Amazon.com's Best of 2001
With its hypnotic, staccato rhythms, and words jostling, bumping, marching forward with edgy intensity (like lemmings heading toward a cliff of their own devising), The Cold Six Thousand feels as if it's being narrated by a hopped-up Dr. Seuss who's hungrier for violence than for green eggs and ham. In spinning the threads of post-JFK-assassination cultural chaos, James Ellroy's whirlwind riff on the 1960s takes nothing for granted, except that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Hurtling from Las Vegas to Vietnam to Cuba to Memphis and back again (and all points in between), from Dealey Plaza to opium fields to smoke-filled back rooms where the mob holds sway, the novel traces the strands of complicity, greed, and fear that connect three men to a legion of supporting characters: Ward Littell, a former Feeb whose current allegiance to the mob and to Howard Hughes can't mask his admiration for the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King; Pete Bondurant, a hit man and fervent anti-Communist who splits his time between Vegas casinos and CIA-sponsored heroin labs in Saigon; and Wayne Tedrow Jr., a young Vegas cop who's sent to Dallas in late November 1963 to snuff a black pimp, and who is fighting a losing battle against his predilection for violence: "Junior was a hider. Junior was a watcher. Junior lit flames. Junior torched. Junior lived in his head."
And behind these three, J. Edgar Hoover is the master puppeteer, pulling strings with visionary zeal and resolute pragmatism, the still point around whom the novel roils and tumbles. At once evil and comic, Hoover predicts that LBJ "will deplete his prestige on the home front and recoup it in Vietnam. History will judge him as a tall man with big ears who needed wretched people to love him," and feels that Cuba "appeals to hotheads and the morally impaired. It's the cuisine and the sex. Plantains and women who have intercourse with donkeys."
The Seussian comparison isn't that far-fetched: Ellroy's novel, like the children's books (and like the very decade it limns), is flexible, spontaneous, and unabashedly off-kilter. Weighing in at a hefty 700 pages, The Cold Six Thousand is a trifle bloated by the excesses of its narrative form. But what glorious excess it is, as Ellroy continues to illuminate the twin impulses toward idealism and corruption that frame American popular and political culture. He deftly puts unforgettable faces and voices to the murkiest of conspiracy theories, and simultaneously mocks our eager assumption that such knowledge will make a difference. --Kelly Flynn
Book Description
In this savagely audacious novel, James Ellroy plants a pipe bomb under the America in the 1960s, lights the fuse, and watches the shrapnel fly. On November 22, 1963 three men converge in Dallas. Their job: to clean up the JFK hit’s loose ends and inconvenient witnesses. They are Wayne Tedrow, Jr., a Las Vegas cop with family ties to the lunatic right; Ward J. Littell, a defrocked FBI man turned underworld mouthpiece; and Pete Bondurant, a dope-runner and hit-man who serves as the mob’s emissary to the anti-Castro underground.
It goes bad from there. For the next five years these night-riders run a whirlwind of plots and counter-plots: Howard Hughes’s takeover of Vegas, J. Edgar Hoover’s war against the civil rights movement, the heroin trade in Vietnam, and the murders of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. Wilder than L. A. Confidential, more devastating than American Tabloid,
The Cold Six Thousand establishes Ellroy as one of our most fearless novelists.
Customer Reviews:
Conspiracy and curruption Ellroy-style.......2007-06-13
The Cold Six Thousand is a daringly direct take on the biggest events in America in the 1960s - the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, civil rights leader Martin Luther King and JFK's younger brother Senator Robert F Kennedy. All this set against the first few years of the US involvement in Vietnam, the cold war and the stand-off with Cuba, with considerable influence from such figureheads as FBI Director J Edgar Hoover, eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes and the leading dons of the US Mafia.
