Book Description
Who would want to kill Tomaso Rainaldi, an elderly, unassuming violin-maker in the quiet Italian city of Cremona? For his friend and fellow violin-maker Gianni Castiglione, the murder is as mysterious as it is shocking. Rainaldi had few possessions, no enemies and little money. No one – least of all the police – can fathom a motive for murdering him. All he really had was an obsessive love of violins and an encyclopedic knowledge of them.
But what if he knew more than anyone else – not just about famous violins, but about missing violins? Ones of the caliber of the fabled Messiah, Stradivari’s most sublime creation, the Mona Lisa of the music world. A violin now in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford – and worth millions…
Aided by his friend, policeman Antonio Guastafeste, Gianni starts to investigate the dead man’s affairs. Affairs that reveal an appointment in Venice with the eccentric and exceedingly rich violin-collector Enrico Forlani, and a trail that winds back to a mysterious musical past – and a far from harmonious future.
Retracing Rainaldi’s steps, the two men find themselves involved in a sequence of startling events -- another murder, a mysterious Englishman, and an unscrupulous violin-dealer. A chain of events that careers across Italy and England as they become players in a game where musical instruments change hands for millions, forgery is an art form, and the preferred method of negotiation is murder.
Accompanied by two centuries of myth, music, and mystery, The Rainaldi Quartet provides a fascinating glimpse into a closed world – played at a rhythm that is fast-paced, furious, and unforgettable.
Customer Reviews:
Great read!.......2007-10-07
This is a well-written page turner in which, by the way, you learn a lot about the violin trade. Perfect for a long airplane ride or the beach!
Top-notch mystery, and educational, too.......2007-08-13
Besides its clever plot and colorful characters, this well-written little whodunnit can teach you something about fancy fiddles. The author writes with apparent authority about the world inhabited by devotees of fine violins -- violin makers, dealers, players, and collectors -- and explains some of the differences among the products of great luthiers such as Amati and Guarneri, et al.
Rainaldi Quartet.......2007-07-03
This is a very fine mystery, with knowledgable details about violin making and dealing. The author creates suspense without losing believable details. The characters are well depicted, and the situations suspenseful. Highly recommended.
The most profoundly beautiful mystery I've ever read........2006-07-31
Picking up this book is like picking up a beautiful bouquet of flowers that are intricately mixed, or biting into a layered cake, each layer more exquisite than the last. It's difficult to know where to start to review this book. The plot of a quartet of men who play classical music together in Italy, makes our American cultural tendency of men getting together to play golf once a week look extremely shallow, is a good place to start. Four men with different lives, different jobs but an enjoyment of good music is extraordinary enough to draw attention today (though I remember my father spending time from work and family to play the trombone in a local symphony)...which may explain some of my feelings for this book.
One man is killed for no obvious reason, and two of the other men, one a luther (a person who creates violins)like the man who was murdered, and the other, a detective are determined to find who murdered their beloved friend. With each page turning another layer of an intricately woven story comes with exquisite descriptions of the violin 'creating' industry--they do not make them, they are a creation as grand as any master's painting. This alone makes the book worth the read, in introducing the reader to a unique life with a uniquely-chosen career. Men and women who take wood and shape it into the curves of a musical instrument who must have an ear to finely tune the wood through sanding, through the varnishing, all the different techniques used to do this job...yet they themselves are not concert violinists...they merely make the job of a concert violinist easier.
Adam writes beautifully of the Italy I would like to see someday. Not the crowded plazas of Vienna, but the back roads and little museums devoted to long forgotten artisans (though Stradivarius will probably never be forgoten). The author allows us as readers to see, to feel, to touch, to hear, to taste so much through words that I've rarely seen the skill in one author before...let alone one who writes a mystery. Not usually a genre one expects to find such a beautiful work in.
This book is sheer elegance in everything; in the relationships between the four men and their families, the work they do which all require different but the same abilities (they all do types of research in different ways)...I cannot simply praise this book enough!
