Stone Books

I'm sure this is the best book written by Mingfong Ho yet. Some of her earlier novels like The Clay Marble are a bit creaky but this novel doesn't have a false note in it! The story involves a girl who is caught up in the Khmer Rouge evacuation of Cambodia and is sent to work in a camp in the rural areas. Some members of her family die while others survive. Mingfong Ho worked in the refugee camps in Thailand for Cambodians and speaks Thai as well as Chinese and English. She witnessed the lives of the Khmer people in refugee camps and heard their stories. This all comes alive in the book and makes the story much more realistic than some other novels about the Khmer Rouge time. She has also grown as a writer and communicate her story in a clear, descriptive manner. There is no doubt that she is now a terrific children's novelist.

I thought this was autobiographical because it seemend so real. The turmoil of Cambodia and the family's escape from their were so terrifying.

As a middle school teacher, I found this book wonderful. Although it deals with issues some younger students may struggle with, I plan to use it in my 8th grade classroom. The story is told from first person, the voice of a 12 year old Cambodian girl. It takes place in the 60's and therefore deals with Vietnam war and that time frame. The main character experiences some severe traumas, but makes it through them all stronger and more mature. A wonderful book for young adolescents and a quick read for adults!

We bought Stone Goddess in preparation for a trip to Cambodia with our children. The older ones (10 and 12) read this book along with two others that tell similar stories (Little Brother, and Chantrea Conway's Journey to America). Stone Goddess was BY FAR the best-written of the three - Ho's prose is spare but emotionally rich, and her descriptions certainly rang true with what we saw in Cambodia. We visited Angkor, and the scenes in the book that were set there helped prepare us for what we would be seeing.

The plotline was also the most believable of the three books, and I found the latter section of the book, when Nakri has come to America and is trying to adjust, very poignant and true to the 20th century immigrant experience.

I would highly recommend this book for tweens and up - it's on the short side, but even adults will find it moving. If you were planning a trip to Cambodia with kids, I would say it's a must-read.

I enjoyed the Stone Goddess, by Mingfong Ho. This book is great for pre-teens and teens who are interested in first person fiction. It is a book based on the late 60's and the ending of the Vietnam War. It shows the struggle and trauma that one girl named Narki goes through to become free as she once was, before the war. Even though the book is fiction, it has very true messages for growing up and not taking freedom for granted.

Narki, is a young Cambodian girl, her sister Teeda, and her brother Boran, are separated from their family during the Vietnam War. They all struggle to survive in labor camps where they are not treated with any kindness. They are made to work in rice fields. They are withdrawn from their Buddhists beliefs and they are forced to become part of the Angkor, which is the belief of the people who captured them. It shows how strong they were to survive for four years in the labor camps. It shows how being away from your family doesn't keep you from believing that one day you will re-joined with them.

All in all, The Stone Goddess is an enjoyable book. It unlocks doors that show the adventure of surviving in an unfamiliar place. It shows, even if your dreams are crushed, you just need to believe and everything seems possible as it once did before. This book represents adventure, dreams, trauma, and struggle. And it shows that all of it makes you a stronger person.

This book was the kind of book that you couldn't hardly lay down then couldn't wait to get back to it. Very, very well written...a book to remember

This brilliant book reveals vividly, life in Caesarea at the time of Christ, written intelligently through an excellent command of language, with colorful details and perhaps, God's own pen. Research on this book must have been tremendous, but most assuredly, God's hand was on the author's shoulder, offering inspiration and encouragement. The short chapters were very much appreciated, because they provided wonderful stopping places when demands on time prohibited a lengthier read. My only disappointment was that the second book in the series is not yet available for purchase!

Imagine going down in history as the man who sentenced the Son of God to death? An interesting read that helped me better understand Pilate as well as the political and religious mix in Palestine during the last week before Jesus' crucifixion.

