Showcase Presents: Green Lantern, Vol. 1

Amazon.com

Green Lantern is a perfect subject for DC's budget-priced Showcase Presents series because the hero made his first appearance in Showcase in July 1959. Volume 1 collects his first three appearances in Showcase (22-24) as well as the first 17 issues of his own book. alternating between one and two stories per issue. Hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan is selected by a dying alien as one who is both honest and without fear, thus deserving of wearing the power ring that enables the wearer to fight crime and injustice. In these issues, we meet Hal's boss and love interest, Carol Ferris, who Lois Lane-like only has an eye for his alter ego, Green Lantern; Hal's mechanic and confidant, Thomas "Pieface" Kalmaku; the all-powerful Guardians of the Universe, the source of the ring's energy; renegade Green Lantern Sinestro; the weaponers of Qward; and neighboring GL Tomar Re. Stories are by John Broome, with art by Gil Kane and Joe Giella, plus a few contributions by JLA stalwarts Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson. While the Showcase Presents' black-and-white format is a reasonable tradeoff for this much material (526 pages) at this low price (under $10, even cheaper than most Showcase volumes), it turns out to be a significant disadvantage for GL, considering how often the plots rely on the use of green and especially yellow. --David Horiuchi

Book Description

Green Lantern is a perfect subject for DC's budget-priced Showcase Presents series because the hero made his first appearance in Showcase in July 1959. Volume 1 collects his first three appearances in Showcase (22-24) as well as the first 17 issues of his own book. alternating between one and two stories per issue.Hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan is selected by a dying alien as one who is both honest and without fear, thus deserving of wearing the power ring that enables the wearer to fight crime and injustice.In these issues, we meet Hal's boss and love interest, Carol Ferris, who Lois Lane-like only has an eye for his alter ego, Green Lantern; Hal's mechanic and confidant, Thomas "Pieface" Kalmaku; the all-powerful Guardians of the Universe, the source of the ring's energy; renegade Green Lantern Sinestro; the weaponers of Qward; and neighboring GL Tomar Re. Stories are by John Broome, with art by Gil Kane and Joe Giella, plus a few contributions by JLA stalwarts Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson.While the Showcase Presents' black-and-white format is a reasonable tradeoff for this much material (526 pages) at this low price (under $10, even cheaper than most Showcase volumes), it turns out to be a significant disadvantage for GL, considering how often the plots rely on the use of green and especially yellow. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

B/W -- where's yellow?.......2006-12-03

His weakness is YELLOW, yet the book's B&W! Fortunately, I'm doped up with a cold, so my highlighter and I are rectifying the situation. This Showcase is thus much more interactive than the rest.

(I do wish they did a showcase for the Golden Age version of GL, but that's just me.)

Still, like the rest of the Showcase Presents series, this is an excellent value and a great way to catch up on the semi-ancient history of classic characters!

DUMBNESS DUMBNESS DUMBNESS.......2006-09-02

Hal Jordan is a brave test pilot for the Ferris Aircraft Company who spends most of his time trying to bust a move on the daughter of the company's founder, Carol Ferris. She sees any potential relationship as an abuse of the subordinate-boss relationship when she is left in control of the company after her dad decides to travel the world for two years. While Hal is testing a training simulator that he designed the sim is ripped from the floor and enveloped in some sort of green energy as he is flown to the site of an alien spaceship crash. There he meets a dying Abin Sur who identifies himself as a "Green Lantern", a sort of intergalactic policeman whose power ring is only limited by the willpower of its wielder. Before he dies, Abin Sur passes on his responsibilities to a dumbstruck Hal Jordan to fight evil not only on Earth but its surrounding planets. A further complication in Hal's life occurs when Carol begins to show more interest in Green Lantern than Hal Jordan, not knowing that the two are the same.

I'm a big Green Lantern fan and I was really excited to pick up this huge book for $9.99 numbering over 500 pages because I had never read any of these early stories. Imagine my disappointment when I was confronted by some of the most horrible writing I have ever encountered in my brief life. I will discuss a few stories which were indicative of the low quality of plot that turned this from an awesome piece of nostalgia to an unintentionally comic burlesque.

