Shepard Books

Lucius Shepard is yet another of science fiction's elegant stylists, and a founding member of its cyberpunk movement. Unfortunately he may be the least known, most underrated American writer of elegant fictional prose. "Viator" is an excellent meditation of madness and love as seen through the eyes of Thomas Wilander, who wonders whether he is losing his mind while living aboard the nearly derelict freightor Viator, now beached permanently in an Alaskan coastal forest. We are thrust into a surrealistic fantastical landscape that's most reminiscent of tales penned by Edgar Allen Poe and especially, H. P. Lovecraft. Wilander finds some solace and love in Arlene, a local resident. And yet, having found reality in the form of Arlene, Wilander still wonders whether the strange dreams he has nightly are visions of his future, and that of the beached freightor. He finally obtains the truth about the ship's enigmatic history from the vessel's mysterious absentee owner. But is this sufficient knowledge enough for Wilander to save his mind, soul, and his love for Arlene? Long-time admirers of Shepard's fiction, as well as those new to it, will enjoy greatly this fine little novel.

VIATOR is a lovely outing, with some of Shepard's most luminous prose to date. The plot of the novel is reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's flawed masterpiece, "Arthur Gordon Pym," and like "Pym," VIATOR's ending is far from satisfying. But this ending accounts for only 14 or so of the book's 170 pages and in no way dims the lush and illuminant prose that precedes.

A gorgeous meditation on how the landscapes of the psyche, of madness, of love, of self-loathing, and--just perhaps--of other worlds can line up in precise moments of synchronicity and violence. One of the few true novels of the sublime to appear in some time: mindful on every page that the purest wonder is always shot through with danger, doubt, and despair.

Lovely language coasts in long ribbons around a tale of haunting dreams and lonely lives. Five men, formerly homeless, all of Scandinavian descent, find themselves disturbingly bound to their new job. Manpower has sent them to Alaska to assess a grounded freighter for its salvage value. The men pursue this work in ways that Wilander, the latest to arrive, finds nonsensical -- cutting and storing away bits of the ship, inventing new words. The men are reticent, secretive, unwilling to leave the ship, so Wilander acts for them, travelling into town for supplies, where he meets the beautiful and compelling Arlene. But even as Wilander begins to remold his frustrated and directionless life together into what may be a new and stronger whole, his mind is drawn into the spell of Viator and her mysteries. Images appear in the ship's walls, mirroring those his companions have seen. Is the ship's prow moving forward through the forest to a new destiny, or is he losing his fragile hold on sanity? What has happened to the Viator? And if he casts off for the greatest adventure of his life, will he lose Arlene?

Lucius Shepard, Viator (Night Shade Books, 2004)

Lucius Shepard is one of America's most underrated writers by any standards. The man comes out with book after book of gorgeous prose and gets, for the most part, not a breath of press about it. Viator, his latest offering (but not for long; Shepard has two coming out in 2005), continues the trend both of wonderful writing and lack of anything even remotely resembling press coverage.

Thomas Wilander, homeless, rootless, and unstable (his own word), has been hired by a Manpower temp agency in Alaska to go out to a wrecked ship called Viator and head up a team of four other men in assessing the value of the wreckage as scrap. Wilander goes about his business, rarely seeing the four other men, and eventually striking up a relationship with the owner of the trading post in the nearest town, Kaliaska. The other man, all of whom have been on the ship longer than Wilander, have become absorbed in obsessions with various parts of the ship (one is fascinated with the formations of the rust, one with the ship's glass, etc). As time goes on, Wilander starts to feel the tug of the ship as well, and becomes absorbed in his own obsessions, while those around him become ever more fearful of his sanity.

The book has almost a Heart of Darkness feel to it, though granted the ship here is washed up on shore. Shepard's lush descriptions and deliberate pacing keep the reader always wondering what's just over the horizon, while simultaneously not wanting to leave whatever details Shepard is inking at the time. It's beautiful, beautiful prose, and it demands to be savored.

