Amazon.com
Goodnight Nobody is bestselling author Jennifer Weiner's attempt at writing a mystery, with a healthy dose of the author's chick lit sensibilities thrown in for good measure. While this Desperate Housewives meets Sex in the City murder mystery won't make readers shake in their Manolo Blahniks, it will provide the obligatory humor and compassion to which fans of Weiner's Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and Little Earthquakes have grown accustomed.
Kate Klein is a feisty, charmingly insecure Connecticut housewife who trades in a life of late-night karaoke sing-a-longs and West Village brunches with her best friend Janie for a world of mini-vans and Mommy and Me pilates classes. Life in Upchurch, Connecticut, heats up when Kate discovers picture-perfect wife and mother Kitty Cavanaugh dead on the pickled maple hardwood floor of her recently remodeled kitchen. A former chronicler of celebrity gossip, Kate takes it upon herself to solve the mystery of Kitty's murder and the disappearance of Lexi Hagen-Holdt, another Upchurch supermom. Along the way, the mysteries and disappointments in Kate's personal life begin to unravel, including her marriage to the kind-yet-uptight Ben, and her unresolved crush on Evan McKenna, a former neighbor with whom a one-night tryst ended in disaster. Thrown in for comic relief, and perhaps to show the depth of Weiner's talents as a writer, are Kate's twin boys and adorably sophisticated 5-year old daughter Sophie ("Sophie was sitting on the toilet, applying lipstick and waiting her turn...").
Goodnight Nobody is chock full of plot twists and turns which can be overwhelming and superfluous. However, Weiner's charm and grace are usually enough to rescue readers from these moments of confusion, and reaffirm our commitment to this endearing contemporary voice. --Gisele Toueg
Book Description
For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia has been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.
When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting's a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school.
As Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's past, she begins to uncover the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's picket-fence facade -- and considers the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between marriage and independence, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own.
Download Description
"New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner's newest novel tells the story of a young mother's move to a postcard-perfect Connecticut town and the secrets she uncovers there. For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia's been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety. When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is one of the most interesting things to happen in Upchurch since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though Kate's husband and the police chief warn her that crime-fighting's a job best left to professionals, she can't let it go. So Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school -- with the help of her hilarious best friend, carpet heiress Janie Segal, and Evan McKenna, a former flame she thought she'd left behind in New York City. As the search for the killer progresses, Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's double life. She discovers the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's placid picket-fence facade -- and the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between independence and obligation, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own. Engrossing, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny, Goodnight Nobody is another unputdownable, timely tale; an insightful mystery with a great heart and a narrator you'll never forget. "
Customer Reviews:
Gotta love a desperate housewife .......2007-10-07
Ahhhh yes, the modern housewives. They provide such exquisite fodder for a TV show or best-selling novel, don't they? The more high-strung and close to perfection, the better the character. Well, there are plenty in this book to poke fun of. The main character, Kate, is not quite part of the "mommy in-crowd" (and oh, how much her crazy, madcap life mirrors my own) until she is invited over to lunch by the Queen of Perfection. Only thing is, the queen is dead, in her own home. So Kate decides to take on the case of this bizarre murder. After all, she used to have a career in journalism back in the city. I'm not sure how to classify this book - a murder mystery? Chick lit? It's a little bit of both. Weiner's writing is sharp as always and that pulls this storyline out of the cheesiness it could be. But there were so many times that I had to laugh at her wry humor and then remember - hey, somebody DIED. I'm not a big mystery fan, but this was a good one. I didn't see it coming. Obviously, neither did the victim.
Fun and entertaining, but ending seems rushed..........2007-09-15
I am a big Jennifer Weiner fan since reading Good In Bed. I have enjoyed her subsequent books with the exception of Little Earthquakes, which I thought was just middling. Goodnight Nobody is a very entertaining read. It's got Weiner's witty dialogue combined with an edgy first-person voice by the heroine, and I devoured the book from beginning to end. However, I am very disappointed with the second half of this book, which is why I couldn't give it a higher rating than 3 stars. Kate Klein is a former journalist from New York with all of the single girl angsts -- a less-than-respectable job in a tabloid newspaper and an unrequited love for Evan McKenna, her hunky next door neighbor. But things change after she marries Ben. Now she's a housewife and mother of three living in Connecticut, and she's so bored she decides to become an amateur sleuth when a fellow housewife gets murdered. So Kate devotes most of her time discovering the many secrets involving Kitty Cavanaugh and with the help of Evan, her former neighbor and long-time crush, and her friend Janie, she discovers that suburban life isn't all that's cracked up to be.
