Average customer rating:
- Modified Fairy tale
- gates of sleep--literally
- Character Development Good - Plot dwindles
- The Gates of Sleep
- A bit different for Lackey, perfect if you like English classics or historical fiction
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The Gates of Sleep (Elemental Masters, Book 2)
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: DAW
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Similar Items:
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The Serpent's Shadow (Elemental Masters, Book 1)
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Phoenix and Ashes (Elemental Masters, Book 3)
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The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters, Book 4)
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The Fire Rose
-
The Fairy Godmother (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 1)
ASIN: 0756401011
Release Date: 2003-03-04 |
Book Description
In the tradition of her acclaimed fairy-tale-inspired novel, The Serpent's Shadow, best-selling author Mercedes Lackey re-imagines Sleeping Beauty-as a dark and enchanting Edwardian fantasy.
Marina is the cherished daughter of the wealthy Roeswood family, practioners of Elemental Magic. But evil portents have warned her parents that Marina will be killed before her eighteenth birthday-by the hand of her own aunt.
Customer Reviews:
Modified Fairy tale.......2007-03-14
If you read and like fairy tales - this one is a pleasant surprise for you. Being still new to Lackey, and having read only Wizard of London before this, I had not expected the magic she wrought with the well beloved fairy tale - my own favourite.
The characters are well defined and the main character - Marina - is indeed the prime mover of the tale. There are few predictable points in the tale and there are no surprises and it has a comfortable ending. How the author gets from the beginning to the end is the enjoyable ride. In a lot of ways, the characters behave normally - including in how love can creep up on you when you are not watching - inspite of some questionable decisions they make once or twice.
Her language of course is very vivid. I'm simply mesmerised by the way she describes magic. It is beautiful tale well told, if you accept it without asking questions.
gates of sleep--literally.......2007-01-11
rather disappointing read by Lackey. However, it's not the simplest task to take a fairy tale and make it new. She's still my favorite author.
Character Development Good - Plot dwindles.......2006-08-26
I love Mercedes Lackey and can't wait to read everything she writes, but this story lacked substance. I thought the characters were well developed, but the whole premise of the story never added up to me. I felt there were many issues never resolved in the book: why Arachnia was banished from her family - marrying someone they didn't like never made sense and the reason they despised him was never revealed; why her son Reggie put up with her, his role was marginal at best; why she didn't just kill Marina instead of putting her under a spell; why Marina tunred into a materialist after being raised by artists was kind of odd and why, after only a brief relationship did she realize she was in love with the doctor. And it really bothered me that they didn't follow up and destroy the satanic room beneath the pottery. There were too many loose ends to make this book fulfilling for me.
The Gates of Sleep.......2006-08-21
Excellent book. it kept my interest all the way through.
A bit different for Lackey, perfect if you like English classics or historical fiction.......2006-08-15
This book, I feel, is one of Lackey's best works. She does a fantastic job of capturing the feel of Edwardian England. The book is written a little more in the style of classic English writers, a lot of detail about the surroundings, and if you don't appreciate the presentation of the plot's setting the book can feel as though it moves slowly at times. She refers to Bronte's Jane Eyre, and Lackey's book mirrors the style of that classic, in modern language. The plot is a bit uneven in its pace. The romance is a very back-burner topic, and the conclusion is some what rushed, however, if you enjoy historical fiction and fantasy I would highly recommend this book!
Average customer rating:
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The gates of day;: A study in sleeping and waking,
Mary H Peabody
Manufacturer: The Trow Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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| Child Psychology
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| Cognitive
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| Developmental Psychology
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ASIN: B00087LZKE |
Average customer rating:
- A review of my brother's book.
|
The Gates of Sleep
Loren Cooper
Manufacturer: Renaissance Alliance Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
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ASIN: 1930928777 |
Customer Reviews:
A review of my brother's book........2003-01-17
Loren wrote a book that I expected to be hard to read, but was surprised to find it not only enjoyable but captivating. The style is a combination of sci-fi/fantasy and hard-boiled detective. The characters are well-drawn, and just enough thought is put into technology to make the book interesting without allowing jargon to detract from the flow of the story.
