A Slight Trick of the Mind
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Not the typical Holmes pastiche, and all the better for it
  • Hypnotic
  • Its deep
  • Intresting look at an aged Sherlock Holmes
  • Post-Modern Holmes, but still Great.
A Slight Trick of the Mind
Mitch Cullin
Manufacturer: Nan A. Talese
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385513283
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Amazon.com

Long after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle allowed him to retire to Sussex to take up beekeeping, there seems to be no end of enthusiasm for imagined versions of the life of Sherlock Holmes. There was Michael Chabon's The Final Solution in which "the old man," an 89-year-old beekeeper in Sussex is undoubtedly Holmes. Laurie King, a fine mystery writer, has appropriated Holmes and created a romance between him and young Mary Russell which has lasted through several enjoyable books. And now, nonagenarian Holmes reappears, most appealingly, in Mitch Cullin's A Slight Trick of the Mind. He is frail and forgetful but still observant and capable of shining the bright light of his insight and brilliance on events both past and present.

Cullin has carefully woven three stories together and managed it so neatly that no threads show--worthy of Holmes himself. The first is the story of Holmes's recent return from a trip to Japan, ostensibly in search of prickly ash, a bush that he believes contributes to healthy longevity, as does his beloved and trusted royal jelly. While there, he is met by his correspondent, Mr. Umezaki, who isn't as interested in prickly ash as in gleaning information from Holmes about his long-gone father. Supposedly, they met many years before, in London, and Holmes advised him not to return home. Of course, Holmes has no recollection of the meeting but finesses it nicely.

It is 1947 when they visit Hiroshima, post-atomic bomb, and Holmes marvels at what he sees. He compares it, most poignantly, to the loss of the queen in a hive, "when no resources were available to raise a new one. Yet how could he explain the deeper illness of unexpressed desolation, that imprecise pall harbored en masse by ordinary Japanese?" That is what he tells Roger, the 14-year-old son of his housekeeper. Roger is the second thread of the novel. Holmes is introducing him to beekeeping and Roger proves an apt student. His hero-worship of Holmes and his need for a father form an integral part of Cullin's intention of "humanizing" the great Sherlock Holmes.

The final thread is revealed in a journal that Holmes kept, in which he entered an encounter with a married woman, many years ago. He is infatuated with her, and hardly knows what to call it or what to make of his feelings. This is unfamiliar territory for the man who is rational above all else. The man we know at the end of the book makes the reader want another installment, showing a new Sherlock with a heart as well as a brain. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

Mitch Cullin’s absorbing A Slight Trick of the Mind is an original portrait of literature’s most beloved detective, Sherlock Holmes, in the twilight of his illustrious life.

Holmes—“a genius in whom scientific curiosity is raised to the status of heroic passion”—is famous for his powers of deduction. His world is made up of hard evidence and uncontestable facts, his observations and conclusions unsullied by personal feelings, until novelist Cullin goes behind the cold, unsentimental surface to reveal for the first time the inner world of an obsessively private man.

It is 1947, and the long-retired Holmes, now 93, lives in a remote Sussex farmhouse, where his memories and intellect begin to go adrift. He lives with a housekeeper and her young son, Roger, whose patient, respectful demeanor stirs paternal affection in Holmes. Holmes has settled into the routine of tending his apiary, writing in journals, and grappling with the diminishing powers of his razor-sharp mind, when Roger comes upon a case hitherto unknown. It is that of a Mrs. Keller, the long-ago object of Holmes’s deep—and never acknowledged—infatuation.

As Mitch Cullin weaves together Holmes’s hidden past, his poignant struggle to retain mental acuity, and his unlikely relationship with Roger, Holmes is transformed from the machine-like, mythic figure into an ordinary man, confronting and acquiescing to emotions he has resisted his entire life. This subtle and wise work is more than just a reimagining of a classic character. It is a profound meditation on faultiness of memory and how, as we grow older, the way we see the world is inevitably altered.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Not the typical Holmes pastiche, and all the better for it.......2007-04-24

Those who begin this book hoping for another untold adventure of Sherlock Holmes may be puzzled or disappointed at first. But I hope they'll stay with it, because it's a deeply moving story, a meditation on age, memory, and identity. The three storylines interweave & fade into one another, just as Holmes' waning faculties drift & wander. His own awareness of his decline is heartbreaking, yet he handles it with grace & dignity. Whether his defenses against that decline demand too heavy a personal price is for the reader to decide.

