This is all I ask
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Make the handsome hero blind to fall for homely, innocent virgin?
  • A quick, but not one-time, read.
  • Definitely worthy of at least 10 sighs
  • A fabulous love story
  • Just Slightly Paranormal
This is all I ask
Lynn Kurland
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425180336

Amazon.com

This medieval historical romance doesn't offer any of the paranormal elements found in Lynn Kurland's first two books, Stardust of Yesterday, and Dance Through Time, yet Kurland's fans will not be disappointed by this sensitive and moving romance. Gillian of Warewick knows no other treatment than the terrible physical and mental abuse issued by her father. When he arranges a match for Gillian with Christopher of Blackmour, she is fearful: Blackmour is rumored to be an evil sorcerer. When Gillian meets him, he proves to be far more of a man than her father is, yet he is unwilling to be a lover to Gillian. She finds that Blackmour has as many psychological scars to heal as she has physical scars.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Make the handsome hero blind to fall for homely, innocent virgin?.......2007-08-11

For a PG-rated romance novel, I enjoyed the sweet h/h interaction in Lynn Kurland's THIS IS ALL I ASK but found the rest mostly monotonous, and the message a bit extreme to say the least. Much better than Carroll's PG-rated THE NIGHT DRIFTER, but still not as sweet Julie Garwood's sweet, yet passionate romances. I didn't like the essential premise of this novel. Basically the take-home message of the novel rests on making the hero blind as punishment for choosing outward beauty in his first wife. A bit drastic, don't you think? Even at the end, our wise witch Berengaria harangues, "The loss of your sight forced you to see with the eyes of your soul," as if blindness was the only way he could perceive true inner beauty. Making him blind also seemed to help him deduce the villain's secret plot towards the end before it comes to fruition. Maybe we should just make the entire male population blind. That will teach them from trusting in outward beauty while inducing a bit of cleverness in the process!

Christopher's blindness wasn't only extreme, but it was unnecessary. Christopher's honor and his promise to Gillian's brother William already compelled him to marry Gillian. After marrying her, they would inevitably spend time together (as they did regardless), and he would perceive Gillian's inner beauty over time (as he did) despite her less-than-desirable looks. He doesn't have to be blind for it!

Kind of sad actually, he will never truly see his heroine, he will never see his children or watch them grow up...

Simplistically, the book implies that beautiful women are treacherous while handsome men are wholesome. All well and good from a female's point-of-view. Stereotypically (for romance), the hero falls for the heroine's inside beauty (because she lacks it on the outside) while the heroine is free to love the hero's chiseled handsomeness. When Gillian chances on Christopher's near-naked frame wrestling with his squire in the courtyard, Gillian gasps with admiration. Gillian blushes and admires Christopher's handsomeness and powerful frame. Meanwhile, Christopher admires Gillian's innocent charm and tender compassion. Admiring her looks (over time) isn't an option obviously.

The whole book seemed cheap, insinuating that for a handsome guy to fall in love with a sweet yet ugly girl, that guy must lack eyesight. Yet, the handsome knight was already compelled to marry her and consequently spend time with her, a situation that could result in love without the blindness!

The first half of THIS IS ALL I ASK comprises mostly of jumping to the wrong conclusions and misconceptions. Such as when the heroine Gillian overhears rumors of Christopher of Blackmour's demonic ministrations and takes them to heart. Like when Christopher learns of Gillian's attempt to speak to a midwife and drawing all the wrong conclusions as a result. Misconceptions of Gillian believing Christopher will want her if she can make herself pretty (lord knows how a blind man can see beauty), and of Christopher's misconception that Gillian won't want him because he's blind and thus less than a man.

And it wouldn't be a romance novel if it didn't deal with the insecurities of the heroine's appearance. THIS IS ALL I ASK isn't nearly as bad in this department as VANQUISHED (**) or a couple of Medeiros novels I've read, all of which mercilessly drum out insecurities over a heroine's bland looks, but there's many traces of these insecurities in this novel nonetheless. Even after 325 pages, Gillian is thankful that her lord Christopher is blind because otherwise, he wouldn't wed one so ugly such as she. Even though Christopher already loves her beyond petty appearances by this point.