The book's only real letdown is the ending, as other reviewers have noted; the book jumps from Heart of Darkness to The X-Files a little too quickly, and it's likely to jar the unsuspecting reader. Still, there is a good deal to be liked here; this is Shepard doing what Shepard does best, and he does it very well indeed. *** ½

I loved Wagon Train 911!!! I don't like most books that go back in time but this book is different. It's about kids that "go back in time" but they are living in modern times. I read it when I was eight, it's the perfect book for an eight yr. old. I loved it and I'm sure the eight yr.old in your life will too!

I loved this book. It was fun to read! This book was about a 5th grade class who were suppose to get married (pretend) and go out west

Wagon Train 911 was a very good book. It is about this class who is travelling back to old times. They are taking a journey like the Oregon Trail. They have to buy food and wear heavy clothing. Do they make it?

Wagon Train 911 is about a girl named Dinah whos class reenacts the Oregon Trail. The boys have to "marry" the girls and everything! Will this wagon train survive? Read Wagon Train 911 to find out!

that 2006 is not available in the U.S. Amazon. The editors select the best of Pooh, with the soft original illustrations rather than the cloying Disney versions, so that each month offers a nugget of wisdom & the essence of the story or best of the poems, drawn on. The stickers are fabulousest. I'm 50 years old, childless, but have framed several of the pages, including one that is the epigram of my first book & another that will be the epigram of my next book.

If I can't have this calendar I don't really want one at all.

Love these calendars. They're still sold at Amazon.UK... why not here?

This has been one of my favorite calendars. While Disney may've gotten me started on Winnie-the-Pooh, once I'd "discovered" Classic Pooh, it became hard to go back. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't seem to be carrying the 2006 version. Might be able to find it in some British book sites, via Alibris, Abebooks, etc. I think it's ISBN 1405220953.

Although we were disappointed to no longer see the spiral bound editions, this is still a delightful calendar. The original drawings are wonderful and should not be lost. Disney may have renewed peoples interest in Pooh, but Milne and Shephard should not be overlooked.
Please bring this back for future generations.

I love this cookbook. Around the holidays, I usually make a big batch of various cookies to take to work. Last year, I used many of the recipes found in the book and received rave reviews. The recipes are absolutely delicious and the illustrations make this an absolutely delightful little book. I highly recommend it.

I love to cook, especially cookies. So I have lots of cookie cookbooks. This one is relatively small, but it is the one I pick up the most when I want to bAke cookies. I use it all the time. I love the Chewy Chocalte-Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They're soooo good! And not only is this cookbook great because of its recipes, but it also has the cute and funny character of Winnie-the-Pooh. So if you love good cookies, i urge you to but this book.

I purchased this book for my wife a few months ago, because she enjoys making cookies for friends and family as gifts. I had previously purchase for her one of Mary Engelbreit's cookie books, which was a big hit. The Pooh cookie book was almost as successful. Particularly we enjoy the Oatmeal Raisin, and Pecan Finger cookies.

As for the cookies themselves, most of them seem to have traditional cookie ingredients. Occasionally you will find one with apricot jam, or allspice. As I am flipping through this book one last time, I think that I want to try the Chocolate Chip Macaroons soon. I would definitely recommend this book as a gift book or for yourself.

I am expecting my 2nd great-grandchild in June,2000. Gave this book to my granddaughter at her baby shower and was immediately given the biggest hug and a loud YES! I had given it to my other granddaughter for her baby shower and they had shared the one book, now she has her own copy. Don't know who likes the cookies better, thee or me..I of course have my own copy and use it many times in a monthly period."Honey Madelines" are excellent. Christopher Robin's Button Cookies are just the right size for those little hands.Extremely well written and very consice and most importantly so easy..Chocolate Crisps are so good with either milk or tea. I'm going to buy several more copies to keep on hand for those baby showers to come.

Who knows what queasiness lurks in the hearts of tort lawyers? Kevin Mednick knows, and he tells all in this fast-paced, funny, knowing book about what lawyers do and how they do it. (Warning: As they say about politics and making sausage, some of it ain't pretty!) Mike Samuels may not want to be a lawyer, but by the end of "An Almost Life" most readers will want his phone number in case they slip and fall.

