Clarke Books

Especially for one grounded in "Hard" science, himself contributing as much or more to "Real" science than his books have to fiction. He's credited mostly with the "Communications Satellite" for NASA, btw. Yet, for storytelling he goes more the "Wells" route, than the "Verne" route. While he's against Psuedoscience or hoping for a "Hyperspace breakthrough" he knows that over time current science will simply give way to now unconcievable breakthroughs and what may be impossible now may not be in an aeon. "Magic is Science unexplained" he said. "Fountains of Paradise" is more grounded in the nearer future, the building of a "Space Elevator", and that story being tied to a quest for ultimate power and greatness in the distant past. It is also a kind of tribute to Sri Lanka, the country he loved most of all the places he'd visited in his lifetime and the one he retired in.

FLIRT intern, Kiyoko Katsuda, was utterly ecstatic when her older sister, and super successful model, Miko, came to visit the interns loft in NYC during a runway show. But when she spots the Argentine beauty - and photography expert - Alexa Veron, she feels as if she's struck gold. Alexa's wild mane of hair, bubbly - and oft-times mischievous - personality, and gorgeous skin are absolutely striking. Enough so that Miko feels that Alexa has the potential to become a top model herself. Alexa is unsure of her opinion. She's always been more comfortable behind the camera, shooting subjects, and creating her own works of art, and feels that she'll never be good enough to rock the runway or pose for portraits. But when Miko announces to everyone that she's landed a meeting for Alexa with her own modeling company in Paris, Alexa finds it impossible to turn down a breathtaking trip to France. Packing her belongings, along with the exotic Kiyoko, the two interns find themselves coasting past the Eiffel Tower, and checking out the European hotties located on just about every corner. But it's obvious that not everyday with be as fun. Alexa has various photo shoots booked, and both girls have assignments from FLIRT that will certainly take up a large amount of their time. But assignments go out the window when both girls meet, and fall for, an American model named Lucas, who just happens to be a Casanova with the ladies. His incessant flirting, and Kiyoko's sudden jealousy of Alexa, leave the two girls at each others throats, and in the midst of a catfight that should put them to shame. Refusing to ride on Alexa's coattails, Kiyoko decides to do her own thing while in the city of lights, and soon fins herself face-to-face with a reclusive singer/songwriter, who made a bang on the music scene years ago, then went into hiding, leaving critics and fans alike believing that he was...deceased. Kiyoko is determined to land an interview with the star, and devotes all of her time to sitting around a local patisserie that he frequents. But during all that time, she begins thinking of her treatment towards Alexa, and misses their friendship.

Meanwhile, back in New York City, Melanie and Liv are up to their ears in work, and finding it difficult to keep up with their own growing workloads, while, at the same time, trying to assist staff members with photocopies and assignments that Alexa and Kiyoko usually take on. But FLIRT isn't the only thing keeping the girls occupied. Liv has just sold some of her creations to a local boutique, and is working as hard as possible to fill the order by the deadline. As if that weren't enough, she's attempting to balance school, create costumes for her boyfriend, Eli's, latest film production, and write a killer essay that could possibly land her an apprenticeship with the design company Florentina. Mel, on the other hand, has certainly bitten off more than she can chew. Between her work at FLIRT, school, and her job at a local diner, she's worked to the bone. But she's determined not to drop her various hobbies and interests. So she agrees to help get the school's blooming 'lit 'zine off the ground, by editing fiction. She's also working hard with her own writing, and attempting to keep Kiyoko on track by badgering her with news of her lingering deadline. Then there's helping Liv. Mel refuses to let her best friend fall behind in her work, so she drops her own responsibilities to help Liv put together designs, and better her chances for staying in New York. But when Mel's idol, author Laurel Healy, takes on a spot as guest editor at FLIRT, all bets are off.

Since the start of the FLIRT series, Nicole Clarke has kept the girls solidified as one unit by making them fairly inseparable, and keeping all of the interns stationed in one spot - New York City. In FRENCH TWIST, however, Clarke gives the girls a little breathing room to spread their wings and fly - literally - out on their own. Kiyoko and Alexa embrace their usual, wild child personalities. However, this time Kiyoko has taken on a new accessory - the green-eyed monster. Her jealousy is evident in each scene she appears in; and her constant anger towards Alexa only works to make her seem unfriendly and downright nasty, even though die-hard FLIRT fans know that Kiyoko is anything but. Alexa, on the other hand, seems to have toned down her flamboyant personality. In fact, during their stay in Paris, Alexa seems to have taken on a more reserved, quiet, demure persona, that instantly makes the reader question where the "old" Alexa has disappeared to. Don't get me wrong, this "new" Alexa is just as fun as before, but she lacks the sparkle and mischievousness that were once her trademarks. It's enough to make the reader realize that Alexa isn't necessarily happy in front of the camera, and craves to be back behind the camera, clicking away as she photographs subjects of all shapes, sizes, and species. Liv, while always ladylike and sweet, seems to spend more time thinking about herself within the pages of FRENCH TWIST than usual. Her constant me, me, me way of thinking makes it seem as if she has forgotten what friendship is all about, and seems to be using Mel more than ever to accomplish her various tasks, even though she knows that Mel is under an immense amount of pressure herself. Mel still reigns queen of managing to keep it all together. She never loses hope that she'll accomplish what she has set out to do, and her constant ability to help a friend in need, no matter how much it cuts into her own life, only works to make her more appealing and lovable to readers. Of course, it would always be nice to see her show some assertiveness for once, and let the people surrounding her know that she needs help sometimes, as well. Those who have followed the FLIRT series from book one will love the fact that Mel's tumultuous relationship with Emma Lyric's - the interns' housemother - son, Nick, finally comes to a head; but the revelation makes me question whether looose ends are being tied up for a reason - such as the series is coming to an end. Clarke has penned another delicious installment that paves the way for the next masterpiece - LONDON CALLING. FLIRT-ing has never been this much fun!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

