excellent. As for who Mr. Coffey really is beyond his physical being, you can draw your own conclusion. The writing is excellent & to the point. No wasted mumble jumble. Pick it up & you won't be able to put it down

One of the things I hate most about some of Stephen King's novels is the lack of an ending. In the green mile you get one. This is one of his most well written books. He has a great way of making a reader fall in love with characters. In no way will you be dissapointed in this read. I still havent seen the movie because I appreciate the book so much.Hands down one of the King mans best books ever!

The setting of this story is very well real, the story is somewhat fabricated with the certain amount of magic in it, but the characters make this book great. King describes everyone in such great detail and the interaction between them as well. This makes this book truly feel real to the reader. I felt like I was transported to another time.

i am not going to say much about the story, but, to lay the groundwork........i am at 32 years of age i haven't read a novel in over 10 years. well that being said, i got back into reading books about 5 months ago and have been reading feverishly.......sadly, mostly recent best sellers and such, i.e. "da vinci code",.............

so when i was looking for something new at the store i passed by king's section and saw the "talisman", which i read in 8th grad (remember i am now 32), so i thought, maybe i should read that again since it's been so long.......

then i thought about other horror guys.......koontz......barker.....


then my eye caught the green mile, i never saw the movie, which i kicked myself for, so i thought what a great opportunity, read the book first!!!!!!!!!

well, well.............this was the best thing i ever picked up, not only did it remind me of why reading was so good for the mind and soul, but it really made a difference in my life. this is the sort of book that needs to be read in a 9th grade english class.....then every student writes a report on it, then everyone is rewarded with watching the movie over the course of the week.

thank you stephen king, thank you for making me remember how good a book can be, to read, to talk about, and to think about, then, look at your own life.

bravo

This book is one of the most amazing books i've ever read. it's got a great depth to it and explain in a discreet way about sociology and friendships. It's a page turner.

This book is defianitely the best book out of all the Night World books, even though each of them are excellent in their own way! I think its just the way that Jez and Morgead's love is so pure and brilliant! Also Jez is so powerful! But Jez and Morgead are so different and them being together could never work, if Morgead knew her secret, that makes me never want to put the book down!

I've been a fan of L.J. Smith's since I first read "Chosen" six years ago. I've read all of her books, including her little known play on the King Authur myth that involves the Fey. I've read all of her trilogies, and the NightWorld books at least twice a piece.

I've even gone back and reread the NightWorld books and have been pleased to see that they still hold up. Even though I'm not a 15 year old girl anymore. My mother even read them and enjoyed them.

The thing I like the most about the L.J Smith books are the heroines and the heroes. Both characters are somehow vastly appealing. Well, save the ones in "Spellbinder" and "Dark Angel".

In "Huntress" the heroine is no aception to L.J. Smith's rule. She's even more of an outsider than Rashel, and is a bit wiser than the Cat. However, she's got a bit of a wild streak, not to mention she's more cunning in her own fashion.

She's sypmathetic and strong at the same time.

However, her hero, Morgred isn't.

Usually, when L.J Smith writes "bad boys" they're so bad they're sinful. Morgred falls short of that. He seems to be a pale copy of Smith's previous heroes Ash and Quinn, except he falls short of their charisma, sympathy, and sheer sexiness. Not to mention he's lacking a personality.

The plot is good and the writing is excellent. However, Morgred keeps the book from getting a perfect rating. Sorry Jez, you tried your best.

I think that Lisa Jane Smith is an exceptional author! behind Tolkien. Like Francine Pascale (author of fearless) she's got this thing that makes you want to go on reading until you've finished the book.Huntress like the rest of the series is a very original story...it's too cool

"Huntress" is the seventh book in the "Night World" series, a range of books concerning the secret going-ons of vampires, witches and shapeshifters in our everyday world. Previously, the books were predominantly love stories between humans and Night World members, but "Huntress" is the book where things begin to get a bit more interesting...

Jez Redfern is confident in her abilities and her life - she spends her nights hunting down humans with her gang for fun, and alternatively flirting/fighting with her second-in-command Morgead Blackthorn. But then a vision disrupts this life forever: she is not a full-blooded vampire, but the daughter of a vampiric father and a human mother. As this knowledge endangers her very life, she abandons her gang, joins the benevolent Circle Daybreak and goes to live with her human relatives.