In one story, Green Lantern and Carol go out on a date, yes, that's right, they go out on a date with Hal in full costume. In fact Green Lantern actually is a social gadfly in some of these early stories, romancing all the rich and beautiful women in Coast City. When Carol actually has the nerve to propose marriage to GL, our quick-thinking idiot summons a huge Godzilla-size creature with his power ring to wreak havoc in the city so he will have an excuse to get away from Carol, a creature that looks like a R. Crumb crossed with a underwear clad bum! Just at that moment a model airplane that some kids were flying in the park hits GL in the head and knocks him out, leaving his creature to wander around the city, charting a course to the military's atomic stockpiles! What kind of superhero INTENTIONALLY creates a monster that could take millions of lives to get out of a marriage proposal!!!??? And what kind of superhero gets taken out by a model plane??? Oh, the humanity! In fact, GL gets the snot kicked out of him a lot, runs his power ring too long, and constantly runs into buildings and walls. Maybe he has a death wish. Or maybe this was the beginning of the insanity that would plague him later on.

One of the other representations of bad comic book scripts is issue 8 of Green Lantern, the cover of which hypes the story as "Presenting the FIRST of a series of stories which we confidently predict will make comic book history!". In it, GL is kidnapped through time to the year 5700 AD to be a "Solar Director" to fight a menace that has emerged from under the Earth. What menace, you might ask? It seems that around 2000 AD, Gila Monsters, yes, those ugly red and black lizards that inhabit our American deserts, disappeared. Little could mankind know that the Gila monsters were hatching an insidious plan beneath our planet's surface, willing themselves to evolve into biped belt-wearing, pistol shooting, eye-beam ray weapon advanced civilization would-be conquerors of the Earth!! I don't know much about evolution, but 4000 years seems a little short for a species to evolve so radically. Maybe there was a black monolith down there. And why were Gila Monsters chosen above other animals. Why couldn't it have been lemurs? Or dung beetles?

Have you heard enough? These are only two stories in this large book, but they are pretty representative of the quality you're going to get here. Don't even get me started about a trip to Venus in which GL has to help cavemen fight pterodactyls! And the charming adjectives that are used to describe his "greasemonkey eskimo" assistant Pieface, a name which itself seems to invoke a racist minstrel show title. Yes, we do have the first appearances of Sinestro and Star Sapphire, but Sinestro's stories always end up with GL leaving him in a state that will end in a slow and horrible death. The Star Sapphire story is also marred by dumbness as aliens come to Earth seeking a new ruler for their galactic empire. How do they choose a new ruler? They scour the universe for somebody that looks like their previous ruler! Pretty advanced method.

These stories are awful. It makes you wonder how this character was able to survive for all these years if this is how it started. I mean, who would actually have bought this trash? The only thing that kept me going was that the stories were mildly amusing and I wanted to see just how far the dumbness would go. Even at $9.99, this book was a complete waste of money. If you see it at a garage sale, maybe THINK about buying it.

best of the golen age.......2006-02-13

Similar to the Marvels Essentials same format-black and white and a similar number of pages-
This volume includes Green Lantern 1-17 published between 1960 and 1962, and Showcase 22-24 published between 1959 and 1960.

Best Showcase so far.......2006-01-30

Here's where the "green" Green Lantern gets started. The character of Hal Jordan develops throughout this tome that brings back to life the most mature plotting and themes of any early Sixties DC comics. Because of the interesting writing, this stands out among the Showcase and Marvel Essentials, and so it survives the harshness of black and white.

It is a shame that color is apparently prohibitively expensive. I'm sure, especially with a character whose NAME IS A COLOR, the publishers held their breath when they released it. Yes, I miss the color A LOT, but this and a few of the other Showcases have enough nostaliga and entertainment value to make for good bedtime reading. Plus some of the key background material for Infinite Crisis originates in early Green Lantern mags.

Put it all together with the value, and this is a very satisfying purchase. (Great marketing too--buying a few of these Showcase volumes prompted me to buy a few of the more expensive premium products DC has put out.)

Enjoy!

Real nice nostalgia and good drawing.......2006-01-11

I was too young to read Green Lantern in the years (1959-62) covered by these reprints, but they are charming, imaginitive and amusing. Gil Kane's pencil work is the epitome of clean, sylish DC econmy and class- so unlike today's overworked, overcrowed junk. The inking, mainly by Joe Giello, is really smooth, sophisicated and reserved. That was a great era. Innocent, morally uplifting stories are nonetheless tinged with mind-expanding sci-fi concepts- surprisingly dream like and sometimes downright psychedelic.

Customer Reviews:

Childhood favorite.......2002-03-26

I read almost all of these books when I was a young girl. I was thrilled to find them on amazon.com! The books are well-written and represent good clean stories with morals that I hope my children learn someday. Mandie is a sweet girl, and I learned a lot reading these books when I was younger. These books are great for young girls to read!!

