Sally Lockhart, a financial consultant, has just found out that one of her clients lost all the money she invested in a company that went bankrupt. In order to get her money back, Sally decides to investigate who was in charge of the company and why it went bankrupt.
At the same time, Sally's friends Fred and Jim are trying to figure out who is trying to kill a famous magician, Mackinnon. This magician can see images of something that happened by touching an object. He once saw a murder taking place using this talent, but he did not see the murderer of the victim. The person who is trying to kill Mackinnon was the murderer, and he thinks Mackinnon knows everything.
The man who Sally is looking for is the same man who is trying to kill Mackinnon, but they do not realize this until later.
As they are trying to solve these mysteries, Sally realizes that she is in love with Fred, as he had said many times. Jim falls in love with Mackinnon's wife, the daughter of a duke.
I liked this book because it had two mysteries going on at the same time, but in the end they met up and were really just one mystery. This book had mystery, suspense, romance, and tragedy all in one. Sally and Fred realize they love each other but something happens to keep them apart. This is the second book in a trilogy. I read the first one, A Ruby in the Smoke, which I loved, so I thought I would like this one. There is also a third book and another trilogy by the same author, The Golden Compass trilogy, which I also liked a lot. I thought The Shadow in the North was just as good, if not better, as these other books by Philip Pullman.

THE SHADOW IN THE NORTH is the second book in the Sally Lockhart series, and in my opinion, the worst (not that the others were bad - it's just that this one wasn't as good). The overall layout wasn't as well worked, thought the plot is exceedingly complicated: Six years after THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE, Sally has established herself as a financial consultant. Her friendship with Frederick Garland has blossomed into something more, though Sally refuses to acknowledge it, arousing conflict between them. However, a new case soon brings them together again ... one of Sally's clients loses a great amount of money, which she had invested in a shipping firm that collapsed. As Sally investigates this, she finds it to be all part of a bigger scheme; Fred meets a magician who is in danger because he has seen a murder. Soon, they find that these two apparently irrelevant cases are interlinked in an intense enigma.

This book is a must-read for Sally Lockhart fans, even though it lacks the fascination found in the other two, it's a good transition from the first book to the third. Enjoy!

Wow was this book good. The shadow in the North is a thrilling mystery novel about two cases and the link between them. In this story Sally has matured into a woman and owns her own buisness as a financial consultant. When a lady comes to her after losing 3 thousand pounds Sally is shocked. The stock she told her to invest in was very safe and profitable. Meanwhile Fredric and Jim get involved in another case. After Jim saves the life of a Scottish medium he realizes that there is more to his story than fake physic visions. But when these two seemingly different cases intertwine with one another the three charecters may discovered that they're involved in something much more complicated than they expected.

In my opinion this book had the certain something that the first one lacked (not that that book was bad or anything). It's fast paced and exciting. I nearly creid when you-know-what happened! If your a fan of the Sally Lockheart Trilogy I reccomend you read this. I'll be sure to read the last one.

The discriptive language pulls you into the book, into the Paris Opera House, into the backstage shadows. It forces images upon you of the churchyard, of the spectacular opera performances, of the cellars, of Christine and of the Phantom... Never a dull moment. Suspenceful nights in box 5 and throughout the opera house. Read this and just try not to fall madly in love with the Angel of Music and his dark allure.
Get the cover of the blue staircase without the illustrations. The illustrations aren't as good as you own imagination.

I fell in love with the musical The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Weber) Years ago and it wasn't until recently that I really wanted to know more about this story of a love striken masked man and the beatiful Christine who won his heart. Well written, fast moving plot, great storyline, it seems Gaston Leroux was planning that this book become a movie! I got the book a couple days ago and succcessfully finished reading it within the course of two days! It's that GOOD! It has many loveable characters, but the character of Erik (phantom) is very complex! Sometimes you love him, sometimes you hate him, and other times, you pity him! The ending is terribly sad and you crave more, but it also makes you wonder...was the Opera ghost real?

Great book and I strongly suggest you read it!

The discriptive language pulls you into the book, into the Paris Opera House, into the backstage shadows. It forces images upon you of the churchyard, of the spectacular opera performances, of the cellars, of Christine and of the Phantom... Never a dull moment. Suspenceful nights in box 5 and throughout the opera house. Read this and just try not to fall madly in love with the Angel of Music and his dark allure.