Several years later, Jez is leading a double-life: attending school by day with her annoying cousin Clare, and hunting her former allies at night under the instructions of the Circle. On this particular night she arrives home (in trouble with her family once more) to find another member of Circle Daybreak in her room: Hugh Davis. Hugh gives her the most important mission yet: a prophecy has risen that describes four "Wild Powers" that are destined to stop the coming apocalypse at the turn of the millennium.

And why has Jez been chosen to find the first of these Wild Powers? - (whose clue to their identity is used for my review's title) - Because someone has come forward claiming knowledge of the first Wild Power, and it's none other than Morgead. She must return to her gang and reclaim leadership, all the time knowing that if her true identity is found out then her life would be forfeit. And there are other darker powers looking for the Wild Power...

"Huntress" is one of the most rewarding books in the "Night World" series, concerning a desperate search, family ties, identity issues, Night World politics, and a growing sense of doom as the apocalypse ticks closer. However, don't get too involved in the characters and their situation - L. J. Smith has never published the last book in this series "Strange Fate" that wraps up the entire story (but as the millenium has come and gone without a hitch, I think we can assume that the good guys were successful).

L. J. gives some nice touches to the mix, with mentions of previous characters and events, plus the actual appearence of a character from "The Chosen", that has an unexplained burn mark that only readers of that previous book will understand. We also get another retelling of the Night World ancient history that fits in nicely to what we already know about Hellewise/Maya/the dragons and all the other eras of history.

At times it feels a bit rushed - Jez has found out her secret and moved in with her human family at the end of three very short chapters, and I'm getting increasingly amused at the ages of the vampires: despite the fact that they are immortal, all of her lamia characters just *happen* to be either seventeen or eighteen years old - where are all the grown-ups?!

Honestly the first time I saw this anime on T.V., I was turned off by the whole crazy psychotic demon stuff. Then I decided to give this anime a chance, and after the first episode, I was hooked. The story is about a girl who falls into a well and she ends up in feudal Japan. Bizzare? Maybe at first, but after a while you'll say, wow that well gos great with the story.
So I decided to purchase the first volume of the manga, and now I will definately say, this is one of my most favorite series. The story involving and thrilling which also leaves for many unexpected events to happen where they end up fighting countless hordes of demons. All in all, this first volume of the manga will make you want to buy volume 2 of this great series.

I ordered the first two of the series.
I was pleased with the fact that they were a pretty good length, but I'm still reeling over the cost!
American dollars are bad. Very bad. Am so broke *droops*.
I love the story very much however, and Inuyasha makes a most adorable villian/good-guy. (confusing isn't it?)
I have shared it with a few of my friends. (Trusted ones mind you. Sooooo expensive to replace!)
They had a lot of reactions ranging from:
*yoink* "I'll see you after Japanese" *runs off clutching book muttering 'My preciousssss'*
To:
"Oh, they aren't very good quality drawings, are they?" *gets head bashed in by me*
And even!:
*Opens first page* "That girl looks really mad. Who is she?"
"Oh! He's a guy??? Are you sure???"
Yes. That really happened. That particular person also mistook Sesshoumaru for a female but I can forgive her for that.
I'd love to buy the rest of the series, but I'm pretty darn sure that I can live without it until the prices go down. One day.

Rumiko Takahashi is the writer of InuYasha, which is known by fans has being a Feudal Fairy Tale. InuYasha is a story about a average schoolgirl who is taken back in time through a well on her family's property. She soon discovers many facts abut herself and her destiny that makes one realize that she in no average schoolgirl. She, with the help of Inuyasha, a half human, half demon hybrid, must gather the shards of a Sacred Jewel that gan give demons enormous amounts of power. Now, one might think that this is just a simple story, that can't be very interesting, but one would be very wrong. InuYasha is a `historical action and romance from one of Japan's most beloved creators' with a touch of gothic horror. What more could one want? With a cast full of interesting characters, and even more interesting villains, anyone reading InuYasha will instantly fall in love with at least one of the characters, and instantly hate a few has well. I myself have read all the books in this series to date (Jan. 7, 2004) that are available. But, if you want to find anymore out about Kagome and Inuyasha's adventures, well... you'll just have to read the book yourself.