Karen Sadler
A LUTHIER SLEUTH.......2006-04-15
Chalk up another profession in the bourgeoning list of those that count sleuths who solve murder mysteries among their membership. Paul Adam proves himself a worthy successor to Dick Francis and Tony Hillerman in creating Gianni Castiglione, a luthier, (violin maker) of Cremona, the Italian city where Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati once plied their trade.
When Gianni's best friend, another luthier name Rainaldi, is murdered he feels honor-bound to track down the killer. In the process of following Castiglione about as he unravels the mystery, the reader learns a great deal about the history of violins, the craft of making them, and the unsavory business of counterfeiting valuable ones. Recommended.
Book Description
An Adventure for Character Levels 14-15 Remember the good old days, when adventures were underground, NPCs were there to be killed, and the finale of every dungeon was the dragon on the 20th level? Those days are back. Dungeon Crawl Classics don't waste your time with long-winded speeches, weird campaign settings, or NPCs who aren't meant to be killed. Each adventure is 100% good, solid dungeon crawl, with the monsters you know, the traps you fear, and the secret doors you know are there somewhere.
On the edge of the mysterious Barren Hills, between the mountains and the Great Desert, there is a gigantic statue of a crowned gynosphinx, ancient beyond reckoning. At its feet, a great androsphinx known as Khubsheth the Prophet has dispensed counsel and prophecy to all who come to him for longer than mortal records can tell. The heroes have come to visit Khubsheth, whether for counsel, prophecy or out of curiosity, but as soon as he lays eyes on them, he attacks! Upon his defeat, he tells them that they are the heroes foretold by the legend of Ankharet. Ankharet ruled over a long-dead empire of sphinxes, but she fell into darkness. Her subjects rebelled and cast her down, but were unable to kill her. It is said that they bound her with great magic and buried her in a tomb, to wait for the foretold heroes who would be able to slay her and end her evil forever. Kubsheth the Prophet tells the heroes that they must enter the tomb of the long-dead sphinx queen, kill her, and destroy her cursed crown, an artifact of tremendously evil power. As his blood seeps into the sands, a doorway opens at the base of the statue, leading down into darkness...
This world-neutral, stand-alone adventure is completely new, not a reprint. It uses the 3.5 edition of the d20 rules set, and is fully compatible with the world's most popular role playing game.
Download Description
Vengeance. Passion. Magic. Power. In order to be crowned King of Jenel, Lord Auglar must first convince the Conclave of Lords to choose him over his rival, the cruel Lord Fellrant. Against his better judgment, Yozerf joins Suchen and the Sworn in their mission to protect Auglar. Betrayed by the other lords, the companions soon find themselves fleeing for their lives into Segg's decaying ghettoes. Trapped in the city with enemies on every side, their only ally seems to be mysterious assassin known as the Crow Queen. Yozerf has a hidden weapon which may prove their salvation; the magic gifted to him by the ghost of his ancestor Telmonra. But as Telmonra's presence grows ever stronger in his mind, Yozerf begins to wonder if the price of his power will be everything he holds dear.
Customer Reviews:
A good fantasy adventure with exciting twists and turns ... GO FOR IT!.......2006-05-05
I love fantasy adventures with wizards and kings, with strong women leading the way. This book has all that and more.
Exciting twists and turns around fantasy worlds is what daydreams are made of. I couldn't put this book down.
Each book in the series stands alone, according to the author, but try to read them all, if you can. You will be in for some fantastic adventures with some awesome characters you will either hate or love.
How many awful books has Corvidae published herself?.......2006-04-13
Oh my I've had terrible luck with books lately, and The Crow Queen is at the top of my worst books ever written list. If there was a way for this book to get any worse I don't think the author could have found it, and here I thought Wolkin was bad. This is god awful.
Deceit, Malice, Monsters Within.......2006-01-19
reviewed by Sherryl King-Wilds for www.fantasynovelreview.com
Summoned by Ax the wizard, the Crow Queen must protect Yozerf and his companions-- Kellsjard's Steward (Suchen), the Sworn of Kellsjard, and Kellsjard's Lord Auglar--when they visit the city of Segg so that Lord Auglar might lay a claim on the throne of Jenel.