Still, this isn't just a tale of old age & its inexorable erosion, however beautifully told -- it's an investigation into the mysteries that not even a mind as keen & brilliant as that of Sherlock Holmes can hope to solve. The mystery of meaning, the mystery of loneliness, and the final mystery of death -- these are the mysteries Holmes faces, only to find himself as baffled by their impenetrability as any of us. When you reach the final page, you'll be left with a feeling of thoughtful melancholy, as well as an urge to confront those mysteries yourself. A rich, memorable novel, most highly recommended!

5 out of 5 stars Hypnotic.......2007-04-19

Mitch Cullin's "A Sligiht Trick of the Mind" is a mesmerizing, wonderfully written, inventive novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. This novel features Sherlock Holmes, but lest the reader be disappointed, it is not the Holmes of Sir Aruthur Conan Doyle. It is a much richer, older and emotional Holmes which is the central character of this story. Holmes is a 93 year old man living in post WWII England tending his bees. He is grappling with the continual loss of his physical abilities as well as his mental prowess. Several relationships are highlighted throughout the book which humanizes Holmes in a way that he hasn't been before. Particularly poignant is Holmes' relationship with the housekeepers young son Roger, who to Holmes' surprise elicits paternal feelings in himself. Cullin is able to weave an enchanting story about a well known character with a different but none the less profound impact on the reader. The writing is so well done, I was moved to tears, both by the sadness of the situations and the emotions that Cullin was able to evoke through his writing. Well Done!

5 out of 5 stars Its deep.......2007-04-07

Best sherlock holmes story, after ACD's

I read and re-read the book, to understand the delicacies of the nature of elderly sherlock holmes, i am sure everybody has there own picture of sherlock holmes in there mind, but this one gets too close.

3 out of 5 stars Intresting look at an aged Sherlock Holmes.......2006-11-12

This book has good and bad qualities to it. I found it fascinating to read the rambling thoughts of the great detective. His mind is still keen sometimes. But, old age has taken it's toll on him.
There are a couple of storylines that intertwine within the book. The author jumps around frequently to different stories, and different time periods.

Each storyline is fairly good by itself, although I found the endings to be weak. As if Holmes just drifts off in his narration with little closure.
I suppose that is the way of the very old, but it's not a strong finish for the character we all adore.

Its worth reading, if you don't mind Holmes being weak and doddering.

5 out of 5 stars Post-Modern Holmes, but still Great........2006-09-27

Mitch Cullin's A Slight Trick of the Mind defies expectation of any Sherlock Holmes related novel. As usual, when dealing with a "canon" of fiction, there tends to be some initial distaste at the thought of reading someone else's interpretation of a beloved character. However, Cullin has made Holmes a real person, frail, forgetful, at the end of his life, forced to deal with mortality not with reason, but with humanity. It is not a standard situation for the character and it can therefore be disregarded relatively easily if it doesn't suit the pallet of Holmes aficionados. I would like to say, however, that since Holmes has been more consistently misunderstood by the common reading public (at least as far as his "cultural representation" has been concerned ... only Jeremy Brett ever captured, for example, Holmes' innate alienness and his ability to annoy more than astound the average person), then I would say do not judge this book until you have read it.

Mitch Cullin has decided on a lateral approach to unveiling much of the story in A Slight Trick of the Mind, through a case journal, a recent though poorly remembered trip to post-war Japan, and Holmes eventual return to his beehives. Without spoiling the plot, all three deal with death and Holmes' ultimate emotional awakening to what mortality might mean. Without sounding maudlin, Holmes at the end of his life finally becomes a caring person. Not that he wasn't human before, but he had just not ever gotten around to thinking about the impact his scientific reason had on the everyday person.

Mitch Cullin pulls off quite a feet in giving us a believable post-Conan Doyle Holmes and also a very modern meditation on some more subtle themes that have not appeared too often in the classic "canon." There is some unavoidable crossing of modern fiction themes that seem a bit out of place with Holmes. Like his more famous work, Tideland, the cross-cutting of times, the lack of linear storyline, the internalization of Holmes (to know what he is thinking!) will strike a reader of the Doyle "canon" as jarring. Add to that, of course, the fact that there is no mystery, apart from the mystery of life itself. Most of what I just wrote is by way of warning to the mystery genre reader. It does not mean to say that this isn't an excellent novel, even an excellent Sherlock Holmes novel.

