I have to tell you, I don't get Gardner. To start with, he writes this book mainly as a gag to rile folks up. And some buy his confidence game, forgetting, as they do, that one of Gardner's favorite novelists was Melville. Because, if you're paying attention, he then goes on to write one postmodern novel after another. Grendel. October Light. The King's Indian. Mickelsson's Ghosts. Each more metafictional than the last. So what if his name's not Barth, or Barthelme, or Barthes, it might have been Barthgardner, for all the Barthing going on. He's as postmodern as they come. Don't let him fool you. Pynchon is his only rival as a writer of apocalyptic fantasy.

You might put it this way. And this is the nice way to put it. Gardner's theories and his practice don't match. Of course the gulf between them isn't the same as the one between Wordsworth's ideas and their reality. His injunction to write in the language truly spoken by men runs counter to the bookish and allusive poetry. But where Wordsworth was harmlessly mouthing Coleridge's Kant-addled dream dictums, what Gardner is doing seems much more deliberate and foul. Or funny, depending on the way you look at it. I mean, the fact that people actually FELL for this ruse is astonishing.

I first read this book in the 1970's when it was new. I've owned a copy ever since, and I've given so many away as gifts that I've lost count.

It is easily my favorite book. From the moment I first read it, until today; I open its pages and feel as if I'm having a literary conversation with an old friend.

The "moral" in the title puts off some folks, but don't be deterred. Gardner uses the term "moral" as you or I would use the word "truth." All Gardner is imploring is that authors seek the truth when writing fiction and avoid cheap tricks and cheap effects. That is all.

Yes, Gardner did feel that writing comes with a responsibility. He also felt it was nothing less than a privilege, and thus comes the responsibility that goes with privilege.

Buy it, enjoy it. If you share Gardner's view (as illustrated in the paragraph above, I promise you -- you will cherish this volume).

Gardner's work certainly won't appeal to postmodernists or other avant-garde scribblers who believe form takes precedence over content. His thesis is simple: all art purports to better the world, not hinder it; all art essentially believes in a form of goodness, truth, beauty, whatever you want to call it, in the sense that it affirms that there is an inherent value in life and no value in "valuelessness." He comes down strongly on writers who write like "writers," and where style becomes more important than the timeless art of storytelling. All this probably won't be very compelling to many of the readers who cling to the works of 60s writers like Pynchon, Gass, Coover, et al., who write thinly disguised treatises, not novels, and who people their books not with characters but mannequins. There is something old fashioned about Gardner's point of view, which won't win him many hipster fans, but his argument, this reader feels, stands up even stronger in today's climate where the main literary trends seem to consist of endless irony, facile references to pop culture and television. Furthermore, his book is lucid, trenchant, passionate, engaging, and of course, confrontational.

If you enjoyed Dr. No or Goldfinger, you will probably enjoy this novel. Bond versus meglomaniacs is a given in this series. Although not as memorable as some of the other Bond novels, Scorpius is classic Bond fare.

John Gardner turns in a solid Bond thriller that manages to be a little different than usual but still solid. This time, he goes up against the head of a fanatical cult bent on destroying England's political system. The book works well because the threat feels very real and imminent throughout the book. Bond does a little more detecting than usual, and despite what could be done with the premise, Gardner reigns it in and keeps it mostly down to earth. Not one to start with, but another underrated Gardner entry.

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Back in the late 1950's, author Ian Fleming created a unique character, one that would have all the style and charisma to live on through different storytellers. This character, James Bond, is most known for being the quintessential 'spy' or 'secret agent', and even considering the character's dangerous occupation and sometimes-questionable lifestyle, has become a sort of fictional role model for many people. But even though Mr. Bond originated from the world of literature, in a way, he is most known for his flamboyant and action-packed films, which are both light on the intellectual stimuli, and heavy on the one-liners.

