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- Graphic SF Reader
- The best of Ultimate Marvel
- great tpb...
- Ultimates 2 With Ultimate Consequences
- Another bold & unique reinvention of the classic Avengers
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The Ultimates 2, Vol. 1: Gods and Monsters
Mark Millar , and
Bryan Hitch
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Ultimates Vol. 2: Homeland Security
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The Ultimates, Vol. 1
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Ultimate Galactus Vol. 2: Secret
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ASIN: 0785110933 |
Book Description
It's been one year since they stopped an alien invasion, and now things get hard. New members, new costumes, and 12 months of gossip to catch up on! Who's getting married? Who's divorced? Who's gone nuts since we last saw them? Why, just in this first story, we see Ultimate Hulk and the secret origin of Ultimate Thor, and get a look at the entire Ultimate Universe as drawn by Bryan Hitch! It's guest-stars galore - featuring the X-Men, Daredevil, Captain Britain, and even the Defenders! Collects The Ultimates 2 #1-6.
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03
More of the entertaining destructive and self-destructive antics of the Ultimates. The general public now know that Banner is the Hulk, and his trial demands capital punishment.
Giant-Man is Ant-Man, Iron Man is married. There is the aftermath of the alien invasion to deal with, and now, Loki.
The best of Ultimate Marvel.......2007-05-08
In a nutshell, "the Ultimates" AKA the Ultimate Avengers is far and away the best of Marvel's Ultimate titles, as evidenced by its top-rating among all of Millar's books. Interestingly, it rates higher than his other Ultimate titles...I think in general the tone is the most adult and most serious of the Ultimate books - closer to the new Battlestar Galactica or Season 5 of 24 than than to its comic peers.
While I liked Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-men, etc - this is the standard bearer of the line - even if you don't follow the avengers, this is an easy to grasp title. And Volume 2 is far better than volume 1!
great tpb..........2007-02-08
i hated the ultimates 1 vol 1, the ultimates 1 vol 2 was a lot better but still not great.
the ultimates 2 vol 1 however is great. i still hate the idea of bruce banner being a scumbag, and there are a bunch of other ultimate universe things that carry into this that i don't like. but overall this is a great tpb and highly recommended.
Ultimates 2 With Ultimate Consequences.......2006-10-11
This one is set one year after the original storyline ends with The Ultimates now under public scrutiny after it is mysteriously leaked to the media that Dr. Bruce Banner is The Hulk and that The Ultimates were behind the cover-up! Now, the public is calling for Banner's execution!
Captain America and The Wasp have been in affair while Giant-Man has been outed from The Ultimates due to the domestic problems between him and The Wasp and the P.R. mess it made. Still, The Wasp still shows some mercy towards her former husband though she hasn't shown any interest in hooking back up with him. This hasn't made old-school gentleman Cap happy at all.
Getting back to the leak on the Hulk, it may be coming from none other than Thor himself, who was already not very well trusted to begin with! Plus, we discover some new revelations about this Thunder God!
All in all, a good follow up to the original Ultimate storyline!
Another bold & unique reinvention of the classic Avengers .......2006-10-08
After I finished this chapter in the continuing "Ultimates" saga, all I could do was shake my head and go "wow". I have never seen or read anything like this, and that is high praise. The last volume was absolutely incredible and really set a high bar for realistic characterization and incredible battles in this series. What comes about in this volume is the near-disintrigation of everything that was built up in the earlier volumes. There is not one legitimate villain to fight in this story: no rampaging Hulk, no alien invasion, no Nazis, no Kang, Magneto, Galactus or any other uber-villain one would expect Ultimate Marvel's team of "persons of mass destruction" to face. Their biggest enemy at this point is themselves. Giant Man no more, wife-beater Hank Pym (now old-school Ant Man) is a pathetic mess in this volume who joins a group of superhero wannabes (the Defenders; originally an actual Marvel superteam -albeit a 2nd rate one- who are reduced to incompetent posers in this version) in what proves to be an amusing but ultimately annoying chapter after what proves to be the main attraction here: the arrest of the mighty Thor, who resigns from the team, believing SHIELD's secret agenda is to use them to attack foreign countries . After Thor's anti-war activism goes too far, the Ultimates are grouped with their fledgling European counterparts to take the god of thunder down in what proves to be a battle of epic proportions. Thor is clearly portrayed as a Christ-like figure here in spite of his apparent mental illness (but is he actually insane as his origin -finally revealed- insinuates, or is his brother Loki truly "shuffling reality" and poisoning the Ultimates against him?) and several shots in the sequence are difficult to look at as he battles his own friends. The fact that you truly don't know whether a classic character like Thor is insane in this re-imagination or if his classic nemesis Loki is a figment of his imagination is a true credit to the