The Almost Meeting: And Other Stories

Book Description

Henry Kreisel has been referred to as the Canadian Anton Chekhov. The Almost Meeting is a complete collection of Kreisel's short fiction written between 1954 and 1980.

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The Almost Meeting and Other Stories
Henry Kreisel
Manufacturer: NeWest Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J4WSF2

Book Description

With the barbarous Menteshe holding the Scepter of Mercy and civil war raging in the north, Avornis is threatened on two fronts. But the longer its kings go without the Scepter of Mercy-the key to Avornis's destiny-the greater the chance that the Banished One's evil will dominate the world.

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining mixture of realism and adventure.......2005-08-19

This second book of a trilogy about an uneasy partnership and rivalry of two kings in Avornis, complete with gritty battles, personal strengths and weaknesses, and low-key but overarching mystical struggle works very well. The characters are engaging, and the book provides a satisfying ending while building up excitement for the next volume.
--inotherworlds.com

Needs A Good Editor.......2005-05-02

I really wanted to like this book. I expected something like Robert Silverberg's "Majipoor Chronicles", but "Chernagor Pirates" didn't measure up. One of Chernenko's plot devices - cutting back and forth between story lines every two or three pages - could have been very clever, but in this execution it sabotages the book. Instead of building narrative tension it breaks the momentum altogether. Perhaps this is because one of the story lines focuses on King Lanius who doesn't really do much except go to the archives, play with his "moncats" and fool around a bit. But in the other story line even King Grus's battles seem to lack dramatic tension, except for the first one.
Another problem is that the book contains several plot threads that never go anywhere. The repetitive escapes of a "moncat" named Pouncer and Lanius's several hunting trips, for example, present multiple opportunities for surprise developments related to the main story line but in fact yield none. These digressions, therefore, contribute nothing to plot or character development.
The way the author voices his main characters' endless ruminations is especially annoying. And each time one of the characters serves up an ironic remark the author explains to the reader that the remark was ironic, sometimes using several sentences where one would do. As a result banter becomes wooden.
After a while I found myself skipping great chunks of dialogue to get to page 456 (the end). I conclude that what this book needs is a ruthless copy editor to discard much of the gratuitous digression and reintegrate the narrative lines. In short, this would make a much better 200 page book.

Wonderfully Entertaining and Unique.......2005-02-23

Dan Chernenko's second book in his Scepter of Mercy Trilogy takes the winning aspects of the first volume and improves on them, making The Chernagor Pirates a great read.

This book has only two perspective characters, the two Kings of Avornis, Lanius and Grus. Each chapter is broken down into a series of vignettes, alternating between the two characters. Each vignette deals with a particular event in running the kingdom of Avornis, from the greatly signifigant to the trivial, that each of the Kings face in their day to day lives. These events are often humorous, and the interactions between the characters can't help but draw you into their world.

Magic is present here but limited in what it can accomplish. There are no sorcerous battles in which lightning and fire is cast between dueling wizards until one prevails. In Mr. Chernenko's world, it is often the most creative use of limited magic that wins the day.

My only problem with this book is the author's disturbing views on marriage and fidelity, but they do not lessen the work in any way. I only mention it so that those that feel strongly about those things can steer clear.

Great fantasy.......2004-04-07

In the Kingdom of Avornis, two monarchs sit on the diamond throne; King Lanius has royal blood running through his veins while King Grus is a commoner who seized power when the young ruler's mother tried to kill him through sorcery. King Grus forced Lanius to marry his daughter to further consolidate his base of power and to keep the young monarch on a very short leash. Both men want what is best for the realm so when the Banished One gains dominion over one of the city-states of Chernagor, King Grus gathers his armies to topple the ruler who worships the Banished One.

The army of Avornis breaks off its northern attack of the Nishevetz to confront the threat of the nomadic Menteshe who worship the Banished One; who have the magical artifact the Scepter of Mercy that rightfully belongs to the Kings of Avornis. The Mentshe have invaded the southern portion of the realm. Kings Grus and king Lanius want them out before they turn the people into mindless thralls.

