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- ASTOUNDING..........
- Worth a Look
- A Time-traveling poltergist!
- Amazingly Original, Breathtakingly Beautiful
- The Salt Roads is amazing.
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The Salt Roads
Nalo Hopkinson
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ASIN: 0446677132 |
Amazon.com
In beautiful prose, Nalo Hopkinson's The Salt Roads tells how Ezili, the African goddess of love, becomes entangled in the lives of three women. Grief-powered prayers draw Ezili into the physical world, where she finds herself trapped by her lost memories and by the spiritual effects of the widespread evil of slavery. Her consciousness alternates among the bodies/minds of several women throughout time, but she resides mostly in three women: Mer, an Afro-Caribbean slave woman/midwife; Jeanne Duval, Afro-French lover of decadent Paris poet Charles Baudelaire; and Meritet, the Greek-Nubian slave/prostitute known to history as St. Mary of Egypt.
Ezili becomes entangled with Mer because the midwife's prayers helped draw her into the mortal world. The novel presents a reasonable, though undeveloped, connection between Meritet/St. Mary, the Virgin Mary, and the goddesses of Africa. However, it's not clear why Ezili becomes entangled with Jeanne Duval. This is because The Salt Roads is sketchy, its three storylines compressed; the novel reads more like three novellas incompletely braided. This is a shame, because each mortal character's life could have made a fine, full, fascinating novel by itself.
John W. Campbell Award winner Nalo Hopkinson's first novel, Brown Girl in the Ring, won the Warner Aspect First Novel Contest and the Locus Award for Best First Novel. Her second novel, the New York Times Notable Book Midnight Robber, was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Philip K. Dick, and James Tiptree Jr. Awards. The Salt Roads is her third novel. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
In beautiful prose, Nalo Hopkinson's The Salt Roads tells how Ezili, the African goddess of love, becomes entangled in the lives of three women. Grief-powered prayers draw Ezili into the physical world, where she finds herself trapped by her lost memories and by the spiritual effects of the widespread evil of slavery. Her consciousness alternates among the bodies/minds of several women throughout time, but she resides mostly in three women: Mer, an Afro-Caribbean slave woman/midwife; Jeanne Duval, Afro-French lover of decadent Paris poet Charles Baudelaire; and Meritet, the Greek-Nubian slave/prostitute known to history as St. Mary of Egypt.Ezili becomes entangled with Mer because the midwife's prayers helped draw her into the mortal world. The novel presents a reasonable, though undeveloped, connection between Meritet/St. Mary, the Virgin Mary, and the goddesses of Africa. However, it's not clear why Ezili becomes entangled with Jeanne Duval. This is because The Salt Roads is sketchy, its three storylines compressed; the novel reads more like three novellas incompletely braided. This is a shame, because each mortal character's life could have made a fine, full, fascinating novel by itself. John W. Campbell Award winner Nalo Hopkinson's first novel, Brown Girl in the Ring, won the Warner Aspect First Novel Contest and the Locus Award for Best First Novel. Her second novel, the New York Times Notable Book Midnight Robber, was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Philip K. Dick, and James Tiptree Jr. Awards. The Salt Roads is her third novel. --Cynthia Ward
Customer Reviews:
ASTOUNDING.................2006-06-25
I am a 22 year old college student and I chose this book because I was tired of reading all of the street fiction out there. From the first page of this book, Nalo captures me. I am entagled in a story about Ezili, the African goddess of love. She emerges in the lives of three women: Mer, a slave healer who was also a lesbian, Jeanne, a mulatto woman who was the mistress of poet Charles Bedulaire, and Meritet, a Greek slave/prositute. Each of these women had their own battles to fight. Mer, was sent on a mission to see why the salt roads were blocked from the African Gods. Jeanne was given a disease by her lover than untimately diabled her, and Meritet was given self-awareness and the sense to hear people's thoughts. Nalo's poetic prose was what made the book SO good........I couldn't stop reading it. I can't wait until her new book comes out and I'm going to purchase all of her other novels. READ IT!! You won't be disappointed.
