Stone Books

Morgan is a somewhat sad and lonely twelve-year-old boy living in a poor neighborhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. After an argument with his mother (who he thinks doesn't want him around and wishes he was gone) he goes to a rubble-filled basement in an abandoned house. There (after a battle between two fighters he thinks he might have dreamed it was so unreal) he finds and picks up a strange stone necklace. Picking it up does two things, First, Morgan is suddenly one of the most powerful beings in existence (although he doesn't know it right away) as each stone confers upon the wearer of the necklace a great power (great strength, ability to fly, ability to heal, etc.). There are ten power stones in all. In addition some of the stones hold solar systems in them. Second, Morgan is suddenly in danger for his life for others want the necklace and are very willing to kill him to get it. They would have succeeded right off too if not for the arrival of the Protector of the Necklace, who appears to save Morgan's life.

Morgan decides he'd rather be rid of the necklace than in constant fear of attack and tells the Protector he'd like to give it to the true owner, a six-year-old girl/entity known as the Keeper. Together, like Dorothy and the Scarecrow seeking the Wizard, the two start off to find her. The adventures they have along the way form the bulk of the book and what adventures! There are the assassins known as the Creeping Specks, the Golden Ash, the Death-links and more. The most dangerous assassins being the Pouch Carriers, large toad-faced killers who are impervious to death since their life-force is not inside them but rather in a pouch around their necks. They travel in a pack and, when entering battle, one of the pack goes to a safe place with all of the others' pouches. The rest cannot therefore be killed since their lives are somewhere else other than the battlefield.

The book takes us from one adventure to another, from New York City's Central Park (and a great battle between the Protector and the creatures of the Delacorte Clock) to the ship/gate leading to the Old Dominion (where the Keeper resides) to the dark fog-like atmosphere of the Dead Land to 1870's New York City(Morgan travels through time)to the underground caverns of the Durawoo (the caverns are inside a gigantic living beast) and on. In some cases Morgan must gain entrance through tricky gates to get where he has to go and the gates can be entered only by solving a tricky "puzzle". (I couldn't figure any of them out.) Then, just when you think the adventure is over with a great climatic (seemingly) battle, there is more.

The writing is wonderfully picturesque, even lyrical at times, and the entire book is crammed with the writer's rich imagination and originality. (There are no fairies, elves, unicorns, dragons etc. in this book. Rather all "new" creatures found nowhere else, such as the Teeth-chatterer, the Durawoo, the Moon-man, and more.)

Readers of Clive Barker's "Abarat" series and Stephen King's "Gunslinger" series (the first four books anyway) should relish this new series. (This is Book One.) Overall great job.

I loved this book. For starters, the story is creepy and M.C. Escher strange. The choppy style--short sentences, short chapters--gives it a "writing as fast as you're reading" energy, that invites us to follow a slum kid, 12-year-old Morgan, out the bedroom window down the fire escape into a world of real and imagined nightmares. And listen to the language describing an prophetic apparition he experiences in an abandoned building on Manhattan's lower East Side: "The light transformed itself into something resembling more membrane than light, a translucent oval, an egg of sorts, in which two live forms struggled with each other, twins in a womb raging against each other to keep the other from being born alive."

Morgan is the child of a drunken, jailed father and a tired mother. What he discovers in the building is a necklace with eleven stones of the title. Each has a power--to enter other's minds, to become invisible, to fly, to shoot flames from his mouth, etc.--that makes him ask, "Am I holding one puzzle or eleven?" He will need whatever help he can get for this is a surreal world where nothing is as it seems. There are the death-links, Shriek, Dead Land, Grumbling Man, Eating Clouds, Unraveling Fog and Drifting Caves (with side references to God, Darwin and the nature of change). And who is the young woman destined to become the "Keeper?"

