I really enjoyed this book... it was less manic than first installment, Logan's Run, which crammed so many adventures into one 150-page book. Logan's World seems more focused, with Logan's main goal of first getting medicine for his ailing son, and then locating his beloved Jessica when she's kidnapped and presumed dead. I can easily see this book as a potentially exciting movie. It's a fun and suspenseful read for those who enjoy sci-fi with social commentary.

I'd recommend that the first book, Logan's Run, be read before starting this book -- there are many references to characters and events in Logan's Run.

Logan's World continues the tale of a wonderful cast of characters created by William F. Nolan in his novel Logan's Run. This novel painted a picture of a world in which a post-apocalyptic society conserved resources and maintained social order by a strict system which included the mandatory death of all citizens on their 21st birthday.

The original work tells of the struggle of Logan and Jessica as they flee their protected "City of Domes" in an attempt to escape from the rigidity of that future world. They long to find a mystical place known as Sanctuary.

In the first sequel, Logan's World, the main characters return as they make their way through a world just beginning the healing process. They have learned the truth about their world and are striving to find their place in the new and exciting openness they've discovered.

Along the way they encounter triumph and tragedy, all the while continuinig their search for peace and security in their ever-changing world.

Logan's World possesses all the drama, intrigue, and action of the first novel. It allows the reader a chance to see more of the "world after the last war" and to place him/herself in the struggle, not only to survive, but to triumph in a world devastated and left to ruin.

Don't miss the opportunity to share the adventure, the romance, the drama of these incredible characters as they explore not only their world, but also themselves.

I have read the book and find it packed with all the information needed for a sucessful trip. It supplies helpful information about the possible hazards along the river. Much info about camp sites and resupply sites along the riverFor a small book it is loaded with pertinent information and all the phone numbers you might want to call.Nice river pictures to supplement the text.This book has what you need for a sucessful trip and I have just ordered the video companion to the book.

i thought this book was very well written and i learned a lot about jedediah smith and after i read this book i went to my local library and checked out another book on jedediah smith i also learned about other pioneers

Stunnung display. Just as good as its' predecessors!

In the future people live their lives to the full. People can travel to where they want when they want, they can enjoy a range of experiences that would make 20th century people envious.

The only drawback is that you have to give up your life at the age of 21. People who don't wish to do this are called runners. They are hunted down by executors and killed brutally.

Logan is a good citizen. He is one of the people who hunts down the cowardly runners. But now Logan's own time is up. The crystal flower embedded in the palm of his right hand has turned black, and now he has to complete his duty: suicide. Or, to use the euphemism, "Deep Sleep". Logan learns of a place called Sanctuary, where people can live out their natural lives. He teams up with a girl called Jessica, and they embark on a dangerous journey.

This is a fast-paced novel. There is danger at every turn. Logan and Jessica are literally running for their lives, pursued relentlessly by a hunter who will never sway from his task. This novel is a product of its time. The late 1960s was a time of social upheaval, when the young were finding a voice, rebelling against the older generation. The crystal flower that everyone has on them is probably a nod at the psychedelic "flower power" that was prevailing when the book was first published. "Logan's Run" seems to be warning us of the dangers of misplaced idealism, which ultimately leads to fanaticism. In a world filled to capacity the solution to overpopulation is drastic and cruel. The writers are saying we should not surrender ourselves to the lunacy of a conformist regime. It takes courage to go against the flow, something so many people are unwilling to do in a world where minorities are condemned.

Ok...most people over 30 (ironically) have seen "Logan's Run", and basically know what it's about.

Now picture this...there are no domes, and the life expectancy of the citizens is 21. There is no carrousel, people just have to show up to the local 7-11 on the last day of their lives to die. Logan (3, not 5) visits a drug clinic (the opposite of what you're thinking of), a brothel made of glass, and a "fire gallery". To get the book started, Logan meets his contact at sort of a party for peeping toms.

Sound bizarre? You're right, it is kinda strange, and it reads like it was written over a weekend. But it's compelling enough to option a script, and you can imagine how many rewrites it suffered to get to the screen.