Segg, however, is a destination at which they will soon regret arriving; deceit and malice could destroy them all if Yozerf's hidden characteristics do not, for Segg harbors the darkest memories of Yozerf's childhood, dark enough to destroy him and unleash the monster within.
Whew! Elaine Corvidae did it again, that is she stole hours of sleep from me. The Crow Queen expounds on Yozerf's past and the downfall of the Aclyte kingdom of Caden, and reveals Ax's true nature by the end, all the while it rips attention away from anything else that might need your time, so make sure your house is in order and your children and/or pets well fed before you open this book.
terrific supersonic speed fantasy tale.......2005-06-26
Ax the wizard warns Londah the Crow Queen that Jahcgroth of Argannon will turn kingless Jenel into a frozen wasteland as he has done with his own kingdom unless a monarch is crowned soon. Ax tells Londah to keep an eye out for Lord Auglar of Kellsjard who is the hope for the future.
To be anointed ruler of Jenel, Auglar must assure the Council of Lords that he is worthy of the honor. Auglar is accompanied by his steward Suchen, Yozerf the Wolfkin and the Sworn on the trek. While Lord Fellrant makes a claim for the throne, Augur and his party are trapped inside dangerous Nava Ner in Segg. Yozerf knows his birth city detesting having to return but willing to die for Suchen. Only Londah and Yozerf can get Auglar and his party out of the city alive, but even with them the odds are insurmountable.
The sequel to the WOLFKIN is a terrific supersonic speed fantasy tale that keeps the readers on edge pondering what will happen next. The key characters are fully developed and the city seems very real to the audience who will wonder how we ended up there. Readers will enjoy the trek through the "urban" cesspool as each distrusts their companions especially when secrets are revealed but need one another because danger and death lurks around every corner. THE CROW QUEEN is a fabulous Lord of Wind and Fire tale that can be read as a solo entry, but the audience will understand the cast even better by reading the previous exciting saga.
Harriet Klausner
Book 2.......2005-02-10
The wizard, Ax, appeared to the Crow Queen, Londah, and warned that Jahcgroth of Argannon plans to conquer Jenel, as cold and ice threaten his own kingdom. The Crow Queen was to watch for the arrival of the one named Auglar of Kellsjard, a lord of Jenel. Auglar MUST live through all that would soon come to pass.
Londah had been nicknamed the Crow Queen, because the carrion birds of Segg had surely grown fat on all the corpses she left in her wake. She was the best assassin to be hired. None were as silent or swift as she. To be a bodyguard went against all she knew, but she had her own reasons for agreeing.
Jenel could not afford to remain leaderless, without a monarch, for much longer. To be crowned King of Jenel, Lord Auglar must convince the Council of Lords that he is worthy. Yozerf, a wolfkin, joined his love, a human named Suchen, and the Sworn for the journey to the deadly city known as Nava Ner in Segg. Yozerf had grown up in the city and knew the horrors within. Suchen is Lord Auglar's Steward. Yozerf would never have returned to the vile place on his own. But to protect Suchen, Yozerf would do anything.
Betrayed by other lords, they soon find themselves on the run, trapped in the city with enemies everywhere. It is up to the Crow Queen and Yozerf to get them out alive.
***** Book 1 is titled "Wolfkin". You do not HAVE to read the first book to understand this one. Yet if you wish the full effect, I strongly suggest that you do so. If you enjoy Fantasy books with wizards, the undead, or shape-shifters, then rejoice! This book has all three and so much more besides.