As said earlier, I enjoyed Weiner's witty dialogue and wonderful voice. I also enjoyed the backdrop of suburbia, giving the novel a Desperate Housewives-meets-Susan-Isaacs feel to it, but things sort of go downhill about halfway through the story. Kate's life is underdeveloped. Her married life is of very little consequence in the novel. Yes, her husband works a lot and is hardly ever home, and we all know that she's not in love with him, but some more scenes and interactions between them wouldn't have hurt. Most of the scenes center on Kate playing the amateur sleuth, living her kids under her friend's care for most of the novel. Her history with Evan McKenna is very interesting, and I would have liked to see more scenes with them together, but again, there is very little of that in the novel. It gave me the impression that even the author herself thought the heroine's life was boring and that is why she devoted most of the story to the whodunit storyline. The ending seems rushed. In the last forty or so pages, it seems that Weiner suddenly remembers that she's almost reached her deadline and has to wrap up the story, so she does a quick resolution regarding Kitty's murder and leaves the heroine's issues unresolved. The unresolved thing is fine with me in books. After all, literature mirrors life, and not everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow in life, but I feel cheated in this one. I would have liked to have known if she'd settle for Ben or risk everything and go for Evan, who is an interesting character in that he's flawed and not a perfect romantic hero (he, after all, is seducing a married woman with kids). It left me feeling as if the heroine's life hadn't been interesting enough to even give it a dignified semi-resolution. Instead of doing that, the author decides to resolve Kitty's parentage, which, to be honest, was of very little interest to me. (Maybe, just maybe, Weiner intends to write a sequel, or turn the whole housewife-slash-sleuth thing into a series, in which case I can understand the loose ends.) Ah, well. Goodnight Nobody is a great, entertaining read. Perhaps you'll enjoy it -- warts and all.
Great fun!.......2007-09-14
This book is totally in the tradition of Susan Isaacs - in a way it felt familiar as I read, but only the style not the plot. Jennifer Weiner always delivers crisp dialogue, reliable plotting, and good, easy prose.
If you're in the mood for a cosy mystery, set in suburbia and played out between square meals and childrens' naps, this is one for you!
Fun summer read.......2007-09-03
I thought this book was entertaining, fairly clever and funny. Yes, its a little unrealistic, but I think fiction has a right to be. I would have liked a little more resolution at the end though. Overall, a great book to bring on vacation.
Such a surprising book!!!.......2007-08-25
This book took twist and turns that I never expected. I felt as if I could not put this book down. It held my attention the entire time. It had humor, love and mystery.
Book Description
This luminous new collection of stories from the author of Dogfight and Divining Rod astutely explores rediscovered love, reconciliation, and peace amid the trials of everyday life. In each story in Goodnight, Nobody, characters are surprised by their mettle even as they recognize their fallibility; they are convinced of the power of love, family, and trust even as they experience the danger of obsession, anger, and simple accident. In the subtle romance "Birdland," a beautiful ornithologist from up north does her best to deny the lure of a parrot-populated Alabama village and its resident driftwood carver. In the stylistically daring masterpiece "Killing Stonewall Jackson," a rough band of Confederate soldiers contemplate the distant, fabled Stonewall Jackson, the man who has sent them to a hellish battlefield. Stirring tenderness in equal parts with violence, Goodnight, Nobody will amaze with Michael Knight's graceful sense of humor and empathy with the human spirit.
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2007-01-07
Michael Knight has a great grasp of language and the human condition, and this book displays that ability in full force.
Lovely and Amazing.......2004-01-28
This is an unusual and deeply beautiful collection. The language is fantastic, and all the stories are rollicking and resonant. The story "Ellen's book is a lesson in how to write a perfect, poignant short story. "Goodnight, Nobody" was my book club's favorite last year--don't miss it!
Exquisite Writing, Insight.......2003-09-06
I loved Birdland in the New Yorker and the New Stories From the South, and when I saw that Knight had published a collection with Birdland included, I was thrilled. The rest of the stories were just as good. Unlike some of the up and coming male Southern writers, Knight doesn't simply resort to what reviewers call "muscular prose" with gleeful enthusiasm, an excitement I do not share. Knight's writing goes beyond whores and guns and dogs. It's insightful, aware, poetic, and the stories never fail to move me. I think this author has been overlooked, and I hope this collection gets him the recognition he deserves.
Haunting and Beautiful.......2003-08-28
I truly enjoyed this book of short stories. The protagonists of all the stories are confused, disillusioned, compassionate, and searching for what is just out of their grasp. They are bleakly comic, and highly thought provoking. I can't get some of these stories out of my mind.
I especially enjoyed "Ellen's Book". It made me think about many different facets of relationships, and how you never know what will or won't hold couples together.
Beautiful, inventive collection.......2003-08-15
Every story in this collection is fantastic. "Killing Stonewall Jackson" is just freakishly great, and "Ellen's Book" is a study in how to write an inventive, poignant, short story. (Read it and learn how to regard the epiphany in fiction.) This is the best collection of the year.
