Neil Gaiman manages to spin together an excellent web using his "death" character from his Sandman series. The hook: Death isn't a morbid spectre, but a perky and likeable goth chick. Every century, she gets the chance to spend one day on Earth, the better to explore humanity from the other side of the black veil. The story of how she spends her day is interesting and uplifting, casual and sort of realistic. The other main character, Sexton, is someone you can really sympathize with. This is really a quirky and interesting book, and aside from the wonderful story you can revel in Chris Bachalo's beautiful artwork, which blends beautifully with Neils words. Basically, this book is tons of fun and you can read again and again. Gaiman or comic fans should definately pick this up.

Neil Gaiman is a genius. Let's just get that out of the way first, alright? In our modern world of hard science and no imagination, it is refreshing to see this man almost single-handedly (well, Elizabeth Hand's just as good) revive the mystery, magic and myth of our world, and those that (probably) exist beyond. With the creation of the Endless, Gaiman gave us a forum into which we could break down our pesky mortal lives into those things which are truly intangible, yet completely and utterly necessary--Dream, Destiny, Despair, Desire, Destruction, Delirium, and of course, Death.

Death is the older sister of Dream, The Sandman, who gets her own spin-off graphic novel detailing her once a century excursion into our world, where she lives a day amongst the mortals she takes in their final moments. First off, the concept of Death being such a cheerful, chipper female is brilliance in itself, but what this miniseries does is show that perhaps Death is more human than the mortals she visits in death, and she notices the little things we often take for granted. It's not because she's omnipotent or anything, it's just because it's her nature...it's her willingness to thrust herself into this dirty world and find the glitter in its gutters.

Death: The High Cost of Living is a modern fable, injected with Gaiman's obligatory shadows, but it also shines---the implication seems to be that Death's excursion into humanity every one hundred years is what keeps her happy with her job. And I, for one, wouldn't mind one bit if Death came one day, took me by the hand, said "Supercalifrajilisticexpialidocious" and whisked me off to the Dreaming. No, I think that would be a pleasant Death indeed.

The woman you are about to meet isn't called Death just because the tuff-sounding name compliments her heavy eye make up and black jeans. She really is Death, the reaper, the one who takes you away when you have had it. It turns out the cloak and the scyth thing were just bad press; there's nothing grim about her after all. Neil Gaiman fashions Death after the story in the Caballa where the Angel of Death is so beautiful that upon finaly seeing it (him or her)you fall in love so hard, so fast that your soul is pulled out through your eyes. He didn't want a death that agonized over her role, or who took grim delight in her job, or who didn't care. He wanted a Death that you'd like to meet, in the end. Someone who would care. I think he succeeded. Though there is a family resembalce between her and her younger brother Sandman she is in many ways his opposite, sensible, delightful, and nice. This novel version of the three part mini series that helped launch DC-Vertigo follows Death through the streets of New York in 1993. It's turns out one day in every century Death takes on mortal flesh, better to comprehend what the lives she takes must feel like, to taste the bitter tang of mortality: And this is the price she must pay for being the divider of the living from all that has gone before, all that must come after. She embodies the 16 year old Didi, whos family recently died in a car accident. We enter clueless, as Sexton does. As his understanding grows about her true self so does ours. The plot twists and drops out from under your many times,leading you on a merry goosechase of emotions. You may even find yourself turning back a few pages to re-read and try to find out what you may have missed, but in the end all is explained, leaving you with that curious, empty, "what-if?" feeling in the pit of your stomach. That almost always leads us to pick it up and enjoy it again. I have thoroughly enjoyed this insite to the workings of the world. I am certain you will as well.

In _All the Weyrs of Pern_ the large cast of characters from the Dragonrider and Harper Hall books, with the help of the Ancient AI device unearthed at the end of _Renegades_, settle down to their ultimate task: Ridding Pern of Thread for once and for all.

