Average customer rating:
- Worst book I've ever read!
- Disappointing
- Choose another book
- it's all about style
- Depressing
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Crumbtown
Joe Connelly
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
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ASIN: 0375712976
Release Date: 2004-06-08 |
Amazon.com
Crumbtown, Joe Connelly's second novel (following 1998's Bringing Out the Dead), is a satirical romp through a neighborhood filled with inept criminals, reality television crews, and urban squalor. Once across the Dodgeport Bridge into Crumbtown, cobblestones are replaced with potholes, and buildings are "numbered not in sequence but according to color." Crumbtown native Don Reedy led a life of crime until he was caught: he stole and vandalized vehicles, and robbed banks until caught while throwing cash to the locals. Rob Landetta, struggling to stay afloat in the entertainment industry, seizes upon Reedy's tale and obtains early parole for Reedy in order to have him act as a consultant on his own life story. Reedy's botched bank job is recreated, complete with his bungling former partners, the twins Tim and Tom. When the actors are slipped real guns, Reedy decides to do the job right this time, and sets to rob the television show and its "fake" bank.
Connelly creates much room for satire in Crumbtown, but the book contains too many cheap laughs (naming places "Snob Gardens" and "Felony Street") and has an off-putting sheen of bizarreness. For instance, when Reedy's old friends find out he's out of prison, they throw a party: "Uncle Billy, whom Don wasn't related to, was the first one to punch him. He said he heard Don had died and he cried so violently it took three people to pull him away. Iron Heinz danced through the door with a case of beer on his head, and Father Sunshine walked in and wrestled with his hair." Nevertheless, Crumbtown is an entertaining neighborhood, and Connelly shows us where a preoccupation with reality television could lead. --Michael Ferch
Book Description
Some might say that Crumbtown isn’t a place. It’s a state of mind. And for the residents of this sinking, stinking, carcinogenic, potholed neighborhood, “There’s bad luck in the world, and then there’s crumbluck.” But for Don Reedy, a true victim of this phenomenon, his crumbluck is about to change.
Sentenced to 15 years in prison after a botched armed robbery, Don is paroled early when a television producer decides to turn Don’s tragic story into a television show. Back in Crumbtown and working as a special consultant on the shoot, Don wrestles with delusional actors, pines for a beautiful Russian bartender, and reunites with cops and accomplices alike. But when the opportunity presents itself, Don decides to do something really daring: He robs the re-enactment of his legendary robbery. With the cameras rolling and the line between television and reality blurring, the hunt for Don—and a ratings coup—is on.
Customer Reviews:
Worst book I've ever read!.......2006-04-10
No plot line...need I say more? Do not, under any circumstances, read this book!
Disappointing.......2005-02-14
Underwritten and half baked. Connelly seems to be gunning for a film adaptation with this so why not skip the middleman and just write a screenplay instead? I'm a big fan of "Bringing Out the Dead" - both the book and the movie - and Noir. This book satisfied neither of those appetites. Nonetheless, I'll still take a look at his next work in hopes of something better.
Choose another book.......2004-09-12
I gave this book 70 pages, and it was 70 pages too much. Where as the writing style has it's merrits, the story is told in about as boring of a way as possible.
My suggestion, choose another book.
it's all about style.......2004-01-07
Hey, it's noir, so it's not supposed to be uplifting (see previous review by joe4prez), but it's funny, and oddly stylish. It does fall apart at the end, which is less than satisfying, but it is a fascinating vision and worth the read.
Depressing.......2003-11-02
I have to say the only redeeming quality of this book is the interesting way Connelly weaves together the disparate stories of his characters and brings them into contact with one another in circumstantial events. But yet the story was so intensely depressing. Does anything good happen even in such a crummy town? Truthfully his characters should all be on Prozac or just commit suicide, then burn the town down too. Not that I'm into wanting a happy end to every story, its just that the bad that happens to these people is just so pitifully stupid and repetative.
