Book Description
As a college student Michael visited Egypt Hill, the curiously named estate of his roommates family, for a garden party, and in one afternoon met a host of eccentric characters who have stayed with him ever since. Years later he decides a return to Egypt Hill would be an ideal sojourna place where he can escape the chaos at home that is destroying his marriage, his fashionably old townhouse, and possibly his worrisomely taciturn young son, Hamish. But now nothing in Egypt Hill is as it was, or at least how it once seemed. With Hamish in tow, Michael discovers the house teeming with age-old deceptions, broken confidences, and sordid alliances. At the heart of the turmoil is a lie so shameful, every Hanbury is responsible for its concealment. With his marriage crumbling in a series of telephone calls and his son growing more peculiar by the day, Michael is witness to the spectacular unraveling of a familyuntil a violent accident draws him, inexorably, into the fold.
Customer Reviews:
Not Good.......2005-12-21
I very much admire Rachel Cusk - I've read all of her books and quite enjoyed them. But "In the Fold" was so lacking in anything to capture my interest that I couldn't even finish it. It is a story filled with characters who are weird, who say odd things, who seem to appear and vanish like apparitions. People just don't talk like this - the dialogue is extremely tiresome.
There was not a single character I cared about, and everytime I went back to reading, I had no recollection of what transpired previously and had to re-read the previous several pages. This story had no warmth, no heart, and seemed a pointless use of time. Very disappointing, as I expected something truly great.
An impressive mix of imagery and philosophy.......2005-12-12
The plot of this book concerns disillusion and dissolution: the growing disillusion that the narrator, Michael, feels toward the family of his former college buddy, and the looming possibility of the dissolution of his marriage. Neither prospect is much of a surprise. The family, which he'd once youthfully idealized, consists largely of fractured eccentrics, and his wife has seemingly come unhinged. Michael watches it all as if from a distance, outwardly passive (maddeningly so for his wife) but internally buffeted.
The events are occasionally humorous but pointedly ordinary--farm chores, trips to the store, quick conversations. What's remarkable is the stage Cusk creates for these little dramas. Her imagery is extremely vivid. She pays close attention to light and shadow, for example, and nails her descriptions of both. She focuses on a steady procession of everyday details--jackets, buckets, fishing nets--and uses them to anchor the story in a very recognizable work-a-day world. This flat realism combines with Michael's candid interior monologue to create a mild, is-this-my-life? sort of existential dread that inhabits the quieter moments of the book.
With its heavy shadows, odd details, and sense of a things wobbling slowly out of control, the book resembles a particularly vivid and profound dream. The themes Cusk explores, notably the tension between responsibility to self and responsibility to family, will stay with you long after you put this one in the bookshelf.
A complex, nuanced, and darkly written comedy of manners.......2005-11-16
Michael, a British college student from a conservative background, is invited to attend a birthday party at his friend Adam Hanbury's country estate. The estate is called "Egypt," and to Michael, the place and the people are as exotic as any faraway country. Adam's large, messy family seems wonderfully witty and worldly. The Hanburys' world is idyllic, pastoral and bohemian, and Michael longs to be a part of it, especially when he sees the birthday girl, Caris, a free spirit who poses nude for the family's artist-in-residence: "She looked more extraordinary than any person I had seen before, although it is hard to say exactly why she gave this impression...She looked like a goddess."
After Michael enjoys a too-brief kiss from Caris, the narrative flashes forward more than a decade. Now in his mid-thirties, living in Bath with his wife Rebecca and their three-year-old son Hamish, Michael seems to be enjoying an orthodox existence that is diametrically opposed to the Hanburys' bohemian lifestyle. Although Michael hasn't spoken to Adam in several years, he can't stop thinking about that one magical party. When a balcony on his ramshackle house (donated by his in-laws) collapses, nearly killing him, Michael decides to accept an invitation to visit the Hanburys again to help with the spring lambing while Adam's father is in the hospital.