I've read all the Pern books over and over since I first discovered them in eighth grade -- _Dragonquest_ was the first book I bought with my own money. In the main, I really enjoy them. Anne McCaffrey writes well and her ideas are very original, particularly in the earlier books in the series. Some of the later volumes have not thrilled me, however. _Renegades_ I found particularly unmoving, so I picked up ATW with some trepidation the first time. But this is the Dragonriders series at its best, with all the characters the reader has come to know and love facing challenges with fortitude and even humour.

I don't argue that McCaffrey is a great storyteller. She is at her best in situationally-driven stories (rather than character-driven), particularly those where her charcters are put in a new, alien and/or hostile environment where they must develop the skills to succeed in various tasks. This is part of what makes her Dragonrider series appealing to fans of straight science fiction as well as fans of fantasy. And as the basic theme of ATW, it makes for an absorbing read.

McCaffrey needs a continuity editor, however. As her world becomes more and more complex it seems she has trouble keeping track of the details. Unfortunately, I am the kind of person who is bothered by this.

Is Jancis a Mastersmith or a journeyman smith? She seems to be both, often in the same paragraph. And how did she come to be Fandarel's granddaughter when he formerly stated he had no wife, only his work? How did Sharra appear at landing to exchange a significant glance with Jancis, when before and after that single incident it was clearly stated she wasn't there at all? Why is Menolly telling AIVAS about her three children when in _Dolphins_ at a later date she is shown to be pregnant with only the second? How did Lord Oterel appear in _Dolphins_, long after the close of ATW, when he died before ATW ended? These are just some of the details that distracted me.

But, well, this is still a great book and one that really ties up the Pern series. I could only wish that Anne McCaffrey had ended here.

Anne McCaffrey's Pern is one of the most believable worlds in science fiction--even if it centers on a figure straight out of fantasy, the fire-breathing dragon! A must for all Pernies (Pern fans), and by far the best book in the series. Anne works magic with her characters, bringing to realization a grand dream for the Pernese people and building their characters to full believability in the process. The ending is one of the most emotional that I have come across in any book I have read, and is very fitting--though I can't help but wish it had ended otherwise! If you're new to Pern, by no means start with this one--start with Dragonflight or Dragonsong. Otherwise you'll ruin a great deal for yourself.

As a story teller, Anne McCaffrey is the story tellers, story teller! You won't be able to put it down, nor will you want to. This dramatic book brings the Pern saga to the point of ending Thread Fall forever, but at great cost. Like most of Anne's books, you can see, feel, even taste, Pern and those magnificent Dragons. The yearning for more will continue, and I can only hope that this wonderful series will continue. If you have not read it,don't miss this book. You will never forgive yourself.

Every trader knows that mastering your emotions is key to success in the market, and every would be trader has heard or read this. "Trading in the Zone" is sort of an "inner game" book for trading stocks and commodities, but far superior to other such books that I've seen. Mark Douglas gets into detail about how our beliefs, attitudes, etc, originate from our experiences, control our perceptions of the world and shape our actions in ways that may be contrary to our best interests, and then tells how to overcome these negative influences to produce positive results in the market. But, unlike most books of this sort, it isn't just "tell yourself that you're good". He lays out a specific plan for developing your "game" of trading, so that you learn how to develop a proper emotional state along with your technique. He stresses low risk trades, so that you have time to learn without being wiped out in the process. And he stresses paying yourself as the market makes profits available, so that you can enjoy positive results and their psychological benefit even if the overall trade result is negative. I think this book is also useful for life in general. I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because I felt that he used too much repetition, no doubt in an effort to drive home his point.

I have to say something VERY strong about this book. It made me STOP trading. I realized about a quarter of the way through this book that I was NOT on my game and that I was open fodder for the real Pro's that have the skills and abilities that he speaks of. I am a professional trader and I even help run a very successful trading firm, but I've been trading by feel and emotion for too long now and have lost about 200,000 the past 3 years in the market and I just couldn't take it anymore.

By reading this book, by stopping trading and re grouping, I know my trading will be much better and that every trader that trades my money or my firms money, will be required to not only read this book, but to recant the most important parts.