Since I began a major in Religion at Wake Forest University in 1949 and continued on through graduate studies and 32 years of college and university teaching, I have studied the New Testament technically for 54 years. In reading Ellen Bynum's novel (A Stone Laid in Zion: The Story of Pilate, Claudia, and Jesus) I found it to be a very accurate and very colorful picture of life in Palestine under Roman control in the first century A.D. In my opinion, this novel should be read by all Sunday School teachers and Christian leaders so that they can imagine more clearly what life was like in Palestine during the time of Jesus' ministry on earth. I am happy to give this book a very high recommendation.

Rev. Vann Murrell, Ph.D.
Pastor of Brookwood Baptist Church, Jacksonville, NC

Excellent read. Enhances your personal relationship to Christ through the characters that knew him during his life on earth. Can't wait for the next in the series to be published.

I recently purchased Stones and Bones for my three grandkids who are all eight years old. They loved reading the book with so many big words. The ones they couldn't figure out they looked in the back of the book for the correct pronunciation. There were so many things to see on one page and they loved pointing different things out.

This is a book that they will return to time and time again. Besides just pure fun they are learning too, which is a win win kind of book!

I looked through the book and it's looks excellent - really good pictures and a lot of facts along a story line. It turns out to be a little too old for my grandson who's just about four now. He's very interested in dinos and that's why I purchased it. He will probably be ready in another 6 months to a year. I would say this book is good for five and over.

Stones & Bones by Char Matejovsky and Robaire Ream is a lovely children's book. Robaire's beautiful illustrations bring to life Char's poetic description of the process of evolution. There are big words (and a glossary of pronunciation) for kids to get their mouths around. And of course, dinosaurs - who doesn't like a book with dinosaurs in it?

When you finish reading the book, you can listen to the CD which is included. The Santa Rosa Children's Chorus sings "Stones & Bones" as well as "The Song of the Meadowlark." So you can sing-along while you read the book. (And "The Song of the Meadowlark" is a beautiful and very catchy song. I hope the pair work together on making a book about that song as well. There need to be more children's books about Earth stewardship.)

It's refreshing to read a science children's book that has very good science in it AND is fun to read (and look at). If you have any children around you who want to know about evolution, get them this book. Or donate one to your local library. Or your school library.

This book was the perfect introduction to the concept of evolution for my six-year-old daughter. The verses led her to ask some wonderful questions, such as "What is DNA?" & "What is a mammal?" We've both since learned a great deal together while exploring the answers to her questions.

The illustrations meanwhile are absolutely gorgeous, and perfectly complement the verses. They are also enough, in and of themselves, to capture the attention and curiosity of any child ... as well as this adult.

This children's book is a delight and it is not just for children. The verse and illustrations are so rich; it is not possible to experience the whole adventure of this book in just a couple of readings. Surprises are lurking throughout the wonderful illustrations.

As a science teacher for over thirty years with the last thirteen years dedicated to teaching teachers how to teach science, I can say this book is a gem for explaining the process of evolution to children. I can reiterate that it is also good information for adults.

It is informative, yes, but also whimsical and downright fun to read. With the music CD in the back, it is possible to sing along with the text and that too is great fun. It is unusual to find such a fine teaching tool that is also this much fun.

I hope the author and illustrator team up to make more excellent books like this one.

I can recommend this book to all elementary teachers, parents, grandparents and folks who love children. This book will make a terrific gift for Christmas or birthdays. My family bought copies for each of our school and public libraries in the area. But I have a personal copy in my library just for me.

I really enjoyed this book, and read it in 2 sittings. The author was a courageous young woman and I'm amazed what she accomplished in such a short life. It is written in a pleasant conversational way that I felt like I knew her a bit when I finished.

The one thing I wish it had was a more in depth study of the authors family (Theresa also had a sister who had CF, and died a few years after she did). Her family went on to have a few more children (were her parents aware of the risk?) after her and her sister were diagnosed. I was also curious to how it affected them emotionally, I wish maybe her parents could have touched on this a bit more, just because it was so interesting I would have loved to know more, particularly how her sister struggled as well.

