The Water Dancers: A Novel

Average customer rating:

Don't Borrow to Read This Book

Review - The Water Dancers

A luminous debut that overflows with beauty.

mesmerized by Water Dancers

A reader from Vermont

The Water Dancers: A Novel

Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000F6Z5YU

Book Description

A stunning new voice in literary fiction makes her remarkable debut in a moving, lush, and brilliantly rendered tale of the walls between wealth and poverty, love and duty, and a rich evocation of the years following America's greatest trial and triumph.

Terry Gamble's The Water Dancers is the story of Rachel Winnapee, a poverty-stricken, sixteen-year-old Native American orphan who goes to work at the opulent March family summer home on the shores of Lake Michigan in the post-World War II summer of 1945. A young woman with no delusions about her place in this world of privilege, she quickly adapts to her role as an obedient servant expected to remain silent and unobtrusive while catering to her employers' wishes. Surrounded by a wealth she never imagined, she strives to remain invisible, until she is assigned the task of caring for the family's tragically scarred, emotionally shattered young scion, Woody March.

A veteran who lost a leg in the Pacific conflict, Woody is haunted by his injuries and battlefield experiences -- and by the loss of the older brother he emulated -- and now desires only relief from his twin agonies of pain and memory. He recognizes a kindred spirit in this gentle and mysterious child-woman who is so unlike anyone he has ever known yet who understands the depths of human suffering. In Rachel's eyes, Woody is a noble, tortured prince, and her fervent wish to help ease his torment soon metamorphoses into more intense and irrevocable feelings of love and need.

But if Rachel is a young woman with no future, Woody's has already been mapped out in intricate detail: as the last surviving March son, he is to run a successful banking business, marry the well-bred Elizabeth, and raise a family who will carry on the March name with distinction. Yet the obligations he never questioned prior to the war are becoming increasingly odious to him -- especially now, as he feels himself becoming irresistibly drawn to Rachel in ways no one else in his world would understand or tolerate. As the relationship between two lost and damaged souls intensifies, they move toward the one pivotal event that will alter their lives in ways both heartbreaking and profound.

An unsparing portrayal of the conflicts of race, culture, and class that lays bare the complex passions and deepest yearnings of the human heart, Terry Gamble's The Water Dancers possesses a lyrical, strong, and assured artistry and heralds the arrival of a major new American novelist.

Customer Reviews:

Don't Borrow to Read This Book.......2004-11-27

For a book that claims to be lyical and class concious, it fails miserably. All class sterotypes from the knocked-up Indian girl, who works as a maid to the rich on Beck's Point (Harbor Point, Michigan) to putting down the Jews at nearby Charlevoix, as being noveux and crass, this book contains all of the attitudes of a spoiled child of Midwestern industialists. Even the wealthy materfamilias happens to be "Catholic" and dies in a fire. A Repubican WASP point of view is contained throughout this novel. Now that this hardcover book is remaindered, the 44 cents price seems fair.

Review - The Water Dancers.......2004-10-06

Our local library reading club is here in the San Francisco Bay area, where the author of "The Water Dancers," Ms Terry Gamble, resides. We were able to enlist her the other evening to join our review session covering her novel. It's too bad that most readers will never enjoy the good fortune of a somewhat informal chat with an author while discussing one of her recent works and how she goes about her craft. It provides a very different perspective.

I first read "The Water Dancers" six months ago and recommended it to our reading club. In preparation for Ms Gamble's attendance, I gave the novel a second reading last week, which for me is always the ultimate test of a novel's real worth. During a second read do the characters still seem interesting and fresh? Does a rereading of the dialog provide new character insights? Are there elements of prose and style and structure that went unnoticed during the initial read because attentions were so fixed on plot points? And for this reader, "The Water Dancers" holds up as an exceptional novel, even with a second reading.

Potential readers out there can gather the main plot points from any number of other reviews, so I won't bother to repeat them here. I only gave "The Water Dancers" four stars, but I'm a hard grader. Most of the novels I pick up and read these days rate two or perhaps three stars, and often that's because I'm feeling compassionate. One of the principle strengths of this novel is the way the Indian characters are drawn. I read a lot of novels covering the Native American cultures, and I've grown more than tired of the patronizing way Indian characters always seem to be presented with extra sensory mystical insights into the religious beyond, and the supernatural powers to spot the Great White Buffalo stampeding across the distant plain. Terry Gamble's characters of Rachel Winnapee, Ben Winnapee and Honda Jackson act, talk and feel to the reader like real people experiencing and reacting to the real world. Two of the novel's most powerful scenes occur in the beginning and ending, when Rachel's grandmother and Lydia March appear to Rachel as ghost-like apparitions rising into the sky as they die in the flames of their burning houses. And yet these scenes did not feel to a reader like something from The X-Files.

