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Felix in the Underworld
John Mortimer Manufacturer: Viking Adult ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0670860794 |
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Be careful what you wish for--it just might come true. John Mortimer, author of more than 20 Rumpole of the Bailey books, introduces us to novelist Felix Morsom. Known as the "Chekhov of Coldsands-on-Sea," Morsom leads a very sedate and predictable life, writing genteel little novels about the middle class. His wife left him for a Welsh college professor but returned after she developed a terminal illness. His days of writing are interrupted by the occasional book tour, rather dull and unpleasant affairs where nothing really happens. Morsom longs for a little drama in his life, just a touch of spice to keep thing interesting. His wish comes true in spades when he is confronted by a blackmailer waiting in the autograph line, wielding a paternity suit. To top it off, he suddenly finds himself the prime suspect in a rather brutal murder. John Mortimer is a master of ingenious plot twists, and he leaves plenty of red herrings for us in this hilarious and clever novel.Book Description
In Felix in the Underworld John Mortimer's grasp of character has never been so sure, and his characteristic humor and pathos sting with equal force. His hero, Felix Morsom--once a bestselling author dubbed the Chekhov of Coldsands-on-Sea--writes sensitive, well-received novels of middle-class life and love in a seaside town. Separated after a childless marriage, Felix is obsessed with his publicist, Brenda Bodkin, and their unconsummated passion. But a bolt from the blue--a paternity suit hinted at in an anonymous tape received in the mail, and subsequently threatened at a bookstore signing--leads to murder, and an underworld of poverty and crime, in which Felix finds himself the chief suspect.Customer Reviews:
"I do need some sort of drama in my life....You and I in the bathroom. That'd be an experience.".......2007-04-26
Be careful what you say.......2001-07-03
Overall, it took me a while to warm up to the book but by the end I was rooting hard for the truth to emerge. The actual ending was a little corny but ok. It's a book filled with a fun assortment of characters. More than a few humorous jabs are made at the modern publishing world and modern society in general. Not a laugh out loud book but one that made me chuckle to myself.
A New York Times notable mystery in 1997 - for those who are fond of books with credentials.
Flawlessy funny.......2001-06-01
Delightful and Filled With Surprises.......2000-11-16
Mortimer reminds me a little of bestselling Japanese novelist, Haruki Murakami, in that his characters in this book are quite ordinary people who live quite ordinary lives but have the absurdly bad fortune of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The protagonist of Felix in the Underworld, Felix Morsom, is a moderately successful, quiet, sensitive novelist at Llama Books who manages to become involved, much against his will, with a man named Gavin Piercey.
Soon after meeting Piercey, Felix notices the man everywhere in his life: at book signings, during radio talk shows and, most especially, at one fateful meeting where Piercey introduces Felix to a woman named Miriam. This meeting will have serious, but hilarious, repercussions on Felix's life.
From the moment Felix meets Miriam, his life becomes one of turmoil and wild, unbelievable events. He receives a letter from an agency calling itself PROD; he is accused of a brutal murder; he becomes involved with London's homeless population.
Mortimer's handling of the plot is superb, his writing as smooth as silk and the characters, although slightly cliched, are still polished and hilarious. One of the funniest is the lawyer, Septimus Roache, the man Felix turns to in desperation when he attempts to prove his innocence in the murder. Roache is an obtuse and self-satisfied man who has little to no interest in his clients and really doesn't listen to a word Felix is telling him.
Mortimer, who himself was a successful barrister before becoming a writer, knows how to create a rollicking good murder mystery and this is part of why Felix in the Underworld works as well as it does. Another large part is Felix, himself, an engaging character we can't help but like; a man who maintains his dignity and poise even in the face of adversity of the highest, and most unexpected, order.
Mortimer calls himself a "Champagne socialist," and is a champion of the poor and the downtrodden. In this book he manages to take us on a trip through contemporary British society, especially homeless society. The book is fun, though, above all, and never sounds like polemic. We can credit Mortimer's superb writing skills for that.
The snobbish character of Simon Tubal-Smith, Felix's boss at Llama Books is contrasted wonderfully with Esmond, a homeless man who was, at one time, a manager in a supermarket. Esmond left his job and home for a life in the streets when tragedy struck. Felix, himself, spends some time as a member of London's homeless population and is reminiscent of George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London.
The dialogue is pure Mortimer and always fun. When Felix is temporarily residing in jail, his cellmate is a man named Dumbarton who allegedly beat another man to death. "You killed him?" Felix asks. "Thoroughly," Dumbarton replies, quite satisfied with what he did.
