Average customer rating:
- Where is the love?
- Not impressed
- Don't bother.
- Enjoyable
- Chaucer Extra Lite
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Nectar: A Novel of Temptation
Lily Prior
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Ardor: A Novel of Enchantment (P.S.)
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La Cucina: A Novel of Rapture
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Cabaret: A Roman Riddle
ASIN: 0066212596
Release Date: 2002-06-18 |
Book Description
Ramona Drottoveo, an albino with unusual looks, is a chambermaid at a lush Italian estate, La Casa. Further distinguished by the intoxicating scent she exudes, Ramona effortlessly bewitches all men, who are driven into an erotic frenzy each time they inhale her aroma. Ramona -- haughty and misguided -- eagerly satisfies their inexhaustible lust, while the women at the estate scold and despise her.Ramona's life changes when she marries a sweet beekeeper, a victim of her enchantment. But the marriage doesn't last long: the beekeeper dies after discovering his bride with a new lover on their wedding day. When the beekeeper's body disappears, the superstitious villagers blame Ramona and her lover and exile the couple from the estate to the neighboring city of Naples. The story follows Ramona through her tragicomic misadventures in Naples, where her life is transformed once again. by the birth of an unwanted daughter, Blandina, who "steals" Ramona's scent, depriving her mother of her only asset in life. No longer able to seduce men into blind submission, Ramona returns humbly to La Casa to an unexpected welcome -- and revenge.A hilarious and naughty celebration of the senses and the strange places they can lead us, Nectar is a wildly entertaining fable on the mystery and cruelty of sexual attraction and the frivolous nature of divine justice.
Customer Reviews:
Where is the love?.......2006-09-17
The only upside to this book is that it is a very unusual story.
Other than that it is a story of utterly dislikeable characters discarding and being discarded by one another, with none of the sensuality and warmth (for people or food) of `La Cucina'.
Not impressed.......2005-06-08
I have read two Lily Prior novels recently (it is my policy to read at least two novels by an author to judge whether or not I like them) and am frankly unimpressed. The story is ridiculous and the writing not much better.
Don't bother........2005-05-20
Well, I have to say I did read this book even after i realised it isn't a particularily good one, but it was more of a habit than of interest. There's only one thing to say: in this book's storyline there are events happening after one another, but there's no actual STORY. Honestly. It takes more than coming up with "funny" things your main character could do to make a good, or even a descent novel.
Pardon my english, bit rusty at the moment.
Enjoyable.......2004-11-19
I don't know how she does it, but I can't seem to put Lily Prior books down. She has filled a book with totally unlikable characters and she has made it thoroughly enjoyable. I don't love this book as much as I truly loved La Cucina - the language didn't seem quick as poetic, but as long as you can handle the light and airy way of dealing with sexuality (I won't be giving this to my Mom!) I think you'll enjoy the book. And, while the premise is obviously fantasy/mythical, I believe Lily Prior truly has insight into what really controls the world...
Chaucer Extra Lite.......2003-10-27
This imaginative and undemanding comedy relates the rise and fall of Ramona Drotteveo, a country chambermaid whose scent turns men into obsessive fools and women into jealous enemies. A perfidious coquette, Ramona keeps lovers only as long as they are able to give her exactly what she desires--which is seldom longer than a day. Her misdeeds result in exile to Naples, where she schemes to become a world-class opera diva--in spite of her ear-shattering vocal limitations. Eventually, her scent (like beauty) vanishes, and she loses her primacy to the daughter she despises.
In spite of its numerous sexual references and innuendoes, "Nectar" is more impish than pornographic. The story goes down easily and, depending on how much one appreciates sheer silliness, it is often quite funny--although, admittedly, it rarely transcends the genre of "guilty pleasure." In fact, it's not an easy book to categorize: unlike a fable or fairy tale, it has no moral; if it is meant as a satire, the object of ridicule (beauty? fashion? narcissism?) is lost on me. Instead, the book seems a blend of camp and ribaldry--Chaucer Extra Lite, if you will.
