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- Guard those melons
- Love, violence and honey dews.
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Mr. Majestyk
Elmore Leonard
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City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit
ASIN: 006008409X |
Book Description
Vincent Majestyk saw too much death in the jungles of Southeast Asia. All he wants to do now is farm his melons and forget. But peace can be an elusive commodity, even in the Arizona hinterlands -- and especially when the local mob is calling all the shots. And one quiet, proud man's refusal to be strong-armed by a powerful hood is about to start a violent chain reaction that will leave Mr. Majestyk ruined, in shackles, and without a friend in the world -- except for one tough and beautiful woman. But his tormentors never realized something about their mark: this is not his first war. Vince Majestyk knows more than they'll ever know about survival . . . and everything about revenge.
Download Description
E-book extras: "Martin Amis Interviews 'The Dickens of Detroit'"; Elmore Leonard's "If It Sounds Like Writing, Rewrite It"; "All By Elmore: The Crime Novels
Customer Reviews:
Guard those melons.......2006-04-06
Elmore Leonard's 1974 pulp thriller owes much of its renown to a film treatment starring Charles Bronson. But as a freestanding novel, 'Mr. Majestyk' is a sturdy piece of craftsmanship and a benchmark for the genre. Just 216 pages long in the recent HarperTorch softcover edition, it is the engaging story of Vincent Majestyk, a former POW from the American tactical missions in Laos, who finds his Arizona melon-growing business under siege by local mob bosses.
'Mr. Majestyk' uses an intricate storyline, placing Vincent at odds with mob head Frank Renda, the police, and his loyal farmhand Nancy Chavez, with whom he falls in love despite a stoic attitude. The novel is mostly driven by Majestyk's intense self-respect and desire to live on his own terms. Leonard keeps a fairly good pace in advancing the story, providing balanced character insights and a limited but well-made helping of shootouts and car chases.
During lulls in the action, 'Majestyk' interestingly portrays migrant farm work that still employs thousands of Chicanos in the United States each year. Leonard's Arizona setting is a living, breathing one, allowing us to feel the dust, intense sunlight, and stillness. The lead players are given enough color and shape for readers to stay interested, although character development is typically lacking. Plot gaps and far-fetched situations (two chronic symptoms of thrillers) also have their place in 'Majestyk,' but the story is far too entertaining, at least in my opinion, for these weaknesses to jump off the page and spoil a reader's enjoyment.
'Majestyk' is recommended for thriller fans and available from HarperTorch in an October 2002 printing. A sneak preview of Leonard's 'Tishomingo Blues' is also provided after the novel's conclusion.
Love, violence and honey dews........2004-08-14
From the prolific pen of legendary crime writer Elmore Leonard, Mr. Majestyk is a short, straightforward action adventure novel with a touch of romance. Vince Majestyk is an Arizona melon grower who rather unwisely incurs the wrath of a professional killer. It's a story of cat and mouse that rapidly changes to one of cat and cat.
This is a solidly written novel, which I'd have to characterize as a lesser work of the Leonard canon. The dialogue, as we've come to expect from Leonard, rings very true. Quirky characters and off the wall situations, staples of the author's best fiction, do not play much of a role here.
Mr. Majestyk is an easy, enjoyable read. But it is not the unique brand of writing that accounts for Elmore Leonard's stellar reputation.
Well worth the 90 minutes it takes to read........2004-04-03
Of course this book doesn't stack up against most other Leonard novels because it is after all a novelization, and a brief one at that. However, Mr. Majestyk makes for an enjoyable read given the right circumstances and certainly makes for a lot of fun. Tuck this one in your pocket on your way to the beach or the DMV and enjoy it for what it is.
Mr. Majestyk is an interesting read considering that it dodges many of the pitfalls of your typical macho story yet still delivers the goods. First of all, it is the antagonist who wants revenge instead of the other way around. Instead of a simple revenge story (Mr. subliminal now utters "Kill Bill") where the hero/heroine kills everyone that tried to screw them over, Mr Majestyk must stand up to the powerful Frank Renda, who is of course hellbent on revenge. Secondly, Leonard makes interesting use of Majestyk's previous run-in with the law. Instead of your typical story about a guy that tries to go straight but the street life pulls him back in for one big score (um can you say After Hours? and every other novel from the 80's?), Majestyk was actually a straight guy all along. Since Majestyk has no credibility with the authorities, he must cover his own bacon.