Felix is both self-effacing and hilarious as he attempts to cope with unhelpful lawyers who do just as much to convict as help him, as he tries to sort out the mystery behind PROD, as well as develop his budding relationship with Brenda Bodkin, his publisher's publicity agent.
Although this book is a little formulaic at times, the formula works and works well. Maybe that is because Mortimer is a master who never lets us down. Felix in the Underworld is a first-rate murder mystery, a comedy of errors and a satire of the British class system. It is always delightful and filled with surprises up until the very last page.
If you like Rumpole, you'll like Felix........2000-03-24
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Felix in the Underworld
John Mortimer Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics) ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OJ5NA4 |
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Felix in the Underworld (abridged audio)
John Mortimer Manufacturer: Penguin Putnam~trade ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OIZEUE |
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Felix in the Underworld (Penguin Audiobooks)
John.. Mortimer Manufacturer: Penguin Audio ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OJBXJE |
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Nile shadows
Edward Whittemore Manufacturer: Holt, Rinehart and Winston ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding Similar Items: ASIN: 0030185319 |
Customer Reviews:
Magnaminity.......2005-09-17
BACK IN PRINT !.......2002-10-10
floating down a literary river.......2000-07-16
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In the Shadow of the Nile
Sara Hylton Manufacturer: Arrow ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0099216310 |
Customer Reviews:
A Compelling Story.......2001-07-04
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Sun and Shadow at Aswan - A Commentary on Dams and Reservoirs on the Nile at Aswan, Yesterday, Today, and Perhaps Tomorrow
Herbert Addison Manufacturer: Chapman & Hall, London ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: B0000CKB9F |
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The Third Shadow
Dorothea Nile Manufacturer: Avon ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000VDB7EY |
Product Description
Avon Gothic Original , 1st Avom printing , April 1973
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3 Book Set; Dragon Lance; "Riverwind the Plainsman" & "Flint the King" & "Tanis the Shadow Years" (Preludes 2 Saga Trilogy Fantasy, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3)
Paul B. Thompson , Tonya R. Carter , Mary Kirchoff , Douglas Niles , Barbara Siegel , and Scott Siegel Manufacturer: TSR Fantasy ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OK99H6 |
Product Description
3 paper back set of dragon Lance Preludes 2 Saga Trilogy.
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Forever in the shadow of Churchill?: Britain and the memory of World War Two at the end of the 20th century (Historical roots of contemporary international and regional issues occasional paper series)
Nile Gardiner Manufacturer: International Security Studies, Yale University ProductGroup: Book Binding: Unknown Binding ASIN: B0006RAT12 |
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In the Shadow of the Nile
Sara Hylton Manufacturer: Century ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: B000J2RBLA |
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In the Shadow of the Nile
Sara Hylton Manufacturer: St Martins Pr ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000OT4UI0 |
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Nile Shadows
Edward Whittemore Manufacturer: Holt, Rinehart and Winston ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000O8VFA2 |
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PRELUDES (2) (II) Two: Book (1) One: Riverwind the Plainsman; Book (2) Two: Flint the King; Book (3) Three: Tanis the Shadow Years
Paul B. Thompson , Tonya R. Carter , Barbara Siegel , Scott Siegel , Mary Kirchoff , and Douglas Niles Manufacturer: TSR ProductGroup: Book Binding: Mass Market Paperback ASIN: B000JL8JZS |
Product Description
PRELUDES (2) (II) Two: Book (1) One: Riverwind the Plainsman; Book (2) Two: Flint the King; Book (3) Three: Tanis the Shadow Years
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X-Men: Empire's End (X-Men)
Diane Duane Manufacturer: Putnam Adult ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0399143343 |
Book Description
A cosmic adventure with the fate of the galaxy at stake! Shi'ar scientists have learned of a creature that devours galaxies and is heading towards Shi'ar space. Beset by panicked people and several assassination attempts, Empress Lilandra must call upon the X-Men for their assistance--for the galaxy eater will target Earth next.But the price for stopping the creature may be higher than the X-Men expect. They must use a device that increases their powers a thousand-fold to drive the creature back. A process that could destroy them...or make them insane with power!
