Book Description
"A writer good enough to restore your faith in fiction."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
It is only a week in the life of a 35-year old bachelor school teacher in a small Minnesota town. But it is an extraodinary week, filled with the poetry of living, the sweetness of expectation, and the glory of surprise that can change a life forever....
"Absolutely smashing....An altogether successful work, witty, intelligent, compassionate."
THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
Customer Reviews:
One of my favorites.......2006-12-04
I was assigned this book in high school 15 years ago, and enjoy reading it every year. I grew up in a small Minnesota town much like Staggerford, which I feel does help the reader to identify with all the characters in the book. The main character is Miles Pruitt, a single man in his late 30's who rents a room from the spinster school teacher in town. Miles grew up in Staggerford and returned after college to teach English at the high school. The story takes place over one week in Miles's life. The charcters are intertaining and memorable. Jon Hasslers writing style is nice and easy with a repetitive edge to it which can help the reader with a somewhat seemingly boring story. The end is a real shocker that leaves me wanting it not to be true every time I read it. I really enjoy Mr. Hassler's story telling.
Staggerford.......2006-09-20
After reading Jon Hassler's Grand Opening, I decided to give another one of his novels a try. This time I chose his first novel, Staggerford. Despite preferring the 1940's setting of Grand Opening, I loved Staggerford much, much more. The novel centers around Miles Pruitt, a thirty-five year-old high school teacher in the small town of Staggerford, MN.
I absolutely fell in love with the character of Miles, which is why I was so distraught at the ending of the novel. Now that I've started A Green Journey, the sequel to Staggerford, I am preparing myself for more heartbreak towards the end of the book. The characters and events are so real in Jon Hassler's works that I have a hard time not becoming emotionally attached in some very odd sense. I have respected the work of many authors, but none have ever captivated me quite so much as Jon Hassler.
Excellent book (as well as author)........2006-08-28
This is the first book I've read from Jon Hassler. I 'stumbled' upon him quite accidentally, admit I had never heard of him, but plan to read more of his works. He keeps my interest, with nearly every line fascinating in itself. I truly enjoy his writing and I recommend him to others.
Engaging, poignant novel.......2005-10-21
I first read this novel some years ago and became a Hassler fan before finishing it. In many ways I think it's one of his strongest books. The characters are engaging and the town believeable. "Staggerford," "Grand Opening" (also by Hassler), and "Passing through Paradise" by Schreiber make a great trio of Minnesota novels.
interesting and inspiring.......2004-12-03
I started reading the book because a friend told me that I was similar to the character Miles in the book. This book had been assigned for a college English class. I found it difficult to put down the book once I started reading it.
The book is about the lives of people living in a small town in Minnesota. The main character of the book, Miles, is a teacher and also a person who seems to have wisdom. The story also seems to have an underlying theme about the hero's journey (as it relates to Joseph Campbell's hero myth.) Therefore, you can get a lot more out of this book if you look deeper.
I liked the book because the characters seem to live in me long after I had finished reading it. It is also inspiring because it gives me a fresh persepective about life.
Book Description
In 1977, Jon Hassler introduced readers to the residents of Staggerford and sparked a decades-long love affair with the small town. With The New Woman, Hassler once again proves that he's "a writer good enough to restore your faith in fiction" (Richard Russo, The New York Times Book Review).
Agatha McGee, now eighty-seven years old, knows she is slowing down. From the window of her new home in the Sunset Senior apartments, she can see that Staggerford has become a town with hustle and bustle that threatens to leave her behind. She's not quite resigned to a schedule of Sunset Senior's arts and crafts classes but with the deaths of two close friends, a mysterious missing shoe box, her nephew Frederick's worrisome mental state, and, most surprising, a kidnapped little girl left in her care, Agatha finds plenty of excitement..
Populated with the charming crew of eccentrics and quirky characters that keep Hassler's fans clamoring for more, The New Woman follows Agatha as she discovers that friends and family are the secrets to longevity and that the essence of life lies in the details.
Customer Reviews:
"'Range of motion' applies to our psyches as well as our bodies...If we shut down parts, we'll never get them back.".......2006-11-12
With warmth, gentle humor, irony, and repeating characters, Jon Hassler has kept readers fascinated with life in Staggerford, Minnesota, for nearly thirty years. Friendships, loyalties, gossip, and jealousies--all the raw material of smalltown community activity--come to life in the relationships among the characters, many of whom have been featured throughout the twelve Staggerford novels. The 87-year-old grande dame of Staggerford, Agatha McGee, formerly a teacher at St. Isidore's school, has finally moved out of her house along the river and into the Sunset Senior Apartments, where she finds the closeness of her neighbors to be stifling, at times.