Philip Carraher has created the most outlandish of graphic novels, for there are no pictures except those in our imaginations and they are more fearsome than anything we could possibly experience through our senses. "In an instant, it had been transformed to a land of statues and stage settings. The people, anticipatory faces still smiling as their eyes gaze up at the Delacorte Clock above them, stood frozen as if painted on the air. Pink air. ...the lack of movement in the world transformed to violence in the next moment as, with howls of rage, the creatures of the Delacorte Clock, the mechanical animals designed to charm, leaped from their overhead perches down to the ground below, expanding both in size and in animosity...the desire to destroy coruscating in their angry metal eyes."

Plus there is a deeper theme. "Who's there?" begins Hamlet. "How long before the kid goes the same way as his father?" this novel asks. What ensues is an epic battle for strength and liberation from an imagination of incredible magnitude. "What if we could unbook ourselves by gaining a new consciousness, a new consciousness that frees us to go to other realms as real as this one?" Morgan overhears a preacher intone. I wouldn't change a word of this book. What a journey. I couldn't put it down, and this is only Book I. "Whatever is coming is already on its way." My dreams will never be the same.

This book was a blessing for our family. The poetry and prose helped us to get through a very distressing time. The authors: Lisanne D'Andrea-Winslow and her sister, Diane Bifano convey a spiritual relationship that contains a universal theme. I encourage anyone who is going through a loss to read the words of faith and hope shared by their family.

Lisanne D'Andrea- Winslow captures the nuances of the strong bond between mother and child, and her sense of futility and anger as she saw her infant slowly fade. She recounts the disbelief, the stages of letting go, the constant pull of flights of fancy, the ache, the pain, and the inevitable death. The book is a lyrical, honest and evocative account of an experience that one should never have to go through. Winslow did, and she survived to give a report from a side of life we often cast a blind eye towards.

After 24 years in the business, I still find myself using this book on a regular basis.

This book should be at the elbow of every New Home Sales and Marketing professional. Written by the master of generation. Dave has been the mentor of thousands of new home sales professionals.

I bought this book in a museum gift shop in New York City. It told me about all sorts of great art galleries all over town. It was great to be able to see interesting art no matter where I went. Barbara's gallery reviews are entertaining and helpful. I hope she keeps them coming, so I always have something to see when I go to the "Big Apple."

With hundreds of galleries in New York, this is one guide that narrows down the best of the best, the newest of the newest. Extremely accessible and written in a sprightly, knowing style. If you care about art, or are simply curious about the New York art world, this is a terrific introduction, with valuable advice even for old hands.

In the 1960's Michael O'Kelly and his team of student archaeologists restored the megalithic structure known as Newgrange. This book presents his findings and speculation on the ancient tumulus, and written and pictorial accounts of the reconstruction works itself.

Although the existence of the structure was known since Charles Campbell discovered it in 1699, its premier significance as a repository of ancient art, architecture and symbolism was never fully realised until Prof. O'Kelly and his team set about their work. The phenomenon of the roofbox, which for 7 minutes at dawn on the days of the winter solstice fills the central chamber with light, is incredible. I have visited the site more than 30 times, and had the privilege of a solstice viewing in 1994. I cannot recall a more fundamentally spiritual experience in my life.

This book has it all. The non-academic reader (I am one such!) may find certain sections a little turgid, but there are plenty of discussions on the mythology and symbolism to compensate for all the facts and figures if the latter don't suit. The illustrations are superb (photos, maps,pen/ink); the footnotes comprehensive, the objective analysis is compelling and the whole project just so worthwhile.

The reader can also enjoy placing their own interpretations on the significance of the carvings, objet d'art and the Solstice phenomenon, and be just as valid as anyone else. After all, the original builders left this earth 6500 years ago and didn't leave a users manual!!

Enjoy. 5 Stars (and the sun and moon as well!)

Provides plenty of technical information on the excavation and restoration of Newgrange without destroying the wonder of the site. Great drawings as well as photos, exactly what I was hoping for when I ordered the book.