Two's Enough Three's A Crowd
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Accents Me Better
  • The Turtle Won!!
  • REAL!!!!
  • Coast 2 Coast Review
  • Great Read
Two's Enough Three's A Crowd
Brenda M. Hampton
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1403394733

Book Description

South Side takes place within the space of a week and follows the lives of a black family living in a desolate neighborhood on Chicago's crime ridden South Side. Family life in the Evans household can be fraught at the best of times, but especially when you are caught up in a web of crime, sex and injustice. When the matriarch of the clan, Dorothy Evans, literally drinks herself to death, the children are forced to tackle their own futures. Hard lessons and real truths will be revealed in this inspirational novel.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Accents Me Better.......2007-08-29

He's fine, sexy and paid. Jaylin Rogers is definitely what one would consider an aficionado when it comes to the ladies. While Jaylin loves women, he has a prerequisite that they must meet before they can get added to his roster. She has to be bodacious, have a degree, can cook, a good job, nice car, no kids and must be able to cater to him. Now if she's able to do all of that, then she has to know that in order to be one of Jaylin's women, she must be willing to share. It's simple, Jaylin can't be with just one women; either she understands and plays her position, or to the bench she goes.

No one understands Jaylin better than Nokea. And when it comes to keeping him satisfied, Felicia has the master key. While the two know all about the other's role in Jaylin's life, the situation gets uncomfortable when a new chick, Scorpio, intrudes on their relationship. Will she have something to offer that neither woman can top?

Stephon and Jaylin are first cousins who just so happen to be best friends. They've shared plenty of things without any hassles. That was until Stephon sets his sights on Jaylin's gem. Things get a little messy and the cousins seem to be on opposing sides. Will the cousins be able to mend their relationship?

I can admit it; I got caught slipping on Brenda M. Hampton's talent for real! If you're looking for a book where there is hot sex, intrigue, drama, lies, love and confessions, then "Two's Enough Three's A Crowd" is the book to add to your collection. I hate that I don't know the ending, but I guess I'll just have to find out in "My Way Or No Way."

4 out of 5 stars The Turtle Won!!.......2007-06-16

If you're in a great big hurry, pass this one up. This one has to marinate for a moment. After the juices get all into the meat, then Brenda Hampton serves you up a 10-course meal and after eating all that food u still have room for dessert except it's still in the oven...hahahaha...I'd recommend this one. It was a little shaky at first but it made up for itself and showed out a little in the end.

5 out of 5 stars REAL!!!!.......2007-06-03

I dont know what took me so long to find out about Brenda Hampton but she is an outstanding writer. This book kept it real from the begining to the end. I could not put this down. The book is packed fill of drama and I love it. On to the next book in the series. Keep them coming Brenda. Jaylin is BAD!!!

3 out of 5 stars Coast 2 Coast Review.......2007-05-30

Jaylin Jerome Rogers takes you a emotional rollercoaster ride with Nokea, Felicia and Scorpio just to name a few of the women that the playa played, his cousin Stephon is no better so if you would like to take a look at a relationship from a man's point of view. Please read Two's Enough Three's A Crowd. This is one of the best relationship book out. Can't wait to read Part II [...]

5 out of 5 stars Great Read.......2007-04-01

This was an excellent read. I have to say that Jaylin was quite a character. He was the top dog of all dogs. Faithful is not even in his vocabulary.
Felicia,Scorpio,& Nokea, are all crazy for messing with him. Whats even worse is that they all knew about each other. I guess the heart wants what it wants. But I really do believe that Nokea was meant to be with Jaylin.

Otherland: City Of Golden Shadow
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Not Free SF Reader
  • Hard wheter to select 3 or 4 stars. Great story...and annoying
  • What an amazing series.
  • long, bizarre, complicated, in other words, outstanding!
  • utterly Bizzare
Otherland: City Of Golden Shadow
Tad Williams
Manufacturer: DAW Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0886777100

Amazon.com

Best-selling fantasy author Tad Williams (Tailchaser's Song, the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series) begins a far-reaching cyberpunk saga with Renie Sulaweyo, a teacher in the South Africa of tomorrow, realizing something is wrong on the network. Some of the younger kids, including her brother Stephen, have logged into the net, but they can't get back out. The clues point to a mysterious golden city called Otherland, but everyone who tries to find out what's going on ends up dead. Settle in for a long, enjoyable ride, because this 770-page monster is just the first of four projected novels.

