Oscar and Lucinda: movie tie-in edition

Amazon.com

Oscar Hopkins is a high-strung preacher's kid with hydrophobia and noisy knees. Lucinda Leplastrier is a frizzy-haired heiress who impulsively buys a glass factory with the inheritance forced on her by a well-intentioned adviser. In the early parts of this lushly written book, author Peter Carey renders the seminal turning points in his protagonists' childhoods as exquisite 19th-century set pieces. Young Oscar, denied the heavenly fruit of a Christmas pudding by his cruelly stern father, forever renounces his father's religion in favor of the Anglican Church. "Dear God," Oscar prays, "if it be Thy will that Thy people eat pudding, smite him!" Lucinda's childhood trauma involves a beautiful doll bought by her struggling mother with savings from the jam jar; in a misguided attempt to tame the doll's unruly curls, young Lucinda mutilates her treasure beyond repair. Neither of these coming-of-age stories quite explains how the grownup Oscar and Lucinda each develop a guilty passion for gambling. Oscar plays the horses while at school, and Lucinda, now an orphaned heiress, finds comfort in a game of cards with an odd collection of acquaintances. When the two finally meet, on board a ship bound for New South Wales, they are bound by their affinity for risk, their loneliness, and their awkwardly blossoming (but unexpressed) mutual affection. Their final high-stakes folly--transporting a crystal palace of a church across (literally) godforsaken terrain--strains plausibility, and events turn ghastly as Oscar plays out his bid for Lucinda's heart. Yet even the unconvincing plot turns are made up for by Carey's rich prose and the tale's unpredictable outcome. Although love proves to be the ultimate gamble for Oscar and Lucinda, the story never strays too far from the terrible possibility that even the most thunderstruck lovers can remain isolated in parallel lives.

Book Description

The Booker Prize-winning novel--now a major motion picture from Fox Searchlight Pictures.

This sweeping, irrepressibly inventive novel, is a romance, but a romance of the sort that could only take place in nineteenth-century Australia. For only on that sprawling continent--a haven for misfits of both the animal and human kingdoms--could a nervous Anglican minister who gambles on the instructions of the Divine become allied with a teenaged heiress who buys a glassworks to help liberate her sex. And only the prodigious imagination of Peter Carey could implicate Oscar and Lucinda in a narrative of love and commerce, religion and colonialism, that culminates in a half-mad expedition to transport a glass church across the Outback.

Customer Reviews:

Gambling and Love.......2007-04-13

This has got to be in my top five books i have ever read.
Set in 19th century Australia, Lucinda is confident and assertive. In contrast, Oscar is mild mannered and nervous. Together they form a friendhip that begins with a love for gambling but develops into something much deeper.
This story is beautifully written, Carey conjures up wonderful imagery of early Australian life, both in the outback and the city. The characters
are magical.
Absolutely supurb

the aftermath.......2007-03-07

I just finished this book on my subway ride home. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that my initial shock has subsided to the sort of wisdom and sadness that accompanies the ending of many great books. I do think that Carey's writing suffered a bit during the transport of the glass church; he reminded me a little of John Barth at his most self-indulgent, or something like that. However, it was still compelling, and evidence of the importance of the rest of the story-- the way he built the characters and set the stage.

Interestingly, I read this immediately after Julian Barnes's "Arthur and George," and in retrospect find the beginning of that book heavily influenced by this one. "Oscar and Lucinda" is a worthy read and one that will often hit you in the gut with laughter and pain.

one of the finest books I've read .......2006-08-06

This is a fine, entertaining book. I've never read anything by Carey before, but I'm a fan now.

Oscar and Lucinda.......2006-08-04

Literary fiction is sometimes very tedious for me to read. This is one of them. It takes 300 pages for Oscar to Meet Lucinda. By that time you know what both thier parents ate for breakfast and what the dog's name was and what their neighbors wore to church. But so what?

I found the book slow and over detailed.
Detail is something Carey is best at.
I found the book slow and not that interesting.