Officially we know who killed JFK, MLK and RFK, but after reading this sprawling novel, sequel to the even better American Tabloid, you may wonder if the author's version of events is closer to the truth. All of the 'official' guilty parties feature, including Palestinian activist Sirhan Sirhan who I believe is still in a California jail some 40 years on....but did he pull the trigger of the gun that killed Bobby Kennedy? This novel doesn't specifically and unambiguously answer that question, but Ellroy is in no doubt at all as to who was behind the presidential assassination.
If taken literally (which is difficult not to do) it's impossible not to be disgusted at the extraordinary levels of corruption, racism and political manipulation that lay behind the face of the United States in the Swinging Sixties. The Ku Klux Klan were highly influential in CIA strategy, and although the political impetus behind the US involvement in Vietnam is somewhat glossed over (Linden B Johnson barely has a talking part, unlike JFK in American Tabloid), the CIA's heroin processing 'business' is documented in great detail, as one of the three primary characters Wayne Tedrow Junior (a former policeman) becomes primarily responsible for the labs set up in Vietnam and Laos for creating a massive 'White Horse' production line which has at least two key objectives - to establish a distribution network in Las Vegas among negroes only, and to finance 'The Cause' : collaboration with the Mafia in their attempts to overthrow Castro in Cuba and repossess their casinos which they had invested so much money into.
The other two lead characters, Ward Littell and Pete Bondurant, are carried over from American Tabloid, and for me one of the best features of both books is the description of how the lives and personalities of these two men are shaped and changed by their murderous activities. These men are cold-blooded killers with soft hearts - and in Bondurant's case a rather weak one.
In a way it's amazing that so much history has been squeezed into one riveting novel; if you know nothing about the truth on which it's based it still makes compelling reading, but if (like me) you are among the many who want to know what really happened back then, this story will probably satisfy on another level, and put the whole sordid series of events into some kind of perspective.
I cannot miss this opportunity to add that there appears to be a case for an allegation of history repeating itself, with the US invading Iraq under the one context while the world was/is convinced that the real motive was to get its hands on a valuable commodity. Back in the 1960s, it was a US invasion of another country cloaked under the paranoia of Communism (as opposed to terrorism today) while the commodity of choice back then was heroin. Ellroy finished The Cold Six Thousand only a year or so before the US started the Iraq War - now his words have a sense of prophetic familiarity.
Truly a must-read.
If this one doesn't leave you gasping, you're dead already........2007-01-12
Vivid, vicious, hyper-masculine and uber-stylish, the novel begins on the day Kennedy is killed and follows three men tied up in his assassination through the next five years, culminating with the killings of RFK and MLK. Cameos by J. Edgar Hoover, Jimmy Hoffa, Sonny Liston, Howard Hughes and others speak to the depth of research Ellroy has put into play. The word "ambitious" isn't near strong enough for this one -- it's a classic, a novel that deserves study.
Ellroy's characters are always strong symbols, and between them, the three protagonists span the gamut of American hope and horror. I particularly found Ward Littell fascinating; a brilliant lawyer who works tirelessly for the both mob and Howard Hughes, yet mollifies his conscience by skimming from both to funnel anonymous donations to Martin Luther King.
Highly recommended.
Ellroy sold out.......2006-11-20
Dig it: James heard the cheers. James wanted more. James wanted to be a "serious" writer. He birthed a book in his brain. The train to get him there.
There you have it: The "literary" style of The Cold Six Thousand. In a nutshell.
Armed with James' knowledge of American history, I could have written this novel. So much of the book follows the same pattern: Write a sentence with few words. Write a similar sentence. Write another similar sentence. Then flip it up with a different sentence. Variation for Six-Thousand in this regard meant occasionally using three sentences instead of four. And on and on it went.
To be fair, every now and then Ellroy did have nice turns of phrase ensconced within this repetition. But it seems he got so amused with his own style that he overloads the reader with an abundance of people and places and slang and events. The story becomes muddled in the process. I'm not one to admit that reading must be easy, but come on, at least it needs to be clear. Ellroy fails in this regard.