Amazon.com
Sailing to Sarantium is a small story. Its hero, Crispin, is unassuming as heroes go. He's a skilled mosaicist, an artist who makes pictures with decorative tiles, and responds to a request from a distant emperor to travel to the imperial capital and work on the new sanctuary there. Hardly the makings of high adventure. But then again, Guy Gavriel Kay could write about a peasant going to pick up a pail of water and you'd probably hang on every word.
If you don't know Kay, you should. His pedigree is impeccable, starting with a well-loved fantasy debut, the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road), and a compilation he did with Christopher Tolkien called The Silmarillion. Sailing to Sarantium, the first half of the Sarantine Mosaic series, evokes his other historical fantasy titles, such as A Song for Arbonne and The Lions of Al-Rassan, and is a well-researched analog to the Byzantine Empire and fifth-century Europe--with all its political and religious machinations.
Despite its seemingly prosaic cast and quest, Sailing to Sarantium is a charmer, another Kay classic. As usual, the character descriptions are subtle and precise--the mosaicist, Crispin, is a shrewd, irascible, and intensely likable man who is fiercely devoted to his art but troubled by guilt and loss. Reluctantly surrendering to events, he agrees to travel to Sarantium to work for the emperor. ("Sailing to Sarantium," we learn, is an expression synonymous with embracing great change.) As Crispin moves from roadside quarrels to palace intrigue, Kay gracefully shifts perspective from character to character, moving forward and backward in time and giving a rich sense of the world through the eyes of soldiers, slaves, and senators. --Paul Hughes
Book Description
Crispin is a mosaicist, a layer of bright tiles. Still grieving for the family he lost to the plaque, he lives only for his arcane craft. But an imperial summons from Valerius the Trakesian to Sarantium, the most magnificent place in the world, is difficult to resist.
In a world half-wild and tangled with magic, a journey to Sarantium means a walk into destiny. Bearing with him a deadly secret and a Queen's seductive promise, guarded only by his own wits and a talisman from an alchemist's treasury, Crispin sets out for the fabled city. Along the way he will encounter a great beast from the mythic past,and in robbing the zubir of its prize he wins a woman's devotion and a man's loyalty--and loses a gift he didn't know he had until it was gone.
Once in this city ruled by intrigue and violence, he must find his own source of power. Struggling to deal with the dangers and seductive lures of the men and woman around him, Crispin does discover it, in a most unusual place--high on the scaffolding of the greatest artwork ever imagined....
Customer Reviews:
Read the Sarantine Mosaic and You Will Not Be Disappointed.......2006-08-10
I had suspected it before I picked up The Sarantine Mosaic but it was only after reading Sailing to Sarantium and the Lord of Emperors that my thoughts were confirmed. Guy Gavriel Kay is my absolute favourite author alive today. I've read every novel he's published to date and I think the two novels of this duology are his best ever. I admit I was hesitant at first. I asked myself how a novel about a mosaicist could possibly be intriguing. If it was any other author I may have even passed. But this was Guy Gavriel Kay so I had to purchase the two books. To say that I was not disappointed would be an understatement. Caius Crispus and his journeys (both physical and mental) were so absorbing that I was all actually sad when the ride was over. Other than the protagonist, for me the most satisfying characters were the women of Sarantium. Alixiana, Styliane, Shirin, Kasia, Linon, Gisel, etc. were not only central to the plot but were each fascinating in their own ways. I've read all of Goodkind, all of Jordan, and have tried many new fantasy authors over the years but all pale in comparison to Kay. Are there major battles scenes, powerful wizards/sorceresses, an evil spirit trying to destroy the world? No. If this is you cup of tea do not waste your time. That's not to say that there is no action, murder, court intrigues or fantasy elements. It's just in these novels, they are not the core of the story. If you're interested in being transported to ancient history and becoming involved in a journey of self discovery, I cannot recommend these novels enough. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
Yeats would be proud..........2006-03-03
Kay is a masterful writer (ignore for a moment his Fionavar Tapestry) and Sailing to Sarantium is an excellent example of how he weaves real history with echoes of fantasy and intrigue. Of all his quasi-historical novels, I liked this one the best. Why? First of all, I personally like this time period (5th C or so by Earth reckoning). Since I've been to Ravenna and seen the mystical mosaics like that which our hero Crispin creates, I can relate to their ethereal beauty that is timeless. I was overcome when I first saw these Byzantine marvels in Ravenna just as Crispin and others are struck when they see some of the mosaics mentioned in the book. OK, so beyond the mosaics, what is the appeal? Many fantasy enthusiasts might be put off by Kay because he does not inject too many fantasy elements in his work, but what he does put in is pure magic. Using Yeats' poems on Byzantium as an influence, Kay uses the motif of the soul in a golden bird as the primary fantasy device in this book (and to a small extent in its sequel Lord of Emperors). Some of the most haunting and harrowing scenes in this book involve the bird soul Linon and what she does. Truly amazing and moving. You must read it for yourself else I spoil the surprise.