The Lingering Effects of Oscar and Lucinda.......2006-05-27

At first, I was reluctant to give myself over to this book. From what I knew of plot and characters (glass churches! gambling priests! Australia!) I dreaded another work that confused quirky for interesting, as so many tend to. But after the first page, all of those worries were left behind and I found myself completely engrossed in this novel. What I had assumed would be an airy, light read turned out to be a book that has stuck with me since I read it.

More than that, it was one of the few books that I've read recently that I really could not stop reading; whenever I had a spare moment, I would try to read a few pages. It was as if instead of reading a novel, was being introduced to breathing, living people, an effect accomplished by having the vast majority of the book acting as a build-up for the advertised events with the church; the reader spends less time reading a story of an event and more time being introduced to two people, with all their traumas and fears and joys lain bare for one to see. While in the hands of a lesser artist this inordinate attention to the back-story could misfire badly, Peter Carey time and again proves himself to be a storyteller more than able to carry it off. And more than an excellent story-teller, Carey is an amazing writer, with a prose both crystalline and gorgeous.

But, this is not a perfect book by any means. One of its most noticeable flaws is the treatment of the last episodes of the narrative, which don't so much wind up the story as suddenly cauterize it to a close. This is even more glaring when one compares it with the style and content in the book's early sections (especially when one considers the amount of detail and care evident in the chapters dealing with Oscar's childhood vs. the whirlwind events after his arrival at Boat Harbor).

However, as the title of this review suggests, the real impact of the book is how it stays with the reader. This little book that I thought would help pass the time before going to sleep has instead stuck stubbornly in my mind, and doesn't seem to be willing to go anywhere else soon.

Book Description

In order to properly own her beloved lands, Miss Aurelia Trevor needs a husband. Offering her hand to the infamous businessman Thomas Lanning presents him with the opportunity to advance himself toward a seat in Parliament. But soon, this marriage of convenience turns to one of true love.

Customer Reviews:

Unsympathetic heroine.......2007-03-26

The Lady and the Cit is a marriage-of-convenience story, but a rather unusual one.

Aurelia Trevor is an heiress, but until she turns 25, she won't have control of her estate, Pevensey Park. In the meantime, her uncle and guardian is running the estate into the ground, and pressuring her to marry her cousin, the "Terrible Twyford." The solution seems to be for her to marry someone of her own choosing, but with Twyford becoming bolder and threatening to compromise her to force her to marry him, time is running short. So she writes letters to various friends and acquaintances telling them she's in search of a husband.

The Good:
The humor. Aurelia's initial prospects are quite amusing, in a 3-Bears sort of way.
The historical details. The details about elections at the time were just fascinating, and the attitudes about class differences were very realistic.

The Bad:
The heroine's attitude. Realistic or not, I couldn't stomach the heroine's attitude. She constantly put down the hero for being a "cit" (for those of you not familiar with Regencies, this means he *gasp* works for a living, in the city--a definite class difference), despite the fact that she's the one who sought him out, not the other way around.

The Verdict:
Good for a few laughs and a little insight into Regency England, but don't expect a great love story.

Regency electioneering --.......2005-08-15

This is my very favorite type of book - one that tells a realistic, sensible story based on solid research, about charming endearing *human* characters, and the whole is encased in marvelous writing. Truly, I don't know what more one could wish for, unless it be more pages to the story than the prescribed format allows.

By-elections in the countryside of Regency England-Kent, for example-are not a common base for a Regency novel, and the details presented in this engaging story are fascinating. Kudos to Ms. Bancroft and her library for allowing the rest of us to know them, as well.

Aurelia Trevor is an only child, nearing her majority when the guardian of her family property dies, leaving her at the mercy of another, rather unsavory uncle. But there is no mercy forthcoming, merely the prospect of a forced marriage to Auuelia's cousin. Drastic measures are needed to maintain her hold on the family estate Pevensey Park, so with the connivance of her long-time governess and now friend, the two women head for London to search out a husband.