Throughout the years, though, Bond's adventures have not only been continued on the silver screen. His outings also lived on through the literature world, being passed on to new authors, who each portray Bond in various ways, while still retaining all the charm and sophistication of Mr. Fleming's original Bond. But, as is usually commonplace, the novel adaptations of Mr. Bond's exploits have been much more detailed and thorough in describing the art of a covert spy, than just showing off by killing as many people and sleeping with as many women as possible like many of the films, particularly the most recent ones, have been doing. This is not to say that the films are essentially no-brainers, it's just that imagining what is happening in a particular scene through very descriptive and detailed words, is much more enjoyable than seeing it being played out in front of you on a screen.

This particular author, James Gardner, has written over eleven books based on the character in the last two decades, and by past examples of previous authors, he would have had a lot to live up to when he wrote his first bond novel. His seventh, Scorpius, is very true to both the novel-style Bond and the movie-style Bond. Landing somewhere in between, Gardner's Scorpius has all the detail and description of the books set out against the interesting plot and outrageous scenarios and villains of the films. It's an interesting mixture, and combined with his articulate use of words, makes for an enjoyable experience.

The story sees Bond start off partway through an intense training weekend at a British army base and receiving orders from his chief 'M' to return to the headquarters of MI6, a British intelligence outfit. The pace of the story is greatly increased when he learns he is being followed on his journey back. Gardner's use of this method to heighten the suspense and pace of the story is accomplished very well, and makes the reader want to keep reading on. Bond is then thrown into a mission to investigate a religious cult called the Meek Ones, founded by a mysterious man called Father Valentine. The Meek Ones are also believed to be behind a multitude of terrorist bombings on numerous British politicians. Further down the track, in typical Bond style, Father Valentine turns out to be none other than exiled arms dealer Vladimir Scorpius. This, although told very early in the text, is quite an interesting story device that Gardner uses, as Bond has to pretend he doesn't know Valentine's real identity, adding another layer of suspense to an already twist-ridden storyline.

Gardner's use of words goes even beyond being able to capture the attention of his readers. It is easy to see through the author's enthusiastic representation of the character of Bond, that he enjoyed writing this novel as much as if he was reading it. This is even portrayed through his attention to detail when it comes to how Bond does his job, showing a true appreciation for the art of espionage. Maybe this can be attributed to the fact that Gardner, before becoming a writer, was actually a Royal Marine and a stage magician, and this somehow influenced his storytelling ability, as his descriptive nature highlights not only the honour, but also the trickery that is required to survive in the covert spy world.

The character of Scorpius is very well portrayed, but somewhat flawed. On one side of the scales, we see an extremely intimidating character with "eyes of pure evil", and is described as "the Devil personified", and on the other, it is hard to take Scorpius seriously, as he seems quite comical in the sense that he sounds too unreal, and too unbelievable. In my opinion, this is the only blemish on an otherwise clean sheet. But this aside, Scorpius is your typical Bond villain (minus the physical characteristics), and he is actually quite convincing if he is believed to be the psychotic madman Gardner, through Bond, describes him to be.

Even without the exotic locations of usual Bond adventures, Gardner's Scorpius is a fantastic insight into the fictional world of James Bond and his work with MI6. Easily comparable to the films and even Ian Flemming's original tales, Scorpius' tale of fanatical cults, terrorist bombings and the world of espionage is filled with enough plot-twists and suspenseful action to keep you interested from the moment you first open the book.

I've been very happy with other Footprint Handbooks, particularly the Pakistan Handbook, but this one falls short of the mark. Maybe it is because this is only the 2nd edition and there has been too little feedback from users. The background info is very well done (that part is worth 4.5 stars) regarding history and religion, but the description of sights is only mediocre. I thought Lonely Planet described things better, and the Moon Handbook was the best of the three. I could have done without bringing this guidebook.