writing here. Kudos. The trial of the Incredible Hulk, which commences after Bruce Banner is outed by an unknown traitor as a member of the team, proves to be an interesting but too brief episode with a memorable and unexpected finale. More kudos. So far, "The Ultimates" has kept me rivetted and while this volume has much going for it, I hope for a return to the more simplistic awesomeness of "Homeland Security" in future volumes because all of this infighting, while brilliantly executed, takes away from what I really want to see: Earth's Mightiest Heroes battling the most powerful villains around. Also, the political commentary is getting a bit out of control at this point too. We're all tired of the war in the Middle East, and this issue aims this team of classic heroes in a corrupt, fascist direction that could soon border on villainy. It's a bit depressing to imagine the Avengers as government lapdogs fighting for imperialist interests. Will then next chapter have me rooting for the traitor in SHIELD's ranks? And, on a lighter note, Quicksilver gets his moment to shine here, but would it kill them to give the Scarlet Witch something to do besides look hot and hang on her brother's arm suggestively? When you look at every panel they appear in together, their relationship seems a bit creepy to say the least. I keep waiting for Tony Stark to make an Angelina Jolie remark at their expense. However, there is one line Quicksilver delivers to his sis involving one of Hank Pym's new creations that is quite humorous if you know your Avengers lore, so I'll let this stuff slide....this time. But Scarlet Witch's only moment of note in the big battle is threatening to create a reality where Thor is a baby seal getting clubbed before she gets promptly clobbered herself. Come on, Wanda, do something cool! I also wasn't thrilled about Iron Man's birthday present to fellow Ultimate and current lover, Black Widow; her very own custom-made supersuit. Personally, I loved her just the way she was before. Iron Man has a habit of making other characters clones of himself and it's a bit annoying in a title where a diverse array of superheroes is the big draw. Minor fanboyish complaints aside, "Gods and Monsters" proves to be a shocking and unique continuation of an already bold new take on a classic comic franchise. I've honestly never seen anything quite like it and I'd highly recommend picking this one up after catching up on the past volumes of this increasingly intriguing saga.
Book Description
Previously titled Father of Frankenstein, this acclaimed novel was the basis for the 1998 film starring Sir Ian McKellen, Lynn Redgrave, and Brendan Fraser. It journeys back to 1957 Los Angeles, where James Whale, the once-famous director of such classics as
Frankenstein and
Bride of Frankenstein, is living in retirement, haunted by his past. Rescuing him from his too-vivid imagination is his gardener, a handsome ex-marine. The friendship between these two very different men is sometimes tentative, sometimes touching, often dangerous—and always captivating.
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Customer Reviews:
11th Hour Obsessions of a Hollywood Has-Been.......2006-10-28
This novel is reminiscent of such films as SUNSET BOULEVARD and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE. The story concerns the last days of has-been director James Whale who in his prime had directed the films SHOW BOAT and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, among other hits. In 1957 he was a virtual recluse in his expensive Hollywood home, despondent after suffering a stoke. His death by drowning in his swimming pool was ruled an accident, but many years later, his former companion made public Whale's suicide note. From this grim material, Christopher Bram has fashioned a sweet and far-from-sentimental love story of Whale and his obsession with his handsome ex-marine gardener. There are a lot of surprises along the way, some of them hilarious, some truly disturbing. Once again Bram intermingles fictional characters with real people. In this volume Elsa Lanchester, Greta Garbo, Charles Laughton, George Cukor, Princess Margaret and Elizabeth Taylor make appearances. My favorite scene was when Whale takes his gardener to a lawn party thrown by George Cukor in honor of Princess Margaret. This is a great party scene worthy of Proust himself. Although the relationship between Whale and the gardener is a chaste one, it is nonetheless a love story. I found this a beautiful book with a lot of heart and humor. I laughed aloud several times. I liked this edition with its appendices and author's afterword.
My only real criticism is that once again Bram has contemporary slang usage coming from the mouths of characters who lived in a previous era. I hope that if Bram writes another novel set in the past that he will have an expert go through the manuscript with him to correct this. But nonetheless, I really like Bram's writing and plan to read more of his work. Everything I've read by him so far has been very intelligent and entertaining. Four stars.
A Great Book With Extras.......2005-12-27
This is a great book, guys. I came from the angle of being a fan of old Hollywood, and if it's black and white, I've heard of it.
"Frankenstein" is by far the best of the Universal monster movies, and it has a lot to do with the subject of this novel: James Whale. The guy took the unwieldy, even boring, Shelley novel and pulled out the story of a sad monster and the redemption of its creator. He's also the reason why we have "Young Frankenstein" - so there's a lot to love about the guy.