Dont just buy this book, learn it and trade by its valuable tenets.

Mike Levin

     If you are like most people, after your first few losing trades you set about to learn better market analysis. After your next string of losers you learned about risk management. But there's still one more challenge to conquer; yourself.
     That is the major premise of this book. If it sounds like wishy-washy psycho-babble to you, I'll only say that I would have agreed -- four months ago, before I quit my 20-year technology career, obtained a Series/7 license and joined a professional day-trading firm. I now believe most people would lose money if you gave them 50/50 odds on whether or not it was going to rain tomorrow.
     In other words, successfully forecasting the market is not enough. Why not? Well, this book explains why not. It has to do with one's sense of self-worth, one's moral judgment of money, one's work-ethic, one's tendency to focus on good news while ignoring bad, and other things.
     "Zone" was recommended to a friend of mine by a professional floor trader who told him, "I wish I had read it before starting two years ago. Don't place another trade until you do." Well said. Does this apply to investors as well as traders? Oh, absolutely! If you have ever said to yourself, "I'm not selling that stock while it's down, I'll wait until I have a profit in it," then for the love of money, read this book.
     Finally, read "Zone" before Douglas' earlier work. If you still want more then read "Disciplined Trader" for a general review plus a deeper exploration into the author's philosophical and meta-physical theories.

When I found out Frost's background as co-writer of Twin Peeks' script, I knew I was going to enjoy this novel. At first I encountered my doubts when I found out about Doyle's heavy role on the book, but after a few chapters into the novel I realized this was going to be a nice ride.

I just can't seem to describe how good this book is. Really, that good it is. The characters are alive and the tension they are forced to endure will grip you and won't let go of you. I'm not making this up, just when you thought things couldn't go any worse Frost twists the story into something darker. And I believe it is rightly justified to say this book introduces a criminal with such an evil and complex mind that he easily rivals the likes of Hannibal Lecter.

The last chapters are some of the best I've read in modern horror fiction, introducing us to the real goals of the secret society and the results of their doings. They read like something Arthur Machen could have wrote and I have no doubt the society was lightly inspired on the members of the Golden Dawn. (Of which Arthur Machen was a member)

So why then four instead of five stars? Well, the last line of the book (Yes, I mean it, the LAST line of the whole book) is a bit of a cliché.

Highly recommended.

Mark Frost whips up a brilliant novel that blurs the lines between,Fantasy,Reality,and Spirituality! In a wonderful twist....we are given the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle! While investigating Spiritual Mediums,Arthur runs across"The List of 7",and the hunt is on! We meet Queen Victoria's most trusted under cover agent,Jack Sparks,who's feats inspire Doyle to create Sherlock Holmes. We also meet others whom will inhabit Doyles works as well as the inspirations for :Prof.Moriarty,Inspector Lestrade,Mycroft Holmes,and many more.Doyle & Sparks survive many mini-adventures,which all give a sly wink to many Holmes stories! Also peppering this landscape,many historical figures,such as spiritualist Madam Helena Blavatski,and Bram Stoker! The historical accuracies are cleverly woven into the fantasies. This book is a page turner,you just can't put down! Did I mention there's a love story too? (No...Sparks/Holmes does not turn character and fall in love....it's his Watson whom does.) If you were a fan of Twin Peaks,the more well written episodes,see how much more there is to Mark Frost! If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes... this is pure gold....no attempts to write a "new" Sherlock Holmes story...but an amazing look at what might have inspired them! Buy it now! (And....there's a follow up novel: "The 6 Messiahs".)

I first read this book when I was 16 and it was the first book that I litteraly couldn't put down. I am now 24 and reread this book every 2 yrs. or so and it gets better every time. I have read it so many times and lent my original copy out to be read to nearly everyone I know that it has fallen apart and I recently bought another copy from amazon so that I may reread it again for the sixth time. I can't really say why I fell in love with it, but it's probably all the corelations with Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and not to mention the all incapcitating web Frost weaves that makes it continue to bring me back time after time. I also read the sequel The 6 Messiahs, however enjoying reading it also, I wasn't as entralled with it as I was with the first.