Without giving away the story, I'd also like to add that the story documents a personal process of movement between two worlds that I've found entertaining in a serial mystery sort of way.
Way to go, bro. If it weren't for fraternal nepotism I'd have given it 5 stars.
Average customer rating:
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At the gates of sleep
Bessie Gray
Manufacturer: L. Prang & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B000890ADK |
Customer Reviews:
Modified Fairy tale.......2007-03-14
If you read and like fairy tales - this one is a pleasant surprise for you. Being still new to Lackey, and having read only Wizard of London before this, I had not expected the magic she wrought with the well beloved fairy tale - my own favourite.
The characters are well defined and the main character - Marina - is indeed the prime mover of the tale. There are few predictable points in the tale and there are no surprises and it has a comfortable ending. How the author gets from the beginning to the end is the enjoyable ride. In a lot of ways, the characters behave normally - including in how love can creep up on you when you are not watching - inspite of some questionable decisions they make once or twice.
Her language of course is very vivid. I'm simply mesmerised by the way she describes magic. It is beautiful tale well told, if you accept it without asking questions.
gates of sleep--literally.......2007-01-11
rather disappointing read by Lackey. However, it's not the simplest task to take a fairy tale and make it new. She's still my favorite author.
Character Development Good - Plot dwindles.......2006-08-26
I love Mercedes Lackey and can't wait to read everything she writes, but this story lacked substance. I thought the characters were well developed, but the whole premise of the story never added up to me. I felt there were many issues never resolved in the book: why Arachnia was banished from her family - marrying someone they didn't like never made sense and the reason they despised him was never revealed; why her son Reggie put up with her, his role was marginal at best; why she didn't just kill Marina instead of putting her under a spell; why Marina tunred into a materialist after being raised by artists was kind of odd and why, after only a brief relationship did she realize she was in love with the doctor. And it really bothered me that they didn't follow up and destroy the satanic room beneath the pottery. There were too many loose ends to make this book fulfilling for me.
The Gates of Sleep.......2006-08-21
Excellent book. it kept my interest all the way through.
A bit different for Lackey, perfect if you like English classics or historical fiction.......2006-08-15
This book, I feel, is one of Lackey's best works. She does a fantastic job of capturing the feel of Edwardian England. The book is written a little more in the style of classic English writers, a lot of detail about the surroundings, and if you don't appreciate the presentation of the plot's setting the book can feel as though it moves slowly at times. She refers to Bronte's Jane Eyre, and Lackey's book mirrors the style of that classic, in modern language. The plot is a bit uneven in its pace. The romance is a very back-burner topic, and the conclusion is some what rushed, however, if you enjoy historical fiction and fantasy I would highly recommend this book!
Customer Reviews:
Wish there were a 6 star rating!.......2003-04-14
Jo Goodman is an author to admire not only for her incredible writing talent but for her ability to weave stories thru families, countries and periods with different significance.
This is just an incredible trilogy about the Thorne brothers, each more handsome, intricate and lovable than the other. Each with different stories and different geography but yet intertwined forever. Start with my steadfast heart and then read reckless heart and go on the last one as I'm doing.Believe me, you'll love them.Thanks Jo. I'm a forever fan!
The second bother.......2000-11-26
This book was excelent. Just like my Staed Fast Heart , Decker learned how to love and care. And to bring around Jonna from her lonely ways and taech her how not to be afraid of water. Parheps my summery is not the best but I a shore you that is book was wonderful and I can't wait to raed about the third borther
Wonderful read.......1998-08-07
You'll love it. give it a chance.