So what did I like about THIS IS ALL I ASK? After the misconceptions were out of the way, I did enjoy the H/H interaction and they really seemed to want to give to each other. Gillian goes out of her way to please Christopher and Christopher genuinely cherishes her, giving all he is to her privately in spite of his gruff public demeanor. Christopher soothes her with loving words, massages her, aids her with her clothes and bath, feeds her. He affectionately cares for her while Gillian reciprocates in every way.

The Story, possible SPOILERS.

Bernard of Warewick beats and maltreats his sweet, skinny and plain daughter Gillian. Before Gillian's loving brother dies, he makes his friend, the handsome Christopher of Blackmour, promise to provide his sister Gillian succor from their father Bernard. Despite misgivings of his own from his first marriage, the honorable Christopher obliges and marries Gillian, providing Gillian with his name and protection. Except for her sweetness and virginity, Gillian offers only her paltry dowry and skinny, plain looks. The looks don't mean much to Christopher. Christopher feels he's the one with nothing to offer Gillian as he considers himself less than man without his eyesight.

The first half of the story rings with misconceptions while the second half of the novel portrays the mutual affection Christopher and Gillian bear for each other. As you can tell, there's parts in the second half I really enjoyed, I really liked the tender moments of affection each bestow upon the other. It is also during this time Gillian and Christopher vocalize their I-Love-You's (Gillian is first).

The finale sheds light on a sinister conspiracy Gillian's father Warewick hatches, and again we have this notion of Christopher somehow needing his blindness to recognize Gillian's inner beauty. If we weren't reminded of this dumb notion, I would have enjoyed the novel more. I didn't mind Christopher staying blind, I didn't mind his public humiliation in a duel against Warewick (that was fitting actually), but I do mind the persistent reminders that recognizing inner beauty in a skinny, plain girl depends on a handsome knight's loss of eyesight. That he wouldn't fall in love with her if he wasn't blind. That being blind helped Christopher decipher Warewick's plot to subdue Blackmour (made him clever).

Again, it's sweet, and enjoyable in some parts for the H/H mutual affection, but cheap in the end also. A cheapness asserted by taking away a handsome hero's eyesight to make him perceive of a virgin's inner beauty, a beauty she lacks on the outside. Why a seeing Christopher couldn't love Gillian after his disastrous first marriage and after the time he spends with Gillian, I'll never know.

5 out of 5 stars A quick, but not one-time, read........2006-09-10

I loved this book. While I got through it in the space of a couple hours - it's a very quick read - I didn't feel cheated by that. The story itself was very touching and beautiful, and I felt for the characters. This is a story of emotional grow and realisation, each character's self-perceived flaws making them perfect for each other and drawing them closer together. That closeness in turn helps them realise that their 'flaws' are not so great as they believe, and that allows them to reach their true potentials - Christopher as a man capable of great fierceness yet also warmth and love who truly doesn't need his sight, and Gillian as a lovely woman with courage and strength that she believed she would never have.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was the much-needed break from the 'powerful and headstrong Scottish lassie who needs no help from any man and is the Chieftainess of her clan' stereotypical woman found painfully often in Scottish historicals. I have seen so many of those wholly unbelievable women that I'm sick of them, particularly since I'm a Scot myself, and this book was blessedly free of them. I found the characters much more believable than in many other stories, and through that connected with them very strongly.

Gillian, though she wields a sword, still needs the protection of her husband, Christopher. She is considered plain by many characters' standards, a far cry from the brazen, red-haired, green-eyed beauties found in so many other stories. Her simple plainness makes her believable, as does her gradual realisation of her own inner beauty and courage, beauty that helps enhance how others see her - and how she sees herself. That her inspiration to take a village witch's 'magical herbs,' in reality no more than crushed rose petals, is to win her husband's heart rather than for personal gain, is truly touching.

