Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Given the critical and commercial success of Eliot Pattison's Edgar-winning debut novel, The Skull Mantra, which painstakingly limned contemporary Tibet's harsh beauty and defiant fatalism through the stoic perspective of Shan Tao Yun, a Chinese bureaucrat imprisoned in a Himalayan labor camp, it's no wonder the author's second novel returns to this hauntingly scarred country. But Water Touching Stone also widens the author's geographical and social scope. Shan must find a killer who is stalking orphan boys in the high mountains and deserts of the Xianjiang Autonomous Region.
Gendun, the senior lama at the monastery that has given Shan sanctuary, announces to his student, "'You are needed in the north. A woman named Lau has been killed. A teacher. And a lama is missing.'" Though reluctant to leave the gentle presence of the monks who are balm to his crippled soul, Shan realizes he has no choice:
Gendun had told him the one essential truth of the event; for the lamas everything else would be mere rumor. What they had meant was that this lama and the dead woman with a Chinese name were vital to them, and it was for Shan to discover the other truths surrounding the killing and translate them for the lamas' world.
It turns out that Lau had taken upon herself the care of the zheli, a group of orphaned children from all corners of Xianjiang, and strove to help the children retain a sense of native identity in the face of the Poverty Eradication Scheme, which is Beijing-speak for the destruction of the herding clans and the transformation of the western steppes into a region of exploitable resources. Shan wonders whether officials from the People's Brigade (perhaps the "Jade Bitch," Prosecutor Xu Li), or the feared secret police "knobs" from Public Security decided to put a stop to her subversive activities. But when the children from the zheli begin dying amid horrific tales of the "demon" that came for them, bleak politics must grapple with darker imaginings.
The novel sports a practically Dickensian cast of characters, which might overwhelm the narrative by sheer numbers, yet Pattison manages to add depth to even the most minor of characters, and at the moments when the troupe threatens to become completely unwieldy, he deftly redeems the situation with moments of quiet poetry:
On they went, three small men in the vastness of the changtang, the wind sweeping the grass in long waves around them, the snow-capped peaks shimmering in the brilliant light of dawn. As they appeared over a small knoll they surprised a herd of antelope, which fled across the long plain. Except one, a small animal with a broken horn, which stared as if it recognized them, then ran beside them, alone, until they reached the road.
--Kelly Flynn
Book Description
Cloistered in a remote sanctuary, Shan Tao Yun has received shattering news. A teacher revered by the oppressed has been found slain. One by one, her orphaned students have followed her to her grave, victims of a child-killer harboring unfathomable motives. Abandoning his mountain hermitage, Shan embarks on a search for justice-one carved out of the treacherous borderlands that have been shaken by perilous political upheaval. But now, shadowed by bizarre tales of an unleashed "demon", Shan braces himself for even darker imaginings as he stalks a killer, and fights to restore spiritual balance to the ancient and tenuous splendor of Tibet.AUTHORBIO: ELIOT PATTISON is a world traveler and frequent visitor to China, whose numerous books and articles on international policy issues have been published on three continents. He is the author The Skull Mantra.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding.......2006-11-11
This is a great story. I had to get Eliot Pattison's other books. The stories are so real.
Interesting setting, but much too long.......2005-05-24
This is an excellent story of the oppression of native peoples by the Communist Chinese and of human greed's role in the new China. However, it is also a murder mystery, and as such, the story could have been told in half the space, even with all the sociopolitical information. In addition, the number of characters and the complexity of their names and ethnicities is truly bewildering. I'm hoping that Pattison's later works are improved in this regard.
