Form Line of Battle! (The Bolitho Novels)

Book Description

The year is 1793, and England is once again at war. For Richard Bolitho, the renewal of hostilities with France means a fresh command and the chance for action after months of inactivity.

Customer Reviews:

Captain Bolitho.......2007-10-11

I purchased many of these novels by Kent in Australia in 1986 but didn't have them all, so I ordered this one to help complete my set. As usual with Alexander Kent and this series it was a delight. Will want to order other novels to complete my set.

Unbelievable action and intrigue.......2006-07-20

The French Revolution is tearing France apart, the British are trying to influence the battle and therefore Bolitho gets command of a new ship and is asked to go fight for his country again. By now, Bolitho is a full Captain and he has been promoted to the command of a Ship of the Line - a 74 gun double decked behemoth. Unfortunately for him, this advanced status also means that he must serve under much closer scrutiny of higher ups in the ranks rather than enjoying his relative independence as a Frigate Captain.

Early in the book he gets to almost meet another captain by the name of Nelson. He is also sent to act as the flag ship of a small flotilla that is supposed to take over a Spanish island in adjacent to France in concert with a couple of Spanish ships. The interesting kicker is that an Admiral is appointed to command the whole mission and that Admiral happens to be a career officer with precious little real command experience. When it turns out that the French already occupy the island and lay a trap for the British flotilla things turn ugly and the Admiral is killed.

Bolitho, of course, manages to take over and heroically conquers the island with the help of a few handfuls of his own shipmates. Then, he hunkers down to wait for reinforcements. When they fail to come and he is in desperate need of water, he arranges a local truce with the French ... only to be usurped by another Admiral who arrives then to take command.

If this is not fantastic enough, we are now treated to an even more bizarre turn of events: it turns out that this new admiral was actually the commander from which Boliho took over command of the Pharalope and its ensuing mutiny was due to this particualr officer. Since Bolitho rectified the situation, the now-Admiral resents him immensely and treats him as a servant and sends him to pick up his bride. In the course of the passage - punctuated by a naval battle against superior odds, Bolitho falls in love with the Admiral's bride even though he only speaks to her for one evening ... and she, of course, fall in love with him.

One thing leads to another and after many bloody battles fought by cartoon characters, Bolitho ends up winning the girl, the Admiral is killed, Bolithos uses his ship like a frigate, and actually takes over command of the whole battle fleet even though he is not the most senior officer, and he even unknowingly escorts his brother (thought dead) to a prison ship.

The descriptions of shipboard life and battles are the heart and soul of these types of novels and Alexander Kent does an excellent job of generating all kinds of excitement around them. In this novel he goes a little deeper into the ways that Richard Bolitho commands his men and wins their loyalty and support although it is very very sketchy. We also get a better taste of what naval medicine was like with Bolitho's first visit to the surgeon's station.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book is not as well executed. The romance between Bolitho and the Admiral's betrothed is absolutely unbelievable. The dialog is stilted and it is very hard to believe that she fell in love with a ship Captain and decides to marry him over her familial obligations after only spending one evening speaking with the man.

Of equal preposterousness is Bolitho's actions. He obeys the first Admiral who is killed at his side - then he saves the day by taking action on his own initiative which the French do not anticipate and the Spanish gladly join in. Then he manages to convince a whole French town to express their monarchist loyalties and help him out. Then, he fights a battle against vastly superior odds and wins it by pulling a Frigate manuever in a ship of the line that has been in the water so long that its barnacles and "beard" can be seen from above. If this was not enough, he then attacks a French town and destroys its French revolutionary force, and finally, he saves the lives of many soldiers by taking decisive action and command over a force that was essentially abandond by his own Admiral and whic had more senior officers who readily acquiesce to serve under Bolitho.

The final absurdities involve the reunion of Bolitho with his old time friend and underling Herrick who is somehow miraculously promoted to full Captain from Lieutenant at the end of the book while Bolitho himself is left in simple command of the Hyperion. Huh?

So, while the story is patently ridiculous, the passages detailing the ship's life and battles and the completely secondary characters and their fates are of enough interest to keep me reading this book and the series.

What I've Come to Expect from Kent..........2004-08-20

I started reading Alexander Kent's Bolitho novels because I had exhausted Forester's and O'Brian's respective series, and in doing so I had developed a strong appetite for age of sail fiction. Kent's series, by comparison to the former two, is sadly lacking.