Christopher was wonderful to watch grow as well. Blind and tormented by his first wife's assurances that no woman would want such a flawed man, and that anyone who married him would do no more than take his gold and then leave him, he is reluctant to trust Gillian's motives. But as Gillian grows to realise her own (realistic) potential, Chris grows to realise that his wife, though knowing of his blindness, wants only his love. She has his money through her marriage to him, yet still craves his affections. She wants to bear a son for him only so he won't send her away, even if he keeps her only as a servant. It's beautiful, see how Chris comes to realise what a treasure his wife really is, that he would never have her were it not for the blindness that he so despises - and that because of that fact, his sight was an inconsequential price to pay.

The secondary characters are just as enjoyable, from Chris' squire Jason to Colin, who begins as one of Gillian's enemies yet, as he takes the 'beauty herbs' alongside her and realises before Chris what a remarkable woman she is, becomes one of her fiercest and most loyal protectors, defenders and friends.

Those who want only passionate sex will not like this book; the sexual scenes are few and cut out without graphic descriptions. That does not, however, detract from the overall enjoyment of the read, though it would not be objectionable to see Chris learning Gillian's body without his sight.

Overall, this was a wholly enjoyable book, a quick read, and a beautiful romance that I will be returning to time and time again.

5 out of 5 stars Definitely worthy of at least 10 sighs.......2006-08-01

Gillian has been tortured and abused by her father for most of her life. Now she believes that she is going into an even worse fate than what she had to endure. Gillian's father has sold her to Christopher, the Dragon of Blackmour, as a bride. Gillian has heard gruesome stories of Christopher's ruthlessness; his dabble into the black arts and the unspeakable crimes he's committed. What Gillian eventually learns is that most of what she's heard is false and that Christopher is just another damaged individual like her. His first wife's treachery has robbed Nicholas of his sight and his trust in loving a woman. Nevertheless, Christopher and Gillian grow to love one another, but the battle isn't over. Gillian's father is a relentless and formidable foe. He has planned for years to rob Christopher of his life and lands and nothing, absolutely nothing will stand in the way of his goal.

There are absolutely few words to describe just how beautiful a read this is. I have to say it's one of the best books I've ever read. The storyline pulsates with life, enigmatic and memorable characters that try to survive in the harsh and bitter reality in which they live. I have to say that this is one of the best Lynn Kurland books I have ever read.

5 out of 5 stars A fabulous love story.......2006-07-31

Well... this is obviously either a "love it or hate it" book. Me... I love it. There's no point in re-hashing all the ways and reasons that it's so good, as others have already explained all that out. I'll merely say that, like all Lynn's books, their quality is in the emotion that threads between the lines. You have to really READ the book and get into it to catch it. Consequently, they are their best on the second or third read when you catch everything you missed on the first read.

Regarding the witches... personally, I don't care for witches in my books, but these fill the role of "healer" and the only brews that we are actually told about are merely herbal teas, which even modern medicine today is using. So you can enjoy them if you like them, or ignore the suspisions that they're witches and think of them as the healers that they are if that's what you prefer.

And I also have to add that my favorite part of the book is the conversation with Blanket. Now THAT is fantastic writing!

5 out of 5 stars Just Slightly Paranormal.......2006-06-20

I read Kurland like a religion and this one barely qualifies as paranormal but the three witches are back with us, so I guess that's the qualifier. That said, this is better than almost any of Kurland's recent books and absolutely touching at different points. Gillian is half-child, half-woman who is sent off to Christopher (the Dragon) for protection and of course marriage figures into the picture. What else was a woman to do in that day and age? Christopher has sworn to Gillian's brother that he will take care of her and get her away from her villanious father. (This guy is a piece of work, believe me.) But Christopher has issues, big ones, physical and emotional and Gillian has regularly been beaten to a pulp by her not-so-loving parent so she is as skittish as a whipped puppy. Kurland takes you through the drama of these two finding their own way. It may sound like a trite romantic novel but there's more to it than that. You will laugh outloud and find yourself agonizing over this romance. The cast of characters living in this castle all have developed, heart-warming personalities. This is an outstanding sample of Kurland's writing. I re-read this regularly.
Set of 2 by Lynn Kurland ~ This Is All I Ask For ~ The More I See You
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Set of 2 by Lynn Kurland ~ This Is All I Ask For ~ The More I See You
    Lynn Kurland
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback
    ASIN: B000TIBHJG
    Set of 5 by Lynn Kurland ~ This Is All I Ask ~ Veils of Time ~ My Heart Stood Still ~ The More I See You
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Set of 5 by Lynn Kurland ~ This Is All I Ask ~ Veils of Time ~ My Heart Stood Still ~ The More I See You
      Lynn Kurland
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: B000TIF3GY
      This Is All I Ask (Standard Edition)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        This Is All I Ask (Standard Edition)
        Gordon Jenkins
        Manufacturer: Massey Music Co., Inc.
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Sheet music
        ASIN: B000WOG77O