Arriving at Egypt with his young son in tow, Michael is surprised to discover that all is not as it seemed at this country estate. Adam himself is now married and living nearby; Caris is a voluptuous hippie living on an all-women's commune; Adam's mother and stepmother, who seem on the surface to be friends, secretly loathe and resent each other; and Adam's ailing father is not entirely the benevolent patriarch he seems. As Michael grows increasingly disillusioned not only with the Hanburys but also with his own troubled marriage, he must figure out how --- or whether --- to return to his former life.
Set in a manor house in the English countryside, IN THE FOLD has the feeling of early-twentieth century comedies of manners, with some distinctly modern twists. Although the novel does have its moments of levity, its brand of humor is definitely dark, and it can be difficult to find any characters to like (including the narrator himself). Nevertheless, Rachel Cusk's writing is tight and biting, and the novel's characterizations are complex, nuanced, and sometimes a little uncomfortable --- much like family life in the real world.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
"Everything works. You can just get on with your life" .......2005-10-23
Michael is just a young man, when Adam Hanbury, his best friend at University, invites him to his home of Egypt to celebrate Caris, his younger sister's eighteenth birthday. Of course, it is not the country of Egypt in which the Hanbury family call home, but Egypt Hill, an estate just outside of rural Doniford, a highly quaint and contoured town, clustered around a small bay.
The Hanbury's, this dotty group of eccentrics immediately entrance Michael and he's hugely impressed by their freedom of the ideas and the glamorous exuberance of their parties. Michael begins to feel as though life's possibilities are opening up before him. He readily admits that he's not particularly materialistic, but he likes to surround himself with those who are, and also those who have a penchant towards status. Michael prides himself on the fact that the Hanbury's privileged circumstances have left him with the illusion that he was indifferent to them.
Fifteen years later, he encounters them again, but both their circumstances have irremovably changed. Michael is a lawyer for a local charity, and now lives in Bath, and is married to Rebecca, who grew up in a similarly unrestrained family. Her arty bourgeois parents are continually conferring on the couple one long strand of human intercourse, existing in a condition of something like sustained embroilment.
Rebecca is now struggling to free herself from the limitless freedom her parents have afforded her. Yet it is this freedom that she actually wants, most particularly the freedom to express herself. Michael willingly acknowledges that it is the practical, financial and social entanglements that attracted him to her family in the first pace, as it did with the Hanbury's.
Lately Rebecca has been moving away from Michael and he's at a loss as to how to connect with her, when Adam Hanbury invites him back to visit Egypt to participate in a season of sheep birthing, he jumps at the opportunity and takes Hamish, his four-year-old son with him. Returning to the place where so many of his dreams were formed, Michael hopes to find a little clarity, but instead he is met with an altogether unexpected state of affairs.
The Hanbury family is now fraught with tension and misspent opportunity. Adam's father, Paul has recently been taken to hospital and is resentful of his flirtatious ex-wife Audrey and the way his current wife Vivian has been running the farm. Paul is a crabby, irascible and misogynistic pill, who believes women should be seen and not heard, and constantly worries about the future of the ramshackle farm.
Vivian, for her part, feels as though she's descending into a well of blackness most of the time, while Caris has become a type of left of center feminist, who spurns riding in cars and now likes to swan around impersonating a Roman goddess. Michael recognizes in her a presence, something that spoke to his own weakness for the transitory and the dispossessed. Meanwhile, Lisa, Adam's materialistic wife, begins to bore Michael, whom he detects is suffering from the madness of convenience, deciding to concern herself with the "morality of inanimate objects."
Author Rachel Cusk writes well of the eccentricities and the delicate nuances of English upper class country life, her language eloquent yet restrained. The dialogue glistens and sparkles with sardonic and ironic word play as the characters eventually come together and confront their hidden agendas and their years of selfish deceit.
