Customer Reviews:
Three Joe Leaphorn Mysteries.......2005-07-24
---"The Blessing Way"---
"He stirs, he stirs, he stirs, he stirs,"
"Among the lands of dawning, he stirs, he stirs.
The pollen of dawning, he stirs, he stirs.
Now in old age wandering, he stirs, he stirs.
Now on the trail of beauty, he stirs,
Talking God, he stirs..."
It is in the 1970's pre-cell phone where parallel lives take place. We have an Indian wanted for a stabbing who turns up dead. Not just dead but in the wrong place. Not the wrong place but in a mysterious way. There is also a team of archeologists looking into which craft (they just may find it). One archeologist seems to be missing. A strange Navaho has his hat stolen but the silver hat band left. A woman is coming to visit her fiancé is in for an adventure she did not count on. From all of this Joe Leaphorn must make some sort of sense.
It is the descriptiveness of Tony Hillerman that goes beyond the mystery to pant a picture of a different world that we get to glimpse in the process of reading.
Read the book but the addition of the voice of George Guidall ads a dimension to the story by helping visualize the people and correcting pronunciation of certain words. I suggest you read the book and listen to the recorded version.
----------------------------------------
---"Dance Hall of the Dead"---
The Fire God is missing
Twelve-year-old Ernesto Cata (Zuñi) is practicing to be the Fire God in a local ceremony. His best buddy George Bowlegs (Navaho) is a Zuñi wana-be.
Ernesto is missing and there is a pool of blood by his bike. The next day his buddy George runs off. It is up to Sgt. Joe Leaphorn to find the boys before anything happens to them (if it has not already.)
As with most of Hillerman's novels everyone has different agendas and stories that overlap. There are alleged stolen artifacts form and archeological dig, and possibly a drug interest. They may or may not interact. We also get a good dose of Zuñi culture, and a feel that we are in the area.
Hillerman is nice enough to leave sufficient clues to let you figure out the mystery before Leaphorn and you then get to watch as he finally comes around to your way of thinking.
Another book by Hillerman "The Boy who Made Dragonfly" further describes the dance hall of the dead (Kothluwalawa.)
Author's Note:
"In this book, the setting is genuine. The village of Zuñi and the landscape of the Zuñi reservation are depicted to the best of my ability. The characters are purely fictional. The view the reader receives of the Sha'lak'o religion is as it might be seen by a Navajo with an interest in ethnology. It does not pretend to be more than that."
--------------------------------
---"Listening Woman"---
A great cliff hanger
Joe Leaphorn can put the loose ends together even when no one else realizes there are loose ends. The story starts out with an old man being bludgeoned and later Leaphorn is intentionally almost rundown by a mysterious man in gold rimed glasses. He tries to tie these together. Then he uses an old robbery as an excuse to get out of a Boy Scout commitment and track down the antagonist. Needles to say the story gets more convoluted for everyone but Leaphorn.
This is an excellent story with the added plus of the description of the area and the Navaho that occupies this area. What seems at first to be over description later enhances the final scenes.
Speaking about the location and Navaho, even the schools, this story is even more enjoyable if you read "Seldom Disappointed" first. Tony describes how he comes by the plot and the people. He even goes out to locations first as research.
I have read the book but the addition of the voice of George Guidall adds a dimension to the story by helping visualize the people and correcting pronunciation of certain words. I suggest you read the book and listen to the recorded version.
You'll Enjoy Hillerman's Flights of Imagination.......2000-07-17
In this volume, encompassing three novels, we are introduced to Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, educated at a White college yet living on the reservation, and discover some of the ways of the Dineh, the people. The subject novels -- "The Blessing Way," "Dance Hall of the Dead," and "Listening Women" were written between 1970 and 1978, and deal with the effects of jealousy, greed, rage, and revenge brought onto the Navajo reservation by outsiders. Hillerman has an unerring talent for using small bits of Indian culture to weave convincing stories laced with an inticate pattern of mystery.
From day one, Hillerman has been a successful mystery writer. He writes with integrity about the lives of the Southwest Indians (emphasis on the Navajo) with perception and understanding. Hillerman has won many fans with his series of mysteries but some in the Navajo nation are disturbed over a White author writing about their "ways" even though Hillerman doesn't get into secret tribal matters. Regardless, Hillerman has fostered a lot of good will for the Navajo, the Zuni, and the Hopi with his large audience of readers.