The chosen candidate is Thomas Lanning, an unmarried financier, but otherwise not someone Aurelia would have been likely to encounter in her life. The two engage in a `Taming of the Shrew' sort of married life, effectively stopping the efforts of her uncle and cousin to gain the property and the heiress for their own purposes.

Thomas has an agenda of his own which is a major factor in his decision to marry Aurelia. He wants to enter politics, and sees the seat at Lower Peven as the ideal place to start. Along the way, he is forced to face up to his own family responsibilities, adding a half-brother and sister to the mix at the Park, along with a new steward and other retainers. Sparks fly as old and new customs are blended together to match this new blended family.

In the end, everything works out splendidly, and the journey to get there is a most enjoyable one. It's fun to watch Aurelia and Thomas battle their way to a new understanding of each other and themselves in the process. Any reader who loves to read and savor words will greatly enjoy this book.

A Read that will not stand the test of time.......2005-07-15

Blair Bancroft's prose is commended by many a reader. But what seems consecutive in all of her current books (being The Harem Bride, The Lady and the Cit and Lady Silence) there is a noticeable lack of romance in the stories. It seems in all her works that the love story that one reads about it put on the backburner so the characters can be mad at each other instead. The reoccurring strand of events in her books has now gotten monotonous and I've decided that I'm finished with attempting to read any more Blair Bancroft.

Should readers come across this author's books, you'll find her writing affable and full of regency knowledge and in the beginning that kept me reading. But where there is no believable love story to develop as you read, you wonder why these were published under Signet Regency instead of regular literature publishing companies, as I believe they should have been.

As seen from previous reviews with this book (and likely among her others) it solidly receives 3 star reviews for commonplace and un-extraordinary reading that will not stick within a readers heart and mind once the book is done.

Other Recommendations: Virtually anything Elizabeth Fairchild and simply all of Carla Kelly though their best works are likely hard-to-find but worth the search.

Very Little Romance.......2005-02-23

Miss Aurelia Trevor of Pevensey Park, Kent was up in arms over the fact that her steward was totally ignoring her directives in maintaining the estate that was left to her by her father. Unfortunately, the two executors that had been named in her father's will had both passed on leaving her Uncle Huburt as her guardian until she attained the age of five and twenty, or until she married. Aurelia, at twenty-one, even though the estate was hers, could not control it until she attained the age of twenty-five, or married.

With the threat of being forced to marry or be compromised by her odious cousin, the Terrible Twyford, Aurelia and her former governess and companion devised a scheme to find a suitable husband - one that could be persuaded to marry yet leave the running of Pevensey to her. With the war going on and most eligible sons away fighting Bonaparte, the pickings were slim, therefore she enlisted the help of a solicitor in London to find a man, who would marry her under her conditions. Aurelia couldn't believe that she would ever consider a Cit, (a man who worked for a living or was in trade) rather than a gentleman from the nobility, but from the moment she saw the very handsome `cit' she was most definitely attracted.

Thomas Lanning, had no need of an heiress having amassed a fortune of his own, but the bonus of a political power base that offered itself along with Pevensey park, was something he truly couldn't turn down. Aside from that, Miss Aurelia Trevor, the arrogant little minx, was certainly attractive enough. Coming from different worlds, these two individuals - just might make a match made in heaven but it would be doubtful when Thomas put her in her place for `hiring' a cit for a husband with the comment "... you may annoy me at times, but you don't disgust me..." !!!