From the beginning until the end this story goes at full speed. No one seems to be as they claim and everyone seems to have secrets, Yozerf more than others. There will be a third book to round out the tale, but this story ties up most the strings. Nothing major will leave you hanging in a lurch, but there are a few loose ends. Excellent tale and recommended to all fans of Fantasy! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Average customer rating:
- Wonderful illustrations, delightful tale
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King Crow
Jennifer Armstrong
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Other | Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Other | Children's Books | Mythology | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0517596342
Release Date: 1995-04-04 |
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful illustrations, delightful tale.......2000-07-19
I truly enjoyed the book and loved the illustrations by Rohmann, particularly those of the crow. In King Crow the role of the crow is both messenger and trickster. The wounded and blinded King Cormac, left for dead after a decisive battle with the evil King Bregant awakens to find a wounded crow asking for his help. The crow has an arrow in its wing from the battle. Cormac helps the crow and he, in turn, promises to repay Cormac's kindness. While the good king doubts the crow can do much for him, the crow assures him he will, just before Bregant's forces arrive to take Cormac prisoner. The crow arrives three times with news for Cormac in regards to Bregant, acting out his traditional role of messenger. The tidbits of news the crow delivers, however aren't vital pieces of intelligence concerning opposition of hidden troops yet loyal to Cormac or the like, rather they're seemingly insignificant scenes in which the crow finds the King Bregant. By adding a single, telling detail each time, the crow ensures that Cormac will sufficiently unnerve Bregant to the point that the provided visions lead to his deserved ("destined" even) fate. With the addition of these significant details, the crow enacts it's other traditional role, that of trickster. Rohmann's depiction of the crow is wonderful. His soft lines and use of colors make the otherwise dismal black of the crow's feathers seem warm and welcoming. Without forsaking the natural integrity of the crow, he successfully gives the crow expressions, varying from plaintive to conspirative, inquisitive and thoughtful, even concern. Once Armstrong has finished setting up the world and gets the story going, it flows well. The conversations between the crow and Cormac are well constructed. There's a sense of the fairy tale throughout the story and together with Rohmann's art it works well as a whole.
Average customer rating:
- Interesting idea and writing style, but feels unfinished. Not recommended.
- Echoes of Dark Tales
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Ten Thousand Charms
Leander Watts
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Fiction | Parents | Family Life | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Royalty | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0618448977 |
Book Description
Roddy's dirt poor. He has no family to speak of and has been sold off like a slave to labor endlessly at making rope in cruel Mr. Queed's factory. Thea's father is of royal blood, though his tiny kingdom has been taken away from him. Exiled from their homeland, Thea and her sisters have come all the way from Germany to the frontier of America, where wild beasts still roam, and much stranger creatures too. Enter Scalander, who commands the crows and evil spirits, and skulks in primeval forests. He sees Thea and plots to make her his bride. Roddy joins forces with the king and his daughters, fighting back to free themselves from Scalander's plans of blackmail and murder. This dark and mystical third novel by Leander Watts continues the gothic tradition of Stonecutter and Wild Ride to Heaven. Like the ropes Roddy labors to make, this story is woven together from a number of twisted strands. Fear, loyalty, suspicion, and love all combine to make a fantastic and original tale.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting idea and writing style, but feels unfinished. Not recommended........2006-07-23
An old German king without a kingdom sets sail for America with his three daughters in tow. The King knows no English, he had no desire to rule his country; his only interest is in "charms," the unexplained mysteries that he finds in the world: mysterious objects, unexplained events, archaic remnants. In America he meets a boy named Roddy, a young ropemaker's apprentice who seems to be surrounded by the charms that fascinate King Ivars. Ivars, Roddy, and Princess Thea are pulled into a web of mystery, darkness, magic, and fear when one charm, the Parliament of Crows, comes to town. Ten Thousand Charms is a young adult book with very short chapters, an impersonal writing style, and a distinct gothic charm. It is a promising novel with a number of interesting underlying concepts, but it feels unfinished and leaves the reader unfulfilled. I like the idea and the style, but I don't really recommend this book. There are better YA novels out there, although it would be nice to see more with the dark, mysterious aspects that this one offers.
