Fishing for Amber: A Long Story

Book Description

Fishing for Amber dazzles with its weave of narratives and the sheer pleasure taken in unwinding the three narrative strands: ribald telling of tales from Ovid's Metamorphoses, dark and disturbing Irish fairy stories, and fantastic tales of 17th-century Dutch painting. The universal theme is that of transmutation and the power of art: of light captured on canvas, experience immortalized in narrative. Stories branch infinitely into other stories, each connecting, and each fishing for the truth. The central image of amber, of light or creatures captured in it, transformed by it, is sustained throughout the book.

Customer Reviews:

Amber Associations.......2007-01-04

As the other reviewers here have been quick to point out, this book is a gallimaufry of narrative strands taken from history, folklore, literature and imagination. But, someone will ask, "What is Fishing For Amber all about anyway?" - If forced to be reductionist about it, I suppose the one word that comes to mind is "Associations." In a sense, the interweaving narratives and histories mimic the human mind's tangential nature. Save that, rather than tangents, the associations' points de depart into another history or narrative are circuitous and eventually land one back at another point in the history of, say, amber.

All this makes for interesting, fascinating, enjoyable reading. So why am I, unlike the other reviewers, giving the book only four stars rather than the superlative five? Because methinks that this book, this woof of nested narratives, covering Proust, Vermeer, much Irish folklore, Greek and Roman mythology, a history of submarines, a (true) account of an actual language based on the diatonic scale, hagiography, ergotism and much, much more is a wee bit too clever by half to be a truly profound read. It takes on more than 350 pages can handle, as is evident in the eight page bibliography of 107 sources.

But it's fun, and you will certainly learn much between the covers of this book. I surely did. So, go ahead, drop your nets into these waters. Just beware that what you pull up will certainly be strange without necessarily being rich. You'll have to cast deeper into some of the books in the bibliography for that.

An Incredible Journey.......2001-10-15

This is an amazing book - a mixture of Fables, Folk Tales, Greek Myths, Dutch history, and Lives of Saints.
26 chapters, one for each letter of the Alphabet, "Antipodes" to "Zoetrope".
There are so many stories here, going off on so many seeming tangents, that you can hardly believe it will hold together, but it does so brilliantly

Wonders on every page!.......2000-08-14

"Fishing for Amber" is one of those enchanting books one secretly hopes to acquire every time one purchases a book. It is a treasure-box filled with wonders, each more delightful than the last. Part James Burke's Connections, part Umberto Eco, part Chet Raymo and all delightful, the book is a melding of poetry, fact, and all the stops between. The text meanders through ancient mythologies of the Greek Gods and their progeny, ghastly Irish yarns of bizarre encounters with the Fae, baroque histories from when the Netherlands were the cultural and intellectual center of Europe, and reflections on the author's own father, an Irish storyteller himself. Magical and haunting, it is a wild ride on horseback at midnight not to be missed.

Customer Reviews:

Stepping between worlds.......2004-07-20

This is not a fairy tale for children. There's too much of everything in it: fear, love, certainty, and uncertainty. There isn't any "happily ever after." The story ends up happy, for as long as we can see it, but the ever after has a dark cloud hanging over it.

Froud and DeLint have written a compact story about a modern woman's encounter with the other side of nature. It comes and goes at the edge of her mind, until it takes her in completely. When it does, she finds a man there - someone who seems to step between the worlds at will.

Each chapter starts with some of Froud's spidery artwork. Unfortunately, the artwork isn't the book's main content. The story mostly makes up for that disappointment, though. It's a completely modern story, but projects a timeless sense of mystery. This one is definitely worth coming back to.

//wiredweird

Unforgettable..........2001-10-03

Well, what can I say? Charles De Lint has done it yet again...he's masterfully woven another evocative tapestry of magic, mystery, faeries and characters you can't help but love :)

Charles De Lint's words flow smoothly off the pale page and into the imagination of those who Believe...and Brian Froud's illustrations leave their magical imprint on the soul of those who search out the fae eyes glowing in the darkened forests...

So what is The Wild Wood about, I hear you ask. Well...

Eithnie is a woman confounded and confused by the recent spate of Faerie visitations and the cryptic messages these wild creatures bring...

"You must remember" Pleads the Masked Woman...

Remember? Remember what? A childhood so magical it now seems unreal and impossible...a past filled with the haunting image of a field of bones...

Eithnie must remember her past before it's too late to fulfill the promise she made...

If you love Charles De Lint's enchanting stories and can't make it through the day without gazing upon the Faerie images brought to life by Brian Froud, then this book is a must!