Mandie Books are the Greatest.......2000-07-01

Mandie Books are the best. I enjoy reading them. They are full of excitment and adventure. My favourite character is Snowball. I wish that I could read them for ever non-stop. My favourite book would have to be 'Mandie and the School Houses Secret.' This book is very fimilar because Iam exactly like that. Mandie Books are really cool. My friends and I always read them! We can't put it down! You can't stop!

6-10 are wonderful:-).......2000-04-02

Mandie volumes 6-10 is a great set including (6) Mandie and the Medicine Man,(7) Mandie and the Charleston Phanton,(8) Mandie and the Abandoned Mine,(9) Mandie and the Hidden Treasure,and (10) Mandie and the Mysterious Bells. My favorite being Mandie and the Medicine man. 7 Mandie leaves for Europe at the end.

Average customer rating:

Wow...Just's gets better.
Sizzling!
Hot Enough To Melt The Ice!
Too hot to handle!
"Strictly Business"

Secrets, Vol. 5
B. J. McCall , Shannon Hollis , Chevon Gael , Sandy Tetzlaff , and B.J. McCall
Manufacturer: Red Sage Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0964894254

Customer Reviews:

Wow...Just's gets better........2005-01-13

B.J.McCall's Alias Smith & Jones is about 2 strangers who meet in an airport & find themselves stranded for the night. Absolutely brilliant read.

Shannon Hollis's Strictly business finds Elizabeth wanting to break her own rule about personal involvement with a co-worker, Garret Hill. Very hot.

Chevon Gael's Insatiable is about Marcus Remington, a photographer & his obsesion with Ashly. After photographing her on her birthday & spending the night together she disapears. For 2 months he is searching for her when they come face to face again. And then the sparks fly...

Finally Sandy Fraser's Beneath two moons is set in the future. Dr. Eva Kelsey is sent to evaluate Conor. The more she finds out about him, the more she wants him. A brilliant read.

Sizzling!.......2000-02-05

All right, I admit I'm new to the world of "Secrets." Volume 5 is the first I've read and the first two authors (Shannon Hollis and B.J.McCall) wrote top quality stories with racy plots, in-depth characters and red-hot sex ... a bit more than I expected. If you want to read sizzling scenes spiced with romance and excellent writing, keep your eye on these two!

Hot Enough To Melt The Ice!.......2000-02-01

Wow - I've now read all 5 volumes of Secrets and they just keep getting better and better! And one of the novellas is set right here in Toronto - thank you Chevon Gael! Read these stories with someone you love - or someone you'd like to.

Too hot to handle!.......2000-01-22

Cold showers are in store for anyone who reads Shannon Hollis' Strictly Business. The sexual tension between Garret and Elizabeth begins at fever pitch and rises from there! Not for the shy at heart, this novella will make you re-think the office taboo of "frisky business." Shannon Hollis' engaging writing and vivid characters will have you groaning when the end comes way too soon.

"Strictly Business".......2000-01-13

"Strictly Business" is a sensational story. I normally read murder mysteries, and when I read this story I couldn't put the book down. I had to finish the story in one reading. I loved the fact that the writer made the characters real. I feel that this is a very talented writer and I can't wait to read more of her novels. If you want good writing and sizzling romances this writer knows how to give it to you.

Secret Dangers (Mission of Alex Kane, Vol 5)

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Secret Dangers (Mission of Alex Kane, Vol 5)
John Preston
Manufacturer: Alyson Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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Cinescape Insider (Vol. 4, No. 5, October 1998) Star Wars Episode 1 Secrets Revealed!; Interview with David Prowse; Sci-fi at War; Robot Renaissance

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Cinescape Insider (Vol. 4, No. 5, October 1998) Star Wars Episode 1 Secrets Revealed!; Interview with David Prowse; Sci-fi at War; Robot Renaissance
unknown
Manufacturer: Warner Publisher Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KFUOVK

Collected Classics, Vol. 5: Cranford- The Man with Two Shadows and Other Stories, Portrait of a Lady, The Secret Agent, Silas Marner (Penguin Reader, Level 3)

Average customer rating:

not to good
not to good

Collected Classics, Vol. 5: Cranford- The Man with Two Shadows and Other Stories, Portrait of a Lady, The Secret Agent, Silas Marner (Penguin Reader, Level 3)
Penguin
Manufacturer: Pearson ESL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0582343593

Customer Reviews:

not to good.......2001-06-22

this book is not very good and some of the stories in it are just the most boring stories i have ever read.

not to good.......2001-06-22

this book is not very good and some of the stories in it are just the most boring stories i have ever read.