Allison R.

"Inu-Yasha" has one of the best stories I've ever read. It starts off simply, maybe a bit generic. From there though, you get to know the characters, and you really do sympathize with them. The relationships between them are not rushed, and the romance is done very well. The story gets better in every volume, too.

Anyone who loves manga should try out Inu-Yasha. It's popular for a reason.

There is a little nudity, but it's not done in a sexual way. Still, it's not something for small children.

Violent, gruesome, nudity. Should be removed from the shelves. My 7 year old son told me he read one of these books that a friend in his second grade class brought in. I purchased a few books in the series and we reviewed one for content. I was horrified to see that it talked about murder, a person saves a bucket of human livers and has to move to another town because he has run out of victims. There were pictures of nude girls on a few of the pages. Although it says it is for Teen on the back cover- Young kids are reading these books. My nephews, who are teens, think these books are for young kids. Most teens are not interested in reading them. Which shows that these books although labeled for teens have a young child audience. I am bringing the books I purchased last night, back to the store this morning.

My daughter has loved this book since she was 4 months old. Everytime we read it together, she tries to "pick off" the ladybugs from the page. the story is sweet and introduces other animals and has beautiful illustrations. If I need to get her attention, all I need to do is pick up the book and begin reading it. She stops what she's doing and crawls over ASAP. I highly recommend this. We also have 8 Silly Monkeys which is cute as well.

My 10 month old grandson loves this book. While I read to him, he touches the raised lady bugs and pokes his fingers through the holes on the other page. The little story / counting poem is adorable and the pictures are bright and colorful. All ages will love this book.
Grandma Mary

My 2-year-old LOVES this book! We used it first for a "preschool homeschooling" unit about ladybugs - this book along helped reinforce her reading and counting related skills, as well as animal identification, colors, etc. Oh, and let's not forget that she just flat-out enjoyed it, too! It's still a favorite even though the semiformal ladybug education ended a month or so ago. :)

This is a colorful, beautifully illustrated, great rhyming book that teaches counting. My babies LOVE this book. I LOVE this book. My sons are squealing with delight when I open it. If they are distracted and I start reading it, they forget about everything else. One of our favorites and definitely a winner!

I got the book when my daughter was 3 months old because I love its beautiful colors, the illustrations and the rhyming little poem. I read to her and showed her the pictures when she was laying in bed. As soon as she could sit up she was grabbing it and investigated the book closely. Then she started cooing to the little bugs/bees in the book. Now she is 10 months old the book can still hold her attention for a good 20-15 min. She will just flip through it like a big girl and saying a lot of things to it. Just a sweet sight. The best book in our collection by far.

I don't know if I would call myself a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes, but everytime I pop open one of their collections I am captivated by the sheer sweetness and cleverness of Watterson's work.

This is a nice collection because we get to see a little bit into the mind of Watterson. I like seeing how he designed the characters, which comics he liked, didn't like, changes over time, etc.

Necessary for the true avid fan.

My 18-year-old daughter said, "This guy is a philosopher! As a kid I thought these were just funny."

I'll keep this short - this is one of the best collections you can own for Calvin and Hobbes. As there is a gigantic compilation that includes all of the strips ever made, you might think there is little reason to own anything else. However, this book contains insight directly from Watterson himself. It includes his own personal takes on some of his strips, how he evolved his artwork, his battle with syndication and layout restrictions, and overall a great look into the mind of a rather reclusive man.

His work is magical in every possible sense.

Don't get me wrong, I love C&H. But Watterson is a bit preachy in this book. He tries to explain his rationale behind some of these comics and that's generally cool. But he has comments where he bashes other comics for being pretentions jerks while he comes across like basically a pretentious jerk. /shrug, it's still a good book with good comics. For me, it was a mix of eye-rolling at Watterson's comments vs. laughing at the comics.