*** Blair Bancroft certainly writes with an admirable knowledge of the regency era with an ability to transport her readers with the sights, sounds, language and mannerisms of that period. Although the modern woman could feel sorry for the heroine's plight, it would be extremely hard to feel any warmth towards Aurelia's arrogance and her obvious distaste towards a `cit', especially when one considers that SHE was the one that had sought him out. She obviously felt attracted to Thomas, yet having been brought up in the ranks of the nobility, and as an only child, it was difficult for her to show any kind of emotion or warmth - attraction or not! It was only from observing the interactions of Thomas and his younger siblings that she loosened up at all. While I found this to be an extremely well researched and interesting read, those looking for romance will have to wait it out until the very last couple of pages. --- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ---

Grueling.......2005-02-13

Miss Aurelia Trevor had the misfortune of being born of female. Unless she marries, her beloved Pensevey Park will fall under the care of her dastardly uncle. Aurelia needs to find a husband--and fast. Anyone would be better than her uncle and sniveling cousin.

Enter Thomas Lanning. A cit (and therefore, not classified gentry), he doesn't really have any intention to wed, but he sees something beneficial in what Aurelia is proposing. He agrees to marry Aurelia, regardless of the fact that they always butt heads.

Throughout the book, Aurelia and Thomas are at odds. For the longest time, our hero and heroine show no interest in each other, aside from mutual attraction. At times, they seem to barely tolerate one another. If you like that in a book, you'd probably like this. However, the grueling pace kept me from enjoying it. And the author seemed to veer away from the main plot more than once. Toward the end, I felt like I was drudging through it.

On the bright side, the author does a good job at creating her characters, and showing their transitions throughout the book. Overall: 2 1/2 stars.

Cookbook of the Womans Art & Industrial Asso

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Cookbook of the Womans Art & Industrial Asso
Ladies Of Carson Cit
Manufacturer: UNSPECIFIED VENDOR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UPDYVM

Book Description

The Romulans attack the planet Gateway, where Federation scientists are studying the Guardian of Forever -- the mysterious portal to the past.

The Starship Enterprise™ must protect the Guardian -- or destroy it. But Spock has already used the portal to journey to the past. On the planet Sarpedion, 5,000 years ago, Spock knew a beautiful, primitive woman. Now he has gone back to meet his son!

Download Description

The Romulans attack the planet Gateway, where Federation scientists are studying the Guardian of Forever--the mysterious portal to the past. The Starship "Enterprise" must protect the Guardian--or destroy it.

Customer Reviews:

Life is but a dream.......2007-05-29

A Hollywood must! Zar's return to the past was logical. "Instead of the Northern hemisphere of Sarpeidon, I'm going to the Southern one...to the Lakreo Valley." Kirk frowns and says, "whats the significance of that?" "Ask my father. I can tell he remembers." Spocks tells Kirk that the Lakreo Valley is the equivalent of the Tigris-Euphrates, the garden of Eden, "a remarkable cultural awakening. Within a comparative short span of time, the backward hunting and gathering tribesmen developed many of the basics of civilization. A spoken and written language, the zero, agriculture", "Domestication of animals,smelting metal, architecture. More than that. All within a very short span of time. Such rapid growth logically indicates that they had help. I have strong evidence to indicate that help was me." "Why would my mother speak English?"

Ensign McNair shows Spock archeological information transferred to the Enterprise computers before the system went nova, the library of Atoz. "Neutron dating places the cave paintings you see as circa 5,000 years old-Sarpeidon's last ice age. This is an enlargement of the face you see on the left." On the far left side of the wall there was another smaller painting of a single face...Two slanting eyes, a jagged lock of bushy dark hair, a nose, a mouth. The style was primitive but arresting, and the features were executed with meticulous care. Including the pointed ears." Spock travels to Vulcan to confess his sins and tell his discovery to T'Pau. T'Pau tells Spock, `Thy behavior was certainly no credit to thy family. But it is illogical to dwell on the sins of the past. Why has thou come to me?" T'Pau's logic was correct, Spock quest to retrieve Zar served no personal gain, gained no inheritor for his house, nor any long-term continuity through posterity. Spocks pitches T'Pau that he will use the time portal to bring Zarabeth and Zar into the future. T'Pau gets suckered into believing Spock, "Yes, Thee must try. This child will be thy heir if thee dies without further issue. And thee has not entered kunat kaliffe with another. We must protect sucession.", marooned in time. The past is a dream.