Based on the Marvel characters the X-Men
Customer Reviews:
it's not bad, but..........2001-02-11
The plot is as follows: the Shi'ar discover that a mysterious creature, which destabilizes galaxies by eating their cores, is heading their way. They enlist the X-Men to stop the creature. This totally unequal confrontation is made "plausible" by a strange device that enhances the X-Men's powers. Gosh, how convenient. Meanwhile, Lillandra's council is pressuring her to marry a Shi'ar noble and produce an heir, instead of continuing her relationship with Charles. Ooh, look, a romantic subplot.
There are some interesting discussions about the effects of absolute power, and the enhancement of the X-Men's powers at the expense of the more human aspects of their personalities, but when they finally save the day (you never seriously thought they wouldn't, did you?) those issues vanish like mist, never fully confronted. The power-enhancing device also conveniently disappears; I sense an author avoiding the implications of a bad concept.
Also, I'd really like to know exactly what the huge, ghostly X-Men-shaped constructs are. They are first described as psychic projections, or something along those lines, but later seem to become real. They seem to be a device for avoiding the idiocy of pitting the X-Men against a creature larger than Manhattan. I say, if you're using the X-Men, give them an adversary they can confront as is. But if you lack the foresight to do that, the least you can do is remain honest to your original premise, and keep the relative sizes of the space creature and the X-Men as is. (Actually, the ghost figures aren't needed for the final victory, which makes me wonder even more why they were there in the first place. I sense more bad concepts.)
The story is fast and fun, and Duane's style is quite readable, but "Empire's End" feels like a rush job by an author not quite familiar with her world and characters, who tried to make up for the gap by shoving them into Star Trek.
Not for those who fondly remember their youth..........2000-10-07
If you are looking for an afternoon read; occasionally enjoy a bubblegum-for-the-brain space story; are more interested in plot than characters; and most importantly, didn't put down good money for the book but got it from the library, you might like it.
That's worth two stars.
More about Xavier's sex life than I wanted to know.......2000-06-09
She wastes the other characters as well. Beast is only here for snappy one liners. Gambit (without Rogue - BORING!) has powers utterly unlike his in the comics. Even Scott and Jean come across as a generic couple. She could have used the exact same plot and just changed the names to Spock, Kirk and McCoy. I doubt we would have noticed a difference.
I was hoping these books would get better with more established writers. Looks like I still will have to hope.
An OK read.......2000-06-06
However, this aside, I found myself not even enjoying the plot. The main villain (that being the galaxy-devouring creature) was completely and utterably uninteresting and static. And the idea of the X-Men fighting it with a "device that increases their powers a thousandfold" is just corny, and even more "comic booky" than the comic itself. It didn't sit right with me from the beginning, and it still doesn't even now.
Another thing that bothered me was Duane's apparent misunderstanding of Gambit's mutant abilities. Throughout the book, she seemed to be operating under the assumption that his abilities involved the charging of EXISTING kinetic energy. However, Gambit's abilities actually deal with converting an objects potential energy INTO explosive kinetic energy. The book never gave any evidence that Duane realized this to be the case. Of course, maybe I was too bored to notice if she did...
One last thing: she really seemed to be writing this the way she would a Star Trek novel. This book was absolutely cluttered with space jargon, from mini blackholes to blue and red shifting to galactic cores going quasar. It just really seemed to take up a lot of space without really saying much at all.
A True Waste of Time.......2000-02-29
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Star Wars - Empire's End #1 : Triumph of the Empire (Dark Horse Comics)
Tom Veitch Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: B000VWKFLQ |
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Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years Of Food And Art
Tom Gilliland , Miguel Ravago , and Virginia B. Wood Manufacturer: Shearer Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0940672774 |
Book Description
In celebration of three decades of success. Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art presents more than one hundred recipes from the restaurant's menus over the years, including many of the signature dishes that have made it one of the Southwest's top restaurants. From appetizers and drinks to desserts and the traditional after-dinner coffee, the home cook can now prepare a delicious assortment of the restaurant's most popular dishes from Mexico's diverse regional cuisines. Supplementary sections contain tips on buying and cooking with the various ingredients as well as information on basic recipe components, cooking equipment, and mail order sources.Full-color photographs illustrate special dishes and capture the romantic hacienda-style decor of the restaurant. Selected works from the impressive Fonda San Miguel art collection are also pictured with notes on the artists.
Customer Reviews:
GLORIOUS MEXIAN FOOD/ART.......2007-05-17
Gorgeous Book.......2007-05-13
Recipes that deliver accurately and with style.......2007-05-07
Great cookbook!.......2007-01-15
Amazing recipes!.......2007-01-04
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