On the other hand, the white characters (with the exception of Ada and Bliss and Hank) seem so uniform in their physical, intellectual and emotional weaknesses that, for me, it becomes the principle shortcoming of the novel. At times the novel seems to incorporate the cliché that white people descended from wealth are evil by definition. By the end of the novel Ms Gamble is able to imbue some of these characters with more depth and understanding, but I wish she would have done it from the beginning. And then again, maybe that's just me.

I loved that the sparse physical descriptions of the characters worked so well as a contrast to the detailed descriptions of all the surrounding physical geography. Ms Gamble's repeated descriptions of Rachel's hair as wild and "unbraided" was one of the subtle guides to our understanding of Rachel.

But the real reason to pick up and read "The Water Dancers" is the prose. The writing within the novel is exceptional. Sentence structures are direct, rhythmic, paced, and always graceful. Those adjectives don't seem to fit together, but Terry Gamble's prose makes it all work. The novel was such an easy read that at the end you will need to stop and draw a breath to remind yourself just how good it was.

Ms Gamble has another novel due out next year. So pick up "The Water Dancers" now, enjoy the read, and wait with baited breath like the rest of us for her upcoming novel.

A luminous debut that overflows with beauty........2004-04-14

Like author Terry Gamble (of Proctor and Gamble lineage), I've spent nearly every summer of my life in and around Harbor Springs, Michigan, a small Northern Michigan resort community on the Little Traverse Bay. Gamble has drawn from her childhood memories spent on Harbor Point to create the lush settings for Water Dancers, using thinly veiled pseudonyms for Harbor Point (Beck's Point), Harbor Springs (Moss Village), Petoskey (Chibawasee), and Cross Village (Horseshoe Lake).

The novel's protagonist, Rachael Winnapee, is a sixteen-year old Odawa orphan from Horseshoe Lake who, since the death of her grandmother, has lived at the Indian School in Moss Village (the actual school is alongside the Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic Church in Harbor Springs), and like many First Nations orphans, is sent to be a domestic at Beck's Point.

The novel begins in 1945. Rachael ends up serving the March family from St. Louis. The March's sons are both overseas fighting, Lip in Belgium and Woody in the Pacific Theater. When Lip is killed in battle and Woody comes home an amputee and morphine addict, it is up to Rachel to help make Woody whole. The two begin a brief, intense love affair, sealed with seashells, hidden gifts, lovemaking in dunes, shallows and empty rooms, and finally, Rachael's unwanted pregnancy.

Rachel raises her son Ben on her own, continuing to live with the midwives who delivered her child. After nine years of helping out on their farm, Rachel moves back to Horseshoe Lake with Ben. The novel fast forwards to Ben's experiences fighting in Vietnam and his difficult readjustment to civilian life, and culminates in an unexpected and explosive conclusion in which the past is confronted and old ghosts laid to rest.

Water Dancers is a multifaceted novel of healing (three of the main characters are veterans), of class and race, duty, discovering inner strength, and seeking peace. The characters are poetically and lovingly crafted, down to the most minor details. Terry Gamble's first novel deliciously brings to life the many moods of water and forest that dominate life in Northern Michigan, and for those who are familiar with Northern Michigan, like Rachael's habit of licking stones, this novel will bring you home.

mesmerized by Water Dancers.......2003-09-10

I was spellbound by this book- the depth & originality of the characters, the nuance in which their drama unfolds, the richness of the different worlds & settings they inhabit. A great read!!

A reader from Vermont.......2003-09-08

I loved this book. It is spare and poetic and packs a real punch. I could feel and see and smell the setting (Beck's Point) in Michigan, and felt that the characters were real and compelling. It was hard to let them go. I bought three other copies to give to friends.
This love story is set among the richest AND the poorest in American society--their interactions and assumptions about each other, and Rachel and Woody's attempts to bridge the gap are wonderfully rendered.
I hope Terry Gamble writes another novel soon. I'll be first in line at the bookstore.