From the Publisher

ANYONE CAN GO THERE... COMING BACK IS ANOTHER STORY.

New York Times best-selling author Tad Williams has become a force to be reckoned with in the publishing world, as is evident from the enormous popularity and critical acclaim for his spectacular Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. Now, DAW Books is proud to present Tad Williams' groundbreaking new masterpiece, his most compelling work to date -- Otherland -- a bold new vision of an all-too possible tomorrow.

The first in a four-book series, Otherland: City of Golden Shadow is a complex suspense novel of the near future, where virtual reality has expanded to encompass all aspects of society -- and national, physical, and mental boundaries are limited only by the virtue or darkness of the imagination, offering an entirely new level of freedom to people in all walks of life. But a blood-chilling conspiracy involving the world's most powerful individuals now threatens to shatter this world to its very core....

Otherland is Tad Williams' finest hour, an astonishing work of fiction that is truly destined to become a classic.

Otherland is thrilling and original fiction in the New York Times best-selling traditions of Stephen King, John Grisham, and William Gibson

DAW Books is backing Otherland with a multimedia marketing campaign, the largest in its history!

DAW Books has three more novels in the series under contract

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Tad Williams decided to try something epic, yet again. Four volumes of
this time science fiction, but throwing in epic fantasy quest elements
by way of virtual reality environments to keep the rest of his fanbase
somewhat happy, at least.

A disparate group of people set out to find out why a whole lot of
children are getting sick and falling into comas. These people come
from all over the globe, an African student, a native bushman, a young
sick computer game geek, a French researcher, etc.

In the real world, the police also begin to suspect something after an odd series of murders.


4 out of 5 stars Hard wheter to select 3 or 4 stars. Great story...and annoying.......2007-08-12

To begin, I will say that I've enjoyed, not thoroughly enjoyed, but enjoyed reading these novels. I've read the first three and will eventually go on to the last. I'd give this series a 4, but a low 4.

As it was frustrating to decide how many stars to give, this series is an equally frustrating read. If you're reading this, you're no doubt aware that the plot revolves around a completely virtual world, Otherland. In the interest of not giving any spoilers, I'll refrain from going to deeply into the plot.

The plot begins, as so many others do, with a tragedy. The brother of the stories lead protagonist, Renie Sulaweyo, lapses into a coma while involved in some virtual reality resembling the internet. Renie, a computer science instructor living in Africa, and her most prominent student, the native bushman and kind hearted !Xabbu, slowly (and I mean slowly) take to seeking the truth of this mysterious coma (it seems to be happening to numerous kids throughout the world). This search takes Renie and !Xabbu to many fascinating and dangerous places on the net, where they meet some very interesting characters.

On the other side of the universe, Paul Jonas seems to have problems of his own. He can't seem to figure out why he seems to be going from one odd world (a Beanstalk world to Wonderland and so on) to another. He flees, in each world, from a pair of what look to be dangerous characters and is assisted by yet again "some very interesting characters."

As the novel progresses, sometimes interestingly and sometimes trudgingly, we meet a young girl living on a military base with her parents. The young girl, Cristobel, has a close and secretive relationship with a very old man. Then we meet Felix Jongleur, who uses an Osiris Egyptian God persona while virtual, and is also the head of the Grail Brotherhood, an organization who has great dealings regarding this virtual reality. Then we meet Robert Wells, a rich old man like Jongleur, who likes to talk to a cigar smoking General Yacoubian, real secretive like. The we meet Thargor, the virtual persona of a very important character whose real name I can't remember, and his pen pal, Fredricks. Then we meet another man, Dread, who likes to stalk and kill people. He's close friends with Felix as well.

If you haven't scented my sarcasm by now, you will be surprised to find out that there is an entire planetary population of characters in these books that you must keep note of. Keep in mind, as the sequential books are opened, more characters emerge for your enjoyment.

Noting the monumental overabundance of characters and the inherent necessity of giving a lengthy history of most of them, this series is a feat of imagination and plot. Bad guys gather in a virtual Egyptian empire using God personas. The characterizations are realistic and, even though you are not forced to really care about them at all, they have somewhat compelling parts to play.