I have a longstanding love for young adult fiction. Because children, more than adults, are willing to indulge mystery and miracle, young adult fiction tends to be more magical without being bogged down with excuses and apologies for the magic. Furthermore, YA novels are often coming of age stories (it is, after all, the issue of the age), and a good coming of age novel is rewarding, heartening, and comforting. They reaffirm choices, character, and the rocky but rewarding journey toward maturity. Watts starts in with a sense of magic and opens up a coming of age story, but neither reach fruition in this novel. In Ten Thousand Charms, the magical basis is there--the reader is thrown into a story where strange events happen, crows gather in the thousands, and one main character lives among these events while another actively seeks them out. The coming of age story begins when Roddy begins for the first time to look at his ability to interact with these mysteries as a gift rather than a curse.
The plot then gets absorbed with Thea's marriage to a magical dark prince of the forest. Roddy and the King are almost forgotten, and even thought they arrive to rescue her they never again become interesting characters. The magic is there but the book doesn't delve into it very deeply; Roddy's coming of age is returned to briefly at the end of the book but his story seems truncated. It's as if this is merely the briefest of introductions into a non-conformist, gothic, sharp-edged magical story about growing up. If there were more it would be really interesting, but as it stands it's disappointing, teasing, unfulfilling, even frustrating for the reader. Watts has the right idea and I commend that, I even hope to see his style and ideas in a longer work, but I don't recommend this book. There are other YA novels out there to read instead, and, even if it's short, this one isn't worth picking up.
Echoes of Dark Tales .......2005-07-09
Ten Thousand Charms transports the dark mood of a Grimm fairytale to upstate New York, but, as is the case with many fairytales, the narrative remains slight. Roddy is a young boy sold as an indentured servant to a rope factory, where he turns the crank as a rope monkey. When an ousted Germanic king and his three pretty daughters purchase a farm down the road, the paths of the family and Roddy begin to intertwine. The eccentric king is obsessed with "charms" - odd occurrences and omens. A gathering of crows provides the impetus for a series of threatening events involving Roddy, the king, and the king's treasured second daughter Thea.
The book is a mishmash of literary echoes. Queed, the despotic ropemaker, is a direct descendant of Dickens's Mr. Squeers, the cruel schoolmaster in Nicholas Nickleby. Thea's courage and beauty, as compared to the laziness of her sisters, are qualities lifted straight from Beauty and the Beast. Roddy, like so many heroes, is a virtual orphan, with the same naiveté of a David Copperfield. The strange thing with yellow eyes that lives in the woods and assumes many forms has, unfortunately, already been eclipsed by Rowling's description of the slithering Voldemort.
Many of the plot twists seem peripheral to the mood that Watts has created. In fact, the book's strengths lie in the way Watts weaves the reality of early America with the mythic sensibility built up in Europe over thousands of years of history. Roddy, Thea, and the king's inner workings are never fully explained, which fits with the dialogue, firmly planted in folktale. The plot's denouement, while atmospheric, was a little flat, and some of its elements (a ring, fire, and taking care of minor villains) had a Lord of the Rings feel.
Watts's book, which has a lovely lyrical rhythm in parts, may have been better served by a shorter story, omitting superfluous characters and descriptions and focusing on the mix of a dark tale with prosaic folk life in the Genesee Valley. Watts is the not the first to try this combination (Washington Irving can be heard muttering "Crane" from his grave), but it remains an intriguing premise.
Customer Reviews:
A good story to speed read without remorse.......2007-01-31
This review is for the MacAdam/Cage hardcover edition, October 2004, 248 pages. WELCOME TO THE FALLEN PARADISE is Dayne Sherman's debut novel.
At age 18, Jesse Tadlock joined the army to escape the feuding violence of Baxter Parish, Louisiana. He left the love of his life, Penny Nesom behind, not even writing her a letter. Twelve years later Jesse's mama dies and leaves him sole beneficiary of a thirty-thousand dollar insurance policy. Jesse returns to Baxter and buys ten acres and a house in rural Mount Olive. Things are looking good for Jesse. Penny walks back into his life without one word of complaint for being dumped and forgotten for twelve years. Then, the morning after Jesse moves into the house, he is confronted by Cotton Moxley toting a rifle and accompanied by a massive pit bull. Cotton tells Jesse he has seventy-two hours to get off his land. The feud begins.