I respect Ellroy and know he can knock it out of the park, but I feel letdown with this book. Why did he seek the recognition of literary writers to begin with? Was he not happy with his reputation as one of the hippest and most commanding voices in crime fiction? Literary fiction, in my opinion, has always been easy to write. I should know: I used to crank out the artsy product myself, and to acclaim at that. Genre writing, on the other hand, is tough business. Why did Ellroy decide to jump from the Black Diamond of fiction to the Bunny Slope? If you want a satisfying read, don't buy this book.
Whew! What a Ride........2006-10-25
JFK, LBJ, MLK, KKK, CIA, FBI, Bobby, Hoffa, J.E. Hoover, Mafia, Vegas, 'Nam, Fidel, Sammy Davis Jr., Howard Hughes, Rock Hudson, hookers, drugs, and more are all woven through this roller coaster of a conspiracy tale that almost plausibly ties together all the crazy and tragic events that shaped American life in the 1960s and for decades after. The story begins in the moments following the assassination of JFK in Dallas and takes the reader on an almost dream-like journey that ends with Bobby's death in Los Angeles. The story told is masterful, if disturbing, and the characters are "insiders" working with the mob and shady elements within the Federal government to drive the bloody historical events of that period.
Ellroy uses an unusal writing style in this novel which relies on snippets or fragments of thought rather than full sentences to tell the story. Short two, three or four word bursts which describe the action in a way that is effective and gritty, though not necessarily smooth. The result is a read which is compelling, but not leisurely or relaxing. Despite the effort it takes to get through it at times, it is very hard to put down. When you are done, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief and head back to Amazon.com to see what else this guy has written!
Hello America.......2006-10-20
Novels such as `The Black Dahlia', `L.A Confidential', `American Tabloid' and `White Jazz `along with his personal testimony `My Dark Places' have elevated ex-junkie drop-out James Elroy to a colossus of American literature and eminent man of letters. Or, as a currently interred bank robber acquaintance of mine recently put it, `His name should be mentioned in the same breath as Steinbeck.'
Elroy's world, littered as it is, with gangsters, pimps, hookers, movie stars, racists and politicians has basically mugged the retro-pulp of Chandler, Thompson and Spillane and run with his kill-gotten gains straight over the wild side and into the abyss of the American nightmare.
His latest `The Cold Six Thousand' is an epic journey; book-ended by the Kennedy assassinations of 63 and 68. Fact and fiction collide as father hating cop Wayne Tedrow Jnr finds himself embroiled in the JFK conspiracy and the vortex of world shaking tragedies that followed. The men that made modern America flicker before us like a scratched Super 8 of moral degeneracy and decay as Howard Hughes, J. Edgar Hoover, LBJ, The Klan, Jimmy Hoffa, The CIA, The Mob, The FBI, Fidel Castro, Sam Giancana, Sonny Liston, Martin Luther King and James Earl Ray lie, cheat, maim and kill, against an horrific tableaux on par with the hellish depictions of painter Hieronymus Bosch.
With the' The Cold Six Thousand' Elroy appears to have split his critics with its almost impenetrable staccato stylings and hipster-speak which would be more at home in the mouths of the 50's beatniks - certainly the delivery is at odds with the timbre of the books corporate gangsters and hoodlum politicians. It's almost as if Elroy was in such a hurry to tell the story that he barely had time to write it - an epileptic Jack Kerouac on an amphetamine comedown.
`The Cold Six Thousand' is, never-the-less, a terrifying thrill ride through an era which has branded world events ever since. Those five terrifying years in which the world was apparently swinging was, if this book is anything to go by, actually `Turning on, tuning in and dropping out' towards annihilation. Today's America was forged in the fires of that terrible half decade and I can hardly wait for Oliver Stone to commit it to celluloid so we can all rest easy and say... "It's only a film."