Product Description
4 Book Set By Jennifer Weiner; in Her Shoes; Good in Bed; Little Earthquakes; Goodnight Nobody.
Average customer rating:
|
Goodnight Nobody
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1419349023 |
Average customer rating:
|
Goodnight Nobody
Paul Von Helsing , and
Paul Von Helsing
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Police Procedurals
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 073883615X |
Product Description
3 books by jennifer Weiner.
Average customer rating:
- Romantic suspense novel
- LOVE IT!!
- keep reading
- A suspense filled read...
- fun to read
|
Twice Burned (Mira Romantic Suspense)
Jan Coffey
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
-
Trust Me Once
-
Triple Threat
-
Fourth Victim (Mira)
-
Five in a Row (MIRA)
-
Silent Waters
ASIN: 1551669196 |
Book Description
A man awaits execution for a murder he did not commit . . . A woman returns to a place of scandal and death to save her brother . . . A small town's simmering secrets are about to ignite in a blaze of suspicion and deadly retribution . . .
Twenty years ago, Léa and Ted Hardy came home from school to find their parents dead, victims of a murder-suicide. Léa leaves the small town of Stonybrook and the painful memories behind. But Ted can't seem to escape the past. Marrying the pampered daughter of Stonybrook's leading family, he starts a new life -- until he discovers secrets that lead to the death of his wife and daughters. And to accusations of murder. Now, convicted and facing execution, Ted has given up hope.
Then Léa receives anonymous letters proclaiming Ted's innocence. Determined to save her brother, she must return to a town that harbors a fierce desire to see Ted die . . . taking long-buried secrets with him. Desperate, Léa turns to Mick Conklin, a man she is deeply attracted to but cannot fully trust. She needs an ally, now more than ever. Because the fuse has been lit, and the bright fires of truth are about to blow Stonybrook wide open.
Customer Reviews:
Romantic suspense novel.......2007-10-07
Twice Burned was a wonderful romantic murder mystery that I highly recommend. The author, Jan Coffey, did an excellent job in holding my interest and making the book very hard for me to put down! Great writing, easy read and a book I highly recommend. I'll be looking for more of Ms. Coffey's books.
LOVE IT!!.......2006-07-21
A must read. I could not put it down. The first book I have ever finished in a week.
keep reading.......2005-10-09
Lea Hardy is fighting for her brother's freedom and his innocence. She's used everything she can to fight his legal battle, and is left with their childhood home. She goes home to fix it up and sell as a last resort before her brother is sent to death row for the death of his wife and daughters. When Lea arrives, she realizes she's got more than she bargained for - with the house and the community. The unexpected kindness and friendship of childhood neighbor, Mick Conklin, saves her sanity and her house. I found this a convincing mix of mystery and romance in uncovering the story behind the deaths of Lea's family.
A suspense filled read..........2003-05-18
After Lea and Ted Hardy went home from school one day and found their parents dead, they became closer than ever. While Lea decided to stay as far away from Stonybrook as possible and the memories the town held for her, Ted married the daughter of the richest man in Stonybrook. With his marriage over, Ted is fighting hard for custody of his two daughters. Everything seems to be going great for him, for almost all the citizens of Stonybrook are standing by his side. Then, one horrific night, Ted goes to pick up his girls and finds the house on fire with his daughters inside. Shellshocked and heartbroken, Ted doesn't care that he is convicted of the murder of his whole family and sentenced to die.
Lea Hardy is returning to Stonybrook after nearly twenty years. She needs to sell the house her father killed her mother in and then killed himself. She also started getting anonymous letters saying that Ted was innocent and all she had to do was come back to Stonybrook. Soon she is pieceing together an even greater puzzle than the murder of Ted's family. When it seems everyone in the town is turning her away, Mick Conklin, her next door neighbor is there for her.
Mick always watched out for Lea when she lived next door. As a teenager, he was astounded by her courage. As an adult, he is awed by her strength and beauty. Lea not only brightens up his life, but his daughter's as well. When he had given up hope that Heather would ever open up to him again, Lea helped her like he wasn't able to. Strange things then start to happen as Lea tries to uncover the real murderer.
This is a great book and I'm looking foward to reading the one that came before it. Jan Coffey also writes under the name May McGoldrick, who rights historical romances. Don't miss it!
fun to read.......2002-10-29
Lea Hardy returns to her home town to mount a death row appeal for her brother, Ted, who has been convicted of murdering his wife and two young daughters. She immediately becomes the target of threats and attacks on her life from a community that wants to see Ted put to death. Living in her parents old home and with no friends or allies in town Lea is forced to rely on her new neighbor Mick Conklin. She immediately befriends his teenage daughter, Heather, who is dealing with some severe problems of her own. Trusting Mick is more difficult, but she needs his help to find the truth and he needs her help to understand his troubled daughter. I really enjoyed this book. It's well written romantic suspense that's just perfect for a rainy day or a day at the beach.