Worth a Look.......2004-11-23
I absolutely loved Ms. Hopkinson's debut novel, BROWN GIRL IN THE RING, so I was really hopeful about this ambitious novel.
THE SALT ROADS is a non-linear story in four parts. The narrative switches back and forth between women of color from all over the world. The characters are Mer, a Haitian healer on a plantation; Jeanne, a mixed race woman in Baudelaire's France; Thais, an Egyptian hooker in Greece; and Ezili, the goddess figure that loosely ties the narratives together.
SALT ROADS tells their tales of love and lost. While the premise is engaging, I was never really aborbed with it and didn't find any of the characters (except for Mer) engaging. Self-absorbed Jeanne, for example, is particularly unsympathetic and distant.
Hopkinson's strength is in her poetic use of language. Her scenes and dialog are lush and sensual but the story itself left me hanging. Most of the characters are so isolated that it's difficult to see how they truly interact with their surroundings.
In the end, I think I might have enjoyed the novel more had
Ezili been a more dominant character.
A Time-traveling poltergist!.......2004-11-03
The Salt Roads is the third novel by science fiction writer, Nalo Hopkinson; however, this novel is really more of a historical fantasy. Hopkinson combines elements of voodoo, mythology and Christianity to weave a very interesting story that shares a common symbolic thread -- salt -- the salt in tears, in sweat, in blood and even in the sea.
With the unfortunate burial of a stillborn infant, the goddess Ezili is evoked from the prayers of three Caribbean slave women to their individual gods. Ezili is the goddess of sex and love. She possesses the ability to occupy the minds and bodies of three different women during various periods of time. With her birth and inhabitation of these women, Ezili offers the strength to love and hope for a better life.
In eighteenth century Saint Dominique, Mer, a Caribbean slave women, has the gift of healing. She is content with her life as a slave and spending time with her female lover until she receives a visit from the spirit Lasiren, who gives her a message to save the slaves on the plantation. Ezili gives her the strength she needs to take on the responsibility. She faces several challenges with a sorceror named Makandal who is starting a slave revolt on the plantation. Her relationship with her lover is threatened when her lover's husband returns to the plantation with an invitation for Tipingee to leave with him.
In nineteenth century Paris, Jeanne Duval, a dancer and the lover of poet Charles Baudelaire, is seeking true love and security. Because she is of African descent, she can never be more than Charles' mistress because he is too cowardly to stand up to his overbearing mother who controls all of his money. Theirs is a twisted love affair that leaves Jeanne unsatisfied. Jeanne is the first body that the spirit Ezili possesses. In Jeanne, Ezili learns and grows. When Jeanne is inattentive or asleep that Ezili is free to travel through space and time. The spirit of Ezili gives Jeanne the strength to find true love even after falling victim to a devastating illness.
In fourth century Alexandria, Meritet is a nubian prostitute. Meritet is inspired by the tales of Jerusalem and decides to travel there. She takes along her friend Judah, a male prostitute, and they use their bodies as payment for their fare to Jerusalem. Once they arrive in Jerusalem, Judah seems to prosper while Meritet is faced with misfortune. After the spirit of Ezili possess her, Meritet is changed from a prostitute to a saint, a founder of a religion.
The Salt Roads is a very good book. It is not a quick read and does not follow a logical storyline; it's fantasy, so the elements would not make sense to a logical thinker. The book can also be pretty graphic and extremely gross at some points. Overall, it was an excellent read. I applaud Nalo Hopkinson on this effort.
Reviewed by Paula Henderson of Loose Leaves Book Review
Amazingly Original, Breathtakingly Beautiful.......2004-10-14
Mer, a healer and midwife, is an African slave on a sugar plantation on Saint Domingue (renamed Haiti in 1804). Jeanne Duval is an Afro-French dancer and courtesan living in Paris, and the mistress of 19th-century poet Charles Baudelaire. Meritet is a Greek-Nubian prostitute in fourth-century Egypt, better known to the world as Saint Mary. Something connects these three women across the span of time--something larger than any of these women could ever suspect.