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The Cold Six Thousand: A Novel
James Ellroy
Manufacturer: Alfred a Knopf Inc
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Binding: Hardcover
 Ellroy, James
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ASIN: B000NP4U5I |
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- Very entertaining read. Romance, Mystery, and Excitement
- Lindsey's Best
- Awesome book
- Not Lindsey's best
- Not up to Lindsey's usual standards . . .
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A Gentle Feuding
Johanna Lindsey
Manufacturer: Avon
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0380871556 |
Book Description
Duty demands that Sheena, the beautiful jewel of the Fergusson clan, wed to end the violent feud that has devastated her family. But never could she give herself completely to the handsome and dangerous laird Jamie MacKinnion – the most feared man in the Scottish highlands.
The captive prize of Jamie's sword, Sheena struggles in vain to escape the desire awakened by his touch. And though pride insists she hate her dashing enemy, Sheena's heart begs her to yield...and to surrender to Jamie's passionate love.
Customer Reviews:
Very entertaining read. Romance, Mystery, and Excitement.......2006-02-09
Great points of the story:
A hero that is strong and powerful, but still vulnerable to being captured and to falling in love.
We often read about the invincible hero character who can never be bested. In "A Gentle Feuding," Jamie MacKinnion is the powerful laird of his clan. He is feared by many. Yet, when he sees a beautiful woman bathing in a stream, he is mesmerized. He manages to pull himself away, because he is in enemy territory. Yet, he can't stop himself from returning to the spot several times over the following weeks. He is hoping to catch one more glimpse of her. The last time he goes, he sees her. He is so captured by her beauty, he doesn't realize that his enemy is approaching. He is seized and taken to his enemy's castle, where he is thrown in the dungeon. He doesn't know that the beauty from the stream is the daughter of his enemy, The Laird Fergusson. Nor does Fergusson realize that he has captured "The MacKinnion," a man who could easily have the Fergusson clan demolished. When Fergusson realizes who is in his dungeon, he plans to force MacKinnion to marry one of his three daughters to insure a treaty, before he will set MacKinnion free.
A heroin who is strong willed, without being a total witch.
We also often read about heroines who are so "stubborn" that they become unbearable. Sheena Fergusson likes her freedom, but she does not make it a point to destroy the people around her. She is the oldest and favorite daughter of The Laird Fergusson. She has two younger sisters who resent her, because they cannot marry until after she has. Her father will not force her, so she takes her time. She is waiting to find love. The one sibling that she shares great loyalty with is her little brother, Niall. They both work to protect one another from harm. When Niall thinks that their father may force Sheena to marry Jamie Fergusson, he helps Jamie escape the dungeon. He would rather face his father's wrath than see Sheena forced to wed their enemy. Sheena realizes it was Niall who set Jamie free. She takes the blame herself in hopes of protecting Niall. Her father has no choice now but to banish her. He sends her to live with her aunt. While there, she is at a river doing laundry. Young Colin MacKinnion, Jamie's brother, finds her and is enamored with her. He kidnaps her and takes her to Castle Kinnion. He hopes to convince her to be his wife. Little does he know, this is a woman his brother has been wanting for himself. The brothers have a good- natured battle for Sheena. Sheena is terrified that they will discover her identity: That of the favorite daughter of their enemy, The Fergusson.
A mystery that begins and ends the story, as well as keeping the action alive throughout.
The story begins with a party of men who dress themselves in the Fergusson colors and raid MacKinnion lands. They shout the Fergusson war cry as they slaughter people and live stock. They leave a piece of Fergussion plaid behind, to make sure that the MacKinnions believe it was the Fergusson clan whom attacked them. From there, a clan war begins. Jamie MacKinnion is hesitant to strike back, feeling that the Fergusson's would be unlikely to have attacked his land. However, with several of his people dead and the piece of Fergusson plaid discovered, he has no choice but to retaliate. The mystery: Who would want to begin a war between the Fergussons and the MacKinnions? Why would they want the war? How many raids will they succeed in staging under the disguise of the Fergusson plaid? How many innocent people will die before the raids are stopped? Will Jamie have to finally totally demolish the Fergusson clan to save his people?
