Trespassing: A Novel

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An author ahead of her time?

Amazing look in the complexities of contemporary Pakistan

Beautifullly Written, Unapologetically Truthful - A Powerful Combination!

"Time: Women spent it on men; men spent it on men."

beautiful book

Trespassing: A Novel
Uzma Aslam Khan
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312423551
Release Date: 2005-10-20

Book Description

Back in Karachi for his father's funeral, Daanish, a young Pakistani changed by his years at an American university, is entranced by Dia, a fiercely independent heiress to a silk factory in the countryside. Their illicit affair will forever rupture two households and three families, destroying a stable present built on the repression of a bloody past.

In this sweeping novel of modern Pakistan, Uzma Aslam Khan takes us from the stifling demands of tradition and family to the daily oppression of routine political violence, from the gorgeous sensual vistas of the silk farms to the teeming streets of Karachi--stinking, crumbling, and corrupt.

Customer Reviews:

An author ahead of her time? .......2007-08-05

I came across this book because I mentioned to a friend that I was sick of books written about 'the post-9/11 Muslim disaffection' and she said that TRESPASSING was written BEFORE and ABOUT pre-9/11 disaffection, so I might want to give it a try. I'm glad I did. It's a shame this book isn't getting as much attention as the spate of post-9/11 books, because there are so many things it puts into deeper perspective.

The character Daanish is studying in the States during the 1991 Gulf War, and the alienation and anger he feels as a young Muslim male during the Iraq invasion and subsequent American 'victory' are an eerie foreshadowing of the current crisis. It's not just the anti-Muslim media that oppresses him, but the general apathy of ordinary, even friendly Americans who don't want to know about their country's foreign policy. This book implies that the cost of this apathy is more anger, more alienation -- and more violence. If you want to know that the world we're living in today did not begin on 9/11, I highly recommend this book.

Amazing look in the complexities of contemporary Pakistan.......2006-06-25

Uzma Aslam Khan pulls off a very difficult feat in this novel. She successful creates a wide range of compelling characters who wind their way through various aspects of Pakistan of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The main protoganists are a male student who has returned home from America and is being set up with a woman from a well-connected family. The other is a free sprited local woman who has never been outside Pakistan and has fallen in love with this recent returnee, who is being set up with her best friend. Their relationship tests the limits of what is tolerated in a very traditional culture.

Other characters explore the political nature of life in Pakistan, from involvement in a movement against the government, to anger expressed at foreigners (i.e. Koreans fishing off the coast in traditional fishing waters to the First Iraq War.) This book is authentic in the sense that it explores the frustrations of Pakistani people, regardless of its justification. In fact, the author doesn't justify anything. She presents and lets the reader make his/her own judgements.

My only criticism is that she uses anti-U.S. Iraq War sources (i.e. from General Ramsey Clark) that the average Pakistani would not have access to and is very one-sided. However, this does not detract from the overall message that the average Pakistani was most certainly against the 1991 U.S. war in Iraq.

This is a moving tale and you feel sympathy for all of the principle characters who are caught in a system not of their own making and from which they cannot escape. The concerns are political, social, and economic.

Most Westerners have a difficult time seeing life through the lenses of those who don't have the freedoms and wealth that most in the world do not possess. Though I am an American who has lived many years overseas (I live in Taiwan), I live in a relatively open, prosperous and democratic country. Life here bears no resemblance at all to life as portrayed in Pakistan.

Ms. Khan deserves praise for daring to present to a Western audience the realities of Pakistani life as seen through her eyes. Even if you don't agree with some of the conclusions and beliefs of some of the characters, particularly vis a vis the United States, they also can't be denigrated or ignored. Even if you don't agree with the feelings of those in another culture and you feel they are the result of incomplete information, the feelings are still real and are ignored at our peril. Ms. Khan effectively weaves this into the story without being overly judgemental in her own right.

This book is a must read.

Beautifullly Written, Unapologetically Truthful - A Powerful Combination!.......2006-05-31

An amazing story of love, lust, power, greed, self-preservation, and self-loathing. The author does an amazing job of challenging our own value system by pushing us to see how all of these powerful states of being emanate from the universal "need to belong". Trespassing is a scintillating tale of the existential angst experienced by its characters, as well as an poignant cautionary essay on how the personal becomes political and vice versa.