When her diamond brooch turns up missing, Agatha looks carefully at her neighbors, trying to figure out who might have taken it. As always, Agatha's opinions reflect her strict world view--she is appalled at John Beezer's eating habits, at Big Edna's crassness, at the decline in grammatical speech, and at the general loss of civility she remembers from the old days in Staggerford, but she cannot imagine who might have taken her brooch.
A twenty-year-old magazine article about an MX missile, ready to fire, which the US government once mounted on a train and moved around the country each night, inspires Agatha and her friend Lillian to create an "MX Box," into which each resident puts his/her valuables, to be moved around the complex in the care of a different resident each night. Hassler's gentle, wry humor devolves into dark humor here when the box is "misplaced" by a forgetful resident--everyone knows where it is, but no one knows how to retrieve it, and the resulting farce is black humor at its hilarious best.
Plot is not Hassler's primary concern as he recreates the lives of Staggerford's elderly residents. His characters are believable, their dialogue is pitch-perfect, and his elderly readers (especially) will undoubtedly see themselves in the characters. Events are realistic and often poignant. Two long-time residents die. Agatha finds herself in charge of a young kidnapped child. Her visits to the local school leave her appalled at the lack of order, but her decision to set up a support group at the apartment complex meets with enormous success.
No world-shaking events occur here, but Staggerford is not a world-shaking community--just a typical Midwestern, middleclass town observing the commonplaces of everyday life. It is these commonplace observances--and celebrations of the lifestyle they represent--that make Hassler's novels so winsome, nostalgic, and beloved. n Mary Whipple
A charming and realistic portrayal of small-town USA.......2005-12-24
Jon Hassler published his first Staggerford novel in 1977. That event set the scene for the subsequent books that tell the stories of the events that touched the lives of its inhabitants. When asked in an interview about his choice of locale he said, "I've been rooted in northern Minnesota all my life; I've never moved." Clearly this is his "place" and that is where he set his latest novel, THE NEW WOMAN.
THE NEW WOMAN is the story of Agatha McGee, an octogenarian who taught sixth grade for almost 50 years in Staggerford. At 87 her health is good and her mental faculties are as sharp as they were when she was a much younger woman. She still lives in the house she grew up in, and until recently she managed very well. "She has carried around the image of Staggerford as a bucolic, serene little hamlet, and she was under the false impression that she was still acquainted with all its citizens, as she had been in her teaching days." For years she had based that view on what she was able to see from her windows in "her house on River Street."
We meet her three days after she's moved into the Sunset Senior Apartments. And as she gazes from the window of her new home she stares at the Kmart parking lot across the street. She is amazed at the number of cars coming and going. "...she realized that there were hundreds of people living in this town whom she didn't know." When her lifelong friend Lillian, also a resident of the building, pays a call, Agatha thinks, "Oh, dear, this move was certainly a mistake." She "had feared that living here would compromise her independence."
But in Hassler's imaginary Staggerford, things don't always turn out as expected, and as the story unfolds Agatha moves back and forth from the present to her past. And these journeys give the richness and texture of what otherwise could have been a novella without much punch. When one considers Hassler's words in another interview, a real connection is made between the writer and his theme and the reader and his message: "I spent seven years visiting my mother in a similar place in a small town in Minnesota," Hassler recalls. "I'd go up there once a week and we'd have our peach delight and our coffee. I got to know these people pretty well. I just felt so at home with them that I wanted to write about them. People get outspoken at that age, and I like that. I just love people talking at odds, going off in their own directions." Add to these flights of verbal disconnects the eccentricities of each member, and sparks fly.
Over the course of a few weeks Agatha slowly works her magic and gains the respect of her fellow residents, realizing that since she retired what she missed most was being taken seriously. She really is the "grand old lady" of the town, and when she starts reaching out to her former students who are now the movers and shakers of Staggerford, she realizes that she was never forgotten.
Hassler stages several scenes in which one or more of the characters experience an epiphany. Agatha touches people who felt neglected and ignored, which gains their everlasting loyalty. They come to honor her for who she is and was, and how she affected their lives.
At some points the plot seems to be on the verge of unraveling, but Hassler manages to pull the loose ends together. Without being sentimental, melodramatic or gloomy, he writes in a conversational style that is charming and real. He doesn't romanticize getting old and being alone or having to leave the comfort and security of one's home. He doesn't sugarcoat the difficulties inherent in meeting new people under conditions that one didn't necessarily choose. Yet he manages to give the reader an honest portrayal of his characters and his message.