Michael, as the narrator gives the proceedings a chilly, detached air, and while he is loath to reveal faults within himself, he is all too ready to analyze the other characters in sometimes-forensic detail. Whether it's an unconventional dress sense or an accent, no bohemian detail is too small or too insignificant for him to notice.
Ultimately, however, In The Fold is about memory, and how the influences of the past can affect how we live today. The Hanburys had a magic quality; "they made it seem as though all you had to do was something other than what you thought you should do." Michael's memories of Doniford, and the Hanburys, reveal that he, like them, were in a sense homeless. Now they just cannot cope in a reality that has been so changed; they wonder around preoccupied spaces, "mournful as ghosts," and the shock for Michael is that he fails to realize that time has also moved in this way over his life.
By coming back to Doniford, Michael had expected to surrender to a state of dispossession, hoping to recapture something of the freedom of his past, but it appeared that it was no longer permissible for him to be the unencumbered young university student he once was, and to be free. Part of Michael's self-discovery and his life's journey, is the realization that at his age, you just have to belong to somewhere. Mike Leonard October 05.
deep look at relationshsips .......2005-10-22
Michael's family adheres to rigid social customs so he knows little else. That is until he attends the eighteenth birthday party of Caris Hanbury, the sister of his university roommate Adam. He finds an entirely different world at Egypt Hill.
Years later, Michael resides in Bath with his edgy spouse Rebecca and their troubled withdrawn young son Hamish. They live in a beautiful house given to them by her parents the artistic amoral Alexanders, control freaks who in their eccentric way live an inflexible lifestyle that they expect everyone in their circle, including Michael and Hamash, to follow the lack of conformity that is paradoxically similar yet different from the Hanburys. Worried about his son, Michael takes Hamash with him on a pilgrimage to Egypt Hill where he first learned to break out of the binds of society, but nothing remains the same as he learns you can't go home. He always thought of the place since his first visit but realizes that his dream place is just an illusion.
IN THE FOLD is a deep look at relationshsips between people that will keep the audience pondering after finishing the novel what truly makes a family besides DNA. The story line lacks action as the plot concentrates on varying individuals interacting or not with some turning destructive and others illogical. Not for everyone, Rachel Cusk provides a potent look at the essence of an individual just surviving and mostly living in a society trying to file them in the appropriate drawer; some will rebel while others will quietly acquiesce.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
- Awesome Book For The Mad Mag. Fan
- An Amazing Classic!
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Mad Fold This Book!: A Ridiculous Collection of Fold-Ins (Mad)
Al Jaffee
Manufacturer: Warner Treasures
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
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| Comics & Graphic Novels
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General
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General
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Puzzles & Games
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| Magic
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General
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ASIN: 0446912123 |
Customer Reviews:
Awesome Book For The Mad Mag. Fan.......2000-07-14
One of the most consistantly great things about Mad Magazine over the last 30+ years has been Al Jaffee's fold in's which were always on the inside back cover. This book features many of them with a before (not folded) and an after (folded) picture. The book is very sleek because of the excellant job that was done with the fold ins. If you're a long time Mad Magazine fold in fan you need this book.
An Amazing Classic!.......2000-03-02
Al Jaffee's fold-ins amazed us In April 1964. This Is a collection of Fold-In's and a breif paragarph with each telling why he made it and what was happening in the world at the time he made It! A Must have for anyone!
Book Description
The Romans fortified the southeast coast of Britain and called it "the Saxon Shore" to defend against the piracy of these wolves of the sea. The tyrant King Vortigern invited them into Britain as mercenaries to fight his enemies. Ambitious and treacherus, they siezed Vortigern as a hostage and slaughtered his nobles at Stonehenge during the "Night of the Long Knives." Now, forced forever from their homelands on the continent, the Saxons are in Britain to stay. Some work for peace. Most others for war. Not even the combined armies of King Arthur can eradicate them, though their power will be broken for a generation after the epochal Battle of Badon. This is the story of the rise to power of the proud and energentic Germanic peoples who rule the south and east coasts and renamed their new domain "England."