A glimpse of contemporary Tibet.......2003-02-11
This is a marvelous book, one that exposes the reader to an unfamiliar part of the world. The author informs without lecturing, tying together Tibetan Buddhist traditions and practices with contemporary Chinese attempts to stamp out "minority" cultures while at the same time proclaiming all that they are doing to improve the lives of those minorities. In the story, the Chinese implement a "Poverty Eradication" plan which involves the elimination of the nomadic way of life, and of course the only way such a plan could be implemented is with force. At the same time, the protagonist is trying to discover who or what has been killing young boys while protecting the naive and otherworldly Tibetan monks who have accompanied him on his journey. There are smugglers, archaeologists, talking mountains and discerning camels--not exactly your typical read, but completely engrossing. If you've not read Pattison's first book, "The Skull Mantra," you might want to start with it, but I urge you make sure that you read this series.
Minorities under Chinese Administration.......2002-10-12
Although this is a work of fiction, it gives the most intimate feeling for the sociology of minorities in territories administered by mainland China that I have seen. Better even than the tales the minorities themselves have brought out. Of course, as fiction, it is quite a story and a very good read.
Amazing story.......2002-06-11
This book is truly a great book. The interesting setting and the unusual hero would be enough, but Pattison manages to take you on a ride through the current situation i Tibet, the mystique of the mountains and the wonderful people that live there. As the mystery unravels (slowly!), you actually feel the frustration of the hero, Chinese inspector Chan, as he has to battle with his loyalties and emotions.
The plot is satisfyingly complex, and requires both an attentive and reflecting reader if you are to keep on top of things. Pattison avoids the trap of delivering finished solutions and encourages the reader to think for himself - something that is quite uncommon for best-sellers these days.
The ending is both sad and beautiful and I actually felt my eyes become wet as I finished the book on the bus to work. When was the last time a paperback move you to tears? Keep up the good work, Pattison!
Book Description
Part Two Of Two Parts
An unlikely group of outcasts dash across the remote northern reaches of the Tibetan plateau, summoned by the news that a venerated schoolteacher has been murdered and an ancient lama is missing. Two old Tibetans are rushing to restore the spiritual balance lost by the violent death. A sullen Tibetan resistance fighter is racing to battle a new foe. Shan Tao Yun, just release from four years in the gulag, sets out to find justice, an elusive goal among the forgotten people of western China. As he follows the grim path left by the killer, Shan soon finds himself in the dangerous world of the borderlands. Guided by a young woman, Shan begins to peel away the secrets that hide the killer's true motives.
Product Description
A former Beijing investigator has come to inhospitable western China to unravel the mysterious death of a popular teacher.
Average customer rating:
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Water Touching Stone Part 1 Of 2
Eliot Pattison
Manufacturer: Books on Tape
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ASIN: 0736670424 |
Book Description
Part One Of Two Parts
An unlikely group of outcasts dash across the remote northern reaches of the Tibetan plateau, summoned by the news that a venerated schoolteacher has been murdered and an ancient lama is missing. Two old Tibetans are rushing to restore the spiritual balance lost by the violent death. A sullen Tibetan resistance fighter is racing to battle a new foe. Shan Tao Yun, just release from four years in the gulag, sets out to find justice, an elusive goal among the forgotten people of western China. As he follows the grim path left by the killer, Shan soon finds himself in the dangerous world of the borderlands. Guided by a young woman, Shan begins to peel away the secrets that hide the killer's true motives.
Average customer rating:
- Good but not a Lovecraft mythos book
- Irrational Fears was fearsomely banal.
- Get sucked into the crazies with a bunch of losers in AA!
- Spencer applies humor and horror to recovery.
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Irrational Fears
William Browning Spencer
Manufacturer: White Wolf Games Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Resume With Monsters
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Icky Thump
ASIN: 1565049152 |
Customer Reviews:
Good but not a Lovecraft mythos book.......2007-08-19
William Browning Spencer wrote Resume With Monsters, which I have but have not read. Irrational Fears was touted as a mythos book in Glynn Barrass' chapbook from Rainfall Books. I was able to get a rather inexpensve used copy of the hardcover edition from White Wolf, published in 1998.
I'll keep my comments brief. The book centers around Jack Lowry, an alcoholic in detox. He meets up with a motley crew of other alcoholics and they end up going to rural Virginia to a rehab center. There they start butting heads with a radical group called The Clear, who say that alcoholism is actually demonic possession. What follows is a lot of surreal events and weird behavior on the part of everyone, as some members of the rehab group vanish or are kidnapped, zand Jack and his strange crew work out how to get them back.