The settings, most of which are taken from works of other popular fiction, are professionally realized and described, but it seems that these settings, and there are many of them, were put there simply to feed into the fantastical view of the book and not add to the plot.

Considering the number of characters in the story, the books have nearly as many plot-lines. Some of these plot-lines are more or less useless and irritating to a eager reader waiting for more plot. I wish Williams would have completely omitted the plot about Renie's father, considering how he is a completely unmiraculous character.

With all of the negative out of the way, I can say that if you've ever wondered what a cyberpunk version of Indiana Jones would be like, go out and buy all four books right now.

Usually when I read cyberpunk, I read it to gain some perspective on how human consciousness reacts to such an environment and the consequences of putting the mind through such a juxtaposition. When concerning this, Otherland is simply an adventure story that asks very few, if any, questions about artificial intelligence and is not speculative at all.

Beyond that, the Otherland series is a great adventure story that I would recommend for people with better than average memories and attention spans, but it is definitely not one of those monumental sci-fi books that makes you think.

4 out of 5 stars What an amazing series........2007-03-06

I bought this book a few months back just for something to read. The first few chapters were turning me off of it, but somehow I was compelled to read more. When I got to the end of this book, I wound up craving the rest of the series and bought the other three quickly.
I can't say this was the best out of the four in this series, but this is just an introduction into a vast and lovely world. The characters are actually real enough to care for, or hate.
All in all, the plot is confusing after the first few chapters, but it all comes together soon enough if you keep reading on. Definitely one of my favorite series, if not my most favorite.

4 out of 5 stars long, bizarre, complicated, in other words, outstanding!.......2007-02-13

This book was recommended to me back in 2000 - I remember that I could not put it down and bought the following volumes as soon as they were available. The day that the fourth volume arrived in the mail put me out of contact with the world for a week. If you are interested in virtual reality, this is the book for you.

I have only recommended this book to a few specific friends, ones that I know are technophiles and that are sufficiently offbeat enough to possibly enjoy such a romp. It is definitely not for everyone.

I just hope that by the time I am 70 and retired, living in an old folks home, I can plug in and have such adventures......gives me something to look forwards to!

1 out of 5 stars utterly Bizzare.......2007-01-06

I lik the science fiction genre bu this was bad, and i'm a tolerant reader. This book was recomended to me and i began it with gusto. I hated it after page 150. It was so bizzare i had to force myself to read it. Dont even pick it up.
Otherland: Volume One - City of Golden Shadow
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Otherland: Volume One - City of Golden Shadow

    Manufacturer: Daw Books
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
    ASIN: B000HMPZ8S
    City of the Golden Shadow Uk Edition Signed
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      City of the Golden Shadow Uk Edition Signed
      Tad Williams
      Manufacturer: LEGEND BOOK INC
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover
      ASIN: B000UD5BFG
      Otherland (Volume 1 - City Of Golden Shadow)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Otherland (Volume 1 - City Of Golden Shadow)

        Manufacturer: New York: DAW Books, 1997
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover
        ASIN: B000FSPDWW
        Otherland - Volume One Of City Of Golden Shadow
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Otherland - Volume One Of City Of Golden Shadow
          Tad Williams
          Manufacturer: Legend Book / Random House
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback
          ASIN: B000QRTRP6
          Otherland I: City of Golden Shadow
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Otherland I: City of Golden Shadow
            Tad Williams
            Manufacturer: Random House
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover
            ASIN: B000OHD4MK
            Otherland: City of Golden Shadow
            Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
            • well worth the pages!
            • Fascinating...but Boring!
            • wonderful
            Otherland: City of Golden Shadow
            Tad Williams
            Manufacturer: New Amer Library
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

            Science FictionScience Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Adventure | Alternate History | Anthologies | General | Graphic Novels | High Tech | History & Criticism | Series | Short Stories | Space Opera
            ASIN: 0099683016

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars well worth the pages!.......2007-09-13

            this series sat on my shelf for 10 years b/s i never wanted to invest the time in the series; now that grad school is over, i am catching up on reading and started this a few days ago while off work. I'm almost finished it now - while lots of pages, and lots of narrative, i still find it an enjoyable, interesting read and can't wait to find out how it ends (and start the other 3 books also on my shelf!)