The most intriguing thing about the novel, is the author creating a fictionalized "untold story" of Whale's final days - an act of literary bravado that could easily go wrong, but didn't, and it didn't in a big way. I'll spare you the plot synopsis because if you're reading this, you've already read that, but I will tell you this is a great book in the sense that college classes will make it required reading and the sense of being accessible to the masses.
Don't let anyone fool you: This is not a "movie book" or a "gay book" it's just a book; and a damn good one.
I really dig this particular edition for it's "postscript". It's the kind of stuff DVD extras are made of...an interview with the author, an after word and so on. As someone who invested the time to read the 300+ pages, it was great to hear directly from the author of how he came to tell this story, his thoughts on the movie based upon this book among other things.
Mark my words, soon you will see "Special Editions" of nearly every book you can think of...not just for the insights of the author or analysis of its historical context...but as a marketing tool by which we will end up buying our favorite books all over again. :)
Very different twist on a gay theme.......2005-11-19
Gods and Monsters (a.k.a. Father of Frankenstein) is a great novel on lots of different levels. It explores the gay world of Hollywood in the 1950s, the impossibility of overcoming stereotyping (can we say Joseph Heller?), and the way that the horrors of the First World War were morphed into a classic horror movie, among other themes.
But most of all, Gods and Monsters is about life and death. What gives meaning to life? Can one grow into life by being part of another man's death? Why is death so feared? These questions are all raised and adressed, although the answers are left for the reader to determine.
I have read many gay novels, and this one is a masterpiece. It transcends the genre and approaches the level of the great writers of our time. Well worth reading!
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JLA: Gods & Monsters
Dan Jolley
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006RP6K6 |
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-25
This is a fairly average one shot. The JLA investigates what pretty soon turns out to be a cult. This time run by an evil nun. In white. In fact, there is a pretty fair chance that she would consider frequenting the same boutiques for her clobber than Emma Frost does.
Anyway, flying saucers, other junk, a bit cartoony, JLA save the day, some nifty Flash work too.
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Witchblade Volume 12: Gods & Monsters (Witchblade)
Ron Marz ,
Mike Choi , and
Stephen Sadowski
Manufacturer: Top Cow Productions/Image Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1582407991 |
Book Description
Superstar writer Ron Marz reaches the climax of his groundbreaking run on Witchblade by bringing together storylines weaved in from the beginning of his run! For fans of the series, the questions answered in this trade only set the stage for even greater adventures in the continuing saga of the Witchblade!
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Beowulf: Gods And Monsters
Brian Augustyn , and
Dub
Manufacturer: Speakeasy Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0973703962 |
Book Description
For a millennium, the immortal warrior Beowulf has watched history unfold from the shadows. Now, he must now step out of the darkness to confront an enemy that threatens to engulf all of humanity.
Book Description
Lady Lucinda Malcolm Pembroke's paintings may have caused scandals in the past, but never one like this. Somehow she's painted a perfect likeness of a man she's never met-and depicted him as a murderer. Determined to unravel the mystery that is Sir Trevelyan Rochester and flee the gossip surrounding her, she assumes a disguise and escapes to a remote cottage, only to find herself face-to-face with her dashing nemesis.
Customer Reviews:
Not great, but enjoyable.......2007-03-02
The characters were enjoyable. Their interaction was fun. Toward the end, I didn't like that she refused to marry him and would not explain why to her father and to him. Her reason was to avoid bringing future scandal to his life, but she didn't tell him that. He could have assured her that he'd want her anyway. She didn't tell her own father how much she loved him. Her father's actions might have been different had he known of her love for Trev. I don't like conflicts and dilemmas that are caused by someone not telling the truth about their own feelings. Other than that, the story was a fun escape.
Boring!!!.......2006-08-22
I was really disappointed in this story.The book was so boring I could not finish reading it.I loved all of her books except this one.This book will really put you to sleep. I hope the next Patricia Rice book is better.
Amazing.......2005-10-14
I am torn between delight over discovering this new author, and dismay that I haven't picked up a Patricia Rice book before.
I am an avid romance fan, and this book sends Patricia Rice right up there among my other favorite authors (Lisa Kleypas & Judith McNaught). Rice has the rare ability to create memorable characters AND a decent plot.
I cannot express how delighted with this book. I admit that I thought the first chapters were a bit slow, but it quickly turned into a page turner that I didn't want to put down.
Sinda was an unconventional but extremely likable heroine. I liked how she was sometimes funny and witty, but never snippy or prickly. And I loved Trev. Rice did a phenomonal job of creating a sexy alpha male with just enough vulnerability and sweet points to make you wish he was real.
Having read so many other romances, I thought I was familiar with all the various plot directions, but I was always guessing on this one. Every time I thought I figured out where the story was going, Rice would change it up and then surpass my expectations. Absolutely a five star read.