The Bolitho series is a serial in the literal sense. This is the ninth novel I have read, and so far they have all followed the same general boilerplate plot. In some of these novels, even the sub-plots repeat themselves: the romance in this novel is a straight carbon copy from "Passage to Mutiny." In this respect, the Bolitho series is very similar to Cornwell's Sharpe series.

This would be acceptible, for a good story can be repeated dozens of times if you develop the characters and keep it fresh with new twists. New twists he does offer on occassion, but Kent fails miserably in character development. There are few continuing characters in the series, and none of them are better than two dimensional. This is a sin he shares with Forester: the only continuing character in the Hornblower novels is William Bush, who is not much more than Hornblower's shadow throughout the series. Stockdale, Herrick and Allday are all mere ciphers. After nine novels, even the tertiary characters in O'Brian's series have received more attention.

Kent also stretches credulity at times, and makes a number of historical errors. This book shows Bolitho in command of a 74 gun ship of the line, supposedly armed with 18 and 24 lbs cannon. The two deckers of the late 18th Century, however, usually carried 18 and 32 pounders as their primary armament, a fact that Kent is well aware of because he says so in his own newsletters. It is reminicent of a similar blunder in "Sloop of War," where Kent mounts 32lbs cannon as chasers on an 18 gun sloop, HMS Sparrow. I doubt very much that any sloop ever commissioned ever carried armament even remotely as heavy as the Sparrow. In this novel, the connectionless Herrick is promoted from lieutenant to full captain, skipping commander entirely. While not outright impossible, given that Herrick is utterly lacking in political influence such a promotion streches credulity to the breaking point. Kent's clumsy historical blunders wound the well-informed and alert among his readers.

Where Kent is strong is in his depiction of battle aboard an age of sail warship. The cannons roar, the timbers shudder, the splinters fly, and a fierce boarding action is never far in the offing. However, after several novels, his strongest point loses its luster because of his repetative style and lack of invention.

Overall, I am deeply disappointed in what I now perceive as Kent's systemic problems. I have read nine of these novels, and I feel like I have wasted enough time on them. I'll now be looking for another author to satisfy my age of sail appetite.

War With France.......2004-01-16

Bolitho is ordered to take his command, the 74-gun ship-of-the-line Hyperion to join Admiral Hood in his attempt to take Toulon. He is seconded, however, to another admiral who has orders to take a small island in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, it is already occupied by the French. In the ensuing battle, the admiral is killed and eventually he is placed under the command of yet another, in Gibraltar; an old acquaintance--one whom he had once replaced as commander of a frigate--and, unfortunately for his present situation, outshone.

This is an intricate story, but easy to follow, with lots of action and excellent character development. After reading a few of these Bolitho books the characters seem to live and breathe.

Alexander Kent is surely, as they say on the cover, "One of our foremost writers of naval fiction."

I hope you enjoy his stroies as much as I do.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Haul Open Gun Ports! Avast! Loosen T'gallants! Huzzah!.......2001-12-25

Another slendidly written masterpiece from Mr. Kent. Bolitho again sets his sails into thundering actions, a bit of romance, some nefarious villains, crisply-written battle scenes that almost deafen the reader. The age of sail is clearly defined in this ninth Bolitho adventure that is one of the best in the series. Plenty of historical flavor, the workings of a British warship (HMS Hyperion) at sea are marvelous to read. Wonderful character development and splintering decks and freezing sea spray for the nautical buffs. An outstanding addition to the series.

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Form Line of Battle!

Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Similar Items:

Stand into Danger (The Bolitho Novels)
Sloop of War (The Bolitho Novels)

ASIN: 0425026027

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FORM LINE IN BATTLE

Manufacturer: G.P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IF13U8

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Form Line of Battle
Alexander Kent
Manufacturer: Arrow Books, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0099088509

Book Description

June 1793, Gibraltar: The gathering might of revolutionary France prepares to engulf Europe in another bloody war. As in the past, Britain will stand or fall by the fighting power of her fleet. For Richard Bolitho, the renewal of hostilities means a fresh command and the chance of action after long months of inactivity. However, his mission to support Lord Hood in the monarchist-inspired occupation of Toulon has gone awry. Bolitho and the crew of the Hyperion are trapped by the French near a dry Mediterranean island. The great ship-of-the-line's battered hull begins to groan as her sails snap in the hot wind.