Agatha is a strong-willed, pious woman who is as devoted to her church as she is to doing good and living a charitable life --- despite the dark days. The supporting cast knows that bad things happen. All of them have experienced different kinds of hard times. Of this Hassler has said in the past: "I'm not sure that the optimism and the success of my characters in overcoming darkness is really connected to my religion. I think it's connected to a belief I have in the ongoing quality of life. People survive and are stronger for their suffering. It's just the feeling I have about life."
Those notions are the major thread in THE NEW WOMAN. Agatha is surprised and delighted when she finds her niche as the leader of a support group that over 10 months grows so large that the meetings are held in the high school gym. At the end of a long meeting, when Agatha is exhausted, she says: "I believe 'range of motion' applies to our psyches as well as our bodies. If we shut down parts of our thinking, we'll never get them back, and so you might say these [meetings] are my psychological therapy."
Jon Hassler infuses today's literary scene with a book that reflects small-town style, USA. He clearly sees teachers as heroes, friendship as a special gift, optimism as the anecdote to the blues, and aging as an opportunity to continue to grow as an individual. We are never too old to learn --- and if someone is willing to teach, all of us benefit.
--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
Minnesota's Miss Marple.......2005-12-16
Agatha McGee, the protagonist of THE NEW WOMAN, will remind you of Agatha Christie's Miss Marpel. Miss Marpel had a certain arrogance as does Miss McGee. Miss Marpel reveled in gossip; Miss McGee wouldn't miss the Friday afternoon "coffee" sessions at Sunset Senior Apartments.
Unlike Hassler's fabulous textured, thematic novels STAGGERFORD, GRAND OPENING, and NORTH OF HOPE, this is an episodic work. It begins when Miss McGee, Staggerford's most revered former teacher, is forced to move from her house on River Street to a senior citizen's home. Almost immediately someone steals the diamond brooch she was given upon high school graduation. She accuses retired farmer John Beezer. He's so taken with her he doesn't seem to mind. After a week, Agatha moves back into her house on River Street, but when her volunteer housekeeper and lifelong friend, Lillian Kite, dies, she realizes she must move to Sunset Senior Apartments permanently.
Agatha finds her brooch; she'd misplaced it while unpacking. She apologizes to Beezer, then sets about reforming him. He has terrible table manners, can't speak proper English etc. Surprisingly, he's grateful. Beezer is the most interesting character in the book. When one of Agatha's friends at Sunset misplaces what she thinks is a winning lottery ticket, in Lillian's coffin, Beezer helps her dig it up, in below-zero weather. In the process we learn how to dig through frozen earth. In the next episode, Beezer's son kidnaps his daughter from his slatternly wife, getting Agatha in trouble in the process. In the final episode, Agatha forms a mental-health group with unforseen consequences. Beezer's sister, coincidentally the same woman who murdered teacher Miles Pruit of STAGGERFORD fame, is one of the participants.
Compared to Hassler's other novels, this is a very short work, only 214 pages, but it has a certain Garrison Keillor hominess about it, and it's good to hear from Agatha again.
Book Description
"April 3, 1976. Completed Staggerford this morning at 9:15. . . . The most satisfying thing I've done since playing high school football."
In the spring of 1975, an unknown Minnesota teacher named Jon Hassler decided to take a sabbatical and fulfill his lifelong dream of writing a novel. A year later, Hassler typed the final page of Staggerford--a book that has won a cherished place as a classic novel of small-town life in America. Now, many years and many novels later, Hassler shares the private story of Staggerford's creation as recorded in the vividly revealing journals he kept while writing the book.
Hassler's My Staggerford Journal is at once the narrative of a work of art struggling to be born and the portrait of a creative mind in the throes of a life-altering breakthrough. Day by day, we peer over Hassler's shoulder as he breathes life into his creation--realizing with a sudden flash of insight that his hero Miles Pruitt should not have a wife, shaping and reshaping the character of the Bonewoman, heeding the good "advice" of the spirited Miss Agatha McGee, stumbling on the perfect title. Here, too, is the moving account of the novelist's inner doubts and comic missteps, his lonely triumphs and jarring sacrifices.
My Staggerford Journal affords a rare glimpse into the imagination of one of the best-loved masters of contemporary American fiction. Jon Hassler's many fans, as well as all readers interested in seeing the creative process at work, will be spellbound by this wonderful book.