More Secret Origins: Super-Villians (Limited Collector's Edition Vol 5. No. C-45)

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More Secret Origins: Super-Villians (Limited Collector's Edition Vol 5. No. C-45)
D. C. Comics
Manufacturer: National Periodical Publicaitons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N37CPA

Nancy Drew Starter Pack (The Secret of the Old Clock / The Hidden Staircase / The Bungalow Mystery / The Mystery at Lilac Inn / The Secret of shadow Ranch) (Nancy Drew, Vols 1-5)

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Nancy Drew Starter Pack (The Secret of the Old Clock / The Hidden Staircase / The Bungalow Mystery / The Mystery at Lilac Inn / The Secret of shadow Ranch) (Nancy Drew, Vols 1-5)
Caroloyn Keene
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WCNEFE

Product Description

Teenage sleuth and cultural icon Nancy Drew is still going strong more than seven decades after her first adventure was published. The more than 30 million copies of the Nancy Drew franchise in print prove that this teen detective is as popular as ever. And her popularity is still on the rise with award-winning video games, a much anticipated television movie, and a massive relaunching of the series planned for spring 2004. Perhaps the first embodiment of Girl Power, Nancy Drew has an appeal that is both enduring and international - she is currently translated into thirteen foreign languages.

Our Secret Century - Vols. 5 & 6 Voyager

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Our Secret Century - Vols. 5 & 6 Voyager

Manufacturer: Voyager
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: 1559406658

Product Description

Volume 5 - Teenage TransgressionVolume 6 - The Uncharted Landscape

Secret Place of Thunder; In the Twilight, In the Evening; Island of the Innocent; Driven With the Wind: Books 5 through 8 (Cheney Duvall, Vol. 5, 6, 7 & 8)

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Secret Place of Thunder; In the Twilight, In the Evening; Island of the Innocent; Driven With the Wind: Books 5 through 8 (Cheney Duvall, Vol. 5, 6, 7 & 8)
Lynn and Morris, Gilbert Morris
Manufacturer: Bethany House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LB3ZX2

Average customer rating:

Secret Wars II Vol. 1 No. 5 Nov. 1985
Unknown
Manufacturer: Marvel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UX5CVO

Island in the Sea of Time
Average customer rating:

The finest alternative history novel I've ever read

Ok but could have been great

Promising premise, well-researched and well-thought-out alternative history, but too many words

Travel to The Bronze Age With Some Modern Folks

A fun idea, well researched history and good writing equals four solid stars

Island in the Sea of Time
S. M. Stirling
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Stirling, S.M. | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0451456750

Customer Reviews:

The finest alternative history novel I've ever read.......2006-09-20

This is the single greatest piece of black-lesbian-sailboat-captain/ninja fiction ever written. More importantly, it is the most impressive alternative history novel currently available. Stirling's characters, outlandish though they are, are utterly fascinating.

While most books like this are highly formulaic and dull, this novel (like all of Stirling's work) is impecably well researched. Furthermore, it features a much more compelling, creatively structured plot than Eric Flint or the latest work of Harry Turtledove. The whole trilogy is as well written as the first book, and, unlike Turtledove, Stirling had sense enough to leave it be after three books. This novel is definitely worth buying.

Ok but could have been great.......2006-08-23

I am a fan of Alternative history, and I originally thought that I would really enjoy Stirling's work. I read the whole series, and I have to say that there were some great parts. I loved the parts wehre they are struggling to adapt modern technology to help them survive in a ancient world. I also enjoyed the way that he showed a ramping up of technology after they gear down (going from flinklocks to cartriges by the end of the series). What I didn't like was his poor characters, his blatant agenda, and his way of solving every problem by letting the Nantucketter's pull an expert out of the air every time they need one. Plus, the stupidity of having some Coast Guard commander being the greatest military commander there is. My father was an Army infantryman for 25 years, getting out as a Ranger Colonel having commanded a Regiment. He read this series, and said HE couldn't have done as well as this Coastie. Plus, the ninja stuff doesn't work as well as Mr. Stirling wants you to believe. Plus, these guys from the bronze age would be in killer shape. A big man with strength and skill will beat the crap out of a woman no matter how good she is, he will just be faster and stronger. All in all, a pretty good book, but not great.

Promising premise, well-researched and well-thought-out alternative history, but too many words.......2006-07-21

The premise is obviously an improbable one: Nantucket is thrown into the bronze age, and a Coast Guard sailing ship just happens to be thrown back with them, providing them with a lifeline to the rest of the world. Stirling does a good job of exploring how a modern group of folks would deal with the hard work of integrating a formerly modern fragment of the global economy into the pre-modern world, and the excitement of exploration all over again. That aspect of the book deserves high praise. What doesn't?