When three Caribbean slave women, led by Mer, come together to bury one of the women's stillborn son, their powerful grief and prayers call the attention of Ezili, an African-Caribbean goddess. Using the unused life force of the dead child, Ezili moves back and forth across time, possessing and working her will through various bodies.
Jeanne is one of the goddess' most frequent vehicles--mainly because Ezili finds herself inexplicably tethered to the beautiful French dancer. She is free to inhabit other bodies only when Jeanne, slowly dying of syphilis, is in a deep dream state. Ezili plants the seeds of revolution in Saint Domingue through Mer, and sends Meritet on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
What all these women have in common is salt--in all its various forms. Whether the salt of tears, the salt of the ocean, or the salt of sweat, the goddess travels the Salt Roads to accomplish her goal. The question is "What is her goal?" Not even Ezili fully understands at first, but as she grows more powerful, and comes to know the many aspects of herself, all is revealed--both to her and the reader.
Author Nalo Hopkinson beautifully weaves her stories together in a broken narrative, jumping back and forth through time and between characters. Some readers may have a little difficulty finding the rhythm of her storytelling, but the reward for their perseverance is great. Hopkinson writes in a flowing, sensual, sometimes poetic, style, but her rich use of history keeps the book grounded in realism. While the stories of the three women are often heartbreaking, Hopkinson skillfully breaks up the sometimes heavy narrative with light touches of humor sprinkled throughout--the way a good chef uses salt.
Ultimately uplifting and filled with hope, The Salt Roads is a beautiful book-one that stays with you long after you close the cover. The Salt Roads is the winner of the 2004 Gaylactic Spectrum Award for Best Novel.
The Salt Roads is amazing. .......2004-09-16
No one writes like Nalo Hopkinson and she does not write to the market. She writes what she writes and I'm glad she wrote The Salt Roads. It is extraordinary. It isn't always an easy book to read because life was not always easy for these women.
Customer Reviews:
How Many Roads: A Novel.......2004-09-25
Once again, I was completely captivated by Dean Hughes and his continuation of the Thomas family story. His history and insights in the turbulant times of the 60's opened my eyes to the many trials people faced.
Book Description
A guide to 33 of the best mountain and road biking rides in and around Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Easy Finder Salt Lake City (EasyFinder)
Manufacturer: Rand McNally & Company
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ASIN: 052899767X |
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Rand Mcnally Salt Lake City, Park City, Utah: Local Street Detail (Rand McNally Folded Map: Cities)
Rand McNally
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ASIN: 0528997602 |
Customer Reviews:
Probably one of the most fascinating books I've read.......2007-05-12
During the period from the mid 1840s to 1869, emigration across the Great Plains from the Missouri to Oregon and California was undertaken by thousands of emigrants from all walks of life and for all kinds of reasons. The suffering they endured was indescribable.
In the early days, there was no fixed route and the emigrants were in the hands of guides who promised, for a fee of $10 per waggon, to guide them along the way. Many routes were used. Some were well-worn, others perfunctorily surveyed, and yet others were based on mere guesswork.
In 1845, one of the guides, by the name of Lansford Hastings, wrote a guide book entitled "The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California". This sold like wildfire back east, and inspired a wave of discontented Americans to sell up and head west, following the route he described in his book.
Calling Hastings a guide is however a misnomer. He'd travelled across the USA in an emigrant train in 1842, but to Oregon, not California. And while the route to California which he was selling was probably the shortest in distance, it took the emigrants across some of the roughest country they could possibly encounter, and then right across the barren Great Salt Desert. The emigrants who followed what became known as the Hastings Cut-off suffered disaster after disaster, and the trek across the desert ended up to be the ruin of many.
In his book, Kelly recounts the stories of some of the parties who crossed the Salt Desert, including that of the legendary Donner party, and the dreadful disasters that befell them. He includes a lengthy account of a drive across the desert that he undertook in 1929 following the still-visible trail of the emigrants. There are fascinating photographs that he took, and absorbing interviews with some of the ancient pioneers who had occupied the fertile parts of the land when the emigrant trail was still fresh and littered with the abandoned belongings of those who had come to grief.