I have never read a travel guide book like this. It gives you the overall and detailed picture on Cambodia. Besides history, politics, peoples, places of interests and the information any travel offers, the authors, gives abundant knowledge related to Cambodia, like Buddha's footprint, Pol Pot's life, ruby and saphire... The Ankor area map is the most detailed i have ever seen. Without deep affection to Cambodia, it is impossible to write such an detailed travel guide book.

In this book, James Bond (a characterless excess of dullness)is hunted down across the world for sport. His housekeeper and Moneypenny are also kidnapped. He teams up with two women. The story is only saved by brief action sequences, such as a petrol-station scuffle and a climactic slaughter on a tropical island. Best of all is a highway gun battle, which is still too short. Okay.

This book is the final and 3rd book in the SPECTRE series. So, who cares it has SPECTRE in it, it's got to be good. It is GREAT! This book is another winner for John Gardner and an unstoppable read at that!

John Gardner was one of the country's most prolific writers: novels, scholarly medieval books & articles, opera libretti, poetry, plays, & children's books. He published more than 30 books before he died at 49 in 1982. Several of his novels made the best seller lists. Yet his greatest love was teaching, & even after he could have lived on book royalties, he continued to teach. Starting out as a medieval language & literature professor, he gradually shifted into creative writing. All along the way he gathered his plans & notes, later organizing them into notebooks for his writing students. His rants against modern lit & writers in ON MORAL FICTION berated fellow writers--whether they were friends or strangers--telling some of them that they were selling out. This made him plenty of enemies. However, THE ART OF JOHN GARDNER is a collection of some of the methods and exercises that he developed when he taught young writers how to write (California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Virginia, etc.).There is a generosity of spirit in this book that was missing in ON MORAL FICTION. Gardner was a dedicated teacher, and the concepts & ideas in this book will interest any student of writing and literature. His emphasis on rhythm and language has helped many young writers. Those who are working on form and analysis will find this book as compelling as it is original. These ideas and methods are intense and practical. Gardner's ideas have always been intriguing.

A brisk, but not too brief account of Washington and the times surrounding him. Alden touches on most every event and aspect concerning the subject: from Shay's Rebellion to Martha's disposition, from the Hamilton-Jefferson Feud to his agricultural experiments. It is objective without trying to debunk a great man. Only the cursory discussion on slavery does the junvenile yankee condescention surface (Whose ships were involved in the slave trade even after the Virginians pushed through its ban via the Constitution? Yankees ie the Great Hypocrites of All Time.) It is, however, a thorough and interesting biography and highly recommended.

I read this book several years ago and found it very memorable, Set after the Soviet Invasion of Britain, A spy is sent on a mission to activate deep cover agents placed there for just such an occurrence, lots of action, I enjoyed it a great deal,

I wondered what John Gardner was thinking when he decided to take on a project like this. The celebrated and confirmed novelist produces a sweeping epic poem about Jason, (of Jason and the argonauts) his voyages and tragic relationship with Medeia. Though after reading I felt that it was a logical progression for Gardner come out with this. All of the deep philosophical musings that you expect from him are there, great characterizations, and really most of his prose is very poetic; some of the poetry in this work slips into and out of prose. Absolutely engaging material and often overlooked. A great read for the serious reader.

If there were a mathematics of watching paint dry, Martin Gardner would make it interesting. Without peer as a popularizer of mathematics, he is equally adept at explaining all areas. This book, another updated collection of his Scientific American columns, is a twenty member set of polished pearls. Although somewhat mundane as a descriptive adjective, the word readable fits his writing like a custom made body stocking.
Always interesting and entertaining, reading his essays is somewhat like eating tiny chocolate bars. You can't get enough, each seems too small, and there are no negative side effects.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

This book is for anyone who loves dogs or who wishes to know a little more about the time-honored tradition of field trials for dogs. Carroll Seabrook has written a chronicle of the training of "Miss Dot," a U.S. and Canadian field trial champion. This wonderful animal endures other trials on her way to becoming a champion including theft, an airplane crash, and loss of her sense of smell for several years. This story will thrill children, dog lovers of all ages and sportsmen