Customer Reviews:
Writing a first novel in 1970s Minnesota.......2005-03-07
I had never heard of STAGGERFORD nor of Jon Hassler till I bought this book today and devoured it in one sitting. Now I'm looking forward to reading the nove, STAGGERFORD. If you can believe the jacket copy and the back of the jacket, STAGGERFORD is one of those beloved masterpieces like CATCHER IN THE RYE that high school students everywhere are assigned to read, and even though they grumble, they eventually fall in love with the book and take it to heart. Even Hillary Clinton, says Mr. Hassler, has read STAGGERFORD. I feel so dumb not having known about it. Maybe I should have read the book before reading Mr. Hassler's 1975 journal describing the year he took off from an oppressive community college somewhere in Minnesota.
He took time off to visit historic sites in New England, including the House of the Seven Gables and Walden Pond. He makes an embarrassing faux pas inthe home of Emily Dickinson, in her bedroom, where like any other tourist he whips out his canera and the guide reminds him in a miserable shriek, "Cameras are not permitted in Emily Dickinson's bedroom." You can really feel his abjection as sadly he pockets his camera. He's lucky they didn't destroy it I guess. I had no idea that this house in Amherst is a private home and that you can see only two rooms, this bedroom and a sitting room. Who would want to live there, it would be weird.
Once STAGGERFORD gets published, by Atheneum, you get the feeling that finally Hassler gets some self-respect, indeed some balls. He quotes Thoreau to beautiful effect; "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in the common hours."
I didn't like the part where he encounters a colleague who praises him and tells him his own favorite line from STAGGERFORD, which is, "If you wish to befriend an Indian, feed him pie." I don't know, it just sounds a little racist. Outside of that, the book is well worth every penny.
Novice Writers' How-to Book.......2000-09-13
'Loved reading this book; 100-pages that are worthy of gifting to others who love to read and write. With great clarity, Hassler expresses his joy as well as his struggle in capturing thoughts for the reader's enjoyment. And he sprinkles the copy with his down home, chuckle-invoking humor. His Staggerford Journal is as enjoyable as Staggerford itself. Thank you for yet another gift, Jon Hassler!
For Staggerford fans only.......2000-09-03
"What is any artist but the dregs of his work?" the author William Gaddis said, and one wishes Jon Hassler had remembered that before publishing "My Staggerford Journal," the tearings from his diary he kept in 1975 when he took a sabbatical from his English professorship to write his first novel. While the book is only 100 pages long, there is very little that is of interest to anyone but fans of his work.
Those interested in the artistic process will find little here of interest. Hassler recounts the decisions underlying the writing of "Staggerford" in the fashion of a carpenter building a chair ("Coach Gibbon will talk about sports. Stella about the press box and her dentist. Imogene? Knowledge.").
The best parts of the book are things that have nothing to do with writing. He visits Emily Dickenson's home in New England, and spends three weeks in Great Britain and Ireland. He recounts a vacuous committee meeting at the community college where he taught. After a week writing alone, he goes out into the Minnesota snow seeking any kind of social connection. When he book is accepted by Atheneum, he worries that he doesn't know how to pronounce the name. But overall, the best part of Hassler is found in his novels.
Product Description
In 1977, Jon Hassler introduced readers to the residents of Staggerford and sparked a decades-long love affair with the small town. With The New Woman, Hassler once again proves that hes "a writer good enough to restore your faith in fiction" (Richard Russo, The New York Times Book Review).
Agatha McGee, now eighty-seven years old, knows she is slowing down. From the window of her new home in the Sunset Senior apartments, she can see that Staggerford has become a town with hustle and bustle that threatens to leave her behind. Shes not quite resigned to a schedule of Sunset Seniors arts and crafts classes but with the deaths of two close friends, a mysterious missing shoe box, her nephew Fredericks worrisome mental state, and, most surprising, a kidnapped little girl left in her care, Agatha finds plenty of excitement..
Populated with the charming crew of eccentrics and quirky characters that keep Hasslers fans clamoring for more, The New Woman follows Agatha as she discovers that friends and family are the secrets to longevity and that the essence of life lies in the details.
Jon Hassler is the author of eleven novels, two short story collections, a volume of novellas, and two works of nonfiction. He is Regents Professor Emeritus at St. Johns University in Minnesota.
Book Description
Geralyn Dawson blends sizzling passion with rollicking humor to create delectable romances her readers savor. Now the award-winning author of Sizzle All Day and The Bad Luck Wedding Cake shines in a tale of luck, love, and laughter -- in Victorian England.