It's clear from the book that he has a fascination with the fate of the Donner Party, and devotes a great deal of his time to their journey. Much of the account of his own journey across the desert is concerned with looking for artefacts connected with their plight as they abandon their belongings in the desperate struggle towards water. His delight is overwhelming when he finally identifies the remains of the Reed family's "Pioneer Palace Car", abandoned in the desert when the oxen escape.
But herein lies the rub. There is a great deal of contemporary evidence for the abandonment of the Reed's family waggon, but when the Reed diary was eventually published in 1947, it clearly states that Reed borrowed a team of oxen from another group of pioneers and went back a few days later to recover the wagon. In any case, there's no contemporary evidence to suggest that the Pioneer Palace Car was anything like as large as more modern sources suggest and as large as the remains that Kelly found.
Now of course it's all very well saying that a 1929 book won't normally contain any evidence that wasn't published until 1947. However, in the 1969 revision, Kelly quotes extensively from Reed's diary, including the passage where Reed returns to rescue his waggon, yet makes absolutely no revision to any of his conclusions.
Kelly is an excellent historian who has written a considerable number of books on pioneer life in the Utah area. He has made a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the conditions of that era and before his death, donated all his notes and photographs to the Utah State Historical Society. His crucial importance should not be overlooked. Yet it's his rather cavalier approach that casts a great deal of suspicion over the thoroughness of his work. It's as if he has already drawn his conclusions and is looking for facts to back them up rather than examining the facts first and then drawing the conclusions.
Factually, it's doubtful if there's much on this subject that is better-written than Kelly's account of life on the Great Salt Desert. On that score alone, there's every reason to buy this book. Just be very wary about jumping to the same conclusions that Kelly does, without having read any other material on the subject.
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David Moffat's Denver, Northwestern and Pacific: "The Moffat Road
P. R. Griswold
Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Railroad Club
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ASIN: 0962070726 |
Book Description
Liaze, Princess of the Autumnwood, discovers a wounded knight has breached the boundary between her faery world and the land of mortal man-and recognizes him as the man her heart has been waiting for. But when he is snatched from her by a dark force, Liaze must undertake a perilous quest to retrieve her love.
Customer Reviews:
Quest for an Abducted Knight.......2007-08-21
Once Upon an Autumn Eve (2006) is the third Fantasy novel in the Faery series, following Once Upon A Summer Day. In the previous volume, Prince Borel rescued Lady Michelle from the sleeping castle. Even as they were returning to Borel's home, a demon tried to kill Chelle. Then Rhensibe attacked Borel and Slate brought her down. After the witch's death, Borel and Chelle finally reached Winterwood Manor.
In this novel, Princess Liaze is bathing in a calm pool within the branches of a large willow grove when she hears a horn call. Then several others blare in response and draw nearer. A horse rushes within the branches and sits back on his haunches to avoid falling into the pool. Liaze hurries toward the horse as the rider slips down and falls to the sward.
After Liaze reaches the fallen man, she sees that he is bleeding copiously from his forehead. She rolls him over, he calls her "Ange" and then falls unconscious. Horns blat outside the grove and then a redcap comes within the branches. Liaze skewers him with the warrior's broken sword, but the goblin gets off one shriek. The running feet outside turn back and start to come through the branches.
Liaze gets the warrior back onto his horse and they both flee. As more goblins and a Troll appear, she charges at them with the broken sword in her hand. Beyond the branches, she sees her warband riding over the greensward toward her. She rushes through them and the warband start slaying the goblinkin.
The next morn, Liaze learns that the warrior is named Luc. He claims that he is not yet a knight, but Liaze borrows a sword and knights him on the spot, for he has saved many lives with his warning and valiant defense. Over the next few days, he recuperates from his wounds and becomes a favorite of the warriors and staff.
Liaze has loved him from his first word to her, but she has enough experience, including a gold digging comte, that she is very reluctant to give in to the feeling. Her maid Zoe sees through her denials and encourages her to pursue her desires. Eventually she learns that Luc has loved her from his very first glance, although he then believed her to be an angel. Finally she admits her own feelings and they become lovers.