Spock returns 5,000 years in the past, too the planet Beta Niobe, using the Guardian of Forever, too retrieve his son Zar, son of Zarabeth and bring him into future, educate him on his role in the past, and allow his son to return the past to complete the history. The geometry of the space-time continuum remains unchanged and possibly the historical geometry could never change future geometry since it is known.

1. McCoy thinksthe Guardian of Forever sounds like the name of a mortuary. The guardian of Forever is a librarian, who knows where and when too place time travelers. The Guardian also knows when and where to pickup the travelers. Hence, no possible modification to the time/space continuum and the dream.
2. The Federation keeps the Guardian of Forever a highly classified secret, and can not take any chances of a secret leak. However, the Romulan spy, Sander communicates to Romulan, the secret of the time portal. The Romulans take incentive and take a military action to acquire the time portal access.
3. The Guardian is incapable of changing the geometry of the future time/space continuum, telling Kirk, "I can show you Sarpeidon's past. It has no future. Behold."
4. Sithar is a very large predator and looks like a cross between an ox and a lion with an estimated size of an buffalo.
5. After a rough start, a telepathetic mind assault, and a few painful blows by Zar, Zar becomes reasonable, "Yes...I am Zarabeth's son. I'm Zar.", "Who are you?", "Why are you looking for me?" Zarabeth had taught Zar to look to the stars and hope that someday his father would return to rescue him. Zar recognizes Spock immediately as his father, a man whom his mother told much about. Zar believed Spock to be a warm and gentle individual very caring and concerned for Zar's welfare, "Spock became like the Vulcans of that time period,5,000 years ago. He...reverted...became an emotional being. One with strong feelings. He did things he'd never done before, even to eating meat." Zar believe Spock needed him. Spock's Vulcan discipline would communicate just the opposite message that Zar was not needed. Zar would accept the rejection and grow up and find his place in history devoid of Spock.
6. Spock fails to acknowledge Zar love for him telling him instead, "I believe that the best course is for you to study Vulcan history and customs so that you'll know what's expected of you." The crusty Vulcan oligarchy structure of elite families and their controlling places of order. Spock fears Zar rejection in his family, "Vulcan family connections are extremely complex, and that he couldn't translate the exact term of it". I can translate it, it is called pride. However, Zar is catching on. Kirk seal Zar fate by telling him the reasons why Enterprise attempted time travel to retrieve him.
7. Zarabeth knew the future, "My mother told me may times about two men who came from the future, but she said that the world was going to blow up- the atavachron must've been destroyed, too." Kirk and Spock discover Zarabeth has died and vaporize the remaining dead body with phaser fire.
8. Zar can project emotion: fear and hatred. Zar can kill with his emotions, (see Spocks World). Zar can project emotion from a distance (see Sarek). Zar will use this power to kill two Romulans. Zar can telepathetically sense emotion. Zar attempts an nonconsensual mind connection with Spock, Spock decries it as a heinous crime" in Vulcan terms. Zar begins to see himself as a bastard son and his mother an object of lust, "Then it wasn't love he felt for her, only...Poor Zarabeth. All her life, she remembered a dream, something that was never real. She never realized that she was...used." "I'm an embarrassment to him- a...barbarian that happens to look like him. Every time he sees me he's reminded of an incident he'd rather forget. No wonder he won't discuss his family on Vulcan with me. Vulcan customs are old and strict. Offspring like me are shamed ones."
9. Zar and Spock must install an forcefield around the guardian. A Romulan clocked vessel has arrived on the planet and killed Dr. Vargas and two of Zar's friends. The Enterprise instruments are unable to detect the Romulan's on the planet surface. Zar telepathetically experiences the death of his friends, slow torture. Romulans are brutal-terrorist killers, who kill with an agenda. Romulans operate in secret but their methods of death designed to get information. Kirk hopes that Zar telepathic ability will aid in exposing Romulans and Spock will be able to install the force field. Kirk must protect the time machine at all cost, "But I have no choice. I'd sacrifice any person on this ship, starting with myself to keep the Romulans from getting a chance at the time portal. Zar kills two Romulans with his mind. Spock is unable to install the force field. Kirk has beam to the surface of the planet. Scotty on the Enterprise and Legacy must fight ten Romulan warships. The federation has sent a fleet of ships to assist in the battle. The battle commences and the other federation arrives defeating the Romulan force. Spock and Kirk are captured and the Romulan, Tal tortures Kirk to force Spock to reveal the mystery of the federation weapon. The Romulans do not know what the guardian looks like. Admiral Romomack, Federation troops free Spock and Kirk. Zar tells Spock, "Your emotions are clear-cut, not jumbled, like human ones. You feel on thing at a time- the way you think." Are thee Vulcan or Human? Human all the way.
10. "We've risked our live to make sure history isn't changed, and I have reason to believe it will be if I don't return. I'm needed there.." "Needed there, as I'd never be here-despite the captain's kind remark. McCoy was right. Two of us is two too many. I don't want to spend my life trying to stay of your shadow...And I would. So I'm leaving. What better place to go than a planet where my skills, what I have to offer ... teach... are needed desparately?" After all, its my home, The T'Pring scenario.
11. Spock allows a mind melt with Zar and Zar departs into history. Row, Row your boat life is but a dream.