Great Story.......2005-10-04
If you want a change in story and plot...this is the book for you. Not only is the story innovative and attention holding, but Rice does such a nice job with her writting. I litterally couldn't put it down! Again, the story is about a woman who paints and draws the future, past, and present happenings in her sleep (or while she is unaware of what she is painting or drawing). Trev is the guy that she paints in her first painting (of the story), whom she's never met. The painting depicts the type of guy that Trev isn't...so he's mad. Anyway...Trev doesn't know that Lucinda painted the picture...he starts to fall for her before he realizes that she's the one who made a disgrace of his name. She's already fallen for him. And I'm not going to say anymore cuz it'll ruin the story.
Overall...the story was wonderful! It was different from the usual romance novel and i've read it several time. Hope that you enjoy it as much as I have!
More magical Malcolms!.......2005-08-08
Our heroine, Lucinda, is a Malcolm, a family whose women tend to have varied psychic or magical talents. Her particular talent shows up in her paintings which portray things that have happened or might happen in the future.
The trouble starts when one of her paintings results in the hero, Sir Trevelyan Rochester, being accused of his cousin's murder. Trev is furious, and sets out to find the mysterious artist and force her to confess that his uncle hired her to paint the damning picture. Lucinda, on the other hand, decides to retire, incognito, to the country and paint nothing but landscapes, hoping to avoid such disturbing occurrences in the future.
But magic can't be denied, and Lucinda's subsequent paintings draw her further into the intrigue.
The rest of the story is an exciting quest to find what happened to the cousin, featuring romance, psychic abilities, & the family members from previous books in this series, particularly the mysterious Aidan...
It was wonderful visiting with this family again, and I particularly enjoyed Trev coming to terms with magic. As someone unfamiliar with the notorious Malcolms, it took him a long time to believe, and his skepticism was very believable.
Along with the adventure and romance is a healthy dose of humor that really makes these books a joy to read. Much Ado About Magic has got magic, romance, intrigue, humor, and history. What more could you ask for?
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Much ado about something
Karrell Fox
Manufacturer: Kaufman and Greenberg
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006R1W86 |
Book Description
The catlike aliens return--in the sixth exciting novel in Lisanne Norman's best-selling Sholan Alliance series....
Delicate negotiations for an alliance are underway with the Primes, a previously unknown faction of the hated Valytegan race. But the Sholans and Humans must avert a full-fledged rebellion--begun in a laboratory engaged in illegal breeding experiments...
Praise for the Sholan Alliance novels:
"A masterful job of making us believe in felinoids... You'll cheer."--Paperback Forum
"For those of us waiting with baited breath for the next installment...Ms. Norman continues to develop at an amazing rate, creating a rare allure and fascination that will hold you spellbound and begging for more."--Romantic Times
"This is fun, escapist fare, entertaining."--Locus
Download Description
The Primes are the upper class of the original Valtegan home world, pacifistic intellectuals who are unable to defend themselves from either their own warrior class-the Valtegans who have been making war on the entire galaxy-or any other species. To protect themselves the Primes have made secret alliances with other races while concealing their own true identities and the location of their home world.
Now, after an ill-advised, accidental kidnapping of the vessel carrying Kusac, Carrie and Kaid, the Primes have been forced to reveal themselves to the members of the Sholan Alliance. But in the midst of delicate diplomatic negotiations to create a new pact between the Sholan Alliance and the Primes, power struggles on both Shola and the Prime world threaten to jeopardize the treaty.
Still recovering from being tortured by a rogue Prime group, Kusac is about to set out on a secret mission of his own, a mission which could see him branded as a traitor to his own kind. And what he discovers could well lead to the overthrow of the Prime leadership and to the destruction of the delicate balance that is the only thing staving off interstellar war....
Customer Reviews:
This series just keeps getting worse and worse.......2005-09-09
Alol novels tell a story leading up to a climax that leaves the reader feeling something. Ever since Fire Margins, this author can't seem to leave the reader feeling anything buty depression. Has she forgotten how to end a book on a happy or even a slightly up-lifting tone?
Normans first Sholan novel, Turning Point, was masterful and the following 2 were nearly as good, but since then they all seem to have gone downhill. I think she needs to sit back and re-evaluate the series before doing any further books/
A Hard Recovery.......2003-01-27
Stronghold Rising is the sixth novel in the Sholan Alliance series, following Dark Nadir. In the previous volume, the U'Churian ship, Rryuk's Profit, has been captured by the Valtegan ship M,ijikk, commanded by the former Overlord of Keiss, M'ezozakk, and the M,ijikk has been captured in turn by the Prime ship Kz'adul.