Product Description
There's luck. There's bad luck. And then there's crumbluck - the particular kind of misfortune which sticks to the people from Crumbtown, bad neighborhood extraordinaire. Don Reedy is the poster boy for crumbluck. His ticket out of town was a fifteen-year jail term for a staged armed robbery. His ticket out of jail is a return to Crumbtown. He's got early parole and a job as a consultant to the TV show based on his own life. So when he decides to rob the TV robbery - becoming the criminal he never really was - the cameras are rolling and the producer figures they've got a ten-point rating in the bag. Don, however, is on the run, both from the real cops and the TV cops. A beautiful woman lies in wait - if only Don can decide which Don, real or fictional, he needs to be.
"[Connelly] could make an accident report read like a song. A terrific piece of work." (Boston Globe)
Average customer rating:
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Crumbtown
Joe Connelly
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXI4CY |
Average customer rating:
- Super Reader
- The Origin of the Legend!
- Classis Gemmell - The begining of the Legend
- Better Left Unexplored
- The Unbelievable Story of Druss Comes to Life...
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The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend (Drenai Tales, Book 6)
David Gemmell
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Legend of Deathwalker (Drenai Tales, Book 7)
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In the Realm of the Wolf (Drenai Tales, Book 5)
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Winter Warriors (Drenai Tales, Book 8)
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Waylander (Drenai Tales, Book 4)
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Hero in the Shadows (Drenai Tales, Book 9)
ASIN: 0345407997
Release Date: 1999-10-05 |
Book Description
He was known as Druss. The Deathwalker. Though the blood of merciless butchers coursed through his veins, he had found a fragile peace through his love for beautiful, mystical Rowena. Then came the day when Druss returned to their village and found everyone dead--massacred by slavers who had stolen the women to sell for gold. Rowena was among the missing.
Armed with only his powerful double-bladed ax, Snaga, Druss went after Rowena. His journey would carry him from the highest thrones of power to the deepest dungeons of depravity. Along the way, he would battle savage monsters and descend into terrifying lands of black magic and demons.
Yet one thing was certain. Druss would have victory . . . or death.
Customer Reviews:
Super Reader.......2007-08-26
The beginning of the story of the Silver Slayer. Details of Druss' warrior father, and his search for his wife Rowena, who has been kidnapped by slavers.
This event turns a mountain woodsman into the most fearsome warrior the Drenai have seen, as he holds the line at Skeln pass with his friend Sieben, and the help of the Thirty.
It also details the development of his iron cide, the Way, and the influence a couple of teachers had on his skills and philosophy.
Very good stuff.
The Origin of the Legend!.......2007-03-17
Druss the Axeman, the Captain of the Axe, the Silver Slayer, Deathwalker, these are the names legend has given him. Druss the Legend is an indomitable warrior, armed with the great battle axe, Snaga. Snaga the Sender, the Blades of No Return, an axe possessed by a demon that gives it the power to cut anything and makes the wielder almost unbeatable.
The first book telling of Druss was called Legend. It told of Druss in his sixties, called to defend his homeland against an invasion of barbarian hordes. It tells of his death and hints and his past. He is an unstoppable warrior with an iron code. He will not do evil, nor stand still while evil is done. His world is black and white and he has little tolerance for those that attempt to paint it in shades of grey. He is a man that has lived a life of violence, but has no remorse for it. He is a warrior without peer and a friend that will never flinch or falter.
The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend tells the story of his beginning. Druss is a young man, recently married to Rowena. He lives in a small mountain village on the frontier of Drenai. He is not popular in the town. The people fear him for his great size and temper. Rowena is the only person he has ever allowed close to him and he loves her dearly.
While he is working in the mountains felling trees, the village is attacked by bandits. Everybody is killed but the young women, who are gathered as slaves. Druss uses his axe to defend himself and a young woman and they are the only survivors. He returns in time to find his dying father, who tells him where to find a family heirloom hidden in the house for Druss has a secret. He is the grandson of Bardan the Slayer. Bardan's axe and armor are hidden in his father's house.