If you haven't read any of Charles De Lint's work, then I recommend you set aside a weekend, stock up on the herbal teas, this book (Greenmantle, Moonheart and Yarrow are a recommendation too) and get set to be whisked off to places of such magic and surreal reality, that time will cease to exist.

Blessed Be.

More info on the Brian Froud Faerielands series.......1998-01-23

More info on the "Brian Froud Faerielands" series: Charles de Lint's lovely novel, "The Wild Wood," was the first book in a 4-book series based on Brian Froud's exquisite artwork. The second novel is also highly recommended: "Something Rich and Strange" by Patricia McKillip. The series was cancelled by the original publisher after the first two books, but the third book is now available in both U.S. and U.K. editions: "The Wood Wife" by Terri Windling. The art is tied-up with the original series producer so we were not able to use it, but Brian Froud's fans may be interesterd to know that text is indeed inspired by Brian's art, and he painted a new cover for the UK edition. The fourth Faerieland book is "Hannah's Garden" by Midori Snyder, and it's quite a wonderful story. Look for it to come out sometime in the next 2 years.

Book Description

In the future there is no want, no war, no disease nor ill-timed death. The world is a paradise-and then, in a moment, it ends. The council that controls the Net falls out and goes to war. Everywhere people who have never known a moment of want or pain are left wondering how to survive. But scattered across the face of the earth are communities which have returned to the natural life of soil and small farm. In the village of Raven's Mill, Edmund Talbot, master smith and unassuming historian, finds that all the problems of the world are falling in his lap. Refugees are flooding in, bandits are roaming the woods, and his former lover and his only daughter struggle through the Fallen landscape. Enemies, new and old, gather like jackals around a wounded lion. But what the jackals do not know is that while old he may be, this lion is far from death. And hidden in the past is a mystery that has waited until this time to be revealed. You cross Edmund Talbot at your peril, for a smith is not all he once was. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Fun but a Chilling reminder...........2007-03-26

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fantasy fan...however, I am one of those fans that paradoxically hates books about dragons (been done to death) and magic (seems like cheatin' to me). I prefer my fantasy with a good sword, club or bow thank you very much. Having said that, I could not put down "There Will Be Dragons". Ringo manages to convince even a hard core skeptic like me of the scientific possiblity of dragons and magic (the magic is a by-product of technology), allowing me to suspend my disbelief enough to thoroughly enjoy a book with "Dragons" in the title.

In John Ringo's vision of the future there is no crime, no pollution, no hunger, no work and even childbirth has been replaced with artificial, external wombs. Human beings (with the help of an omnicient, omnipresent, omnipotent AI named "mother") are now able to indulge themselves in any fantasy that their hearts desire. Humans are shaped via amazing technology into dragons, unicorns even sentient mist...but there is a price. When the council, earths last vestiges of government, split into warring factions, the technology that supports all humans falls apart leaving a populace abandoned in the wilderness that the world has become. Those that are left have no ability to survive after having been so lulled into apathy by a technology that allows food to appear with a word.

The last vestiges of humanity split into small factions, constantly on guard against bandits and wild animals while attempting to learn to survive based upon ancient knowledge held by the few men and women that have chosen (even during the heyday of technology) to live in the old ways.

As far out as the premise of this book may sound, the truth of Ringo's world is that in many ways we are there already. Most of us have no idea how the technology that we use to survive from day to day works. We are dependent upon electricity and fossil fuels to survive and unable to repair even the simplest of our machines. We too are lulled into complacency by instant communication and entertainment of all kinds as well as the ability get any food that we desire in as long as it takes to go to the grocery store. Were humanity to experience an EMF (electro magnetic flux), millions would die of cold and starvation within a month. Most have no idea how to grow food or make even the simplest of tools to survive.

"There Will Be Dragons" is a fun, fascinating read that demonstrates John Ringo's deep understanding of the role of the military as well as his appreciation for the Repulican form of government. It is also a grim reminder how fragile human life is and how easily and quickly it could all change. Read this one and see the parallels to our current condition.
The book begs us to ask the question: "If it all fell apart tomorrow, could I survive?" Most of us, sadly would not.

There Will Be Dragons.......2007-03-19

I love the premise. The survivalist method of taking a society that had it all and making them come to terms with needing to learn how to survive. The folks who did survival as a hobby ended up being the ones to lead the masses to safety, etc.
I am nearing the end of this novel and find it a great work.