Looking forward to Ms. Khan's next novel!

"Time: Women spent it on men; men spent it on men.".......2005-12-18

Through three main protagonists, Dia, Daanish and Salaamat, events spool out in America and Pakistan in the mid-eighties to early nineties, through the Gulf War and civil unrest in Pakistan, dissatisfaction breaking out across the country in waves of violence, a bloody past still plaguing the citizens. Through this turmoil, a forbidden love unfolds. Dia, heiress to a silk factory whose father was gruesomely murdered, succumbs to the charms of Daanish, a young man recently returned from America to attend his father's funereal rituals. The two meet innocently enough, Dia accompanying her friend, Nini, whose mother has begun marriage arrangements with Daanish's mother. Contrary to expectations and tradition, Dannish is drawn to Dia, although a natural enmity exists between the two families that neither is aware of. Oblivious, the young lovers meet secretly, often driven and closely observed by Salaamat, a young man who has wandered from place to place, from one occupation to another. Salaamat represents the dispossessed, the invisible citizen of Pakistan, easy prey for opportunists.

Moving backwards through time, the author links her characters through a shared history that builds boundaries where none should exist. Whether through civil unrest and changing political parties or the impact of the Gulf War, these protagonists are controlled by events and social constructs, their brief hours of rule-breaking shattered by reality and the difficult choices of a land in flux. As the landscape moves between 1984 and 1992, events are revealed in reverse, the characters' actions clarified, especially Salaamat, the throwaway who nurtures his own dreams, propelled by events beyond his control, symbolic of the strife that has invaded his country. Contrasting lifestyles and class differences, Khan's Pakistan clings to tradition, yet is riddled by political upheaval, citizens carving out ordinary lives in extraordinary times.

The author clarifies the reaction of such countries to American foreign policy, the constantly changing political climate in Pakistan reflecting its internal problems, but also the reaction of citizens to world events. Given Pakistan's particular vulnerabilities, real politics play out in the daily lives of those affected and these characters, while dealing with personal issues, are greatly influenced by their political environment, their attitudes shaped by a perception of helplessness to control events, embittered by a lack of stability and economic resources. Clinging to tradition for a semblance of normalcy, the characters are defined by their inability to adapt and a confusion bred of exposure to such a vastly different culture, America imbued with mythical proportions, stripped of the very individuality that so humanizes the characters in the novel. Luan Gaines/ 2005.

beautiful book.......2005-11-28

This is the first time that a book has captured not just my imagination but my life! its so real....Uzma Khan has created an extraordinary life story from ordinary characters. I was totally engrossed in it, during and even after I finished it. Its a masterpiece and a must read for everyone. EXCELLENT!

Isabel Allende's Writing of the Self: Trespassing the Boundaries of Fiction and Autobiography (Hispanic Literature, V. 33)

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Isabel Allende's Writing of the Self: Trespassing the Boundaries of Fiction and Autobiography (Hispanic Literature, V. 33)
Maria De LA Cinta Ramblado-Minero
Manufacturer: Edwin Mellen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0773468641

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Trespassing and Other Stories
Valerie Miner
Manufacturer: Methuen Publishing Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Trespassing Boundaries: Virginia Woolf's Short Fiction

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Trespassing Boundaries: Virginia Woolf's Short Fiction

Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1403964831
Release Date: 2004-10-07

Book Description

In Trespassing Boundaries, contemporary Woolf scholars discuss the literary importance of Woolf's short stories. Despite being easily available, these stories have not yet received the attention they deserve. Complex yet involving, they should be read not only for the light they shed on Woolf's novels, but in their own right, as major contributions to short fiction as a genre. This volume places Woolf's short stories in the context of modernist experimentalism, then explores them as ambitious attempts to challenge generic boundaries, undercutting traditional distinctions between short fiction and the novel, between experimental and popular fiction, between fiction and nonfiction. Collectively the essays suggest that Woolf's contribution to the short story is as important as her contribution to the novel.

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Trespassing Hearts
Julie Ellis
Manufacturer: Thorndike Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege

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What every WHITE person needs to understand!
From Another Sister Making that Journey
A look at another slice of life other than the ghetto.
A disappointing story
An enlightening, potentially life-saving, book. Must read.

Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege
Gwendolyn M. Parker
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395822971

Book Description

Parker's compelling memoir offers a revealing glimpse inside corporate America through the eyes of a black woman "intruder." From a nurturing childhood in a middle-class black community, Parker rose in the ranks on Wall Street only to discover that racism and sexism still prevail at the top. Full of both outrage and regret, Trespassing is frank and unflinching but leavened with humor and compassion. "An important, keenly observed work that should be read by everyone who is interested in a good story, as well as by those intrigued by the gripping personal drama that comes from extending token access to a few black professionals and calling that phenomenon -- integration" (Lani Guinier).

Customer Reviews:

What every WHITE person needs to understand!.......2004-07-14

Trespassing is about so much more than the trials a woman faces in business. It is a clearly written portrayal of what it means to be black or a minority in the U.S.A. As a white person, I never understood how minorities felt or what they experienced. Gwendolyn Parker paints a picture that communicates the subtle behaviors and attitudes of prejudice so everyone can comprehend how it feels to be a minority and what people of color experience in this country and she accomplished this in a very compelling manner that is a joy to read. This is a must read that you don't want to put down.

From Another Sister Making that Journey.......2001-11-21

I read this book while in the 'throes' of my Doctoral program. I was so encouraged to read about another bright sister going through emotional pain and stress in a place of "higher learning" that was supposed to build you up, but seemed to be about destroying you at all costs. In fact, I had gone to an Ivy League school in Virginia for my Masters degree and did not nearly have the crushing discrimination and prejudice aimed at me that I did at this much less elite, (though well known), Texas University. Gwen's book made me remember that I wasn't alone in my experiences, nor crazy, and encouraged me to continue the fight.

A look at another slice of life other than the ghetto........2000-03-25

Let me say that the criticism aimed at this memoir because of the author's often touted privilege is a little misplaced. More often than not we are inudated with stories of African Americans who have overcome the worst odds living in poverty-stricken, dysfunctional ghettos. These are truly American stories and should be lauded. However, African Americans do not all have the same experiences and therefore have different views of growing up black in America and life in general. There are class structures in the African American communities as there are in other races. There are privileged Latinos and Asians as well as those who come from poor immigrant backgrounds. And so African Americans are not a monolith. We don't all have the same backgrounds and so we don't all think alike. Yes, it appeared that for the most part Ms. Parker had a smooth ride for most of her life but her priviledged background did not preclude her from racism. From the elementary school principal in the "good ole' north" who wanted to hold her back a grade because she had up until then been educated in the segregated south to the constant proving to others when she got to Harvard that she did indeed belong there. No, she did not have to overcome feeling economically out of place as is pointed out in one of the reviews that often blacks must overcome classism as well as racism. Does that make her any less black? I think not. When she got to the top law firm she still had to deal with all the stuff that goes on in white corporate America. And just maybe her privilege was a disadvantage the same way a deprived background was in that "uppity black folk" are constantly told by their families their color is not an obstacle and they can be and do anything as well as go anywhere they want. When they come up against racism it often shocks them to their knees or they choose to disbelieve it causing even more distress. Indeed maybe this story was not one of clawing her way to the top, but starting at the top, and sounds as if she is whining and complaining because she dared face racism is only evidence of her fraility. The fact that she does not appear to some to be sympathetic or helpful to those less privileged sisters and brothers is something that only she has to answer to. All in all this book like "Volunteer Slavery" is an example of when it comes to racism white folks look at us all the same way no matter how much money we have. We have to always work harder to prove ourselves. Let's not put a sister down because her background was easy.