Overall, this book is a straight-up story that should be enjoyed for it's simplicity alone. I read it in between Desperation and the Regulators, two very long Stephen King books, and it made for a nice little break. Chances are fellow readers, what you take away from Mr. Majestyk is what you started with. Just make sure to spit out the seeds.
The Tenor Clears His Throat.......2004-01-12
Elmore Leonard is the king of crime fiction. We know this because the covers of all his paperbacks say so, and it's so. Nelson DeMille, Ed McBain, Joseph Wambaugh, and others all have their points, but no one has consistently produced the level of crime fiction that Leonard has over the course of five decades now.
"Mr. Majestyk" isn't part of that legacy. It's a sturdy, muscle-minded, no-frills crime story that 100 other guys could have churned out in the 1970s, and many did. The idea of a peaceable loner coming up against dark criminal forces, only to be revealed as more formidable than any of his adversaries banked on, was old then and older now. Characterization is limited. The atmosphere is arid as a sun-baked arroyo. Most surprisingly for Leonard, the dialogue is long on brawn and short on brains. "Shut up, %**$^@#" is about the best the normally loquacious Leonard seems able, or interested, in presenting.
A good review elsewhere on this page notes the book was actually written after the movie, which became a Charles Bronson vehicle after Clint Eastwood dropped out. You can kind of smell that star positioning behind the unpromising premise of a melon farmer who runs into trouble while hiring migrant workers in the American Southwest. Dirty Harry wanted to show he wasn't all about gunning down minorities, and apparently Chuck Bronson felt the same (though this movie came out just before "Death Wish" did during the same year, 1974).
The novel doesn't shed much light in the migrant worker situation, or try to. Nor does it offer much insight into the Vietnam vet, Majestyk's previous line of work. It spends its short span setting up Majestyk's unenviable situation. Getting busted by the cops for defending his work site against a small-time hoodlum, he winds up crossing a much nastier and more powerful criminal during an escape attempt. Can he dispense with this threat and get his melons to market so he doesn't lose his farm?
Though these sort of novels typically shortchange the police to provide the non-cop hero with more of a lone-wolf situation, "Mr. Majestyk" overamps this by making the fuzz Barney-Fife-caliber hopeless. For example, their case against chief villain Frank Renda goes up in smoke when a cop who collared Renda is gunned down during the escape fight. Didn't the officer write a report, or was he just going to testify at the trial from memory? Instead, the police seem to throw up their hands and rely on using Mr. Majestyk for bait (and then fail to keep adequate track of him.)
Lucky for law and order, the bad guys in this one are even dumber. Frank Renda, we are told, is a hard guy "cool, patient, like someone who moved slowly, without wasted effort." Well, that is until Renda gets it in his head to waste Majestyk. Then there's a lot of wasted effort. Renda just won't quit, even as it becomes obvious that his obsession for killing the melon farmer who gave him some static is going to cost him another trip to the big house, perhaps the good graces of his mob overlords, and a good half-dozen of his best foot soldiers. Renda's no psycho killer; he's actually diversified. We are told his other affairs include a restaurant linen service and a string of massage parlors. But a few minutes with Majestyk turns him into a kamikaze. For a cold-blooded trigger man, Renda runs a bit too hot to be believed.
Majestyk doesn't emote much, which makes him a perfect Charles Bronson hero. Actually, Bronson apparently gave the character more charm in the movie version (I haven't seen it), which makes you wonder whether Leonard underwrote the character deliberately after losing Eastwood's services to construct his protagonist around and being at a loss as to what to replace him with. There's an attempt at presenting a romance, but why bother when we don't know much about what draws Majestyk and his migrant worker friend together except he likes the way she looks in a pair of jeans and she likes the fact he's a fair labor contractor. [Cue violins.]
The final Wild West-style showdown borrows from many better stories, and wraps itself up too neatly in less than ten pages. Leonard obviously didn't waste more than a month punching this out, getting it in place as a film tie-in that would support him while he toiled over more ambitious fare. It's a decent story for a bus trip, but "Majestyk" in name only. Nearly any other Leonard is a better bet.
Fast Paced Melon Picking.......2002-04-21
Mr. Majestyk, an interesting name for a vietnam vet turned Melon Picker. Actually, forget Mr. Majestyk was ever in Vietnam, it isn't that critical to the story. If you knew that Mr. Majestyk was a hunter, then his hard nose attitude would still make sense.
All of that however, is an aside. Mr. Majestyk tells the story of a man that has escaped the world of Vietnam and attempts to raise a melon crop. He hires migrant workers to bring his crop in, including the love interest of the story, Nancy. And as others have put it, the job must get done.