GREAT! I challenge anyone to read it & NOT become a fan!.......1998-08-03
Jonna Remington is one of the first historical heroines I've come across who didn't make me want to smack her. She's refreshingly, sometimes embarassingly direct, as well as smart, independent, strong, capable, stubborn, a modern day woman in many ways. Decker Thorne is irresistible, a reformed rogue and renowned thief, self-assured, and never overtly arrogant (even though he is obviously the Alpha male, he doesn't have those stereotypical Alpha male qualities). Both H&H have trouble trusting, both have real issues and insecurities that stand in the way of their happiness. Goodman's descriptions are rich but never comes off as purple prose (trust me on this, purple prose is one of the qualities that always annoyed me about historical romances); I felt the roll and pitch of the deck when Huntress was out to sea. Both characters' internal conflicts emerged as much more compelling than the external conflict (introduced by Goodman in the shady Grant Sheridan, owner of a! shipping company and Jonna's long time companion, who doesn't take very kindly to Decker Thorne stealing Jonna right from under his nose). KEEPER sums this novel nicely. It's the 1st historical in my library to earn keeper status. My only question is, WHY ISN'T EVERYONE FAMILIAR WITH JO GOODMAN'S NAME???
Wonderful-left me wanting more!.......1998-07-03
This is an excellent second book in this series. I can't wait for the third to be published!
Book Description
After Earth's demise, the last survivors have one goal: to contact any extant colonies left and warn them of a coming menace. Alien ships are arriving intent on the destruction of everything in their path. But then help arrives-from an unexpected and unwelcome source.
Customer Reviews:
Australian SF Reader.......2007-08-01
Fairly average, I don't enjoy this nearly as much as the Evergence trilogy. I wonder if there is any chance these guys ever do a stand-alone book?
More of your people separated from bodies type fare.
The middle volume of a trilogy, as events shape up and the alien forces come into play.
Absolutely first rate, riveting space opera.......2005-08-20
_Orphans of Earth_ by Sean Williams and Shane Dix is the exciting, fast-paced, almost breathless sequel to their book _Echoes of Earth_. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and consider it to be among the top space operas of all time (using the term "space opera" in a non-derisory and positive way of course).
By the end of the previous novel all traces of civilization in the Sol system as well as in the system of Peter Alander's ship, the _Frank Tipler_ (and in several other systems reached by UNESSPRO vessels) have been destroyed by the terrifying and seemingly indestructible race dubbed the Starfish, so-called thanks to the appearance of their spinning, multi-armed, deadly ships. Ignoring all attempts at communication, they destroyed completely and utterly any civilization that made use of the FTL communication system provided by the Gifts (which unfortunately was a form of broadcast and could not be directed only at one individual destination; once made use of, everyone could pick up on the signal over a very large area). The situation at the end of the last novel was quite grim, as there was only one true human left alive, the original Caryl Hatzis, the sole survivor of the UNESSPRO program pressed into service by the Vincula to handle Peter Alander's arrival in the Sol system and by accident the only one that survived the destruction of the Vincula. She, along with Peter, the only survivor of the _Frank Tipler_, made it their mission to save what remained of humanity, the engrams of the nearly one thousand other UNESSPRO missions, scattered across the galaxy, uniting them to run, hide, or fight if possible.
I am not sure how much I should say about what happened in this novel, so full of twists, turns, and surprises was it. For those who want to have all the surprises intact for them to enjoy I say stop reading this review and get this book! If you liked the first one, you'll love the sequel.
Otherwise, in brief we pick up the story with Peter and Caryl working to contact other colonies, particularly those that have the Gifts, acquire more hole ships, and laboring to unite the survivors, warning them of the Spinners and also of the deadly Starfish. There is some intrigue as Caryl sought to take control of the scattered engrams, particularly over her own engrams, while others - notably Peter - were at odds with this arrangement. A major factor is that several of the Vincula enhancements that Caryl possessed gave her tremendous advantages over the engrams, which to her were very antiquated and often deeply flawed software (and in truth inherent shortcomings in the engrams endangered their long term survival).