Something Old
Every woman remembers her wedding night, even if she wishes she didn't. Sarah, Lady Weston, tries not to recall how her husband wooed, wed, and deserted her in the name of duty almost a decade ago. She is successful and content in her role of professional wedding designer, but for all her attention to detail, she neglected one important item. Sarah never had her marriage annulled. Isn't it just her bad luck that Nick now finds himself in need of a wife?
Something New
No man would ever forget a wedding night like the one Nicholas, Lord Weston, endured. But his years as a spy in service to the Crown have taught him the value of patience, among other things. Now back in Britain, his sisters' weddings on the horizon, and haunted by a woman he never truly left behind, he is ready to tackle the most dangerous and daunting task of all -- seducing his skeptical bride.
Something Wonderful
Customer Reviews:
Heroine lacking.......2003-07-19
Geralyn Dawson shows us once again that humor and romance do go hand in hand. She is wonderfully witty and imaginative. I also thouroughly enjoyed the return of the "McBride Menaces", who allied themselves with the newly christened "Ross Rascals" in their goal of permenantly reuniting the title couple. What I didn't like was the heroine herself. After she grew up a little she was definitely less selfish and self centered but she blamed Nick for everything from their horrid wedding night to their failed marriage up to the very end. In actuality she was the one to balme. If she had trusted her husband to get her through the uncomfortable part of the wedding night unscathed (well, mostly unscathed) she might have realized a lot sooner than she did that she actually liked sex. I mean really, how much beating to his pride can a man take? She also displayed her lack of loyalty to her husband when she didn't believe him about Susan. I could sympathize with her being young and not wanting to leave her family to a strange country and all that but how in God's name could she blame him for going?! His father had just been proclaimed dead! She acted like a bouquet of flowers and a tersly worded note at the funeral would be sufficient! I was appalled at the lack of sensativity that Mrs. Dawson displayed in her. Insensativity is supposed to be for men. Other than her the book was fun, witty, and charming.
truly a good luck wedding night.......2001-10-22
Despite the book entitled 'The Bad Luck Weeding Night', I would rate this offering 5 out of 5. It keep me laughing all the way. I was delighted by the stubornness of the main characters, Nicholas and Sarah. They just seem perfect for each other. The sisters are also a delight, as they truly resemble the famous 'McBride Menaces'. This is a must buy!
A Decent Effort.......2001-06-16
This book made me want to read more about the charaters involved... however that was also the weakness of it. It devoted too many page to people, places and events that didn't take place in these pages. The situations seemed a little contrived too, but for beach reading, it's okay.
A Real Disappointment.......2001-04-19
The plot was "Dumb". Sarah was a stupid character who lacked "character". Nick was just as boring. Not romantic or lightly sensual at all. What a waste of my eye sight, money & time.
Nothing Special.......2001-04-18
I can't say I enjoyed this book. At the beginning, the hero and heroine were quite immature, but that was the point. However, ten years later I don't think they'd advanced all that far. The only thing that made their later relationship believable was the fact that they'd corresponded regularly over the course of ten years, and that correspondence meant a lot to each of them. However, when they were reunited after ten years, they didn't seem to know that much more about each other than when they'd parted. I thought the characters were entirely too modern in their attitudes and behavior, and I found it somewhat annoying. I couldn't really lose myself in this book, and to me that's the whole point of reading fiction.
Product Description
Book Description: Geralyn Dawson blends sizzling passion with rollicking humor to create delectable romances her readers savor. Now the award-winning author of Sizzle All Day and The Bad Luck Wedding Cake shines in a tale of luck, love, and laughter -- in Victorian England.SOMETHING OLD: Every woman remembers her wedding night, even if she wishes she didn't. Sarah, Lady Weston, tries not to recall how her husband wooed, wed, and deserted her in the name of duty almost a decade ago. She is successful and content in her role of professional wedding designer, but for all her attention to detail, she neglected one important item. Sarah never had her marriage annulled. Isn't it just her bad luck that Nick now finds himself in need of a wife?SOMETHING NEW: No man would ever forget a wedding night like the one Nicholas, Lord Weston, endured. But his years as a spy in service to the Crown have taught him the value of patience, among other things. Now back in Britain, his sisters' weddings on the horizon, and haunted by a woman he never truly left behind, he is ready to tackle the most dangerous and daunting task of all -- seducing his skeptical bride.SOMETHING WONDERFUL.