I also recommend Breathing for a Living by Laura Rothenburg, my favorite book.

I think Teresa Mullin achieved her goals in writing this book. It's a truly eye-opening account of what it's like to grow up with a severe chronic illness---how much she had to fight to be able to even be given a chance to do things we all take for granted. I was especially horrified by the account of the sadistic sounding head nurse at her prep school, who seemed to enjoy making her feel out of place. It was sad but telling to read about her delight in very ordinary things like pulling an all-nighter with friends studying and then going very early to Dunkin Donuts---something most of us would not count among life's big events.

I also realized how the emphasis on finding the genes for genetic diseases might distract those who would otherwise work to make everyday life for people with the diseases better. Mullin felt it might have been not that hard to find a way to better fight lung infections and loosen secretions, but so much of the time and money went into finding a cure, and not into finding new treatments. That must be a huge dilemma.

I don't know anyone personally with CF, but I do know quite a few children at my sons' inclusive school that are living with severe chronic conditions, and this book will affect how I see them. I wish the best for Mullin's family. I think her parents should also write a book. They would have much to tell about their life with two children with CF---their younger daughter Susan's story is overshadowed here, naturally, as Teresa was away from home so much, but I would love to know more about her, and about how the parents decided to have more children, and about their work on the behalf of CF. I want to thank them for having this book published.

The book is full of brio, and evinces an emotional maturity that may come only from an early intimacy with one's own mortality. Teresa comes alive again on the pages, with a rare, first-hand account of life with cystic fibrosis that will earn her immortality among her readers.

Teresa's book about her life is excellent. She's a strong-willed, brilliant person who conveys her experiences without a hint of self-pity. She's articulate and honest, and she opened my eyes to the shortcomings of preventative medicine and its neglect of those who are already living with disease. She also reminded me that you can't take a break from fighting injustice. Every day she fought it, through exhaustion and other people's ignorance. Teresa seems to have had a tireless spirit, and I hope this book helps people remember to continue Teresa's fight against medical complacency and the marginalization of chronically ill people.

Teresa's words are filled with insight, purpose, and pure honesty. The Stones Applaud offers the healthy an eye-opening account of life as we've constructed it, and offers the chronically-ill a champion for their cause. Highly recommended.

"...an authentic expression of our geography and our people making at the same time a personal statement which is artistically original and morally compelling."

"I believe we, reportage photographers of the human condition, have a moral duty to get as close as we can to the people we photograph and to draw attention to all the dignity in the world, as Nubar Alexanian has managed to do so well in this book. It gave me immense pleasure to see my Latin-American people portrayed with so much tenderness."

"Alexanian's 56 photographs, many of them double-page spreads, are simple, powerful, and reveal the dignity of a people coping with life under difficult conditions. His concise introduction is complemented by the poem of Jose Maria Arguedas (1911-69) which creates a powerful tension between the old and the modern in Peru."

"Anyone thinking of going to Peru or, for that matter any Andean Republic, on a photographic assignment should study this author and photographer's work with great care. He demonstrates great empathy with the people he photographs--his main subject-matter. The photographer should be heartily congratulated for his exceptional ability to study and understand his subject-matter, achieve spontaneity and yet at the same time maintain high standards of composition and outstanding technical quality."

"For the lover of peopled enigmas and tonally rich photos splashed big across two pages, this book is a find, a breath of contemplative art in a fast-forward video world. Alexanian's pictures are metaphors. Read them like poems."

This book is excellent reading material!! Dr. Robbins is my professor for a Great Discoveries in Archaeology class at MSU and we use this book for the class. I certainly don't feel as if I'm doing homework while reading it. The book is very informative, yet easy reading material. Dr. Robbins is a very talented professor and writer with a great deal of precise and sometimes humorous information to offer anyone interested in reading this book!!

Informative, entertaining, and consise. A great survey of important archeological discoveries....but written in a highly readable way.