The book would not be true to its word if the plot were not Byzantine, so be prepared for intrigues, deceptions, seductions, and a crazy cast of characters. So set your sails now and enjoy...
A terrific surprise.......2005-09-09
FABULOUS!! I had never heard of Mr. Kay before and I've had this book on my shelf for a while because I could not imagine liking a book about a mosaicist. Could I have been more wrong?! Once I started reading, I could not put this book down.
The book is a bit hard to classify as it reads like historical fiction but includes some magic as well. StS has many good traits: It is well written, has interesting and well developed characters, creates a vivid and realistic sense of ancient history, religion and politics, and tells an intriguing story with good pacing that never falters. Unlike books by many of today's writers (Tad Williams and Neal Stephenson to name two), this book is well edited; the story is concise without long sections that drag on or lead nowhere.
Ultimately the mark of a good book is that when it ends, you still want more and that was definitely the case for me. As soon as I could, I went looking for more GGK books.
The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it had to end.
Vivid main character lost in digressions and incomplete ending........2005-08-11
With novels like _Tigana_ and _The Lions of Al-Rassan_, Guy Gavriel Kay virtually invented the sub-genre of 'fake historical' fantasy. Kay's settings in these novels are immaculately derived from the actual culture of specific regions of Europe. However, he adds his own original twists to produce cultures that are not alternate history or historical fantasy. In _Sailing to Sarantium_, he extends this approach to create his own 'fake historical' analog of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire.
The novel ostensibly focuses on the provincial mosaicist Crispin, who is summoned to the Emperor's court in Sarantium. There he encounters various elements of intrigue surrounding his commission to build a mosaic in a grand new temple. Kay poignantly describes the subtle shades of light and glass that comprise Crispin's mosaic-laying art, as well as his muted anguish over the deaths of his wife and daughters from a plague. In Sarantium, Crispin faces arrogant nobles and devious schemers struggling for power. He holds his own in deliciously sly conversations with several nobles, including the Empress herself. Yet once the political intrigue heats up, threatening Crispin's life, the novel ends abruptly with no resolution.
Crispin is by far the most compelling character in the novel, but Kay bogs down Crispin's story with digressions. The fifty-page prologue, set decades before the events of the novel, is completely unnecessary. Two characters met on Crispin's journey to Sarantium, are virtually forgotten once he arrives there, displaced by a tangential plot concerning factions of chariot racers. Kay tells the major event in the last quarter of the book from several different characters' perspectives, but he slips further backward in time as he moves to each new one. This jumbled chronology slights Crispin's final and most important account. Kay's narrative voice often hovers above the secondary characters in languid prose, occasionally even using present tense. This hazy tone makes these characters feel far more distant from the reader than Crispin.
Kay's 'fake historical' Byzantium is fully developed, from the rural pagan gods to the uncertain future of the provincial queen to the various noble factions constantly at odds for power within the empire. The lengthy sections on chariot racing feel authentic, although that entire plotline is tangential to the story.
With the lazy pace and the sudden ending, _Sailing to Sarantium_ doesn't feel like a whole, complete novel. Rather, it feels like a long introduction to the sequel _Lord of Emperors_, as though both books were originally one large manuscript that was chopped in half. Crispin's story could have been told in one long book with far fewer digressions, and it would have been all the more powerful for it. Yet Kay's emotive characterization still places him well ahead of most current fantasy authors.