At first I thought it was actually going to be a mythos title. The Clear has a pamphlet that says alcoholics are the heirs of the K'n-Yan who had previously worshiped Tsathoggua and were cast into an asynchronous reality where their hungers were focused on drugs and alcohol. In one of the AA meetings, some woman says something like "Thank Azathoth I'm better now." There certainly is a weird episode where some otherwordly betentacled creature engulfs a surroung crowd of mindless naked worshipers. However, it turns out that the founder of The Clear, Dorian Greenway, had been through a period where he had read Lovecraft and sort of incorporated Lovecraft's fictional beasties into his group's message, including discussing the Pnakotic Pentagram. All the strange happenings may be paranormal (caused by Greenway tapping into someone else's psychic powers), but not mythos paranormal, and in fact they may just be drug induced hallucination. There are no ancient entities. no ancient tomes, no inimical reality beyond reality. None of the missing characters actually die, they just show up again a bit befuddled.
I honestly don't know why it was included in a list of mythos books, unless whoever compiled it only gave it a cursory skimming. Is Ghoul by Slade a mythos book, if its main bad guys were influenced by Lovecraft's fiction and used some mythos names? What about Needful Things by King, where there is a scrap of graffitti "Yog Sothoth Rules?"
Spencer is a talented writer, His characters came alive, acted convincingly in context, had good dialogue and made you care about them. Throughout the prose sparkled. Irrational Fears was an energetic read with some off beat humor and a good forward moving plot. The detail bespeaks an intimate knowledge of Alcoholics Anonymous, addiction and recovery, which immeasurably added to the depth of the book. I dashed through it in a few days. But I sure won't be recommending it to someone looking for A) a mythos book or B) a book with a great Lovecraftian feel. I rate it as very good on its own merits but not really for mythos fans. I'll give Resume With Monsters a try, for Spencer's prose and becase people tell me it's definitely a mythos book.....we'll see.
Irrational Fears was fearsomely banal........2001-09-05
This was a good read, but of average originality -- needed more work, plus an additional 300 words. Characters were not too well delineated either. It also contained much less humorous viewpoints, so I was not too entertained, and thus subtracted one point. Yet the ending was uplifting, so all is forgiven. Please write more frequently and larger books, Bill! People who liked this story will like James Herbert's "The Others" much better. (BTW, Herbert's novel has nothing at all to do with that lame ghostie movie by the same title.)
Get sucked into the crazies with a bunch of losers in AA!.......1999-07-15
Bill Spencer is a master of prose and storytelling. I have had the pleasure of sitting with him, sharing a couple of Cokes and talk about the struggling of just trying to get published and gain an ounce of recognition. Bill writes for the love of it. And if you ever met the man you would find him sheer pleasure. He is an open, honest human being that expels his wit onto the page.
Irrational Fears is only another fine work by Bill. I happen to work in the Criminal Justice field and have an understanding how drug and alcohol abuse programs work. He obviously draws from some strong source to write this book, and throws a bit of demonic rage into the mix. It's a great book filled with things you'd never expect. Read it.
Spencer applies humor and horror to recovery........1998-10-05
Rivalling "Resume With Monsters," William Browning Spencer's newest novel, though brief, skewers much of the new-age mumbo-jumbo of recovery programs while giving a nod to the traditional tough love approach of AA.
The hapless and sometimes hopeless residents of Hurley Memorial Hospital's detox unit include a paranoid possible former spy, an aspiring poet and nihilist 18-year-old beauty, and Jack Lowry, narrator and ex-college professor. Together they battle a hostile counselor, a drug-controlled group of recovery guerrillas called The Clear, and something slimy and tentacled straight from the pages of Lovecraft. Add a man-eating toilet and a telekinetic zombie and you have "Irrational Fears."