This book is an easy read and very enjoyable. I could definitely identify with Mark on many of experiences growing up and feel many others could too. I think this is a good book for both teenagers and adults to read. It opens you up to new ways of thinking and takes you back in time. Not that anyone really wants to relive their junior high days but Salzman gives illustrates it with a lot of wit and comedy. The book actually brought back memories that I thought I had completely forgotten. The plot is about a traditional family living in suburbia but it reveals just how wierd people really are- especially kids. It seems to be depressing towards the end but because it is real life and we know he has a success story it doesnt drag the book down. The sad ending gives it a genuine "real-life" quality.

While reading Mark Salzman's Lost in Place I was initially bored by all of the Zen master kung fu stuff. However as I kept reading I became really captivated by his life and was constantly wondering what stupid thing he was going to do next. Mark spends the entire time avoiding his father's path to pessimism, however, throughout the story he becomes just that. Mark has high aspirations for himself and every challenge he is faced with he makes an attempt to defeat it. Although he tries Mark finds himself acting negatively like his father and always giving up. All he wants to be is happy and throughout this book we follow him on his journey to happiness. Even though he may not have reached it, it was a treat to read all of the funny things he had to go through. Being a college student, Mark's story makes me realize that I am not alone in all the stupid things I have done. I would recommend this story to anyone in college or anyone who understands how absurd life can be.

When reading Mark Salzman book Lost In Place, being a teenager in college it really hit home. I found it a story of wanting find all of life's answers, and not understanding failure. Because I did not grow up in the seventies, it gave me more insight into my parents world. I think that this book is perfect for college age student because it shows us that it is normal to be absurd, and that everyone feels that they are different and don't fit in. I really enjoyed how Mark tries everything, kung-fu, the cello, and chinese with huge jumps emerging himself in everyone to find that none of them give him the answer to life. This book made me look at life a little bit differently and I think that anyone, meaning most people, who aren't sure of who they are, I encourage them to read Lost In Place.

Just recently I read a very inspirational book about a 16-year-old boy who climbed atop of Mount Everest. That book is written by Mark Pfetzer and it is called Within Reach: My Everest Story. Mark Pfetzer started to climb at the age of 12 in a rock climbing gym near his house. He got to climbing because his aunts music teacher also climbed and so they got together and first went to Peru to climb those mountains. Then he went to Nepal which is in Asia the north side of the Himalayans. The Himalayans are the biggest mountains in the world. Mark climbs the Himalayans four times. His life long goal was to climb it once but through his perseverance no only did he climb it once but he climbed it more than once. He also climbed the highest mountain in the world before he even graduated from high school. He was also a very good student. Throughout all the time he was climbing mountains he was doing his school work and xlimbing at the same time. I think he is a very good role model for every young kid. Mark is a person who reaches his goal and lets no obstacle stop him and still focuses on doing his homework. He had obstacles like knowing that his father was diagnosed with cancer in his ear and then a year later his father died of just that. But that didn't stop him from reaching his goals. I enjoyed reading this book and it is a very good book for young people looking for a role model.

This is a terrific book for teens, young adults, and, yes, adults about a Rhode Island teenager, Mark Pfetzer, who makes his dreams come true. The book is written as if it were a personal journal, and in it Mark takes the reader on a journey into his young life. He shares with the reader how his interest in climbing developed, as well as his early climbing experiences.

Mark, mature in many ways beyond his years, is not your typical teenager. Clean cut, intelligent, fit, and not given to peer pressure, he is a bit of a loner with a dash of entrepreneurial flair. As his climbing experience increases, so does his desire for snow capped peaks. This desire motivates him to get sponsors for his world wide travels that take him to the vast mountainous regions around the globe. Mind you, he begins his world wide travels, unaccompanied by his parents, at the ripe old age of thirteen.

