What Death Can Touch by Robert Miskimon is a compelling novel of grief, renewal, and so much more. A recovering alcoholic is confronted with the death of his daughter, and through his pain he learns that life is but a prelude. What Death Can Touch is a well written, engaging, highly recommended story that considers death as the gate to a higher level of spirituality and makes for insightful, contemplative reading.

This is rather heavy going, but worth it. Most people would rather not think about death and the afterlife, but Miskimon has given the matter more than a little thought. There's a strange dichotomy between the surface story of a newspaperman struggling to get his life in order and the under-story that death is there to gobble up everything no matter what we do. It left me feeling a little disconcerted. But I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to delve into this topic. It will challenge your comfort zone!

I read this in two sittings. It's the engaging story of a journalist who fights against alcoholism and the grief that follows the shattering loss of his daughter. Besides investigating the story of a man in turmoil, it gives the reader a good look at the ins and outs of producing a weekly newspaper in a small city where the great and near great engage in political wheeling and dealing (California's Carmel-by-the-Sea). We follow the inner and outer life of newspaperman Peter Danforth from his struggles in California to a surprising climax in the Pacific Northwest. A great read.

G. Baxter, San Franciso

Miskimon is a talented author with a mastery of description. His stories are little novels. They are full, complete with characters, settings and plots that are unique within themselves. I enjoyed them all, but mainly two stories stay in my head after closing the book for the final time. His story, "Cyberdeath," is a short story that will haunt anyone who has ever lost a loved one. In this story, Miskimon tells a tale with a touch of sci-fi. A father creates a website where a person can download a lost loved one, but is himself surprised when his creation comes back to him. A story that haunts me to this day. But "Cyberdeath" isn't his most powerful story, just a tip of the iceberg. Miskimon's stories hold the reader's attention with their detail and impact endings. The reader is also given a short novella from the very first that shows the strong points of this author. His creation of a group of farmworkers having to challenge their corporate bosses to form an union and form their own farming cooperation, is a true masterpiece of work. There is a one set genre in this collection. The reader is provided with "past" and "futuristic" stories. Miskimon deals with the realities that hit America every day-deaths, pain, love and life. I truly enjoyed La Posada, and I am sure other readers will also. Discover an author that can create and develop characters that you will care about and stories that will leave you thinking days afterwards.

This is a very pleasurable book to read. It has a quiet tone, but there is plenty of plotting to keep one's interest, as well as properly timed touches of humor. I'd like to read more by this author.

Robert Miskimon's Skagit is a compelling novel about the people who reside on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. When a proposal to bridge their island to the mainland threatens the integrity of their refuge, the men and women of Skagit form their own community government on the island - yet the exploitation and greed that some humans resist and all humans share is not so easy to keep out. Skagit is recommended as a rewarding read examining the dual sides of human nature.

Skagit is an exciting novel of political intrigue set on a Puget Sound island where environmentalists are trying to to save their hometown from developers. It's a story that should resonate with people who care about fighting the good fight against developmental blight.

Besides being a good yarn, it could serve as a case history for anyone interested in getting involved in grass roots political action. It's far from being a political tract, though. Romance, mystery, and the supernatural are all part of the mix that makes this a great read. It kept me thinking long after I'd finished turning the pages.

Okay. It sounded good. It really did, but this thing is trying to be something it isn't. It's almost like the author is trying to rewrite "On the Road." There are just way too many descriptions trying to be just so "wow" that you can see right through them. There's too much, too soon. The new great American novel it isn't, not that it's so bad, but really I think I'd rather vacuum my entire house than read another word.

Plastic Jesus seems like a fantasy search for a home anywhere in America. It is a long and difficult journey that makes no sense, unless you know that we all are looking for some kind of home--spiritual or physical. It's kind of a reverse of the "go west, young man" motif where the central character goes east in search of some connection with family and stability. It's not clear whether he finds it, but the journey is interesting.

Within the first couple of pages I was hooked completely. This is an author who will draw you into his story and keep you there, wanting to know what is on the next page. Miskimon's characters are appealing and very interesting. You get to know them inside and out. Even the minor characters have a third dimension feel to them, a rare find indeed. One of the things that really intriqued me about this book is the mini -stories throughout. This is a book about one man's journey across America, but it is also about his journey to find the true meaning of who and what he is. This character meets up with the most interesting folks on his path of travel--from the extreme people in a Hell's Angels gang to the cocktail waitress. I think one of the chapters that really grabbed me was towards the beginning. "Escape from Paradise," the chapter title alone is intriquing but what really grabbed me was the driven factor of the character. It showed his fully rounded emotions at a pace that was too real. I felt this character, and didn't just read about him. I heard his anger, listened to his pain, knew the depths of his heart even if he didn't. Yes, I do believe that this chapter was what really grabbed me for this book. This isn't a general reading book filled with morals and ethics of "listen to me because I know this path." This is a dramatic reading that is both entertaining and instructive. The reader will laugh, wipe a tear or two and even growl at a character or three. An appealing book that I highly recommend.