Average customer rating:

Strength, Intimacy & Commitment
Deeper than it seems

Water Dancer: A Novel
Jenifer Levin
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0452272572

Customer Reviews:

Strength, Intimacy & Commitment.......2006-01-19

"Using the competitive world of long-distance swimming as a springboard, this intriguing novel probes the nature of strength, intimacy, and commitment. Water Dancer is the story of a world-class swimming instructor who returns to swimming after a self-imposed hiatus due to the death of his only child. Out of Print & hard to find..."--© zebraz

Deeper than it seems.......2003-12-12

This first novel by Jenifer Levin has been a favorite of mine for almost 20 years. It's not a typical story, but the surface tale of a long distance swimmer training for a difficult swim is only the center of several underlying journeys. At its core, it's about transformation and breakthroughs. The style is very fluid and visually rich; and because it's a first novel, it's very free and courageous, and still my favorite Levin book (of the 3 I've read).

Average customer rating:

The Water Dancers : A Novel
Terry Gamble
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF0WE0

Book Description

Cherished for her "unique charm and delightful sense of humor" (Romantic Times), Geralyn Dawson brings a heart-catching pleasure to her romances that readers have come to expect. Now she cooks up a delicious new story where the taste of Texas blends with the flavor of Britain to create her most lovable characters yet.

A CHILI QUEEN IN ENGLAND

A TEXAN WITH A CRAVING

Born British but reared Texan, Cole Morgan would do anything for the Delaney family, even escort the incorrigible Christina to England. Besides, he has his own agenda abroad: to locate the missing copy of the Republic of Texas' Declaration of Independence. But when a viscount offers Christina marriage, Cole is forced to see that the girt he grew tip with is now a woman whose fiery passion -- and love -- he craves. So he sets out to win her, and in the process proves that only he can make the Chili Queen...

Customer Reviews:

From Sizzle to Simmer........2006-08-11

In this sequel to 'Sizzle All Day,' Chrissy is the wild one, for sure, who loved to play pranks on her aristocratic family, always attempting to outdo the boys. Now, fully grown up and 'finished' at an eastern school, she's still the same old heartbreaker. She has a reputation to uphold but could care less. After going into business for herself, she's packed off to relatives in England to 'civilize' her once and for all.

In the 1883 polite world of San Antonio, she's become a disgrace to this pillar of society family and totally out of control. In love with love, but no particular man, she tries 'compromise' which doesn't work and so she has to learn to be a countess so as to be able to act like a queen in the foreseeable future. Cole is sent on a fool's mission to England to accompany Chrissy and to find an important historical document which has been missing for 47 years. You are the perfect choice for this special quest, he's told to take care of the 'termagant.'

In England, when asked by a butler "Your card, please," he declares "I've always preferred the ace of spades." My favorites are the jack of spades and queen of clubs. Of course, that is not the kind of card being requested. She has that certain smile, like Marjorie Morningstar, and discovers that she has loved Cole lo these many years. He has to discover on his own that he loves her just as passionately. Happy ending.

Highly Recommended.......2000-05-24

This spicy, humorous tale involves two stubborn characters a read can't help but love. Christina Delaney has just been crowned Chili Queen of San Antonio. All she has ever wanted was her family's acceptance, but this latest stunt earns her a trip to visit her grandfather in England instead.

British-born, Texas-raised Cole Morgan has always loved Chrissy as a sister, until the feisty woman's impromptu kiss. Both are surprised by their passion and dismiss it. To their mutual dismay, he is asked to escort her to England while fulfilling his mission abroad to find a missing copy of the Texas Declaration of Independence. When Chrissy decides to compromise her need to be loved for herself and marry a viscount, Cole realizes his vision of her has changed. Instead of the bothersome tagalong he once knew, he sees her as a woman, one whose love and passion he needs. The quest to win her love is anything but smooth, but he is as determined.

The orneriness of these two characters is so tangible the reader can be easily frustrated by them, but they are lovable anyway and the plot is strong in this highly sensual tale.

Geralyn's brand of humor shines through.......2000-04-27

Geralyn Dawson's latest offering, Simmer All Night, is a wonderful concoction of Texas swagger and English sensibilities, with much of her trademark humor to warm up a chilly winter day.

The book opens when Cole Morgan finds out that one Christina Elizabeth Delaney has just been crowned Queen of the Chili Queens of San Antonio. The problem is that the Delaneys are a very respected and proper family, and Christina's coronation is just the latest of the rebellious acts with which she's bombarded the family since childhood. Cole and Christina's brother, Jack, must find a way to deal with the scandal but Chrissy defiantly continues serving her chili and kissing men in view of everyone in town.