Luc asks Liaze to marry him and she assents. They have yet to post the banns, but she announces the betrothal to her retinue. They celebrate with a formal banquet and dance to the enjoyment of all. Yet that night a shadowy hand comes through the window, seizes Luc and carries him away.
In this story, none in her household know where the shadowy hand went. Liaze thinks to consult a seer, but the only one in the Autumnwood is a fraud. She returns to the willow grove to think and meets Lady Skuld. The Sister of Fate gives her a rede that says she should ride out alone; her only companion should be the howling one. When one of the searchers finds a goblin camp with one caged crow, Liaze equips herself and then has the crow released so that she can follow its path.
With the assistance of the Autumnwood sprites, and a Ghillie Dhu, Liaze follows the crow to the sunwise marge of her domain and beyond. The crow seems to be flying back along the path that Luc followed into her domain. At last, Liaze relinquishes control to Deadly Nightshade -- Luc's warhorse -- and lets him take her back toward his stable. Liaze rides through wind and rain and other discomforts and dangers until she finally finds the howler.
This story is an expansion and revision of the fairytale "The Glass Mountain". It features a heroine instead of a hero and depicts many hazards and adventures lacking in the present day tale. Yet this recreation is surely as enthralling as the original bardic tale. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for McKiernan fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the Faery lands, parlous adventures and true love.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Disappointing.......2007-01-28
While the first two books of this series were passably original, this one is tired, hackneyed and ridiculous. So far, every book in this series involves a missing loved one, the three fates and a time limit on a quest. Also, the stories exhibit an exceedingly simplistic and narrow minded world view (the heroines are blond or redheads, and the bad women all have black hair, for instance). The language is too precious and the random introduction of french phrases is jarring.
A-.......2006-07-11
A vivid and colorful setting, with enchanted magic, high romance, and pleasent prose. This is the best of the series of fairy books by Dennis McKieran (so Far), and all the others are good as well. But, the plot line is getting slightly repeatitive, other wise this would have scored even higher.
Score:A-
Setting: A+. Characters: A+. Readability: A. Plot: C+ Action: B (light) Romance: A. Age: 12 and up. Sex: mild. Violence: mild.
So-So Retelling of a Fairy Tale.......2006-07-08
The problem with the book is that I feel like I've read it before - and not the original "Glass Mountain" fairy tale. It is almost the same story as the first book in the series, "Once Upon A Winter's Night" - cursed young loves are separated through magical misdoings and one has to go on a quest to find the other (or find a cure) with a very specific time limitation. The lack of originality doesn't come from the fact that this is a reinvention of an older tale, but that it's a rehashing of a plot already worn thin.
Even so, I probably would have enjoyed the story if not for the twee and hackneyed use of language - 'round instead of around, 'neath instead of beneath. Overly flowery and repetative speeches and palid characterizations make me glad I got this from the library. At least it's a quick read so I won't have to worry about late fees.
A Rich and Wonderful Tale.......2006-04-09
It was perfect. I was in the Faery within the first few words, and stayed there until the story was done. As usual, Mr. McKiernan did it to me again. I was laughing and crying and frightened for the lovers until the very end.
I can't wait for Once upon a Spring Morn!
Average customer rating:
- Disappointing
- From the frying pan into the fire...
- Where's the story?
- A Slow Read
- L. Neil Smith for President!
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Forge Of The Elders
L. Neil Smith
Manufacturer: Baen
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ASIN: 0671578596 |
Book Description
Capitalist Monsters from Outer Space!
Just when the 21st century thought it was safe to throw Marxism on the ash heap of history once and for all, a worldwide economic collapse suddenly made freedom seem less desirable than security, and the Total State turned out to be the comeback kid. In the US, where the power elite had long shown heartfelt affection for collectivism and making the trains (nationalized, of course) run on time, communism had a second coming. Which meant that Earth was now the Red Planet. The few holdouts and counterrevolutionaries would be dealt with in good time.