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Form Line of Battle!

Manufacturer: Arrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I1RHPM

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Form Line of Battle!
Alexander Kent
Manufacturer: Berkley Medallion Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000RHK5N8

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Form Line of Battle!
Alexander Kent
Manufacturer: Berkley Medallion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0425018318

En Linea de Combate / Form line of battle!

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En Linea de Combate / Form line of battle!
Alexander Kent
Manufacturer: Noray
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

5 Book Set By Alexander Kent; Richard Bolitho Novels No. 9-13; Form Line of Battle!; Enemy in Sight; the Flag Captain; Signal-close Action!; the Inshore Squadron

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5 Book Set By Alexander Kent; Richard Bolitho Novels No. 9-13; Form Line of Battle!; Enemy in Sight; the Flag Captain; Signal-close Action!; the Inshore Squadron
Alexander Kent
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W7KUY2

Product Description

5 Book Set By Alexander Kent; Richard Bolitho Novels No. 9-13; Form Line of Battle!; Enemy in Sight; the Flag Captain; Signal-close Action!; the Inshore Squadron.

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Form Line of Battle
Alexander Kent
Manufacturer: ARROW (RAND)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JZC7AM

Book Description

In his arms, she discovered how tender -- and how bold -- true passion could be....

Lily Chalmers wanted only two things from life -- a farm of her own, and to find the sisters she hadn't seen since they were all little girls heading West on the orphan train.... She certainly had no desire for a husband. Yet proud, innocent Lily had no idea what desire meant until she met Major Caleb Halliday, a man who could ignite her very being with a single touch...a glance...a whisper. Sheltered in his arms, Lily rode the crest of a wild, helpless passion. And though she struggled against her own willful heart, she knew she could never choose between the dazzling man who had claimed her love so completely, and her bold, long-cherished dream....

Customer Reviews:

I loved it! .......2006-08-05

Lily and The Major they were a great couple. Don't be discourage by some of the reviews. I really loved this book. One of LLM best work. I believe you won't be sorry for getting this book. The Major--he was one hot baby. And, Lily was funny and The Major too. There were some funny scenes. As well, as true love. This book had it all love and finding oneself. It was a great story. This is the first in the series three sisters looking for each other.

Interesting.....like it.....love it........2004-09-22

I just feel in love with the characters in this book. It's a great book, once you open it and begin to read it, you can't put it down. I know you will love this book and you'll enjoy the characters in there also.....enjoy.

Read the other sisters' stories..........2004-03-12

...but you might want to pass on this one. Unless, of course, you enjoy a "romance" novel with boring, repetitive sex scenes, a "hero" who treats women like crap and an "innocent" heroine who gives it away the first chance she gets to - the guy who treats women like crap!(...and keeps giving, and giving, ad nauseum.) I forced myself to finish this book because I don't think it's fair to review something I haven't read all the way through. But when I got done all I could think was thank goodness I read Emma and Caroline's stories first. If I had read L&tM first, I likely never would have picked up the others. They are both terrific books, filled with the tenderness and gentle love missing from "Lily...". I recommend them highly, but readers who love true romance shouldn't bother with this one.

Good book!.......2002-01-25

This is first book of the orphan train series, it made me want to read the 2 other books so as to know what is the ending. I recently bought Caroline and the raider but I haven't had time to read it yet, I hope that it will be as good as the first book!

A sadly compiled story with little plot.......2001-01-24

I kept reading this book waiting for it to get better. It didn't. I only continued reading to find out if she found her sisters, only to learn this was a trilogy, (It was not marked on the cover as such) The entire story could have been summed up in two pages if you had taken out all the sex scenes. The major was a jerk and Lily was a bit too wanton. A major disappointment for LLM readers.

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Lily and the Major

Manufacturer: Pocket Book, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Caroline and the Raider
Yankee Wife
Secondhand Bride (McKettrick Cowboys Trilogy #3)
Courting Susannah
Two Brothers (Two novels: The Lawman, The Gunslinger)

ASIN: B000BRQ3T4

COMPLETE Orphan Train Series: (1) Lily and the Major; (2) Emma and the Outlaw; (3) Caroline and the Raider

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COMPLETE Orphan Train Series: (1) Lily and the Major; (2) Emma and the Outlaw; (3) Caroline and the Raider
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000VA2G10

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Lily and the Major
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Books Historical Romance
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RIEZ9C