On the Kz'adul, the Profit group have awakened to find themselves confined in a suite of rooms guarded by Primes concealed in armored suits. Periodically, the telepaths in the group are taken while the others are asleep and subjected to medical examination and sampling. Both Carrie and Kusac have been taken aboard the Kz'adul, but hidden from their friends. Kusac has been awakened, implanted with a telepathic suppression device, and interrogated, even tortured, by J'koshuk, a Valtegan priest. Shortly thereafter, Carrie has been returned to the others, but Kusac has been retained for more testing and conditioning. Eventually Kaid has initiated an escape to Haven, a Brotherhood asteroid base, with the Kz'adul in pursuit. During the escape, they have discovered that the Primes are also Valtegans, although a different breed than those on Keiss, and have taken an important hostage, Prince Zsurtul, who they have interrogated while enroute to learn much new information about the Valtegan situation.
On Shola, Brynne has been having vivid dreams and found an unexpected lifemate. Konis has survived a political crisis in the Clan Council regarding Kitra's betrothal. Ruth and the kids have been invited to the Touiban home for a meal. General Kezule has drugged Kirta with la'quo and tried to force her to send him to the past, but she used the power of the drug to overload his mind into unconsciousness; moreover, the drug has also induced a leska link between Kitra and Dzaka. The recaptured Kezule has been taken to Haven by Carrie and Kaid. There the Prince and General have been exchanged for Kusac, but not without violence.
In this novel, Kusac returns home, but has only a small fraction of his telepathic skills remaining. The TeLaxaudins, Cabarrans and Touibans combine their skills to remove the implant and damaged tissues, to restore the nerves, and to provide feedback to allow control of the restored abilities. However, the la'quo present in his body has caused loss of memory which only gradually is being restored through vivid flashbacks and dreams. While his memories are incomplete, Kusac cannot use his abilities. He does not want to be near Carrie or Kaid, especially when they link, for fear they will share his pain and bad dreams.
About six months later, the Sholans have learned more about the Primes, who have not lost their technology in the Cataclysm, and have had long standing contacts with the Free Traders through the spaceport on Jalna. The Primes have readily agreed to a treaty with the Sholan Alliance and have freely ceded ownership of the four asteroid bases used by the Brotherhood.
On K'oiosh'ik, Kezule is extremely popular at court, but the crusty General isn't happy being a courtier. His genes have been used to produce 100 sons and 20 daughters in growth tanks, where their development has been forced to the equivalent of 10 years old; since this was done without his consent, he isn't very happy about this either, but somehow he is comfortable with the results. He encounters a group who are plotting to overthrow the Emperor and would like him to be their figurehead, but he doesn't want to be Emperor. He strings them along, but promptly puts his sons on the case, checking out names and positions. When he gets enough information, he attacks their facilities and personnel, then reports the matter to the Emperor. Shortly thereafter, he takes some of his children, together with about a number of associates, and sneaks off to a large asteroid base, which he finds partially restored. There, he experiments with a more balanced Prime society, but has little success.
The Brotherhood have started training some of their allies at Stronghold, including some Valtegan Warriors, with fair success. Kezule sends a message requesting Kusac to come to the base, hoping to add the Sholan training techniques to his efforts. The Brotherhood asks Kusac to head a secret mission to find out what the General is doing.
This novel is somewhat more difficult to read since it combines flashbacks to a previous period to the multi-threaded storyline, dreams, visions, divine visits, and other plot devices. Nevertheless, it is harder to describe than to comprehend; just go with the flow.
Recommended for all Norman fans and anyone who enjoys tales of personal and interpersonal development in a SF setting.
Jump Rope.......2003-01-20
I enjoyed all of the other Sholan Alliance books, at least somewhat, but I found it difficult to get past the first quarter of this book, and ended up stopping reading long before the end. I disliked jumping from character to character, there were too many segments that seemed unnecessary and boring. At these points I would just skip ahead until I thought something interesting was happening. I usually go back and re-read books I liked, but because of the layout of most of this series, I only read a couple af chapters worth of story. I don't plan on reading this book again, but if I do I might try to struggle through the entire book, just to find out what happens. I hear the next book is much better than this one, but that Stronghold Rising is critical to further plot development.
Next Book!!.......2002-08-20
I loved this book!! After reading this installment, I often wondered when the next book was coming out. It has taken forever, but I have GOOD NEWS. I finally found the answer: "Between the Darkness and the Light" will come out in January 2003. This info came directly from the publisher's website.
When is the next book due out?.......2001-10-31
Ok, Ok, I admit it...I am hooked on the story of Kusac, Carrie and Kaid. So when is the next book due out??? You left the reader in an anxious position with the end of this series, and no information at the end telling your readers when the next one is scheduled. (...) C'mon, folks, it's enough to make devoted readers not want to start a series of books unless the end has already been written! It's what I did with the Robert Jordan books...didn't start reading the whole series until the "Conclusion" novel had been done.