Over the years, the possibilities inherent in the mystery formula have become exhausted. Hillerman has developed, within the framework of the formula, a Navajo policeman who solves crimes with a mixture of modern and ancient skills and also educates readers about Navajo beliefs. Hillerman's stories don't challenge a reader's intellect. That isn't the author's intention. What he produces is a likable hero, descriptions of fabulous scenery, unobtrusive murders, and the absorbing lives of the Navajo. The author ably works the White and the Idnian worlds as he explains the reality of Whites and some off-reservation Indians intruding on the reservation and the resulting conflicts. In Hillerman's mysteries the reservation Indians always win.
The author's writing skills are evident as he mixes the acts and thoughts of different individuals smoothly and coherently in "The Blessing Way." The author employs McKee, a close friend of Leaphorn, to do most of the work. McKee deduces, faces danger, solves dilemmas, but Leaphorn actually ties the loose ends together at the finale. Leaphorn reveals clues but you'll be none the wiser unless you have some knowledge of Southwestern weather, fauna, hieroglyphics, Indian beliefs, and similar arcana.
The author uses the "Dance hall of the Dead," to really educate a reader in SW Indian lore. The central point to the story is an archeological excavation and the disruption brought by the White man to the reservation. Navajo mysticism pervades this murder mystery. We learn about the Beautiful Mesa Families, who elected to die when Kit Carson arrived in 1864; Zuni Indian spirits who join the Kachinas and become one of them; the Navajo Chindi who spread sickness and evil among the Dineh; and the Shalako Ceremony which grants fertility to crops and brings needed rain to the desert regions of the reservation.
In the "Listening Women," Hopi ways are introduced as are the Navajo concepts of -- Remaining in harmony with the universe; Navajo wolves identified as men and women who turn from harmony to chaos and assume the guise of Coyotes, Dogs, Wolves, and Bears in order to spread sickness among the Dineh; Disharmonious sand paintings which can cause death; and Destruction of tradtitional Kiowa medicine bundles when the Buffalo disappeared. While this quantity of information might seem daunting to a reader, author Hillerman allows Joe Leaphorn to solve a murder while smoothly inculcating a reader in Native American lore.
The author has applied a gentle and refined twist to the mystery formula by creating an intriguing product employing Southwest Indian lore, the masterful Joe Leaphorn, and a little murder or two wrappoed up in a pleasing package. Try Tony Hillerman's mysteries, you'll enjoy his flights of imagination.
My first Hillerman book, it made me buy all the others!.......1997-11-10
The Joe Leaphorn mysteries by Tony Hillerman have become one of my favorite reads. I never thought that I would be interested in mysteries set on an indian reservation but this book changed all that. After reading this book I found and read every Hillerman book I could find and watch the lists for new ones. I have also learned a lot about reservation life and have a new-found respect and understanding of what life is like for the American Indian today. Kudos to Tony Hillerman!
Customer Reviews:
Ugly art (again), and rehashes one of the darkest stories ever.......2005-12-30
I guess one of the reasons why I didn't enjoy this book is because it just revamped and retold one of my least favorite Uncanny X-Men stories that I ever read, but in more horrifying detail.
William Stryker is effective as an X-villain. He's a televangelist. He's creepy. He killed his only son at birth because he was a mutant, and supposedly "deformed." Oh yeah, and he killed his wife too, for giving birth to him. Sheesh. The original story gave me creeps, particularly the "crucifixion" scene when Stryker manipulates Xavier to turn against his students. Just to add insult to injury, this TPB reprints the original in the back of the book, and offers a behind-the-scenes look into the original story by the Marvel staff.
So with that in mind, I didn't have high hopes for this book going in. I bought it because Shadowcat returned to the team (albeit briefly) from college. I also enjoyed the building relationship between Logan and Ororo, and previously didn't realize Claremont was taking these characters in this direction as early as these issues in this title, I previously thought they weren't interested in each other until Uncanny "The End of History." Nice to be educated...
Anyway, in a nutshell, if you haven't read the individual issues, the X-Men end up in a backwoods mountain town called Mt. Haven. They find, to their consternation, that the town is inhabited by mutant children...no baseline humans, and no adults. This already makes it feel like Children of the Corn. To make matters worse, Lady Deathstrike springs Stryker from his prison transport jet before her body's cybernetic grid is overtaken by an entity who urges to kill Stryker and any who threaten Mt. Haven.