Saxons! is a supplement for the King Arthur Pendragon(TM) roleplaying game, describing the Germanic invaders of Britain. It provides the history, heroes and culture of the Saxons, Angles, and Jutes, plus rules for Saxon character creation and Magic. The full 70-year campaign begins in 449 AD with the advent of the Saxons in Britain and culminates at the Battle of Badon in 518 AD. Discover the detailed geography and politics of the "Saxon Shore" area--Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex--described with extensive maps and notes
A Pendragon supplement for Dark Ages Britain. Your must have a copy of "Pendragon" to understand and use the roleplaying game systems presented within this supplement.
Average customer rating:
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Marvel Heroes the Battle Unfolds Fold-Out Flap Book (Marvel Heroes)
TOM DEFALCO , and
Reader's Digest
Manufacturer: Reader's Digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
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Popular Culture
| Literature
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Superheroes
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
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General
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Fiction
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ASIN: 0794413064 |
Book Description
The Super Hero action is larger than life, thanks to the giant fold-out flaps in this colorful book. A team of Super Villains has stolen a top-secret Power Gem, and it's up to Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, and members of the Fantastic Four to stop the plot. Each action-packed page unfolds to reveal another panoramic Super Hero scene. Marvel fans will love the big colorful scenes as the story builds to its surprising climax.
Average customer rating:
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Astro Boy Fold and Mail Stationery
Chronicle Books
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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General
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Astro Boy
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All 4-for-3 Deals
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ASIN: 0811845850 |
Book Description
Snail mail's too slow, airmail too expensive, and e-mail's too impersonal. Try Astro-mail, and take your correspondence to great heights.
2004 Tezuka Productions/Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc. ASTRO BOY character and related indica: & 2004 Tezuka Productions. All rights reserved. Distributed by Sony Pictures Television.
Average customer rating:
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August 1914 ***NOVEL***
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander
| ( S )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000J0FRTA |
Average customer rating:
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August 1914 ***NOVEL***
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Manufacturer: Bodley Head
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander
| ( S )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000J0IPWG |
Average customer rating:
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Fold 'N' Tuck
Steve Brodner
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Drawing
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ASIN: 0385411642
Release Date: 1990-09-01 |
Customer Reviews:
Wickedly funny & clever!.......2000-04-02
Steve Brodner gives his contorted caricatures an interactive twist. When you "fold and tuck" two celebrity faces together, you create a third face. Jerry Lewis + Ronald Reagan = George Bush! Dylan + Sinatra = Springsteen! Fun stuff from a master satirist.
Customer Reviews:
Another Winner from Matthews.......2007-08-03
This book is just pure fun, perfect for a beach or pool read, perfect for those times when you just don't want to think.
Rose is an aromatherpist/masseuse who has removed herself from her life and career in London to settle down in a small village in order to recover from a romance gone bad. We like her right away; we like her quaint cottage, her sweet ways, and her fascinating job (courtesy of Jessmine Lovage and her encyclopedic information about aromatherapy!).
But all is not QUITE well. Busybody Anise, a lady very much "on in years," is convinced that Rose is running a house of ill repute! She employs her more liberal sister Anjelica (of no small age either) and her swain, Basil, to spy on Rose 24/7. Actually, it's not Rose who is running a naughty house, but I won't spoil the story or the enormous humor in this book.
Well, Rose meets Dan, a builder with the cottage charmingly named "Builder's Bottom," and sparks fly. But nothing seems to work out right for the couple...
Find out what happens to Rose and Dan, Basil and Anise, and all the other remarkably fun villagers in this simply delightful book. It's one of those you can't put down for the sheer fun of it.