This hilarious book tells the outrageous adventures of a cast of characters to remember forever. It's a joyous, humane, and faithful portrait of the British society. It is full of acuteness, irony, tenderness and sarcasm about the human condition. As in all of his books, Dickens reflects his experiences (prison for debts, etc.) in this book which tells the love affairs, countless drunken nights and fights in which the Pickwickians get. Apparently a book whose only purpose is to entertain, it is, like all intelligent humor, a bitter but optimist critique of the human being. The cast of characters is wonderful, and you will be just delighted you picked up this volume.

"The Pickwick Papers" was the first fictional book by Dickens, and it shows how capable of good humor he was. The title's character is a restless good-spirited man, a Don Quixote with a British touch, whose adventures are less noble and a lot more messy that those of the Don. The story of his friendship with the rest of the crew is hilarious and moving at the same time. Come read the story of this excentric lot, as they drink their way in and out of trouble.

Pickwick Papers is a wonderful book, and no doubt much has been written about it in academic and literary circles. But from a layman's perspective, it is simply a fun read. One would almost think it the work of a great master approaching the end of a career, consciously deciding to lay down the heartache of Great Expectations or the martyrdom of A Tale of Two Cities to take a jovial and whimsical jaunt through the English language and the realm of imagination. Yet the bumbling and somehow delightful misadventures of the Pickwickians fall at the beginning of Dickens' career. Comic relief is offered well before Hard Times sets in.

Take an independently wealthy, magnanimous old fellow and surround him with a group of close friends. Send them together on a journey of desire to explore the world about them, meet new people, and experience the fullness of life, and you essentially have the plot of Pickwick Papers. The plethora of characters Dickens introduces along the way add considerable color to the narrative, not only because they come from such a vast array of backgrounds, but because they themselves are colorful in their own right:

The first and most obvious example might be that of Mr. Alfred Jingle, the loquacious vagabond rapscallion who rescues the Pickwickians from an altercation with a feisty coach driver. One of Mr. Pickwicks cohorts, Mr. Snodgrass, receives a blow to the eye during the incident, after which Mr. Jingle is pleased to suggest the most efficacious remedies: "Glasses round-brandy and water, hot and strong, and sweet, and plenty-eye damaged, sir? Waiter! Raw beef-steak for the gentleman's eye-nothing like raw beef-steak for a bruise, sir; cold lamp-post very good, but lamp-post inconvenient-damned odd, standing in the open street half an hour with your eye against a lamp-post-eh-very good-ha! ha!" While Pickwick reads the legend of Prince Bladud by candlelight, we find this description of King Hudibras: "A great many centuries since, there flourished, in great state, the famous and renowned Lud Hudibras, king of Britain. He was a mighty monarch. The earth shook when he walked-he was so very stout. His people basked in the light of his countenance-it was so red and glowing. He was, indeed, every inch a king. And there were a good many inches of him too, for although he was not very tall, he was a remarkable size round, and the inches that he wanted in height he made up in circumference." The young surgeon, Benjamin Allen, is described as "a coarse, stout, thick-set young man, with black hair cut rather short and a white face cut rather long [...] He presented altogether, rather a mildewy appearance, and emitted a fragrant odour of full-flavoured Cubas." Dickens notes that the casual visitor to the Insolvent Court "might suppose this place to be a temple dedicated to the Genius of Seediness" and whose vapors are "like those of a fungus pit." Seated in this luxuriant ambience, we find an attorney, Mr. Solomon Pell, who "was a fat, flabby pale man, in a surtout which looked green one minute and brown the next, with a velvet collar of the same chameleon tints. His forehead was narrow, his face wide, his head large, and his nose all on one side, as if Nature, indignant with the propensities she observed in him in his birth, had given it an angry tweak which it had never recovered." A final sample from a list of worthy characters too long to mention might be Mr. Smangle, the boisterous whiskered man whom Pickwick encounters in debtors prison: "This last man was an admirable specimen of a class of gentry which never can be seen in full perfection but in such places; they may be met with, in an imperfect state, occasionally about the stable-yards and public-houses; but they never attain their full bloom except in these hot-beds, which would almost seem to be considerately provided by the legislature for the sole purpose of rearing them [...] There was a rakish vagabond smartness and a kind of boastful rascality about the whole man that was worth a mine of gold."