        Product Description

        Words and music by Gordon Jenkins, 1958 copyright

        Death of a Doxy
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • Why didn't I start reading Rex Stout years ago?
        • One of the few women who give Wolfe a run for his money.
        • Prefiguring Orrie's Downfall
        • Classic Nero
        • Strong narrative style
        Death of a Doxy
        Rex Stout
        Manufacturer: Viking Pr
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        SuspenseSuspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
        Stout, RexStout, Rex | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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        4. Trio for Blunt Instruments (Nero Wolfe Mysteries) Trio for Blunt Instruments (Nero Wolfe Mysteries)
        5. Champagne for One Champagne for One

        ASIN: 9997405684

        Book Description

        A doxy — a prostitute or paramour — is found dead, and one of Nero Wolfe's longtime acquaintances stands accused. Wolfe reluctantly lays out bait in the form of a showgirl — whose talents may equal his own.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Why didn't I start reading Rex Stout years ago?.......2007-08-14

        Death of a Doxie was the first Nero Wolfe mystery I read. Sure, I saw the films and watched the TV series years ago but reading Stout for the first time made me a fan and now I have three more on my coffee table to read. I wonder why it took me so long to 'discover' Rex Stout. There is a certain delightful and three dimensional quality (no pun intended given the size of Nero Wolfe) about the characters. Sometimes you like Wolfe and sometimes he grates on you but you always admire him and his loyalty. Archie Goodwin is a constant, and a rather interesting character as well. He is the legs of the operation while Wolfe dictates from his office and makes the suspects come to him.

        If you like a mystery where you can figure out who dunnit, but want to see how the master detectives solves the case, Nero Wolfe is your man.

        Death of a Doxie is a good sample of Stouts work and there are alot more to read in the series.

        4 out of 5 stars One of the few women who give Wolfe a run for his money........2007-03-18

        The best part of this book is the character, Julie Jacquette, who is vital to Wolfe's plan to catch the killer of the titular "doxy." (A rather quaint term for a mistress) Jacquette is one of Stout's best written female characters, well able for Wolfe and Goodwin, likeable and intelligent with a sense of humor. In the midst of this rather predictable mystery, dealing with blackmail and a wealthy man who wants to stay out of the investigation, she proves to be breath of fresh air and pushes this one up a notch in the pantheon.

        3 out of 5 stars Prefiguring Orrie's Downfall.......2005-08-11

        Rex Stout was of the old school. Character flaws, so much celebrated in Nero Wolfe himself, will inevitably bring down his characters...

        Orrie Cather ultimately decays completely in later Nero Wolfe stories, and here his decline is foretold. He gets involved with a shady lady and, as a result, needs Wolfe's help to extricate himself.

        It's a good story, and credible, given Cather's personality. However, you start to see Stout eating his young in this one, as he'd formerly done with Marko Vukcic in "The Black Mountain."

        So, what was Orrie a nickname for, anyway?

        5 out of 5 stars Classic Nero.......2003-02-18

        This is my absolute favorite of the Nero Wolfe full-length stories. A&E has also done a marvelous job - the book and episode match almost perfectly!