The story opens with a well crafted prologue set in 1975, two years before Jesse joins the army, when Jesse is helping his kin dig the grave for his cousin. These five, tightly written pages tell about Jesse's family, their mannerisms, the community where they live, its topography, economy, mores, religion and violence. The next twelve pages of good writing provide essential back story leading up to the narrative present, May 1989, when Jesse returns to Baxter Parish. Then the story flounders for the twenty-some pages. Jesse drives the interstate, watches his dog nap, takes a shower, drives to his aunt's home, and does other mundane things which, as described, he could be doing anywhere. Unlike the prologue, the narrator portrays Baxter County as if he were speeding down the highway while reading a roadmap.
Jesse is a young man who shuns violence but is forced to confront it. His character is well drawn. His Uncle Red comes off as the classical Red Neck, and Cotton Moxley is the larger-than-life despicable slime-ball living in filth. The other cookie-cutter characters are nondescript. Even Penny, the love of Jesse's life, is described only as tall with dark brown hair in a ponytail. Her personality is just as exciting.
The plot, once started, moves along at a nice pace, plausible and entertaining but not predictable beyond the certain demise of the fiend Cotton Moxley. Beyond the prologue the prose is unremarkable. Here's a good story to speed read without remorse.
Rings with authenticity.......2006-05-17
They call Louisiana the "sportsman's paradise," but in this case paradise is fallen. The grave-digging opener put me in mind of WISE BLOOD, and chapter after chapter Sherman delivered on that promise with plenty of corruption and ol' time religion. The novel rings with authenticity. Baxter Parish is a place where the fringes are mainstream. As wild as Moxley gets, and as extreme as the Tadlock response can be, I never once doubted the truth of it. Jesse Tadlock returns home with dreams of the garden, only to find a serpent bent on devouring him. The story may be simple, as an earlier review noted, but the emotions underneath are complex and stirring.
My Favorite Beach Read of the Summer.......2005-08-24
I devoured this book on Cocoa Beach on a single day in August. I don't know what scorched me more, the prose on my brain or the Florida sun on my forehead. If this book hasn't been optioned in Hollywood, some slick with a PRODUCER vanity plate has missed the gravy train. When is this kid's next novel due?
really good novel with sense of place and people.......2005-07-02
I liked this a lot, and think it was very well done. I have already told two writers I know about it. It held me all the way through.
Enjoyable southern literature. Glad it's on my shelf........2005-02-25
Sherman writes a good story. I can't explain why it held my interest so well because the plot was anything but complex. If you are a fan of literature about the haunted landscape of the South, you should give it a try.
Book Description
Where the seasons last for generations, hard winter makes for hard religion. The worlds of the solar system are the hells through which all souls must incarnate on their journey to Paradise; all, that is, but the Starbridges, nobles who serve to enforce the "divine will." In the lowest slums of the city-state of Charn, a Starbridge doctor and a drunken prince defy the law to bring medicine to the poor and hear the story-music of the refugee Antinomials, a wild people who shun words, infidels pressed to the edge of extinction. As a decades-long pitched battle approaches the city and the Bishop of Charn herself is condemned for impurity, the doctor and the prince will follow their compassion into the heart of a revolution, just on the eve of spring, with its strange and treacherous sugar rain.
This is the first book of the Starbridge Chronicles, and is followed by SUGAR RAIN and THE CULT OF LOVING KINDNESS.
Download Description
Where the seasons last for generations, hard winter makes for hard religion. The worlds of the solar system are the hells through which all souls must incarnate on their journey to Paradise; all, that is, but the Starbridges, nobles who serve to enforce the "divine will." In the lowest slums of the city-state of Charn, a Starbridge doctor and a drunken prince defy the law to bring medicine to the poor and hear the story-music of the refugee Antinomials, a wild people who shun words, infidels pressed to the edge of extinction. As a decades-long pitched battle approaches the city and the Bishop of Charn herself is condemned for impurity, the doctor and the prince will follow their compassion into the heart of a revolution, just on the eve of spring, with its strange and treacherous sugar rain.