            3 out of 5 stars Fascinating...but Boring!.......2007-08-15

            The world created in this book is amazing. I was totally pulled in by Tad Williams' imagination and solid writing, though not until I was a third of the way into the book. It took so long because the book is a slow, slow read. There were way to many narratives. While it's details that make a fantasy book, there's such a thing as too many details.

            This book should have been 1/2 the size it is.

            I'm terribly curious about what happens next, but I can't bear slogging through 3 more volumes!

            4 out of 5 stars wonderful.......2004-06-07

            Great book! This book starts out a little shakey. I was a bit confused at first about this "Paul Jonas" guy, but I think that's what I was supposed to be. It all pulls together very nicely at the end as this first book closes off. And the next three books are all 5/5 as far as I'm concerned.

            This series is the best of Tad Williams.
            Tad Williams Otherland Series Books 1-4 (Otherland Series; City of Golden Shadow, River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass, Sea of Silver Light, Volume 1,2,3,4)
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Tad Williams Otherland Series Books 1-4 (Otherland Series; City of Golden Shadow, River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass, Sea of Silver Light, Volume 1,2,3,4)
              Tad Williams
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Mass Market Paperback
              ASIN: B000TWTENI

              Product Description

              4 Book set
              Otherland, 4 volume set: City of Golden Shadow + River of Blue Fire + Mountain of Black Glass + Sea of Silver Light
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Otherland, 4 volume set: City of Golden Shadow + River of Blue Fire + Mountain of Black Glass + Sea of Silver Light
                Tad Williams
                Manufacturer: Daw
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                GeneralGeneral | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
                GeneralGeneral | Williams, Tad | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
                PaperbackPaperback | Williams, Tad | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: B000NL0ORU

                Product Description

                Volumes 1 thru 4 in Tad William's Otherland series. City of Golden Shadow, River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass, & Sea of Silver Light.
                CITY OF GOLDEN SHADOW (OTHERLAND, NO 1)
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  CITY OF GOLDEN SHADOW (OTHERLAND, NO 1)
                  TAD WILLIAMS
                  Manufacturer: DAW Books
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Hardcover
                  ASIN: B000NY6Y6C

                  Welcoming but Not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality
                  Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                  • Well researched, well reasoned, and utterly unconvincing.
                  • A recent contribution to the debate
                  • A "welcome" addition to the controversial conversation
                  Welcoming but Not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality
                  Stanley Grenz
                  Manufacturer: Westminster John Knox Press
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

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                  ASIN: 0664257763

                  Customer Reviews:

                  4 out of 5 stars Well researched, well reasoned, and utterly unconvincing........2004-12-22

                  I spent a fair amount of effort looking for some reasoned writing against same-sex marriage, as it seems that most of the research in the debate is on the "for" side, with only politicians and opinion columnists publishing "against". Grenz's book goes a long way towards filling that niche; he carefully considers the biblical, historical, and pastoral arguments both for and against, and draws a reasonable conclusion from his data. I have two major objections to Grenz: first, we weigh the data differently; he dismisses arguments that I find to be of utmost importance-he has, for example, not read John Boswell's second book, _Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe_, which reputedly addresses many of the historical issues he raises in dismissing Boswell's first book, _Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality_ (mind, this is reputation only, as I have yet to acquire a copy of either book-though I have read several reviews of both, one set of which is re-printed in Andrew Sullivan's anthology, _Gay Marriage Pro and Con_), and gives what I would consider undue weight to the social construction theory of sexuality. Second, his conclusions are valid for a Baptist minister considering what pastoral stance to take on the issue of homosexuality; he never addresses what political stance should be taken. Of course, he is also Canadian, so I would have distrusted anything he said about American politics anyways.

                  4 out of 5 stars A recent contribution to the debate.......2003-06-30

                  I welcome Stanley Grenz' book 'Welcoming but not Affirming' for several reasons:

                  (1) Each generation has, it seems, the defining touchstone debates in Christianity, that seem to reach to the core of religious practice and community (interesting that subsequent generations rarely sustain the emotional importance attached to those issues of previous generations). In the current generation, acceptance or rejection of homosexuality is one of these (I would say abortion and the status of women are the other two). Grenz, a noted theologian, tackles this issue directly.

                  (2) Because of the emotional level that such touchstone debates reach to, there is often a tendency to sacrifice scholarship and reasonable dialogue to diatribe and immovable pronouncements, on both sides. Grenz presents a fairly balanced view with his own bias present in the title of the work.