The book itself is a goldmine full of textures, personas, venues, and idiosyncrasies of a bygone age. These are delight to behold, as the reader is thus invited to enjoy experience and descriptive beauty for their own sakes. Plot largely takes a backseat to the development of relationships, which can be seen as a myriad of subplots contributing to a never-ending story. Numerous vignettes which are incidental to the narrative add another level of richness, and it seems clear that Dickens offers them for an enjoyment all their own. There is something of "l'art pour l'art" throughout the whole work which expresses a love of language and a love of human nature. As Dickens might have summed it up, "All this was very snug and pleasant."

I don't think I've ever read a novel half as entertaining as The Pickwick Papers. I agree with the reviewer who said that it was as if Dickens had a million jokes that he wanted to get off of his chest. And such wonderful characters! The last part of the book though is more about Mr. Pickwick himself than about the club. He also becomes less of a doofus and more of a lovealbe and sympathetic character as the novel progresses. If you are ever down and feeling depressed then this is the book to read.Sam Weller is one of Dickens greatest characters, the book really comes into its own when he becomes Mr.Pickwicks servent.

This epic were required reading in the humanities course I took at U.C.L.A. in the mid-1960s. And, I've reread it a number of times since then. The prose translation I read was by Rieu (if you are interested in the verse translation, see the volume provided by Robert Fagles). "The Odyssey" is the epic poem of the wanderings of Odysseus trying to return to his home in Ithaca following the end of the siege of Troy. There are three basic threads in this epic: Telemachus' search for his father, Odysseus (Books II-IV); the wanderings of Odysseus (Books I and V-XIII); and, Penelope's struggles with her suitors (Books XIV-XXIV). All of these come together in the conclusion. "The Odyssey" begins in the middle of the tale (in medias res) when Odysseus request to leave Calypso on the island of Ogygia. Much of his wanderings are told as recaptulations of earlier events. Telemachus sets out from Ithaca to find his father; but he searches in vain at Pylos and Sparta. Odysseus has many adventures in his travels: battle with the warlike Cicones; an encounter with the Lotus-Eaters; the famous fight with the cyclops Polyphemus; a near shipwreak following the release of winds from a bag; a visit with the enchantress Circe who turns Odysseus' men into swine; talks with the spirits of the dead; escape from the Sirens; eluding Scylla and Charybdis, two sea-monsters lying between Italy and Sicily; the killing of the sacred oxen of the Sun; seven years with Calypso; another shipwreak; rescue by King Alcinous; and the final arrival on Ithaca. This is one of the great classics of literature and evry college student should be required to read it. I've always felt that until recently when I discovered that, at a local Middle School, it was required reading for eighth graders! Now, I think that all High School graduates should have read it.

This epic tale proves that the best stories and the most perilous adventures know no time period. "The Odyssey" is as compelling today as it was when it was written. Many of the adventures from Odysseus' journey have become stories all their own (the Cyclops, the Sirens, etc.) Fitzgerald's translation of this poem is masterful. He makes it easy to read but takes none of the magic away from Homer's spellbinding words. Children today who love action and adventure in books and in the movies should not overlook this classic simply because of its length and age. By any standard, this is quite possibly the greatest adventure story ever told.

I'm 14, live in England and I'm studying the Odyssey for my GCSE in Classical Civilisation, and its a fantastic book. It's amazing to think that this whole story was once MEMORISED by Homer, and because it was so wonderful it was finally written down and has survived for years and years! The Odyssey is a great story because: although it's a mythical tale, Homer tells it with such reality and vivid description that you almost believe it's real, it's filled with excitement, twists and turns, with Odysseus always just about managing to escape from trouble! The intriging mythical creatures are fascinating, full of character and personality - i particularly like Polyphemus the Cyclops and also Athena, the wise goddess. that's another cool thing about the Odyssey - all of the ancient Greek names!! Although the Odyssey is a challenging book to read, due to the complicated people and place names, the long family histories and references to Greek mythology, and the repetitive narration, I would recommend it to anyone. Whether or not you want to analyse it in detail (as I have to for my exam!) or just read it and it enjoy it, everyone should read the Odyssey at least once! I find that each time I read it, I pick up something new, and it gets easier to understand and quicker to read. Just give it a try, it is a classics book, and well worth the effort, although it is challenging. I'm sure that anyone who is interested in mythology, or just adventure stories in general, something in the Odyssey will appeal to you. So read it!!!