Spencer's trademarked blend of horror and humor recalls the Jonathan Carroll of "Outside the Dog Museum" and Joe Lansdale's (also a Texan) Hap and Leonard series. The characters come alive through sparkling and honest dialogue. They are quirky but not cliched, and nearly everyone of them is someone you might meet but probably wouldn't like.
One of Spencer's most brilliant devices is the blend of dream, DTs, and supernatural events that keep both readers and characters guessing as to what is real and what exists only the mind of the recovering alcoholic Lowry. We are drwn into the most surreal occurrences through Lowry's clear and natural voice, and while 1st-person narration takes some of the suspense out of a horror novel, Spencer manages to make us care about the secondary and even tertiary characters enough that we are pulled along to the end. And we want to know what he'll come up with next. Highly recommended.
Book Description
Most supporters and opponents of globalization accept as true certain key ideas that govern the terms of the debate. Globalization, they contend, is the single dominant force shaping the world’s economies both today and into the future; an irresistible and growing part of economic reality. They see the fates of business, labor, and entire nations all determined by their ability to adapt to its dictates. These and other similar notions have become so completely accepted that they are now embraced as the conventional wisdom. In this book, the authors argue that these ideas are either largely false or at best highly exaggerated. The book presents a very different position, based on a serious look at the history of globalization and a reader-friendly presentation of the economic data that dramatically refute the accepted truths advanced by so many of its commentators. Central arguments include: globalization is not a new phenomenon, but has grown and diminished throughout modern history; dealing with globalization requires local and specific rather than generic and global responses; and that as services come to dominate national economies, globalization will wane in importance.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Risk & Insurance, published by Axon Group on June 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1399 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The fear factor in settlements; sometimes, litigated claims are settled for the wrong reason: an irrational fear that jury decisions will lead to higher payouts. (Claims).
Author: Stockard R., III Hickey
Publication:
Risk & Insurance (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2002
Publisher: Axon Group
Volume: 13
Issue: 7
Page: 48(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Music Trades, published by Music Trades Corp. on September 1, 1998. The length of the article is 852 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: FEARS MAY BE IRRATIONAL, BUT THEY'RE STILL REAL
Author: Bob Popyk
Publication:
Music Trades (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 1998
Publisher: Music Trades Corp.
Page: 113
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
The first in a series of three recovery guides for the first three years of sobriety, First-Year Sobriety uses the voices of many women and men who are struggling in the often baffling territory of their first year of sobriety to show that despite their differing experiences, all are united in the process of giving life without alcohol or other drugs a chance. These are people who are alternately amazed, appalled, delighted, depressed, illuminated, disturbed, or simply thrown by their first days, weeks, and months of sobriety. Kettelhack explores the challenges all seem to face: learning to break through loneliness, isolation, and fear; finding ways to deal with anger, depression, and resentment; and learning how to deal with a new and sometimes overwhelming happiness. Guy Kettelhack has written seven books on recovery. He is completing a Master's degree in psychoanalysis, and is an analyst-in-training at the Boston and New York Centers for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies. A graduate of Middlebury College, Kettelhack has also done graduate work in English literature at Bread Loaf School of English at Oxford University. He lives in New York City.
Customer Reviews:
Here is my opinion of this book:.......2007-07-22
This book was surely a good edition to my recovery library. During my early recovery, I am reading as much as I can. I need to learn all that I can about this challenging time of early recovery. No one ever told me in rehab that I was going to have all these....FEELINGS! Alcohol really and truly made me numb for quite some time. I did not realize this until I got sober and began to feel again. As the feelings flooded in, I began to think that I was crazy-sober or not. This book helped me to realize that everything I was/am going through is normal. It is all OKAY. Many, many other people who have gone before me have felt the same exact feelings. This book speaks to the reader as casually as a speaker at a meeting will speak. It is easy to "get"...easy to understand and I breathed a sigh of relief everytime I could identify myself in the pages. Thank God for all of the written materials dealing with the subject of recovery. I devour these books. I recommend that you do too. Good buy.