Average customer rating:
|
Twice Burned (Double Dare) (Harlequin Intrigue, No 420)
Burford
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Harlequin Intrigue | Series | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
Regency | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0373224206 |
Customer Reviews:
Overall, good.......2002-02-20
As the title of my review suggests, I thought it was like taking a great book, and tearing out a page that has important details on it. In other words, I didn't understand why a 15 or16 year old would be at a psychic, if it was because she wanted to know what her dream was telling her, there are more plausable ways to go about that. That aside, it got 2 thumbs up.
Book Description
Use this powerful collection of experiential learning activities to confront—and eliminate—difficult organizational problems. All the designs are devoted to changing hidden attitudes, assumptions, and values that people seldom even acknowledge, but that often sabotage even successful companies. Stimulating and challenging to facilitate, the interventions make it possible to win employees’ trust and confidence while changing negative attitudes, healing old mistrust, repairing team conflicts, fostering empathy towards minority groups, restoring lost confidence in a leader, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Resource, with depth........2000-02-02
Napier & Gershenfeld have created a real gift to the seasoned facilitator/trainer with this work. It's not just a quick cookbook of games, but instead a guide to the design process of interventions with sample templates (activities) in major areas such as leadership, communication, conflict resolution, etc. Each activity has a standard version and a Turbo version if time is short. Granted some of the activities are "on the edge", but I happen to like that, and after all the title says it's ADVANCED. Expensive, but comes in the form of a loose-leaf binder with reproducibles. For me worth every penny!
Very tricky ideas,watch yourself!.......1999-05-07
. Only for the most advanced facillitator. Many of these activities put people at risk, you better know how to handle this! Many of the ideas are old "hat" with a new twist, really nothing new. Something of a disappointment.
Average customer rating:
|
ONCE BURNED, TWICE AS HOT (Loveswept, No 375)
Pat Bucheister
Manufacturer: Loveswept
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books | England | General | Regency | United States
Regency | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0553440160
Release Date: 1989-12-01 |
Product Description
From back cover: "This assessment reviews forecasts and socital impacts of the 1997 - 98 El Nino."
Average customer rating:
|
The schoolhouse burned twice (Panda book, P-110)
Bent Axel Larsen
Manufacturer: Pacific Press Pub. Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Children's Books | Subjects | Books | Baby-3 | Ages 4-8 | Ages 9-12 | Animals | Arts & Music | Books on Cassette | Books on CD | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Computers | Educational | History & Historical Fiction | Issues | Literature | Obsessions | People & Places | Popular Characters | Reference & Nonfiction | Religions | Science, Nature & How It Works | Series | Sports & Activities
ASIN: B0006BROSO |
Average customer rating:
|
TWICE BURNED
Manufacturer: Little, Brown & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GQZ2VA |
Book Description
On the night of October 20, 1973, a white couple strolling down Telegraph Hill were set upon and butchered by four young black men. Thus began a reign of terror that lasted six months and left 15 whites dead and the entire city in a state of panic. The intent was nothing less than an attempt to instigate a race war. With pressure on the San Francisco Police Department mounting daily, and the murders showing no sign of abating, young homicide detectives Prentice Earl Sanders and his colleague Rotea Gilfordboth African-Americanwere assigned to the cases. The problem was: Sanders and Gilford were in the midst of a trail-blazing suit against the SFPD for racial discrimination, which in those days was rampant. The backlash was immediate. The force needed Sanderss and Gilfords knowledge of the black community to help stem the brutal murders, but the SFPD made it known that in a tight situation no white back-up would be forthcoming. In these impossible conditionsthe oppressive white power structure on the one hand, the violent black radicals on the otherSanders and Gilford knew they were sitting ducks. Still, they set out to find those guilty of the Zebra Murders and bring them to justice. This is their incredible story.
Customer Reviews:
Great Service Again.......2007-05-14
As usual book arrived in record time in great condition. Very interesting good read about a horrifying true subject!
Madness and murder in San Francisco.......2007-05-02
ZEBRA MURDERS: A Season of Killing, Racial Madness, and Civil Rights by Prentice Earl Sanders and Bennett Cohen is the true story of serial killings that took place in San Francisco in 1973 and 1974. The killings were racially motivated during a period when the United States was being forced to treat African Americans in a more equal manner. Although the Brown v. Board of Education decision had been made several years earlier, apartheid still existed. There were angry African Americans - some who were ready to step outside the law.
The atmosphere surrounding the murders included the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, the birth of the Black Panther Party and continued segregation in the work place. Early in the police investigation, it was noted that all the victims were white and black men were seen running from the scene of the crime. Two police officers, Prentice Earl Sanders and Rotea Gilford, who were fighting their own racial discrimination battle with the San Francisco police department, were assigned to the case. All black men who were out after dark were stopped, searched and questioned. This behavior brought lawsuits to the city. In addition, the two black officers were concerned there was going to be a white backlash and so they pushed hard to solve the case, sometimes staying up for days on end. The killings were upsetting the entire city and Sanders and Gilford were afraid the 'racial profiling' was only serving to make matters worse.