Book two of THE SCEPTER OF MERCY is an entertaining sword and sorcery novel that gives equal attention to the characters as it does to the action scenes. The relationships between the two kings evolve over the years so that one is accepting of the other. The magical duels between good and evil sorcerers are very colorful and imaginative but it is the not so mundane skirmishes that are fascinating because they are so detailed the audience can imagine being in the midst of the battlefield. Dan Chernenko's star is on the rise.

Harriet Klausner

Bogged Down in Chernagor.......2004-04-06

The Chernagor Pirates is the second novel in The Scepter of Mercy series, following The Bastard King. In the previous volume, King Dagipert of Thervingia died and his son preferred peace and prayer to war; the years of Therving invasions have ended. Of course, soon thereafter hundreds of thralls cross over the Stura River to Avornis under the orders of the Banished One, but they just mill around and none of the wizards know why.

King Grus had family problems, especially when Estrilda discovered that he had been having an affair with the witch Alca. To appease his wife, Grus banished Alca from the city. Not much later, some of the thralls got lose and tried to kill Estrilda. Grus saved her life and Estrilda soon forgave him for his extramarital affair.

Grus also had problems with his son Ortalis, who has a sadistic streak. He had been abusing the maid servants, despite some heavy punishments. Grus decided to marry off Ortalis to some suitable lady to calm him down. However, when Grus suggested to Lepturus, King Lanius' chief bodyguard, that he might betroth his daughter to Ortalis, the offer was firmly rejected. Lepturus chose to be exiled to the Maze rather than have his daughter marry Ortalis.

In this novel, Grus begins to suspect problems among the Chernagors and consults with Lanius. Soon thereafter, a delegation comes from the Chernagor city-state of Nishevatz, requesting assistance in putting down a rebellion against Prince Vsevolod lead by his son, Prince Vasilko. Prince Vsevolod has evidence that the Banished One is assisting the rebels. Grus rides out with the Avornan army to help put down the rebellion, but, as they near the city-state, Grus finds that the Chernagors have started without him.

While Grus is assaulting Chernagor fortifications, Lanius receives the ambassador of Prince Ulash of Yozgat, a Menteshe lord and vassal of the Banished One. Lanius wins a battle of insults and then learns that Prince Ulash wants his thralls back. Lanius refuses and the ambassador threatens war as he departs.

Grus lays siege to Nishevatz. He tries to sneak men in the city using a hidden tunnel, but the defenders ambush them. He tries a direct assault on the walls and is repulsed. Then an army of Chernagors from another city-state appears and charges the Avornan lines. The Avornans defeat that group as well as a sally from the city, but Grus decides that he doesn't have enough men to take the city and returns to Avornis.

In this story, Grus tries several times to retake Nishevatz, but various problems interfere with his plans. Among other things, the Chernagors raid the coast and rivers of Avornis. Then the Menteshe invade again.

Although Lanius stills wishes that he was sole king, he starts to cooperate in active ways with Grus, including exiling a baron to the Maze for violation of the land grabbing laws while Grus is tied up in Chernagor. However, Lanius has learned the joys of extramarital affairs and is about to learn that kings can hide little from the gossip mill. At least Grus won't be able to take the high moral ground when he finds out.

Aside from the extramarital affairs, both Grus and Lanius have been doing well in keeping Avornis free from the Banished One. The dethroned god has become even more angry as they resist his efforts. Both Grus and Lanius are thinking more often about the Scepter of Mercy.

Highly recommended for Chernenko fans and for anyone who enjoys tales of realistic intrigue and naval/military actions within a fantasy setting.

-Arthur W. Jordin

The Chernagor Pirates
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The Chernagor Pirates
Dan Chernenko
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000TD38YS

Customer Reviews:

Stripped of verse, the pain is unbearable.......2006-06-11

This book disappoints me. Suzanne's preceding book of poems, Touch Me, was very pretty indeed and approached the subject of her sado-masochism tendencies with great tact and delicacy. But now in this book, by writing it in prose, we see only the dark side of its settings, stripped of their protective coloration of verse. The result is distressingly coarse and ugly and dull as a pink rubber eraser with pencil holes in it. We now are forced to read the graphical descriptions of the author's sordid Abscheulichkeit. Why did she feel the need to remove the verse and let in the worms of prose? By that prosaic act, she turned her stories from delight to crudeness. For this one, she didn't change her name enough. Her fans don't want to know this is her.

