Average customer rating:
- excruciating
- Mosely sets up shop inside the reader's head.. and then tweaks it.
- Fun and suspenseful
- Very Strange, very very strange
- Unique Idea of Self Life Analysis
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The Man in My Basement: A Novel
Walter Mosley
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Mosley, Walter
| African American
| United States
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| Literature & Fiction
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Contemporary
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| Mystery & Thrillers
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Suspense
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Mosley, Walter
| ( M )
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ASIN: 031615931X |
Book Description
Hailed as a masterpiece--the finest work yet by an American novelist of the first rank--THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT tells the story of a young black man who can't find a job, drinks too much, and, worst of all, stands to lose the beautiful home that's belonged to his family for generations. All that changes, however, when a stranger offers $50,000 to rent out the young man's basement, and soon the two men are drawn together into circumstances so bizarre as to be almost beyond imagination.
Download Description
Charles Blakey is a young black man whose life is slowly crumbling. His parents are dead, he can't find a job, he drinks too much, and his friends have begun to desert him. Worst of all, he's fallen behind on the mortgage payments for the beautiful home that's belonged to his family for generations. When a stranger offers him $50,000 in cash to rent out Charles's basement for the summer, he needs the money too badly to say no. He knows that the stranger must want something more than a basement view. Sure enough, he has a very particular—and bizarre—set of requirements, and Charles tries to satisfy him without getting lured into the strangeness. But he sees an opportunity to understand secrets of the white world, and his summer with a man in his basement turns into a journey into inconceivable worlds of power, and manipulation, and unimagined realms of humanity. Richly textured and compelling, THE MAN IN MY BASEMENT is a new literary pinnacle from an acknowledged American master.
Customer Reviews:
excruciating.......2007-10-10
Every fine novelist experiments, and here Mosley tries his hand at Dostoevski's Underground Man or Camus's Stranger. The protagonist, Charles ("not Charlie!") is merely a pompous, verbose, drunken windbag whose "philosophy" is trite barroom cynicism. He muses endlessly about "Evil" (which seems to be Rich People) and about his only other topic, himself. The basement cage premise sounds more interesting than what Mosley actually does with it. Don't want to give away the ending, but I waited in vain for the twist that would repay the time wasted. Some growth, understanding, something. I longed for Easy or Fearless, whose actions showed Mosley's real understanding of life. Mosley knows far more than he can verbalize. This book is like watching a great actor try to sing and dance.
Mosely sets up shop inside the reader's head.. and then tweaks it........2007-10-10
Many points in this novel stood out for me because I could draw parallels between my life and Charles Dodd-Blakey's. Despite our societal and ethnic differences, neither of us have finished college yet and are looked down upon for it. This shared trait between the character and myself really took it home for me.
While studying all types of literature, particularily African, the ties to Mr. Dodd-Blakey's family history, as well as Anniston Bennett's work history were insightful and helpful.
I believe this book illustrates that none of the characters had power, despite their thoughts to the contrary. I was surprised by the end, disappointed, disturbed, enlightened and in a strange way, redeemed.
Fun and suspenseful.......2007-07-23
When we meet Charles, an African-American man living in his family's stately ancestral home on Long Island, he's not only down on his luck but feeling altogether directionless. One afternoon Anniston Bennet, a small white man, shows up on his doorstep with an unusual request - to live in Charles' basement for 65 days. For this Charles would be paid handsomely, and after some deliberation he agrees, but it isn't long before he has reason to suspect that Anniston's lodging request is a bit more complex and bizarre.
This was my first Mosley work, as he is primarily a writer of mysteries. 'Basement' is a small book, making for a quick read, and I enjoyed it pretty well. The nature of the ending took me by surprise, although looking back I should have seen it - or something - coming.
Very Strange, very very strange.......2007-05-27
Walter Mosley, as has been noted in the other reviews on this site, is a detective novelist with a difference--his characters and plots deal with more than just whodunnit, and his detectives look for more than just the killer. Sometimes they seem to be searching for the meaning of life; often when they're not pressing that hard it's apparent that Mosley's exploring various issues of race relations and tension in the United States.