WoW!.......2007-03-09

Bast is the kind of gal you want to be on the right side of! Quite a fun, and many faceted character! A great read in a great series.

Outstanding book.......2007-01-03

this is a very original book with lots of post apocolyptic rebuilding issues, with a little magic via sci fi thrown in.

There will be dragons ... but not in this book.......2006-01-04

The dragons show up in the sequel, the 2 nd of the trilogy. I agree with the other reviewer, this is a 4.5 star book. I really, really like the premise of this book. The internet "grows up" into Mother who knows when a leaf falls in the forest and when a bird dies. But, the old adage, who shall guard the guardians ? When the guardians of Mother, the council, have a falling out, literally all hell breaks loose on this planet wide "garden of eden". For in this future possibility, not only did the people eat the apple of knowledge, they also ate the tree of everlasting life. But, just like the Garden of Eden, the people were cast out into the wilderness. Just a great story. In fact, I change my mind, I am maing this 5 stars instead of 4.

A Consumer's Guide to the Apocalypse: Why There is No Cultural War in America and Why We Will Perish Nonetheless (Religion and Contemporary Culture)

Average customer rating:

Truly Remarkable!

A Consumer's Guide to the Apocalypse: Why There is No Cultural War in America and Why We Will Perish Nonetheless (Religion and Contemporary Culture)
Eduardo Velasquez
Manufacturer: Intercollegiate Studies Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Sociology | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Ironies of Faith: The Laughter at the Heart of Christian Literature
The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on What it Means to Be an Educated Human Being
The Postmodern Imagination of Russell Kirk
Democratic Capitalism and Its Discontents
A Meaningful World: How the Arts And Sciences Reveal the Genius of Nature

ASIN: 1933859288

Book Description

What accounts for the apocalyptic angst that is now so clearly present among Americans who do not subscribe to any religious orthodoxy? Why do so many popular television shows, films, and music nourish themselves on this very angst? And why do so many artists—from Coldplay to Tori Amos to Tom Wolfe—feel compelled to give it expression?

It is tempting to say that America’s fears and anxieties are understandable in the light of 9/11, the ongoing War on Terror, nuclear proliferation, and the seemingly limitless capacity of science to continually challenge our conceptions of the universe and ourselves. Perhaps, too, American culture remains so permeated by Protestant Christianity that even avowed skeptics cannot pry themselves from its grip.

In A Consumer’s Guide to the Apocalypse, Eduardo Velásquez argues that these answers are too pat. Velásquez’s astonishing thesis is that when we peer into contemporary artists’ creative depiction of our sensibilities we discover that the antagonisms that fuel the current cultural wars stem from the same source. Enthusiastic religions and dogmatic science, the flourishing of scientific reason and the fascination with mystical darkness, cultural triumphalists and multicultural ideologues are all sustained by the same thing: a willful commitment to the basic tenets of the Enlightenment.

Velásquez makes his point with insightful readings of the music of Coldplay, Tori Amos, and Dave Matthews and the fiction of Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen, Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, and Tom Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons. Written with grace and humor, and directed toward the lay reader, A Consumer’s Guide to the Apocalypse is a tour de force of cultural analysis.

Customer Reviews:

Truly Remarkable!.......2007-08-02

The academic literary critic has been described as a eunuch ... yearning to produce powerful art, yet incapable of more than commenting upon the production of others. Velasquez breaks this academic mold and has accomplished the impossible.

"A Consumers Guide to the Apocalypse" begins at the level of every pop-culture consumer. Velasquez simply reads what's on the page, the stage and theater screen and patiently listens. What emerges is our fascination with apocalyptic themes. There is no conspiracy afoot, just the plain simple fact that unrelated and widely consumed `art' is itself consumed by the same issue.

Velasquez takes each artist in question in earnest. This is not an academic parsing, but rather the attempt to understand the artists as they express themselves. Don't worry about your favorite song becoming fodder for a sophomore research paper, but do be prepared to question exactly why you like these artists in the first place.

Velasquez is different than the academic eunuchs, because he does not assume pop-culture is different than his culture ... and our culture too. This book is first rate and should become the model for all honest reflection on our times.

Average customer rating:

A mixed bag
A must read collection of military short stories and essays
Introduction to War
An excellent book about war from the eyes of the warriors

There Will Be War
Polrnell
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0812509005

Customer Reviews:

A mixed bag.......2000-06-19

A 1983 collection of material on war in the future, starting off with a prequel of the "Mote in God's Eye". Mostly short stories, but also a few poems and a few technical weaponry essays. The quality of the stories varies, but there are a lot of classic names here. Also includes "Ender's Game" (the original short story).