clean story could use polish.......2007-05-17

I have to be honest and say that I only got about 40 pages into this book. As a star trek reader and fan for 15 years now, the book just didn't feel like it captured the characters well. From the first section Spock was constantly grappling with emotions. Surely Spock must have some feeling, but the best authors use subtlety to really bring out the power of those emotions. The writing wasn't bad but felt a bit simple.. without polish or sophistication. Just compare this to a novel by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and you'll see what I mean. On the other had, as a short star-trek read for some quick entertainment, it isn't a bad book.

It's about biology, Vulcan biology.......2006-12-12

This classic Star Trek novel addresses the aftermath of the episode 'All Our Yesterdays'. Spock and McCoy had been sent back to a doomed planet's ice age past where Spock had a romantic encounter with a lonely young woman, Zarabeth, who had been exiled there. Spock learns that had left Zarabeth with a child and realizes that the Guardian of Forever (City on the Edge of Forever) could enable him to rescue them both.

This is an excellent tie-in story. It is the author's first attempt at a Star Trek novel and in fact her first published book of any sort. She has come up with a well thought out premise that she has skillfully intregrated into the Star Trek universe, drawing on both classic TV episodes and other earlier Star Trek novels without altering any of the earlier aspects. She handles the established characters quite well and her new characters spring to life. This is a definite must read for any Star Trek fan, particularly those who find Spock 'fascinating'.

FANTASTIC!.......2006-09-20

wow, from start to finish this is just about as good a star trek as you can get...

you can tell that the author loves and KNOWS the characters well...kirk's disposition, the interplay between mccoy and spock, uhura, scotty...it's all there...

everything a star trek fan loves about the series is most definetly in this book

I counted reference to about 5 different star trek books...one of which is the classic, City On the Edge of Forever...that's part of what makes this a great book..it uses what happened in those episodes and expands on them WITHOUT irreparably changing what happened..it is a time travel story, to an extent and that can get pretty dicey..but everything gets tied up in a neat little package..

this book is up there with Entropy Effect, Covenent Of the Crown, Black Fire and Web of the Romulans as my favorite trek books that I've read so far.

A Favorite.......2004-12-25

Ann Crispin is another one of my fave ST writers and this is one of my favorite books, though I do have to say that the sequel is even better. I like how Spock has to figure out how to be a father let alone how to deal with a grown son. Not all of it works, but enough of it works to make this a good book...read this then go read the sequel Time for Yesterday, it's even better

Average customer rating:

Yesterday's Son: Star Trek Novel
A.C. Crispin
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Average customer rating:

Yesterday's Son A Star Trek Novel
A C Crispin
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

Follow-up to Yesterday's Son
one of the best
Highly Recommended
Good story, if a bit fannish...
Magnificent !