Product Description
Independent daughter of socially prominent Texans, Christina Delaney stirs up scandal along with her spicy Texas Red when she's crowned Chili Queen of San Antonio. Her family reacts to this culinary coronation by packing her off to live with her grandfather on his English estate, hoping to transform Chrissy from Chili Queen to countess. Never mind the fact that what she longs for is a modest home and loving family deep in the heart of Texas. A TEXAN WITH A CRAVING Born British but reared Texan, Cole Morgan would do anything for the Delaney family, even escort the incorrigible Christina to England. Besides, he has his own agenda abroad: to locate the missing copy of the Republic of Texas' Declaration of Independence. But when a viscount offers Christina marriage, Cole is forced to see that the girl he grew up with is now a woman whose fiery passion-and love-he craces. So he sets out to win her, and in the process proves that only he can make the Chili Queen... SIMMER ALL NIGHT
Average customer rating:
- Great book
- Essential Larry Niven
- Worth every penny.
- A great Known Space Collection
- Take a break from reality.
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Three Books of Known Space
Larry Niven
Manufacturer: Del Rey
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ASIN: 0345404483
Release Date: 1996-09-03 |
Book Description
Let three complete books in one take you on a dazzling journey into science fiction's most famous future history: Known Space!
WORLD OF PTAVVS
Kzanol was a thrint from a distant galaxy. He had been trapped on Earth in a time-stasis field for two billion years. Now he was on the loose, and telepath Larry Greenberg knew everything he was thinking. Thrints lived to plunder and enslave lesser planets . . . and the planet Kzanol had in mind was Earth!
A GIFT FROM EARTH
Shrouded in lethal mists, the world named Mount Lookitthat was never meant for humans. Life existed only on one plateau, unreachable except from space. But still the planet had been colonized, and the settlers struggled to survive under a ruthless dictatorship on a rebellion-proof world . . . until fate dealt them a wild card named Matthew Keller, whose secret talent might just be their only hope!
TALES OF KNOWN SPACE
A classic collection of stories that traces humankind's expansion and colonization throughout the galaxy from the twentieth century to the thirty-first . . .
AND MORE: Larry Niven's latest thoughts on the evolution--both creative and "historical"--of known space, as well as an updated Timeline of Known Space and a complete Niven bibliography!
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2005-07-07
This book really deserves 4 stars, but I accidentally rated it five and can't change it. This book is a compilation of three other books, one of which is a collection of short stories itself. If you've read other Niven books such as "Ringworld", you'll feel at home in Known Space, though this takes place long before that one.
"World of Ptavvs" is an excellent book, one of the best SCI-FI books I've read. A telepathic alien that can make humans do his bidding is found after being trapped in statis on earth for billions of years. If he can find his equipment which is also in stasis, humanity may be doomed to be a slave race.
"A Gift From Earth" is a good book as well, but it didn't keep my attention like Ptavvs. The colony world described is interesting and there are some nifty surprises thrown in though.
The other stories, which are interspersed with the two full-length books and told in chronological order, are a mixed blessing. Many are quite good, others are just so-so. I wonder why Niven was so fascinated with the "Organ Banks". That is a fine theme for a story or two, but they seem to be the base for much of his writing, including "A Gift From Earth".
Essential Larry Niven.......2004-06-13
I'm sure I'm not alone in "cutting my teeth" on Niven's work by reading Ringworld, and then discovering that it actually assumed prior knowledge of the Kzinti, indestructible General Products hulls, stasis fields, and other weird stuff. Three Books of Known Space fills in some of the gaps in that knowledge.
This volume is an omnibus collection of three previous books, World of Ptavvs, A Gift from Earth, and the short story collection Tales of Known Space. Niven has rearranged all the stories in chronological order according to his future history.
World of Ptavvs is a decent novel - Niven's first - about an alien Slaver who attempts to escape from Earth after being trapped there for 2 billion years in a stasis field. Human experiments with stasis technology allow him to escape - but not only in his own body. When telepath Larry Greenberg attempts to communicate with whatever is in the stasis field, he comes away with a copy of the Slaver's consciousness in his own brain. A chase across the solar system ensues as the authorities attempt to capture the Slaver and the schizophrenic Greenberg.
Niven's sophomore novel, A Gift From Earth, is slightly better. The planet We Made It has a single habitable feature: a plateau at the top of 40-mile-high Mount Lookitthat. The colony there is governed by a hereditary aristocracy, the descendants of the crew that piloted the two colony ships. The colonists, who arrived on We Made It in hibernation, are their serfs. "Justice" is swift and draconian, and colonists on the wrong side of the law wind up as spare parts in the crew's organ bank. Naturally, there is resentment, and A Gift From Earth recounts a rebellion by a faction of colonists after a robot spaceship arrives from Earth with a technological gift that could strengthen the crew's hold on power. The rebellion is led, reluctantly, by Matt Keller, who has begun to manifest some sort of psychic ability. The story is decent hard science, but would actually be improved if Niven hadn't resorted to giving the protagonist mysterious powers, which always strike me as a bit of a cheat.