While one may question the wisdom of letting someone so young travel around the world to do high altitude climbing, it does not diminish the pleasure one derives from reading about a young person who derives such joy from his travels and climbing. While at times Mark seems a little full of himself, one must remember that, notwithstanding his achievements, he is still a teenager, and, like most teenagers, he has his moments.

Still, his chronicle makes for a very interesting read. His endeavors on high altitude peaks, including Everest, are noteworthy, notwithstanding that he climbed with guided expeditions. While towards the end of his journal he may appear to be suffering from trophy mountain madness, it does not diminish the palpable love of climbing that permeates the pages of the book.

Mark is, without a doubt, a son of which any parent would be proud. I am sure that he will continue to live his life to the fullest. I look forward to reading about any future adventures that he may commit to paper. Dream on, Mark, and may all your dreams come true.

Mark Pfetzer is amazing. He is such a role model to me! He had so much will and determanation to climb mountains, and he did it! His book had me rolling in the floor laughing, yet the next minute I was in tears. As he described that stormy night on Everest in May of 1996, I felt as though I was there. I've had the chance to speak Mark and let me tell you, he is so friendly. He's the kind of guy your mother would want you to bring home. Clean cut and well behaved, he is a role model for all teenagers. Showing us that if you set you mind to something that you can reach it. He reached for the sky...and got it. I was interested in mountaineering, but after I read this book I knew that I was going to climb Mount Everest. This book touched me and I read it over and over. Whenever I get down I just pick up this book and read a chapter or two. This book is the best gift you could give anyone. Mark Pfetzer deserves his Everest summit more than anybody! Go Mark!

I am in the middle of this book, and have not been able to put it down. I came back to this page because I had to read all the reviews and see what others thought about it. I am caught. On one hand this book is so audacious, it is hard to believe. On the other, as one reader put it, she is either 100% lying or 100% telling the truth...and in my mind and heart I know that what she is recounting is probably true. Before September 11 I would not have believed this at all....but could it be possible that September 11 is a HUGE TRUAMA BASED CONTROL PLOY? I can't shake the thought. Discernment is the key here, and while this information seems impossible to believe, if you hear with your heart you will have to ask why would anyone make this crazy tale up? To what end? I also have read a great deal of channeled material that supports what is reported in this fantastical tale. It is chilling and disheartening. But knowledge is power. Time to wake up WORLD. Since this is not about the US GOVT, but about CONTROL of our WORLD by a very elite group that has lost touch with who they are....Our sexual energy is our power...and these folks are so out of balance, they long for what we have, HEART, EMOTIONS... we must begin with COMPASSION. And heal not only ourselves, but them in the process. This evil is a reflection of our own shadow. In healing that part of ourselves we can raise the vibratory level of the Earth so they will not be able to exist here.... it is becoming more and more urgent every day...we must use our hearts and not our brains - they can control our brain - our brains ARE BEING CONTROLLED. So think with your heart and read this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cathy O'Brien is either 100% lying or 100% telling the truth. Anyone who truly wants to know can go to any library, book store or search the Internet for materials about mind control, MK-ULTRA, CIA drug connections, and the New World Order. Her story fits right in the middle of these and reveals that we are already 99% New World Order, with our God-given freedoms just about completely gone. God in His mercy is using people like Cathy and Mark who will be courageous enough to tell their story so that those of us who have been in the dark, because of NWO lies being preached everywhere, can see and join the battle. I'd give this book a 100 star rating if I could because of the courage it took to write. IT IS A MUST READ FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO IS CONCERNED AT ALL ABOUT THE TRUE CONDITION OF OUR COUNTRY.

I have read this book and many many others like it. In fact, I found this book by reading David Icke's book. I check references many times that are listed in books and Cathy's book checks out. I have friends who are also victim's of mind control. Heck, we are all victims of mind control if you have ever watched a commercial on TV.

Anyhow, my point is I read this book a while ago and came here to check what other people are saying. The book overall is 4 plus stars. Yet most reviews are 5 stars. It's the stupid dummies who do not read or think critically or simply debunk for no rason who gave his book 1 star. I'll bet anyone a life savings who rated this 1 star that they did not read the entire book.