Star Trek: Time for Yesterday
A. C. Crispin
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download

ASIN: B00005Q55L

Book Description

Time For Yesterday

Time in the galaxy has stopped running its normal course. That can only mean one thing -- the Guardian of Forever is malfunctioning. To save the universe, Starfleet command reunites three of its most legendary figures -- Admiral James T. Kirk, Spock of Vulcan, and Dr. Leonard McCoy -- and sends them on a desperate mission to contact the Guardian, a journey that ultimately takes them 5,000 years into the past. They must find Spock's son Zar once again -- and bring him back to their time to telepathically communicate the Guardian.

But Zar is enmeshed in troubles of his own, and soon Kirk, Spock and McCoy find themselves in a desperate struggle to save both their world -- and his!

Download Description

The Guardian of Forever is malfunctioning. To save the universe, Starfleet command reunites its most legendary figures--Kirk, Spock and McCoy--for a desperate mission 5,000 years into the past. They must find Spock's son Zar once again--and bring him back to telepathically communicate with the Guardian.

Customer Reviews:

Follow-up to Yesterday's Son.......2007-01-04

Spock had traveled back in time in one of the classic episodes and met Zarabeth, a beautiful young woman who had been exiled to her planet's Ice Age. As a result of their romance Zar was born. Spock's discovery of his son and their meeting was the subject of YESTERDAY'S SON. As TIME FOR YESTERDAY opens Zar is preparing for battle, a battle that he knows will probably be his last. On the Enterprise other problems are appearing, problems that will ultimately lead Spock and his son to meet again at the Guardian of Forever.

This is an excellent follow-up to YESTERDAY'S SON. In many ways it is the stronger novel of the two. The relationship between Zar and Spock is handled better, the characterization of Spock is more in keeping with other works, both the classic episodes and other novels. The situations described are handled well, and are quite interesting. It would, however, be necessary to have seen the original classic episodes and read YESTERDAY'S SON in order to fully appreciate this novel.

one of the best.......2004-12-25

this is another one of my fave books. Truly delves so much better in the relationship of Zar and who he is and his relationship with Spock then Yesterday's Son did. Shows really how both have grown and accepted who they are...it is a must read, especially if you are a fan of Spock

Highly Recommended.......2003-11-21

I read this Star Trek novel in response to the tremendous "hype" that I had seen regarding both this novel and its prequel "Yesterday's Son."

I have to say that both novels live up to their reputations as some of the best Star Trek fiction you'll find in print.

Both stories are well written and well structured. The author's understanding of and affection for the characters and her dedication to the subject matter permeate both texts providing the reader with a very special experience.

Good story, if a bit fannish..........2003-08-17

Back in the day, you often saw a variety of tales told in the Trek universe as Paramount Pictures didn't have as strong a hold on the series as they do now. As a result, you saw some fantastic (and I mean wild) stories being told. Here is one that while not so wild, falls easily into the fannish aspect, bringing up a "What If?" that fans have often wondered about. I doubt it would get produced today. The story telling is very good, with solid characterization. This is one story for the true fan, but not the casual reader of the series.

Magnificent !.......2003-05-26

Just finished reading this book. Words cannot express how much I enjoyed/loved it! Without giving away too much - the interaction between Spock and his son was wonderful and brought tears to my eyes more than once. Additionally, oft times a book will end too abruptly leaving me wanting more - or too slowly leaving me wanting to get to the end. This book's end was perfect!