One of My Favorite Carole Matthews.......2006-12-31
I found this to be one of the best Carole Matthews titles that I have read. Carole's books always present such interesting challenges faced by her protagonists when it comes to life and love, and this one is no exception.
Set in a small village on the outskirts of suburban England, Carole does an excellent job in capturing what life is like in a small town, with neighbors watching your every move, speculating and spreading rumors that sometimes only have a sliver of truth to them. She even reveals how wrong people can be about what is innocent, and what isn't in a small town through hilarious antics of a housewife turned prostitute.
The main character, Rose, is trying very hard to start a new life in a small town, but nobody wants to give her a break because they don't understand what she does as an aromatherapist, and mistakenly think she is a prostitute! As she settles in, she begins to fall in love with a local, who is going through his own relationship troubles. However, she is still torn by the affair that sent her fleeing from London. I couldn't stop reading as Rose tries so desperately to make the right decision, faltering for some time but eventually coming to terms with her feelings after a rather muddy encounter!
A definite must for any fan of Carole Matthews, or British chic lit!
Definitely does not stink!.......2006-12-07
Rose Stevens has managed to fall in love with a married man. She flees London for the countryside and the small village of Great Brayford to set up her own aromatherapy business and escape her broken heart. Never mind that the townspeople aren't sure what an aroma therapist is - they are convinced that there's hanky panky going on at her cottage.
Local building contractor Dan Spikenard never anticipated falling for the new lady that takes up residence in the house that "smells like a tart's handbag," but that is exactly what happens when he is summoned to repair her chimney. But the unthinkable happens -Hugh returns to the picture suddenly single and ready to settle down with Rose. What's a girl to do?
Matthews has created a romantic story with twists and turns and has you rooting for the lead couple to find their way back to each other. Quirky residents, funny situations, and jealous lovers make this a quick and entertaining read!
this was okay, but not her best.......2005-02-27
I agree with the other reviewer, lots of situations were left unexplored. The other books I have read by this author didn't have multiple, interacting story lines like this book did. It was a quick, fun read but not the best Carole Matthews' book in my opinion.
Cute, but overpriced!.......2004-12-14
This was a cute book, but definitely not worth paying $12.95! Matthews was clever to preface several chapters with descriptions of aromatherapy combinations to describe the characters and emotions in the book. That was a fun touch.
It was a light read and the 344 pages went by very quickly. The end of course, was predictable. Matthews introduced several characters and subplots and wrote just enough information about each character and substory to get the reader interested, but she left the reader hanging by leaving out what could have been very juicy and scandalous parts of the book. For example, she could have expounded more on what what happened between Dan and Gardi after Dan spent the night at Rose's house. Matthews could have filled the reader in on the details about what Gardi was doing when she went "shopping" all day to get back at Dan.
Matthews could have also elaborated on the reaction from Frank when he found out the truth about Mel, or share the details with the reader about how Mel and Frank's relationship was working itself out. I would of also liked to hear about Anise's reaction to the relationship between Angelica and Basil, and I definitely would have wanted to read more about the fiasco when Hugh's wife showed up in London.
Overall, it was a cute story, but for a book with "scandal" in the title, I would have liked to read more about the results of the scandals that took place. The subplots were underdeveloped. I did giggle here and there!
It's a good read, but check it out at the library or borrow the book from a friend!
Book Description
It's "Dashiell-Hammett-gone-goofy"* twice over in this single-volume edition of the first two novels in Eric Garcia's "genre-bending, species-bending, gender-bending romp of a mystery"** series hailed as "irresistible... outrageous...brilliant...funny, poignant, dramatic, satiric, brutal and tender."*** Whew. And now the novels are a Sci-Fi Channel movie event.