In the current book, Mosley pretty much completely abolishes his mystery plot and detective main character. The one vestige of these that he retains is the first person narrative, along with the somewhat thin thread that said main character is trying to figure out what is going on while the plot of the story unfolds.
Charles Blakey is a black man who lives in Sag Harbor, in an old house that's been owned by his family for many generations. His ancestors were never slaves, having been brought to the New World as indentured servants, and he has a strong attachment to his house because his ancestors built it and have lived there for so long. Unfortunately, he's fallen on hard times: he rationalized embezzling money from the bank where he worked as a teller, and now he's been blackballed from getting work anywhere in town. When a strange, enigmatic, wealthy white man shows up on his doorstep with an even more bizarre proposal, Blakey's first instinct is to slam the door in his face--so he does. Later, however, he reconsiders, and the result is that Bennett (the strange white man) winds up in Blakey's basement, living in a cage and reading Will and Ariel Durant.
As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that Mosley is intent on trying to get us to confront some of the day's more "controversial" issues. The difficulty is that his portrayal of Bennett is difficult to make any sense of. He's by turns not guilty of anything, and guilty of everything, and Blakey (who's apparently intended as a foil) isn't exactly innocent, embezzler and rationalizer that he is. By the time that the book takes the strange turn of having Blakey discover, improbably, that the antiques in his attic are worth tens of thousands of dollars, the whole thing has become confused and more than a bit strange. Thankfully, it's nothing if not short.
I generally enjoy Walter Mosley, and this book wasn't unpleasant to read. It was, however, difficult to fathom what the author was saying, beyond the obvious bromides that permeate the debate today: everyone's responsible for the evil in the world, we all have to do our part, etc. I think I like it better when he stuck with mysteries, and riffed on race relations in the sixties.
Unique Idea of Self Life Analysis .......2007-05-15
An amazing and unique story of discoverment of the human conscience. Although Charles isn't the most likeable character for you to truly care much about the journey he's going through, it is still fascinating to read about and follow that journey. The Man in the My Basement is an interesting read, and a novel you won't want to put down until the final page.
Charles Blakey was fired by a bank because his hand was going from the till to his pocket. Unemployed for ages, drunk most of the time, his friends getting sick of his lack of ambition and with the bank about to foreclose on his home which has been in his family for generations his future isn't looking too flash. One day a man comes to his door and offers him an obscene amount of money to install a cage in and rent his basement. Charles will act as his warden while the man punishes himself for his crimes but Charles is hesitant to do so, even more so after while cleaning out the basement to ready it for his new visitor he learns he has many valuable assets that can be sold to museums and collectors so has no immediate crucical need for the money. But Charles has already arranged for the arrival of his new guest and it is a lot of money after all.
This is the first Mosley book I've read and it definitely will not be my last!
Book Description
Diran used to make his living as an assassin --- one of the best money could buy. But after a life-altering spiritual experience, he's turned his back on killing. All he wants is peace. But in a shoddy port city, his past catches up to him, and killing may be the only way to bring peace to a city on the verge of destruction.
Customer Reviews:
Great characters, decent plot.......2007-05-09
I must start by saying that anyone wanting to read this book should start with Tim Waggoner's short story from Tales of the Last War anthology. The short story introduces the characters and gives a good starting point for Thieves of Blood. I really enjoyed Waggoner's characters in this book. They are definitely a step above the average, run of the mill, fantasy characters that populate many novels. In fact I think that Diran, the main character, is one of the most interesting characters I've seen in a long time. The main plot is not quite as groundbreaking in that it is mainly a "chase" story. Something gets taken, now we have to go get it back. Not bad, but not new either. Still the characters themselves make it interesting enough. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Glad I tried this book!.......2007-04-22
Thus far, I've only read the Eberron books by Keith Baker. I was interested in seeing what another author could do with this world . . and I am glad I did.