"I've always loved cartoons. With 'Calvin and Hobbes', I've tried to return some of the fun, magic, and beauty I've enjoyed in other comics. It's been immensely satisfying to draw 'Calvin and Hobbes', and I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to work in this wonderful art form." (p. 208)

This book allows us to see the man behind the pen. This collection is a selection of what Watterson thought was important, interesting or profound about various strips he drew. It is the equivalent of a director's commentary on a DVD.

I relished the introductory essay, which is far superior to the one found in the Monster Box Set. It covers more of the in and outs of drawing, Watterson's battle for control of Calvin, his no-marketing stance, and his push for those wonderful Sunday comics. We have yet to see his artistic superior, much less an equal.

If we read between the lines, Watterson's retirement was not a surprise. The battles he fought for his integrity really damaged a part of his soul. This book provides a better explanation than his terse press release, and I feel for him. The Far Side, Bloom County, and now Foxtrot have run their course, and like these other comics, we can use this book to stoke memories--the roses of the soul that charm us in winter.

From Watterson's point of view, this book is the best of the best. After reading it, I see what he meant. The reason why C&H was so popular was that he touched the soul's taproot. You have the two sides of the man, with the animal being human, and the human an animal, then the shifting frame of reference between the imaginary and real world. As a chronic daydreamer, I understand this perfectly. In fact, I find myself in many situations that Calvin does, with the same results.

This is art--we se ourselves, and are better for it.

Before I lost this, I was constantly using this as a point of reference for the time line of things and to make sure I wasn't mispelling certain things.. getting other things right, what was where, what all kinds of Star ship classes there wear, etc... this was all for a fan fiction novel that I was, am.. writing. Good thing I put some of those things I was always looking at.. on paper.. so I didn't have to lug the book around everywhere I went.

Granted it's lacking the last few seasons of Voyager and the whole of Enterprise, but I thank Okura for even making "an" edition of these, though it would be nice for a new one.

This is a great book, with one rather glaring error. Under the SETI entry, there is a picture of Pioneer's plaque. On the plaque, the Pioneer appears to be launched from the second planet from the sun. As we all know, the probe was launched from the third planet, Earth.

If you consider yourself a Trekkie or just someone who is truely intersted in Star Trek this Encyclopedia is a must buy period.It has insight to every facet of the Series.From the Original to Voyager you'll know details to everything.You'll won't be able to just glance through it once.I consider myself a huge Trekkie and like to think I know alot about the Shows,but I'll find myself amazed when I discover details about a certain charecter of Episodes I've forgotten or never knew exsisted.Especially interesting is the Timeline parts of the book,The breakdowns of Ship commisions and Designs,information about Actors,Cuisine,backstories of Charecters.You name it and they have everything about it...well almost everything.

You have to realize this fact before buying this Encyclopedia is that it was made in 1999.It's been 9 Years.Alot of History has happened in Star Trek since then and if you don't realize this now,you'll be disapointed to discover that to information about Deep Space Nine's last Season,the last 2 Seasons of Voyager,The whole of Enterprise and Star Trek Nemesis.All of this information is non-exsistant.And just imagine the frustration of people who actually owned this book through the years and reread it wishing it had all this wealth of new information.I honestly can't comprehend why Pocket Books would not release the Book with all of this missing information availible.Or make a CD-Rom of it.

This might sound like I'm ragging on the Book,but that would be impossible to do.Wiether or not this info is in this paticular Book doesn't really matter,because it extensively covers in scrutinizing detail of all the Series up to Deep Space Nine Last Season,Voyager's last 2 Seasons,the whole of Enterprise and Star Trek Nemesis.And believe me you'll be more than satisfied with that alone.

So,most definately buy this now and enjoy it and you will.But just realize it's outdated and once you do that then you can truely enjoy this Encyclopedia the way the Publisher intended you enjoy it:with wonderment and fun.

I bought this book in 2003, and it covered most of the bases then, but only the movies through 1998 ("Insurrection" IIRC; "Nemesis" is not covered.), and the 5th season of Voyager. It just covered the last season of DS9. And of course it has none of the "Enterprise" series.

