This second Gavin Pierce novel is as intense,suspenseful and full of action as the frist,( Driven ,by W.G.Griffiths). From the frist page to the last it held me spellbound. One problem I hated for it to end,I wanted more. I hope to be seeing more from this author in the near furure.

Two years ago, Gavin Pierce wrestled with a homicidal maniac and won, putting a killer away for life; the catch is, the killer was a demon, and the prison was a tortoise. Krogan, the demon, would be unable to harm anyone for as long as the reptile lived, and tortoises live a very, very long time.

At least they are supposed to. That does not prove to be the case with this one, and barely two years after being imprisoned, the demon is free, and more dangerous than ever. Now, he wants revenge on anyone who had anything to do with those tortured months trapped inside the beast. Gavin and his very pregnant wife are at the top of the list. Krogan chooses a wrestler as his host, and proceeds to begin his campaign of mayhem once again.

Gavin realizes what is happening, and has his fears confirmed upon learning that the prison that held Krogan is dead. Racing against time, he must call upon all the faith he and others possess to war against this prince of Hell and prevent Armegedon.

***** If you ever had the idea that Christian novels are bland and to borrow a good friend's term "wimpy", then think again. This novel proves that that concept is wrong. The characters are not goody goodies, but real, living, gritty people who struggle with faith and life. It serves as a sharp reminder that as Christians, our enemies are more than what and who we can see with frightening and thrilling text.

Hold on for a moment while I catch my breath. After Driven, the very thought of the tortoise dying and the monster demon, Krogan, getting free where he would set out for revenge was enough to give me nightmares for the last year. My favorite line in the book was the last one, "Gavin smiled." Maybe I can get a little rest now. Please. I'm looking forward to the next Griffiths book, but I don't know if my human heart can take another like the last two.

Once I picked up The Road To Forgiveness at our local bookstore, I couldn't put it down. Bill and Cindy Griffiths, having lost an eleven year old daughter and Cindy's mother in a car accident, through their faith, understanding and love were able to forgive and change the life of the American Native woman that was the cause of the crash, while driving under the influence of alchohol. They take the reader on an amazing journey, one that I will try with all my being, now and in the future to emulate. Certainly one of the great examples of true Christianity/Judiasm I have ever read. Bravo, my hat's off to them. It had to have taken an enormous amount of determination and courage to write such a heart rendering piece of literature.

This is the best book one can read to learn to forgive others, in order to have a healthy outlook onthe pitfalls which occur in everyones life.Through this book we can learn to love our enemies as Jesus taught us to do,in his word in the bible.This testimony shows how we can have courage and understanding.I salute Bill and Cindy for their faith in such adversity.If everyone could follow their example there'd be no wars.

The whole world needs to read this book - which will help promote understanding love and forgiveness. We heal our spirits and mend when we forgive others. Holding a grudge only makes us unhealthy. The Lord must be very much with Bill and Cindy. Jesus forgave those who crucified him and all humanity thereby besowing salvation to all who believe and forgive.

....you probably have to be in the quanta to get it.

Zippy is more or less an insane borderline type creation who digs yellow muu-muus with red-orange polka dots and has a penchant for empty calories like in Ding-Dongs and on the road icons like Big-Boy and the Doggie Head. He often spews forth some kinda jibberish that seems non-sequitur and contrary to Griffy's many rantings about America's loss of innocence, America's excesses, and America's pop trash.

These comic strips turn out to be the ultimate in a hip experience without doing something illegal. I have notice these wordless strips of Zip going thru some kinda mind trip and right a few days afterwards Griffy does the same--is Griffy becoming insane like Zippy? Or is everybody else raising to Zip's level of awareness? Who's to say?