The improbabilities pile up, from the ease of learning languages to the protagonist's habit of getting almost killed, blacking out, and coming to with the problem solved (or, at least, being rescued from the problem). Many have commented on the improbability of the Coast Guard captain being a black lesbian super-ninja babe, or the improbable evilness of the antagonist. Improbabilities are inherent in the genre, but at some point you might say "come on." Some are probably simply oversights: what are the odds, for example, that native bronze-age Americans would be virtually wiped out by exposure to modern diseases but native bronze-age Europeans would be unaffected?

Too many words spent on the battles. It's apparent that Stirling is influenced by O'Brian's "Master and Commander" books, and O'Brian spends a lot of time discussing the minutiae of action. O'Brian's a better writer, and can mostly get away with it. Stirling lays it on a little thick.

Even so, I'm probably going to read the sequel.

Many reviews have focused on the politics and age-appropriateness of the book. First, the politics: Stirling, obviously, has no problem with black lesbian super-ninja babes, but he attacks a number of "left" ideas, from gun control to whale rights. I wouldn't describe the book as a "PC drumbeat."

Age-appropriateness: there's violence, sex, and sexual violence. The violence isn't unusual in the genere and not super-graphic. As I said, too many words are spent on the violence, but it would probably be a PG-13 movie. The sex isn't particularly graphic and would also probably be PG-13, although it seems mostly gratuitous (also, too many words). The sexual violence is mainly there to make the villains seem evil, and anyone too immature to put that into perspective shouldn't read the book.

Travel to The Bronze Age With Some Modern Folks.......2006-06-23

While reading this book I was reminded of Mark Twain's work: "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." Although this book takes place in the Bronze Age. I am fascinated by the way Stirling recreates Indigenous cultures from BC dates. The story will paint images of bloody battles in the readers mind, but it does not stop there. There are some very detailed love scenes that seem very humours at times too. I think it is a well balanced book full of adventure and history. I cannot praise Stirling enough for having heroes in his book that practice an alternative lifestyle. I look forward to reading the other two books in this trilogy.

A fun idea, well researched history and good writing equals four solid stars.......2006-05-28

Island in the Sea of Time is a fascinating what if novel that asks the reader to imagine life for a group of 20th century Americans thrown back in time to long before the birth of Christ, into a world of polytheism, tribalism, bronze weapons, brutal wars and slavery.

One of the main characters is black, female and gay and also a military officer. Other reviewers I've perused seem to think Stirling spends too much time obsessing over Marian's self-dialogue. I disagree. An intelligent gay black female military officer's self-actualization would probably be pretty close to what Stirling writes on behalf of Alston, in my opinion.

Another character I found fascinating was Dr. Alice Hong, the S&M freak who takes advantage of the fact that she no longer lives in a world with central authority. I know some people like her who, in the absence of Rule of Law, would go hog wild, indulging their dark, animalistic passions at every opportunity. There are lots of humans like Hong floating around with no moral compass to guide them on their journey through life.

The research that went into Island in the Sea of Time appears to be meticulous. Two of the themes running through the tale that kept me reading were the 20th century American conservative prejudice towards gays and the 20th century group of "progressive" eco-idiots. Pamela Lisketter and her misguided buffoons' misadventures and ultimate horrific demise were at once interesting and repulsive. I'll leave other plot developments unmentioned to surprise you, but rest assured there are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you reading.

Island in the Sea of Time is not a kid's book, and it isn't written for the squeamish or homophobic. The tendency to jump from character to character every page frustrated me slightly, but other than that I enjoyed Island in the Sea of Time quite a bit. I've read through it twice now.

The companion novel Against the Tide of Years is enjoyable as well.

Islands at the Edge of Time: A Journey To America's Barrier Islands

Average customer rating:

Leatherface Goes Island Hopping

Islands at the Edge of Time: A Journey To America's Barrier Islands
Gunnar Hansen
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1559632526

Amazon.com

Gunnar Hansen takes readers on a trip that no one seems to have thought of before: a 2,700-mile journey along America's sandy barrier islands from the Mexican border to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. These islands separate ocean from lagoon, saltwater from freshwater, sea bird from shore bird, and--until many were developed for tourism--sea-goer from landlubber. The barrier islands are young, Hansen tell us, formed in the last ice age only a few thousand years ago. They are also extremely vulnerable to damage, as Hurricane Emily demonstrated in 1993 when it tore away a good portion of many Atlantic islands. In his lively book, Hansen points out that the frequency and intensity of such storms seems to be on the rise, so see the islands while you can.