Keep running, Logan.

This is a fast paced, well written story about where a youth obssesed culture could lead us. Using overpopulation and a nuclear war as a springboard the authors weave a tightly knit story about a society living in self-contained domed cities where everyone's favorite past-time is the pursual of pleasure. Sounds good until you realize that implanted at birth into the palm of every citizen is a life clock crystal that glows with a different color for each seven years of life. On your twenty-first birthday your life clock turns from red to black, it's time to volunteer to be put to sleep for the good of Society. Logan is a Sandman a modern day police officer who tracks down those citizens who have decided they want to live longer than 21, these are called "Runners". The myth whispered is that you can live to become 'old' in a place called Sanctuary. Logan's search for Sanctuary with a Runner named Jessica sets the pace for the rest of the story. Entertaining Sci-Fi at it's best.

Anyone who's seen the movie knows that Gladiator has a strong story and script behind it. But, when it comes to novelizations I like to see a little extra background, perhaps more character development than you can have in the film. And that's where this book is a bit of a let down. This is a straight retelling of the screenplay with a couple of scenes that didn't make the movie, which where kind of nice to see. I remember when Commodus finds that Maximus is still alive and he was lied to when he thought he was dead, his sister tells him that the legion should know that lies should not be tolerated. In the movie, nothing really comes of that, but in the book it then later goes to a good scene where Commodus oversees the execution of those who told him Maximus was dead. It's just little touches like that.

When I read a book, I want to feel like I'm experiencing something a little different than the movie. I felt that way when reading Terry Brooks novelization of The Phantom Menace or even Raymond Benson's novelization of Tomorrow Never Dies. I really didn't get that feeling with this one.

So, in short, if you go into the book expecting the movie to be expanded on, prepare to be disappointed. However, if you really enjoyed the movie's great story as is and are expecting nothing else, this is a fast, fun read.

Maximus Meridus, the great Roman General, begins the book by fighting for the Roman Empire against the Barbarian tribe in Germania. Maximus is the emperor's most trusted General and the emperor has him in mind to be the next man to rule the Roman Empire. Commodus, the emperor's jealous heir, is outraged by his father's decision and murders his father, emperor Marcus Aurelius, to gain control of the throne. Commodus's first order of business as emperor is to make it so that general Maximus Meridas can never deceive him, so he has Maximus's wife and son slautered and then sends Maximus into exile. Devastated and Deeply wounded by the murdering of his family, Maximus finds a new way of life that makes him even stronger, emotionally as well as physically, than he was before. Maximus begins the hard and enduring life of being a gladiator. Maximus makes new friends and pays close attention to what his heart and his soul tell him while he is a gladiator. As Maximus rises to the top of the gladiator world, he plans a heroic and defiant way to gain his revenge. I really enjoyed this book. It was a gory, cut-them-up book as well as a movie. However, there was a lot more to the story than just the fighting and death. The author, Dewey Gran, did a really good job of introducing the readers to the main character, Maximus. As you read about his family getting killed, you get a big lump in your throat. It makes you feel the outrage that the main character is going through as it happens. The one thing that I didn't like about the book is that it was written to follow the movie, and I had already seen the movie when I read the book. My recommendation is to read the book, then go see the movie. There were no surprises to what was going to happen. It is a great book for anybody who doesn't mind some gory details.

Either read this book first, then see the movie or see the movie first, then read the book. I saw the movie Gladiator 3 times before I read the book, and each time I had seen the movie, I saw something new. After I read the book Gladiator, I saw the movie 2 more times. In My Opinion, the book Gladiator is a great read if you want to learn alittle more about the characters. It also gave me a better view of what each of the characters were thinking in each scene. Some of the parts of this book filled some of the gaps, that the movie didn't show. Also, the dialogue in the book was very helpful for me when I saw the movie again, because there were some words and sentences I had missed while watching the movie. This book is just as powerful as the movie, because it explains every scene with the same details, if not more. It gives me alittle more aspect of Maximus as a Warrior, General, Husband, Father and Friend, which is one of the reasons that I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the movie.