However, where there is a job, organized is usually not far behind in Leonard's novels. Even in the American Southwest. For Mr. Majestyk, it starts with a two bit hood named Bobby Kopas that tries to muscle in his own crew to pick the product in Majestyk's fields. With a punch and a shot gun, Majestyk drives them off and starts the whole ball rolling.
After getting arrested for assaulting Kopas, Majestyk gets involved with a prison break with a Mafia Hitman named Frank Renda. The rest of the novel centers around Renda's planned revenge against Majestyk.
I just found out this morning, after having completed the novel, that Mr. Majestyk was also a movie in 1974. I'm not certain which came first - the novel or the movie. However, Leonard wrote them both. The movie stars Charles Bronson, who I can see playing Mr. Majestyk, but I think someone like Clint Eastwood, or a larger actor would have matched my image from the novel better.
Again, I digress. I guess I'm not surprised this book is also a movie. Unlike Leonard's more recent novels, Mr. Majestyk is much more action oriented than dialogue driven. That is kind of disappointing because Leonard's dialogue is the best. However, his action in this novel is some of the crispest he has written. I kept thinking to myself that I was surprised this hadn't already been turned into a movie as so many of Leonard's other novels had been - the surprise was on me I guess.
This novel is also reminiscent of an old western. The hero (Majestyk) is pursued by the villain (Renda). The law fails, so the hero must take matters into his own hand, and ultimately, there will be a big showdown at high noon. Okay, so they don't meet in the middle of town with a pair of six shooters, but its close.
I'd recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys Leonard and is looking for something a little different from him. A lot of the internal dialogue for the characters is missing in this one, but it is a quick read that tells a good story for some unlikely heros.
Product Description
4 massmarket paperback Titles By Leonard - Mr. Majestyk - Fifty-two Pickup - Gold Coast - La Brava
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Mr Majestyk
Elmore Leonard
Manufacturer: DELL PUBL CO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Paperback
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ASIN: B000TXJRKM |
Average customer rating:
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Mr. Majestyk
Elmore Leonard
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000T9ZFOS |
Product Description
From the hottest crime writer in America comes a lean, mean thriller filled with a razor-sharp wit, crackling suspense, and brilliantly authentic dialogue. On the battlefields of Laos, Army ranger Vince Majestyk decides hes seen too much violence. He turns in his gun and heads for the peaceful melon fields of the Arizona countryside. No one in Arizona knows about his past. But theyre about to find out, because local thugs are pushing Majestyk too farand hes ready for war again.
Average customer rating:
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Mr. Majestyk
Elmore Leonard
Manufacturer: Dell Pub.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Paperback
| Leonard, Elmore
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| Mystery & Thrillers
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ASIN: B000GLR5TM |
Average customer rating:
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Mr. Majestyk
Manufacturer: Dell Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Paperback
| Leonard, Elmore
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ASIN: B000GSKM1S |
Average customer rating:
- Overall excellent
- insert title here
- only some of them
- Misty does it again!
- Going out on a high note.
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Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar (Valdemar Anthologies)
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Anthologies | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Winter Moon
ASIN: 0756403251 |
Book Description
An original short fiction anthology set in Mercedes Lackey's bestselling world of Valdemar-featuring heroic Heralds and their horselike companions-and including an all-new novella by Lackey herself, as well as stories by masters such as Mickey Zucker Reichert, Judith Tarr, Tanya Huff, and others.
Customer Reviews:
Overall excellent.......2007-08-26
Unlike the current trend in anthologies to have novella length stories (see Winter Moon for instance) this is a collection of shorts which overall is very good. The worst of the stories would rate a 3 stars (much better than average) and the best 4 1/2 stars (just short of outstanding).
Like the quality of the stories their relation to Vaqldimar varies. Some could have as well been set in Venice, LA or NY (and some of these were very good too). Overall and excellent read.
insert title here.......2007-03-11
A solid anthology from respected writers. Primarily for fans of Lackey's series' set on Velgarth, or fans of the contributing authors. An essential addition to any Lackey fan's collection.
only some of them.......2006-06-25
(Transmutation by Larry Dixon, All Ages of man by Tanya Huff, Landscape of the Imagination by Lackey)
I chose to read 3 of the stories in this anthology - by authors I know I like. The idea behind this anthology was for other writers (mostly fantasy) to pen stories of Lackey's world of Valdemar. I read Dixon's TRANSMUTATION, Huff's ALL AGES OF MAN, and Lackey's own LANDSCAPE OF THE IMAGINATION. All were wonderful fits for Valdemar - bringing back pleasant memories of stories read long ago.