There's a predictable battle between Deathstrike and Logan (yawn). There's more touchy-feely artwork by Kordey (he tends to make the characters look like they are groping each other a lot, especially Sage and Storm in this one, eeew). This book's ending is both grisly and vague, but I won't offer any spoilers. I will, however, recommend only buying this one used, if you are a completist. I will also mention that Magneto played a significant role in the original, namely offering one of the first glimpses of his desire to have Xavier as an ally rather than an enemy. He was nowhere to be seen in this story, and probably should have been. Oh well.
Another contender for the no star award..........2004-12-17
There was a time when I loved Chris Claremont's stuff. Fall of the Mutants, Mutant Massacre, any tale he told of the Hellfire Club, Dark Phoenix...I could go on, but I won't.
Why? Because this interminable, derivative crapfest, as written by Claremont, shows that he's ready to retire. He's obviously out of fresh ideas. Hell, he's ripping his own old stuff off, and badly! And I agree with the other reviewer about Igor Kordey. He should be arrested for gratuitous abuses with a pencil. His illustrations look like he took art lessons at the Braille school. They're not even illustrations, or drawing, even. "Pick-choors" maybe, if you're from Alabama (no offense, go Tide!)
How can someone who gave the X-men his best care so little about them now. It's like catching up with a couple who were passionate after the nuptuals, but can't stand to touch each other while they sleep years later. And the X-men have definitely started sleeping in the spare room...
Poorly written, and the artwork is even worse........2004-09-18
Having reaches his creative peak in 1983, Claremont's second run on UNCANNY was very dissapointing, after his inspired initial run. His first two or three arcs on X-TREME were all right, and Salvador Larroca's artwork was beatiful.
"GOD LOVES MAN KILLS 2" is where X-TREME "jumps the shark," so to speak. This is a very poorly written story. I had high expentations fo this one, considering that Reverend Stryker had been absent since his debut in "GOD LOVES MAN KILLS," which was inspired.
This story serves as little more than a movie tie-in. In it, we encounter Stryker, who's suddenly very close with Lady Deathstrike's family; meanwhile (this part may give away something of its incredibly contrived plot) a robot by the name of Reverend Paul who's doing something fairly devious that ultimately comes to nothing.
Meanwhile, the team runs around accomplishing very little.
Not worth reading.
Not worth looking at, either. Salvador Larroca'scovers are beatiful, but the only purpose they serve is to cover up the crap inside. Kordey claims that they love him in Europe, but I haven't seen any evidence of that. As it is, he regards himself as a visionary because he's made the characters ugly. I'm not convinced that this was intentional.
Really, don't touch this.
One of the better X-Treme X-Men books.......2004-02-11
Many comic fans have been disappointed with legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont's run on X-Treme X-Men, but this sequel/remake of his classic X-Men storyline is definitely one of the better story-arcs he's thought of of late. William Stryker, the televangilist who almost wiped out mutantkind years ago, has escaped his confines with the help of his new ally Lady Deathstrike, and he has bigger plans for mutantkind this time around, and he is manipulating Shadowcat as well. On his trail are Storm, Wolverine, Bishop, Sage, and Cannonball as the plot thickens and twists are revealed. The story, even though it is nowhere as profound as the original, is solid Claremont style storytelling. Shadowcat has always been one of the best characters that Claremont has ever written, and in this story we get inside her head as Stryker tries to use her to his advantage. The art by Igor Kordey (New X-Men, Cable) is solid as well, even if he tries to hard to draw Wolverine like Hugh Jackman. The real attraction of this book however, is that the original, and now out of print, God Loves, Man Kills story is included here as well as we see Stryker make his first strike at Professor X and his X-Men (which then included Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Shadowcat, and Nightcrawler). This story is the story that inspired the superb X2: X-Men United film, and this book is worth picking up for the original story alone.
Average customer rating:
- Graphic SF Reader
- X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills
- The inspiration for the first X-Men movie
- Not for me
- a Claremont classic
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X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (Marvel Graphic Novel, No 5)
Chris Claremont
Manufacturer: Marvel Entertainment Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Comics & Graphic Novels | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
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General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Marvel | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Claremont, Chris | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | 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
Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0785100393 |
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03
One of the original batch of Marvel graphic novels, and well done. Some of this was of course adapted for the X-Men 2 movie in a somewhat different format. Graphic novels of this type were new and innovative then. A somewhat more adult and tragic look at racism and the tensions and violence between humans and mutants.
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.......2006-11-21
THere are reviews for two books on this page. One is apparently a low-quality collection of stories from different X-Men titles. THe other one is one of the three best stories about the X-Men, alone wiht the Dark Phoenix arc and "Days of Future Past".
