Average customer rating:
- Great, Excellent, Fantasic
- Fun Book
- Big disappointment
- I've lost count of how many times I've read this book
- One of My Old Favorites
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The Hammer and the Cross
Harry Harrison , and
John Holm
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
Harrison, Harry | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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One King's Way (Hammer and the Cross)
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King's Man (Viking Trilogy)
ASIN: 0312854390 |
Book Description
865 A.D. Warring kings rule over the British Isles, but the Church rules over the kings, threatening all who oppose them with damnation. Only the dreaded Vikings of Scandinavia do not fear the priests.Shef, the bastard son of a Norse raider and a captive English lady, is torn by divided loyalties and driven by strange visions that seem to come from Odin himself. A smith and warrior, he alone dares to imagine new weapons and tactics with which to carve out a kingdom--and launch an all-out war between......The Hammer and the Cross.
Customer Reviews:
Great, Excellent, Fantasic.......2005-01-20
I normally dislike alternate history. But this proved that people can pull this genre off. If you come to this book looking for stories about the Norse gods you won't find them. Instead, you find an Englishman who falls in among Viking raiders . He meets a Way-man(i.e. Asatruar) who tells him about the Asier and Vanir (Norse gods). His life from that point is then touched by his patron god (can't say who, it will spoil the book).
This is a grand story, filled with romance, action, adventure, mystery, and one suprise after another. I'm currently reading the sequel and so far it is proving to be just as impressive. You will not be disappointed if you buy this book.
Fun Book.......2004-11-16
This was a fun book-I enjoyed it so much that I slogged through the end of the series, which I thought was pretty crappy, because I liked this one so much.
It's sort of sad that people say 'It's great history' or 'It changed my life', though. It's not that hard to write a history that makes one people look evil and another saintly, especially if you use 'alternate history' to do it, and Harrison is far from an un-biased observer in matters of religion.
Big disappointment.......2003-03-17
This book was terrible. I stuck with it, always hoping it would get better. I didn't care an ounce about the main character. It was really just one battle scene after another, throwing in a new weapon each time. The story wasn't very interesting either. Good concept, but not enough was said about the gods and their roles.
I've lost count of how many times I've read this book.......2002-10-17
From the beginning you are caught up in the viking age, and the story of Shef, who changes the course of history through the help he recives from the Norse Gods in the form of visions. As an ametuer historian, I found this novel exceptional, and as someone who personally followes the old norse gods, I was not dissapointed. The Gods and Goddesses are portraied truly, I get the feeling the author has had experience with them himself, or at least the input of someone else who does.
This is a long book by itself, full of action. The two books which follow it only get better.
One of My Old Favorites.......2002-04-05
I love this trilogy, from the start of book one to the end of book three, the historical aspects are pointed out in a way that fits as part of the story and they don't overthrow the plot, lending the books a very authoritative tone. The Characters are great, (Brand is one of my favorites) and there's plenty of action. What I like best about these books is that Harrison really makes you feel inside the story, the way he handles the characters attitudes towards each other and their surroundings really makes you feel like you're right with them weather it's Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, The Frankish Empire, Muslum Spain or what's left of Rome. As for character development, Harrison has a great way of using the third-person point of view in a way that can convey things unknown to the characters yet at the same time the tone of the narrative is flavored with the particular character's personality, culture and view of their surroundings, helping the reader understand more fully the motives and inhibitions of the people he describes. I read these back in high school and loved them then as much I still do now.
Book Description
A craftsman, visionary, and warrior, Shef has risen from slavery to become king of a mighty Viking nation. But his growing kingdom menaces all of Europe, and he has made many powerful enemies.Chief among his enemies are the Knights of the Lance, a fanatical order of soldiers sworn to bring Shef down, no matter what the cost. To defeat Shef, they will go to extraordinary lengths to find the sacred spear of Christ--and resurrect the Holy Roman Empire.Driven by dreams, Shef battles to change the course of history, but even the gods themselves may be plotting against him......