But the real treasure of this volume are the short stories. Niven's future timeline begins with the early colonization of space; the first stories are about the exploration of the extremities of the solar system. (The first story, "The Coldest Place," relies on an [admitted] major scientific gaffe by Niven: at the time he thought one side of Mercury always faced the sun, though it was already known this was not the case.) The three best stories are "Eye of an Octopus," "How the Heroes Die," and "At the Bottom of a Hole," about the colonization of Mars and the discovery of the Martians. On the other hand, "The Warriors," about first contact with the Kzinti, lacks plot and seems pointless. "There is a Tide" will be a pleasant surprise for Ringworld fans: it's an earlier story starring Louis Wu as a treasure hunter who gambles with an alien Trinoc for possession of a Slaver stasis field and its contents.
Three Books of Known Space also includes a Known Space timeline, a helpful complete Niven bibliography, and numerous annotations. A lot of the stories are starting to show its age, but nonetheless this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to appreciate Larry Niven's fictional universe.
Worth every penny........2003-04-03
Larry Niven's Known Space universe is probably one of the most developed in all of science fiction. It mixes hard science fiction with space opera so seamlessly that it's easy to just slip in a wave reality bye-bye.
This book represents the largest concentration of known space stories anywhere, with many of the ones included now impossible to find elsewhere. The novels are both excellent stuff, but the short stories are where the book really shines. They cover over a thousand years of future history (and even a little of the past), and their topics are just as varied. You can expect to read about your favorite characters, plus a few new ones. The timeline is also indispensible to know how the stories relate to each other.
All in all, you should own this book if you consider yourself a science fiction fan. It's that good.
A great Known Space Collection.......2003-01-02
Collected here are three novels previously published. Tales of Known Space(itself a collection of short stories), World of Ptavvs, and A Gift from Earth.
If you are just getting into Larry Niven's Known Space series, then this would be a fantastic place to start. It contains some very short stories, some medium sized stories and two novels along with a Known Space timeline. This timeline is not completely up to date. A search on the web should turn out some more recent ones.
All-in-all this is hard science fiction at its best. Larry weaves a fabric whose strands from the very beginning are encountered far into his alternate future. This gives the reader that feeling of breadth that only comes from years-long sagas.
The only ding I would give this work is the novel "A Gift From Earth". Honestly, I disliked this book. It just seemed to unrealistic to me. It deals with a world in rebellion and the whole situation and subsequent developments just seemed a bit on the improbable side of things. Because of this, I would have given it 4 1/2 instead of 5
Despite that, the rest of the book makes it worth the buy. Highly recommended.
Take a break from reality........2001-10-11
World of Ptaavs offers an enlightening glimpse into the billion-year past of the Niven universe -- the time when the Slavers and their Tnuctipun slaves ruled the galaxy. The Tnuctipun were masters of technology, but couldn't resist the mental might of the Slavers. But, they planned covertly to win! As their plans to overcome their masters became apparent, the Slavers planned to exterminate all life in the galaxy. Some -- Slavers and Tnuctipun alike -- survived in stasis boxes or fields. Kzanol the Slaver was one of these "lucky" ones. He's discovered on Earth and is inadvertantly set loose! What will happen in the 22nd century -- some 1 billion years later (Kzanol's time)?
A Gift From Earth takes place on the human colony of Mt. Lookitthat (or Plateau, as it is sometimes known). Society is divided into "Crew" and "Colonist." The Crew (and their descendants) are those who braved space to pilot their human "slowboat" through 30 years of travel time to the planet of Plateau. The Colonists all got to sleep in suspended animation. Crew began to think this was inherently an unfair situation -- they do all the work, and then the Colonists get to enjoy the fruits of their labor upon arrival at the new colony. So they devised the "Covenant of Planetfall" which stratified society into the privileged (Crew) and the common (Colonist). Organ Banks exist to serve the Crew -- and most the Bank's organs come from Colonists! This apartheid-like situation remains, until a wild card -- Matthew Keller -- discovers he has a unique psychic ability. That, and a "package" has arrived from the home planet of Earth (hence the story's title) which threatens the Crew's way of life.