This is a laugh-out-loud and ultimately redemptive first novel about a self-deprecating personal injury lawyer from upstate New York. Who would have thought? A self-deprecating lawyer? But the novel has shades of Woody Allen, James Taylor, and Saul Bellow that make it all work.

Mike Samuels is just another middle-aged, middle class, divorced guy who feels he is slowly disappearing from life itself when he takes the case of Evelyn Walker. The former small town beauty has been scalped by a glue machine and by everything else in her life. When Mike realizes only he can right the terrible injustice to her, the burden of responsibility makes him want to fade away completely, but his sense of duty keeps him in the game for one last inning.

His efficient, long-suffering secretary Alice keeps his practice afloat, even when, in the middle of a major trial, he forbids her to take messages, any messages, from anybody. His girlfriend Anne-Marie is supportive, calm, sexy, and witty. Mike dotes on his two teenagers, Adam and Esperanza, and it's requited. His best friend Dan, brilliant but blustery, gives him endless pep talks on women, life, and other stuff he may really know nothing about. And while it's apparent Mike has nothing to be ashamed of except his own lackluster connection to life itself, he spends his days idly longing for the nobility of "Casablanca," plagued by hypochondria and self-doubt, reliant on Xanax to get him through the 3 a.m. willies, bullied by the viciousness of opposing lawyers, almost hopeless in courtrooms filled by deficient judges, small-minded jurors, lying witnesses, and clients who get their idea of the law from tv.

Mednick gives us a great primer on the actual practice of personal injury law. In his hands it turns out to be, and I hate to admit this, intriguing. He has a wonderful sense of place, the deteriorating landscape of the rustbelt, the fade-to-grey North country, and yet he still finds promise in small town America. He loves his characters, not just the heroic judges and doctors and the hot stripper with a complaint about her breast implants ("Can I show you the scars?") but also his triumphant ex-wife, barbaric opposing attorneys, and venal clients.

The author makes some great wisecracking detours into hypochondria, the differences between how men and women prepare for a date, lawyer's tv ads ("Mad Dog Duggan"), anti-depressants ("How could one drug cause drowsiness and insomnia?") teenagers ("Kids are forgiving creatures. You don't even have to be good. You just have to try.") America ("Rural people identify with their bosses...If Karl Marx lived in upstate New York, the world would be a different place.") and country clubs (where folks join to "disapprove of all the things they can't disapprove of elsewhere.")

I found myself wishing for a real Hollywood ending, where the bad guys get beat up in a rousing courtroom trial and the hero rides off with the stunning stripper whose scars have healed, but it's a tribute to the book's honesty that it shows us how to weather the storms of life without a swelling sound-track or explosions in Act 3.

Mike Samuels is in his forties and unhappily divorced from Andrea, his wife of sixteen years. She has since remarried; her new husband, Tom, is ambitious and prosperous, everything that Mike is not. Mike's self-esteem has hit rock bottom. "An Almost Life," by Kevin Mednick, refers to the protagonist's lack of engagement with the world; he feels like a walking shadow, a person without substance: "I'd been fading away for quite a while by then, disappearing to an unknown locale." He has a decent enough practice as a personal injury lawyer and a pretty, bright, and witty girlfriend, Ann-Marie, who, Mike insists is "not crazy about me," and "I'm not sure I like her either." In addition, he has two great kids, fifteen year old Adam and thirteen-year-old Esperanza, whom he adores and who love him as well. With all he has going for him, Mike still claims that he is merely going through the motions.

How to get Mike out of his funk? An unusual new case, brought to him by a woman in her mid-forties from upstate New York, captures his attention. Evelyn Walker suffered severe injuries when her hair was caught in a spinning roller at the paper goods plant where she worked. The roller ripped away four inches of scalp. She is suing the owners of Borum Industries, whom she claims allowed their employees to use equipment they knew to be unsafe. Evelyn tells Mike, "I want a tough lawyer from out of town." He replies, "Will you settle for one out of two?"