Customer Reviews:
The king makes the great journey.......2002-10-17
Shef is now co-king of england, and has brought peace and prosperity to his land. He is summoned to go north, and to make a great journey around the northlands. The plot thickens in this book, and builds on the first. The charachters develop even more in this book, and continue to do so in the final book of the trilogy.
One of My Old Favorites.......2002-04-05
I love this trilogy, from the start of book one to the end of book three, the historical aspects are pointed out in a way that fits as part of the story and they don't overthrow the plot, lending the books a very authoritative tone. The Characters are great, (Brand is one of my favorites) and there's plenty of action. What I like best about these books is that Harrison really makes you feel inside the story, the way he handles the characters attitudes towards each other and their surroundings really makes you feel like you're right with them weather it's Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, The Frankish Empire, Muslum Spain or what's left of Rome. As for character development, Harrison has a great way of using the third-person point of view in a way that can convey things unknown to the characters yet at the same time the tone of the narrative is flavored with the particular character's personality, culture and view of their surroundings, helping the reader understand more fully the motives and inhibitions of the people he describes. I read these back in high school and loved them then as much I still do now.
On the searching road........2000-11-03
This alternate history is a sequel of "The hammer and the Cross", starts with Shef going on a two level quest. The explicit one is to deter the Ragnarsons raids onto the British coasts. The second quest is more or less imposed to him, by Gods or fate or destiny, Shef alternatively complies or resist to it. In this quest new characters come to his help and tie their destiny to his. Shef's journey touches all Norse's world, their myths, legends and beliefs are shown in a thrilling story. The first book of the saga shows an accurate picture of early Middle Ages, this one starts to create a different alternate reality, evolving distinctly from new facts introduced by Harrison. The Lance Order appears in this volume and will grow step by step as an important element in the saga. Finally, the confrontation with the Ragnarsons, comes to an end somewhat abruptly without freeing all the previous mounting tension. A valuable continuation of the saga, I keep looking forward for the next and final step.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Killer follow-up to an awesome start.......1999-04-29
After reading "The Hammer and the Cross" I couldn't wait for the second installment. The wait was well worth it. Harrison followed up his truly excellent beginning with an equally impressive and exciting novel. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the characters develop and change over the course of the story. Harrison once again delves into history and presents an exciting "what if" story line. Definate thumbs up!
A great book, very believable and well constructed........1997-01-02
This book is a sequel to The Hammer and the Cross. I have not read the earlier book, but people speak very highly of it, and this sequel deserves just as much praise. It's an alternate history with supernatural elements involving Viking, Christian, and other religions. It is carefully and intricately constructed with interesting technology developments (for the so-called Dark Ages) and different cultures.
I do have a problem with the description on the back jacket of the book (also repeated as the Amazon.Com description), because I think it's not at all accurate. The jacket identifies the Knights of the Lance as Shef's chief enemies, but in most of the book his chief enemies are Sigurth Snake-Eye and his brothers. The Knights of the Lance don't play much of a role in this book, though it looks like they will in the next one
Average customer rating:
- Blows it in the end.
- Interresting Mix of Religions
- One of My Old Favorites
- In a different Universe
- Gritty, interesting (alt) history stories
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King and Emperor (Hammer and the Cross)
Harry Harrison
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Harrison, Harry | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Adventure | Alternate History | Anthologies | General | Graphic Novels | High Tech | History & Criticism | Series | Short Stories | Space Opera
Similar Items:
-
One King's Way (Hammer and the Cross)
-
The Hammer and the Cross
-
Mother of Kings
-
Deathworld
-
Return to Eden (West of Eden, Book 3)
ASIN: 0812536460 |
Book Description
Driven by prophetic dreams, the Viking warrior Shef as become the One King, the undisputed ruler of the North. Now he must face the reborn power of the Holy Roman Empire.Rome threatens Shef's fearsome Viking navy with a new invention of unparalleled destruction: Greek fire. Unable to defend his fleet against this awesome weapon, Shef travels East in search of new wisdom. His quest leads him to the lavish court of the Muslim Caliph and, ultimately, to the secret hiding place of the Holy Grail.