You can always count on William Logan to cut down good poets and promote hacks, and anyone who has ever forced herself to read his wooden poetry will understand why he cheers the wrong side. If you want a quick taste of how poor his judgment is in REPUTATIONS OF THE TONGUE, just read his viscious little review of Timothy Steele's second volume of poetry, SAPPHICS AGAINST ANGER, a collection finer in toto than any single poem Logan himself has managed to date. After you read this poison pill, take up Steele's volume and judge for yourself.

As for the other essays in this book, they are predictable Logan through and through-illogical, blunt, ungenerous, and deaf. Don't waste your money on his residue.

I have been a fan of Logan's poetry and criticism for quite some time. I have always profited from reading his criticism, but this collection was better than even I expected. The first essay on Tradition has sentences that are aphoristic without compromising the continuity of the piece. Powerful, intelligent writing. Logan is at the height of his powers in this book.

An infuriating critic to most, Logan is sharp, honest, and a careful reader of poetry--a rare thing in American Letters today. It isn't surprising that this collection has been nominated for the 1999 National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism.

I was there. I heard the people around Shreveport talk about the Hayride. Elvis was no big asset to the show. There are to many errors in the book for anyone to take it as truth. If he is going to take credit for anything he should also take credit for causing the show to loose it's place in Country Music.

Mr. Logan says Faron Young had a series of relatively brief marriages. Actually, Faron Young had only one marriage and it ended in divorce after 32 years. If Horace Logan is so wrong there, how can I believe anything else he says?

This volume was originally published under the title, "Elvis, Hank, and Me: Making Musical History on the Louisiana Hayride," and it's a tremendously more accurate title than the abbreviated "Louisiana Hayride Years." Although Logan was the guiding light of the show, serving as its creator and producer during its first ten years, his book focuses more on Elvis and Hank, than on the Hayride itself.

His insights into these two megastars, each at the very beginning of their climb to fame, are interesting, to be sure, but there was so much more to be covered. In addition to the two icons, numerous other country acts began or expanded their stardom on the Hayride, and though Logan provides some interesting anecdotes about Johnny and Jack, Kitty Wells, Faron Young, Slim Whitman, Webb Pierce, Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash and George Jones, he never really delves into the Hayride itself.

His dishing on the Grand Ole Opry, while probably close to the bone, is a poor substitute for a deeper discussion of how the Hayride itself worked. There's some interesting analysis of why the Hayride kept giving up its stars to Nashville, but having been written so long after-the-fact, the of-the-moment accounts focus more on the stars than the show. One never really gets a feel for the Hayride's own arc of fame, nor the nuts-and-bolts of how the show (both stage and radio) operated.

That said, and even with the factual errors noted elsewhere, this is a worthwhile first-hand account of a seminal program that fostered one of the great transitional periods in country music's history.

After years of agonizing near misses, the common man's poet, William Logan, finally discharges the poetic equivalent of "Springtime for Hitler." Logan's verse has always been remarkable for the simple rhymes, predictable structures, sloppy word choice and desperate, cloying neediness. This time, somehow, Logan turns all of those hideous tendencies into a hilariously comic satire on academic verse with a collection of mulch-pile ditties so lifelessly bombastic that it screams "I was born in an MFA workshop."

I laughed so hard as I read this book that I almost wet my pants. Logan has finally done something worthwhile with his life. Can the Broadway musical of "Vain Empires" be far behind?

Vain Empires is not quite as good as Logan's book Night Battle; nevertheless it is still excellent--stunning heightened language in the best modernist style; reading Logan is like reading a version of Geoffrey Hill that makes more immediate sense (not, of course, to denigrate the venerable Hill). Logan's accessibility combined with his craftmanship with rhythm--his song-poems are especially stunning--is gorgeous, and makes for very readable poems. Combined with his Keats-like disassociation of sensibility, Logan's depressed suburban vision makes for a very unique book of poems.

Comparisons by other reviewers to so-called 'academy verse' are completely wrong; they apparently have never been near an MFA program. I wish to God MFA programs produced poems with language as careful as this.