This later, I have read, albeit in a greyscale, low-quality edition. The art suffered from not being colored. Even so, it was really, really good. IT looked painted more than drawn, and I would describe it as art, not just "illustrations". It was really gorgeous.
The characters are all believable. As believable as anything is within the Marvel continuum, anyway... whcih is to say they are real people with or without superpowers. Some of them are truly evil people, but they still come across as real.
The X-Men, their closeness, adn their personalities come across. The only character-bit that was wrong, so far as I could tell, was that when someone was shot, Kitty/Ariel tended to him, rather htan Nightcrawler, who was the one with medical training. But that was the only thing. Their personalities and actiosn were right, although Magneto showed a different, positive side, as events force him to become the ally of the X-Men. He comes across as a hard, harsh man wiht hte same take-over-the world intentions, but more or less believable reasons to be hostile. You get the idea that he is hard and evil because he was hurt too badly to heal, and didnt' have Xavier's courage to reach out to his enemies. His parting line, "I have wept over too many graves, X-Men. I will not weep over yours" drove home both that hardness and that pain. I didn't like him, exactly, but I understood him better.
The villains- Reverend Stryker, the evil preacher, and Anne, one of his Purifier assassins, are really evil without realising that htey are. Both of them believe that htey are serving God. They are the definition of "fanatic".
The end- when Cyclops realizes that this foe must be confronted in a different manner than the others- is quite good. Cyclops's speach left soemthign to be desired, but Ariel's verbal defence of Nightcrawler was wonderful.
All around, this was a really good story. Most comic books and msot graphic novels are just fun, no substance, but some of them are really good. This is one of hte best. It's fun, but it has something to think about,too.
The inspiration for the first X-Men movie.......2005-07-16
I just watched the first X-Men movie last night and while it was fun enough, I was quite annoyed that Claremont and Anderson got ZERO credit for the fact that their graphic novel "God Loves, Man Kills" is undeniably the inspiration for the movie.
Well, no one ever said Hollywood was fair.
Not for me.......2004-10-07
Being a fan of the x-men and comics in general (but not a fanatic) I realize the importance of these issues but at the same time walk away somewhat puzzled and dissapointed. As a younger fan of the X-Men I don't understand where these stories lead in terms of the current situations in the series. Especially the New X-Men. Who were they, where did they go? Magneto ran a or the school? Also compared to todays artwork this stuff is chickenscratch. Also the preachiness that runs in the first part is a little over the top and serves against the purpose rather than for it. Good for a history lesson if nothing else but I wouldn't recommend purchasing this.
a Claremont classic.......2004-03-16
The Fall of the Mutants is another one of Chris Claremont's classic stories. It takes place when the original X-Men have formed X-Force and Wolverine leads the X-Men. Storm and Forge are elsewhere. And this is when the supposed death of the X-Men happens. Very good for those of us who remember it and those who are new to it.
Book Description
The Uncanny X-Men. Magneto, master of magnetism. The bitterest of enemies for years. But now they must join forces against a new adversary who threatens them all and the entire world besides... in the name of God. One of Chris Claremont's most powerful and influential stories, the partial basis for "X-Men 2," is reprinted here for the first time in years. Collects Marvel Graphic Novel #5: God Loves, Man Kills.
Product Description
In X-men: God Loves Man Kills, the Uncanny X-Men and Magneto, master of magnetism have been enemies for years. But now they must join forces against a new adversary who threatens them all and the entire world besides in the name of God. One of Chris Claremont's most powerful and influential stories!Plus get as Giant Size X-men #3 featuring an eight-page story by Whedon and Neal Adams, followed by reprints of X-Men #9, Fantastic Four #28 and X-Men #35!
Average customer rating:
- Best Preggo Book Out There!!!
- Good to have
- The best pregnancy book ever
- The Best One Out There!
- Mary B, Sinking Spring, PA
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The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth: Expert Advice and Real-World Wisdom from the Top Pregnancy and Parenting Resource
Linda J. Murray ,
Editors of BabyCenter ,
Jim Scott , and
Leah Hennen
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Pregnancy & Childbirth
| Women's Health
| Personal Health
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
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| Blowout Books
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Accessories:
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Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
ASIN: 1594862117
Release Date: 2005-06-16 |
Book Description
Millions of moms-to-be consult BabyCenter, the world's #1 pregnancy and parenting Web site, for the latest, most trustworthy advice. Now all that wisdom is gathered in one superlative guide. Combining expert advice with real-world mom-to-mom wisdom, the people at BabyCenter have been communicating through the contemporary medium of the Internet with new and expectant moms-intimately, reassuringly, effectively-for more than 7 years. They have helped an estimated 15 million mothers negotiate the often strange and scary but always miraculous worlds of pregnancy and parenting. And now the editors have put together all of this accumulated knowledge, including brand-new information that is not on the Web site, in a book that will immediately be recognized as the standout in the field.