Customer Reviews:
Blows it in the end........2004-11-16
Eh, I suffered through this book, but didn't enjoy it very much at all. It veers into Holy Blood Holy Grail speculating, and wraps up with some sort of bizarre thing where our favorite super-techno Viking becomes a cut-rate Christ figure, or something.
I just sort of shrugged at the sainlty Vikings who followed The Way for two books, but this time it got really screedy-anyone who thought these books were just an exploration of alternate history instead of Harrison's Great Statement should be quite disabused by this novel.
Interresting Mix of Religions.......2002-11-24
The rich tapestry of the spirituality in this series, as well as the rich, accurate historical views and alternate histories continue to pull the reader within the realm of it's pages. I found the interresting mix of religious viewpoints in this story intriguing. Harrison has done his research in both history and religion quite well. This also brings to light some more disturbing aspects of various religions.
This book brings the wonderful trilogy to a close in a way that is satisfying. Shef and his ex-slave companions, as well as his viking companions head to the mediteranian region to seek a flying man in Shef's never-satisfied search for knowledge.
The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting of the trillogy, but is still a good one.
One of My Old Favorites.......2002-04-05
I love this trilogy, from the start of book one to the end of book three, the historical aspects are pointed out in a way that fits as part of the story and they don't overthrow the plot, lending the books a very authoritative tone. The Characters are great, (Brand is one of my favorites) and there's plenty of action. What I like best about these books is that Harrison really makes you feel inside the story, the way he handles the characters attitudes towards each other and their surroundings really makes you feel like you're right with them weather it's Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, The Frankish Empire, Muslum Spain or what's left of Rome. As for character development, Harrison has a great way of using the third-person point of view in a way that can convey things unknown to the characters yet at the same time the tone of the narrative is flavored with the particular character's personality, culture and view of their surroundings, helping the reader understand more fully the motives and inhibitions of the people he describes. I read these back in high school and loved them then as much I still do now.
In a different Universe.......2000-11-25
I've enjoyed this third volume of "Hammer & the Cross" saga greatly. First I want to point out how Harrison starts from an universe deeply rooted in early middle ages in the first volume and end in a completely different environment, created by the new facts and actions performed by Shef and his pals.
In "King and Emperor", the human dimension of each character grows and they are confronted with moral and ethical dilemmas. Shef, Svandis, Cwicca, Thorvin, Bruno, Brand and the rest (even the crooked Erkenbert) has to choose between different actions in order to proceed. Still is a novel full of action, adventure and entertainment. In my personal point of view, some aspects of Svandis cuasi Freudian dream explanations are out of context. I don't agree with other reviewers, in their appreciation of an abrupt and rash ending of the novel. The confrontation between Bruno and Shef is well paced and reach a "logical" ending.
The overall background of examining different religious beliefs is provoking, but each reader may extract it's own conclusions without being forced by the author to take sides or accept his points of view.
A great book!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Gritty, interesting (alt) history stories.......2000-09-14
I read these books a few years back at the same time as my brother in-law. We were both impressed by the depth, (alt)history, and interest in the stories. Not as thick as a George R.R. Martin's books, but a similar grittiness. (The first book features the removal of limbs by sword and preserving of life by searing the limbs with fire to cauterize the wounds. eeyoo!)
The stories are really well crafted and takes the reader from the North Sea to the Medeterainian and throughout the land masses in between. The character develpoment kept me reading the entire series end to end despite my semi-revulsion at the gore.
As a fan of Orson Scott Card, Issac Asimov, Terry Goodkind, C.J. Cherryh, Mercedes Lackey, Neal Stephanson and Carl Sagan, I can say I liked this book and its predecessors enough to read them all.
Average customer rating:
- Good, but a bit rocky in the middle
- Good Sci Fi action..from someone who thought it wouldn't be good..
- Wishbone does science fiction
- excellent
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Cross The Stars (Hammer Universe)
David Drake
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Drake, David | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0812536142 |
Customer Reviews:
Good, but a bit rocky in the middle.......2007-06-15
_Cross the Stars_ by Davide Drake is an offshoot of his popular Hammer's Slammers series of stories. In _Cross the Stars_, we follow the adventures of an ex-Slammer as he attempts to return home to a remote planet.