Book Description

Islands at the Edge of Time is the story of one man's captivating journey along America's barrier islands from Boca Chica, Texas, to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Weaving in and out along the coastlines of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina, poet and naturalist Gunnar Hansen perceives barrier islands not as sand but as expressions in time of the processes that make them. Along the way he treats the reader to absorbing accounts of those who call these islands home - their lives often lived in isolation and at the extreme edges of existence - and examines how the culture and history of these people are shaped by the physical character of their surroundings.

Customer Reviews:

Leatherface Goes Island Hopping.......1997-08-07

Gunnar Hansen should have titled his book "Leatherface IV: A Grisly Journey to the Barrier Islands of America." Hansen played the saliva-spouting, prozac-needing backwoods butcher in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and continues to bring his less-than-subtle beastly charms to B-grade horror flicks. Still, while such a cheap marketing ploy might have helped sell some more books, it wouldn't have made the writing more graceful or the observations more keen. In this account of the strange world of barrier islands, from the deserted Boca Chica in Texas to the resort islands of North Carolina, Gunnar casts his eye upon weary island dwellers, vacant-eyed tourists, and a host of natural phenomena. Unlike his maniacal alter-ego, Gunnar manages to convey a sense of desperation, as seen in the natural destruction and financial exploitation of the islands, without leaving a messy trail of blood and entrails. His account of life on the edge of America, in the great tradition of other bushy-bearded hermits like Farley Mowat and Edward Abbey, combines a sharp sense of moral direction with the softspoken wisdom of a teacher. What's really scary is that more people aren't writing books such as this

Average customer rating:

Takes you right there.
Good read
Great Adventure
I couldn't put it down!

On Island Time: Kayaking The Caribbean
Scott B. Williams
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Sea Kayaking | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1578067472

Book Description

Tourists visit popular islands of the Caribbean by the planeload. What they don't see from their resort hotels are the hundreds of out-of-the-way, uninhabited islands sprinkled along the West Indies chain from Florida to South America. This alluring archipelago, strung with beaches accessible only by boat but spaced temptingly close together, led Mississippi adventurer Scott B. Williams to embark upon an open-ended quest to see how far south he could go in a seventeen-foot sea kayak.

No one was willing to accompany him. He spent months working his way down the west coast of Florida, through the Bahamas, and on to Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. On Island Time, his narrative of this journey of a lifetime, describes the wonders of discovery as he makes landfall on pristine cays. Relentless headwinds, dangerous surf, countless beaches declared off-limits to trespassing, and aggressive sharks that ram his kayak and snap him out of his musing remind the adventurer that this paradise is far from perfect. Every day of the journey required constant vigilance.

With no one to depend on and often no one even knowing where he was for weeks at a time, Williams learned what it means to be self-reliant and to adjust to "island time." With just a simple, human-powered craft and the few belongings that would fit inside, Williams explores an almost boundless frontier and a powerful natural stretch of the Caribbean rarely if ever accessed by the island tourist.

Customer Reviews:

Takes you right there........2007-01-09

Reading Williams' On Island Time, you can almost feel the waves lapping over the bow of the kayak and feel the shark bumping you from below. If you can't afford to take off for months to the Carribean, this book is the next best thing.

Good read.......2007-01-06

At no point did I become board with the adventure or find it un interesting.

Great Adventure.......2006-08-05

A wonderfully informative, yet intense adventure read. Scott's travels around the Caribbean will make you want to go exploring. His simple, yet very seaworthy means of travel allows him to explore places that boaters in larger craft can only steam by while seeking the nearest marina. Well written. I highly recommend this book!

I couldn't put it down!.......2006-04-16

This is the best adventure book I have ever read. I didn't want this trip to end. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

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Island in the Sea of Time

Manufacturer: The Penguin Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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A Meeting at Corvallis
The Sky People
On the Oceans of Eternity
The Sunrise Lands
Dies the Fire (Roc Science Fiction)

ASIN: 1568656521

Product Description

Without warning the island of Nantucket has been swept into the past adrift in the year 1250 B.C. (time/travel)

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A Net to Catch Time
Sara Harrell Banks
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Cuffy wants to buy a boat someday and become a fisherman like his father. In order to earn money, he'll have to do a good business selling his grandma's deviled crabs. From the Gullah culture of Georgia's beautiful Sea Islands comes A Net to Catch Time, a warm family story that recounts a day in the life of a spirited little boy. Follow Cuffy from FIRST FOWL CROW (5:30 in the morning) when he catches the crabs, to SUN LAY OVER (2:30 in the afternoon) as Cuffy watches his grandmother prepare them, to CANDLE LIGHT TIME (twilight) when the island is quiet and the stars come out. Each dazzling spread shows a new time of day, and each time of day has its own lyrical Gullah name. Scott Cook's pastels create even more warmth and flavor in lively island hues. A glossary of Gullah expressions is included.