Druss is devastated by the loss of his wife. He dons Bardan's armor, grabs the axe and heads off to the rescue. Before he can leave the town, he encounters Shadak the Hunter, whose son was slain by the same raiders. Shadak offers to help him, and in so doing gives Druss his own code for life. "Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These are things for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain lead you into the pursuit of evil." Druss adopts this code as his own and it lays the foundation for his actions for the rest of his life.
Druss follows the slavers and in a nighttime raid, they attack and he kills nineteen of the raiders, freeing the women. But his wife is not among them. She was taken by the raider's leader Collan to Mashrapur. Druss continues to Mashrapur to find her. In Mashrapur, he enters a fight contest and fights Borcha, the local champion. He meets Bodasen, a Ventrian General who is in the town to hire mercenaries to fight a war. Bodasen sets up a meeting between Collan and Druss to get Rowena back, but Collan reneges on the deal and Druss gets severely wounded. Collan is killed but Rowena is taken away on a ship. Druss finds out later that the ship is sunk by pirates under the employ of the Empire of Nashaan. Nashaan is fighting Ventria and Ventria is losing badly. Druss decides that Nashaan is his enemy and he decides to fight for them.
Druss fights for Ventria, becoming the Emperor Gorben's champion. Druss leads attack after attack and his status as a warrior grows, but the killing gives the demon that possesses Snaga power. The power of the axe drove his grandfather insane and it is starting to get to Druss, too. Druss' iron code and indomitable will hold the madness at bay and Druss uses the power to lead the defeat of Nashaan's armies.
Along the way he finds out that his wife is not dead, but suffers from amnesia. His hunt begins again. He finally finds her, but with her memory loss, she has married the General of the last Nashaanite army, Michanek. In the final battle, Michanek dies and Rowena attempts suicide. A priest saves her from the poison but her spirit is lost in the netherworld. Druss enters the netherworld to bring her back. Ultimately it leads to a confrontation with the demon in the axe. Druss defeats the demon and Snaga is no longer possessed. Rowena and Druss are reunited after seven years and they return home.
The last part of the book tells the story of Druss in his forties, standing with his countrymen against the Empire of Ventria. The Ventrian Emperor, Gorben, has been given a sword that is possessed by another demon, but has given in to the insanity. He has attacked and invaded the other countries and has turned into the same kind of evil that Druss helped him defeat years earlier. Druss stands against the Empire, fighting men that he calls friends. Druss and a handful of warriors defeat the Ventrians at Skeln Pass in a battle reminiscent of the Spartans defeating the Persians.
This book is more a series of short stories than a whole story. Each part is a self contained whole the only common thread is Druss' search for Rowena. The last part seems a bit abbreviated, but still it does what it meant to do, which is tell the back story of Druss. I enjoyed the book and recommend it along with all the Drenai Tales series. Gemmell's world is richly created and inhabited by wonderful characters. I actually feel saddened when I reach the end of his books, because I want more to read. Gemmell died last year, so there will be no more Drenai Tales written.
Classis Gemmell - The begining of the Legend.......2007-01-06
The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend by Davvid Gemmell is the 6th book in the Drenai Tales. While this book is part of the larger Drenai saga it is also a prelude to Mr. DdGemmell's first Drenai book titled Legend. In Legend, Mr. Gemmell tells the tale of a long retired hero coming back for one more go at it. In this book Mr. Gemmell tells `some' of the tale leading up to the creation of the legend that is Druss.
Fans of Mr. Gemmell's previous work, particularly Legend, will be immediately drawn into this book. It is Gemmell at his best. The story of Druss has long been discussed and hinted at, yet never before has it been told as a story in and of itself.
The plot of this book is rather simple. A young Druss is away from his village when slavers attack and take all the young women, his new wife included. He sets off on a journey across the world to get her back. Every action he does is only to get him closer to finding his wife. Of course, along the way he fights, many fights, and encounters various people that seek to helps him (or hinder him at times). There are really very few sub-plots in this book. Usually, that would detract from the book, but Mr. Gemmell is able to pull it off as this book is about Druss and what made Druss the Deathwalker he later became known as.