This is not a book you can just read, your really need to pay attention to what is going on and try to understand what is happening. I found this book hilarious. The concept behind this book, as far as I can see, is like the Schrodinger's Cat Theory - which is this: if you are to place a cat in a box / room / enclosed space and put an element in the same enclosed space that could kill the cat in an hour and leave it (for an hour), several universes branch from that point - one in which the cat lives, one in which the cat dies, and an infinite amount of others where other occurances happen (such as the cat escapes or grows wings and turns into a bird - these universes are just not probable). In the same sense, a lot of the characters from the orginal Illuminatus! Trilogy are in this book, but with different personalities - where one universe broke off to create the Illuminatus! Trilogy, another broke off where the characters are totally different and the world is affected by disasters and terrorist groups that aren't even mentioned in the original. I highly reccomend reading this, but as I said - you WILL be lost if you don't pay attention. Very stream of concious, many random occurances (to give you an idea - one of the characters is a midget named Markoff Chaney - for those of you who don't know, a Markov Chain is a randomly occuring set of events - the book is a veritable Markov chain, jumping from character to character on a whim), and a tendency to switch universes mid-paragraph. I would reccomend reading the Illuminatus! Trilogy first, but this should definitly be on your list.

Well, here we go again. This exasperating, drop-dead funny trilogy will either drive you crazy or confuse you mercilessly or possibly both (see below), but in any case, you were asking for it. Many of the characters--and some of the plot--of "Schrodinger's Cat" derive from "Illuminatus!", which should probably be read and well-digested before tackling the sequel.

Wilson was a prophet, making fun of blue-nosed anti-porn feminists long before it was cool, but also remained firmly entrenched in the times of his writing--Nixon and nuclear destruction don't pack quite the same punch in the days of Clinton and Y2K. Using his now rather shabby-seeming understanding of quantum mechanics, he wrote one book "under the influence" of the multiple-worlds model, one in which nonlocality is the ticket, and one which presumes that reality is created by observation (guess which!). It's all great fun, but ultimately not as satisfying as its predecessor.

This trilogy is structured to be the literary equivalent of quantum theory. For example, each part deals with a different potential universe, all similar to each other and our own, but with slight differences. So in one universe, for example, Carl Jung, vs. James Joyce, is the author of Ullyses (both being well versed in the same symbolism). Subplots begun in one universe are taken up in the next, like the influence of quarks. The main difference is that society in each subsequent universe is slightly more enlightened, therefore only the last Earth escapes total destruction at the hands of terrorists (or, like Schrodinger's cat, the Earth is alive, dead, or in a state of potential). Along the way, there are interesting lessons in Economics (noting, e.g., how we take money for granted as a part of society, but it isn't a necessary part of society, but just a construct), Sociology, etc. And it is filled with great, laugh out loud humour, sometimes Pythonesque. Without the help of the Illuminatus Trilogy's co-author, this book is far less literary, but it is filled with as many ideas in fewer pages. This is the best introduction to Wilson's work, fictional or non-fictional. Highly recommended.

As is the case with all Robert Anton Wilson books, this is a swift kick in the pants to your preconceived perceptions.

Which is its problem, because it makes it seem more important than it really is. If you already know how to think for yourself, you don't especially need this book. It's a really entertaining book, and it makes connections you probably haven't thought of, but it's goal is very simple.

Start thinking, stupid!

The exercises are rather fun and informative. I doubt many people will come to the same conclusions Wilson did, but who cares? I know Bob sure doesn't. "Think for yourself" and "Stop believing all your dumb ideas" are the main points he's trying to get across. Yes, those points are contradictory.

My only advice to somebody picking up this book is to ignore or change the first exercise. Look for pennies or nickels. Those you will find. Quarters are too valuable and useful for people to ignore, so they pick them up. Darn people and their fondness for clean clothing and video games!