All in all, this story kept me wanting to read more. I've read a lot of novels, so I can get bored easily. This book never left me skimming through pages to get to an interesting part.
Lindsey's Best.......2005-07-26
I think this is Johanna Lindsey's best book. I love Scottish novels and she wrote this so well. It reminds me a lot of a Julia Garwood book. You should definately read this book. I have read it atleast 4 times already.
Awesome book.......2005-03-24
I am a romance freak and this is definitely romantic - well to me at least. Sheena is everything I wish for in a heroine. She holds her virtue until marriage and is also very headstrong. Jamie (the hero) is very sweet in his own way. He chose to court Sheena instead of just "take" her like other books, there is very little mushy scenes involved...but the overall book is a good and fast 3 hour read.
Not Lindsey's best.......2005-03-09
For nearly half a century, the MacKinnon and Fergusson clan of Scotland have been sworn enemies, but have enjoyed the peace of two years of truce. But that peace was broken when a third party raids and kills one of the MacKinnon clan and all clues point to the Fergusson clan. Provoked by this betrayal, Jamie MacKinnon, current laird of the clan, exacts vengeance by raiding the Fergusson land.
And on that day, he stumbles on a beautiful lass while she was bathing in the river and instantly falls for her. Unbeknownst to him, she is none other than Sheena Fergusson, the pride and joy of the Fergusson laird and commonly referred to as the Jewel of the Tower Esk.
When after a series of events Sheena falls into Jamie's lap, her father agrees to marry her to him in order to end that longstanding feud. Despite her initial hate for him because of the horrible stories she has heard about him, of how he drove his first wife to kill herself due to his brutal nature, it doesn't take long before she finds herself welcoming his passion. And as she sees the gentle side of him, she starts doubting the stories that she has heard about him. Unfortunately, there is that third party that continues to threaten the trust that they need in order to find happiness with each other.
I have read a few of Johanna Lindsey's works, but I must say that this is my least favorite for it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. I only finished reading this two days ago but can't seem to recall any particular scene that stands out for me. While both Sheena and Jamie are likable, I didn't think that the romance was well developed and unlike her other novels (notably the Viking series), I didn't feel like I was being transported into another time. It just doesn't make me want to pick it up again anytime soon which is the reason I'm only giving this 3 stars.
For something similar, I would highly recommend Hannah Howell's Amber Flame (re-printed as His Bonnie Bride). This is one of my all-time favorite books.
Not up to Lindsey's usual standards . . ........2004-10-07
Having enjoyed nearly all of Ms. Lindsey's work, I was vastly disappointed with _A Gentle Feuding_. It seemed to be missing a bit of the polish I usually associate with Johanna Lindsey's books. It was not as descriptive as I would have liked. I much prefer being transported to new and wonderful places through the words of an author. Lindsey usually accomplishes this commendably but her talent for the descriptive was missing in this book.
Also, the characters were shallow, not well developed and came off flat. Sheena seemed preoccupied with her looks, almost to the point of being narcissistic. I didn't like her attitude toward her sisters at all. She repeatedly stated that they are plain and that she is everyone's favorite, trying unsuccessfully to cover up her superficiality by bemoaning how her looks are such a burden. It just gave me the impression of someone who was entirely too full of herself. Granted, the sisters are not all that pleasant, but one has to wonder if this doesn't stem from the fact that Sheena boasts of her better looks and that she is quite certain she is the favorite of everyone she meets. I would rather a beautiful heroine not be aware of her beauty. Jamie, I'm sad to say, is not much better. He's also full of himself and even seems to have an underlying cruelty. He comes across as hard, unyielding and arrogant.