A disappointing story.......2000-01-25

Although I have no complaints about the writing style of this book, I thought Gwendolyn Parker's story was a disappointment. This book is a great example of how privilege and class can make you oblivious to the suffering of others. It also shows how people have a tendency to only compare themselves and their problems to poeple in the class above them, while completely ignoring the issues facing the people below. She was fortunate to come from a very privileged background and was given opportunities that few people have-especially black females. Yet she fails to acknowledge this privilege and what it brought her. For example, at American Express she was actually put in a program that taught her the secrets of moving up the corporative latter. Imagine having your company pay to teach you the inside secrets to success and I mean the real secrets like how to network and how to interact with upper/executive management. She does finally acknowledge that the fact that she came from a well to do family and attended an elite school was the reason she (unlike most blacks) was given this extraordinary opportunity. However, the first time she is turned down for a position (a position she didn't even want) she leaves the company. What a waste. I am all for following your dreams, but here is a black woman who has inside information she could share to help others. Instead of this book, it would have been more useful if she had written about the American Express get to the top training. Also, I got the impression that she is/was uncomfortable with lower class black people. She talks positively about her friends from similar backgrounds, but their is no positive mention towards the less fortunate black female. But she does take time to mention the lower class or less "smart" black people she met in her northern gammer school. She talks about wondering why there were no "ordinary/average" blacks at AmEx, but she says nothing about hiring any of them when she was in a position to do so. She comes across as the typical upper class black person, who only sees herself as black when she has a problem. At her law firm job she said that being female was the bigger problem although there were more females than black people. She in fact chose not to interact too often with the only other black person at the firm. Her's is a story of how privilege people live privileged lives and receive privilege not allowed the rest of us. When it was convient to be black she did so,otherwise she seemed to live in her perfect little privilege world. This book is an example of how significant the class issue is in America and how often it is overlooked especially by those privileged enough to come from the higher classes.

An enlightening, potentially life-saving, book. Must read........1999-02-21

Gwen Parker's story is one which sheds light on the plight of the upwardly mobile African-American woman. Well-written and engaging, it is an important guide for those who would follow in her footsteps, illuminating many subtle, seemingly innocuous pressures which accompany the path of those few chosen to sojourn. A potential life-saver for some sojourners who wonder why the emptiness, why the sadness, why the depression when most folks deem them privileged and competent. I thank Jill for her compassion, for making "stupid" a bad word in her home, and for telling the story with insight, compassion and intelligence. Godspeed, Gwen, in a career which requires the courage to turn your back on material temptations of comfort and illusions of security in order to fill a higher purpose - that of storytelling, a calling which benefits untold numbers of readers.

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Trespassing: A Novel
Uzma Aslam Khan
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTOZTY

Average customer rating:

Very likable

Love it, despite it's flaws

just love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great descriptions, Could not put it down!!!

A steamy Civil War Drama!
You Belong To My Heart
Nan Ryan
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0373811063

Book Description

Hailed by Romantic Times as "one of passion's leading ladies," bestselling and award-winning author Nan Ryan dishes up a smoldering new Civil War-era romance. A clever deception abruptly ended the young love between Mary Ellen Preble and Clay Knight. But when Captain Knight returned in the blaze of war to seize her Mississippi home, Mary Ellen was once again captivated by a passion stronger than time or loyalty.

"Vintage Nan Ryan...it smolders with sexuality. Nobody does it better!" Virginia Henley

- Nan Ryan is the winner of the Critic's Choice and two Lifetime Achievement Awards from Romantic Times.

- All of her recent books have been Doubleday Book Club selections.

Customer Reviews:

Very likable.......2005-11-11

I read this book in one sitting right at the book store. I could not put it down. I liked the plot and theme of the book. I only wish that when the Captin and his men took over the house, that the author would have used the solider more in the book. I kept thinking one of the men would find the couple togther. I also wanted to know just a little more on how the Captin felt for Mary after he made her promise to come to him. I wanted him to really re-fall in love with Mary after he found out what kind of marriage she had after he was gone. All in all I liked the book. I would read another book by this author.

Love it, despite it's flaws.......2004-04-16

I'm giving this five stars basically because the love scenes are so hot they deserve six or seven stars themselves, but I have a couple of nitpicks with the story overall. My biggest complaint is that the author spends too much time in the past. The details of why the couple broke up in their youth could have been told more succintly, and then Ryan could have spent more time showing them re-establish their emotional connection in the present. I wanted them to admit they were in love again and *then* find out about how they were set up. Having the bad guy confess while they were still agonizing over their feelings saved them from having to make any really tough decisions about forgiving one another for perceived betrayals. I guess it was a bit too tidy for me. Having said all of that, though, it is still one of the best books I have ever read and is on my keeper shelf next to Ryan's "Savage Heat" (another scorcher!)

just love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2003-12-14

OMG i lov this bõok. my friend give it to me to read,and i was aðicted to it from the 1st pg. on. i could not put it down until the very last pg. very gõod story line and romance. Nan now become one of my favorite author. i really recomended. very gõod,and i just love the character of Clay Knight and Mary Ellen, they are meant for each other

Great descriptions, Could not put it down!!!.......2003-11-26

I read this book in an evening and could not put it down. The characters are delightful and well discribed. A true romance with wonderful descriptions of heartfelt passion. Nan Ryan is the queen of the Romance novel! 9 Girlfriends read this book after me and all had the same reaction.