But these observations of America are scathing--in fact, "The Simpsons" does the same type of satire, but, of course in its later years, it has lost something. Not so, "Zippy". Griffith pokes fun about selling out to Hollywood and franchising Pinhead muu-muus and cutie beanie baby dolls for mass consumption. He also 'one-ups' film makers like the Coens who does small town America well...he rants about bumperstickers and baseball caps worn backwards and pickup trucks with rifle racks and old men having meaningless discussions over coffee in diners and tee shirts covered with meaningless messages and ketchup.

They started out in the 60's Underground. I began to notice Zip/Griff in those stacks of my older brother's comics (my older bros and sis were bohemian types--not exactly hippies and not exactly leftists) where I also noticed a lot of R. Crumb, "Fat Freddy's Cat", etc, etc...Then in the 80's they started showing up in mainstream daily newpaper strips. I was, like, "Woah, man...the world's catchin' up with the counterculture." Nope. What happened is the counterculture became sophisticated and intelligent and began reaching to higher standards. The rest of America in the 80's had become better looking but dumber. Remember...?

And "Zippy" captured that. And it still does. Read for yourself and tell me that America has not been lampooned well by "Zippy"...and the all the other characters in their flights of fancy and crazy and sharp witted observations.

These last two years have been a high point in Bill Griffith's productivity, and it is good to be reminded of it. Rather than a chronological arangement, as was the case with the earlier Zippy Quarterlies, this is set out by "subject area;" Zippy and Griffy, Zippy by himself, diner conversations, etc. Another helpful feature is an annotation section, giving references to the subject matter of the strips.

Griffith is a lover of roadside icons such as the endangered Doggie Diner head, and refers to them often. For example, I had seen an "Octopus Car Wash" in Madison, WI, and was interested to note that he had seen one in Milwaukee. I'd be interested in knowing how many franchises are in this chain, as I can imagine these icons gradually disappearing.

Not every strip of the past two years has been included; for example, one of my favorites (from Jan. 14, 2000) in which the Doggie tells Zippy "We've lost the war," and sheds a single tear as he describes the humiliation of being put on exhibit in a museum, is missing. Nevertheless, many little treasures are to be seen, and I for one will be revisiting this volume over and over again.

The ZIPPY ANNUAL is another great compilation of weekday/Sunday Zippy strips from the papers that carry them. These strips are unlike anything else festering and gathering dust on the comic pages today (yes I mean BLONDIE and BEETLE and HAGAR, etc.). These are truly unique and, seriously, should be revered and cherished by people who demand more than simple punchlines.

This book was compiled at the dawn of the Promise Keepers movement. Therefore it's well known "Seven Promises" are still tweleve promises, having not yet coalesced into it's present form. Each chapter comprises one of the twelve promises, and is subdivided into three to seven small articles by writers such as Bill McCartney, Wellington Boone, Charles Stanley, and Jerry Jenkins to name just a few. The promises cover all aspects of a Christian man's life as deemed important by the Promise Keepers. They include your relationships with your wife, children, God, church, brothers in Christ, neighbors, and world to again name just a few. The format of short articles, some only one page, allows for easy reading as part of a morning devotional time. Even though the book is approching it's tenth anniversary, its teachings and the advice offered within are still very applicable to the man seeking Christlike character.

chapter 1 what are promises/ /chapter 2 the promises you make to God/ /chapter 3 the promises you make to yourself/ /chapter 4 the promises you make to your wife/ /chapter 5 the promises you make to your family/ /chapter 6 the promises you make to your parents/ /chapter 7 the promided you make to your friends/ /chapter 8 the promises you make to worship and fellowship/ /chapter 9 the promises you make to your work/ /chapter 10 the promises you make to your neighbors and community/ /chapter 11 the promises you make to those in need/ /chapter 12 the promises you make to the future/chapter 13 practicing learned hopefulness

An exceptional and comprehensive overview of the life of Pa Ubu himself! This book is very well researched and written (and illustrated!) with a sense of humor that Jarry would have appreciated. "Man With An Axe" is by far the best source of biographical info on Jarry in English. Jarry fanatics (especially those that cannot read French) should look no further.