This is a well-written true story of American apartheid in the San Francisco police department and the ability of two black officers to overcome the obstacles and still solve the mystery. It moves along swiftly while interjecting the needed nuggets of history of segregation and discrimination in the United States. You can feel the frustration Sanders and Gilford felt as they fought the police department in a lawsuit and attempted to solve the mystery of black men randomly killing white people. Enough background was given so that the atmosphere surrounding San Francisco in 1973 was apparent. It is definitely a must read book.
Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Any California collection must have it........2007-02-04
Any long-time resident of the San Francisco Bay Area will recall the Zebra killer, whose racially motivated drive-by shootings terrorized the city in 1973-74, and how they were eventually solved by a team led by two black detectives. This story comes alive under the hand of the city's first Afro-American police chief, who was one of these detectives, and pro ides behind-the-scenes expose information about the reign of terror and its investigation. The underlying politics and discrimination within the SFPD comes to life, as does the time of social turmoil, in this riveting story of a crime spree thwarted. Any California collection must have it.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
I enjoyed the book.......2007-01-09
"Enjoy" is probably the wrong word for the subject matter. But I found it fascinating. Both my father and my uncle were in the force at the time and I heard stories about the case and the paranoia it caused. I was on offence about the racial controversies described in the book till I saw the discussions both on this site and elsewhere and saw the names of people (all retired SFPD cops) who were bashing the material. Now I think that maybe the authors are not exaggerating... Regardless, I found the book to be very interesting and informative. Good work.
Not a good book!.......2007-01-07
I bought this book with the hope of enhancing my limited knowledge on this critical time in the city of San Fransico that took place back in the 1970's. I did read Clark Howards book on the same subject about 25 years ago. After reading Mr Sanders version of the events I wonder if they were both writing about the same incident. Needless to say, Mr. Sanders book leaves one with the feeling that the real crime was the fact that the Mayor of S.F. and the police were using every means at there disposal to put a stop to these horrible crimes.
One fact that seems to be at odds with Mr. Sanders is the fact that after months of frustration, the police were able to create a crack in the case within a week of finally taking drastic actions in regards to a dragnet in the area where most of the killings took place. This is in direct contrast to the point that Mr. Sanders makes throughout the book which is to say that the then S.F. police department was completely corrupt and unable to solve crimes because they were so at odds with most of the citizens of S.F. A point most everyone else disputes.
I believe the fact that the crime was solved only after the police applied direct pressure speaks for itself in terms of whatit really took to put a stop to these killers.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who is searching for a truthful, insighful and accurate telling of this tragic chapter in the city by the bay.
Download Description
He'd had so many names over the centuries, so many new identities that he could scarcely remember who he had originally been. Now his name was Daetrin, a name given by the alien conquerors of humankind, the Tyr.
Three hundred years had passed since the Tyr conquered the people of Earth as they had previously overcome numerous races throughout the galaxy. In their victory they had taken the very heart out of the human race, isolating the true individualists, the geniuses, all the people who represented the hopes, dreams, and discoveries of the future, and imprisoning them in dome colonies on planets hostile to human life. There the Tyr, a race which shared a unified gestalt mind, had left these gifted individuals to work on projects which would, the conquerors hoped, reveal all of humankind's secrets to them.
Yet Daetrin's secret was one no scientist had even uncovered, for down through the years he had succeeded in burying it so well that he had even hidden his real nature from himself. But, taken into custody by the Tyr, there was no longer any place for Daetrin to run, no new name and life for him to assume. Now he would at last be forced to confront the truth about himself-and if he failed, not just Daetrin but all humans would pay the price...
About the Author:
C. S. Friedman writes, participates in renaissance festivals, designs and makes costumes, and choreographs sword fight scenes.
Reviews:
Friedman's (In Conquest Born) exceptionally imaginative, compelling science fiction novel leaps ahead to the 24th century. For hundreds of years, Earth has suffered under the yoke of alien conquerors: the dreaded Tyr, a reptilian race in which all individuality is submerged into a single, overarching consciousness. Determined to keep humanity cowed, the Tyr have culled from the captive population the most intelligent, the most curious, the most likely to foment rebellion, and banished them from Earth. As the memory of freedom recedes, humanity sinks into a lethargic subservience. Daetrin, the hero of this tale, is a vampire-not a monster, however, but a man, nearly immortal, who embodies the vanished virtues of a once-sovereign Earth. When his existence is exposed by the Tyr, who are appalled to find a human who witnessed the "Conquest," they immediately ship him offworld. Thus begins a journey of self-discovery as Daetrin is forced by adversity to come to grips with the long-suppressed side of his nature and to confront the ancient horror of a bloody heritage.