There have also been events such as the Paramount auction of all the series and movie paraphernalia since then, and that could be a chapter all by itself.

I came on Amazon today expecting to see a new and updated version for sale, and was disappointed that the old edition is still all that's available.

Michael and Denise Okuda know everything there is to know about ST, and are the perfect people to update this. If I were shopping today for the first time I would say wait for the new edition, but buy a used paperback 1999 just to see what it's all about.

Keeping my fingers crossed that someone sees the demand for an updated version!

Nothing on the end of Voyager's Delta Quadrant wanderings? Nothing on Enterprise's backstory additions and newly-created anachronisms? Both this book and the related Star Trek Chronology need serious revamping. I appreciate the Okuda's insider Trekker style, but this reeks of willful blindness!

This is a wonderful book with great rhythm and rhyme. My 3 month old already smiles when I start reading it, and I know as he gets older it will be one of his favorites, as he doesn't react this way to any other book. I also think it is a great story... VERY cute pictures!

My daughter loves this book (22 months old) and my husband and I enjoy the sing-song rhyme as well. It has a nice rhythm for reading aloud. We don't mind reading it over and over! The illustrations are great also.

My 11 month old son loves this book and has since he was little. He loves the cadence of my voice as I read the clever rhyming story and he loves the pictures. However for younger children like him this book is also available in a board book format. Just search amazon for bear snores on board book.

This book was given to us when our boy was born and it's been a favorite for his two years of life. We've given this as a gift now many times.

This book is one of our favorites. Great, original verse, lots of cute animals, and a repeating phrase make our 2-year-old pay attention. The other "Bear" books don't seem as original to me. We give this book as gifts, and everyone loves it!

I have one word for this book, wordy! It could have been 300 pages, instead of the 700 it was. Due goes into all kinds of lengthy explanations of feelings and emotions that are just so much blah, blah, blah. The story kept promising to get interesting but never really did, and the ending was down right hokey. I read reveiw after reveiw that said this book was really scary......NOT! It was scary diappointing.

"The Living Blood" by Tananarive Due is a riveting and supernatural suspense novel that will hold your interest from chapter to chapter. She introduces her characters through their minds as well as their actions. While parents Jessica, a mortal turned immortal, and David/Dawit, an immortal, are the main characters, for me, four-year old Fana steals the story. The parents are bewildered trying to understand and raise their gifted child, who has inherited her father's living blood. The Creator of the Life Colony says he has allowed Fana to be born, has given her "the power to stand between mortal and immortal, the two races of man. The child is both salvation and destruction."

As in Tananarive Due's other book, "My Soul To Keep," the theme--the blood of Christ--continues in "The Living Blood," proving in her stories that it is more precious than gold.

What happens when the ability to heal the ills of the world with one drop of the living blood? Human beings are honored, hated, misunderstood and frightened out of your wits. This well constructed novel highlights the admirable, reprehensible and greed in mortals. Immortals, who received the blood through the Life Brothers, declare a life or death battle to keep it within the colony, pitting powerful forces against powerful forces.

I could go on but I'll stop here. I could not put this excellently written book down. I am in awe of Tananarive Due. Onward to "Blood Colony." I'm a committed fan.

I found this book less engaging but more fullfilling than My Soul To Keep.
The Living Blood gave a few characters a chance to redeem themselves in what was a dire situation from the first book.

Minimum Maturity Level - Adult
Strong Language. Violence. Adult Situations.

Previous Reading Required - Minor
This is a sequel to "My Soul to Keep". After reading this, I find that you don't really need to read the first one because many events that happened in the first book are summarized in this book. But, it does give a false pretense on a few facts if you have skipped the first book. So, I would recommend reading the first book before proceeding with this one.

Reading Level - Average
Easy to follow. Very good detail in descriptions.

Rate of Development - Moderate to Slow
The book is 515 pages and the events feel like they been stretched out a bit too long. But that is just the author's way of getting you more involved with the characters. As an event takes place, you will sometimes get a description of why this character feels the way he/she does. This in turn creates more pages than necessary but again, it draws you into the character a bit more.