Customer Reviews:
Cirminally Underrated.......2003-01-06
I happened upon this book because I was starving for something to read on one very cold winter night. Wanting instant gratification, I found Soldiers of Paradise on Amazon's e-books, and bought it simply because it had interesting cover art. I read the first few pages, stopped, went back to Amazon and immediately bought the rest of the trilogy.
Soldiers of Paradise is the first book of the Starbridge Chronicles trilogy, a tale that starts in late winter and ends in the second half of summer of the same year. During the months in between, wars are waged and empires fall. And not because the change is so quick, but because the year is that long; longer than many years of our own time and Earth. The Author never tells us how this came to be. It could be that the Earth of the Starbridge Chronicles is our own cast into the future, or that she is a refuge that our race has sought after her original namesake fell into ruin.
And this is just the beginning. The journey through Paul Park's earth is a torturously delicious striptease. He never tells, he just shows. And he never shows too much, just enough to set the reader's imagination aflame, puzzling over the possibilities, the explanation, and the meaning of it all. In the end, each reader will come out with his or her own version of the Earth of the Startbridge Chronicles.
Another aspect that is strongly present, and one that I find to be very relevant to our current times, is that of religion. The inhabitants of Paul Park's Earth all follow a single religion for the most part, the symbol of which is the profit Angkhdt. As the seasons change, the people's perception of Angkhdt changes as well. In winter, the time of hardship, he becomes the dog-headed Angkhdt, the prophet of obedience and war. In summer, he becomes the well-endowed Angkhdt, the prophet of love and harvest.
So we too change our perception of religion in accordance to circumstance. To some, religion preaches peace and tolerance. To others, it demands blood and sacrifice. Perhaps then no religion is above corruption once it falls into human hands.
Soldiers of paradise.......2001-11-27
The book I read for free reading was Soldiers of paradise and it made the most of my time. It was wrtten by Paul Park which is also a very intresting man and his past life will amaze anyone. the book is like a fantasy in the distant future but alot of war and illeagel drugs is involved.This book was a great choice because there were always surprises that poped up from evey cornor when you least expected it. This book was like no other because none the action never stops, theres always something intresting going on. A qoute from Thankar explains how much he hates alot of people in his world because everyone has to be a real hard case to survive and he dosent want to be one " I know him and I always hated him. we'll hang him higher than any bird can fly". That explains how Thanker doesnt like anyone because he knows that his friends can even stab him in the back just to survive. The future is so bleak with war and drugs its explained as med-evil times because castles, tourture and death is just business in the world he has to suffer in. in conclusion the book was great and the ending is what you least suspect.
Beautiful written,.......2001-02-06
This was a beautiful way of telling a story. Musical. I think the whole book should of been spoken the way the storyteller had spoken it. It may be hard to understand once you start reading it, but once you dove into it, it's hard to put down. I havn't finished it yet, but close to it, and so far it's beautiful, that 's all I can say. If you need a book just to pick up and read, try this one. Magical, ~Isirah~Weasel~
Come Read the Best!.......2000-04-01
An aging star begins to swell toward red giant stage. The "humans" of many worlds, all likely descendants of a common ancestor, the hypnogogic ape, ride from hot doom to the outermost world of the system, soon the only one habitable. The spaceship that rescues them over the millennia continues to fly its programmed rounds empty, while the "Starbridge" crew becomes top caste on a planet of centuries-long years and winters. The unique thing about this background to the Starbridge Chronicles is that you'll never discover it by reading the books -- and I say this to Paul Park's credit. He constructs a story so deep that it has roots you'll never know, whereas lesser authors like myself go around flashing our explanations for everything.
Park creates a rich fictional "charnal house" filled with all manner of mystery, decadence, death and rebirth. Meanwhile the great wheel of time rolls on, incapable of caring. But the reader has the pleasure and pain of caring very much what happens to many very imperfect people. (Who gives a damn about the perfect ones?)