Book Description
For decades, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi has been helping Jews of all ages and beliefs to find a Judaism that moves their hearts, minds, souls, even their bodies. With teachings and stories from many traditions, as well as numerous practical suggestions, Jewish with Feeling is Reb Zalman's uniquely warm and welcoming approach to awakening the soul.
Customer Reviews:
Spend some time with a creative, inspiring rabbi!.......2007-06-24
A brilliant and loving introduction to new ways of approaching religion--and specifically Judaism-- for contemporary people. Very spiritual, very creative. JWF focuses more on how to rethink and reinterpret religious ideas and rituals, rather than a comprehensive primer to Jewish ideas and practices.
Informative and inspiring. Well worth multiple readings!
Reaching out to get to something 'higher'.......2006-12-13
From the time he was first sent out with Shlomo Carlebach by the then Lubavitch Rebbe Rav Zalman has been a major Jewish outreach person. He has followed the dictates of his own heart and experience. And he has tried to make Judaism a living spiritual reality for many. There are those who say he went outside the fold in doing this, went far too far especially in his efforts at syncretic connection with other religious traditions. But there are others his followers who claim that in the words of Reb Shlomo he is the 'holiest of the holy'.
While recognizing his deep feeling for Jewish life and story, his deep readiness to feel the mystical presence of God, his hunger for life, real life in religion- I wonder if he does not make a bit too little of traditional Halachic practice, underplay the way for many observance is the key to the higher spirituality.
Whatever one feels about it, this work provides a clear and story- filled picture of Rav Zalman 's personal way of seeing his life as a Jew, and making it holy.
Deepened my Spiritual Path.......2006-04-11
Perhaps the greatest compliment an author of a spiritual book can be paid is that he has, through virtually every page of his book, changed your life, deepened your connection with God, and brought new life to your spiritual disciplines. This is precisely what Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi has done for me through "Jewish with Feeling." It's the only book I keep among my prayer books, and each day I read something I've underlined (I've highlighted approximately half the book!)so that I might bring that spiritual practice or thought or way of interacting with others into my life .
Rabbi Schachter (or, Reb Zalman, as he's known to many of us) lives a life full of delight, creativity and joy and, through this book, he infused mine with a desire for the same zest and exuberance. While he loves his own religion of Judaism, as do I, he brings in fresh insights telling us how to connect - not just dialogue - with people of other faiths. He tells us of the unique contributions that Judaism has brought to the world, and at the same time, reminds us of the rich traditions given to the world by those of other faiths. Yet he doesn't stop there. Reb Zalman shows us how our spiritual life can be deepened through a literal sharing of one another's spiritual practices.
In addition, his personal experiences and stories captivated me, and his unique way of telling these stories, helped along by Joel Segel's extraordinary writing style, makes this a book I'll return to many, many times. Very often, it's a tribute to a book to say, "I just couldn't put this book down." But I think Reb Zalman would greatly appreciate the fact that I had to put this book down many times - to dance, to pray, and to reflect on how to live all I was reading.
The feelings and intentions of Jewish spirituality for all.......2005-05-13
Jewish With Feeling: A Guide To Meaningful Jewish Practice isn't just a guide to Jewish mysticism by Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi (in collaboration with Joe Segel): it translates scholarship and Jewish mystical experience to the realm of designing a personal spiritual path for those who would practice Judaism as a living religion. From questions of the special mechanics of faith in Jewish interactions, which differ from other religions, to Sabbath's real meaning, individual chapters translate the feelings and intentions of Jewish spirituality for all.
This book is profound and delightful, a must-read .......2005-04-21
This is a book that I pick up with a sense of excitement and wonder, and am reading slowly and savoring. I am familiar with Reb Zalman's work, and so bought this book with a sense of anticipation. The book exceeds my high expectations - it is a gift to anyone exploring Spirit, of any faith. It is of deep value to Jews like me who have found their way back to connection with our tradition through gifted spiritual leaders, Reb Zalman among them, who help us experience the joy and light of Jewish spiritual practice. I cannot recommend this book more highly. By the way, though an avid reader, this is the first time I've felt moved to write an Amazon review.
Books:
- Start with a Digital Camera (Special Edition) (2nd Edition) (Start with a)
- Suicide Blonde
- Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room, The English Teacher (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics)
- TEXASVILLE : A Novel
- The 158-Pound Marriage (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
- The Almond: The Sexual Awakening of a Muslim Woman
- The Baby Jesus Butt Plug: A Fairy Tale
- The Blackwater Lightship: A Novel
- The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank: A Novel
- The Chaneysville Incident
Books Index
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