What Chrissy's mother, Elizabeth, daughter of the Earl of Thornbury, has in mind this time is no mere reprimand for her wayward daughter. She will ship Christina off to England to live with her grandfather - she's sent Chrissy away before, mind you - and hopefully it won't be the Chili Queen who comes back, but a properly behaved lady instead. Since Cole has been enlisted to go to England to find one of the spare copies of the Declaration of Independence of Texas, he is given the role of Christina's guardian. To Cole, who has recently begun looking at Christina as much more than the annoying little "sister" he always thought her to be, this proves unbearable news, but his devotion to Elizabeth means he would do as she bid no matter what, much to Chrissy's chagrin.

In England, Chrissy goes back to her flirting-with-every-pair-of-pants-in-sight habits, her outward vivaciousness hiding how dejected and miserable she really is because she can never be what her family wants her to be. Cole spends much of his time glowering at Chrissy's new fiancé, Lord Welby, and looking for the long-lost document. It is only after Cole proves that he loves Chrissy as she is - with a very satisfactory confrontation with her mother - that Chrissy's fear of not being accepted can be conquered, and after some revelations and dangers dealing with the Declaration, can the pair can finally be together.

Chrissy gets a bit extreme now and then, and goes through some personality altering throughout the book. She is either kissing people in the town square or she is ready to marry a nobleman and be a proper English wife, and it was a little difficult to reconcile her repeated explanations of why she can't marry Cole with all the lovemaking going on. Also, the main conflict is solved for her rather than by any action she takes. However, she is a passionate heroine, one who demands all of the man she loves or she won't have him at all, and I did cheer at her happy ending.

Cole Morgan is Christina's match in every way, a fact that surprises the heck out of him. The son of an English gardener and his wife, he was raised in Texas by Elizabeth and is deeply loyal to her and Jack - to the extent that for most of the book, he is blinded to the way their rigidity is stifling Christina. He loves the girl he grew up with - and not like a brother anymore - and won't give up in convincing her that she belongs with him.

I enjoyed Simmer All Night a lot. Ms. Dawson's next book, Sizzle All Day, is Jack Delaney's story in Scotland where he is hunting down the Declaration. I very much look forward to it, and also look forward to seeing what Cole and Christina have been up to by then.

SIMMER ALL NIGHT is laugh-out-loud delicious.......2000-03-23

This is the first book I've read by Geralyn Dawson, and I'm ordering her backlist right away. Great characters. Cole is my kind of hero. If you love a lot of smiles when you read, yet want a story to go along with the laughs this book is for you.

Loved this!.......2000-03-15

I've read six of Geralyn Dawson's books and SIMMER ALL NIGHT is my favorite. Cole and Chrissy are wonderful characters. Watching them discover their love for one another was pure joy. As usual, this author made me laugh out loud in places, and the suspense at the end kept me up too late finishing the book. I highly recommend SIMMER ALL NIGHT and after reading the teaser in the back of the book, I can't wait for SIZZLE ALL DAY.

Average customer rating:

Simmer All Night
Geralyn Dawson
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Give Him the Slip (Signet Eclipse)

ASIN: 0739406167

Product Description

Independent daughter of socially prominent Texans, Christina Delaney stirs up scandal along with her spicy Texas Red when she's crowned Chili Queen of San Antonio. Her family reacts to this culinary coronation by packing her off to live with her grandfather on his English estate, hoping to transform Chrissy from Chili Queen to countess. Never mind the fact that what she longs for is a modest home and loving family deep in the heart of Texas. A TEXAN WITH A CRAVING Born British but reared Texan, Cole Morgan would do anything for the Delaney family, even escort the incorrigible Christina to England. Besides, he has his own agenda abroad: to locate the missing copy of the Republic of Texas' Declaration of Independence. But when a viscount offers Christina marriage, Cole is forced to see that the girl he grew up with is now a woman whose fiery passion-and love-he craces. So he sets out to win her, and in the process proves that only he can make the Chili Queen... SIMMER ALL NIGHT

Amazon.com

It's not merely a task that's thankless--it's impossible. How can you hope to pick out the best of anything, let alone from such a contentious category as SF (and military SF, at that)? But this 13-story collection really does pull together at least some of the best short stories penned for the genre in the last century. Thanks to editors Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg, you'll find some of science fiction's biggest names--and most influential shorts--in this expertly chosen anthology.