Later, he would remember nothing to dislike about the book........2004-10-08
This is the first book I read by this author. It was not what I had expected, considering he had worked on Tolkien's extremely boring Silmarillion. He had his own voice and style, with shortened sentences that captured his characters' train of thought, putting the reader directly into the story as it happened, without having to rely on verbosity or descriptive skill the way Tolkien did (and others unwisely copied).
Like any story in the fantasy genre, there were gods and magic, swords and warfare. But the similarities end there. This is fantasy for adults, in the new tradition that this author and others, such as George R. R. Martin, have exemplified. Fully drawn-out, three-dimensional characters instead of plastic heroes; realistic and appropriate dialogue instead of stilted formality and pointless anachronisms; the moral ambiguity of real life instead of simplistic and cartoonish Good vs. Evil that you see in so many fantasy books.
This author, however, somehow manages to keep the melodramatic tone of High Fantasy intact without all that baggage. The resulting experience? The mature reader can more easily suspend disbelief, while still getting that magical feeling you remember from reading fantasy books as a child. Such a literary feat takes not only talent but hard work -- the author's efforts definitely show through in a novel like this. To say nothing of the research involved in recreating an entire era of world history, as this author has done! (This book takes place in an "alternate universe" Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome.)
The story is called the Sarantine Mosaic for a reason, it seems. The characters, primary and secondary, all get to have their "moment", the same way every piece of a mosaic has its place in the grand whole. They each have something you can learn, something you can remember when you put down this book, a valuable experience that gives you something to think about... I believe it was nothing short of brilliant.
Customer Reviews:
Intricate, Intriguing, Compelling.......2004-11-16
If the only fiction writing you can enjoy is a Tolkien knock-off, then don't buy this book. On the other hand, if you love a little intrigue, brilliant and witty conversations, fully developed characters with complex motivations, and if you have any interest in history and the royal courts of the past, then this is the book/series for you.
I love the way his characters grow and develop over the course of the book. I love the fact that there isn't a single stock-character to be found. I adored the main characters. I thrilled at every brilliant plot-twist.
Oh, and if you loved the charriot scene in the movie Ben Hur, you will be totally blown away by the race he describes here. I'll say no more. This is one of the fantastic moments in the book that simply can not be given away.
Guy Gavriel Kay has done a fantastic job of creating a whole new genre of fictional writing. His unique blend of actual historical elements, magic, gods, and fantasy along with his intricate plots and fascinating characters are a refreshing change from the formulaic fantasy novels and poor writing skills that clog our bookstore shelves these days.
This book is worth every penny. It is a treasure to be read and re-read.
Not like the Fionavar Tapestry.......2004-02-23
I was really disappointed with this duology. The first books I read from Guy Gavriel Kay were the 3 books from the Fionavar Tapestry and I found them wounderful as they were a little Tolkien-like. However, the Sarantine Mosaic is completely different, being mostly if not solely based on political intrigue.
A simple mosaicist is at the center of things, helping Queen, Emperor and Empress against his will. I didn't find his adventures to reach the capital and the interaction between the characters very entertaining. The two books are full of descriptions, which can be interesting to a certain point as it tells the reader more about the byzantine empire, but it becomes annoying after a while. The action is very slow-paced.
If you want to read this book because you liked the Fionavar Tapestry, DON'T! If you like political intrigue or want to learn more about the byzantine empire, then GO AHEAD, but I don't guarantee that you'll like it.
It is not the destination, but the journey...........2004-02-18
I find with each book Kay writes, he becomes even more brilliant. While the Sarantine Mosaic Duology may not be for everyone, it is for those who enjoy beautifully developed characterization and cleverly woven storylines. Sailing to Sarantium is a wonderful beginning to the tale; I would suggest buying it and Lord of Emperors together, so the anticipation of the second book will not eat away at you while you wait for it ship.
A slow boat to China...err...Sarantium.......2003-10-26
This book was recomended to me by someone who said that it was better than George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books. They could not have been more wrong. This book takes forever to get going, and when it does, it ends, forcing you to read the second book even if you don't want to. It has virtually no fighting, or battles, and is mostly political intrigue. But even if thats the kind of book you like, it falls short there too.
On the plus side, the book gives you an interesting and one would hope, well researched looked into the Byzantine empire. But aside from that, this book did not impress me. I'm only glad I didn't pay full price for it. Don't waste your time getting into this series, you'll regret it.