        5 out of 5 stars Strong narrative style.......2002-08-09

        Rex Stout's Death Of A Doxy continues the traditional of pairing actor Michael Prichard's strong narrative style with the Nero Wolfe mystery figure. Here Nero investigates a kept woman's murder, with sidekick Archie involved as a suspect.
        DEATH OF A DOXY-A NERO WOLFE NOVEL
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          DEATH OF A DOXY-A NERO WOLFE NOVEL

          Manufacturer: Viking Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover
          ASIN: B000HF87M6
          DEATH OF A DOXY
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            DEATH OF A DOXY

            Manufacturer: Toronto, Bantam Books Canada, , 10th Printing thus
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback
            ASIN: 0553235133
            DEATH OF A DOXY
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              DEATH OF A DOXY
              Rex Stout
              Manufacturer: Viking
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover
              ASIN: B000OEG02E
              DEATH OF A DOXY
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                DEATH OF A DOXY
                Rex Stout
                Manufacturer: Blank
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Mass Market Paperback
                ASIN: B000UMLLQU
                Death of A Doxy
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  Death of A Doxy
                  Rex Stout
                  Manufacturer: Bantom Books
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Mass Market Paperback
                  ASIN: B000J1GI3S
                  Death of a Doxy
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    Death of a Doxy
                    Rex Stout
                    Manufacturer: Bantam Books. NY,
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback
                    ASIN: B000QKT6OA
                    Death of a Doxy
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      Death of a Doxy
                      Rex Stout
                      Manufacturer: The Viking Press
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Hardcover
                      ASIN: B000NQ1C80
                      Death of a Doxy
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        Death of a Doxy
                        Rex Stout
                        Manufacturer: Bantam
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Mass Market Paperback
                        ASIN: B000RT7JTY
                        Death of a Doxy
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          Death of a Doxy
                          Rex Stout
                          Manufacturer: VIKING PRESS
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Hardcover
                          ASIN: B000UE5SJ4

                          The Art of Arrow Cutting : A Novel of Magic-Noir Suspense
                          Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
                          • A winning blend of crime and fantasy novel
                          • Australian SF Reader
                          • Japanese mythology today
                          • A great book, I'd buy fifty more just like it!
                          • Artless Arrow Cutting
                          The Art of Arrow Cutting : A Novel of Magic-Noir Suspense
                          Stephen Dedman
                          Manufacturer: Tor Books
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Paperback

                          GeneralGeneral | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                          GeneralGeneral | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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                          1. Shadows Bite (The Art of Arrow Cutting) Shadows Bite (The Art of Arrow Cutting)

                          ASIN: 0312868324

                          Amazon.com

                          Agreeable but aimless, Michelangelo Magistrale has a photographer's eye for form and detail and a knack with women. It hardly seems out of the ordinary when penniless Amanda Sharmon asks him for bus fare and gives him a room key in return. After Amanda catches a bus west, Magistrale becomes the focus of incomprehensible attacks and nightmarish supernatural manifestations. Luckily, he happens to bunk with sometime-stuntman-ninja Charles Takumo at a youth hostel, and Magistrale's weird experiences engage Takumo's interest. What is the key really for? Where is Amanda Sharmon? Why was she so skittish and sad? Who is behind the attacks, and what is their purpose? Egged on by Takumo and pressured by his unknown and ubiquitous pursuers, Magistrale applies himself to figuring out how he, the strange key, and Amanda are connected.

                          Stephen Dedman's first novel is one long, suspenseful chase scene. It's reminiscent of Tim Powers's work, but without Powers's sprawl. Dedman's characters are suitably charming (or menacing), and the mythic and contemporary Japanese details are entertainingly skewed in fantastical Hong Kong cinema style: everything is just a little exaggerated, just larger than life. The structure is filmlike, too--tightly paced and without unnecessary digressions. Plan to put your feet up and read this book all in one sitting!

                          Book Description

                          If he'd known all the trouble following her, itinerant photographer Michelangelo "Mage" Magistrale would have thought twice about helping the beautiful, distressed woman at the bus station. In return for a ticket she gives Mage what she says is the key to her apartment, but he quickly discovers that it's much more: it's a key to any door, to any place, to incredible power--and there are people who will stop at nothing to possess it. Suddenly Mage is on the run from Calgary to Los Angeles, under constant attack from ninja, Yakuza thugs, and terrible creatures ripped from Japanese mythology. His only hope is to discover the secret of the key and master its power--to learn the art of arrow cutting--before he comes to the inevitable confrontation with the dark forces pursuing him.