Chronologically, the entries range from '50s pieces like Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" and Arthur C. Clarke's "Superiority" to more modern ruminations on war like "The Scapegoat" by C.J. Cherryh and "To the Storming Gulf" by Gregory Benford. But rather than quality (all these stories are of inarguable pedigree) or even breadth, what might recommend these most to readers new to them are the ideas and other works they later inspired: Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonrider" and Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" both gave rise to phenomenally successful series, Joe W. Haldeman's "Hero" preceded The Forever War, and Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" became the SF thriller Screamers. The collection also gives you a glimpse of what dark thoughts were rattling around the heads of prolific writers like David Drake and George R.R. Martin in the '70s. --Paul Hughes

Book Description

Explosive and provocative battles fought across the boundaries of time and space--and on the frontiers of the human mind.

Science fiction's finest have yielded this definitive collection featuring stories of warfare, victory, conquest, heroism, and overwhelming odds. These are scenarios few have ever dared to contemplate, and they include:

¸  "Superiority": Arthur C. Clarke presents an intergalactic war in which one side's own advanced weaponry may actually lead to its ultimate defeat.
¸  "Dragonrider": A tale of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, in which magic tips the scales of survival.
¸  "Second Variety": Philip K. Dick, author of the short story that became the movie Blade Runner, reaches new heights of terror with his post apocalyptic vision of the future.
¸  "The Night of the Vampyres": A chilling ultimatum of atomic proportions begins a countdown to disaster in George R. R. Martin's gripping drama.
¸  "Hero": Joe Haldeman's short story that led to his classic of interstellar combat, The Forever War.
¸  "Ender's Game": The short story that gave birth to Orson Scott Card's masterpiece of military science fiction.
. . . as well as stories from Poul Anderson o Gregory Benford o C. J. Cherryh o David Drake o Cordwainer Smith o Harry Turtledove o and Walter John Williams

Guaranteed to spark the imagination and thrill the soul, these thirteen science fiction gems cast a stark light on our dreams and our darkest fears--truly among the finest tales of the 20th century.

Customer Reviews:

the beginning of a lifetime love..........2007-10-11

I'll always have a special place in my heart for this book. This was the book that got me hooked on a subject that I'd previously despised. I'd hated Science Fiction until I got bored and read Joe Haldeman and OS Card's short fiction presented in this compilation. Now I am hooked. The rest of the stories are enjoyable also, just nowhere near the two mentioned. If your a newbie this is the place to start, if your a veteran SF reader you might pick up a new author you didn't know anything about, and if your a full fledged SF geek this might not be for you.

Not military, sometimes not even scifi........2007-08-01

Don't judge a book by it's cover is an aphorism that cuts both ways. I was fooled by the graphics on this one, but I hope you won't be. The book is edited and introduced by Harry Turtledove, an excellent author is his own field. Unfortunately, that field has more to do with alternate history and far less to do with military combat: gripping or otherwise.

The introduction itself is an excellent survey of the genre: highlighting the notable contributions to this corpus by such authors as Heinlen, Pournelle, Drake, Card and Webber. I have the feeling, however, that to make the list you largely had to have several credits to your name. One hit wonders such as John Steakley's "Armor" don't make the cut, although neither is David Feintuch's "Seafort Saga" to be found.

The stories themselves are varied, but rely mostly upon a military backdrop for a more pedestrian space-opera tale. There are a few exceptions. David Drakes's "Hangman" is a treatment of tank combat and "Ender's Game" presents Card's classic story in its short form. Halderman's "Hero" is also presented as the short-story that gave birth to "The Forever War." However, if you buy this book you've probably read "The Forever War," in which case you've wasted some cash as "Hero" is merely the opening chapters of the larger tome.

Turtledove's own contribution, "The Last Article" is an excellent example of the nature of this anthology. It is an alternate history story wherein the Germans are winning World War II. Somehow we must assume that this makes the story "scifi." The only combat that occurs is between German soldiers and unarmed civilians engaged in passive resistance. But, since there are guns involved, I must suppose that this is why it is considered "military."

The strangest inclusion is actually the one given the most space: a hundred+ page novella by Anne McCaffrey set in her Pern universe. Although the story is about dragon riders who write in ink on hide dried hide skins and who never engage in a single military act, this has been included apparently because a long, long time ago these people were 'space colonists' and because the story's 'bad-guy' is a meteor shower. Perhaps an excellent addition to her canon, but here it seems to have little purpose but to sell copies with a powerful name.

In conclusion, none of these stories were bad. In fact, they were all quite good judged in their own right. But judged by the standard of military science fiction they almost universally fall short of the mark. This is a dud that appeals to you with powerful industry names and a nice cover. Don't be fooled.