This book has changed my life. It's one of the most influencial books that I've read. It sums up and explains the most profound thinkers, philosophies, and mind opening, soul freeing ideas in very simple and practical ways. It can lead you to many things if you explore what's offered. I believe it would change the world if everyone read it, and considered it seriously, and it's fun to read! Open your mind, read the book, do the work, and be free.

The best thing about this book is it's ability to prove itself right. I'm not just amazed at the book though: I'm also amazed at

1) how people can misread facts
2) how people can not bother to read what is written
3) how little people can learn from such a wise book

I've now read this book three times and would still admit to having fully grasped only half it's treasures. It is as many others have said, "a manual for the brain". It's the book I always wanted to write (or read). I'm not going to summarize it's content here though, because it will spoil it. That's about the highest praise I can think of giving a NON-Fiction book. I urge you to get it at the earliest oppertunity, then read it, slowly and carefully...
Thankyou Bob!

This first of the Sherlock Holmes stories, A Study in Scarlet introduces Watson and Holmes and narrates the beginning of their ongoing partnership. Holmes' genius and his theory of deductive reasoning, which he presents in an article ambitiously titled "The Book of Life," is proven effective when he solves the case of a murder whose links extend as far as the Mormons in Utah. Detective connoisseurs will enjoy Holmes' humorously arrogant references to the fictional detectives of Poe and Gaboriau, among the first authors in the genre and influential for the Holmes stories. Though Doyle pitches some of the morbidity and philosophical profundity in his inheritance from authors like Poe, the reader who enjoys a good story - detective or not - will be pleased to find surprises, intrigue, and a little art jargon in the unraveling of the scarlet thread that runs through life and underlies the mysteries of the human mind.

A Study in Scarlet is a good detective story, but certainly not Doyle's greatest. But it bears the distinction of being the novel which introduced the world to the legendary Sherlock Holmes. First appearing in 1887, it was not to be the greatest story about Sherlock Holmes, but it was the first. Doyle first introduces us to John H. Watson, a medical doctor recovering from duty in Afghanistan. Watson needs a room-mate, and a mutual acquaintance introduces both him and us to Holmes. So we come to know both Holmes, Watson, and the memorable 221B Baker Street.

Watson's first impressions of Holmes are merely that he is a man enshrouded in mystery and eccentricity, and Watson politely restrains his curiosity by avoiding asking too many intrusive questions, despite the parade of strange individuals that come to their apartment to consult Holmes, and despite his bemusement at Holmes' passion for playing the violin and his egotism. Watson's perplexation at Holmes' character and profession is slowly unravelled in the second chapter which Doyle appropriately titles 'The Science of Deduction'. Watson observes that 'his zeal for certain studies was remarkable, and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations have fairly astounded me 'His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing ' That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to me to be such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.'(p11). Holmes apparently is brilliant at identifying a stain on your trousers, but completely ignorant about the most elementary contemporary political events.

Ironically, Watson's inability to deduce Holmes' profession proves that he lacks the very ability that he is seeking to uncover in Holmes: deduction. For Holmes doesn't just excel in specialized knowledge, but especially in the science of deduction and logic. By utilizing the skills of observation and analysis Holmes asserts that logic could solve all virtually all problems. In his words: 'From a drop of water, a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the inquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish the history of the man, and the trade or profession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation, and teaches on where to look and what to look for. By a mans' finger-nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boots, by his trouser-knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirtcuffs ' by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent inquirer in any case is almost inconceivable.' (p14-15). Watson calls this science of deduction 'ineffable twaddle', but as we know, this is the vintage Holmes we love and the very core of his being. Not only does he prove it to Watson by remarkably deducing that Watson had served duty in Afghanistan, but by collaring the criminal in a murder case.