If you travel to Tunisia, then this is the book for you. Tunisia has the best preserved Roman ruins in Africa, and a week's tour (and there are good tours to be had) will be enhanced by this text. Take it with you and preview the next day's travels.

I found Paul MacKendrick's book a fantastic comprehensive overview of Roman Africa and its monuments. He covers all the major and minor sites and descibes everything in an interesting manner. I love his style of writing engrossing and maintains the readers interests. I think his book would be interesting to professionals and laymen alike. The maps and photos were great and went well with the text. I loved this book and didn't want it to end.

THIS BOOK IS A "MUST HAVE" FOR COLLECTORS OF NORTH CAROLINA POTTERY. THE TEXT IS FULL OF "MARKS OR SIGNATURES" OF THE POTTERS AND THEIR HISTORY. THE PICTURES SHOW THE GLAZES IN "TRUE COLOR" FOR EASY IDENTIFICATION.

If you have the slightest interest in North Carolina's unique pottery tradition, this book provides a lavishly illustrated catalog of the collection of the Mint Museums of Charlotte, NC. Each potter's biography, genealogy and work history is included with an example of the work of each. There are essays by pottery experts to explain the background on various types of pottery, techniques, locations, etc., as well as the history of pottery making in North Carolina. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for any North Carolinian.

This is a beautiful and informative book. The photos are gorgeous, and the phenology info is good, but my favorite part is the section at the book with sunrise, sunset and full moon dates.

This calendar/journal is simply beautiful.
It is geared to the seasons and to the subtle observations
possible during the bleak winter and the lush summer.
It is a joy to use.

This is a great overview of Mr. Jeck's journeys, lifting the heaviest strength-stones he can find. I also highly recommend the DVD Kviahellan, which chronicles his journey to Iceland to lift the stone of the same name.

In ancient times, the passage of a boy to manhood in his tribe or community was often determined by his ability to lift a large stone, proving he had the strength to bear arms. In this manner the Greek hero Theseus became a man when he could lift a boulder under which his father had placed armor and weapons for him to claim when he reached adulthood. The authors of this book, Steve Jeck and Peter Martin, who are well-known to readers of "MILO - A Journal for Serious Strength Athletes", write of their fascination with the ancient Cluid Clach Fir (Gaelic for 'manhood stones'), especially those found in Scotland where they are known as "the testing stones of the Fianna". They describe the great boulders, weighing several hundred pounds, that can still be found today and the stories behind them - and then go on and lift them! They discuss the modern cultures that still practice stone lifting and Highland Games competitor Steve Jeck includes a weight training program should the reader be inspired to try lifting these famous stones themselves. This excellent book is of interest to students of myth and folklore (particularly Celtic, Scandinavian, Greek and Roman), those of Scottish ancestry and folks interested in strength-training and the exploits of strongmen modern and ancient. For those intrested to learn more, a companion video is available from Iron Mind.

We are amateur geneologists, only 50,000 names in our data base. Know where all of my direct ancestors are buried back through 15 generations!
Wanted to have some rubbings of the more ornate stones but was unable to locate rubbing kits. Not using it until spring as Maine weather isn't exactly warm this time of year.

I bought this kit for to a trip to Ireland. Although I am usually naughty in not reading instructions I did indeed read the booklet and practice beforehand and I am glad I did - I recommend that everyone does the same. The book is interesting and a quick read and gives practical tips on doing the stone rubbing as well as reminders to respect the stone (and whomever it may memorialize) and not cause damage. The components are high quality. As some of the stones I was rubbing in Ireland were youngish by Irish standards (17th century, not 11th or 12th)they required some care because of the damp and the limestone. Note: I purchased an art tube for plane transport and I would suggest unless there's a superb locking device on the closure to tape it shut for travel. I also kept the wax stones in Ziplock bags in the bottom of the tube as well as wet wipes (for dirty fingers, not for the stones)