Why not.......2007-05-07
This is a great book. In early recovery the more you read and learn about your disease the better. This book uses peoples own experiences to point out things you never hear about. It doesn't use complex ideas or concepts just simple ideas and language, plus I read the whole book in two days. Keep it Simple and this book does.
Extremely Helpful.......2006-07-21
Within my firts three years of sobriety I read this along with the second and third year edition. They were extremely accurate and helped me to deal with the trials and tribulations of sobriety at the time. I would recommend these titles to anyone who desires to be knowledgable and gain understanding about the process of recovery they are engaged in.
What to Expect from Sobriety.......2004-05-27
I found this to be a very useful addition to AA literature for people who are making their first serious attempt at getting sober and staying sober. The author understands the challenges that alcoholics/addicts face and presents interesting case studies of people who have faced the struggles and the victories of a newly sober person in this crazy world.
The book is written in a language that alcoholics will understand and resonate with. It's filled with examples of how an alcoholic/addict thinks, feels, and acts like during those first fragile years. Read it and share it with other
alcoholic/addicts.
First-Year Sobriety.......2001-01-17
Excellent book for people with either short or long term sobriety. The content is very realistic and I believe that anyone will find a story or two in here that will relate to them. Has helped me much. Also a good book to hold onto for future reference.
Book Description
From Deer Valley ski resort Executive Pastry Chef Letty Halloran Flatt offers 125 of the resort's tried-and-true recipes.
Customer Reviews:
Very tasty book!.......2003-02-17
I live in the same town as this author, and have experienced first-hand her delectible creations. Not only are these recipes extraordinary, they are makable and edible. True gourmet without requiring ingredients from unknown Mediterranean villages. It is very difficult to bake at 7000+ feet, and these work (each recipe has altitude instructions if necessary). Amazingly, I emailed Letty for help with cream puffs (not in the book; mine were collapsing--not only did she return my email, she offered to taste-test them. Top notch chef, person, book. If live at altitude and love refined sugar, you need this book. Wherever you live, this book will not disappoint.
High altitude modifications!.......2000-02-16
Not only are the recipes wonderful, directions for the appropriate adjustments to make for high altitude are given--and they work!
Great gift for the family baker.......2000-02-09
I bought this book for my mother as a gift. Before she even made her first dessert, she read the book cover to cover. She said she enjoyed the friendly manner in which it was written. My mother has been baking for 35 years so I trust her judgment. She has told me it's the best dessert cookbook she's ever seen. Highly recommended as a gift.
Everyone's Favorites Included.......2000-01-05
An Exquisite Book! The photos,layout,recipe format are superb. The recipes are easy to follow and explicit. The chapter at the end is most helpful. I have recommended this to several others. A very successful undertaking, Lettie. Congratulations to you and Robbie
More than Desserts & Pastries.......1999-12-10
In addition to being a beautiful book, it is packed full of fun and great tastes. We are using the Chocolate Snowball recipe (individual servings) as the finishing touch on a special New Year's Eve dinner for 100. According to my partner, Letty Halloran Flatt has caught the spirit of the skier/baker, which most can only aspire to. Congratulations, Letty - it's a hit!
Books:
- Witch Hunt: A Novel
- A Darkening Stain
- A Knife to Remember (Jane Jeffry Mystery Series #5)
- A Long Finish
- A Man Lay Dead (A Roderick Alleyn Mystery)
- A Moorland Hanging (A Knights Templar Mystery)
- A Murder is Announced (Miss Marple Mysteries)
- A Pocket Full of Rye (Miss Marple Mysteries)
- A Whole Lotta Love
- After Dark, My Sweet
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- Innocent in Death
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- Alvar Aalto and the International Style
- Early American Wrought Iron 3 volumes in 1
- To Darkness and to Death
Bone Mountain
The Skull Mantra (Inspector Shan Tao Yun)
Beautiful Ghosts (Inspector Shan Tao Yun)
Prayer of the Dragon
The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk