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STRONGHOLD RISING
LISANNE NORMAN
Manufacturer: NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY/MASS MARK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KVF7RK |
Amazon.com
The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English is the first full English translation of the Hebrew scriptures used by the Essene sect at Qumran. (The Essenes, along with the Pharisees and Saducees, were among the three most influential Jewish groups of their time [150 B.C. to 68 A.D.]). Between 1947 and 1956, in 11 caves overlooking the Dead Sea, more than 800 manuscripts of two types were found. The first are called "biblical"--because they contain material that was later canonized in the Hebrew Bible; the second are called "non-Biblical"--because they contain poetry, rules for holy living, and imaginative, midrashic interpretations that are unique to the community that produced them.
The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible comprises the biblical manuscripts, including many new Psalms, Apocryphal books, and previously unknown readings of Deuteronomy and Isaiah (which appear to have been among the most important books of the Bible to this group of Essenes). The translation of each book is preceded by an introduction that describes the text's importance to the Essenes, their distinctive interpretations of the text, and suggestions of how historical and political events may have shaped these interpretations. Translators Martin Abegg Jr., Peter Flint, and Eugene Ulrich have loaded this volume with scholarly notes and commentary, but their interpretations are formatted in a way that does not impede the general reader's enjoyment of the book. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible breathes new life into scripture by delving into the earliest source material yet discovered. It is a crucial work to reckon with for anyone interested in Jewish life around the time of Jesus. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
From the dramatic find in the caves of Qumran, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible presents the world's most precious and ancient version of the Bible. One thousand years older than any existing manuscripts, these scrolls allow us to read the Bible it was in the time of Jesus.
Preserving parts of all but one biblical book, scrolls confirm that the text of the Old Testament as it has been handed down through the ages is largely correct. Yet, they also reveal numerous important differences. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible:
- Offers new and striking textual readings that clarify millennia-old puzzles
- Restores lost psalms
- Reveals previously unknown details about the lives of biblical figures
- Provides new information on how the Hebrew Bible was created
The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible presents all 220 of the Dead Sea biblical scrolls, arranged to be read in canonical order. The texts are translated into English by Eugene Ulrich, one of the three general editors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Peter Flint and Martin Abegg Jr., the directors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. Commentary by the editors provides insight into the rich cultural and religious traditions behind the scrolls and the Bible itself.
Customer Reviews:
An ancient book, still a joy to read.......2007-03-19
I thought this was an interesting version of the old testament because while it comes directly from the oldest manuscripts, it took much devotion to get it right, given the wide ranging gaps in the parchments. Still, all in all, I am glad I have added this book to my faith literature.
Enlightening.......2006-03-10
As I continue to search for truth, I found this book most enlightening. This book in conjunction with other scholarly work concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls has enhanced my understanding of bibical history.
BIASED?.......2006-02-23
As much as I don't doubt that this is a good translation of the biblical texts from the dead sea scrolls, I am starting to question whether or not this book is Biased in the sense that it favors more of the author's, publisher's and reviewer's beliefs rather than what the actual texts really mean and really say. Could this edition be a Biased translation, with the author's comments and interpretation of the texts rather than just strictly, WHAT IT SAYS. First off they call it the Dead Sea Scrolls BIBLE, which, being that it contains most of the "biblical" documents in the scrolls, makes sense. But the fact that they even refer to it as a "Bible" tells me that they are selling it as a tool of present day mainstream Judaism and Christianity, which, we all know, are biased against the original true teachings to promote their own agenda and suppress and discredit evidence that suggest otherwise.
That is just my opinion, and I would like to know definitively if this book is Biased, because if it is, It defeats the purpose of a English translation...of knowing what it REALLY says rather than what the authors want it to say because it goes against their mainstream beliefs.
All things old are new again.......2005-12-06
The Dead Sea Scrolls may well be the most important archaeological discovery of the twentieth century; it is certainly among the top discoveries in any case. It has shed important light on one of the most influential and formative documents of the world, namely the collection of writings which we have come to know as the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament. A thousand years older than the next-oldest copies we have of these documents, this treasure trove has delighted, tantalised, and irritated scholars, clerics, and other interested parties since their chance discover some half-century ago.
'Preserving parts of all but one biblical book, the scrolls confirm that the text of the Old Testament as it has been handed down through the ages is largely correct. Yet, they also reveal numerous important differences.'
(Do you know which book is not included? For the answer, see the bottom of this article.)