Customer Reviews:
Best Preggo Book Out There!!!.......2007-10-04
This book was well-thout out, put together clearly, and features input from mothers at each stage (week) of pregnancy, which really helped me understand that everything I was going through was normal (and scientifically explicable). I'm a childcare provider and 1st time mom (now 16 months old), and I recommend and buy this book for all of my pregnant friends (even dads-to-be should read it).
Trust me, you won't be disappointed! I had 7 other pregnancy books given to me by friends/garage sales, and they all were terrible, common sense type books. Even the "What to Expect" series is so incredibly overrated...I have no idea why! Buy this book and you won't regret it. Oh, and you're welcome to check out my wish list on Amazon that I share with my expectant friends and family. I researched forever before deciding on each item and have nothing but terrific things to say about each one!
Good to have.......2007-04-09
Great week by week guide of what is going on. Good tips and things too look out for.
The best pregnancy book ever.......2007-03-06
I am on my 3rd pregnancy. This is the best book for pregnancy questions. It coveres everything you would even think about asking, like what are those sharp pains I am having and how to cope with morning sickness.
The pros
covers every subject
Provides week by week coverage by other woman who are experiencing the same thing
The cons
The only con is that I wish that it would have pictures, I love looking at pictures of fetal develoment.
The Best One Out There!.......2006-07-12
When I first got pregnant, everyone had different guide books that they felt I needed to buy, the main one being the 'What To Expect' series, but when I got to the bookstore and flipped through it, I found that it was not the book for me. Then I saw The Baby Center Essential Guide, and knew right away that this was the one. I had been a member on their website for many months, so I knew that the info came from only the best sources - real, down-to-earth moms themselves. The information is complete and thorough, with tips on everything and anything. The best part, though, is the 'Is It Safe?' section. This alone has answered so many questions, and it's one feature I could not find as easily in any other baby guide I've read to date. All in all, buy this book!
Mary B, Sinking Spring, PA.......2006-03-03
With this being my first pregnancy at the age of 39, and not really knowing what to expect or what you, your body and the people around you are in for, the book was very informative and gave a great deal of advice. The terms and language are very easy to understand. I am so glad I bought this book and would recommend it to all pregnant women. Love it!!!
Customer Reviews:
A truly great way to cook!.......2000-10-11
More Than Just Hot Air: A Common Sense Counter-Top Convection Oven Cookbook is a great way to get started with convection air cooking. You can make healthy french fried potatoes (frozen from the package) without any oil or fat, and they come out crispy and great tasting. Baked potatoes and baked sweet potatoes are another great example. The skin gets nice and crispy and the potato cooks to perfection. Last night, I made grilled lamb chops and sweet potatoes. I started the sweet potatoes first because they take more time on a lower temperature (400 degrees), and when they were done, I kept them warm while I cooked the lamb chops for 10 minutes on 490 degrees. I had my whole meal cooked in under 45 minutes, and the clean up is a breeze. Meat comes out well-browned and juicy. If you're looking to reduce the fat in your diet and still have flavorful food, convection cooking is the way to go. And, this cookbook will get you there. You won't be disappointed.
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- The Lamorna Wink (Richard Jury Mysteries)
- The Master of Rain
- The Seven Treasure Hunts (Trophy Chapter Books)
- The Shadow Dancer
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- The Sittaford Mystery [BBC AUDIO COLLECTION, 2 AUDIOCASSETES]
- The Snake-Oil Syndrome: Patent Medicine Advertising
- The Songcatcher
- The Spice Box
- The Trouble with Tulip (Smart Chick Mysteries, Book 1)
Books Index
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The Jim Chee Mysteries: Three Classic Hillerman Mysteries Featuring Officer Jim Chee: The Dark
Tony Hillerman: The Leaphorn & Chee Novels : Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, Coyote Waits
Tony Hillerman: Leaphorn, Chee, and More: The Fallen Man, The First Eagle, Hunting Badger
Talking God (Jim Chee Novels)
The Shape Shifter (Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Novels)