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Her Major Man

Lily and the Major
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Moonfire
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ASIN: B000NPN8X8

Customer Reviews:

Her Major Man.......2007-04-11

This is LINDA LAEL MILLER'S book, LILY AND THE MAJOR. A tale of love involving Lily, a young woman who is bent on finding her two sisters, all who were abandoned by their mother at a young age. Lily and the other Chalmers sisters were separated when taken to the orphanage. Lily meets Major Caleb Halliday during her quest and Lily's life is changed in yet another way. This time, for a good purpose and for love. With Caleb's help, Lily grows into the loving woman she is meant to be and she finds out that she has enough love for Caleb and also love for her lost sisters. This is the first book in the Orphan Train Triology about the Chalmers sisters. The other two are "Emma and the Outlaw" and "Caroline and the Raider." They can be read alone, but are great together.

Ms. Miller has written yet another great book. I enjoyed the entire trio when I read them over a decade ago and they are still fresh in mind, although I did not mind reading them again. Great read!

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Lily and the Major
Linda Lael Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S6QH0S

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Lily Major

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GZZH2K

Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: Now a Major Motion Picture Staring Lily Tomlin

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really good play and a great source of monologues
A play full of human insight, wit and wisdom
Done it and loved it
This book/script is ....... there are no words!!!
Putting reality on a back burner

Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: Now a Major Motion Picture Staring Lily Tomlin
Jane Wagner
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0613268725

Book Description

Jane Wagner's masterpiece--The first play in
more than 20 years to become a national
bestseller--is now a motion picture!

Customer Reviews:

really good play and a great source of monologues.......2005-08-23

This play is just what my title says....very entertaining and if you are in the theatre world, guys, but especially girls, should look into a purchase of this play for potential monologues for auditions.

A play full of human insight, wit and wisdom.......2003-12-05

Trudy the Bag Lady has made a life for herself on the streets, offering her own bits of wit and wisdom to the passers-by. Before she wound up on the streets, she was in and out of hospitals, receiving so much electro-shock therapy that she believes her nervous system has been re-wired and now tunes into the bio-rhythms of people around her.

Trudy takes us, along with her two alien companions, on a discovery trip to find out what it means to be human and imparting her own impressions on life. She tunes in a wide array of people, ranging from Agnus Angst, a 15-year-old punk performance artist; Agnus' grandparents Lud and Marie; Chrissy, a recently unemployed workout enthusiast; Lily, an actress currently performing a one-woman show; and many others, both men and women, gay and straight.

This play is full of marvelous insight into the human condition and life in the 1980's. This is very apparent in the incredible second act, in which we follow Lyn from the consciousness-raising times of the 1970's through her rise and fall in the business ranks of the 1980's and her turbulent family life. Also, all the characters, in one form or another, have some influence on the life of the other characters in the play, whether or not they actually meet: Lyn has an affair with Agnus's mother; Kate, a rich trendsetter, finds a suicide note left by Chrissy lying in the street; Trudy takes the aliens to see Lily's play in order to show them goosebumps.

The book also includes still images, from the stage production, of Lily Tomlin, many of which were shot by Annie Leibowitz. Jane Wagner also created some montages of Lily as the many characters in the play.

Full of wit, insight and tenderness, this play stands as a perfect glimpse into understanding society.

Done it and loved it.......2000-01-02

I'm in an arts/high school program, PCCA. I came in after all of the other students had already been there for over a year. This was the first piece I ever performed there. I did a section of it where Trudy is Trudy, in the beginning.

The character was so rich. So many different quirks. The audience loved it, so did the other performers who did the same piece. This is one funny script.

I wasn't nervous when i performed it at all. I just kept thinking how funny the script was, and that, not matter how terrible the acting, the audience would still enjoy the performing.

This book/script is ....... there are no words!!!.......1998-12-18

This one woman plays many characters, and will take you on a journey of laughter, and much more, and leave you smiling for long after you put it down...

Putting reality on a back burner.......1997-10-18

As she tries to explain human beings to extraterrestrials who are searching for signs of intelligent life in the universe, Trudy, the bag lady, channels among others: Agnus Angst, a throwaway teenage punk; Chrissy, an unemployed young woman who doesn't know what to do with herself; Kate -- a rich socialite bored with everything. It's a tough job, but Trudy is up to it -- she refuses to be intimidated by reality.