This book covers a wide range of archaeological finds from all over the world. Cave paintings, skeletons, tombs, the list goes on. There are different (and more specialized) types of archaeology mentioned as well as the discoveries they brought about. Another thing I liked was that the author presents different interpretations and points of view about the information recovered from digs. In the back of the book there's a chronological table of archaeology discoveries that helped me to better organize important dates in my mind.

Well, I wasn't too sure when I started but by the time I finished the first chapter, "Stones, Bones and Ancient Cities" by Lawrence H. Robbins had me hooked so much I didn't get much sleep for the next few days. The writing style is crisp, clean and easy to understand. Robbins presents the cold-hard facts not just in layman's terms but in INTERESTING terms. I really loved the map of important sites discussed in the book which helped to put things into real perspective.

Chapter 2 about Cave Art is really eye-opening and informative about this controversial and speculative area of anthropology. Robbins also presents several Time-Lines at the back of the book that are also very informative. I am also a HUGE fan of the Chapter-by-Chapter form of Notes to be terrific for those of us that like to add more and more reading materials to our shelves. The photographs are fine though MORE is always better in these types of books.

REALLY AN ENJOYABLE READ!!

Informative, entertaining, and consise. A great survey of important archeological discoveries....but written in a highly readable way.

I highly recommend the AUDIO MP3 version of Success System That Never Fails The Success System That Never Fails

This book truly shares a success system that never fails, if you choose to work and follow the system. I highly recommend this and Think & Grow Rich as books to read and re-read over and over again. Make Today Great! Tom Beal

Great Book. Great Author and a Great Man who knows what he is talking about.

I think the words inspiration, enthusiasm, action and focus sum up the core principles of this book nicely. How could one not be compelled to read a book by a man who went from door-to-door insurance salesman to owner of a billion dollar company -- Mr. Stone's wisdom is timeless, and he reveals all in this book.

Do yourself a favor and buy this one, read it twice, and begin to practice its principles immediately.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should say that I am a speaker, trainer, and author of another unique and highly valuable learning tool that can also be found here on Amazon: The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Personal Wealth Creation (Combo Audio/Data CD): Audio Seminar With Downloadable 40-Page Action Manual and Active Link Library. It is a straight-forward discussion of the art and science of personal wealth creation and should be considered by anyone serious about wanting to learn more about the right way to get started on the road to personal wealth creation and financial freedom!

Other "WealthLoop Series" tools of worth looking into include:

The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses: The Foolproof Roadmap to Real Estate Riches Without the Risks and Hassles of Landlording

and

The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses (Combo Audio/Data CD): Author's Audio Commentary Plus Downloadable 32-page Marketing Manual, Checklists, Spreadsheets, and Forms.

In my ever expanding search for focus and positive energy, I read this book as an extention to The Secret. It was helpful but a bit dry. I would still recommend it but be prepared to need extra time to absorb and apply the principles.

This is a great series and I'm looking forward to the third book. Oliver has developed a rich world that blends high magic and sweeping themes with common sense and gritty realism so that you can sink your teeth in and have a good read without straining your suspension of disbelief. You get believable characters and motivations with all the trimmings of dragons, sorceresses, deities, wars, and the other fun stuff we read fantasy for, complete with a healthy wallop of story telling.

The Southern Isle clansmen must come to grips with their murderous enemy from the north, Lord Phelan. This twisted ruler is bent on nothing less than the total extermination of the clansmen and he will stop at nothing until he has their leader, Caewlin, in his hands. Albeit as in any true high fantasy, fate delivers to Phelan a power weapon he intends to use in his brutal war against the Southern Isle clansmen. All the characters from the first book play pivotal roles that move this high fantasy to it's ultimate conclusion. A very impressive sequel to The Circle of the Swan, Jana Oliver again spins a well crafted story whose characters feelings and expressions move beyond the page to capture the reader's heart and soul. The characterization in this sequel seems a lot richer than in the tale before as Ms. Oliver has fine tuned her craft. Though this book has more violence and sex than the previous book, it is rendered in such a way not to be blatantly offensive and adds the depth needed to develop the characters. Any fan of fantasy will be rewarded well when they read this book. It is a stand alone novel, but is best appreciated when read after the first book.