This book is really all about the character development of Druss. While Mr. Gemmell was able to shown the reader how Druss became Druss the Legend, there are a few instances where it was obvious Mr. Gemmell had more to say, but due to page limits and editor choices things were removed. When you read one of these sections it feels like you made a huge leap in the story and have no idea what you read. There are no less than four such instances where a chunk of the story is missing. While this is irritating, overall the book is still very good. My other point of contention is the time frame of this story. Due to the chunks missing, at times it is hard to know how much time has passed from the initial start of the book.
Regardless, of all the above, I still found this book to be very enjoyable. Mr. Gemmell has a way of writing that allows the reader to be immersed in the book and story. He writes characters that are hard not to care about, and he does a fantastic job of conveying the angst that Druss is suffering from. Fans of Gemmell will no doubt enjoy this book as much as the others. People considering reading this would be best advised to read Legend first to have an idea of what is going on more so than just reading this book by itself. Fans of the fantasy genre who have not read Gemmell are doing themselves a great disservice and should really try at least Legend to see what they think. I will be sure to recommend Gemmell to people for years to come.
Better Left Unexplored.......2006-03-28
The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend gives readers a detailed look at the history of David Gemmell's most popular character. Unfortunately, I think we may have been better off not knowing Druss's history.
Gemmell created such a powerful character in Druss, and his role in the book Legend was just incredible. Indeed, the book itself became a Legend to Gemmell's readers. The legendary warrior comes out of retirement to make a final stand for his country against an invading horde. This is epic stuff, and part of what made Druss's character work so well was that his role had an ending. In revisiting Druss's past, Gemmell runs the risk of tarnishing the legend. To be successful, he would have to create a beginning that is every bit as amazing as the character's ending.
Unfortunately the First Chronicles of Druss the Legend falls short of that goal. Druss's wife is taken from him, and he battles his way across the world to reclaim her. This plot might have worked better if certain things were explained more effectively. Where did Druss learn to fight? It's just instinctual. Where did his iron will and determination come from? It's just inherited. The Druss we meet at the book's beginning is not much different than the Druss at the end of the book. Instead of introducing the character and truly developing him, Gemmell gives us an already formed Druss and simply sets up events for him to react to. And his reaction is always the same - plow through any obstacle using that iron will (and that famous axe).
The story has its good points as well. Gemmell always creates a first-class supporting cast, and this book is no different. Sieben the saga-poet, Eskodas the bowman, Bodasen the swordsman, and other characters are far more compelling than the main character. Gemmell's frequent musings on morality, character, society, and religion are done well as usual, and add a bit of depth to the tale.
Overall the book is decent, but not up to Gemmell's usually high standards. I think Gemmell has gone to the well a few too many times in recent years. Characters like Waylander and Druss are better off left alone, where they can remain legends.
The Unbelievable Story of Druss Comes to Life..........2006-03-13
In Legend, David Gemmell's first Drenai book, he talked of the aging Druss. In The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend, the readers finally get to live the stories that gave Druss the nickname Legend. From chapter to chapter, Gemmell's crisp writing keeps the reader's eyes glued to the pages and never wanting to put the book down.
Druss, a simple peasant and logger, is an outcast and loner in his town. He and his father have lived in many different places since Druss' birth, always being by chased their past. His wife, Rowena, is the only person who can see past the rough exterior and notice Druss' soft heart. That love propels Druss to complete some unimaginable feats to rescue her after she has been taken during a slave raid. He follows her across many continents, helping win wars and battles along the way, thus becoming the Legend.
The First Chronicles tell of Druss's beginning with the demon-blade Snaga and his exploits at Skeln Pass against the Gothir. Gemmell writes of the trials and tribulations that Druss experiences with an unequaled style. The magic might be subtle in David Gemmell's books, but he includes just enough sorcery to quench the reader's thirst for a complete fantasy book. I have eaten up his books so far and will continue to do so in the future. Enjoy this book!