Average customer rating:
- Legacy Quest starts off OK
- Good first book for the trilogy
- Legacy Quest Review
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X-Men: The Legacy Quest, Book 1
Steve Lyons
Manufacturer: I Books/Marvel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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X-Men: The Legacy Quest Trilogy Book 3
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X-Men: The Legacy Quest Book 3 (X-Men: The Legacy Quest Trilogy)
ASIN: 074344468X |
Book Description
Hank McCoy -- the X-Men's Beast -- made himself a guinea pig in a desperate attempt to find a cure for the deadly Legacy Virus. His gamble succeeded. Now his blood is a living serum that can save countless lives. Unfortunately, the Beast is also a prisoner of Selene, the dread Black Queen of the New York branch of the Hellfire Club and she is literally bleeding him dry in order to further her own mad quest for power and wealth. The X-Men, and their uneasy ally, Sebastian Shaw, the mutant Black King of the Hong Kong branch of the Hellfire Club, are locked in a race against time to defeat Selene and free the Beast. But to their shock, they have discovered that Selene has found a way to turn time itself into a weapon against them.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Shaw and the mysterious menace known as Mutant X, pursue a different agenda -- one that if it succeeds, will place the Legacy Virus serum in the hands of the most dangerous mutant in the world!
Customer Reviews:
Legacy Quest starts off OK.......2003-11-04
Not a bad story for fans of the X-Men. It really isn't a story to be picked up by those who haven't followed the x-men and don't know some X-History. For the first book it had a decent flow. Not bad for a comic novel.
Good first book for the trilogy.......2003-02-26
A good lite read. The X-ers are well written and the plot
moves along once it gets going. (A little slow at first but,
nessesary to the story)
The action scences are good and villians are presented well.
With most comic book villians, you have a good chance at
cheesing things out but, Lyons dodges this bullet well and
gives the X-men some pretty good adversaries.
As a whole, a good start and I look forward to the other two.
Legacy Quest Review.......2003-01-14
The Legacy Quest book was extremely well written and easy to follow for those who don't know too much about X-Men and those who do. My younger brother read it and he knows nothing about X-Men, loved it and understood it perfectly. It is entertaining and like I said very well written. I would recommend it to anyone...
Average customer rating:
- HELLFIRE CLUBBY
- Good Read, Especially for an X-Men Fan
|
X-Men: The Legacy Quest Book 1
Steve Lyons
Manufacturer: I Books/Marvel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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X-Men: The Legacy Quest Trilogy Book 3
ASIN: 0743458486 |
Book Description
The first book in a trilogy starring the X-Men, the most popular super hero team in the world!
Hank McCoy -- the X-Men's Beast -- has been working to find a cure for the deadly Legacy Virus that has been sweeping through the world's mutant population. But the Beast is not alone in this quest for a cure: Sebastian Shaw, the Black King of the dread Hellfire Club, is using the vast resources of his sinister secret organization to develop a cure as well. Together with a mysterious partner, Shaw has set up a research facility on a remote Pacific island in an abandoned scientific base that once belonged to the alien star-spanning warrior race, the Kree. When the X-Men's friend, Moira McTaggart -- the only human infected by the Legacy Virus -- is captured by Shaw's men, the X-Men embark on a mission to rescue her and break forever the power of the Hellfire Club.
First Mass-Market Edition!
Customer Reviews:
HELLFIRE CLUBBY.......2004-05-16
This book is great. It was fairly easy to get into unless you have add or something or youve been living in a spider hole with saddam. The battles were a little too far spread out and a little too fast and furious. A battle that could of lasted a whole comic book was told in 3 or 4 pages. This book is just the start of the best trilogy of books ive ever read besides LOTR. The plot is The Beast and Moiria MacTaggert are trying to find a cure for the mutant plague, The Legacy Virus. Mpiria is captured and the x-men try to find her. It turns out she was captured be Sebastion Shaw and da Hellfire Club. I wont give away anymore of the plot but lets just say a certain red and puple clad mutant is involved. We wont see HIM till book 3 though...