Two new actors came into play fairly early on in _Orphans of Earth_. While surveying systems in the path of the Spinners, Peter and one of Haztis's engrams discovered a secret colony that they knew nothing about, a colony comprised entirely of engrams of one person, a military leader, secret agent, and one of the project administrators, Frank "the Axe" Axford, who deleted all the other engrams on his colony ship, replicated himself many times, and constructed a military base. They find Frank busy studying the Spinners, the Gifts, and the Starfish and chastising Peter and the others for lousy tactics in dealing with their new enemy. Owing to his background and odd personality Frank had a completely different take on the Starfish situation and was a very interesting character, neither completely trusting nor completely trustworthy.
The other actor is a third race of aliens, the Yuhl/Goel, a fascinating and rather alien extraterrestrial species that have been living as scavengers for thousands of years, following in the wake of the Spinner/Starfish migration through the stars (the Yuhl/Goel referred to both of them together as the Ambivalence), trying to stay one step ahead of the Starfish while collecting as many of the Gifts for themselves as they can, by theft if necessary.
Caryl and Peter (and the other engrams) contended with both Frank Axford and the Yuhl/Goel. Are they allies or enemies? Did the Yuhl/Goel show the way of the future - following the Spinners and Starfish, constantly running and hiding - or did they possess secret weapons and knowledge to defeat them instead? Was Frank going to turn out to be the secret weapon they needed, assuming they could trust him?
An exciting book, the ending was riveting and awesome and I have already started reading the third book in the series, _Heirs of Earth_.
Dix and Williams deliver the goods again!!!.......2003-04-25
The Evergence series blew me away. Then, Echoes of Earth came along and surprised me with a different yet still very captivating story, leaving me just as anxious for the next installment as I had been at the end of each Evergence book. Orphans raises the bar on the storyline and takes unexpected turns.
I am not going to talk about the specifics of the story (You can certainly get plenty from the previous reviews) I just want to share my feelings on how much I enjoyed it. Dix and Williams may be my favorite authors. The characters are a joy to spend time with. The interactions between them are fantastic and realistic and I found myself voiceing my own opinions out loud as if I were in the room with the characters and needed to add my 2 cents to their conversations. Anytime I can get pulled into a story like that, I know I have found masters of weaving a great story. The perils that our group of humans are faced with are quite troublesome and yet their curiosity (and mine) remains strong even when faced with the possibility of thier extinction.
The worse part of this book was finishing it and knowing that I have to wait another year to conitnue the story. Fortunately, I knew that they were releasing a Star Wars trilogy (of which there is only about a month wait between books). I am about half way through the first of the Force Heretic series and the Dix/Williams style is shining through.
Now, if we can just convince them to bring us another trilogy in the Evergence Universe...I'd love to know more about the Dato Bloc and the High Humans!
If you haven't read the Evergence Series...buy them today! It's a rollercoaster ride you are sure to enjoy with an ending that caused great debate in my circle of readers.
Peak of the SG genre.......2003-04-16
Having felt a little nonplussed with the way the ending of the first book of the Orphan Trilogy, "Echoes of Earth" I was bowled over by this sequel- absolutely brilliant from start to finish! Just when I think it is getting harder for SF writers to come up with something gripping and original, Williams and Dix have done it in this book. There are numerous plot twists throughout, and many, many, MANY great ideas and 'didn't think that would happen' twists.
Probably the thing I liked best about this book though were the characters - they were real. Too many authors nowadays seem to have 'flawed' characters who obsess endlessly about their neuroses and you just want to smack some common sense into them. Instead, Williams and Dix have characters with some doozy of problems, and they way they deal with them are probably no different to the way the average person would deal with them. It makes it so much easier to relate to the characters!