"Thieves of Blood" is an action-packed, character-driven novel. I was pleasantly surprised at how well written the book is. It is very different from Keith Baker's novels, in that Mr. Waggoner doesn't have the daunting task of creating a whole world. Instead, he expands upon it . . seamlessly, I might add.
The characters are wonderfully written, and are very memorable. The only problem I have with the quasi-once-evil main character, Diran, is that his morals are so high right now, one doesn't believe he was capable of things he might have done in the past.
There is one minor logic problem in the book, but it still bothered me. Early on, Diran and Ghaji are given aliases while talking with the warforged on Nowhere Island. But during this conversation, Diran calls Ghaji by his real name, and no one seems to take notice. This kind of editing in a book always bothers me.
Other than this simple mistake, the book is absolutely a joy. It is a good, quick read . . . but this is no way diminishes the epic feel of the story. I highly recommend this book.
A great book for a new world.......2007-03-02
This was the first Eberron book that I read, and is still the best. The book does a great job of introducing you to the world of Eberron, by doing it in a natural way and not just throwing things in your face.
The character really make the story worth reading, they are well defined and make you want to just keep reading till you are done the book. While this book does share some similar details with other books, the character make it shine through the cliche. I found the characters to be on par with R.A. Salvatore's in complexity and believability.
Once you are done this book you will just want to jump into the next one. If you haven't read the story in Tales of the Last War about these characters you should, it gives you a bit better of a starting point for them, but it isn't necessary.
A Good Story, and a Fast-Paced Read.......2006-08-18
Now THIS is the type of book I like to see from Mr. Waggoner.
Fast-paced, pulpish, and highly entertaining. I picked this one up a few days ago and read it straight through.
The only drawback I see is that it is a corporate (WotC) tie-in novel in a series, but Waggoner pulls it off pretty well. Not quite as engrossing as Salvatore's dark elf yarns, but a good, non-time-wasting adventure story nevertheless.
On story and entertainment value, it definitely deserves, and gets, five stars from this reader.
Shows pulp-fantasy at its best!.......2006-07-26
I love this writer's style and ease of writing! The character's are interesting, believeable, and endearing. This book is a breath of fresh air in a miasma of semi-depressing cookie-cutter fantasies.
Book Description
From Lord Invay, Royal Historian, Chairman, Board of Censors, Royal Palace, Voltar Confederacy:
"Let me state it boldly and baldly: there is no such planet as 'Earth.'
"If it ever existed at all, it certainly does not exist today or even within living memory.
"So, away with this delusion.
"On the authority of every highly placed official in the land I can assure you utterly and finally, THERE IS NO PLANET EARTH! And that is final!"
With this emphatic disclaimer, we are introduced to MISSION EARTH, an epic told entirely and uniquely by the aliens that already walk among us. Earth is to be invaded and a Royal combat engineer must cross 22 light years to secretly infiltrate the planet. He is also crossing a scheme to use the resources of Earth's most powerful figure to overthrow the confederacy.
With a convicted murderess who trains giant cat-like animals, a doctor who creates human biological freaks, a madman who controls Voltar's secret police, and clandestine Earth base in Turkey, a bizarre stage is set and narrated by an alien killer assigned to sabotage the mission and Earth - the planet that doesn't exist.
Customer Reviews:
Just sit back and enjoy........2007-04-18
You need to ignore all the nonsense that you have heard about the author and just enjoy the book for what it is. Mission Earth is full of hilarity and wit that most books are lacking. I have enjoyed the series in both book form as well as in audio form and I have to tell you it was time well spent.
Warning . . .I've yet to finish this book.......2007-04-09
I'm still in "Part 4" in this book, which is about 1/5 of the novel thus far. The book itself is horrible. The characters are one-dimensional, the pace is slow repeating the same elements of the story like a bad running joke, and even his style of writing is nothing short of juvenile.