-Publishers Weekly
Three hundred years in the future, the Tyr, a hivelike alien race, have subjugated the peoples of Earth. Daetrin, an ancient vampiric shapechanger, uses his unique talents to battle the aliens while trying to understand and accept himself. Intriguing plot and excellent characterization combined with good writing ... make for an original science fiction romp.
-School Library Journal
Customer Reviews:
A Grand SF Adventure.......2006-11-29
I first heard about C. S. Friedman while doing research for Vampire Readings. Several people mentioned The Madness Season as an excellent vampire story. What I didn't realize until I began reading it was how well this novel incorporated two of my favorite themes - science fiction adventure and vampire fiction. After 5 years or so I reread the book and enjoyed it as much as the first time. This is an imaginatively written novel that captured my attention from the very first page. Friedman's fiction has a gritty realism in how characters act and how the story unfolds. Her people face daunting situations and must make difficult choices.
Much of the known Galaxy has been conquered by an alien race called the Tyr. Their large reptilian bodies are covered with tough armored plaiting and leathal spikes. When Earth was conquered they dispassionately murdered any human who had fought them and exiled to distant planets any who were likely to defy them. Only those who are willing to submit to their rule remain. One such person is Daetrin, a rather nondescript, middle-aged science teacher at one of the few colleges left, or so he would like everyone to believe, especially the Tyr. But the Tyr have discovered that there is something not quite human about Daetrin. Although he carefully changed his identity over time, he has lived too many centuries, something no human should be able to do. For all of his life, even before the coming of the Tyr, Daetrin has had to hide his difference - his need for blood ( a need he could eventually discard by using science to create a substitute), ageless immortality, aversion to sunlight, and ability to shapeshift. When told by the Kuol-Tyr governor of Earth that he would be taken from his planet never to return, Daetrin assumes this is a death sentence. Instead it becomes a chance for him to acknowledge his true nature and use this to fight the Tyr.
Although Daetrin is the main character there are many others, all fully realized, believable, and even sympathetic, like a particular Raayat-Tyr whose search for knowledge sets him apart from others of his race. In Daetrin he finds someone who can help him in many ways. This works both ways of course. The Raayat even allows Daetrin to given him a particular identity, a name - Frederick. He is only one of the assortment of fascinating characters, alien and human, that populate this grand story of adventure.
Original, Interesting, Compelling.......2006-08-11
I've read much of what CS Friedman has written. I found this particular book to be refreshing and original. It didn't take some of the more commmon paths that I see many novels take. For me, this made it all the more interesting and enjoyable.
I did think the pacing was a little inconsistent. At one point, I felt like things were dragging on slowly. By the end I was wishing that the book was a little longer and fleshed out everythihng that was going on.
But the short of it is, I'm glad I picked up and read this book.
Profound Sci-fi at its best.......2006-07-26
The Madness Season is a beautifully original book.
If you have found this little-known book by chance, do not throw it away! Do not let the thickness of the book faze you or the thought of "vampires" lead you astray, because this is undoubtedly one of the best mixes of Sci-fi and Fantasy the world has seen.
The most important part of this book is not the sub-plot of "Oh no! Earth is Doomed, and has been taken over by Aliens!" In fact, this is not even a major part of the story of The Madness Season. The name of the book is a clear indicator of this (although the reader wont realize the significance until the very end.)
The most important part of C. S. Friedman's story is the psychology and sociology of the different races that have come to live under the Tyr invasion, and of the Tyr themselves.
Species 1: The humans of earth have been brought to heel by the Tyr and are mostly docile, their scientist and thinkers receiving the "privilege" of isolation in excellent facilities on a poisonous Jupiter-type planet. Earth has been so long under the Tyr that most of the population accepts the Tyr overlords, and those who don't are carted away. Which brings us to the story of the main character, who is not all he seems:
Species2: Daetrin, the main character, is haunted by vivid flashbacks from his past. Exactly how long his past is, he longs to forget. In fact, Daetrin is not even strictly human, though he tries to forget this too. The mystery of Daetrin's nature is unfolded skillfully in the book.
Species 3: The Tyr. No one knows where the Tyr came from, or what motivates them; but what makes them invincible to all subversion is their hive mind.
Species 4: The Tech are human servants aboard the Tyrs' galaxy jumping Long Ships.
Species 5: The Mara are perfect mass changers. They "live" for centuries but are sentient without any tie to organic matter. They are the ultimate ambassadors because they can shape-change their bodies, and even personalities, to fit in with the species they are encountering. The Mara can never die, but they have a curse that when they are not around other sentient beings they begin to forget their past.
Species 6: The hraas are perfect killers. Ruthless, efficient, and intelligent. They wander the Tyrs' ships and slaughter any living thing that is not Tyr or Tech.