By the end of the book I didn't really care what happened to either of them but I did feel that they deserved each other. If you're looking to find Lindsey at her best, try the Viking trilogy, the Malory saga, or the Ly-San-Ter series. This receives three stars only because it is Lindsey and the fact that everyone is entitled to an off day.
Product Description
JOHANNA LINDSEY Books: Savage Thunder, A Heart So Wild, Once a Princess, A Pirate's Love, A Gentle Feuding, Until Forever (Unboxed Set of Romance Novels), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.
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A Gentle Feuding
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GSKPJ2 |
Book Description
Foul sorcery had slain the Emperor. Now the army of Videssos, betrayed by one man's craven folly, fled in panic from the savage victors. But there was no panic in the Legion, mysteriously displaced from Gaul and Rome into this strange world of magic.
Wearily, Tribune Marcus Scaurus led his men through the chaos and enemy hordes in search of winter quarters, to regroup and seek to join up with Thorisin Gavras, now rightful ruler of Videssos.
But in Videssos the city, capital of the beleaguered realm, Ortaias Sphrantzes, whose cowardice had caused their defeat, now sat upon the throne. There, behind great walls that had always made the city impregnable to storm or siege, he ruled with the support of evil sorcery. Overthrowing him seemed impossible.
Grimly, Marcus Scaurus began the long march through hostile country toward that seemingly hopeless attempt.
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- Excellent just excellent ( if only it was in hard cover)
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Swords of the Legion (Videssos Cycle)
Harry Turtledove
Manufacturer: Del Rey
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ASIN: 0345330706
Release Date: 1987-09-12 |
Book Description
In Videssos the city, tribune Marcus Scaurus was bored. The legion that had been magically transported to this strange world was far away. But the Emperor's niece Alypia was near -- and willing.
When their secret trysts were betrayed, Emperor Thorisin Gavras was forced to condemn Marcus as a traitor -- but with a promise of freedom and Alypia, if he could reclaim a rebel province from a fanatic usurper, with no military aid. With only centurion Gaius Philippus, Marcus set out to try the seemingly impossible task.
But the fates conspired against them, driving them further westward, into the innermost sanctum of Videssos' great enemy Yezd -- and toward the torture chambers of the evil, deathless wizard-prince Avshar.
But behind them, without orders, the men of the legion were on the march!
Customer Reviews:
Good .......2006-01-25
This fourth book of the Videssos Cycle concludes the best series that Harry Turtledove every wrote. The books are great because the characters for once are three dimensional and Dr. Turtledove manages to wrap up all the loose ends quite nicely. I wish he would return to Videssos and stop with his grand alternate World War series that just seems to get worse and worse.
Overall-Read this book
Awesome!.......2001-08-24
Harry Turtledove wraps up what may be his best series ever written in this, the fourth book of the Videssos Cycle. It is a classic tale of good and evil, light and darkness. Dr Turtledove brings to life the medieval Byzantine Empire in a fantasy world through his Videssos. As a lover of Byzantium, I have had few good fiction works to read about it. Dr Turtledove gives us a brilliant picture of this fabled-yet-neglected city in all his Eastern Roman works. He should be commended highly for bringing to the forefront this forgotten city.
One of the best fantasy books..........2001-01-08
A great fantasy story by one of the genre's finest masters. The story is fast paced, intriguing, full of interesting twists. A Roman legion and a Barbarian army unit are magically transformed into an alien world where Magic is a common thing. The legioneers try to blend in with the locals while preserving their own culture at the same time.