Seriously out of date........1999-01-20

This is a reprint of a seriously out of date work originally published in 1982. It is highly judgemental and written for practicing clinicians interested in curing this 'deviant' behavior. My guess is the publishers expect to capitalize on the surge of interest in bdsm over the last decade. Fortunately the psychoanalytic profession has moved forward since then.

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Didn't want it to end

Somers Treatment
Gillian Bradshaw
Manufacturer: Severn House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0727859277

Book Description

Life-enhancing medical research or the work of an ambitious neuroscientist? Worthy doctor, Janet Morley, has taken Madhap, a young, deaf Nepalese boy, under her wing. Satisfying her maternal desires as well as her humanitarian beliefs, she's brought him back to England in the hope that she can find the medical aid he needs in order to hear and communicate. Eminent neurosurgeon, David Somers, is only too keen to advance his research in language impairment, and begins the unprecedented treatment. Janet's suspicions are aroused when she meets Michael Shahid, an Ml5 agent employed to ensure that the government's backing of the research is deserved. When Janet's house is burgled and David Somers and his assistant found murdered, Michael suspects that industrial espionage might be to blame, but the real truth is far more worrying...

Customer Reviews:

Didn't want it to end.......2003-11-09

This is the second Bradshaw novel that I've read, the first one being Wolf Hunt, and I really liked that one too. The Somers Treatment is so different from Wolf Hunt, but in both, Bradshaw does a great job at character development.

The Somers Treatment is about Dr. Janet Morly, who adopts a deaf orphan boy from Nepal named Madhab. She takes him home to Britain in hopes to have his impaired hearing corrected and to learn language and get an education. They get help from an old med school acquaintance, David Somers, who happens to be a genius as well as unethical, pompous, and arrogant. Madhab's treatment is experimental, and along the way Janet learns that it is being funded by the Ministry of Defense (MoD). Things get more interesting when an employee of the MoD, Michael Shahid, steps into the picture to make sure all the risks have been explained to Madhab and that no one is taking advantage of him. From there the story gets more involved with murder, espionage, romance and science too. It was a good book. I finished it in only a couple days.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of School Health, published by American School Health Association on September 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1437 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Can school nurses save money by treating school employees as well as students? (Health Service Applications).
Author: Karen M. Perrin
Publication: Journal of School Health (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2002
Publisher: American School Health Association
Volume: 72 Issue: 7 Page: 305(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

General income tax treatment of estates and trusts (Study materials)

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General income tax treatment of estates and trusts (Study materials)
H. Peter Somers
Manufacturer: s.n
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Estates & Trusts | Taxation | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007AXCVM

Medical suggestions for the treatment of dysentery of intermittent and remittent fevers,: As generally prevalent at certain seasons among troops in the field,

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Medical suggestions for the treatment of dysentery of intermittent and remittent fevers,: As generally prevalent at certain seasons among troops in the field,
Edmund Sigismund Somers
Manufacturer: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Treatment Strategy in Hodgkin's Disease

Manufacturer: John Libbey & Co Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0861962265

Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? Revised and Updated: Positive Christian Response, A
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Feeling good about your bigotry.

compassionate, but lacking

Another fine "Must read"!

Nice try, but flawed

A must read for all christians.

Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? Revised and Updated: Positive Christian Response, A
Letha Dawson Scanzoni , and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nonfiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
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Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America (Plume Books)

What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality

Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church

Taking a Chance on God: Liberating Theology for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Lovers, Families, and Friends

The Church and the Homosexual

ASIN: 0060670789

Book Description

A classic work of gay spirituality--newly revised to reflect today's issues, including gays in the military, the AIDS crisis, and genetic research on homosexuality.