Jana has done the superb job of creating a sequel that is equal to or better than her first book.

The Summoning Stone is high fantasy and romance in it's best forms. It weaves magic, adventure, and dragons together with one of the most vile villians to leap off a page. You find yourself truly caring what happens to the characters through to the end of the book. Even then, you want to know - what happens next?

Oliver has left you truly wanting more, and what more can an author ask than to have readers demanding the next book in the series? The Summoning Stone will make you do just that.

I read the first book of this series, The Circle of the Swan, on a cruise vacation this past fall. I couldn't wait to get the second book and find out what happens next in the world of adventure and romance that J. Oliver has created. I was not disappointed - the second book is as good as the first and even more finely crafted in some ways. It reminded me of a James Michener novel: a big story with big characters who love and laugh and cry and have grand and noble purpose to their lives. The setting and characters are realistic, with just enough magic and dragons sprinkled in to make it fun (rather like Harry Potter). There is somewhat more violence and sex in this book than the first, but it is not offensive and, like Michener, is rendered in a compassionate way that makes the characters human. From cover to cover, this book is pure storytelling - I highly recommend it!

Book Two of the "DragonFire" fantasy series by Jana G. Oliver, The Summoning Stone is an impressive and entertaining epic with a particularly Celtic mythos feel. It is the saga of Caewlin, a leader of men and his hazardous quest to defend his people and clan from a murderous conqueror. The fire-haired healing woman Aithne and Belwyn, the eldest son of a rival house rise with Caewlin to meet the ultimate challenge in this fantasy saga set in a far-off world of dragons, magic, and a land steeped in centuries of lore and ancient power.

Reading this novel, I had the distinct feeling that I was transported back in time, into a colorful, mysterious world of danger and excitement, a world which until now was just a blurred black and white picture created long ago by the history lessons from high school. A great novel which left me asking for more ... Great reading, great adventure.

I agreed with the previously written reviews as to the general presentation and unfolding of this historically based novel. However, I think very little has been said about the profound influence of the ideas within this text. There is certainly an entertaining adventure story that compels a reader to turn to the next page, but woven underneath are the sobering realities of humanity. The Author masks within his prose the fundamental driving forces behind human cultural evolution; religion, truth and those who power to control them. The following book exerts highlight these central themes.

"Reciting the verses of the Koran like a parrot doesn't make one learned. One must understand them. As far as Christian common men, do you really think the church would allow commoners to be learned? Would they still fall to their knees in front of the altars if they could read about the painted stories decorating the ceiling and wall of the churches?"

This exert underscores the source of early religious power. Control through fear and ignorance. A learned mind is much more receptive to doubt and mistrust a veiled spirituality. However, the words also suggest little has changed today, though we have a far more literate and learned world.

"Islam means total submission to Allah and Prophet Muhammad's teachings. Christianity believes Jesus the Messiah is the only savior and path to God. Both, resolved in their righteousness, are ready for the ultimate confrontation. Do any of you believe that such adversarial religions, which have been at war for more than five hundred years, can break with the past, find a way to tolerate one another, and live in peace? And what is the price they must pay? Can any of the bishops and mullahs, popes and muftis, sultans and kings be persuaded to make so drastic a change?"

These are ageless questions who's interpretations continue to gravely influence the relationships between modern human cultures. With regard to that which motivates our loves and our hates, how little things have changed in the last six centuries.

"Isn't it written in the Good Book that God is always on the side of those who follow the truth?" he asked, his eyes filled with the ardor of youth.