Five Stars is Not Enough.......2000-08-30
Harry Turtledove has said that his life was shaped and molded by reading "Lest Darkness Fall" by L. Sprague De Camp. To my mind this first series by the master of alternate history is a time travel book based loosely upon that previous classic. Elements of one of Caesar's legions are transported forward in time to the Byzantine Empire. Only it's not the Byzantine Empire, it's the Videssos Empire in another universe where magic works. Aside from that, it's the Byzantine Empire written by a Byzantine historian. Aside from just surviving, the hero must prevent his new homeland from being overrun by barbarians "Lest Darkness Fall". For this reason I consider this the best time travel series to a fictitious universe ever written, as well as the best series about a Roman Legion. It is a must read for anyone interested in the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, or time travel.
One of the many things which make this series interesting is that the heroes are from Caesar's Rome. Rome is young energetic vibrant and, most of all, expanding at this time. They are transported to the Byzantine/Videssos Empire while it is in a period of decline. (If it were the real Byzantine Empire, it would be the final decline, but we can still hope for a revival of the Videssos Empire.) The decadence brought by a thousand years of Empire is sharply contrasted with the vibrant patriotism of our heroes who remain unknowing that this is the destiny of their empire too.
This isn't just a military book where the legion moves from battle to battle. This is a much more realistic and complete world where the hero is thrust into the middle of court politics, and has to fight to overcome the shear inertia of the Empire's slide towards collapse. The hero spends more time facing corruption, political intrigue, distrustful monarchs, intolerant monks, and tax collectors than he does facing mounted cavalry units.
I don't want to repeat the excellent review about the warfare in this series written by Robert, 12 MAR 99, under "The Misplaced Legion" (Videssos Cycle, Book 1). I would like to add though, that this is not a series about a general. This is not a David Drake/S.M. Sterling series about Belisarius. As Robert points out, the hero of this series stands in the middle of the battles, and seldom knows more of what's going on than immediately to his left and right. The battles themselves are mostly standup fights where two sides hack at each other. This is really much more realistic though. Most battles, especially in the Roman era, were fought this way. Even though nowadays it seems like every book we read is about Belisarius, brilliant generals with innovative battlefield ideas come along only once in a thousand years or so. Most battles are fought without them.
"The Misplaced Legion" (Videssos Cycle, Book 1) is followed by "An Emperor for the Legion" (The Videssos Cycle Book, 2), "The Legion of Videssos" (Videssos Cycle, Book 3), and "Swords of the Legion" (Videssos Cycle, Book 4). There are two prequel series about Videssos. The first is the Tale of Krispos series, beginning with "Krispos Rising." This is actually a two book story, which is excellent, and a third follow on novel which is very good. The other prequel, The Time of Troubles series, begins with "The Stolen Throne". This series is entertaining, but not really as good as the first two series.
Although there are ten other books about Videssos, there can never be enough. And there are only four books about the Misplaced Legion. There needs to be a sequel series not another prequel. Perhaps "Legion of Videssos: Next Generation" where Marcus's son, born and raised in Videssos, can become Emperor, with Dad and his Legion helping out of course. This could lead to a new golden age for Videssos, and maybe even . . .
Excellent just excellent ( if only it was in hard cover).......1999-06-10
The videssos series rates in my top 3 series along with drizzt stories and Tom Clancys books.I like the fact that magic is incorporated into the story as opposed to the story being written around the magic. many diverse characters and the interaction of those characters has u excited one moment, sad the next, and laughing the next. All around EXCELLENT :)))
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Legion of Videssos (Videssos Cycle, Book 3)
Harry Turtledove
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Misplaced Legion
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Krispos Rising
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Krispos of Videssos (Tale of Krispos, No 2)
ASIN: 0345330692
Release Date: 1987-07-12 |
Book Description
Since the Roman legion had been mysteriously transported to this world of magic, tribune Marcus Scaurus had served the rulers of war-torn Videssos well. He had been largely responsible for ousting the Pretender and putting Thorish Gavras on the throne. That, of course, made him a hero.
Rome or Videssos, however, Fortune was a fickle goddess.