Having stuck with Williams and Dix through the Evergence series (felt a little rough around the edges, although still an extremely good and novel series) I am so glad to see this partnership seriously hitting its stride now. These guys are great and I look forward to reading the final book and any new stuff, especially as so many of my other favourite authors are not producing so much anymore... Thank goodness there are still some excellent SF writers popping up!
This is more like it.......2003-04-02
Williams and Dix are back on form in "Orphans of Earth" after the slow start of "Echoes of Earth". It's an action-packed book, full of secret plots and counter-plots, double crosses, mighty battles, and astonishing revelations. What makes it significantly better than the previous books is the developing depth to the characters (and they have become more likeable as well), plus a greater depth of context to the setting they operate in. There are also a number of hints of something big brewing and revelations to come.
To recap, the engram (computer program) explorers/colonists from Earth are spread around space, struggling to hide and survive as the miraculous technological Gifts of the Spinners are followed by the awesome destructive power of the Starfish. Caryl and Peter are trying to organise the colonists and build something for the future, in alternating conflict and concert with Frank, another engram who left Earth before it all went downhill, and a very alien fleet of aliens. Meanwhile, Rob is starting to find evidence that the Gifts might not be all they're supposed to be, while Lucia is making discoveries of her own all alone in space.
Yes, the writing/editing is a bit sloppy at times, and you can only hope that the series as a whole will be worth it in the end. But if "Orphans of Earth" is any guide, this series is definitely worth your time.
Book Description
The outside world scarcely knew of northwestern North America in the year 1700. The Pacific coast, from southcentral Alaska to Oregon's Cape Blanco, was uncharted until the Spanish and English explorations of the 1770s. Yet, when tectonic plates suddenly shifted there in 1700, a train of ocean waves -- a tsunami -- sped across the Pacific Ocean. When the waves came ashore in Japan, they flooded fields and washed away houses. Samurai, merchants, and villagers recorded the mysterious event, but they observed no storm and felt no parent earthquake. In Japan, this tsunami was an orphan.
The Orphan Tsunami of 1700 tells this transpacific detective story by presenting its primary sources, Japanese documents and North American sediments and tree rings. They tell of a catastrophe a century before Lewis and Clark's expedition that now guides preparations for future earthquakes and tsunamis in the North Pacific.
A rich array of graphic detail and narrative explains the creation, action, and lasting effects of earthquakes and tsunamis.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating detective work eccentrically presented.......2006-02-16
On January 26, 1700, a tsunami struck eastern Japan. Because they had experienced no preceding earthquake to explain the wave, contemporary Japanese writers recorded the event as an "orphan tsunami." Almost three centuries later, scientists in the western United States and Canada uncovered evidence of a massive earthquake (more or less a 9 on the modern scale) having occurred here at about that same time. This book presents the evidence for naming that quake the "parent" of the orphan tsunami, and also draws some conclusions about what an earthquake of that size might mean for 21st-century Cascadia.
There's an awful lot packed into this small book, and it's a fine example of how earth sciences, history, and other disciplines can work together to break new ground (so to speak) in our understanding of the past. But the way it's all presented in these pages? Oy. It kind of reminded me of the stereotypical mad scientist: you know he's a genius, but as he rushes around his lab, talking really quickly, pulling up charts and graphs and drawing on the chalkboard to prove his theories, all you can think is, "this guy is nuts."
In this case, the authors and their layout artists really went wild. From beginning to end, the book is a riot of old maps and new photos, illustrations, excerpts from Japanese and American diaries and records, line-by-line translations of Japanese reports, different-colored text blocks for sidebar articles, big two-paragraph-long photo captions, little illustrations of tectonic forces at work, screenshots from computer programs, and a lot more, all jumbled together. Although the information is interesting, I found sorting out the visual presentation tiring at times. Moreover, each two-page spread is like its own mini-chapter, with its own headline and point it's attempting to make. It is an innovative way to present scientific information (at least, I can't think of any book quite like it), but I'm not sure the method is quite perfected yet.