Those looking for superior offerings would be wise to cull the science fiction works from the Marine Corps (or Navy) recommended reading lists.

Fair Collection of Early Military SciFi Short Stories.......2007-07-26

BEST MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION OF THE 20TH CENTURY (2001), contains 13 short stories, mainly of a military SciFi theme, and mainly written in the 50's, 70's, and 80's.

HERO (1972, Joe W. Haldeman), ENDER'S GAME (1977, Orson Scott Card), and HANGMAN (1979, David Drake) are all excellent examples of the ground-breaking work done by these leading authors in the Military SciFi field. HERO and ENDER'S GAME were eventually expanded to full-length novels by their authors.

In SECOND VARIETY (1953, Philip K. D.), the Robot Warrior technology was way ahead of its time (too far ahead in the context of the story, however), but the spaceship technology was anachronistic. SUPERIORITY (1951, Arthur C. Clarke) is a very short story that presents an interesting example of a culture trying to press new leading edge military technology into service too fast. In NIGHT OF THE VAMPYRES (1975, George R. R. Martin), the American political environment that is described in this story is really quite fascinating, although the technology is anachronistic, given the story's target year of 1987.

The rest of the stories are either out-of-date, not specifically Military SciFi, or are simply mediocre; and are not worth mentioning in this review... and bring the overall quality of the book down to average.

Some great stories, but not really military.......2002-09-11

This was my first jump into Science Fiction in about 10 years and I was hoping to get a taste of a genre I havn't really explored before. While many of the stories were great, to say this is a collection of pure military stories is a stretch.

"Hero", a story of a unit preparing for absolute zero battle, was an interesting story that left me wanting more, and it's ending left if wide open.

"Ender's Game" ends up being a something of a philisophical excercise in responsibility in wartime.

One has to question why "The Last Article" and "Dragonrider" where in the book. They were good stories but TLA belongs to alternate history and Dragons fighting Threads, while a good story, it isn't what you would expect from a collection of stories about the military.

Ultimately, many of the stories fall short because they seemed like they belonged in a SF magazine and I would almost suggest searching out the full length versions these stories if they exist because I left feeling a bit unfulfilled.

More of an Intro than a "Best of".......2002-08-17

While the thirteen stories in this volume are, for the most part, well done, a couple aren't really military SF at all and others are glimpses into still better works by the same authors. A couple aren't even strong enough to be considered in a "best of" collection.

There are some gems here. Orson Scott Card's classic "Ender's Game" definitely deserves to be a volume with this title. I highly recommend the novel-length expansion of the story and it's sequels (most notably the companion novel, "Ender's Shadow" and "Shadow of the Hegemon"). David Drake's "Hangman" is an excellent introduction to his Hammer's Slammers series which also requires inclusion in a volume such as this. Walter Jon Williams's "Wolf Time" is one of the best stories in the volume, taking place in the same universe as "Voice of the Whirlwind". And Joe Haldeman expanded "Hero" to become "Forever War" (and its sequels).

Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonrider" was, likewise, the beginning of a large franchise, but it's inclusion as an example of military SF is quite a stretch. Similarly, Harry Turtledove's "The Last Article" is an excellent story, but it would have fit much better in his "best alternate history" collection than in this volume.

Other classics include Poul Anderson's "Among Thieves" (an intro to his Polesotechnic League universe), Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" (recently made, like so many of his stories, into a movie), and C. J. Cherryh's "The Scapegoat". I also enjoyed George R. R. Martin's "Night of the Vampyres".

Gregory Benford's "To the Storming Gulf" is not military at all; it would, instead, fit quite nicely in a collection of post-apocalyptic fiction.

While touted by some as a classic, I have never been impressed with Cordwainer Smith's "The Game of Rat and Dragon". And Arthur C. Clarke's "Superiority" is merely clever. Any number of other stories could have replaced either of these tales in a "best of" volume.

Average customer rating:
The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century
Turtledove; Harry; Greenberg Martin H.: Editors
Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KOKAZ6

Average customer rating:

A good conclusion to the "Spiritwalker" trilogy.