The only star this book deserve is Hubbards explanation that he's writing a 10 voluime satire and thus defines what satire is. I commend him for having the paitence for finishing the book. But seriously, where is the satire in the whole book? I'm still wondering when is he going to poke fun at the people in the psych-professions? How long would I have to wait for him to make a point?
To tell the truth, I got too exasperated to even finish the book, and this is the second time I'm trying to finish this novel.
For good sci-fi/fantasy satire, I recommend the Amber books by Roger Zelazny or Lord of Light by the author of the same name. Animal Farm by George Orwell is also a satirical classic. Ignore this book when possible.
Very uneven, slow paced start of the series........2006-12-10
"The Invaders Plan" is the first of ten books in Hubbard's "Mission Earth" series. The books were not written separately, but as one long novel and divided into ten parts for publishing. And it shows. The plot moves very slowly, and the entire book is just really a very long buildup. They don't leave for Earth until on the very last page, so don't expect there to be any space adventures of invasion of Earth. I guess that will be in the sequels.
The book does have its good parts, and occasional humor, but the pace is very uneven. At times, there are several pages of descriptions of details that are completely irrelevant.
If you're just looking for a science fiction novel, look elsewhere. The book does not work well on its own. You must be prepared to read the whole series. If it will be worthwhile reading all ~4000 pages, I don't know yet.
Pass it by.......2006-09-07
I bought this series in hardback when it came out. And the only reason I have them all is that I hate an incomplete series on my shelves.
This series, while very well written is nigh on unbearable. Each book has its moments that barely gives the reader a reason to continue.
There are so many other books out there worthy of your time, don't waste it on this series.
Try Jack L. Chalker's 'Well of Souls' for one.
Superb Start to a Great Series.......2006-02-05
This series has generated more than its fair share of HATERS, and it's interesting how many of them wind up attacking Scientology instead of looking to the qualities of the Mission Earth books themselves...
The books are imbued with all the cleverness of plotting, detail of setting and intrinsic motivation of character that marked Hubbard's classic novel Battlefield Earth. They are logical and fast-paced. Unlike Battlefield Earth, they possess a sardonic tone with Hubbard's satire wounding many a deserving victim in American culture.
It's not quite the masterpiece that Battlefield Earth was, but it's an amazing achievement to sustain the story across ten volumes as well as it does. The last few volumes suffer from a change in narrator, and one can wonder if they were ghost-written as Hubbard did pass away before their copyright and publication.
The bulk of the series are the prison confessions of Soltan Gris, and these are funny and engaging. The final volumes are the scribblings of Monte Penwell, an incompetent hack who finds the Gris confession and wonders how the story ended. The style of writing changes so thoroughly and the quality is so diminished under the hand of Penwell, that it is easy to use this as evidence of a ghost-writer working from Hubbard's notes or perhaps nothing more than hunches. It is also possible that the very-clever Mr. Hubbard used the conceit of writing in the style of an incompetent hack for the Penwell volumes. Whichever is true, the series ends weakly, though it is worth reading the 4,000 pages to get there.
The audio dramatization is superb and the abridgement very well edited. Little info is given on the cassettes as to the cast and director, and that's a shame as they truly deserve a bow.
Average customer rating:
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Invader's Plan: Volume 1
L. Ron Hubbard
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
General
| Nonfiction
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Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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Science Fiction
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Hubbard, L. Ron
| ( H )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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General
| Books on Cassette
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Hubbard, L. Ron
| ( H )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
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General
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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General
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| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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ASIN: 0394570995
Release Date: 1988-05-12 |
Average customer rating:
- Holds you on the edge of your seat!
- He walked in the room! He turned on the light!
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Invaders Plan
L.Ron Hubbard
Manufacturer: New Era Publications UK Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Hubbard, L. Ron
| ( H )
| Authors, A-Z
| 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
ASIN: 1870451074 |
Customer Reviews:
Holds you on the edge of your seat!.......2006-09-05
What an great book!
The entire series is a best seller.