WAKE UP PEOPLE. THIS COUNTRY IS SCREWED UNLESS WE ALL WAKE UP. 78% OF AMERICANS GET 90% OF THEIR NEWS FROM TELEVISION. STOP WATCHING TV AND READ A BOOK, LISTEN TO THE TALK RADIO, SUBSCRIBE TO A MAGAZINE THAT ISN'T BIASED, READ THE NEWS IN OTHER COUNTRIES, WATCH NEWS LATE AT NIGHT AND SEE HOW IT IS DIFFERENT THAN WAKING HOURS.

This is the depressing story of an incredibly aggressive, totally dishonest women who would say or do anything just so long as it was a crime or a lie.

It seems that the author is a little easy on his stepfather, Kenneth Kimes. Kimes was a grown man when he hooked up with Sante Kimes and I don't think Sante can take all the blame for his becoming a prolific thief, swindler and possibly murderer in his own right. Kenneth Kimes, Sr. is now deceased and it looks like there is nothing wrong with Mom, Sante and little brother, Kenny that spending the rest of their lives in jail can't cure.

The author, Kent Walker, hung around, even endangering his wife and children, just so long as there seemed to be a chance to get some of the elder Kenneth Kimes' millions. When it became obvious that the millions had been squandered, he decided to write a book. The book is quite good but I have to admit that I found it objectionable when Walker went into detail not just of his Mother's crimes but also of her generally slutty, swinish habits. She is after all his Mother and he keeps saying he still loves her.

This particular book was one I HAD to read after seeing the Kime's on 60 Minutes a couple of years ago. Watching their segment, it was obvious Sante and Kenny were astonishing liars, but why--and how--do people GET that way? The Mother, the Son and the Socialite was an account of their crime-ridden lives but dealt in facts regarding the crimes they'd committed, not a personal portrait of either of them. Those facts can only be revealed by a family member. Kent Walker seems to be honest in his assessment of his mother and brother, and certainly doesn't whitewash his role in the family dynamic. His story is a sad one in that the only extended family he has will never be a part of his life again, yet at the same time, they will be the "800 pound gorilla" till he dies. I am glad he was able to write this book to give us some insight into how a Sante Kimes can influence her own children so negatively. I am also very saddened for him, since no matter what this woman and her other son have done, they are still his mother and brother. The last 20 pages are heart-breaking to read. God bless Kent Walker.

Loosing someone through the actions of a Sociopath is devastating. To be able to read an honest recounting of a surviving Victim's life is both sad and inspiring.
As you read this book you will be stunned by the true evil that is embodied in Sante Kimes and you will be amazed at how she groomed, manipulated, and used every vulnerability her children have to her own advantage. Everyone had a price, and favors range from lies and theft to murder. Everyone is kept in line through sex, booze, greed, false friendship, and a feeling of not being able to ever get free of Sante.
As for Ken Kimes, Sr. the feeling of pity comes and goes. He was not a sociopath, but he had the basic weakness' to attract one. Once Sante bedded him, he mistook sex for love and failed to escape the brainwashing and fear.
Kent Walker has chosen to stay in the human race, and try to be a decent person by walking through fire. It is not surprising that he is willing to accept blame for his younger, half bother's choices, and at times is confused about what Love is. I can only hope that as time passes and his own children grow up to be healthy decent adults he will be able to shake off his private demons. Realizing that each action is the result of personal choice; and, see through the actions of his wife, Lynn, and her ever vigil and constant "mother love" that Sante's parties, gifts, and permissiveness had absolutely nothing to do with love, or any kind of affection, for him or his brother.
Ed Walker, Kent's father, and Evelyn, Kent's surrogate mom in Palm Springs, have my "Thanks" for being/staying in Kent's life. My admiration goes to Kent for his honest and (I'm sure) painful "Heads Up!" view into the life style of a Sociopath.