Also, the particular example below ('shopping cart') is not only out-of-context, but carefully selected from the worst poem in the book. I can't imagine what would motivate this kind of selective reviewing except for the fact that Logan, as a critic, tends to skewer other authors in print. This makes for a lot of personal animosity on the part of other writers, and--although its not really a fair argument to make--may be behind the strange responses below.

The oranges swell within the Age of Reason.
Across the rusted screen, pad by silk pad,
the gecko presses claim upon the eye,

black heart soaking through its papery skin...

These two need to give me a break. They sound like free verse cry babies who couldn't get a poem published if they paid for it. This book is probably not the best example of Logan's abilities, but it's better than most of what passes for poetry today by the same MFA graduates that are referenced in the first review. OK, I adimit there are generally not shopping carts at shopping malls and I've never seen or thought about seeing malls or carts discussing the art of death. You can always find one stupid example in every book of poetry. But in "Nocturne Galant" there's the following stanza: "I promised her that I'd be faithful/ with all my faithless heart/ for a month or until next Tuesday/ Love lies, and so does art." Which I think makes up for cart/mall analogy. Believe me I'm no expert, but I know decent poetry when I read it. And as for Logan being the poet of the "common man"! Where is the reviewer getting that? Most poetry today is so below even common that Logan seems like a prodigy. So change your diaper curl up with your dog-earred copy of "Howl"

William Logan is a naked emperor of modern letters. He proudly dubs himself "the most hated man in American poetry" for his semi-coherent but clearly dismissive reviews of contemporary work, then proffers his own mediocre soup of mandarin foolishness and weird metaphors, sometimes festooned with laughably inept rhymes, and dares the world to see them as they are.

But let's cut to the text: we needn't look far. The 2nd sentence of the first poem is, "You wouldn't realize summer's forest,/ so much like New England, grew in a mattress of marsh,..." Without distracting frippery, Logan says that a forest like New England (not New England's) grows in a mattress! The clumsiness is stupefying. Shortly, still in the first poem, we come upon sandhill cranes (which are) aristocrats with flaring eyes, icepick heads, delicate ballerina-like bodies high-stepping, whose veering indifference (or indifferent veering?) needs repair, not forthcoming from storm (??) nor egrets huddled like origami paper, and so on. I wouldn't blame you if you think I'm lying, but you'll find this mishmash on the first page, in "Florida in January." At the bottom of the page you'll see "a crusty alligator steams,/nosing into reeds to let off passengers/or take on canvas sacks of mail" which so entranced the unidentified "editorial reviewer" posted above.

The second poem, "Sundays in the South," uses rhyme in the 2nd and 4th line of each quatrain.

I think.

It starts with "banana ... manana", "fruit ... root" "say ... prey", but then veers, indifferently or not, into "..sun ... Sin" "Christians .. sinning" (honest, I couldn't make this up) "angels .. cannonballs" "courthouse square ... air conditioner" "fire ... armatures" before repairing to ".. dance ... distance" and finally "consent .. diminishment."

... Another delicious rhyme (in "Nothing" - perhaps a more appropriate title for the book) is ".. green naugahyde of sea....engine by GE."

I have yet to find wisdom in this book, or beautiful language, or well-observed and expressed reality. I've found clumsy rhymes, bizarre perceptions, unintentionally laugh-provoking poems.

Logan surely is not on the imaginative and metaphorical level of that fine English poet. For years I've felt Logan's reputation as a skilled technocrat is largely self constructed and based more on his peer allegiances (such as with Donald Hall)--what well placed few there are at least. This book shows all his successes and flaws, moments of fluid music, but then comes a forced rhyme, and everyone must surely agree he has some of the worst figurative language ever forced onto English. ...

Like most academic poets, Logan fails to transcend the petty boundaries of the incestuous world of MFA programs and the petty egos and infantile personalities ruling that world. One sees flashes of brilliance in Logan's work, but his poems are the poems of a man who is always looking over his shoulder, always striving to impress, always terrified of what the hacks in the world of academia think of him.