                  (3) This is a book that will make both sides of the debate variously comfortable and uncomfortable. That in itself is a positive, because it will spur people on to thinking and reflection. A mature faith requires examination, in my opinion.

                  These things having been said, I have a few criticisms of the book. In the first half, Grenz presents what his view is of the welcoming and affirming side, i.e, those who argue for full acceptance of same-sex unions and open ordination of gays and lesbians. Grenz tends to concentrate only on the same-sex union aspect of this, and Grenz does a pretty good job at this, although there is every so often the tendency I think to make the arguments into a straw figure he can later torch. I would have preferred a little more development of the opposing side, so the arguments weren't so easily refuted.

                  In his refutation and presentation of his openly-stated bias (that of welcoming, but not affirming, i.e., welcoming the homosexual as a human being, but still viewing that homosexuality as a sin that should not be affirmed), Grenz also lacks a little in the argumentation. Grenz does use scripture well, and avoids many of the pitfalls that both sides often seem to fall into. However, I would have to wonder just how welcome a homosexual would be in this church. While not denying that gays or lesbians can be Christian and receive the Holy Spirit (Grenz is an evangelical himself), he still falls into the trap of not being able to explain why certain scriptural prohibitions are important while others are not.

                  However, far be it for me to criticise anyone for not being able to settle this debate! I am far from being able to do it myself.

                  5 out of 5 stars A "welcome" addition to the controversial conversation.......2000-03-02

                  At last we have a sane, moderate, compelling voice taking the "traditional" (but not reactionary) viewpoint, that homosexuality can be compassionately discussed and homosexual persons compassionately ministered to, without wholesale affirmation of their orientation and behavior as God's will for their lives. To demonstrate this book's credibility in the conversation now going on within Christian circles, James Nelson, an articulate theologian with a "gay-affirmiing" viewpoint, adds his highest recommendation. There is nothing "homophobic" in Stanley Grenz's approach, and as an eminent ethicist, he is not writing a moralistic diatribe. His is a reasoned and refreshing antidote to the more strident "right-wing" denunciations of homosexual sin, yet he maintains the clear and unequivocal position, based upon the overwhelming consensus of scripture and tradition, that the Christian faith does not and cannot affirm gay and lesbian behavior, nor same-sex unions, as "normative" or "alternative" lifestyles within the church. That the church should support the "civil" rights of homosexual persons, there can be no doubt, but the church cannot extend a "blessing" in the same manner as it does to marriage. Gay friendships, even when most exemplary of fidelity and longevity, are not, nor should they be construed as analogous with, the marriage of a man and a woman. The only missing dimension to the book, from this reviewer's point of view, is a discussion of the inextricability of sexuality and spirituality, and how this reality must fuel future conversations about Christian sexuality. We are all "fragile" in our sexuality, such that condemnations and judgements have no place, least of all within a Christian community, where healing and reconciliation ought to be emblemmatic. Such healing will often carry us to depths of intra- psychic transformation we dare not have thought possible. Alice Miller's "The Drama of the Gifted Child", a brilliant and recently revised treatment of this corollary topic, makes an excellent companion volume to Grenz's.
                  What is so welcoming about "welcoming but not affirming"? (Featured Reviews).(Welcoming but not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality) (book ... from: Journal of Psychology and Theology
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    What is so welcoming about "welcoming but not affirming"? (Featured Reviews).(Welcoming but not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality) (book ... from: Journal of Psychology and Theology
                    Erica S.N. Tan
                    Manufacturer: Rosemead School of Psychology
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Digital

                    PhilosophyPhilosophy | Nonfiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
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                    ASIN: B0009FOEO4
                    Release Date: 2005-07-30

                    Book Description

                    This digital document is an article from Journal of Psychology and Theology, published by Rosemead School of Psychology on June 22, 2002. The length of the article is 1454 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                    Citation Details
                    Title: What is so welcoming about "welcoming but not affirming"? (Featured Reviews).(Welcoming but not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality) (book review)
                    Author: Erica S.N. Tan
                    Publication: Journal of Psychology and Theology (Refereed)
                    Date: June 22, 2002
                    Publisher: Rosemead School of Psychology
                    Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Page: 164(3)

                    Article Type: Book Review

                    Distributed by Thomson Gale

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