Hubbard did it again.
He walked in the room! He turned on the light!.......2004-01-14
Hope you like exclamation marks. Hubbard uses them more than full stops.
Average customer rating:
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The Invaders Plan
Hubbard Ron L.
Manufacturer: Bridge Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000OTSD7Y |
Average customer rating:
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The Invaders Plan (Mission Earth Series)
L. Ron Hubbard
Manufacturer: Galaxy Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Hubbard, L. Ron
| ( H )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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General
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| Science Fiction
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ASIN: 1592121802 |
Book Description
“Anyone can cook in the French manner anywhere,” wrote Mesdames Beck, Bertholle, and Child, “with the right instruction.” And here is the book that, for forty years, has been teaching Americans how.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is for both seasoned cooks and beginners who love good food and long to reproduce at home the savory delights of the classic cuisine, from the historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. This beautiful book, with more than one hundred instructive illustrations, is revolutionary in its approach because:
• It leads the cook infallibly from the buying and handling of raw ingredients, through each essential step of a recipe, to the final creation of a delicate confection.
• It breaks down the classic cuisine into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of recipes; the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations—bound to increase anyone’s culinary repertoire.
• It adapts classical techniques, wherever possible, to modern American conveniences.
• It shows Americans how to buy products, from any supermarket in the U.S.A., that reproduce the exact taste and texture of the French ingredients: equivalent meat cuts, for example; the right beans for a cassoulet; the appropriate fish and shellfish for a bouillabaisse.
• It offers suggestions for just the right accompaniment to each dish, including proper wines.
Since there has never been a book as instructive and as workable as Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the techniques learned here can be applied to recipes in all other French cookbooks, making them infinitely more usable. In compiling the secrets of famous cordons bleus, the authors have produced a magnificent volume that is sure to find the place of honor in every kitchen in America.
Customer Reviews:
THESE BOOKS IS ALL THAT I NEED!.......2007-09-30
I have the Volume I and II. You really don't need another Cook Book. These are my all time favorites. I highly recommend these books. I am a Professional Chef and I find myself always going through these Cook Books. I mean, that is all I really use. Not only for seasoned Cooks but specially for not so experienced Cooks. These books are the real "deal". If you like to cook you got have these.
Hard to find volume, found!.......2007-09-06
My wife and I have been looking for Volume one for ages, without luck.
This book came out as a 20th anniversary edition. Maybe other websites carry
this now, but it was easy to find on Amazon.
The classic best.......2007-08-11
I bought it for my daughter for Christmas. Then I bought a new oven for myself with plans to borrow the book to get good at making French bread Julia's way. For anyone interested in high quality cooking, this is a must have for the book shelf.
Great Book.......2007-07-20
It is painfully obvious alot of thought went into this book,but then again what would you expect from a master like Julia Child.I am in the reading stage and have'nt made any recipes yet,but was impressed early.This book is for anyone that loves to cook,amateur like me or pro.
Appreciative of Speedy Delivery........2007-07-13
Overseas 'customers'of Amazon are disadvantaged by the price of postage and often waiting time therefore it was gratifying to get 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' within a few days. It is helpful for our customs if such packages are marked 'BOOK ONLY'. The book was in prisine condition. All books I have bought through Amazon have been in the condition stated but occasionally have taken a long time to arrive.
Jan Birmingham, Sydney.
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- The Orphan Game: A Novel
- The Place Will Comfort You: Stories
- The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta: A Novel
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- The Shipcarvers' Art: Figureheads and Cigar-Store Indians in Nineteenth-Century America
- THE SUPERNATURAL READER: Angel with Purple Hair; For the Blood Is the Life; The Stranger; Mrs. Manifold; Piffingcap; Shottle Bop; Gabriel-Ernest; Lost Room; The Traitor; Angus MacAuliffe and the Gowden Tooch; Are You Run-Down Tired; Naure of the Evidence
- The Underpainter
- The Wrong Box
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Books Index
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