The Story - Thriller
Jessica Jacobs-Wolde survives the ordeal from the first book "My Soul to Keep" with her daughter and has developed a healing clinic in South Africa. Her daughter, Fana, has been given the gift of her fathers healing blood and some unusual effects come along with that. Her daughter has developed great mental powers and abilities in such a short time that she has become dangerous to herself and to others. Meanwhile, Dr. Lucas Shepard is in search of Jessica's healing skills to save his son's life. But he runs into a group of fortune hunters in search of the clinic for the healing "drug" for their own gains. At this time, Fana's powers are unleashed and the fate of humanity is at stake as the Bee Lady attempts to possess Fana for her own purpose.

My Suggestion - Recommended
This book was kinda slow at first but the ending was quite good. The places you are taken to are quite wonderous and intriging to read about. The characters are quite believable which makes the book all that more great.

My only question is 'will there be a sequel to this sequel?'

In Fana, Jessica, & Dawit the author has created a believable family of immortals encountering unbelievable circumstances.

I do like the way Ms. Due juxtaposes basic simple Christian beliefs with so-called new-age concepts i.e. what are the possibilities when we truly grasp thought control?...what are the perils when we don't?

There simply MUST be a follow-up book. Having been a phenomenally-gifted toddler who survived many dangers how will Fana handle her gifts as an adolescent? Will Jessica 's own Christian upbringing be enough to ground Fana as she comes to terms with just how different she is from the rest of humanity?

I enjoy imagining their lives to come but I really want Tananarive Due to go forward with her own possibilities...since she knows these characters better than anyone else---except the characters themselves.

a real page turner...makes 1 ponder the wonder of it all.

Lovers of fishing, or Oregon, or life, or the search for life's meaning should love this book. So should readers interested in thoughtful, creative and honest writing; or of clever, insightful and profound character development. Gus Orviston is an enduring main character, and his discovery of his brother, Bill Bob's, unique and beautiful self, by itself, makes the book worth reading. With a comfortable, unique, often zany style, author David James Duncan has created an unexpected, very joyful book. The ending falls a bit short of the earlier 99%, but that's just quibbling.

So, I purchased this book and didn't really expect to enjoy it. I loved The Brother's K, but I thought that maybe I was biased towards the book because I'm such a big baseball fan. I have no interest in fishing.
The River Why is not about fishing. It's an exceptionally insightful look at life. Our idols, our loves, everything. I was so impressed by this book and especially by the writing of David James Duncan.

I think one wouldn't pick up this book casually. There'll never be a lot of hype about it and it takes about 100 pages to hook one. And then: oh, it is a good story. Reading a few chapters a time at night before I went to sleep, I was conscious how I came tired to this book as to bed, and left it with new energy - courage? Laughter? A sense of well-being.

What did I learn from this book? On page 227 in the paperback edition, there's the story of Nick which seems to me the book in miniature. A certain quiet is needed to tell a story which depends on the listener. Setting and introduction are essential (that's why the main story takes 100 pages to get going.) We cannot be in a hurry for the story of our lives. It's worth the read.

The best book I have read in years. I would recommend this book to anyone that has a hard time believing in the traditional answers to the questions of life. Great!

Even though I hate fishing and have maybe done it once, the first few chapters of this book are humorous and interesting, in particular Bill Bob, Gus' younger brother. Unfortunately, Bill Bob's role is small to almost nonexistent as the book goes on and the author makes him say some pretty idiotic pseudo-philosophical/religious ramblings, such as a long discussion with Gus about how shadows are our guardians.

The book is largely predictable from the beginning until the end and it's almost like a bunch of authors get together to provide the same theme. The overall structure of the book is Gus starts to question life, including death, ultimate meaning, his meaning, and other philosophy 101 questions. And, of course, Gus ends up finding his meaning in the eyes of some backwoods hippie chick and has a religious experience (if you can call it that) while walking home from a long, incredibly drawn out trip down a river following a fish in his line.

I'm sure many people will see this book as being "deep" or "an interesting discussion of blah blah blah", but if you've even remotely dipped your foot in philosophy this book is hardly enlightening. I pushed through the book simply because I got past the half way point, then promptly threw it in the trash when I was done.