Misty does it again!.......2006-02-25
I've been reading Mercedes Lackey for over 20years now. She never fails to disapoint.
The Valdemar series has proven to be my favorite (even though it's so hard to choose, they are all great). This is the third book of short stories in the Valdemar Universe. It's great to see another perspective into a well-written world.
I highly recommend this to any fan of Misty's.
Going out on a high note. .......2006-01-27
Misty--if I may so call her--has said that she does not foresee writing any more Valdemar stories. I am sorry, for I have enjoyed them greatly. However, the last few have not been up to her usual high standards, so perhaps it is for the best.
Thanks, Misty.
All the stories were good-although, of course, some better than others. There were a few which really didn't seem to be Valdemar stories at all; they were good stories, but the bits that were distinctly Valdemar seemed to have just been stuck on, as though the author was anticipating later scraping the serial numbers off. Still, all-in-all, well worth it.
Customer Reviews:
Superhero Must Have!!.......2005-10-05
My son is a superhero junkie and he is only 3. He will look at this book for hours. We borrowed it from the library and I just had to buy it for him.
Book Description
This volume contains the author's second group of experiences with Beloved Saint Germain. These experiences were the result of his applying the knowledge he had previously learned, as described in Unveiled Mysteries.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect.......2007-06-01
This book and any of the other books in the Saint Germain Foundation's Series of Ascended Master Teachings are written Beautifully and Perfectly. Whether you believe these to be actual Ascended Master experiences or not, the Fact is that the Points made in this book and every other book from the Foundation, bring you to such a deep point of reflection, Thought, Feeling and Awakening that you Truely do raise your vibratory state of being tremendously.
Life is Eternal.......2007-03-22
The Ascended Masters are true and very real. Open your heart to God's Eternal Love, Open Your Inner Spirit to The Real Reality. The Gospel of John 1:3 tells you about God's Light. This is a true story about the journey of real people going to the ultimate place with God. Also tells the story about two twin flames that ascend together, very beautiful. You will read this story with love in your heart. You will find yourself peacefully smiling...
I also recommend for those beginning to learn about the Ascended Masters, The Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East, by Baird T. Spalding (6 vol. set) God Bless You...Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East (6 Vol. Set) The Gospel of John
Divine guidance.......2006-11-08
"When the disciple is ready, the Master appears". An excellent book for readers in the Path inclined to achieve higher transformations. Follow your inner guidance and reach the mystical realm of true harmony in your life and environment.
OK, this one's better.......2006-04-27
I confess I had some doubts about this St. Germain series after reading volumes 1 and 3. All that discussion of things like "The Great Great Silence" (one "great" is not good enough apparently, but TWO "greats" somehow does the trick) gets tiresome pretty quick.
Then you get to this book, with the endearing, youthful, Great Great Characters Nada, Bob, Rex, and Pearl. The scene about three-fourths of the way through the book in which these two platonic couples penetrate the mysterious "Cave of Symbols" and proceed to become unplatonic (or to "know" each other, as the Bible would put it), incorporating the cave's various stalactites and stalagmites in the process...well...let's just say one begins to think this religion is after all even MORE than it is cracked up to be!
Ascension; the Natural Thing to Happen.......2005-02-25
An uplifting account of the power of Mind over the illusion of limitations
An outstanding narration of several exciting human and mystical adventures led by ascended person St. Germain and others which reads more like a well-crafted movie than a real life account.
Assuming King Ray is telling the truth, these Masters are able to control and rule the apparent limitations of time, space, matter, and negative emotions in such a practical and commanding manner that it encourages the reader to enrich and improve his/her own life.
They say that the Ballards (Godfree Ray King, and wife Lotus) ascended only after their physical death, yet don't let that influence your opinion since the values, the uplifting thoughts articulated throughout this book are in my opinion extremely motivating, truthful and very practical.
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The Magic Presence
Godfre Ray King
Manufacturer: Saint Germain Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
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ASIN: B000NTKA1M |
Customer Reviews:
Great children's series!.......2007-05-09
My kids loved this book. This series is wonderful, providing an entertaining read with a good biblical foundation. I enjoyed reading it, too!
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The Magic Presence #2
Manufacturer: Saint German Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000HVTFBW |
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