Good Read, Especially for an X-Men Fan.......2003-06-21
This book was a little difficult to get into at first, but after the first chapter, was even harder to put down. The story is easy-to-follow and entertaining and Lyons does a good job of giving those who don't follow the comics a detailed background story for the events in the book. Gives a very good look at the X-Men's personalities and weaknesses as individuals and has very believable villians. All in all, a great opening to a trilogy.
Product Description
Includes Book 1, Book 2, Book 3 from the Legacy Quest Trilogy.
Book Description
In this major theoretical and methodological statement on the history of religions, Jonathan Z. Smith shows how convert apologetic agendas can dictate the course of comparative religious studies. As his example, Smith reviews four centuries of scholarship comparing early Christianities with religions of late Antiquity (especially the so-called mystery cults) and shows how this scholarship has been based upon an underlying Protestant-Catholic polemic. The result is a devastating critique of traditional New Testament scholarship, a redescription of early Christianities as religious traditions amenable to comparison, and a milestone in Smith's controversial approach to comparative religious studies.
"An important book, and certainly one of the most significant in the career of Jonathan Z. Smith, whom one may venture to call the greatest pathologist in the history of religions. As in many precedent cases, Smith follows a standard procedure: he carefully selects his victim, and then dissects with artistic finesse and unequaled acumen. The operation is always necessary, and a deconstructor of Smith's caliber is hard to find."—Ioan P. Coulianu, Journal of Religion
Customer Reviews:
Impressive service.......2006-08-30
The delivery of "Drudgery Divine" was quick, and the packaging was secure. I will definitely recommend this dealer.
Expose of early Christian v. Pagan as Protestant v. Catholic.......2004-06-05
In the book Drudgery Divine, J. Z. Smith portrays Christianity and mystery religions in their late-antique phase as similar simultaneous parallel developments. He emphasizes diversity in all the religions, against the monolithic assumption that underlies the usual project of comparing "the" Jewish religion, "the" Christian religion, and "the" Pagan type of religion.
Drudgery Divine is an expose of the biased and flawed nature of the Protestant, anti-Catholic project of portraying early Christianity as completely non-Catholic, non-ritualist, and non-initiatory. This Protestant scholarly project was based on illegitimate approaches to comparison of early, pre-Catholic Christianity to the pagan/Hellenistic religions.
The Protestant project sought to portray Christianity as far from ritual and initiation and mystery-religion as possible, and implicitly equated Catholic practices with Hellenistic ritual, initiation, and mystery, arguing that because pure, original Christianity was not at all like Hellenistic religion, original Christianity was not at all like Catholic Christianity.
According to the Protestant scholars, original Christianity was completely unlike Catholic Christianity, being strictly a matter of revealed, not secret religion; being strictly a matter of straightforward rational ethics, not initiation and ritual; being strictly a matter of sermon study-lectures, not magic-like ritual practices; being strictly a matter of doctrinal principles of pure faith, not ritual activity.
Insofar as the older Jewish religion could be portrayed as unlike Hellenistic secret ritual initiation, the Protestant scholars emphasized that real, original Christianity derived purely and strictly from the Jewish religion, as opposed to having anything to do with pagan/Hellenistic (read 'Catholic') secret ritual initiation.
According to those Protestant scholars, the word 'mysterion' in Jewish writings has only one meaning to consider, and this meaning is purely secular, and simply connotes 'secret', and does not connote secret ritual initiation -- therefore, the use of the word 'mysterion' in original (which is to say, non-Catholic) Christianity had nothing to do with Hellenistic-type (read 'Catholic-type') secret ritual initiation.
Smith's book does not serve the purpose of putting forth an elaborated correct positive model of the nature of earliest Christianities. Its focused purpose is to sweep away the bunk, biased, covert project driven by anti-Catholic concerns, to enable the next generation of scholars to completely re-approach the question of the relationship of early Christianity to Hellenistic religion, including an adequate treatment of multiplicity within Christianity and within the other religions, and development over time.
He points out that some kinds of Christianity were similar to some kinds of Hellenistic religion.
One of many tenets of the Protestant project of comparing original Christianity/Jewish religion against Hellenistic/Catholic religion, Smith briefly points out, is the idea that the Jewish religion was completely unlike secret ritual initiation.
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