Still, I'm a non-scientist and I found it worth the effort to read this. And as someone living in the Cascadian earthquake region, it had more than a little personal relevance too.
A welcome addition to any collection.......2006-02-02
This depiction of an orphan tsunami that battered the eastern coast of Japan in 1700 combines colorful imagery with scientific research to infer an account of what happened three hundred years ago. Japanese and American diaries, oral traditions, and ancient maps are combined with more recent photographs, figures and statistical data to support geological evidence found both in North America and Japan. The conclusion reveals an earthquake in the Cascadia Range of North America (estimated magnitude= 8.7 - 9.2) that generated waves which destroyed homes and caused a shipwreck and flooding over 7,000 kilometers away. The book features a table of contents in English and Japanese, author biographies, references, an index, and interpretations of Japanese language and writings used during the research. The artistry of the publication compliments the contents, and anyone with a curiosity for the earth sciences, global history, or cross-cultural studies will be intrigued by this portrayal of a significant natural disaster.
Average customer rating:
- Gripping reading.
- Kayla's Book Review
- Takes Your Breath Away
- ALYSSA;THE FOSTER CHILD.
- How did this book not get more critical attention?
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Holding Up the Earth
Dianne Gray
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
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Together Apart
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The Invention of Hugo Cabret
ASIN: 0618737472 |
Book Description
Publisher : It has been eight years since Hope's mom died in a car accident. Eight years of shuffling from foster home to foster home. Eight years of trying to hold on to the memories that tether her to her mother. Now Sarah, Hope's newest foster mom, has taken her from Minneapolis to spend the summer on the Nebraska farm where Sarah grew up. Hope is set adrift, anchored only by her ever-present and memory-heavy backpack. Accustomed to the clamor of city life, Hope is at first unsettled by the silence that descends over the farm each night. But listening deeply, she begins to hear the quiet: the crickets' chirp, the windsong, the steady in and out of her own breath. Soon the silence is replaced by voices, like echoes sounding across time - the voices of girls who inhabited the old farmhouse before her. Reluctantly, Hope begins to stretch down roots in the earth and accept this new family as her own.
Customer Reviews:
Gripping reading........2007-08-07
Five teen girls are separated by decades but united by their love of a Nebraska farm: this focal point ties their lives together in this first novel centered around powerful female protagonists who are searching for a powerful place in the world. Letter entries explore their very different worlds and the concerns that connect them and make for gripping reading.
Kayla's Book Review.......2005-02-11
Hope's mom got in an accident. Ever since then she's been in a series of foster homes. Every time she goes to a foster home she takes a keepsake with her. She keeps all of her stuff in an old backpack. When her mother died, at that time, she was living at a foster home with a beautiful meadow, she took her mmother's urn and spread it across the meadow. The meadow was so beautiful! She saved a ziplock baggy with some of her mother's ashes in it. When she left that foster home, she was bound and determined to find it again. A few years after the meadow, Hope finally found the perfect family. Anna and Sarah. When Sarah wanted to take Hope to the meadow, Hope didn't realize it was the same meadow she spread her mother's ashes in.
Takes Your Breath Away.......2003-01-21
I think that this book was really exciting and interesting. There like mysteries in the letters that "Hope" reads. It really got my attention while i read the first pages. When i started reading this book i actually didn't want to stop. I would recommend this book to other people.
ALYSSA;THE FOSTER CHILD........2002-12-05
The book, Holding Up the Earth, was about a girl, Hope, whose mother died when Hope was six. She went to seven foster families before she went to a lady's named Sarah. This is about how Hope overcomes her mother's death, and learns to live with Sarah. I think that this book is well written,because about every other chapter the author has a diary or a journal explaning what has happened at the farm where they live in the past. I think that this helps you better understand the book. I would recommend this book to someone who likes Realistic Fiction. As far as age groups go I would recommend this book to children ten and up because there are words that younger children probably shouldn't be reading. If you love books that will lift your spirits this is the one for you!