Classic Hawaiian shamanism

An Awesome, Powerful Book

sharing transcendent experiences

Very disappointed

Visionseeker: Shared Wisdom from the Place of Refuge
Hank Wesselman
Manufacturer: Hay House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Shamanism | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Personal Transformation | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Medicinemaker

Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future

Spirit Medicine

Journey to the Sacred Garden A Guide to Traveling in the Spiritual Realms

The Way of the Shaman

ASIN: 1561707538

Book Description

In this remarkable work, Dr. Wesselman reveals what it means to be a mystic and a medicine man in an age of high technology and super science. His spiritual quest continues to unfold, illuminating the emergence of a modern Western shamanism, the phenomenon of spirit possession, the conveyance of the souls and the dead, and the true nature of the human spirit.

Customer Reviews:

A good conclusion to the "Spiritwalker" trilogy........2007-07-13

Visionseeker is the final of three books. The first two being "Spiritwalker," then "Medicinmaker."

In Visionseeker, Hank Wesselman continues to beautifully illustrate his extraordinary visionary experiences with using a writing style which is easy to follow and often peppered with humor. The concepts presented in the book -- such as out-of-body consciousness and shamanism's healing methods, etc. -- are thoroughly investigated and explained to the best of the author's ability, with the Western, scientifically-oriented perspective in mind. Hank's "inner scientist," stemming from his previous education in the Anthropological field, compels him to come up with rational and logical reasons as to how and why these extraordinary experiences are taking place. Using scientific reasoning and traditional Hawai'ian beliefs, he is able to explain (was able to explain to me, at least) what would normally be unexplainable.

The content of the entire trilogy generally includes: 1) his first encounters and reactions to his initial out-of-the-ordinary experiences, 2) his understanding and explanation of these experiences through a scientific and traditional Hawai'ian Kahuna's perspective, 3) an extraordinary account of his repeated "journeys" to a possible future Earth, seeing it through another man's eyes, and 4) several undeniably relevant and important proposals which connect his experiences to our present time and global situation.

I appreciated Hank's openmindedness and sincerity when he approached his difficult-to-explain/understand experiences. Both his experiences and perspective inspired me to look at my life and future in a new way. The Spiritwalker trilogy has made a significant difference in my life. I highly recommend all three books.

Classic Hawaiian shamanism.......2007-03-27

Hank has been there, done that. He allows you to join his ecstacy as he receives vital information for humankind's growth and survival. Don't miss it.

An Awesome, Powerful Book.......2006-12-24

"Visionseeker" is the third book in a series concerning the author's amazing, beautiful, and insightful connection with his future ancestor (Nainoa), as well as his awesome journeys into various transcendent experiences. In this book he continues to share a great amount of "ancient wisdom" that is helpful for us to learn/remember today.

Hank Wesselman's writing style is such that he is able to pull the reader into his experiences - so much so that there were times when I could actually see/feel/hear/sense that which he was describing. In this way, Mr. Wesselman takes the reader on a journey as well - an awesome & powerful journey to be sure!

Overall, I would highly recommend "Visionseeker" to anyone interested in spirituality in general, &/or shaminism in particular. This book has much to offer!

sharing transcendent experiences.......2002-08-10

All other considerations aside, Visionseeker--like Spiritwalker and Medicinemaker--is a good story. By the way, if you haven't read any yet--READ THEM IN ORDER! It's interesting to consider what a possible future might look like. I like to hear about Wesselman's shamanic/visionary encounters and lessons with Nainoa. Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't read this with a particular agenda and specific questions I needed to have answered. If a pressing question came up, I think I'd just write to Dr. Wesselman and ask. I read on to book three because I enjoyed the other two and find the "characters" to be multi-dimensional, aware and very human. Their consciousness is expanding with each visit. Some of their epiphanies help to clarify my own thinking--things I've been turning over in my own mind. The author has a gift for articulating hard-to-define concepts, particularly regarding the nature of the soul. I have a stake now in knowing what happens to these characters, and how they continue to learn and make sense of their uncommon relationship.

Wesselman is not painting of picture of 21st century life, culture and morality when he visits Nainoa. It's a foreign point of view in most respects. Nor do I think the author is omniscient when it comes to life in that time and place. He is learning as he goes and gathering information and understanding. Readers have to be aware of these things. Personally, I read the books with a curiosity about the possibility of a spiritual connection across time. If you believe in the possibility of reincarnation, his narrative is intriguing. What if he and Nainoa share a portion of an enduring soul? I don't think he is asking us to believe what he is saying beyond a shadow of a doubt; we didn't experience what he did, so how can we? But I respect his experience/his beliefs about them--and I think they contain something of value for us.