"Ah, truth, that which everyone demands, but few can bear it," Nicolaus answered instead. "You see, it is much more murky and ambiguous than you think. The color of truth is neither black nor white but gray, and the border between right and wrong is not a line but a wide expanse in which most men could lose themselves, wandering aimlessly, if not guided by the principle that the good of the many outweigh the good of the one."

The ambiguity of truth: Truth to one man is a lie to another. The objectiveness of truth is brought into serious question. Many very basic philosophic principles are brought out in this book exert. One could argue that effectively all human history has been defined by wandering men trying to elevate their brand of truth. That which is accepted as truth by an individual or a group becomes a controlling force influencing that entity. Truth is in effect an ephemeral human variable of influence and subjectivity. The examples in our history are without bounds, the `murkiness' of truth is the scepter of power. As Orwell wrote, "he who controls the present controls the past, he who controls the past controls the future."

"To indulge in judging who's right and who's wrong is a fallacy of the worst kind, for the chain of evil deeds goes deep into the maze of time and cannot be traced to its beginning."

"You see, in their struggle, both Muslims and Christians allow themselves to be allured by the same error. Both judge the other and demand retribution for the wrongs they have suffered. Neither can bear the truth that, on both sides, men driven by religious fervor and the uncontrollable desire of power and possession committed evil deeds."

This exert speaks once again to the way religion has been used by men to control and destroy each other. It makes an interesting argument that the pure divisiveness of religious doctrine was created for just this purpose, as it certainly has been proven to be an effective force of destruction. Even if the believer accepts his written faith was divinely inspired, religious dogma clearly and inarguably inspires hate, fear and violence, just as it inspires love and compassion.

"From an early age, Excubitors are groomed to hold positions of trust and knowledge in the entourage of kings, emperors, sultans, despots and heads of churches alike in order to have a broad insight into world affairs and to be aware of what these men might do next. We believe it is in the interest of all that no one should be allowed to absolutely predominate over the world, and for that we stay constantly vigil."

I found this one of the most interesting themes in this book. If this group was active and effective in controlling world power balance in the 15th Century, why wouldn't we consider that it's modern evolution wouldn't have the same role and success. It fits well into modern conspiracy theory, but is intriguing none the less. Who are the Excubitors of present day and can we see their forces at work when we view world events against a more profound time-scale of centuries rather than the myopic distortion that feeds us through daily news?

This is a beautifully written first novel. The setting is Eastern Europe in the middle of the 15th century. It has everything you want in a story, religion and politics as well as economic issues that defined that part of the world. There are characters that are very enduring such as Sylvan the younger brother of Lorian (the main character) who is on a journey of a lifetime. Lorian the young hero, who is thrust in to the world of his father, who must fulfill his destiny, and finally Gregor, a powerful member of the excubitors and an Imperial Knight with a lot of secrets of his own. And there are villians that will satisfy everyones evil quotient! It is fast paced and the history lessons are nothing like I remember. I recommend this to people of all ages. Florian Wells has a way of transporting you back to a time where you can experience what it must've been like so many centuries ago. His attention to detail is amazing. I eagerly await the next installment, "The Field of the Black Birds".

I am not a fast reader and, from time to time, I have difficulty staying engaged and interested in a book, but the beautiful language, gripping story, and attention to the detail of the period drew me to finish the book in short order. I found myself awakening during the darkness of night to experience the saga at the same time the story was taking place.

The development of characters and personalities throughout the book brought me quickly to an understanding of how each played a role in the story that ensued. I am particularly impressed with how the author has developed the depth of personalities and has depicted the true character of the individuals as they rely on each other's strengths in pursuit of a common goal.

Using the compelling tale as a backdrop to view today's philosophical and religious differences, Florian Stone Wells provides the reader with greater insight and understanding of the events that impact our daily lives.

I am anxious for the story to continue.