Customer Reviews:
You gotta read it to believe it!.......2006-04-09
Eric Garcia has created a world that, bar none, is one of the most novel I have had the fortune to step into during all the years I have been reading. The premise of his noir-ish detective stories, told - of course - first-person by Vincent Rubio, is that all dinosaurs did NOT become extinct 65 million years ago; in fact, 16 species survived, mutated and now live among us, disguised as humans (apparently with the use of lots of high-stress girdles, buckles and epoxy). Garcia presents this so matter-of-factly that while reading, you just go with it - maybe once you have put the book down and are thinking about it, you might go "hey, waitaminute," but while reading the book he makes it seem eminently plausible.
This omnibus presents the first two books in the series in chronological order, rather than publication date so "Casual Rex" is actually first up. Rubio's partner Watson's ex-wife comes to them for help - her brother is part of a strange cult and she wants them to get him out. So, they go out and infiltrate the cult, with equal measures of comic and horrific results. I won't go into any more details as to what happens here, or to any of the other events of the story so as to avoid ruining it for you, but this story is actually quite humorous in many places while having a darker core as well. "Anonymous Rex" is a slightly different matter - from what I could piece together, it takes place about 9 months after the end of the previous book (I believe the case referenced is the case that Watson was leaving to investigate at the end of that book); Watson has been killed - supposedly in a hit-and-run by a taxi in New York. Rubio has gone on a serious bender with the basil and is refusing to buy the story about what happened with Watson and as a result has just about burned all his bridges and lost most of his business. Things are looking really bleak when he gets thrown a bone by one of the big companies in town - which seems to lead right back to the case that Watson was investigating when he was killed. Although this story is a bit darker, it provides quite a number of laugh-out-loud moments as well, and both of the stories are also well-crafted mysteries at their base.
Take this trip inside the mind of a truly creative writer. You will NOT regret it!
Brilliantly clever, strikingly imaginative - two claws up all the way.......2005-09-17
Forget everything you know about dinosaurs. Not only did they not become extinct 65 million years ago, they currently make up about 5% of the "human" population. Rather than stomp all of us humans out of existence eons ago, they decided just to live in our world secretly (they have much smaller bodies than their ancestors), donning complex human guises involving lots of straps, buckles, and epoxy. You'd be amazed at just how many celebrities and power brokers are actually dinosaurs in disguise. All they want is to keep their secret, find the time and opportunity to really be themselves every now and again, and maybe get a good buzz on with basil or certain other herbs if and when the urge strikes. They live by two golden rules: never let a human learn their secret (and kill any who do) and never, ever, ever engage in interspecies relations with a human.
With Anonymous Rex, author Eric Garcia first brought this strange new world to life, garnering critical acclaim and a cult following for his efforts. He is a brilliantly wicked author, packing loads of comedy into noir-ish tales of dinosaur private investigator Vincent Rubio. Poor Vince has had a rough nine months. It all started when his partner Ernie was run over by a taxi in New York. Vince went a little nuts after that, broke a lot of rules and at least one nose during his investigation of the accident, and got himself declared dinosaur non grata in both New York and back home in Los Angeles. He is in an emotional and financial tailspin, nursing a major basil addiction and basically trying to find a reason to keep on keeping on. With little left to his name, he finally gets a case thrown his way, an insurance job investigating a fire at a local dino club. As luck would have it, the club owner had important contacts in New York, and before you can say Velociraptor, Vince is back in the Big Apple conducting interviews for a case that may well have some relation to his partner's death.
This thing gets pretty involved, as a simple case of possible arson soon leads Vince into a conspiracy of dinosaur-sized proportions involving human-dinosaur genetic experimentation. Slowly but surely, Vince starts assembling the pieces of the puzzle, but progress doesn't come without setbacks - a couple of attempts on his life, some inconvenient deaths of informants and friends, a serious lack of funds, and even a dangerous relationship with a singularly appealing human female. Danger is Vince's middle name, however, and in time he breaks out of his emotional funk, manages to stay away from basil long enough to clear his head, and relentlessly pursues a solution to a surprisingly complex mystery.