The beauty of belonging to a reading group is that everyone is exposed to books that they might not normally read. I don't think that I would have considered reading this book except that it was the choice of my book club.

Well, this story was not really what I expected at all. Constance, Lady Chatterley is a rather likeable person who is trapped in a sad and boring life. What happens to her and her lover is something neither really anticipated nor expected. The book starts in 1917 and at the time when it was first published, the subject matter of LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER was considered to be totally shocking and unacceptable.

Yes, a few parts of the book have rather crude passages, and language, but Lady Chatterley herself is a very sympathetic character. The style of writing used by D. H. Lawrence is very descriptive and the pace of the story is probably a little slower than modern readers are used to. Aside from some offensive language, I think that this was a rather interesting, but very depressing book. Many of the characters seemed to be lacking in any kind of a moral code and I found most of the men in the story to be rather despicable.

I did not read this book until ten years ago - age forty for those who count - and found it a brilliant work. It touched on every aspect of life in that era, using a difficult premise at the focus.

One reviewer called it 'sexist.' In that era, women were kept removed from the world, so men were the ones who made the initial contacts with reality and their sexuality. If Lawrence had written about that society in any other way, he would have been inaccurate. Lawrence shows the social conflict with both subtlety and brutality. Yet, Mellor IS a lover. There are sexual descriptions which are explicit, but within the coccoon of emotional bondings.

The way that Lawrence has essayed the class structure of England in that era is brave and accurate in all ways. He makes the posturing of the aristocracy both frivilous and full of assinine criteria at the same time he understands the willingness of those in power to offer their lives in the defense of the general welfare.

Lawrence notes again with unpleasant accuracy the detriments of an unchecked Industrial Revolution on the social structure of the time. He has Constance both witness these effects and suffer the olfactory damage.

This is a literary work which has an effect across the full spectrum of the possible. Finely drawn characters searching for a better way to survive their lives in a scenario that is rife with obstacles and unpleasantness. He has the touch of the finest artist working with the lightest gossamer and the blunt force of an ogre swinging a stone axe.

This was published in an abridged version because it was felt that the societal message it conveyed should be allowed to transit the draconian (by the less filtered standards of today) censorship of the era which DID focus on the sexual descriptions but could NOT stop the voice of social criticism any more than the same group could stop Dickens a few decades earlier.

This was the first book by Lawrence that I ever read, and it made me want to read his other works. Something in Lawrence's style, whether it's his complete and almost unsettling way of capturing human thought and emotion, or his flawless way with language, makes you long to be 'subjected' to his words for another 300 pages.

Since Lady C's Lover was the first of his books that I read, I had the idea, not surprisingly, that all of his works would contain that purity and honesty of word choice (aka profanity) that this famous work is ripe with. Don't think this for a minute. When you read Sons and Lovers, Women in Love, and The Rainbow, you will get the feeling that Lady C's Lover was Lawrence's great mental eruption. These other works *tremble* slightly with allusions; VERY subtle allusions. It's as though Lawrence's mind was building up and preparing itself with his other works for what would be Lady Chatterley's Lover. Because, if you haven't read anything by Lawrence and know little about him, you will receive a MASSIVE surprise with this book...either a very pleasant (my case) surprise, or an unpleasant one. If you took offence at Holden Caulfield's language, your mind will scream at the language of Lady C's Lover. What we call 'the F word' in our more self-conscious moments, is used surely more than 100 times in this work. I don't think I've ever seen more straight-out connotations, allusions, imagery, everything, than in this book. It's amazing! At times, you will catch yourself marvelling at how Lawrence must have written it in a white hot fever, unable to stop, but surely knowing just how hard it would be to get this puppy published in his day and age. The work, then, is a brutal piece of honesty written, I feel, for the author's sake more than for the public's. That makes it priceless. It's one of the rare moments when we can view a writer's 'literary soul,' the part of their mind that usually will not surface for fear of not being publishable.

Whether you'd describe it as beauty, art it would be a good idea to read Lady Chatterley's Lover so that you can know for yourself what you feel about what is probably one of the greatest books ever written.