Book Review - Fiction - by Jon Rogers (Mr. Rogers is a freelance writer and literary reviewer who lives and works in Aurora, CO)

The Sword and Shield of the Realm, by Florian Stone Wells

The year is 1448. Amid the epic struggles of the Ottoman Empire and European Christendom, Transylvania and Wallachia, known as the Sword and Shield of the Kingdom of Hungary, are facing invasion by the legions of the Sultan Murad II, the `Shadow of Allah Upon the World'. These are the opening lines of the author's description of the first book in a magnificent and ambitious historical saga set in the religious, political and economic maelstrom that is Eastern Europe in the middle of the 15th Century. Opposing armies meet, lay siege to cities and plot various intrigues on one another amid the ever-changing geo-political divisions of the time.
Author Florian Stone Wells, a native of the area he writes about, uses his extensive knowledge of the history of the area and times to weave a tale that takes his hero, Lorian, a native of the kingdom of Wallachia and heir to his father's knighthood, and Lorian's younger brother, Silvan, on an adventure that leads from their home village high in the Carpathian Mountains to the city of Hermannstadt, a major trading center in Transylvania.
Along the way, the brothers encounter many dangers and also meet friends and foes, and encounter political intrigues that can only be called, appropriately to the novel, Byzantine.
Lorian learns that he is to carry a message to Vladislav Dan, the putative ruler of Wallachia, who is currently in Hermannstadt. On being given the commission, Lorian learns more of his father, and with his brother sets out to the castle of Roter Turm, to connect with the Komtur of the Order of Draco, who will assist him. The boys lose their way, narrowly escape capture by the Sultan's forces, survive attacks by wild beasts, and miss the way to their first destination. This is fortunate, as Roter Turm has fallen to the Sultan's army, and is destroyed. One knight, Sir Gregor Dahr Altair, escapes and makes his way toward Hermannstadt to warn of the attacking army. He meets the brothers and learning Lorian's identity, leads them to the city with a great many adventures en route.
The tale of the brothers' adventures in the city is enhanced by scenes that are carefully and artfully presented lessons in the history of the area and the world of the time. The story ends after a great battle and with some wonderful twists and turns, the reader is left with a true cliff-hanger of an ending.
Mr. Wells has a genuine talent for presenting some of the European History lessons we slept through in high school in a manner that makes the lesson interesting and provides a pretty good yarn in the bargain. Mr. Wells has a keen eye for detail, and keeps the reader's interest with his descriptions of the land and people his characters encounter. The characters are finely drawn, and come across as human, with likable main characters, properly heroic heroes and enjoyably despicable villains.
There are quite a few terms in Latin and other languages contemporary to the story, and some historical references that may seem obscure, but Wells keeps the story moving and holds the reader's interest with a comprehensive glossary. This lexicon doesn't detract in any way; it adds greatly to the story line by providing a way for the reader to relate easily to people and events in the book.
Florian Stone Wells has written an excellent first novel, which will not only interest you in its own right, but which will definitely leave you eager for the next installment: "The Field of the Black Birds."

A perfect book of poems. Each poem makes me shake my head in wonder at such brilliance. His imagery is incredible. He can twist and turn any ordinary moment into a tornado humming with all aspects of life. Startling.

Today I had the pleasure to hear Mark Cox, this year's Frost poet in residence at the Frost Place in Franconia, NH. He read from this lovely book of poems with such clarity, such honesty, that I was compelled to buy the book on the spot. He writes of the things that we all face, that we can all connect with, but still, with careful word choice and all the other fine things involved with the crafting of good poetry, he evokes our own experience as well. The poetry is accessible, careful, emotion-laden but not "sentimental". Build your own collection, using this one as a valued addition.

Cox is a poet whose work I admire and enjoy (and I'm a hard woman to please -- as I am both a poet and a literary critic). This collection is like a complicated American all -you can eat breakfast with surprises, freebies you never thought you'd get and a bottomless cup of thought provoking images to wash it down with.

See him "read" (aka, perform) these if you can, but in the meantime, buy the book and support the work!