One of the things I liked best about this particular text was that he goes into specifics about his shamanic practices. As he begins to develop some control over his visionary states, he is also able to share the knowledge he's gained more clearly. He discusses the energy/levels of soul and seems to be honing in on what connects him and his ancestor in these visionary states. I haven't had a conscious experience quite like his, but I've had enough powerful visions in dreaming and other moments to give me an open mind about it.

With regard to the sexuality that a few have taken issue with...if it's part of the overall experience and story, why should it be filtered out? Some might think it's overdone--I hear similar complaints about Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series--but sexuality and intimate partnerships are part of life. I found them to be tastefully and lovingly captured, though a few could make you blush.... For some who follow a more mystical path, I have heard that you CAN launch some journeying via sexual buildup and release. I can't confirm or deny it myself, though I have spoken to people who claim it happens and I've read about it more than once. You might think it's new age mumbo jumbo--that's your prerogative, but as far as I'm concerned Mr. Wesselman is the author and he gets to choose what goes in and what he feels is important or worthwhile to share. Seems rather courageous to me to lay bare the details of one's life so openly. It's also inspiring to read about couples who love and respect each other with passion and tenderness, though it might not always be comfortable to read coming from our cultural framework.

At any rate, author/mythologist Joseph Campbell cautions that when the hero comes back after his transformational journey with gifts for his/her community, a lot of times those gifts turn to ashes in his hands, because the the community is often not ready/able to understand and receive those gifts--yet.

Keep the stories coming, Dr. Wesselman! We'll embrace whatever gifts we are ready for.

Very disappointed.......2002-03-15

Title: Very disappointed

...

I hoped the books would shed light, from Dr. Hank's perspective as well as from his descendant Nainoa's perspective(supposedly 5000 years in the future), on how human society got to where it is in Nainoa's time. Specifically, I wanted to know:
(1) How is Dr. Hank sure it's the year 7000 AD (or so)? Does Nainoa have some kind of written history? If so, why wasn't it shared with the reader?
(2) What happened to Earth (and when) that turned California into an equatorial tropical jungle, complete with tropical animals? Obviously some kind of pole shift/planetary displacement.
(3) What is happening in the rest of the world at 7000 AD? The California coastline is now an Hawaiian chiefdom (apparently deserted before they arrived in canoes) and the Nevada area is now sparsely populated by hunter-gatherer type tribes (the Ennu) of unknown descent, possibly Eskimo and/or French-Canadian. What about the rest of the world? And what happened to wipe out most of the population (assuming the rest of the Earth is as sparsely populated as these areas)?

Dr. Hank rants and raves about global warming and overpopulation leading to civilization's downfall ... but then he turns around and says that humans are reaching a critical mass of spiritual enlightenment (just look at all the shaman training centers, like his, after all), hinting that everything will be all right if we all just become enlightened like him. So, what happened then? It can't be both ways, can it? Or maybe there was something else that took the earth down (when?) ... a nuclear war, an asteroid hit, a near-miss by Planet X/Niburu?

I was also hoping that Dr. Hank, being the anthropologist he is and working where he is (African Rift Valley, the apparent "birthplace of intelligent humans"), with or without Nainoa, might shed some light on prehistoric human life. No such luck. All we get are brief glimpses into the far past ... a hairy arm at one point and some pre-human-type primates sleeping in a tree at another.

Then there were the parts of the books that just plain annoyed me:

Nainoa had married a woman in the Ennu tribe, then he travels back to his Hawaiian-culture land and marries another woman (and even thinks about someday marrying a third) ... I guess there isn't any commitments, faithfulness, or jealousy in the future. Polygamy and promiscuous sex is the natural deal ... after all, we are in "repopulate-the-earth-mode."

Dr. Hank, in all three books, includes many, many (many) sexual encounters, between him and wife Jill, as well as between Nainoa and his wives, in extensive, too-intimate, minute descriptive detail. What's the point? Titillate the reader some? Sell books? This isn't a steamy romance novel, is it? So what if you have a hot, randy sex life ... so what if the glories of your orgasms often lead to trance experiences ... it felt like exhibitionism and bragging. It disturbed me and I didn't think it was necessary to the subject matter of the books.

In summary, if Dr. Hank indeed has the powers he has, I wish he would tackle some of the important questions I have (above) for the benefit of all mankind, instead of just using his shamanic visions to eavesdrop on a man in the future, to create his own private paradise (secret garden), and to fly into the Source and poke the eye of God, living to tell about it. It felt like an advertisement: Look at all the cool stuff I can do and you can do it too ... just sign up for my next "Be a Shaman" class.

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