Along the way, our hero meets with a fair number of obstacles, and this part of the book seemed really slow to me. However, once the main character gets home the story picks up and it is beautifully written. There is a scene where an old remote-controlled war machine is reactivated in the middle of a crowd, and only two people in the crowd understand why it was reactivated and all the implications and ramifications of that. It's been over four years since I last read _Cross the Stars_ (which is also why I unfortunately can't remember the main character's name), but I can still remember that scene clearly, as well as the final confrontation between our hero and villain in the assembly hall.
In an afterword to the novel, Drake said _Cross the Stars_ was a retelling of Homer's Odyssey. Each of the obstacles encountered on the path home had a parallel in the Odyssey. Just as Ulysses slipped into his own household in disguise so he could ascertain the true loyalties of his wife and find a way to defeat his enemies, the hero of _Cross the Stars_ comes back to his home planet in disguise so that he can find out the loyalties of a long-lost love and find a way to defeat the man who usurped his family's position.
David Drake is one of my favorite authors. I originally liked his storylines and characters most of all, but as I read more of his works, I started to truly love his ability to describe people, his gift for describing the emotional struggle in a conflict, and his historical knowledge. In the afterword of this book, Drake explains how his experiences in the Vietnam War and his studies in classical history and Latin have affected his writing style. Just that alone makes this book worth reading.
I agree with another reviewer who said this book is an excellent way to sneak the classics into your teenager's reading list. But be warned that Drake's battle scenes are well-written and sometimes very grisly because of that. The description of the aftershock of a plasma bolt reducing a dozen henchmen to life-size ash statues was a bit horrific, as was reading about the assembled parliamentarians walking through the piles of ash to leave the assembly hall.
(On a side note, I also found the middle of the Odyssey very slow reading, so once I read that _Cross the Stars_ was based on Ulysses' journey, my dissatisfaction made a lot more sense.)
All in all, a VERY good book.
Good Sci Fi action..from someone who thought it wouldn't be good.........2005-12-16
I never thought I could like this type of military sci fi adventure. Being a fan of Star Trek and it's book series, never thought I would like this. What a surprise! Not only are the characters more real, the situations and action come at a mile a minute. If you like science fiction and action; read more Baen books by David Drake. He doesn't waste his time with over wrought descriptions. Like Harlan Ellison, he cuts to the chase and the action of the moment to make for entertaining reading.
Wishbone does science fiction.......1999-10-26
Drake captures the spirit of the Odessey and retells this classic myth in a delightful setting, every bit as strange and facinating to its readers as anything that Homer came up with.
The PBS character Wishbone, takes classic stories and applies them to modern life. Drake takes a classic myth and applies it to the future with wonderful results.
If you want to sneak one of the classics into your teen's reading, this is the book to do it :-)
excellent.......1996-06-05
david drake is a master at the specialized form of military science fiction.this is one of his must read books. It is the continuation of hammers slammersand is about one soldier in that army and the taking of his proper place on the family throne.
Customer Reviews:
another great read.......2003-09-03
When I finished Neptune Crossing I immediately returned to locate Strange Attractors. I had to find out where John Bandicut had ended up and what would happen to him.
Carver develops a world of overwhelming technology... one that envelopes a space the size of our solar system. John Bandicut has been brought here because he was needed. He has no idea where he is or why he is needed by such an advanced civilization.
The plus to this book is the relationship Carver builds between Bandicut, his two robots, and his new friends Ik and La-Jared. He also brings out Bandicut's deep sense of loss at finding himself thousands of light years from home thorugh a developing relationship between John and a human-looking alien named Antares.
I read this book almost entirely without putting it down... and immediately reached for the next book in the series.