Wagner weaves together the stories of these separate lives with speculations about time, space, reality, art, and human nature. From Trudy's skewed perspective a vision forms of the interconnectedness of human life -- maybe of all intelligent life in the universe. Filled with laugh-out-loud one-liners and characters whose words and feelings ring true, this one-woman play is masterful writing from a deep and generous heart. If you didn't see Lily Tomlin's performance on Broadway, don't miss reading the book. It's more than a story; it's an experience.

An American branch of the Mitchell family of Scotland,: And its major allied families
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An American branch of the Mitchell family of Scotland,: And its major allied families
Lily Elma Mitchell
Manufacturer: Printed by Curtis Buiness Service, Raleigh
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007F1RM8

Book Description

Captain Pausert thought his luck had finally turned-but he did not yet realize it was a turn for the worse. On second thought, make that a turn for the disastrous! Pausert thought he had made good with his battered starship, successfully selling off odd-ball cargoes no one else could sell. And then he made the mistake of freeing three slave children from their masters (who were suspiciously eager to part with them). No good deed goes unpunished, and those harmless-looking young ladies were just trying to be helpful, but those three adorable little girls quickly made Pausert the mortal enemy of his fiancée, his home planet, the Empire, warlike Sirians, psychopathic Uldanians, the dread pirate chieftain Laes Yango-and even the Worm World, the darkest threat to mankind in all of space. And all because those harmless-looking little girls were in fact three of the notorious and universally feared Witches of Karres. A rollicking novel from the master of space adventure.

THE SCIENCE FICTION HALL OF FAME - Volume (2) (ii) Two B: The Moon Moth; The Big Front Yard; In Hiding; E for Effort; The Witches of Karres; The Midas Plague; The Machine Stops; The Spectre General; Rogue Moon; Earthman Come Home; The Martian Way

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Titles in this Volume_ Two-B

THE SCIENCE FICTION HALL OF FAME - Volume (2) (ii) Two B: The Moon Moth; The Big Front Yard; In Hiding; E for Effort; The Witches of Karres; The Midas Plague; The Machine Stops; The Spectre General; Rogue Moon; Earthman Come Home; The Martian Way
Ben (editor) (Jack Vance; Clifford D. Simak; Wilmar H. Shiras; T. L. Sherred; James H. Schmitz; Frederik Pohl; E. M. Forster; Theodore Cogswell; Algis Budrys; James Blish; Isaac Asimov) Bova
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time Chosen by the Members of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SF Hall of Fame)
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ASIN: B000GW0PKM

Customer Reviews:

Titles in this Volume_ Two-B.......2007-02-22

The Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time: Titles as follows: SF Hall of Fame, The: Vol Two B
Asimov, Isaac Martian Way, The
Blish, James Earthman, Come Home
Budrys, Algis Rogue Moon - Psychological thriller
Cogswell, Theodore Spectre General, The
Forster, E.M. Machine Stops, The
Pohl, Frederik Midas Plague, The
Schmitz, James H. Witches of Karres, The
Sherred, T.L. E For Effort
Shiras, Wilmar H. In Hiding
Simak, Clifford D. Big Front Yard, The - a clever tale
Vance, Jack Moon Moth, The

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Super Reader
Not Even Close
Wonderful--when's the next book due?
Shakespeare, circuses, and carnies! Not Pausert, Goth, and the Leewitt!
Reads like bad fanfic

The Wizard of Karres (Lackey, Mercedes)
Mercedes Lackey , Eric Flint , Dave Freer , Eric Flint , and Dave Freer
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Magic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

The Witches of Karres
TNT: Telzey & Trigger (Federation of the Hub, 2)
Telzey Amberdon (Telzey Amberdon (Baen))
Agent of Vega & Other Stories
The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters, Book 4)