A must read collection of military short stories and essays.......1999-04-04

"There Will Be War" is a must read for everyone. It is a collection of fictional military short stories and essays by various authors. Every one of them is outstanding! Past, present and future are all represented by some of the worlds greatest authors. In J.E. Pournelle we have not just an intelligent author with a gift of the pen, but also a superlative eye for fantastic stories. The works you'll find here will delight,entertain,provoke your thought, and make you wish it was three times as long. Luckily, however, there are more, each as wonderfull as this. As the saying goes, "If you only read one book this year, read this one!"

Introduction to War.......1998-10-06

The book is an anthology of short stories and theses on war and it's many aspects. From amazing stories of battles and leaders such as "Ender's Game" and "Ranks of Bronze" to delightful looks at who the victors in war are and what they receive in "The Battle", mixed in with non-fiction reports on war, the military, and it's technology, this book covers a lot of ground. I gave it three stars simply because I wish I would have read it when it was first published and the non-fiction was more relevant to the status of the world and its military situations.

An excellent book about war from the eyes of the warriors.......1997-02-06

This series does a wonderful job of opening the door to war and allowing the reader to get a glimpse of what it is like. Pournelle seems to be able to put himself into the space that the warriors are occupying, rumor has it that he should be able to do that. As a VN vet it is sometimes difficult to get good fiction about war, fiction that doesn't resemble a Rambo movie. Pournelle has been able to find authors and stories that meet this need. Way to go Jerry

Armageddon (There Will Be War, Vol. VIII)

Average customer rating:

A look back in time

Armageddon (There Will Be War, Vol. VIII)

Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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After Armageddon (There Will Be War, Vol 9)
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ASIN: 0812549651

Customer Reviews:

A look back in time.......2005-08-04

It's an interesting philosophical exercise, writing a review that it's entirely likely no one will ever read, but, regardless, here goes.

This is the eighth in a series of anthologies of military and militaristic SF stories and essays edited by Jerry Pournelle. I vaguely recall reading the first one a very long time ago, and I picked this eighth volume up at a dollar store a few years back and am only now getting around to it. I recommend this in particular as a snapshot of the world situation in 1989, when there was still a Soviet Union and nuclear exchange between two states was still at the forefront of the popular imagination.

The contents:
"Still Time" by James Patrick Kelly (1983). A not particularly memorable character study of a family man trying to make it to safety after a nuclear attack.
"Surviving Armageddon" by Jerry Pournelle (1982). A reprint of an article discussing various basic aspects of survival and rebuilding after a nuclear assault; provides a survey of the survivalist literature of the time. It seems out of place.
"To the Storming Gulf" by Gregory Benford (1985). The aftermath of an accidental nuclear attack, from a number of points of view, and a surprising shift in the political role of the space station.
"Dinosaurs" by Geoffrey A. Landis (1985). A parapsychologist enlists the help of people with paranormal powers to fend off a nuclear attack. Killer twist ending; definitely in the top three stories in this collection.
"The Prevention of War: About Unthinking the Unthinkable" by Reginald Bretnor (1981). Probably the essay that's most relevant today; Bretnor attempts to refute some myths about the cultural factors that bring about war or peace.
"Day of Succession" by Theodore L. Thomas (1959). Fairly hawkish story of alien invasion. The twist ending doesn't really work.
"The Irvhank Effect" by Harry Turtledove (1987). A newly-discovered damping field that renders nukes useless had unintended consequences for its inventors, and for the world. Less a story than a thought experiment, but interesting.
"War Circular" by J. E. Oestreicher (original). Concrete poem about war.
"The Tranquil Sound" by Lenore Lee Good (original). Poem about the aftermath.
"Psi-Rec: I Linger" by Peter Dillingham (1979). Poem. I didn't care for it.
"The Benefactors" by Don Hawthorne (original). Longish tale of political and military intrigue in the Soviet Union after some unnamed disaster.
"Nuclear Autumn" by Ben Bova (1985). Nuclear war tale written around a scientific riddle; I found the manner in which the ending was handled a little unsatisfying.
"As It Was in the Beginning" by Edward P. Hughes (original). An entry in what is apparently a series of stories throughout this sequence of anthologies dealing with a small English village after a war. This is a flashback to the founding of the village's political system, but it's kind of hard to judge without having read the others.
"Triggerman" by Jesse F. Bone (1958). Remember those guys with the keys at the beginning of "War Games?" This is a tale of a more level-headed version, who solves the mystery of an apparent Soviet attack from within his cubicle.
"An Old Bankruptcy, A New Currency" by Jerry Pournelle and Dean Ing (1984). An essay that suggests an alternative to the doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (which wouldn't have worked, as the Soviets never took it seriously).
"Through Road No Whither" by Greg Bear (1985). Weird little tale of a Nazi-dominated future and a seer who knows of other possibilities.
"Logan" by Paul Edwin Zimmer (1977). Epic poem about the life and fate of a respected American Indian with a reputation as a great peacemaker.
"The World Next Door" by Brad Ferguson (1987). The Cuban missile crisis resulted in a full-scale nuclear war; a couple of decades later, the survivors begin to dream of a familiar (to us) alternate reality in which it never happened. The best story in the collection, hands down.
"Siege at Tarr-Hostigos" by Roland Green and John F. Carr (original). An excerpt from an authorized sequel to H. Beam Piper's novel "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen." It's a nifty (once you figure out who everyone is) tale of battle in an alternate Pennsylvania. Watchers from outside of time (think Asimov's "The End of Eternity," but with multiple timelines to monitor) observe, and even get caught in, the melee. I've never read the original novel nor any of the sequels, but I just may after having sampled Piper's alternate world. It's hard to judge it on its own, though.