                          Customer Reviews:

                          4 out of 5 stars A winning blend of crime and fantasy novel.......2007-10-01

                          This tale begins at a Greyhound station in the small Canadian town of Totem Rock. Waiting for a friend, Michelangelo "Mage" Magistrale, photographer by profession and drifter by nature, is approached by a beautiful woman. Introducing herself as Amanda Sharmon, she abruptly asks him for twenty-seven dollars to buy a ticket to Calgary. Mage, sympathetic to her plight, lends her the money. In return, she gives him the key to her apartment, which hangs on a lanyard of braided human hair. He accepts her offer to use her flat while she is gone and pockets the key.

                          While running errands the next day, Mage realizes he is near Amanda's apartment and decides to drop in. Leaving, he is accosted by an armed man who questions him as to Amanda's whereabouts. Not getting the answers he wants, the hood pulls his gun on Mage only to have it misfire. Mage brains the thug with his camera case, and flees. Seeking to warn Amanda of the danger, Mage hops the next bus for Calgary.

                          Mage doesn't know it, but he is embarking on a grand adventure. Amanda has stolen a talisman from powerful businessman/gangster/sorcerer Tamenaga Tetsuo, who will use any means to get it back. Failing with human agents, he sends various bakemono, or goblins, to retrieve it. Mage, now in possession of the talisman, battles these demons with the help of new ally Charlie Takumo, Hollywood stuntman and expert in Japanese mythology. Together, they ward off monsters, ninja, hitmen and the police in their search to understand the power of the talisman.

                          The Art of Arrow Cutting is slick and flashy. Its bare bones plot brings to mind a typical Hitchcock movie, in that a hero, stuck with a MacGuffin (here, the talisman), spends the rest of the book evading a variety of low level bad guys before squaring off against his real adversary. As in Hitchcock's thrillers, the MacGuffin exists to get the story going. Dedman is not big on character development either--his protagonists are as shallow as the plot. Mage and Takumo are typical action heroes, long on style but lacking in depth.

                          This dearth of plot and character development is not fatal, however--the novel survives on sheer momentum. Dedman's writing demands your attention, as the story careens from one action scene to the next. Though superficial, Mage and Takumo are colorful, charming and witty. Their supernatural adversaries are equally colorful. Dedman taps Japanese mythology to present us with mujinas (false faced demons) and the rukoro-kubi, or spinning head goblin. The latter, a carnivorous monster with disembodied head and hands, is the impetus behind one of the scarier scenes in the book.

                          Similar in content, tone and spirit to J. S. Russell's Celestial Dogs, The Art of Arrow Cutting is a winning blend of crime and fantasy novel. Essentially an action movie in print, it should translate into one hell of a flick if the special effects crew is up to the task. Overlook its flaws, suspend your disbelief, and sit back and enjoy the ride.

                          4 out of 5 stars Australian SF Reader.......2007-08-01

                          If you want a slightly more recent referent to this character, perhaps consider him a cross between Harry Dresden and John Ross, the Knight of the World.

                          When a girl that is more broke than he is asks Mage for help, he gets involved with the yakuza, Japanese monsters and wizards, and becomes a magic man.

                          4 out of 5 stars Japanese mythology today.......2003-10-25

                          Mage (Michelangelo Magistrale) is a photographer by trade and a rootless drifter by nature. When he runs into Amanda Sharmon at a Greyhound bus station in the backwoods of Canada he doesn't realise that by helping a stranger in need he is about to change his own life - and get an introduction to the strange world of Japanese mythology.

                          I wouldn't call this a mystery novel, though it does have elements of that. Its more like a modern urban fantasy. Its easy to read and the main characters are likeable, though you can get mixed up at times with all the unusual Japanese names which keep on cropping up.

                          If you like light fantasy and Japanese mythology then this is a book worth reading and I'm happy to read the sequel SHADOWS BITE and see if it is as enjoyable and light as the first book.