All of these characters make an engrossing universe to explore in Freidman's story. No character is flat, no world is without its surprises. In The Madness Season the psychology of the species are all so polarized, but Freidman weaves the characters and their different points-of-view together seamlessly. Freidman even takes an ages old tenant of Fantasy, the vampire, and explains it in science fiction's world.
I love books that are exiting while still being profound and thought provoking. C. S. Freidman has it all.
Excellent science fiction.......2003-11-16
This is an interesting and unusual story incorporating several compelling themes and a good variety of well developed characters, against the background of an earth subjugated into the empire of a strange alien culture. Multiple aspects of science, sociology, love, and the politics of conquest are woven into a complex and satisfying work with Friedman's customary skill. Highly recommended.
Another Excellent Book by Friedman.......2002-01-18
How to describe this book? Perhaps as Sci-Fi? How about Occult? Aliens take over the world? Psychological exploration? Romance? All of those (and more) apply. This is a wonderful book that has you *scratching* your head trying to figure out what's going on for the first 75 pages and then has you *slapping* your head over the feeling that you should have known. And from there, it keeps on getting better. One of my favorite books.
Average customer rating:
|
Alpha Flight #48 : Madness (Marvel Comics)
Bill Mantlo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Comic Strips
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Novels
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
Antiquarian & Rare Books
| Books & Reading
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Batman
| Media
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Star Trek
| Media
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000PJE8V8 |
Average customer rating:
|
The Defenders #62 : Membership Madness (Marvel Comics)
David Kraft
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Comic Strips
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
Antiquarian & Rare Books
| Books & Reading
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Batman
| Media
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Star Trek
| Media
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000QTAVMC |
Average customer rating:
|
Midnight Madness (The Summerhill Season)
Dave Carley
Manufacturer: Scirocco Drama
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
United States
| Drama
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Drama
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Canadian
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Drama
| Canadian
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0920197884 |
Book Description
Midnight Madness is a gentle two–hander about the chance reunion of a pair of high school misfits. Anna violated her school's moral code—and Wesley was just weird. Can two outcasts find happiness during a late–night sale at an old furniture store?
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on June 28, 2004. The length of the article is 1615 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: NO BEGINNING OR END TO PAC-10 HOOPS SEASON.(Sports)(Teams can count wins and losses even after March Madness)
Publication:
The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: June 28, 2004
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: E1
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
American Hunter Video Collection, 15 VHS Tape Set Plus 5 Collector's Series Coins!! (Set Includes-Whitetail Challenge VII, Whitetail Mysteries and Madness, Hunting Adventures:To the Extreme, Adventures Across North America, Dream Bucks, Pure Whitetail:Chance of a Lifetime, Wild Endeavors, Big Game Madness, Dream Season, Strategies For Success, Whitetail Extreme, Hunting The Outer Limits, Hunting Mature Whitetails:Upper End Mangement, Whitetail Frenzy and the 5 piece coin set.)
National Rifle Association
Manufacturer: National Rifle Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000PT9U8Y |
Customer Reviews:
Understanding is all.......2007-09-27
Quoted from the book :- "Please keep in mind that non-duality is, essentially, a viewpoint and appears to clash with other viewpoints regarding spiritual truth. The core of non-duality is presence awareness. The key to our true nature lies in the present moment-the right here,right now that have always been and will always be".The statement is concise and clear.
This book 'Living Reality' makes an excellent reference book on non-duality.
Outstanding summary of "modern" advaita.......2007-09-17
The spiritual philosophy of Nisargadatta (hopefully I have the spelling right) and "Sailor Bob" could not be any clearer than it is presented in this outstanding volume. I did not give it five stars because starting around page 180 the reader has pretty much heard it all and I'm being a little charitable on the page count. It is, nonetheless, a terrific presentation of these ideas...as clear as I have seen anywhere else and I have read broadly within this category. Very strongly recommended.
Advaita Americana- two thumbs up.......2007-07-07
I'm only about 1/3 into this book, and I just adore it. Since the day I staretd reading it, the immediate experience of life has been-umm, different, more peaceful and less stressful no doubt. This book validates- in plain, western speak- the "advaitist" experience. I'm a junior medical student and am currently working about 80 hours a week. So, I started reading this book on my spring break back in April, and have had to slowly read/digest it. As someone who has been "on the path" since about 6 months of age, this book, at age 33, ended 33 years of seeking. Not as if I hadn't heard it/read it before- about 1 million times, and done about 3 thousand- ashtanga yoga primary series, breathed about 50 thousand kriyas, gone on countless fasts, read my astrology chart a bazillion times, gone from darshan to darshan, sat at the feet of my guru for hours and hours, and just about given up on all of it....Then this book came along and validated the immediate experience which was already there all along. Thanks James -this is a true jewel.