Bones in the Sea: Time Apart on a Greek Island

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Bones in the Sea: Time Apart on a Greek Island
Andrew Horton
Manufacturer: Smyrna Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens

ASIN: 0918266335

Bright Islands in a Dark Sea (Time of Troubles)

Average customer rating:

Not really bad
My favorite

Bright Islands in a Dark Sea (Time of Troubles)
L. Warren Douglas
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0345382382
Release Date: 1993-05-29

Customer Reviews:

Not really bad.......2000-06-12

Mmm... The plot of this book is really good. The story gets you since the start, but at the end you miss a better plot. I'm sure this book was written to have a second part sometime...

My favorite.......1997-05-06

This is the best book I have read ever, and that is saying alot. I really wish the author had done a sequel, because this book really deserves it. this is the sort of book you can read over and over again, and it never gets old. the caracters are always vibrant, and as you read it a second and third time, details start to emerge that you didn't see the first time. His flow is smooth, background excellent, and the story is very plausible. If you happen to find this book, GRAB HOLD AND DON'T LET GO! I assure you that this book is truly a find, and you will treasure it forever.

Hmmm... I have realized that you may not be aware of the plot of the story. The Protagonist, Yan Bando, is an archaeologist/historian in the distant future, about 3000 AD. He and his colleague/mentor find the wreckage of a spaceship in a bog- a _human_ spaceship. His colleague dies when he is attacked in the early mornig hours, and Yan goes into a berzerker rage, killing the attackers and burning down the house. We find out that this is a family trait of his, and that he has left his family to avoid spreading it. Then some history is introduced, including the fact that Earth has had some non-indigenous visitors in the past millenium, but they have left us to advance further. The world by now has undergone some serious changes, both in it's climate and it's government. There is no more world super-powers, and most lands are part of one kingdom or another. Science is losing ground due to the general ignorance of the population and the lack of near-instantaneous communication we have today. Yand finds himself alone in a world that has lost much of the civilizatoinal advances we takle for granted, pursued by the Church who killed his mentor and would do anything to suppress any evidence of a human-piloted spaceship, and two questions: what happened to the pilots of that spaceship, and where are they now?

The Cage & The Rising & Snowbrother & Darkon & Island in the Sea or Time ( Set of 5 Books )
Average customer rating:
The Cage & The Rising & Snowbrother & Darkon & Island in the Sea or Time ( Set of 5 Books )
S. M. & Shirley Meier Stirling
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000UFKZCS

GREGORY SALLUST: Contraband; The Black Baroness; The Scarlet Imposter; V for Vengeance; Come Into My Parlour; Faked Passports; The Island Where Time Stands Still; Traitors' Gate; They Used Dark Forces; The White Witch of the South Seas
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GREGORY SALLUST: Contraband; The Black Baroness; The Scarlet Imposter; V for Vengeance; Come Into My Parlour; Faked Passports; The Island Where Time Stands Still; Traitors' Gate; They Used Dark Forces; The White Witch of the South Seas
Dennis Wheatley
Manufacturer: Arrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JQSGDS

Guale (Island kids' adventure)
Average customer rating:
Guale (Island kids' adventure)
John J Hutton
Manufacturer: Bookmasters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Children's Books | Subjects | Books | Baby-3 | Ages 4-8 | Ages 9-12 | Animals | Arts & Music | Books on Cassette | Books on CD | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Computers | Educational | History & Historical Fiction | Issues | Literature | Obsessions | People & Places | Popular Characters | Reference & Nonfiction | Religions | Science, Nature & How It Works | Series | Sports & Activities
ASIN: 1882534018

To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking
Average customer rating:

Down to the point.

Beautiful insight into the traditions of Jews, totally changed my life!

(Almost) Everything You Wanted to Know About Judaism

A great book for me at this time in my life

An insightful book

To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking
Harold S. Kushner
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Jewish Life | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Kushner, Harold | ( K ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0446670022

Book Description

The bestselling author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People makes a passionate and practical case for the relevance of Judaism today. For anyone who wants to know more about Jews and Judaism.