ASIN: 0743488393

Book Description

It just wasn't fair! Captain Pausert had defeated not only a villainous space pirate, but had also eliminated the threat that the Worm World had posed to the entire galaxy-still, his troubles just kept piling up. The Empress Haile herself sent him on a secret mission-so secret that, he soon found out, that he hadn't been told about the most important part of it: the nanite plague, an intelligent and self-aware disease that had devastated whole worlds eons ago, was back and spreading, and had to be stopped. And then someone convinced both the Imperial Fleet and the dreaded Imperial Interservice Security that he was actually a wanted criminal and his safe-conduct papers from the Empress were forgeries. Someone else managed to suspend the Imperial line of credit he had been given for the mission, and a set-to with Imperial ships had left his battered but serviceable ship, the Venture, damaged and in urgent need of repairs, which he could not afford. And while Goth and the Leewit, two of the notorious witches of Karres, could do some pretty amazing things, ship repair was not in their line. Furthermore, a lot of that now deceased space pirate's colleagues were convinced that Pausert had custody of their late partner's hidden loot. Pausert had to complete his mission, or the nanite plague would obliterate galactic civilization, so there was only one thing to do-join the circus! An interstellar traveling circus, that is. All the galaxy loves a clown-as long as Pausert, Goth, the Leewit, and a few more of their unusual traveling companions could keep their disguise from slipping. The show must go on-or the galaxy would be doomed!

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-31

More hijinks with the Captain and his little passengers with their super abilities. He is developing some of his own, hence the wizard title. This helps them out a few times.

Some theatre company sendups, some bad nanotechnology problems, and a bit of accidentally being thrown into the past, to boot.

Not Even Close.......2007-08-11

No-one would call "The Witches of Karres" a great novel, but it was a true delight, a book I have re-read and enjoyed numerous times since I first stumbled across the original novelette in the early sixties. Sadly, the things that made it such a delight - the clever writing, the not-at-all-subtle social commentary, the humor ranging from deadpan to virtual slapstick - are absent from this sequel.

One of the earlier, more easily pleased reviewers stated that "some people live to find fault," which may be true but is irrelevant here. I am glad for his sake that he enjoyed it, but if you find this book a satisfactory follow-up to the original, I can only conclude that you missed most of what I loved and enjoyed about "Witches."

Wonderful--when's the next book due?.......2007-08-07

I happened upon this follow-up of The Witches of Karres (a book I've read and re-read many, many times over the years - in fact I had to replace my original copy which was falling apart) and was delighted with the continuation of the story. No, it isn't perfect, but it's awfully close!

The sweet, tongue-in-cheek humor is wonderful, and it's great to see the little witches growing up. How about including Maleen in the next one?

So, my next question is, when can we expect the next book? I can hardly wait to learn what comes next. Please, please, please, authors, get busy writing (if you haven't already) and get the next book in print!

Shakespeare, circuses, and carnies! Not Pausert, Goth, and the Leewitt!.......2007-07-30

This was supposed to be a sequel to the "Witches of Karres," James H Schmitz's 1966 space opera (nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1967). It is one of a few books I reread annually; it is a true delight. So like many, I slogged through 464 pages of a clearly unhealthy preoccupation by the joint authorship in Shakespeare, circuses, and carnies! It seemed at times that they had only read the last five pages of the novel and then the CliffsNotes for the rest! I was sorely disappointed. I like Eric Flint's work and thought he might have pulled it off, but clearly he wasn't the lead author (well hopefully he wasn't).

It might have been wise of the authors before pen hit the paper to look at JHS's back ground: representative for International Harvester in Germany and escape of Hitler's rise to power, aerial photographer in the Pacific during the war, mechanical entrepreneur building car trailers after, then SF writer. Schmitz was the model for Captain Pausert! He was writing about himself! Captain Pausert fiddling with Klatha machinery was a reflection of JHS's interest in gadgetry... Examples of politicians waffling (the Daal of Uldune) or using political influence and corruption for financial gain (Councilor Onswud of Nikkeldepain) would have been well in JHS experiences in his business dealings in Hitler rising Germany. None of this was in the least explored in the "Wizard" sequel... ! Schmitz's Space Opera was instead turned into a Soap Opera of ruminated feelings and weak minded heroes.

People are pretty good at seeing continuity and consistency in behavior. The captain Pausert of "Witches" isn't the Captain Pasert of "Wizard", nor is Goth for that matter. I am a fan of JHS and love the "Witches of Karres." I like many wanted to see a sequel and bought the "Wizard of Karres" hardback as soon as it was released and broke the pages before I left the bookstore. I had confidence in Eric Flint, but truthfully had a bit of apprehension about a jointly authored book.