ZIPPY is THE most original and greatest comic in mainstream press today. It's art is fantastic; the writing sublime (and sometimes just plain stupid--but in a good way). Bill Griffith CARES about his craft. This comic is not out to just be "topical" or just deliver a daily "gag" (too many strips deliver gags--and not the good kind). ZIPPY is a comic about the love of cartooning and writing and observation. Try it--you maynot get it at first but if you stay with it it gets you!

This book should be required reading for all students in the field of EMS. You will laugh, cry and respect the "people on the streets" like you never have before.

Probably one of the oddest books I've ever seen. Bill Griffith takes his sketchbook along as he travels to Ireland, Italy, Puerto Vallarta and Calistoga Springs, and records what he sees: tourist T-shirts, food, mountains, alcoholic drinks, antacids of the world -- anything that happens. Fantagraphic takes these sketches and reproduces them, page by page, and that's it. Zippy appears sometimes in the background, but this is more Griffy's travel diary, a bit of memoir. A writer named Colin McInroe writes an introductory essay about surrealism that is funny and informative, and explains why Griffy sees the world the way he does. I've read this book several times, and I'm sure I'll read it again. It makes me wish I had a sketchbook of my own, even though I draw a paycheck, I can't draw a line.

I started reading red meat in a weekly free newspaper from New Orleans called the gambit. Every week, I knew that there was going to be one side-splitting laugh on the comics page. Bug-eyed Earl, Milkman Dan and Ted Johnson are some of the best characters I've even come across. The strip looks so wholesome and neat but it is delightfully sick and twisted. This is great stuff, my only regret is that they're only 2 books to buy.

This is by far one of the funniest compilations of cartoons ever printed. The humor is so dark and hysterical. I have not laughed as hard as I have laughed at this book in a LONG time. The content is sometimes sick, sometimes twisted but always hilarious. I cannot get enough. I loved it through every page. Not only is the actual cartoon funny but the titles of each one lend a hand to the razor sharp wit of the strip. This is definitely a must buy, skip Gary Larson and buy this book.

Okay to be quite honest I haven't bought the books yet, but that's only because I need to dig for a few more quarters out of my couch. I am a HUGE fan of Red Meat, and I think I have read just about every single panel on Max's webpage devoted to his comic. Milkman Dan is one of the funniest characters in short panel comics I have ever seen in my life. If you enjoy twisted humor, you NEED to add these two books to your collection of Dilbert and The Far Side! Trust me, it's worth every single penny.

started reading this book and finished it in 3 days .couldn't put it down

A friend recommended I read this, and I am SO GLAD he did!!! I found the story of Malchus intriguing and the portrayal of the lives of the early Christians very thought-provoking. It was a book I couldn't wait to get back to each evening, and I found myself wanting to read more after I finished it. I have now purchased Driven, and find it hard to put down, also!

Very rarely will I give 5 stars to 2 books from the same author. I had to read MALCHUS after reading Griffiths' DRIVEN, a 400 page thriller I read practically non-stop until the last word. I figured DRIVEN would be impossible to top but had to give him the chance. I still haven't decided which book I like best. Besides gripping me with suspence, lovable characters and excellent writing, DRIVEN stirred my conscious to wonderment. MALCHUS on the other hand has changed my way of thinking. The same excellent writing style, great characters (mostly non-fiction in this one) and touching moments that literally brought me to tears at times. I am a regular in the historical fiction genre, and this book is reaserched to the max. Where did Griffiths ever find the names of the actual priests that were plotting Jesus' arrest and their job descriptions in the temple? And half way through the book I was in a sweat, thinking if I put the book down the cosequenses of whatever was to happen next would be on my head. Breathtaking, really. After reading MALCHUS, all I wanted to do was read the Bible, which now seems more alive to me than ever. The best Christian writing I've ever read.