A Step Up.......2002-06-03
STRANGE ATTRACTORS is the second book in Carver's "Chaos Chronicles" series. I was rather ambivalent after reading the first installment (NEPTUNE CROSSING). There are aspects of it I liked and other aspects I wasn't especially happy with. STRANGE ATTRACTORS, however, was better. I feel it is a solid step up from NEPTUNE... and I enjoyed it considerably more.
To be sure, there are still problems. The "boojum" is a rather vague entity, the characters remain underdeveloped, and I'm getting a little weary of the quarx dying and then resurrecting himself with no memory of past events. A couple of times is one thing, but after four or five generations of Charlie it's getting a little old.
For space opera, though, this is fairly good stuff. Intriguing new worlds (or, at least, environments) are explored and you never know what will turn up around the next corner. There's a fair amount of action and some interesting aliens. It wasn't deep, but it was fun and it held my interest. If good space opera is what you want, give this series a try.
A Step Up.......2002-06-03
STRANGE ATTRACTORS is the second book in Carver's "Chaos Chronicles" series. I was rather ambivalent after reading the first installment (NEPTUNE CROSSING). There were aspects of it I liked and other aspects I wasn't especially happy with. STRANGE ATTRACTORS, however, was better. I felt it was a solid step up from NEPTUNE... and I enjoyed it much more.
To be sure, there are still problems. The "boojum" is a rather vague entity, the characters remain underdeveloped, and I've gotten a little weary of the quarx dying and then resurrecting itself with no memory of past events. A couple of times is one thing, but after four or five generations of Charlie it's gotten a little old.
For space opera, though, this is fairly good stuff. Intriguing new worlds (or, at least, environments) are explored and you never know what will turn up around the next corner. There's a fair amount of action and some interesting aliens. It wasn't deep, but it was fun and it held my interest. If good space opera is what you want, give this one a try.
Possibly the best and most imaginative books in the series.......2001-06-23
John Bandicut and his pals are back in this je'ne sais qoi of a space opera. There are scenes in this book that reminded me of the alien bar scene in Star Wars I(V) and scenes that are unique to the book. Bandicoot is sidetracked (kidnapped?) to an intergalatic arc worldship and all that he has is blind gumption and a quixotic alien entity guiding him named Charlie that lives in his mind. Bandicoot must save this intergalatic arc from the clutches of an evil malevolent force known as the boojum (translation for boogey man). This part reminded me of the excellent Madeleine De'Engle(sp?) story A Wrinkle in Time (another highly entertaining and compelling SF) and tesseracting. Can Bandicut save the shipworld and himself from the clutches of the Boojum? Read this and see!!!
A Great Series... dont be put off by negative reviews.........2000-07-22
As we all know science fiction is a difficult genre to write in. And just because you read science fiction does not mean that it is the same science fiction another fan may read. We all have our own tastes, but in my opinion, this is another fine book by Jeffery Carver. This series is interesting, has great characters, an interesting universe, and I could not put it down. The second book is better than the first, but the entire series is good. There is a fourth book on the way. I suggest you try the first and second book sin the series, you will be hooked!
Average customer rating:
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Dead Sea Scrolls
Edgar Cayce
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Cayce, Edgar
| ( C )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000P6H54I |
Average customer rating:
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Edgar Cayce on the Dead Sea Scrolls
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0446881473 |
Customer Reviews:
It is a delight to read. Enjoy........1999-08-27
This is a book I have read many times. It is about Edgar Cayce and it tells you the story how he developed his ability to tell about previous events (and even future)in a self-hypnotic state. He didn't understand how this could come about but he thought that in one way or the other everything that had happened or even was only thought or said was remembered in the ether and could be stored in some Akaish records and be accessed by everybody who had developed that ability. This book tells about how he started to talk about the dead sea scrolls 15 years before they were found, and he could impossibly have known about them, because he had never been there. He told where they could be found, what was written in them, who wrote it and also a lot about the big role that was played by some women, unknown to previous history. This is a wonderful book. Read and contemplate. Take a deep breath and enjoy, it will be a delight for you. It is so sad that the book no longer is available, it is one of my favorite books. It just have to be reprinted.
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- Ordinary Love and Good Will: Two Novellas
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