Paul Park is a revolutionary. When he shows you that the great systems of the universe are heartless and wrong, he's also condemning the great systems we all live under. Some writers advance the revolution by envisioning better ways, but somehow the truths of human nature get in the way of utopia. Perverted utopias, perverted good deeds, and perverted religions are also part of Park's universe. As of ours.
Some cool ideas, but no coehesion.......2000-03-02
Definitely dark and a bit surrealistic. The setting is very harsh (and I like that) but it seemed to me more like a string of events with no characters - all extras. I didn't care about the characters and they didn't care about themselves. There was no interaction. These ideas put together by someone like Iain Banks would be absolutely fabulous, but by himself it needs work.
Average customer rating:
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Soldier in Paradise
John Mort
Manufacturer: Southern Methodist University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States
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ASIN: 0870744402 |
Book Description
"Modernism is simply the result of the extremely progressive evolution of the American pastry industry. With the use of all ethnic influences, creative flavor combinations enhanced by incredibly visual designs is truly the global trend-setter for the millennium." Norman Love Corporate Pastry Chef, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Milk Chocolate-Ginger Mousse with Liquid Chocolate Center Norman Love Corporate Pastry Chef, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Naples, Florida. Mont Blanc Michael Hu Executive Pastry Chef, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York Midnight Macadamia Torte Kim O'Flaherty Pastry Cook, Essex House Hotel, New York. Chocolate and Pear Mousse Ensemble Eric Perez Executive Pastry Chef, Ritz-Carlton Tyson's Corners, Virginia. Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Specky Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Marshall Rosenthal Executive Pastry Chef, Trump Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey Butter Pecan Custard Cake Wayne Brachman Executive Pastry Chef, Mesa Grill and Bolo, both in New York.
Customer Reviews:
Master create a master piece.......2007-08-23
A master piece by craftsmen with unique skill and brillances of creativity. Very detailed, and the recipes work. Photography is fantastic.
Easy to follow directions.......2007-03-26
This book is great for aspiring pastry chefs. I do think some knowledge of high end desserts is necessary if a person would like to make any of the dishes in the book. The pictures are beautiful and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. I know the other books by these authors have gotten good reviews as well.
Just what I wanted.......2007-03-25
Beautiful photos -- useful for my son who recently completed Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School.
A Must for Your Cookbook Library.......1999-07-07
My positive views about 'Grand Finales' may be considered suspect (I'm the husband of co-author Tish Boyle), but those of journalists and cooking professionals merit serious attention. It's undeniable that 'Grand Finales' is unique among cookbooks: it's the first "to examine the predominant schools of pastry design," with pictures that "are worth a thousand design-concept theories," according to TIME OUT, New York City's premier publication devoted to the cutting edge. TIME OUT concludes that 'Grand Finales' "does a superb job of documenting the high-design phenomenon in making pastries." BEARD HOUSE Magazine observes that 'Grand Finales' has "assembled an impressive collection of recipes from the country's best pastry chefs...for this handsome volume about upscale restaurant desserts." The WASHINGTON POST praises the book's "75 fabulous creations," adding a mock-serious qualification that "some are downright silly, goofy, splendid in a crazed sort of way." Among cooking professionals, 'Grand Finales' also earned exceptional acclaim when it was selected as a finalist among 420 entries in the 1998 Julia Childs Cookbook Awards. This striking book is a must for the library of anyone with an interest in modern desserts.
An excellent book for creativity in pastry arts.......1999-05-24
Many renowned Pastry Chefs share insights in creating and mastering their techniques. Although I am not a pastry chef, I do create desserts, and I was thrilled to not only see pictures and practically step by step procedures, but to also learn more about pricing and creativity when designing a pastry masterpiece..
Books:
- The Sempster's Tale (Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries)
- Thrilled To Death (Samantha Shaw Mysteries)
- Thrones, Dominations (A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery)
- Through a Glass, Darkly (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries)
- Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism
- Triangle Of Sins
- Veiled Threats (Carnegie Kincaid, Book 1)
- Watchers of Time: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Novel
- Water Like a Stone: A Novel (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels)
- Whisper of Evil (Evil Trilogy) (Hooper, Kay. Evil Trilogy.)
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