To categorize this book as a mystery is like clumping Haagen-Daz in the same category as cheap sherbet. Sorry. Not the same thing. These characters are alive and fresh and memorable. The settings resonate with sights and sounds and smells. The beauty of Louisiana juxtapositioned with the evil of the criminal world is a heady mix. As always, I'm impressed by Burke's ability. I feel like I'm repeating myself: James Lee Burke is a master of imagery, be it violent and dark, or moving and poetic. I can't help myself. To read his work is to fall in love with the language. With this in mind, it's true that I tend to overlook his meandering plots and psychological side-trips. For me, they make his books much more real and down to earth than the general formulaic mysteries.

In this particular story, we see Dave Robicheaux dealing with his inner demons, as always--this time in the form of pills. But it's the same white worm eating at him and driving anger to the surface. As usual, his emotions boil over into his job and cause trouble. The difference this time is that Robicheaux is dealing with other demons than his own. He's dealing with Legion, an old man, hard as nails and full of darkness. The supernatural aspects that come into play, particularly at the conclusion were, for me, very satisfying and remarkably well handled. Other reviewers have derided these elements; I found them to be the original touch this series needed. Others complained of sexual situations that were unnecessary; I was moved to tears by Bootsie's tenderness to her man in need of assurance. Robicheaux, behind his tough exterior, is a man of flesh and blood and emotion. Thankfully, James Lee Burke is too. It's the reason I keep reading his stuff. After "Purple Cane Road," I'd rate this near the top of the series.

Tee Bobby Hulin, a black junkie who never committed a violent crime, is fingered for the murder of Amanda Boudreau. New Iberia, Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux doesn't believe he committed the crime even though the evidence points that way. When a local prostitute Linda Zeroski is also murdered in a violent manner, Tee Bobby, who is out on bail, becomes the number one suspect for that homicide too.

Linda's father is a powerful New Orleans mobster who comes to New Iberia to enact vengeance on his daughter's killer. Dave's investigation leads him to lean on Legion Guidry, a man who is the embodiment of evil. Legion beats up and emasculates Dave who first ends up in the hospital and ultimately off the wagon. Before he can discover who the killer is, he must defeat his own demons before they destroy him.

James Lee Burke is one of the better writers of the last decade. His prose is lyrical yet atmospheric, smooth yet dangerous, silk yet graphic. His protagonist is a flawed tortured soul who immediately makes a place for himself in the hearts of the audience. Jolie Blon's Bounce is a fascinating crime thriller with so many vile villainous suspects that readers will find it near impossible to figure out who the killer actually is.

Harriet Klausner

When teenager Amanda Boudreau is murdered in New Iberia, Louisiana, the evidence points to Tee Bobby Hulin, a gifted musician but a crackhead and general ne'er-do-well. Detective Dave Robicheaux is not convinced, though. Then there is another murder, this time of the drug-addicted daughter of a local Mafia figure, and Tee Bobby is again implicated. Robicheaux still doubts the evidence and continues to investigate when he crosses paths with the mysterious and malevolent Legion Guidry, an elderly former plantation overseer. Robicheaux questions his own sanity when his instincts tell him that Legion is pure evil in human form.

Meanwhile, Robicheaux's sidekick, Clete Purcell, is having woman troubles, and competition in the person of cracker ex-con Bible salesman Marvin Oates. Even Robicheaux's own attorney, Perry LaSalle, is behaving strangely in the wake of the two murders. They all have secrets and present different faces to different people, and it's up to Robicheaux to navigate the labyrinthe, pick out the necessary pieces, and put it all together.

And who better than James Lee Burke to throw it all out there, knead it and meld it with his dark and menacing poetry, and then pull it all together with brilliant finesse. This may be Dave Robicheaux's darkest voyage yet but, boy, what a ride. The atmosphere, rife with human suffering and the nature of evil, is very intense and roiling with preternatural undercurrents, with an ending that is both shocking and just.