A steamy Civil War Drama!.......2000-01-19

This book was wonderful. I am an avid romance reader and this is one of the best books I have read all year. The civil war makes for a wonderful and exciting background. The story moves very quickly and it's filled with passion! I read it in 2 days! A wonderful, sensuous, emotional story. With a Great ending!

The Love within my heart: my heart belongs to you

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The Love within my heart: my heart belongs to you
Loynel Richards
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

The reason why people should buy my book are as follows: people should buy it because it is made affordable on the market, its Entertainment, it has creative thoughts, it take you through all realms It has lyrics and someone with experience write the lyrics. The words used are simple. This book is available throughout a wide net for the internet and throughout bookstores to name a few. Contents are everyday life story. First books is known as one of the best seller. It is more than words in fine print, it is creativity, it is art and has deep emotions attached to it. People should also buy this book because of how it looks, what they want to learn, whats inside of it, the quality, how its presented, if they want to learn more, it is interested, contents. It is not sophisticated, that is very hard to understand. It has natural things in it, nothing out of the ordinary Based on the way it's structured. A person would want to read books to broaden their horizon, to see if we have anything in common or the same experience, we also read books to compare ourselves with others, to learn to cope an associate with each other and one (another / individual) to see their level and how to deal with them.

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P.S., My Heart Belongs to You

Manufacturer: P & S Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0914273051

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You Belong To My Heart
Nan Ryan
Manufacturer: Harpercollins (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEYVES

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You Belong to My Heart
Nan Ryan
Manufacturer: Harper Monogram
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VNYE5I

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You Belong to My Heart

Manufacturer: RKO Radio Pictures
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Sheet music
ASIN: B000E1WHHO

Product Description

From the Walt Disney Production: The Three Caballeros.

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My Heart Belongs to You

Manufacturer: Chordant Distribution Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0005060192

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You Belong to My Heart
Nan Ryan
Manufacturer: Harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWVNTQ

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You Belong to My Heart
Engelber Cd302 0663022 Humperdinck
Manufacturer: VARESE SARABANDE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 6306825215

Book Description

Fourteen-year-old orphan Jack Morgan is hiding out.In a spaceship.Falsely accused of a crime, he pilots his Uncle Virgil's spaceship to a remote and uninhabited planet hoping to escape capture. When another ship crashes after a fierce battle, Jack rescues the sole survivor-- a K'da warrior names Draycos. It turns out Draycos can help Jack clear his name. All they have to do is team up. No problem, right?Until Jack learns that Draycos is not your average alien.Ages 10 and up

Customer Reviews:

Good Start.......2007-06-23

This is first book of the Dragonback, where Jack Morgan becomes the symbiotic host for Draycos,the poet warrior of the K'da. The story is fun for young and old. As two creatures who couldn't be more different work together to help solve each others problems. One of the most amusing parts of the story is when Jack and Draycos hide on a balcony and end up performing a magic act at an alien wedding, and they get payed for it too.

Dragon and Thief.......2007-04-04

Dragon and Thief is a book by Timothy Zahn. It was printed in the year 2003. It is the first book of three in the Dragon back series.
The mian characters are Jack Morgan and Draycos. Jack is a human boy at the age of 14. He is good at lock picking and distractions. Draycos is a K'da. A K'da is an alien species from antother galaxy. They look like human sized dragons. Draycos is a warrior poet. He can write poems and beat people up.
The story is set in the Milky Way galaxy in the future. There is one rulling power in the galaxy but some other factions work in the outer borders. There are many alien species in the galaxy.
The book starts when Draycos crash lands on a planet where Jack is hiding. When Jack goes To investigate he finds Draycos. Draycos's race needs to have a host to live, and with Jack the only one around Draycos must bond wiith Jack.Then Jack and Draycos go out to find who was responsable for crashing of Draycos's ship and save two entire races of aliens.
I would suggest this book to anyone who likes sci-fi. It would be good for teen age group and higher. I don't suggest this this book for yougher kids because there is war in the book. There is also lots of action adventure and suspense.

What is it with orphaned boys?.......2006-10-11

I don't know why, but orphaned boys get under my skin. I always want to take care of them, all the while I'm admiring their independence. Jack is no different. He's exciting to be around, wild at heart, and just now realizing that his upbringing, while giving him major skills for a life of crime, has left him a bit short in the morals department.

Enter Draycos, a highly-sensitive, highly-evolved, very moral creature with the wisdom of ages of culture and a desperate need for help. He's a great foil for Jack, a loyal friend and a noble warrior all in one. They work well together--very well.

For me, it's all about the characters and how they impact each other on this long journey they're taking to save Draycos' people from extinction. The books only get more exciting from here.

Good series, good read.

It was a great short book with a few flaws..........2006-10-04

The Book Dragon and the Thief, by Timothy Zahn, is very exciting and at times slighty predictable. Also, some parts of the book feel like you are missing information about certain characters.
Jack Morgan is the main character along with a k'da poet warrior called Draycos. Jack meets up with Draycos after a big battle that only he survived. Then they try to escape from Draycos' enemies and try to prove that Jack was framed for stealing something from the most powerful person in the galaxy. They also have to stop Draycos'enemies from destroying the rest of his race that are leaving his galaxy because of a war. As they are trying to prove that Jack wasnt the one that stole the items, when they were captured. Then they were forced to steal something on a luxury ship from the main vault.
I didnt like this book because at some parts it felt way too played out. Jack and Draycos also seemed to run into trouble at every turn. Lastly, i didnt like how you didnt get to see a lot of Draycos' enemies in this book you only see their ships in the beginning fight scene.
I did like how Jack had to retrace his steps to every planet he visted since he got framed. I also liked how Jack and Draycos worked together. It seemed like they could complete most tasks when they were together.Overall, i think that this book was a good book but not like the book Eldest.

A Higher Purpose.......2006-07-11

Dragon and Thief (2003) is the first novel in the Dragonback Adventure series. The Shontine and K'da have been fleeing the Valahgua for years. A probeship has made contact with a native of a far region and the Havenseeker and three other freighters have brought the advance party to prepare their refuge. As they approached Iota Kletis, four other ships appear sending the correct recognition codes. Suddenly, those ships fire missiles at the freighters and then bath them in the Death beam.

In this novel, Jack Morgan is awakened by Uncle Virge, a virtual personality, at 4:57AM shiptime to watch four freighters come overhead. Then four Djinn-90 fighters show up. As Jack observes the skirmish from the surface of Iota Kletis, three freighters cease fighting and the last ship leaves orbit and crashes nearby.

After the fighters depart, Jack goes to checkout the wreckage. He finds only dead humanoids on the crashed ship until he discovers Draycos. He describes the body to Uncle Virge as a little dragon about the size of a tiger and covered with gold scales. As he leans over the body, Draycos leaps at him and then vanishes.

Draycos has lost Polphir, his Shontine host, during the crash. Once he has decided that Jack is not one of the attackers, he uses Jack as his new host. At the point of contact, his leap has turned into a merger with Jack's skin. Now Jack has a removable tattoo over much of his body.

Jack is very startled at first (actually he totally panics), but he gradually gets used to Draycos. The Shontine/K'da relationship is a true symbiosis, but the K'da can only remain separate from the host for less than six hours. They have to revert to the collapsed state for a time before resuming their normal bodies. In exchange for this service, the K'da provide companionship and protection.

After learning about the Shontine/K'da symbiosis, Jack shares his past life with Draycos. Before his uncle died, Jack had roamed the galaxy as a thief. Uncle Virgil was an accomplished safe cracker and con artist, while Jack specialized in burglaries.

Now that Uncle Virgil is dead, Jack is trying to stay away from the authorities who would put him in a group home. After all, fourteen year old boys are not capable of flying a spaceship around the galaxy. Of course, he has been doing just that for the past year.

Jack has been trying to go straight for some time now and had contracted with Braxton Universis to transport ten crates from Vagran to Cordolane. When they arrived, one of the boxes was empty. Since then he has been hiding out to avoid arrest, most recently on Iota Kletis.