Mike initially has doubts about the viability of Evelyn's case. As the trial approaches, his qualms increase, since there are still some serious issues that have yet to be resolved. Is the weakness and pain in Evelyn's right arm a direct result of the accident? If so, who is responsible--the owner, for not making sure that effective safety procedures were in place, or Evelyn, for behaving carelessly? The outcome of this dispute is far from certain and Mike cannot handle much doubt in his fragile state. When his opponents resort to dirty tricks, Mike finds his inner pit bull and decides to fight back with a vengeance.

"An Almost Life" is a humorous and breezy story about a man who is a much better lawyer than he gives himself credit for, as well as an extremely loving and devoted father. Even his ex-wife doesn't hate him. Still he cannot relax and go with the flow. Fortunately, as Mike gets more deeply invested in the Walker case, he snaps out of his torpor long enough to learn about the virtues of patience, courage, and faith from his determined client.

This is a feel-good story about a nice, average guy who is having a rough time accepting the fact that his wife dumped him and that he will never be a superstar in his profession. Mednick's prose style is effortless and understated and his wry humor is delightfully engaging. The author makes personal injury law fascinating (no mean feat) and although the ending is a bit too pat and sentimental, "An Almost Life" is a diverting debut novel.

Jim Shepard's collection here is a real treat. It's a must read, an innovative style with a fluid rhythm and enthralling nostalgia. Shepard has shown what a promising author he is with Nosferatu, and Battling Against Castro ups the ante.

If you're as sick as I am of cookie-cutter, writer's program writing, you should check out this fine collection of stories. Divided into two sections, "Strangers" and "Family," it manages to avoid every cliche going in contemporary American fiction. Shepard goes straight into the character, and if you don't like it, that's your problem. Quick example: "Who We Are, What We're Doing," in which you get a speed rap from a gung-ho flyboy who totally digs killing other people from his over-teched fighter plane. For three pages, you're there, like it or not. That's "Strangers" for you, but the "Family" is no less hard-edged. I usually burn out on a book of short stories after a couple, and lay it down to come back to later. Not with "Batting Against Castro." Shepard's a winner. -- Ed Ward

Great stories. Few writers would dare to rewrite Salinger's "Just Before the War with the Eskimos" in a white trash landscape and Roth's "The Conversion of the Jews" in a catholic school. But Shepard did it. And landed on his feet. Amazing! Read this and follow with the novel "Nosferatu" (a fragment included here). "Batting Against Castro" is all that a short-stories collection should be: a kaleidoscope vision of the world as we don't know it and, also, an intimate invitation to visit a writer's mind. A rare privilege.R.S.V.P. NOW!

Great fun! Activities require very easily accessible materials that educate and entertain. We took this book to a family reunion and had everyone from age 8 to 88 trying to do the experiments the scientific experts claim are Impossible. Now, every time my grandchildren (ages 6 and 10)visit, this is the first book they drag off the shelf. This is a timeless winner!

Bet You Can't is a wonderful tool for teachers and students. Science is presented as fun challenges. It can be used in the classroom setting in many ways--as independent centers, and as science process presentations. Students are amazed at the activities. This book helps students understand science in a fun.

Great fun! Activities require very easily accessible materials that educate and entertain. We took this book to a family reunion and had everyone from age 8 to 88 trying to do the experiments the scientific experts claim are Impossible. Now, every time my grandchildren (ages 6 and 10)visit, this is the first book they drag off the shelf. This is a timeless winner!

This book is a great collection of photography created by a bike messenger highlighting the bike messenger culture, and showing an honest collection of the people who do this often thankless job. I commend him for some good pictures and for the time and effort he spent putting together this collection.

This book's compelling photography depicts the humanity behind the life and labor of the people who keep the upper class functioning. The cliche "one picture is worth a thousand words" does not do this book justice. Some of these photos are so touching it brings a lump to the throat. There are photos from around the world, each depicting something different yet all with something in common. The photographer, Kyle Shepard, has great talent. Every lawyer, banker, stock broker, real estate agent, and professional who utilizes the services of messengers ought to own this book, and refer to it from time to time so as to never forget the people behind the delivery of important documents. I think we will see Kyle Shepard become one of the great photographers of our time. He has a special talent for capturing humanity.