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Star Trek Yesterday's Son
A. C. Crispin
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Star Trek: The Entropy Effect/the Covenant of the Crown/Yesterday's Son/the Idic Epidemic/Boxed Set

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Star Trek: The Entropy Effect/the Covenant of the Crown/Yesterday's Son/the Idic Epidemic/Boxed Set
Weinstein , and Aruego
Manufacturer: Holiday House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Literature & Fiction | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books

Science Fiction & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books
ASIN: 0671963686

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YESTERDAY'S SON (STAR TREK HARDCOVER)
A.C. CRISPIN
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

A Star Trek adventure.

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Excellent Retreat Resource

no title

Balanced, practical perspective for seeking refuge

Profound

Silence, Simplicity & Solitude: A Complete Guide to Spiritual Retreat
David A. Cooper
Manufacturer: Skylight Paths Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Comparative Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Three Gates to Meditation Practice: A Personal Journey into Sufism, Buddhism, and Judaism

Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections for Every Season

ASIN: 1893361047

Book Description

From the best-selling author of God Is a Verb, the classic spiritual retreat guide that enables anyone to create their own self-guided spiritual retreat at home.

The ancient mystics looked to spiritual retreat as a way of cleansing the body and healing the soul. In Silence, Simplicity & Solitude, David A. Cooper traces the path of the mystics and the practice of spiritual retreat in all the major faith traditions, sharing the common techniques and practices of the retreat experience for beginner and advanced meditators alike.

Cooper shows the way to the self-discovery and discipline of the spiritual retreat experience and clearly instructs how to create an effective, self-guided spiritual retreat in your own home.

Silence, Simplicity & Solitude teaches that not only is silence a great healer, but that inner spiritual retreat can provide life-changing insight into deeper spiritual truths.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Retreat Resource.......2006-02-26

This book provides great information about the nature and history of retreat. It also gives a very clear picture of types of retreats and the practices that can be used to heighten the retreat experience. It's an easy read with great information, very inspiring. Glad to have purchased it!
Sonya, A Spirit of Serenity, Women's Enrichment Resources

no title.......2006-02-06

All about retreats - in different religions, in different practices, in different cultures. Shows the similiarity of all religions. Quite an informative book. Points out the need to develop spirituality in ourselves, so lacking in our times, or at least in America today. There was one instance written about which I cannot forget. A famous psychiatrist went to a New York state (I think) Buddhist retreat house, for six weeeks, where he could not speak, look up from the floor, where there were no radios, television, newspapers, magazines, reading material of any kind, nothing to distract him from his inner self. And he said that he learned more there about the workings of the human mind, than he had ever learned in all the years of his practice. And returned a few times more, as did his wife.

Balanced, practical perspective for seeking refuge.......2004-05-05

Silence, Simplicity, and Solitude: A Guide for Spiritual Retreat offers a balanced and practical perspective for those seeking refuge and renewal. The author, David A. Cooper, first discusses traditions associated with such retreats for the world's main religions.

That perspective is then applied to the practical aspects of conducting a retreat. Mr. Cooper is not advocating strident adherence to tradition, instead suggesting "The individual retreatant must decide which of his or her particular needs are important." Throughout this section, he draws from the wisdom and practices of the various religions, weaving common threads and ideas.

A third main section of the book addresses various spiritual practices and notes how these might fit within the scope of a retreat. Again, drawing from the text, Mr. Cooper asks "how is it that each of us has an affinity with some practices and not others?" He addresses that question by providing overviews and observations of 13 spiritual practices.

Mr. Cooper also emphasizes the practical by providing a number of sample schedules tailored for various types of retreats and a recommended reading list. His steadfast focus on the inner and outer aspects of staging a retreat addresses the needs of both the spirit seeking solace or enlightenment and the mind arranging the details and schedules.

Profound.......2003-07-23

Brilliantly written, consice and as spiritual as any holy book around. The best compliment that I can give to Mr. Cooper's writing(s) is that when I read them I feel calm inside. His "Heart of Stillness" and this book both seem to have been written from the heart and resonate among other things a deep sense of honesty and simplicity. Read both these books... they return the time you invest in them in ways that can only be experienced and not be expressed using words.

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