As I read the first chapter, my apprehensions became klatha predictions... the book was substandard as if the writers really didn't care if it reflected the "Witches" characters! I read it through with the faintest of hope for last page redeption and then prayed the last lines were:

The intercom clicked on and the Captain was startled awake from a strange dream full of circuses and Shake... something or the other. Goth was calling out with such snorts that he leaped from the couch where he'd been napping and banged his knee painfully on the way the ships console.
"Captain," Goth's voice told him, "better get down here!" She was choking with laughter.
"What's happening?" the captain asked, relaxing a little.
"Having a little trouble with a baby vatch... oh, my! Better come handle it!" The intercom went off.
"Well," the captain muttered, heading hurriedly across the outer room towards the passage, "here we go again!"

Sadly they weren't... As a sequel it is a failure and even as a stand alone potboiler it is mediocre. There is not much more to say... Sigh!

Reads like bad fanfic.......2006-12-24

In the first few pages, the authors decide to tackle some "mysteries" Schmitz had left behind - and if I had had any sense that they had resolved them with what the original author had intended, I might have been pleasantly surprised. But their "answers" are completely out-of-kilter with the tone of the original book that I felt cheated. And this tone deafness seems to pervade the book. If you really enjoyed, "The Witches of Karres" - stay away from this purported sequel.

THE UNIVERSE AGAINST HER - Telzey Amberdon Book (1) One (by the author of The Witches of Karres)

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THE UNIVERSE AGAINST HER - Telzey Amberdon Book (1) One (by the author of The Witches of Karres)
James H. Schmitz
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0441845754

ASTOUNDING STORIES : Private Eye + The Witches of Karres + Bindlestiff + . . . And Then There Were None + Martians, Go Home + We Have Fed Our Sea + The Big Front Yard (The 60th Anniversary Collection, Volume 1)

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ASTOUNDING STORIES : Private Eye + The Witches of Karres + Bindlestiff + . . . And Then There Were None + Martians, Go Home + We Have Fed Our Sea + The Big Front Yard (The 60th Anniversary Collection, Volume 1)

Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000CQ36Z8

Product Description

The cover illustration for each story appears on the page facing the beginning of the story. The stories include : Private Eye (Padgett - January 1949) + The Witches of Karres (Schmitz - December 1949) + Bindlestiff (Blish - December 1950) + . . . And Then There Were None (Russell - June 1951) + Martians, Go Home (Brown - September 1954) + We Have Fed Our Sea (Anderson - August 1958) + The Big Front Yard (Simak - October 1958)

TELZEY AMBERDON: Book (1) One: The Universe Against Her; Book (2) Two: The Lion Game; Book (3) Three: The Telzey Toy (by the author of The Witches of Karres)

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TELZEY AMBERDON: Book (1) One: The Universe Against Her; Book (2) Two: The Lion Game; Book (3) Three: The Telzey Toy (by the author of The Witches of Karres)
JAMES H. SCHMITZ
Manufacturer: Ace Books; Daw Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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TNT: Telzey & Trigger (Federation of the Hub, 2)

ASIN: B000GTGMHU

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Witches Of Karres
James Schmitz
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000UWGPLQ

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The Witches of Karres
James H. Schmitz
Manufacturer: Ace A-13
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KBNJKW

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The Witches of Karres
James H. Schmitz
Manufacturer: Chilton Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P1DLAU

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The Witches of Karres
James H. Schmitz
Manufacturer: Baen Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IKYDDC

Book Description

Please see the Zohar Home Page for ancillary materials, including the publication schedule, press release, Aramaic text, questions, and answers.

Customer Reviews:

Candy for my Soul.......2007-05-15

When I read this second volume "The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, vol. 2", my mind and soul were overwhelmed by the intellectual and spiritual truths respectively, found within it from the early writings of Kabbalah. This book offered a good continuation of this Zohar series. After reading this book, the second of this series, my mind was satiated by the revealed words of the Zohar, and my soul was pacified by the intuitive concealed truths of Kabbalah. This book offered a most wonderful continuity of this Zohar series which expresses the relationship between the Higher world of the Divine Shekhinah with His feminine Shekhinah of the lower world. This second volume of Jewish paradoxical thought and mysticism is well written, and it can only be experienced by the soul (intuitive) of higher thought after graduating from the mind (rational) of the lower thought. This is what I got out of this second book.

Unmatched!.......2007-05-14

This volume of the Zohar is just as awesome as the last one! Great job on the translation, Daniel Matt!!!

Food for the mind.......2007-05-08

I bought the first 3 volumes at once and now have the pleasure of spending the next 5 years exploring the intricacies of the Zohar. Great detail and the deepest discussion of text I've ever seen. Bravo!

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