In short, I recommend. You aren't going to find this anywhere but half-price used bookstores (or, better yet, dollar stores) and I think it's worth a dollar or two just for the Ferguson story. Cynics take note: Pournelle worked extensively to promote such programs as the Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars"); he strenuously advocates his positions on the various issues throughout the book, and does so without apology.

After Armageddon (There Will Be War, Vol 9)

Average customer rating:

Humanity survives after disaster with no change in behavior
Although I'm prejudiced, I like this series for good reasons

After Armageddon (There Will Be War, Vol 9)
Jerry Pournelle
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Short Stories | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Armageddon (There Will Be War, Vol. VIII)
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Customer Reviews:

Humanity survives after disaster with no change in behavior.......2003-03-08

I started reading the "There Will Be War" series edited by Jerry Pournelle when it first was published in paperback back in the early 1980's and enjoyed them very much. However, even then the political, social and economic commentaries tended to rub me the wrong way. I always believed that the science fiction stories were so good that including anything else was a detriment to the collection. Science fiction is such a broad subject that it is possible to include any social or political commentary that you want. Now that the "mighty" Soviet Union has collapsed of its' own weight and proven to be nowhere near the dangerous powerhouse claimed by intense conservatives, stories about the Soviet threat are interesting only from a historical perspective.
The science fiction stories in this book are excellent, although somewhat depressing. All start from the major premise that a planet-altering catastrophe has occurred and the survivors are trying to rebuild society. Of course, human nature gets in the way and groups are fighting over the remaining resources, with greed, jealousy and all other emotions sometimes winning out over group survival. Nevertheless, there is an undercurrent of optimism, as there will always be some who are idealistic enough to band together and construct a new civilization from the trash of the previous one.

Although I'm prejudiced, I like this series for good reasons.......1999-08-03

This series marked the first time that I attained the Nirvana known only by those who've had their fiction published professionally, thanks to John Carr's patience with me and his willingness to see potential in my work. Despite this, I think I'm objective enough to rate this book, and the series, fairly. Like all anthologies, it's uneven, and marked heavily by the editors' own beliefs. Still and all, for those in search of good military SF in short story form, as well as non-fiction articles on the subject, picking this whole series up is a good idea.

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After Armageddon :There Will Be War 9
J E Pournelle
Manufacturer: ST MARTINS PRESS *
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000Q2YBFM

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Armageddon :There Will Be War 8
J E Pournelle
Manufacturer: ST MARTINS PRESS *
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SF7VNG

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Blood and Iron: There Will Be War
Jerry Pournelle
Manufacturer: Tom Doherty Assoc Llc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0812549554

Blood and Iron: There Will Be War (Volume III The Saga Continues)

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Blood and Iron: There Will Be War (Volume III The Saga Continues)
J. E. Pournelle
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NXW26O

Call to Battle! There will be War Volume 7 & After Armageddon There Will be War ( Set of 2 Books )

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Call to Battle! There will be War Volume 7 & After Armageddon There Will be War ( Set of 2 Books )

Manufacturer: Tor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GS9VQU

Hors d' Oeuvre and Canapes; Revised Edition
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Hors d' Oeuvre and Canapes; Revised Edition
James Beard
Manufacturer: M. Barrows & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KYNBS4

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