How did this book not get more critical attention?.......2002-11-11
It is a wonderful book. How did it not get more attention?
The writing perhaps needs more detail and needs to be tightened up a bit, but there are some great lines, such as the dog "is free to wander anywhere on the farm
a sniff leads her" and some great characters. It's a fantastic tribute to the sisterhood of womanhood and to feminine links to the earth and has a wealth of ideas to
discuss (Is the missile supposed to be symbolic?).
Book Description
After the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States, religious fundamentalism has dominated public debate as never before. Policymakers, educators, and the general public all want to know: Why do fundamentalist movements turn violent? Are fundamentalisms a global threat to human rights, security, and democratic forms of government? What is the future of fundamentalism?
To answer questions like these, Strong Religion draws on the results of the Fundamentalism Project, a decade-long interdisciplinary study of antimodernist, antisecular militant religious movements on five continents and within seven world religious traditions. The authors of this study analyze the various social structures, cultural contexts, and political environments in which fundamentalist movements have emerged around the world, from the Islamic Hamas and Hizbullah to the Catholic and Protestant paramilitaries of Northern Ireland, and from the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition of the United States to the Sikh radicals and Hindu nationalists of India. Offering a vividly detailed portrait of the cultures that nourish such movements, Strong Religion opens a much-needed window onto different modes of fundamentalism and identifies the kind of historical events that can trigger them.
Customer Reviews:
Informative But Extremely Dry Academic Work.......2006-05-19
Some highly respected scholars, like Karen Armstrong and Bernard Lewis, are able to write serious books that are also readable enough to attract a broad audience. But "Strong Religion" is unlikely to have much appeal outside of academic circles.
I'm an atheist with a strong interest in religious fundamentalism. So I had high expectations for this book. It does cover a wide cross section of fundamentalist sects, including not only Christian evangelicals, Islamic extremists and radical Jews but also Hindu nationalists, Sikh separatists and even militant Buddhists. I appreciated how this book demonstrated the underlying similarities between these fundamentalist groups and how they all represent a potential threat to modern, secular society as well as religious pluralism and tolerance.
But, unfortunately, the book is so full of academic jargon and repetitious examples that I found it a struggle to get through. I was expecting a serious and challenging read. But the consistently dull analysis of structure, organization and methodology caused a very compelling subject to become quite boring. This book accomplishes it's academic goals. But the dry writing style will turn off many readers.
Well-documented descriptions of fundamentalist movements.......2004-04-20
Frankly, I couldn't put the book down. Although it is somewhat academic in its organization and writing style, I found it totally engaging. The authors outline the incredible rise and spread of fundamentalism in the 20th century and the similarities and differences among the movement as it is found in the various religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and even Buddhism. Having encountered fundamentalism at different times in my own life, I could relate to the whys and hows of people being pulled into such a movement. The authors do not leave us without hope. By understanding how fundamentalism rises, what the leaders are like, and the stages of such a movement, there are ways that we can work with this to bring these people back into the mainstream. Not easy, but also not impossible.
Read more at http://www.gettingtomaybe.com. Essays on Tolerance, Compassion, Wisdom, and Courage.
Beautifully written, thoughtful book.......2003-08-21
Well written and carefully researched book, timely thinking on the rise of global religious fundamentalism. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm finding it fascinating. I got it out of the library, now I'm here to buy it.
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- The Groves of Academe
- The Hiding Place: A Novel
- The Hinterlands: A Mountain Tale in Three Parts
- The Iceweaver: A Novel
- The Irwin Allen Scrapbook Volume 2: Lost in Space, Land of the Giants
- The Lost Legends of New Jersey
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- The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
- The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque: A Novel
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Girls of Slender Means, The Driver's Seat, The Only Problem (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics)
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