                          4 out of 5 stars A great book, I'd buy fifty more just like it!.......2001-11-09

                          My taste is clearly not the same as your average Amazon.com reviewer's, because I loved this book. What did I like about it? For me, the big selling point was the characters. These are cool people. Magistrale and Takumo are people I enjoyed hanging out with in my head. Plus, I think that Dedman really has a light (and I mean light, not "shallow,") touch with dialogue, which made this novel a blast to read.

                          Maybe I'm just a sucker for a rip-roaring tale of adventure and magic. If you are, too, you'll love this book.

                          3 out of 5 stars Artless Arrow Cutting.......2001-06-23

                          "The Art of Arrow Cutting" is a clumsy novel with a clever premise written by a writer who thinks he's cleverer than he is. From the main character's too-precious name (Michelangelo "Mage" Magistrale), to the film-aware dialog (which sounded good when we were in college, up late and drinking too much coffee, but doesn't sound so fresh as dialog in a fantasy book), this is a directionless book that could have used a firmer hand with a red pencil.

                          Mage accidentally comes into the possession of a "focus", a magical item that causes happy accidents to occur in favor of the user. Regrettably, it also causes the villain, the wealthy wizard, Tamenaga, to hunt the user down and kill him or her (as he had the previous owner). This causes Mage enough consternation that he decides to use the focus to get revenge while being hunted by demons from Japanese mythology.

                          Sadly, the synopsis is more exciting than the book itself. Dedman's writing skills are at first-year creative writing student levels and this is a tale that requires a defter hand, a better sense of humor and a wider imagination.

                          This is an interesting read and can be entertaining as long as your expectations are low.

                          The Stress-Free Habit: Powerful Techniques for Health and Longevity from the Andes, Yucatan, and the Far East
                          Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                          • Learn stress management from indigenous cultures
                          • A simple fast read with food for thought.
                          • Practical Shamanic Techniques
                          The Stress-Free Habit: Powerful Techniques for Health and Longevity from the Andes, Yucatan, and the Far East
                          John Perkins
                          Manufacturer: Healing Arts Press
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Paperback

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                          2. Shapeshifting: Techniques for Global and Personal Transformation Shapeshifting: Techniques for Global and Personal Transformation
                          3. Psychonavigation: Techniques for Travel Beyond Time Psychonavigation: Techniques for Travel Beyond Time
                          4. Spirit of the Shuar: Wisdom from the Last Unconquered People of the Amazon Spirit of the Shuar: Wisdom from the Last Unconquered People of the Amazon
                          5. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

                          ASIN: 0892812923
                          Release Date: 1989-05-01

                          Book Description


                          This simple, effective program for stress management is based on methods used by native cultures around the world.

                          Customer Reviews:

                          4 out of 5 stars Learn stress management from indigenous cultures.......2007-06-11

                          Long before he wrote his bestseller "Confessions of an Economic Hitman," John Perkins drew upon his experiences in other cultures to write this book on stress management. Illustrating his points with anecdotes from indigenous cultures in the Andes, Yucatan, Java, and Sulawasi, Perkins outlines five elements of what he calls the "stress-free habit": be who you want to be; recognize that it is the lack of a solution that is the problem, rather than the problem itself; concentrate; have faith; and meditate. It is a short book and an easy read, with both interesting windows on other parts of the world and practical advice.

                          5 out of 5 stars A simple fast read with food for thought........2007-02-03

                          A friend's husband recommended this book and when it arrived I could not put it down - read in 24 hours and then reread key parts again. I teach at a school that is a victim of NCLB. If I could get the staff to read this book for professional development instead of more rhetoric, I know our staff would quit stressing and BE the excellent teachers that we are, I know we would be more productive. The meditation "how to" of this book was so simple and made so much sense. The anecdotals on other cultures were interesting and applicable. Kudos to the author on this simple little book packed with life changing practices.

                          5 out of 5 stars Practical Shamanic Techniques.......2001-01-17

                          As a physician in the Washington DC corridor, I found this book both fascinating, inspiring, and practical. A must for all of us in this stressful era.

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