I have been a messenger for the past few years and I really enjoyed this book. There is no text save for the first couple pages, just a lot of great photos capturing the life of messengers around the world at work and at play and everything inbetween. I strongly recomend it for messengers and people who are interested in messengers.

When I started to read through these poems for a school project I was amazed at how many I already knew. My mother has a copy of this book that she receied at age 3 and it was a favourite bedtime story when I was a toddler.

They are perfect for all ages, my class of other 18 year olds liked my presentation and my teacher wanted the title so she could buy a copy for her 2 year old.

The rhythms and language are beautiful on many levels, read it.

This book has many poems that I have never heard of. This is a good collectors item for people who love winnie the pooh as much as I do. It's a great book to sit down on a rainy day with a cup of hot chocolate and read. The poems are silly, fun, happy, and enjoyalbe! I will denfintly pass this on to my children in hopes they enjoy it as much as I do!

A.A. Milne's creations combined with Shepard's decorations make for a delightful package for both the young and the old. These are humorous and classy nursery rhymes that still manage to captivate after many decades. The rhythm and prose of Milne's creations are easy to read, original, and tasteful. Something about the writing of Britain's '20s and '30s will never be captured again. An essential volume.

Remy's infamous work "Daemonolatreiae libri tres", first published in France in 1595 and is generally considered one of the most important early works on demons and witches.

Remy is generally considered one of the more virulent demonologists, in line with other anti-witch writers like Jean Bodin or Heinrich Kramer. His work was influential until the end of the 17th century, when a belief in witches and demons was on a steep decline, and this book was frequently cited and reprinted. Montague Summers, the eccentric early 20th century occult historian, lauds praise on Remy for his determination to root out witchery by any means possible, even if that meant the torture and death of innocents. While repugnant to our modern morality, this work is important to an understanding of the witch craze of the early modern period.

Although from a Christian POV, this book delves into historic thoughts on witchcraft, satanism, demon worship, et al and outlines some alleged practices. While some of its accounts do resemble the demonolatry rituals of the middle ages, most of the book resembles something akin to the embellished hysteria outlined in the Compendium Maleficarum and The Malleus Maleficarum. There were only 1,275 copies of this book printed. They are hand numbered. Regardless, a valuable and rare title worth the price and wait.

This is the Montague Summers' edition of Nicholas Remy's infamous work "Daemonolatreiae libri tres", first published in France in 1595 and is generally considered one of the most important early works on demons and witches.

Remy was a judge for the Duchy of Lorraine and tried many hundreds of witchcraft cases, sending as many as 800 of the accused to a slow and terrible death at the stake. As a result of his vast "experience", this present work was considered one of the most influenctial of the many works on witchcraft and demonology that came about as a result of the great witchcraze of the 16th and 17th centuries. It definately influenced the work of several later demonologists such as Francesco Maria Guazzo and Martin Del Rio. Remy's work described a number of witchcraft cases and emphasised the truth of the diabolic pact supposedly made between a witch and the Devil himself and the horrible acts claimed to take place at the witches Sabbat. It also highlighted the fact that many witches were forced into the Devil's service either through trickery or violence, which was a change from several earlier works which claimed that witches made a willing choice to do evil. This in no way meant that Remy urged mercy for those who chose the dark path. Quite the opposite was true in fact. Remy draws on many ancient and contemporary sources for his arguments and stressed that the evil power of witches and other adherents to the Devil must be thoroughly rooted out of society by rope and flame.

Remy is generally considered one of the more virulent demonologists, in line with other anti-witch writers like Jean Bodin or Heinrich Kramer. His work was influential until the end of the 17th century, when a belief in witches and demons was on a steep decline, and this book was frequently cited and reprinted. Montague Summers, the eccentric early 20th century occult historian, lauds praise on Remy for his determination to root out witchery by any means possible, even if that meant the torture and death of innocents. While repugnant to our modern morality, this work is important to an understanding of the witchcraze of the early modern period.