This book presents material from all 220 of the biblical scrolls (there are hundreds of other scrolls that were not biblical, i.e., not copies of biblical texts). These were newly translated by Eugene Ulrich, Peter Flint, and Martin Abegg, who hold important positions in the continuing research and scholarship about the scrolls. These editors have also added commentary to help illuminate further the textual variations between the scrolls and the texts we have today.
'At the time of Jesus and rabbi Hillel--the origins of Christianity and rabbinic Judaism--there was, and there was not, a 'Bible'. This critical period, and the nature of the Bible in that period, have been freshly illuminated by the biblical Dead Sea Scrolls. There was a Bible in the sense that there were certain sacred books widely recognised by Jews as foundational to their religion and supremely authoritative for religious practice. There was not, however, a Bible in the sense that the leaders of the general Jewish community had specifically considered, debated, and definitively decided the full range of which books were supremely and permanently authoritative and which ones--no matter how sublime, useful, or beloved--were not.'
The editors first discuss what a Bible is, and what constitutes the arrangements, order, and contents -- the Jewish Tanakh and the Protestant Old Testament contain the same materials, arranged differently; the Catholic Old Testament follows the same order as the Protestant but has other books (in whole or part), which hearkens back to early biblical development and whether the scriptures follow rabbinical council decisions or the Septuagint.
The text is heavily annotated, with verse numbers, explanatory notes, gaps and fuzzy sections due to scroll problems, variant readings, and footnote annotations which include scroll identification (cave, scroll number, book, etc.) and ancient biblical texts (Masoretic text, Septuagint, and Samaritan pentateuch).
This is an incredibly useful text for those who are interested in what information the Dead Sea Scrolls have to bear on the actual text of the Bible. Here for the first time is a collection of the biblical scrolls laid out in the traditional Biblical order, which enables the average reader as well as the scholar and cleric to follow the texts with ease.
To answer the question above, the missing book among the biblical scrolls is the book of Esther. Why would Esther be missing? The editors give some possibilities:
'First, the fact that the festival of Purim was a later addition, not mentioned in the Books of Moses, might have caused the Dead Sea Scrolls community to reject the book. Second, the mere fact that the story concerns the marriage of Esther--a Jew--to a Persian king was likely repugnant to the group's conservative sensibilities. Third, the book itself makes no mention of God whatsoever. Finally, the emphasis on retaliation in the final chapters of Esther is contrary to the teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls.'
A truly fascinating and useful text.
Exceptional Times Deserve Exceptional Opportunity.......2005-10-16
September 11, 2007: Now that Amazon has provided a "Comments" section, please read my continuing annotations there, especially regarding further thoughts on the exclusion of 1 Enoch and Jubilees.
January 2, 2007: I've reconsidered the wisdom of excluding Enoch and Jubilees. My reasoning, based on Kenneth Hanson's observation in "Secrets from the Lost Bible", goes like this: If the apocrypha were so imporant to the Qumran Community that they kept multiple copies of these scrolls, then they must have been highly important. Who decided to leave out Enoch and Jubilees? The present editors, based on modern conventions, and not those of the ancients. Was "Biblical" different to the Essenes than to us? If so, then a proper Dead Sea Scrolls Bible should accurately portray the ancients' values, not our present ones.
February 22, 2006: The Book of Esther is the only known Bible book not represented among the Dead Sea Scrolls. In a 2004 Penguin edition of The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls In English, scholar Geza Vermes suggests that this may be just accidental, rather than intentional. The latest edition of Vermes' long standing work, which contains the greater body of noncanonical scrolls and fragments, recommends our present work, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible by editors Abegg, Flint & Ulrich, as the standard for Biblical DSS.
January 13, 2006: I now understand why neither the Jubilees nor the Book of Enoch were included in this anthology, except as a placeholder reference page. Jubilees and Enoch are not considered canon, and so do not properly fall into inclusion with the purely Biblical books as the editors of Dead Sea Scrolls Bible intended.
Incidentally, I am beginning to recognize the Florentino Garcia Martinez re-translation as the most important single compilation of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the lay library. If you don't own one yet, they ain't making any more of them. There are several scroll fragments of The Book of Enoch represented in the Garcia Martinez that you cannot get in the other major English translations extant. Reading them is an enjoyable excercise in reconstructing a single coherent document from several "broken" or fragmented documents.
My Living Review
I am into Exodus of this fine Bible, and as I study and read, I will avail myself for further commenting. I like to skip through the anthology, to break up the monotony.
First, a couple of criticisms:
(noted by previous reviewer) The changing of the names of God, including YHVH, or Elohim, into "the Lord". There is a clue here as to the paradigm from which the editors are framing the context of this Bible translation. The editors seem to have fallen back on traditional and safe renderings, when in doubt. I suppose the solution here is for me to read the original Hebrew and Aramaic.