The story itself consists in two parts: the first part introduces us to Holmes and Watson, and describes the murder of Enoch Drebber and his secretary Joseph Stangerson, and several failed attempts of Scotland Yard detectives to solve it, concluding with Holmes unmasking the real perpetrator, to the complete astonishment of all present. The second part is a flashback, explaining the background and motives for the murder, as finally Holmes relates the observations and deductions that led him to solving it. In short, 'the crime was the result of an old-standing and romantic feud, in which love and Mormonism bore a part.' (p103)

But what is fascinating about 'A Study in Scarlet' is not so much the mystery, but the man: Holmes himself. Doyle would later learn to eliminate some of the excess baggage present in this story (such as the extended flashback) and focus on Holmes and his deductions. The characterization of Holmes as an eccentric man driven by logic is wonderfully created for the first time in this novel. Already here is the foundation of the Sherlock Holmes that would become so successful in all of Doyle's later stories. A few quotes illustrate how the tone of the deductive Holmes is set: 'In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backward. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people do not practise it much.' (p99-100) 'There is no branch of detective science which is so important and so much neglected as the art of tracing footsteps.' (p100) 'You see, the whole thing is a chain of logical sequences without a break or flaw.' (p102)

Here the successful formula is already established: Scotland Yard is baffled, so is his foil the bumbling doctor Watson, and so are we the readers. Holmes has long solved the mystery before we have even begun identifying red herrings, and it is when he sits by the fire and explains to Watson the process of deduction that we curl up in delight. The partnership between the super-sleuth Holmes and his beloved side-kick Watson all starts here, and if you love Sherlock Holmes, you won't want to miss it!

This is where it all began, the very first Sherlock Holmes story. If you want to read all 60 Holmes adventures in chronological order (as you should) then by all means make this the first Holmes book that you ever read. They are all literary masterpieces, and this was the first one! Out of the 4 Holmes novels, I would rank this third, behind the Valley of Fear and the Hound of the Baskervilles. I will spare you the plot details, you can do that elsewhere. Just get and read this book and it will start you on a fascinating and extremely entertaining journey through Conan Doyle's world of Sherlock Holmes, one of the most widely recognized, and best, figures in all of literature.

In addition to its literary importance, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are an enchanting reading experience. The Bantam Classic edition presents the tales in Modern English translation alongside the Middle English so that one can fully appreciate the tales as Chaucer composed them, or if you're just in the mood for a fun romp you can speedily read the translation. The tales themselves move at a quick pace, so beginners will probably enjoy the modern version much more.

The Canterbury Tales revolve around a group of 29 on a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral to pay homage to the martyred St. Thomas a'Becket. The members of the pilgrimage come from all walks of life, including a Knight, Prioress, Merchant, Miller, the ever-entertaining Wife of Bath, and many others. The Canterbury Tales are the pilgrims' stories and each one reflects the individual character's personality beautifully. One can't help but feel a part of this lively group.

Whether you like a bawdy, raucous tale or a morally sound fable you will definitely find something entertaining in this book. I laughed out loud several times and found Chaucer's use of symbolism, wit, wisdom, and the glimpse into 14th Century life absolutely fascinating.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the first great works of literature in the English language and are good reading for a number of reasons. They are written in "old English", however, and read like a foreign language for most of us. Barbara Cohen's adapted translation gives us four of the tales in contemporary English and therefore provides an excellent introduction to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Cohen's tales retain Chaucer's colorful insight into fourteenth century England including life as a knight, the horror of the plague, and the religous hypocrisy of the age. The illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman are vivid and tell a story all by themselves. I use Cohen's book as a supplement to teaching medieval history and literature to 7th and 8th graders.