Now he and the legion were returning in triumph to Videssos the city after defeating a well-entrenched army of rebel mercenaries. But Marcus, betrayed by the one closest to him, was returning to be seized, dragged before the Emperor, and questioned under truth-drug like a traitor.
Of the court, only Alypia Gavra stuck by him -- but consorting with the Emperor's niece was dangerous. It could lead to exile -- or death!
Yet Alypia was attractive. And Marcus was lonely . . .
Book Description
Emergence
The Shift From Ego to Essence
10 Steps to the Universal Human
Barbara Marx Hubbard
Explore the new spiritual/evolutionary path designed to those of us who feel deeply called to participate in the transformation of the self and the world. Emergence offers a 10-step process to shift our identity form ego to essence towards the fulfillment of our evolutionary potential - the Universal Human - one who is connected through the heart of the whole of life, attuned to the deeper intelligence of nature, and called forth passionately by Spirit to express his or her gifts in the evolution of the world.
From the author of Conscious Evolution and The Revelation
A guide to becoming your essential self
A new path leading to the transformation of the world
How to become a Universal Human
Customer Reviews:
Unbearable.......2004-04-22
Unbearably painful drivel in which the author takes us on a journey to avoid a heartful, engaged life, by fleeing into brazen narcissistic mind games. O, the humanity.
Emergence.......2003-03-09
In her latest book, Emergence, visionary author Barbara Marx Hubbard describes the birth of a new being that she calls the ýUniversal Human.ý She describes a Universal Human as ýone who is connected through the heart to the whole of life, attuned to the deeper intelligence of nature, and called forth irresistibly by spirit to creatively express his or her gifts in the evolution of self and the world.ý
She believes that humans today are undergoing the process of ýemergingý from what weýve been to beings capable of co-creating ýa new world that is sustainable, compassionate, and life-enhancing.ý Our present generation has the technological ability to destroy the world, or to consciously evolve in ways that are ýmagnificent beyond imaginings.ý
She has divided her book into two parts. The first section compares the process of emerging to physical birthýgestation, infancy, childhood, youth, and mature adult. She also discusses why this particular generation is the ýcross-overý generation between human development to date and the Universal Human, and outlines the challenges we face in making the transition.
The longer second section is a guidebook to emergence. In it, Hubbard interweaves the story of her own emergence with meditations, spiritual practices, and encouragement. She describes ten key steps, beginning with creating an inner sanctuary. All the steps depend on knowing and listening to the ýEssential Self.ý
Hubbard emphasizes that change is necessary if we are to survive, because ýthe very behaviors that kept us alive in prior times are the behaviors that are threatening to end our lives today.ý She says we have the ability to change and develop the consciousness we need to meet the challenges ahead.
Emergence is essential reading for all those desiring to consciously evolve and develop their full potential as extraordinary beings.
Snapshots Of The Journey..........2001-06-15
This is one of the best books I've read for those having consciously chosen the path of awakening to one's Divine Potential; especially so, for those who are just beginning this process or feel they have plateaued along the way.
The author offers a step-by-step snapshot of each turn along the spiral as it continues ever upward and I believe both new and seasoned seekers alike will find her words not only affirming, but comforting as well. Ms. Hubbard writes as a visonary; her words at times both poetic and brimming with wisdom.
For me, the paragraph I found most meaningful is on page 85:
"Once we have shifted our identity from ego to essence, we are no longer a witness of the phenomenal world but a co-creator of the phenomenal world. In this new perspective, we actually experience that our larger "mind" or consciousness is causing our reality. The experience of personal freedom shifts from a sense of individual, separated will to a sense of surrender into a larger design which feels like it is our own".
It is quite affirming to see this statement in print because eventually one arrives at the place where this is understood to be a universal truth. What is truly awesome is that humanity is poised on the brink of actually realizing this collectively -- enabling the monumental shift we are about to birth -- that of becoming the "Universal Human".
Bravo, Ms. Hubbard...your courage, perserverance, and vision are most inspiring!
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