Another clue to the editors' conservative frame of reference is found at least in the beginning (pun intended), in the Book of Genesis. I recently heard a rabbi speak about the phrase, "Let there be light". What this rabbi said was interesting, and made sense. The Creator, as this gentleman put it, would not have said, "Let there be light", which has the connotation of asking or requesting that another entity do the actual turning on of the light. What the Supreme Being really said, according to this rabbi, was something more along the lines of, "Light: Be it!" In this case, no intercession is inferred. I'll leave you to ponder and discuss this, as it is like the "number of angels dancing on the head of a pin" argument. But my point is that the editors were not thinking out of the box: If you have 2,000 year old Aramaic right in front of you, "Let there be light" is not an inspired (pardon the irony) translation.
(also noted by previous reviewers) Lack of reference headers at the top of each page. This book is over 600 pages long, and it is ever so irritating to put it down, and have to back peddal a few pages to remind myself which Biblical book I happen to be reading at this time. Maybe something good will come out of this discipline of memorizing which page corresponds to which Book. This problem is one of those annoyances that should be refined and cured in later editions. I suppose the Honda Civic wasn't a very fleshed out automobile, either, when it first came to market. This is one of the first indications that the editors seemed to be trying to beat someone else to the punch with this title or anthology of DSS.
A third criticism, a continuation of my previous statement, is the apology that the editors proffer for speeding this translation through to publication. Perhaps after maturing in further editions, a finer translation will be cultivated? Let us pray!
A fourth criticism is the use of little gray triangles to denote sections where two or more verses are missing. Is this gray triangle an original invention? I don't like it, it's too-- modern? Gimmicky? I think a better and simpler symbol to use should be the pipe symbol "|". For example, where one verse is missing, the symbol can be |. Where two or three verses are missing, multiple pipes in a row can be used, like || or |||. The pipe has got to be more enduring than the silly, ugly graphic triangle that stands out like a cornstalk in a barley patch. Can you guys take care of this, please?
Let's get past the small stuff: I am loving this book as an attempt to breath life into an old story. But this time, we get to see it pretty much as it was written and socked away long before Emperor Constantine's time. I feel like I have a leg up on established Christian sects, e.g. the Catholics and Protestants, who have been humbly democratized by these treasures. I am finally understanding something about the DSS, that we were lucky enough that several copies of most of the books are extant, making a reasonably accurate, complete and resolved composite. For example, by now many of you are familiar with the use of brackets [this is bracketed text] and why portions are bracketed. What I trust in this edition of the Bible is that what lies between the bracket is not just an educated guess, but is often taken from another scroll where that section of text was still intact. If there are three copies of Exodus, we can reassemble most of the Book of Exodus. And that is what the editors have done here. We have reasonably complete Biblical books that are at least 2,000 years old. It's like finding an ancient jar of strawberry jam, and being able to pick out enough of the preserved jam from the mold to make a sandwich. Sure, you don't have the whole quart of jam, but the jam you are lucky enough to be eating is 2,000 years old and delicious.
I have other books, like Eisenman and Wise's "The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered", and Wise, Abegg & Cook's "Dead Sea Scrolls", Vermes's translation in to English of non-canonical texts, which I like very much. You may wonder how they can all be different, and yet, they are, both in translation style and topic. For instance, "Uncovered" presents a more esoteric selection, Kabbalistic or Gnostic in their allegory. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible are manuscripts that were later deemed canonical and thus, entered as books of the Bible. I will promote this book a few notches in my list of DSS recommended reading, it serves a real purpose in the wealth of other publications on the DSS.
A lucky age in which we live, reading what the bishops of Nicea did not. Ofcourse, you can't just throw out a translation of the earliest Biblical manuscripts ever, without referencing the source(s) of our modern Bibles. These editors have done that, by providing the italicized differences with the Masoretic text and/or other DSS copies, and also comparisons with the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Septuagent (LXX). This is mildly useful, as the Masoretic text, to my less trained eye, doesn't reveal any substantial differences. To me, it looks like the Dead Sea Old Testament manuscripts differed very little from what we read in modern times. Amazing!
You should not give away your usual reference Bible, however, as there tend to be missing chunks of continuity, naturally. In the Book of Genesis, some serious chunks are missing, and we stumble into the scene where God is instructing Noah on how to build an ark (pg. 8, Ch. 5 to 6), before the story of Caine comes to its end as we normally read it. This kind of jumping from the middle of one story to the middle of another is frequent enough that I had to pull a King James off the shelf to see what it was I was missing. No fault of the editors, though.
added 10-18-2005: Check out the detailed treatment of the Psalms, starting in the "Other Books" section on pg. 505. This is succulent education, as is the history and sensual subtext of the Song of Songs.
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