Draycos persuades Jack to help look for the source of the Djinn-90 fighters. Someone has apparently learned the destination for the Shontine/K'da migration. Moreover, they have obtained at least four Valahgua Death weapons. Whoever ambushed the advance party must be located and stopped or else more people, including humans, will die.

This novel includes direct challenges of Jack's moral sense. Uncle Virgil didn't believe in giving an even break to anyone outside of his immediate family. Draycos believes in fairness to everyone until such time as they betray his trust. Of course, even Draycos realizes that armed confrontations require violent solutions, but he doesn't kill except as absolutely necessary in open conflict.

This is a short novel, but packed full of adventure. The story reads quite well, but the main characters are frustrated at every turn. They have only a short time to discover the identity of the ambushers, yet they don't get very far in this installment. Still, they do develop some useful hints.

Highly recommended for Zahn fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure and exotic relationships.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Book Description

This volume contains a generous selection of inspiring teachings and writings, the core of which is a lengthy discussion of the entire path of Dzogchen.

Customer Reviews:

Keep it by your bedside.......2006-09-16

This book contains amazing verses by probably the most significant person in the Twentieth century in my opinion. It also maps the nine levels of Tibetan Buddhism culminating in the peak of "Great Perfection" or Dzogchen which is the dominant point of view in the discourse.

An extremely realised being and globally acclaimed scholar's heritage for all of us. If you are currently without a personal teacher or Lama, you have found the next best thing.

It just gets more profound every time I reread a page or two from the verse or doctrine section. Click that button now.

Poetic & Profound.......2006-03-11

This book consists of a few short articles of "heart advice," many short songs/prayers, & 2 appendices. The appendices condense Dudjom Rinpoche's (DR) overview of the organization/content of (1) the 9 Buddhist vehicles (per the Tibetan Nyingma school) & (2) the writings of the Buddha. They help put the book into perspective, so those unfamiliar with this schema might read them first. In addition, Ron Garry's (RG) Introduction addresses the value of all the Buddha's teachings. Most of the book consists of songs & prayers. Per prior great practitioners, DR expresses some extremely profound realizations in his dohas (spiritual songs)--p. 49: "If you do not spoil phenomena with clinging & grasping thoughts, appearances & awareness will nakedly manifest as empty & luminous wisdom" & p. 117: "One's own awareness, fresh & uncontrived, is the primordially present ultimate Lama from whom you have not been separated for even an instant. This meeting with the original abiding nature-how amazing!" Similar to Mahamudra, he states: p. 53: "The stages of spiritual experience & realization arise either in a progressive order, without a progressive order, or all at once. This occurs according to the particular faculties of people, but there is no difference when the result is achieved." Unlike others, however, he directly addresses the Tantric ritual use of meat & alcohol & explicitly elucidates Tibetan symbol usage. This is especially helpful since his prayers, in particular, are heavily laced with Buddhist/Tibetan mythology, symbols, etc.-which RG defines in extensive endnotes. Close to my heart, DR relates Dzogchen to psychology, "p. 149: "When all experience arises as the pervasive manifestation of Dharmakaya, clinging to pure lands is misleading; the label "Buddha," the narrow path of attachment. There is no Buddha Amitabha outside me: I look within. I have discovered the Dharmakaya within myself. How exhilarating!" Thus, I dispute his self-effacing, p. 103: "I am a celebrated lecturer of others, giving advice, like a deaf person playing music." I must admit that the many Supplication Prayers did not resonate with me, & as he says, p. 271: "Reciting prayers, like a parrot repeating OM MANI PEMÉ HUNG-If I do it or not, it doesn't' really matter." Rather, p. 50: "Mindfulness is simple recollecting of the recognition of your own nature." As stated above, students differ. But, some of the Aspiration Prayers profoundly struck a note with me: p. 286: "When I sustain the naturally settled state without distraction or clinging In the uncreated state of present, empty, & clear awareness, Unfettered by the characteristics of mental frameworks, May I perfect the great dynamic energy of meditation on the abiding nature!" Pretty profound!!!

Ati.......2005-10-06

We should be very grateful to Ron Garry for the work he has done translating some amazing works from Dudjom Rinpoche. Even short letters from Dudjom Rinpoche in this book contain the whole path of Buddha Dharma, just to read a few lines will inspire and open ones heart. Very profound, very direct and to the point.......

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