Of course, collectivization only made the worldwide depression worse. But then the People's Astronomers noticed an asteroid with unusual spectrographic properties, seemingly a treasure trove of valuable minerals that might rejuvenate the Earth's economy. So three aged NASA shuttles were pulled out of mothballs, crewed by a team of hand-picked misfits whom no one would miss, and sent to the asteroid.
However, someone else was there first, under an airtight canopy made by genetically engineered trees. And they weren't human, even if they were from Earth. The Elders were "nautiloids," like intelligent squids in Volkswagen-sized shells, from a parallel universe where they were Earth's dominant species. Worst of all, they were CAPITALISTS!
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2007-08-16
As others of stated already, this is primarily a lecture on extreme Libertianism (ie Anarchy.....sorry, I am Libertarian...not an anarchist..the two are NOT synonymous.)
While I enjoyed his first Libertarian books (Probability Broach, Venus Belt, etc) I quickly discovered that the same kind of slap stick humor can get old....and the constant weird aliens....well...you get the point. In this book.....Smith set out to lecture and he did just that...seemingly writing the lecture first and then fitting bits and pieces of story here and there.
I like Mr. Smith, have even corresponded with him several years ago. I truly respect him and the philosophy he advocates (even if I do not agree with it 100%). Yet I truly think he needs to worry more about the story, and focus more on humans..
For those of you wanting a good story featuring Libertarian values, I highly suggest his first book, The Probability Broach, or perhaps Freehold by Michael Z. Williamson. As for this book....I would give it a pass...it was a waste of money.
From the frying pan into the fire..........2005-10-09
This is a three-in-one book, publishing Contact And Commune (renamed First Time The Charm), and Converse And Conflict (named Second To One), with the third and, maybe, final book in the series - Third Among Equals.
The asteroid, 5023 Eris, has turned out to be a ship - a very, very old space ship full of danger but little in the way of answers for the Elders. Then there is ANOTHER murder. Also it turns out that the ship isn't uncrewed. And, what do you know, the Banker, one of the most powerful men on Earth, may still be alive.
Eichra Oren and his friend Sam have their hands (and paws) full. Enemies are coming from every direction - from within their ranks, from within the asteroid and maybe from beyond the stars! Toss in the Galactic Confederacy and you have WHOLE other Universe thrown into the mix.
It makes you want to toss in your sword, scream Uncle and get drunk. Great ending, maybe, to the series.
I keep saying maybe because you never know with Mr. Smith.
Where's the story?.......2005-09-14
I can't believe this book is so highly rated, you should all be ashamed of yourselves for propping it up just because you agree with the politics. I'm an active card-carrying Libertarian and a fan of Smith's other books but this was just one long dry lecture delivered by aliens. His other books showed, this one just shoves.
A Slow Read.......2002-10-27
This novel, divided into three books in one volume, took me the better part of a year to read. The problem for me was the extensive detail, especially to socio-political theory. Most of the time I felt as though I was merely observing the author talking to himself, setting up one straw man after another and then knocking each one down.
If atheism bothers you and anarcho-capitalism isn't your cup of tea, then this book won't do much for you. The science fiction aspect didn't really become interesting until the third section of the book, after already enduring seemingly endless political tirades. It was, in a word, tedious.
Though I'm glad that I can say I've now read a book by this author, I do not intend to follow up with any of his other work.
L. Neil Smith for President!.......2002-05-21
I started with Lever Action, his first (and only I believe) non-fiction book. Lever Action led me to his science fiction works. Now I can read Heinlein or Smith when I need some intelligent fun.
peace joe silvestri
Books:
- The Slynx (New York Review Books Classics)
- The Tale of Cupid and Psyche: An Illustrated History
- The Three-Arched Bridge
- The Virtual Kibbutz: Stories from a Changing Society
- The Watchful Gods And Other Stories (Western Literature Series)
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Tomorrow They Will Kiss: A Novel
- Untameable (Zebra Regency Romance)
- Valaida
- Van Gogh's Room at Arles: Three Novellas
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