Average customer rating:
- One of the best books i've ever read
- Two books, same title
- Don't Be Fooled By The Cover
- delight for your mind and inspiration for the rest of you
- Praise, comment, plea
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Firedance
Steven Barnes
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States
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ASIN: 0312850948 |
Book Description
Streetfighter, fugitive, hero....Aubry Knight is now a powerful man with powerful friends. And someone wants to kill him.Their opening shot is the death of one of Aubry's dearest friends. Their next attack is on Aubry's child. Knight is drawn inexorably toward New Africa, toward the mysteries of his own past, and toward a future that may take him far from Los Angeles and the only life he's ever known.To win this battle, and save his family, Aubry Knight must defeat himself.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best books i've ever read.......2006-09-11
Firedance is the last book in a trilogy (the others being Streetlethal and then Gorgon Child), and boy does it go out with a bang! The whole series is jam-packed with action and intrigue, which in itself is perceptive commentary on human nature.
This book completes the story of Aubry Knight, a born and bred warrior, who throughout the series reluctantly finds himself at the forefront of persecuted humanitarian organizations. This particular book tells the story of Aubry Knight seeking revenge for someone assassinating his friend. The story takes him across continents where he finds himself as an assassin of a head-of-state, in a zero-gravity fighting championship and finally finding out the identity and whereabouts of his birth family (he was orphaned at a young age).
Two books, same title.......2005-08-03
There are two books with the same title confused here. One was written by Steve Barnes, and all the information given here applies to it, as do three out of the four reviews. I wrote the other one. Amazon never reacted or replied when I informed them of this several years ago, but it just occurred to me that it couldn't hurt to put the information in the form of a review.
I gave the book(s) five stars mainly because a review has to have stars, partly because any less would be a disservice to Steve Barnes, and partly because I actually think I wrote a good book (not to mention the fact that it makes me feel good when people buy my books). Feel free to disregard the rating.
Don't Be Fooled By The Cover.......2001-01-31
Just like the old axiom...this book gathered dust on my shelf until I was in the mood to read it...the lurid cover was a turn off. Particularly, the martial-arts-fighter-hero main character really seemed typical. I was wrong. This book is a deeply textured morality tale about power, politics and technology. The action, superb, is just part of the story. This has all the trademarks of cyberpunk with a solid story. The fact that I read the third book in the trilogy was not a problem, in fact, it just made me determined to track down the other two. Greg Davies/Toronto
delight for your mind and inspiration for the rest of you.......2000-03-16
This book combines excellent action writing with fascinating, deeply researched information on the body and mind typical of all of Barnes' work. This is one of his best.
Praise, comment, plea.......1997-01-13
Firedance is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Its notion of reality is so far off our own that it is a very difficult read. I am therefore not surprised it is no longer available. Such fantasies can be accepted on their own terms, however, as long as they are internally consistent. This one is, remarkably so, for a book that must have extraordinarily difficult to write. If I can ever get a copy to replace my beat-up one, preferably in hardback, I would would be most pleased. Rafti lives
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Firedance
Scott Baker
Manufacturer: Legend paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Fantasy
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ASIN: 0099601001 |
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In Search of the Firedance
James Woodall
Manufacturer: Sinclair-Stevenson Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1856191168 |
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Firedance
Howerton Morris
Manufacturer: Waltsan Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: 1930430884 |
Book Description
The plot traces the nucleus of the Wobbly organization in a paper factory during the time unions were first being organized. First using persuasion, harassment, then finally sabotage, a strike is agitated which ends almost immediately when a guard is murdered near the picket line.
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Firedance (American Romance, No 264)
Vella Munn
Manufacturer: harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Munn, Vella
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ASIN: 0373162642 |
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Engini (firedance)
Peter Clark
Manufacturer: Gaulim Teachers' College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
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ASIN: B0007BKS68 |
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Firedance
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HYIZ60 |
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Firedance
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HYJXR0 |
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Firedance
Steven Barnes
Manufacturer: Forge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000UE7N92 |
Customer Reviews:
Is it still a title if I do it this way?.......2007-03-02
This is a fun, complete, egotistical translation of Chuang Tzu. Fun, because it is full of zaniness and funny names and joy. Complete, because it contains all of Chuang Tzu and not just the easily amusing bits. Egotistical, because the author is a scholar and foolishly uses the PC "she/her" even when "he/him" would be better; deletes random bits he doesn't approve of and then lumps them together at the back; goes on about what he can't know anything about in the front matter and puts more of these bits in the beginning of each chapter. Should you buy this book? Oh, sure. Buy one. Should you be like the translator and flap your opinions around? Oh, sure. Everything makes a noise. Should you be like the author and make people wiser and happier for two thousand years? Oh, oops -- got to go -- I've said too much.