This is Clarke's fifth book and certainly one of her best. The Heroic Life of Al Capsella, Clarke's first novel, is probably better known and funnier in style, but shows a real depth and maturity which is missing in that earlier and lighter novel.

This book is filled with many characters and story lines, and each one is interesting in its own right. We meet William, the hopelessly romantic poetry reader, Daz, the no nonsense-hard-headed, school girl, 'winner', Mrs. Sheila Thredlow, the demented occupant of Sunset retirement home, Fat Joanna, the socially tortured school girl, Stan Almond, the boy who came to collect his sister after the dance, Valentine O'Leary, the biggest Pig at Mimosa High, Karen Leonard, the sporty netball player, and still more. We are given portraits of their life in such a way that we quickly know them and are intrigued by them, and gradually, as the novel progresses, each of their separate stories will become knitted together in an artful and informative 'tapestry of life'.

On the surface the novel is about love: romantic love, family love, love between friends. On a deeper level it is about the lies we tell ourselves to make ourselves happy, at least for a little while. The story of Mrs. Thredlow is one of the most charming and sad tales I have read for some time. This story depicts life in its strange ambiguity, full of bitter/sweetness.

Jaz turns out to be the main character so this could be classified as a girl's novel, but there is material in there for boys too. is excellent for teenagers, but adults will find it an interesting read as well.

John Clarke has has gone night-swimming with the myths of the ages...he provides us with absolutely useful and inspiring notions of the mysteries of our archetypal past...how they relate to our present condition and how they ultimately define us as beings in progress. This work provides crucial insight into the language of possibility and senseless pathologizing which would interest psychologists, poets, priests, politicians, medical doctors, and particularly theoretical physicists. This is a work of unimaginable richness and possibility. John Clarke was a visionary the likes of which I have not seen or heard of in our time. --Mark Bottita

This collection is obviously very good (just look at the incredibly high number of copies sold). It contains two excellent novels: The Deep Range, and the all-time SF classic The City and The Stars. Also included is The Other Side of The Sky, which is a collection within a collection (!) that has many good short stories within it. If you want to know my opinions of these three books on their own then read my review of them here on Amazon. If you haven't already read those three, then this book is a must for you.

Dibelius precedes Bultmann in his analysis of the material of the Gospels, and surpasses his analysis in some ways. While it is hard to beat the depth shown in Bultmann's _History of the Synoptic Tradition_, the type analysis Dibelius performs goes farther into the actual structure and levels of specificity and abstraction involved in each type of literary element. Bultmann categorizes frequently based upon the content of the element, where Dibelius categorizes on the form more often. Read both to get a good perspective.

This is an excellent book for anyone doing research in the Gospels, especially for those intimately familiar with the Markan text - Dibelius uses Mark as the primary referent for much of the work, as Mark is one of the urtexten.

Wonderful book and small enough to fit in my purse. Covers everything you need to know from food to money to transportation.

A Excellent book, covering all aspects of snowboarding, a excellent book for the beginner, and the expert who wants to learn some new things or touch up on some old. Execelent value for money too. One of the best books i have looked at

While this book is far from being a full blown biography of Mead, it is the closest thing we have or at least so far as this reviewer is aware. Only the first 32 pages are biographical material but the editors (the Goodrick-Clarke's) have done an excellent job of presenting a concise yet interesting overview of the life and labors of G.R.S. Mead. The remainder of the book provides commentary from the editors and selected quotes from Meads own work on a variety of esoteric and philosophical topics, the most interesting and extensive of which is (quite properly, in this reviewer's estimation) on Gnosticism. Highly recommended!

And my soul definitely felt better after listening to this masterpiece of comedy and heart. Characters, long familiar to fans of the longest-running BBC comedy, Last Of Summer Wine, make their appearances here in the middle of fish and chips, barmaids and bicycles, secrets and peacocks, and the result is the funniest sequence of mishaps I've ever read. Roy Clarke, the man behind Keeping Up Appearances, among other things, treats his familiar subjects with affection and respect, making this not only a very funny book, but a heartwarming one as well. The dialog and narration of this piece is masterfully done by the actor who plays Clegg, and his voice, impressions, and accent alone are worth the rather hefty price here.

All in all, if you can scrape up the (at the time of this review) fifty dollars, do it! It will prove worth it as you listen to this book over and over, finding new humour every time. It just made me FEEL good to listen to it. Three thumbs up!