Reviewed by Rustin Larson in The Iowa Source

An often heard praise for a poet these days is that he "takes the straw of the ordinary and spins it into gold." However, it may be said Mark Cox takes it one step further, that he gives his gold an unusual new texture and shine. Ever since the appearance of his chapbook Barbells of the Gods in 1988, Cox has been taking perfectly good poetic lines and spinning them into something even better. One line from that chapbook could well have read "Let's... throw our cigarettes from this car like ecstatic hearts, / and let the sparks lead us home." That would have been a good line for most of us. But Cox does a brilliant thing. He reverses the tenor and the vehicle of the simile so it reads "Let's throw our hearts from this car like ecstatic cigarettes..." and for my money the lyric and imagistic movement of the line is enhanced by this strategy. Something emotionally unexpected and vivid comes from it. This is just the sort of gold weaving Cox has practiced and improved over the past decade. His new book, Thirty-Seven Years from the Stone, exhibits a very high level of accomplishment.

Cox's great sense of the absurdity and communicative strength of similes, and his artistry with them, continues beautifully in poems like Like a Simile:

"Fell into bed like a tree/ Slept like boiling water/ Got from bed like a camel/ And showered like a tin roof./ Went downstairs like a slinky/ Drove to work like a water skier/ Entered the trailer like a bad smell/ Where I changed clothes like a burn victim/ Drank my coffee like a mosquito/ And waited like a bus stop./ A whistle blew./ Then I painted like I was in a knife fight for eight hours/ Drank like a burning building/ Drove home like a bank shot/ Unlocked the door like a jeweler/ And entered the house like an argument next door./ The dog smiled like a chain saw./ The wife pretended to be asleep/ I pretended to eat./ She lay on the bed like a matress/ I sat at the table like a chair./ Until I inched along the stair rail like a sprinkler/ Entered like smoke from a fire in the next room/ And apologized like a toaster./ The covers did not open like I was an envelope/ And she was a 24-hour teller/ So I undressed like an apprentice matador/ Discovering bullsh*t on his shoes."

Working with the concept on a larger scale, with extended metaphor and simile, Cox excels. Even a title might reflect a brilliant reversal of the expected, such as The Tunnel at the End of the Light, and then build upon it: "The summer my body began to fit,/ living seemed fluid/ as putting my arm through a sleeve--/ when I threw crusts of bread in the air,/ they became birds,/ when I held her,/ I held myself-" .

There is a great emotional investment in each poem of Thirty-Seven Years from the Stone, but Cox does not stray toward the sentimental and false. Do not mistake heart and courage for sentimentality. Whether reflecting on fatherhood in poems like Make the Cobra Talk, or on his future death in Grain, the uniquely rendered similes transmit a genuineness within the oddity: "...like a snapping turtle in a two-dollar butterfly net,/ I will refuse the new world" Cox says of the prospect of leaving the ones he loves behind when he dies. It's a tenacious spirit that inhabits these poems, that grabs on and holds us even as it turns the world upside-down. Thirty-Seven Years from the Stone is an accomplished, admirable collection of poems.

These poems, like those of William Matthews, will endure to tell the future what it was like to live in the 1990's--these are poems that absorb and transform the objects and everyday incidents around our lives. The eschew the false intellectual pretense of so many fashionable poets today, they discard the acceptable poses for the heart, they ignore the cute little moves that fill magazines and books, and they deal with a complex inner emotional life. The poems are complex in the way interesting people are and so take the same effort to get to know. A reviewer in a recent KIRKUS REVIEW, who hasn't taken this effort, coming against a unique poetry he cannot understand or which lies beyond his comprehension, relies on a few cliche ridden, generalizing comments ("Cox at his sentimental worst... stretches to find significance in everyday things"). Better such reviewers should educate themselves by reading more poems, more variety. The test is to read one of Cox's poems: they take you through a structure of feeling and thinking, they structure an experience rather than bottom line it, discover it rather than report upon it. Their music reminds me of Pachabel or Gorecki -- a steady background that rises to a crescendo, but upon which are played numerous variations. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves poetry-- or lives.