Customer Reviews:

Feeling good about your bigotry........2005-10-12

If you want to feel good about your bigotry against Gay Americans, read this book. This book does nothing to help you understand Gay Americans or why they deserve to be treated -- in all respects -- with the same kind of dignity and love you would hope for yourself.

compassionate, but lacking.......2001-06-05

As an evangelical Christian who believes that acting on homosexual desires is a sin, I approached this book with some trepidation. I knew that I would be challenged, but I also knew that it is our responsibility as Christians to fully understand and to examine our beliefs. I too have been repulsed by the way in which gays have been singled out for condemnation and hatred within our society, and how the church has been frequent accessories to that condemnation. Where is the love we are to be known for? Perhaps, I thought, we all have it wrong and need to accept that we have erred in our Biblical interpretation of sexuality. After a careful read, though, I can say that I was not persuaded. If you are inclined to accept their conclusions, then you will miss the false analogies, straw man arguments, word-mincing, hearsay, appeals to emotion and fallacies of arguments that sustain the flow of the book. Scholars and groups who seem to possess agendas are also not very convincing when appealed to as authorities. It all makes for a powerfully articulated opinion, but it absolutely fails when read with discernment. I also think the authors do some disservice to the debate. There are some pretty extreme examples of anti- homosexual behavior in our society that are cited throughout the book, and I am angered by them too. But the overall impressions with which the authors cast those opposed to homosexuality becomes shameless. Nazi references notwithstanding. In the end, it was the chapter on scripture that was interesting but not persuasive. There do seem to be alternate ways to look at some scripture to justify the words homosexual Christian, but after going into example-after- example of their case, I realized it took more faith to believe in their creative interpretations than to believe in literal scripture. Scriptural gymnastics was a phrase that came to mind. In the end, if the authors agree that sex outside marriage is a sin, then it should make the Biblical case for gay marriage. I wouldn't suggest this book to a Christian as an introduction to thinking about homosexuality. You have to have some sense of maturity in the topic to deal with authors who suggest that if you don't agree with them, or if you lack personal involvment with gay people, then you are lacking the compassion and clear-thinking the discussion requires. To that extent, I found the book condescending.

Another fine "Must read"!.......2001-04-25

When my husband of 20 years began having an identity crisis problem I found the information in this book to be helpful in dealing with his feelings of homosexuality. Infact it was none other than the gentleman next door that was causing my husband's problems. We did infact split in the end but the split was much cleaner than it might have been had I not found this book. There is an arizona resource helpline that also assisted me and recommended this book, they can be reached at 1-480-987-3979 or 1-480-831-6200, at the later number ask for Vicki.

Nice try, but flawed.......2000-09-28

I doubt this book will convince anyone who is not already predisposed to accept its agenda.

A must read for all christians........1998-09-11

Overall, the book is informative, spiritually and mentally, about homosexuality. It shows that one's sexuality and one's walk with Christ need not be mutually exclusive, and in many cases, CANNOT be mutually exclusive. For homosexual christians, the book shows the unconditional love of Christ, regardless of sexuality. For non-homosexual christians, the book is an inspiration on how they should "love" all their brothers and sisters in christ, regardless of sexuality. (That is why I said this is a must for all christians, and I would recommend it on the book shelves at all churches, too).

Is the homosexual my neighbor?: Another Christian view

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Wonderful and enilightening

Is the homosexual my neighbor?: Another Christian view
Letha Scanzoni
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Wonderful and enilightening.......2003-02-06

The book is very informative as to the history of thinking of the church and its modern day views towards homosexuality. Excellent for parents struggling with the issue.

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Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?
Letha Scanzoni , and Virginia R. Mollenkott
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0060670762

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Is The Homosexual My Neighbor?-
Letha Scanzoni-
Manufacturer: Harper & Row Publishers-
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O6FNUC

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Is the Homosexual My Neighbor
Scanzoni/mollenkott
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF2CXO

Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? : A Positive Christian Response

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Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? : A Positive Christian Response
Letha Dawson; Mollenkott, Virginia Ramey Scanzoni
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF2DHY

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IS THE HOMOSEXUAL MY NEIGHBOR? ANOTHER CHRISTIAN VIEW
Letha & Mollenkott, Virginia Ramey Scanzoni
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF6TD8

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