Customer Reviews:

Down to the point........2007-02-05

I was born to catholic parents, later in my teens became a methodist, about two years now I've been doing a lot of reading about judaism.
During the course of reading this book I learned a lot. Specially the last chapter where he expresses his opinion about both faith.
When I was a catholic I was guided into believing that the jews where not really the good guys. What they did was unforgiving. (read any book about the expulsion of the jews from Spain in 1492 and after, that should give you a very good idea.) Until recently (1962-65) the vatican published the "Nostra Aetate" asking the jewish community for forgiveness for past "mistakes" and for the christian (catholic) community to make peace and be more tolerant with jews.
As a methodist ( and other branches for that matter )that part of history "doesn't" apply. Why? Well protestants started around the 16th c. and much later. That doesn't mean that they are saints either, they have their blemishes too. But what is more troublesome about them (evangelicals) is the insistence of converting you over. No matter what the conversation may be, sooner or later the pitch comes. I know, I've done it.
The only way to get along is like Kushner proposes in his book, is a mutual respect for each others faith. (period) His opinion about the events of the crucifiction (refering to the jews participation) might not coincide with many, after all he is jewish, and indirectly he is expressing two thousand years of pain and suffering, unfortunately some of it is still with us today. So think about it, what would your opinion be if you where in his place.
I highly recommend this book to all non-jews and jews alike.

Beautiful insight into the traditions of Jews, totally changed my life!.......2006-12-25

The beauty and heart within this book is amazing. I don't see how anyone could read it and not walk away affected if not completely changed. The author has a way of writing that makes you feel alive. I encourage anyone, regardless of faith, to read this book. I, for one, am giving several away for Christmas presents.

(Almost) Everything You Wanted to Know About Judaism.......2006-08-18

I love love love this book. I am Jewish, but this book really helped explain a lot of things to me that I never knew before or never thought of before. Harold Kushner is so articulate (a quality which I envy!), and he knows how to explain things or present them in a simple to understand way. I recommend this easy to read book to everyone who ever asked me about Judaism, and certainly anyone who is interested in conversion (I meet quite a few people in my line of work who approach me about that). If you want to know more (hence, the ALMOST), visit your local synagogue or look for some websites on the internet (I like aish.com, and I am NOT an orthodox Jew).

A great book for me at this time in my life.......2006-05-19

I am in the infant stages of my conversion to Judaism, and this book really cemented my conviction that this is the right decision for me. I felt that Rabbi Kushner clearly explained what Judaism is all about to him and, in many instances, to me as well. The chapter dealing with the dietary laws I found particularly helpful and enlightening, as this is one of the most intimidating factors for me in converting to Judaism and living as an observant Jew. Rabbi Kushner's explanations helped me understand the dietary laws in a different way, as allowing the sacred to enter into mealtimes -- which takes the focus off food -- and I immediately began "keeping kosher" to an extent.

I didn't feel that this book slammed Christianity, but I'm not a Christian so my perspective is decidedly one-sided. I did feel that this is a book about Judaism, not about Christianity. There are places where Rabbi Kushner compares and contrasts the two religions, but I didn't get the sense that he was saying, "Our way is better than your way." I DID get the sense that he is a man who feels deeply connected to God, and sees his religion as the source of that connection. While it's likely that a (relatively) small number Christians would read this book, it seems to be intended for Jews -- a book for Jews about Judaism, written by a Jew. The references to Christianity did not seem to be an instruction guide on Christianity so much as a way for Jews to understand their own religion within the context of modern American society, which is predominantly Christian.

If you are interested in learning more about Judaism -- what do Jews believe? what is the Jewish religion all about? -- then I think this is a very good introduction. Rabbi Kushner's explanations are easy to read and understand and at the same time very enlightening. Don't let this be the extent of your studies into Judaism, but it is a fine place to start.

An insightful book.......2005-04-28

This book was written in a conversational style, and it is made clear by the author that he is writing his opinions and thoughts based on a lifetime of studying religion.

I didn't think that it slammed Christianity. Some of the other reviewers took offense at some of his statements about Christianity, but the truth sometimes hurts. The Rabbi certainly said things about the history of Judaism that Jews would rather not know as well.

This also was an interesting book in that it also touched on where Atheists fit in all of this - what is the role of God in both the Jewish and the Christian faiths.

I don't think this book was the be - all and end - all of books about Judaism and Christianity. But I thought it was interesting and insightful. The Jewish and Christian religions will be around for decades after Rabbi Kushner is dead, so people should just toughen up and enjoy what he has to say without feeling threatened.

To Life!: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking

Average customer rating:

To Life!: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking
Harold S. Kushner
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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