The version of this classic I read was a translation into modern English by Nevill Coghill. As you can see above, I awarded Chaucer (and the translation) five stars; but I do have a criticism. This translation (and many other publications of Chaucer) do not contain the two prose tales ("The Tale of Melibee" and "The Parson's Tale"). These are rarely read and I understand the publisher's and the translator's desire to keep the book to a managable size. Still, that should be the readers decision and no one else's. I had to go to the University library and get a complete copy in order to read those sections. As I mentioned, this copy is a translation into modern English. However, I do recommend that readers take a look at the Middle English version, at least of the Prologue. Many years ago, when I was in high school, my teacher had the entire class memorize the first part of the Prologue in the original Middle English. Almost forty years later, I still know it. I am always stunned at how beautiful, fluid, and melodic the poetry is, even if you don't understand the words. Twenty-nine pilgrims meet in the Tabard Inn in Southwark on their way to Canterbury. The host suggests that the pilgrims tell four stories each in order to shorten the trip (the work is incomplete in that only twenty-four stories are told). The tales are linked by narrative exchanges and each tale is presented in the manner and style of the character providing the story. This book was a major influence on literature. In fact, the development of the "short story" format owes much to these tales. All of the elements needed in a successful short story are present: flow of diction and freedom from artifice, faultless technical details and lightness of touch, and a graphic style which propels the story. In poetry, Chaucer introduced into English what will become known as rime royal (seven-line stanza riming ababbcc), the eight-line stanza (riming ababbcbc), and the heroic couplet. His poetry is noted for being melodious and fluid and has influenced a great many later poets. He has a remarkable talent for imagery and description. With respect to humor, which often receives the most negative responses from a certain group of readers (as witnessed by some of the comments below), there are at least three types: good humor which produces a laugh and is unexpected and unpredictable (for example, the description of the Prioress in the Prologue), satire (for example, the Wife of Bath's confession in the Prologue to her tale), and course humor, which is always meant to keep with the salty character of the teller of the tale or with the gross character of the tale itself. I am really stunned at the comments of the reviewer from London (of June 21, 1999). He/she clearly has no idea of the influence of the work nor on the reasons why Chaucer chose to present the humor the way he has. T. Keene of May 17 gave the work only three stars, presumably because it was once banned in Lake City, Florida. (Does that mean it would get fewer stars if it hadn't been banned?) Perhaps our London reviewer will be more comfortable moving to Lake City! Another reviewer suggested that "The Canterbury Tales" was only a classic because it had been around a long time. No! Chaucer's own contemporaries (for example, Gower, Lydgate, and Hoccleve) acknowledged his genius. My goodness, even science fiction books acknowledge the Tales (for example, Dan Simmons' "Hyperion," which won the 1990 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year, is based on the Tales). These brief entries are too short to review all of the tales. Let me just descibe the first two. Other readers might consider reviewing the other tales in later responses. In "The Knight's Tale," the Theban cousins Palamon and Arcite, while prisoners of the King of Athens (Theseus), fall in love with Emelyn, sister of Hippolyta and sister-in-law to Theseus. Their rivalry for Emelyn destroys their friendship. They compete for her in a tournament with different Greek gods supporting the two combatants. Arcite, supported by Mars, wins but soon dies from a fall from his horse (due to the intervention of Venus and Saturn). Both Palamon and Emelyn mourn Arcite, after which they are united. It is the basis of "The Two Noble Kinsmen" by Fletcher and Shakespeare. "The Miller's Tale" is a ribald tale about a husband, the carpenter John, who is deceived by the scholar Nicholas and the carpenter's wife Alison that a second flood is due. In this tale, a prospective lover is deceived into kissing a lady in an unusual location. And, recalling the response from our reviewer from London, apparently this Tale should not be read by people from London (or Lake City)!

Before I read this book I thought I was simply an agnostic with a strange sense of humor. Now I see the Truth, that all along when I saw all that was wrong with organized religion, and that any god of this universe must be a superb joker- it was Our Lady of Holy Discord speaking to me through my pineal gland! I just didn't know how to listen. Fortunately, a (now ex-) roommate introduced me to this wonderful tome of clear thought, and I saw the muddy existence we live through with new eyes. Buy this book. Read this book. Open your eyes to the Truth. then open them to the other Truth. Then, try the one after that, and after that one, try the one over there- and while you're at it, look over in the corner underneath it- hey, there's another!

Plus, it was simply heinous that the number of reviews stopped at 22. There simply HAD to be a 23rd- so I wrote this!

I always was Discordian, and simply didn't know what to call myself. Suffice to say, I now do. Hail Eris! All Hail Discordia! fnord.

I bought the book, whereupon my pineal gland led me to the local supermarket, where I bought a couple of cabbages and conferred with them until they taught me all their secrets. Evil littler [things], I know, but it had to be done.

Seriously now, the book is great, I was already discordian before I read this. Insanity. Religious types who can't handle the fact that not everybody believes in their God, and that everything else is NOT evil, will really not enjoy this book. Good for atheists and open-minded religious types, and silly people all over the world. Always read while holding an apple in your left hand if you're right handed, left hand if you're left handed, and proceed to speak the text loudly and clearly in a Shakespearian tone. Wash down the book with a glass of squeezed hot dog bun for maximum enjoyment.