Best Translation of Chuang Tzu in English.......2006-10-28
This is an amazing book. Mair explains his methods in his introduction; he claims that Chuang Tzu is a literary writer first and a philosopher second. As such, Mair aims to capture the inimitable style of Master Chuang, whom he claims created new ways of expressing oneself in Chinese. The resulting text is a fabulously refreshing collection of parables, which seems to contain the essence of philosophical Taoism. Chuang Tzu has much to teach us about the utility of uselessness, the interchangeable nature of the large and small, and my favourite teaching, the futility of 'guarding against thieves.' Chuang Tzu explains in chapter 10 'Ransacking Coffers' that people who go to great lengths to guard against thieves are just preparing things for the 'great robber.' This seems to have something to say about the nature of capitalism, especially in this era of corporate takeovers and the like. Chuang Tzu is an antidote for modern life.
Mair includes the complete text of Chuang Tzu, not limiting himself to the 'Inner Chapters' (which are regarded as being actually written by Chuang Tzu). He includes the 'Outer' and 'Miscellaneous Chapters', many of which Mair claims are the equal or superior of the Inner Chapters. Each chapter is prefaced by a note giving context to the authorship of the chapter. For instance, Mair regards some of the chapters as being written by Confucianists who have somehow wormed their way into Chuang Tzu over the centuries.
This book compares favourably to other translations of Chuang Tzu I have read. My first exposure to Chuang came in Burton Watson's translation of the Inner Chapters, and while I have not read this book for many years, it was Watson who convinced me of the necessity to study this quasi-historical figure. 'The Essential Chuang Tzu' (Hammill & Seaton) was disappointing in comparison to this book. Thomas Merton's 'The Way of Chuang Tzu' is a nice little book, but not of the same calibre of this volume. In short, Mair's volume seems to me to be the definitive translation.
Chuang Tzu can change your life--quite literally--if you are willing and able to pursue a life of carefree wandering. It's a book not to be missed.
the Chuang tzu.......2003-05-17
One trusts this is probably the best English translation there is of the Chuang Tzu. The Chuang tzu has a unique place in the world of spiritual writings; it breathes the air of freedom like nothing else. Not knowing ancient Chinese, however, the only thing I can say is that I am very happy with this translation.
The Best Available Translation Of This Toaist Classic.......2002-03-13
Though Burton Watson's translation comes a close second, this version is the absolute best English translation I have found. Mair includes the "rhyming prose" the poetry and lots of the zaniness that somehow gets passed over in other translations. For those wishing to have more notes Mair generously refers them to his writings in the Sino-Platonic Papers. Mair is second to none in his understanding of archaic Chinese and takes us back to the truly revolutionary collection of writings that Chuang Tzu really is.
Superb translation but with a lack of notes.......2001-08-04
It's a fresh and scholarly translation, but also potentially controversial, since a few sections of the text have been deleted (even from the Inner Chapters). The deletions are not noted in the main text (the general reader will be unaware of them) or clearly explained. They can be found in the "Deleted Passages" appendix at the end of the book. Some translations are unconventional, like "look after your parents" (Watson) in the beginnig of chapter 3, is translated by Victor Mair as "Nourish your inmost viscera"; it would be interesting to know why. I would look forward to another edition with notes.
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- El Amante Turco/the Turkish Lover
- Ella Price's journal;: A novel
- Este Rodaje Es La Guerra: Lo Que El Viento Se Llevo Y Otras Batallas Campales
- Executive Protection New: Solutions for a New Era
- Fire in Beulah
- Headbanger
Books Index
Books Home
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