Greatness in a Nonduality Book.......2007-05-22
The purpose of this book, the author says, is "to share nonduality with you. ... to expose the personal reference point - the `me' - for what it is: a phantom created by the mind. My hope is to do for readers what Nisargadatta Maharaj, the great Indian sage, did for my teacher, Sailor Bob Adamson, and what Sailor Bob did for me. And that is `to take the seeker beyond the need for help.' If, after reading this text, you are able to see clearly that the `me' you have live with your entire life is a false creation of the mind, you will never need help again. You will know your true nature and the real meaning of understanding."
There may be other books that share nonduality as satisfyingly as Braha's does, but probably none surpass it. And perhaps no other book in the nonduality genre brings a living sage, in this case Sailor Bob Adamson, so close to you, in a physical and "real" sense, in the way this book does.
The dialogues are realistic talks with a group of nice people with Bob Adamson at the center of attention and including Bob's wife Barb, who contributes sagely to the dialogue as well. The tone of the dialogues varies from serious, to wildly free, to nearly silly, but is always kept genuine by the presence of Bob. Of course the author has to be commended for selecting the most lively and meaningful portions of discourse, and for revealing what it was like to be in the company of Bob Adamson.
Numerous topics are covered in the dialogues: Buddha, good stories about Nisargadatta Maharaj, the Now, Muktananda, infinity, the mind, thoughts of torture, reality, karma, religions, desire, reincarnation, and of course nonduality, and others. But there's really only one topic: "Life is awareness constantly seeing awareness," says Bob. Other quotations could be given basically saying that no matter what topic is addressed it comes down to awareness or present existence (or nonexistence), or getting the mind to stop.
A very important part of the book is the writing by James Braha himself. His writings make up about one third of the entire book. Braha's writings consist of introductory chapters to the book as well as a conclusion. James's commentary precedes each of the dialogues with Bob and prepares the reader for them.
In James's chapters he talks about his own experiences with nonduality, his developing spiritual life, until near the end when it becomes obvious that there's no point to speak of such things as a spiritual life or stages of understanding. They are imaginings. Also in Braha's chapters he talks about Bob's visit, how it came about, how it progresses, Bob's arrrival. James brings the reader into the events as they unfold, so we feel we are with Bob and the rest of the gang when the dialogues are taking place. James also talks about nonduality itself in the chapters he writes.
Braha's writings are as significant as Bob's utterances. Thus this book transcends Bob and Braha and becomes about waking up itself. As well, this book includes all the elements readers want: a sage, a seeker or two, the sage's wife, story of a physical journey, story of a spiritual journey (or two), dialogues with a sage, a collection of friends and others, color photographs, a sense of warmth, family, humanity, solid and identifiable beginning, middle, and end. The writing and editing are professional. Thus this is a great book. This book must be recommended along with the very best books on the teaching of nonduality.
I like the dozen or so clear, color photographs very much, showing the main people in the book. They make for a special inclusion, unheard of in other nonduality books. With all the names, subjects, concepts, themes, this book could use an index. I wanted to find all the places in the book where Barb, Bob's wife, was mentioned, because I thought she was so cool, but I couldn't. On the other hand, I can understand where indexes enforce searching and encourage avoidance of the message of nonduality which is found on every page of a book such as this, and needs no looking up.
Jerry Katz
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality
Favorite Book on Advaita.......2007-05-13
I love this book. I am currently on my third reading. It is about someone who was a seeker, the same confused schmuck like rest of us with all the same false expectations and dumb questions, who becomes a finder through the kind help of Sailor Bob. Happily he recorded most of the conversations so we could come along with him during this process. It runs the gambit of all questions and concerns leaving no loose ends to have reservations about. I also liked that it was a account of his time with Bob and contains personal observations and history. It makes the material more real and interesting than anonymous dialogues. I feel this is a must read for anyone interested in the subject of enlightenment or nonduality.
Books:
- Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations
- I Married a Communist
- Jamesland
- Karma Cola: Marketing the Mystic East
- Kingston by Starlight: A Novel
- La autopista del sur y otros cuentos
- LIPSTICK JUNGLE
- Moral Predicament: Morley Callaghan's More Joy in Heaven (Canadian Fiction Studies, No 14)
- Ninety-two in the Shade
- Nop's Trials
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Mark Twain: A Life
- Getting to Commitment: Overcoming the 8 Greatest Obstacles to Lasting Connection
- Whalesong: A Novel About the Greatest and Deepest of Beings
- A Short Guide to Writing About Literature
- Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year 2007
- Finite Mathematics and Its Applications
- Design for Ecological Democracy
- Bahadur Shah: the Regent of Nepal
- American Capitalism and the Changing Role of Government
- Millers Bolt : A Modern Business Parable
Good in Bed
Little Earthquakes : A Novel (Washington Square Press)
In Her Shoes : A Novel
The Guy Not Taken: Stories
Everyone Worth Knowing