The book is written in first person, in the classic style of ye olde detective mysteries from the golden age of Dashiell Hammett and Sam Spade. And make no mistake - aside from the unique dinosaur angle and the constant showcase of sarcastic wit and genuinely funny writing, Garcia knows how to construct and tell a good mystery. Anonymous Rex is a thoroughly engaging read from start to finish. There's an edge to this story, a fair share of surprises along the way, and all sorts of social commentary you can ponder or simply ignore. If you've been yearning for something different, Vincent Rubio, P.I., is on the case, and the game's afoot.
Casual Rex is Garcia's second "Rex" novel, but it is actually a prequel to Anonymous Rex. Victor and his partner Ernie are your basic PI's - snooping on roving spouses, hunting down petty thieves, etc. Their humdrum state of existence changes when Ernie's ex-wife asks them to find her brother and bring him home (forcibly, if necessary). It seems the poor kid has gotten all caught up in a dino cult called the Progressives. Most dinosaurs have accepted the fact that they have to go to great pains to pass themselves off as humans, but some yearn for the old lifestyle of complete dino freedom. Vic and Ernie infiltrate the cult and get their man - but that's just the beginning of the story. There's something really sinister going on here, and our detective heroes are determined to find out just what the Progressives are up to. Their mission eventually leads them to a back-to-nature retreat in the islands of Hawaii, where they learn even more than they bargained for about the cult.
The fact that Casual Rex wasn't quite as funny as I expected it to be is certainly not a bad thing. It does, after all, deal with such serious issues as drug abuse (ah, sweet basil), cults, murder, and your proverbial world domination and genocide - as well as friendship, honor, and humanity (or whatever the dinosaur equivalent of that would be). Garcia's writing style remains delightfully quirky, the absurdist setting is effectively presented (with explanations of dinosaur culture over the millennia enriched by rich and numerous off-the-cuff remarks), the action is well-paced, the tragedies that take place over the course of the novel are surprisingly poignant, and a rising level of suspense (not to mention curiosity) definitely draws the reader in and carries him/her all the way to the end.
This Anonymous Rex/Casual Rex omnibus places Casual Rex in front of Anonymous Rex, which is fine if you want to read the prequel first. If you'd rather read the two books in the order of publication, though, be sure to start with Anonymous Rex.
How well do you really know your Neighbors?.......2005-02-06
When I first saw this book on the shelves I was skeptical. This is because after having read many science fiction books over the years I have seen many a good concept turned in to utter garbage and also have fallen victim more than once to a clever title that masked a used ream of toilet tissue. Needless to say I had discovered that clever titles equal bad books. So originally I shied away from this one; at first. The last week I decided to pick it up and read it. Imagine my shock that such a puny title could mask such a gem. The hallmark of good science fiction is an original twist on reality in some remotely plausible way and Garcia pulls this off.
The premise is that not all dinosaurs went extinct because of the great fire showers. Some of them survived and evolved to smaller forms in order to live in the new world. They also discovered a bunch of ground dwelling apes that were barely sentient but did have one solid trait; they believed in helping other species go extinct. So the surviving dinos learn to dress up like humans and blend end. Now fast forward a million decades or so and you got the P.I. firm of Watson and Rubio. Ernie Watson and Vincent Rubio are dinos. From here there is an investigation of a dino naturalist cult in the first book, Casual rex which is actually the second book but a prequel so it comes first in this omnibus. In the second book but first book, Anonymous Rex, Vincent is dealing with a drug habit and Ernie's death which leads him to discover some nefarious experimenting and clandestine humans. The rest I suggest you read for your self.
These books were engrossing and I really couldn't put them down. Garcia's writing style is a humorous twist on film noir. All of the characters are fully developed with the exception of a few compys but then they are compys. Garcia is able to make it all seem feasible, realistic and more importantly he is able to draw you into the story. You really start to feel for Vincent and the others.
Read this omnibus or the books individually. You will not regret it.