I was sent a copy of this twisted beauty by a penpal, who accompanied it with the note 'I think you'll like this'. It has gone on to become the most borrowed book (and thusly the most creased) in my sizable collection and various phrases from within have crept into daily usage. Very funny, very clever, very Robert Anton Wilson and only-just-less-than very hallucinogenic, I love this book. A quick qualifier - I have a strong degree of revulsion towards the most organised of the religions, and this takes the (...) most admirably. The conversion 'what to say to convert a passer-by to Discordianism' is beautifully observed. There is a lot of insight behind the overt silliness, but you needn't bother with looking for insight if you're not inclined. That's kind of the point, anyway...and it isn't. The lighter side of Chaos magick, for those familiar. As I said earlier, I've lent this book to many people (around 40, I think...gods), only one of whom didn't enjoy it. Hail Eris! Consult your pineal. Fnord.

First, let me say that this book is thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking, multi-layered, and completely worthy of all the praise that it's been given. Why am I giving "Cosmic Trigger" only 4 stars? Because not everybody will be ready for it. And even those who are will need to read it more than once for the full effect. Like James Joyce, who RAW seems extremely fond of quoting and whose "Ulysses" I suspect he seeks to emulate, Wilson has written a book that you just can't take in all at once.

One of the deeper "surface" lessons, the one Wilson shouts the loudest and at the same time refuses to do any more than tease you with, is that you have to decide for yourself what to believe -- but that deciding to believe anything limits what you will be able to observe in the world around you. This is heavy stuff, and ground-breaking to the average reader. As such, I've walked away from reading sessions alternately convinced that:

* Wilson is completely serious about all and sundry, straining to persuade you to approach the world with a more open mind; and

* Wilson is shoveling good-sounding but meaningless drivel on his readers for the sole purpose of a good belly laugh.

But even in this he's got a multi-layered agenda. Interpreting the book in line with one of the theories above -- as an earlier reviewer has done, with the former -- goes completely against the point of the book. WILSON IS NOT TRYING TO MAKE YOU BELIEVE. He presents no evidence nor standards of evidence (which the earlier reviewer did correctly note), EXACTLY BECAUSE his entire "surface" thesis is that one must constantly question THEIR OWN beliefs, within their own frameworks and based on their own observations (which the earlier reviewer seems to have missed).

Wilson's like that. Labyrinthine but consistent. Except he isn't, really. He ... Oh, just read the book.

In conclusion, this is a work that has earned a place on my bookshelf ... although I might have to wait a while to re-read it. "Cosmic Trigger" is a great foil to dogma of all stripes, but going through it too many times in succession makes it a piece of dogma itself, and the message gets lost.

This is really the only book you need to buy by Robert A. Wilson; his fiction is pretty awful (cardboard characters and self-referential plots drowning in footnotes); and all his other nonfiction works are the same repetitive rambling about the strange soup he makes of his favorites: Leary's levels of consciousness, general semantics, James Joyce, western philosophy (all of which he well understands), mysticism (which he does not) and Wilson's own mediocre interpretation of the philosophical implications of the quantum theory (he's an old-school copenhagenist). Cosmic Trigger has all that but much more; autobiography lends it a lovely basic narrative structure that is far more affecting than any of his silly novels, it has the phantasmagoric black-comic mood he fails to quite pull off in fiction, and of course is written in his usual direct, smooth, readable, and frequently hilarious prose style. If only he weren't from the foul "take more dope" hedonistic-materialistic school of consciousness and hadn't therefore been eating acid like candy when he wrote this, we might even be able to relate some of these events from his internal universe of perception to the external universe we share.

This was my first introduction to the writings of Robert Anton Wilson, at a time in my life when the limited, inconsistant, and ludicrous models of reality offered by the world seemed too limiting to bear. What Wilson offers here appears (in my reality tunnel) to be a look into the largely misunderstood philosophy of agnosticism, as well as his own experiences with love, sex, drugs, yoga, magik, life, death, and governmental corruption.

Does this review capture Wilson, or Cosmic Trigger I in its entirety? Of course not, and Wilson is fully aware that his writings and non-beliefs defy any catagorization (his books are very hard to find in retail stores). All I can offer is my uninformed opinion that there is no wiser, more humorous, and generally more interesting than Robert Anton Wilson.