Book Description
The colorful adventure story of an American practitioner of Chinese medicine who travels to Kathmandu in search of medical and spiritual knowledge.
In 1987 David Crow journeyed to Nepal in search of teachings in Tibetan medicine and Buddhist meditation. For the next ten years, he studied with many teachers. Using his newfound knowledge, Crow opened a clinic in Kathmandu and another in a small mountain village, where he treated beggars from the street as well as high abbots of monasteries. This colorful and captivating story interweaves medical teachings with insights into Tibetan Buddhism, evoking the beauty and wonder of a faraway land. Bibliography. Index.
Customer Reviews:
Can't say enough about this book.......2007-03-29
The perspective and insight that this books contains is overwhelming. The content was great, but what struck me most was the nature of the author. He has such an incredible respect and love for the Earth, other cultures, and human beings. If the world was full of David Crows, we'd be in good shape. I recommend this book for the fascinating look at Tibetan medicine, but even more for the spiritual development that Mr. Crow inspires.
Ancient Wisdom.......2004-11-19
To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?(Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.), Roman orator, philosopher, statesman. Orator, 120.)
As humans we not only should look into the future, but into the past. Without considering our past history-how can make appropriate observations, conclusions and judgments? And this is why I find this book of value.
About the Book:
Crow, a student of spiritual healing, left his acupuncture practice in San Francisco to travel to Kathmandu to pursue the path of the healers in Buddhist and Hindu culture. He discusses his experiences with Nepalese traditional doctors and Tibetan healing practices. Crow believes Ayurveda is the medicine of the future and the antidote to disease caused by our increasingly toxic world.
A Rare Treasure of Medical Lore and Travel Mystery.......2002-10-25
David Crows book is a must read for anyone interested in herbal medicine, Eastern philosophy, and their relevance in todays hectic world--especially for those interested in the ancient yet highly topical teachings of Ayurveda.
This book is urging us to create a new renaissance in healing, but it is not another superficial New Age book. This book is written with care and depth of heart by someone who is not interested in simple answers to complicated questions. I was struck by the authors integrity and ability to make sense out of such diverse yet interrelated topics as herbs, healing, culture, sustainable economics, and ecology. The authors central theme is that we need to both revive and advance herbal medicine and our own sense of sacred environmentalism in order to live in harmony on this troubled earth.
In Search of the Medicine Buddha is not only a book about herbal medicine but also about the need to renew our ageold spiritual connection to plants. Moreover, the book is refreshingly honest, rich, and poetic in its descriptions of Nepali and Indian culture. Highly recommended for anyone interested in creating a richer, more fulfilling and balanced life for themselves and all other living beings!
Miraculous medicinal plants.......2002-08-24
David delves into the subject of miraculous medicinal plants around the world and explains why botanical medicine is so crucial for the long term health and care of our planet, our healthcare system and our economy. David writes about how you can get involved in creating a grassroots healthcare system in your community by growing your own living pharmacy among many other natural wonders.
How can I convince you to read this book?.......2001-06-19
The text itself is medicinal. The story speaks often of the ancient and rare, but is something everyone struck by the unrelenting madness of the modern world should read. The author's sincerity comes through clearly, and I would be pleased to see more from him. It is difficult to do justice to this book in a short time; it is very rich, even poetic. Do yourself a favor: just trust me on this one.
Books:
- Intertextualidad Generativa En: El Beso De LA Mujer Arana, De Manuel Puig (Coleccion Polymita) (Coleccion Polymita)
- Ira Foxglove
- JACK O'CONNOR THE LAST BOOK, CONFESSIONS OF A GUN EDITOR
- Jailbird
- Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose, and Diary Excerpts
- La guerra del fin del mundo
- LA Plaza Del Diamante/the Diamond Plaza
- Le Mariage
- Macho Camacho's Beat
- Mocha Love: A Novel of Passion, Honesty, Deceit and Power
Books Index
Books Home
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