I'm not going to tell you about this novel. Instead, I want you to do the biggest favor you've done for yourself in years... buy this book and read it. When you've turned the last page, go directly to the beginning and start all over again. That is exactly what I did three times. Even though I wasn't a child of the '60s and I've never been to Alabama, the amount of depth and feel Robert McCammon extends to the reader is immense. I have literally read thousands of books, and whenever someone asks the common question of which is my favorite, Boy's Life is always the first to spill out.
I want you to ask yourself truthfully if you have ever spent a great deal of time being involved in a novel and when it is finally finished, do you walk away completely satisfied? Has it been years since you have read the novel and you still think of it from time to time? Were some of the scenes in the novel created so real that you could honestly mistake those experiences for one of your own? It has happened to me. It can happen to you.
If you have read this book, read it again. Recapture the magic of youth, friendship, and the adventures of life that can never fade, they only grow brighter.
And to those of you who are about to experience this novel for the first time, I envy you greatly.

I just finished Boy's Life at 1:45am, when I had to get up at 6:00am and go to work. I loved the book but hated the bloodshot eyes I had.

Cory Mackenson is 11 years growing up in innocence in a picturesque small southern town during the racially torn 1960s. He and his friends enjoy bikes, baseball, and monster movies at the town cinema on Saturdays. Things change early one morning just before daylight when Cory and his Dad witness a car and its occupant careen off a lonely country road into the deep abyss of a rural lake. Upon attempting rescue, Cory's dad finds the driver unconscious and handcuffed to the steering wheel with a wire wrapped around his neck. This launches Cory and his father on a search for the murderer who is living as a longtime respected citizen in this small rural community.

Who is the man in the car, and what about the tattoo? Can a clairvoyant black lady who lives on the other side of the tracks in this racially tense time hold one of the keys to unraveling the mystery before it unravels the sanity of Cory's father?

In addition to the suspense, Boy's Life also captures the wonder of being an eleven year old boy in much the same way Mark Twain did with Tom Sawyer. I did not realize that Robert McCammon was such a wit when it comes to humor. There are several places where I had to put the book down and laugh out loud. Other places were quite poignant and heart rending as well.

You will enjoy this one.

Thanks for reading.

Robert McCammon's Boy's Life is one of my favorites. I have just read it for the third time, and this fall, I will be teaching it to my 10th grade class for the first time. Boy's Life combines many outstanding themes in its pages: coming of age, good vs. evil, etc., but the theme I will underscore most in my classroom is the one that impressed me; i.e., magic is as much a part of a child's life as any real occurrence. The tinge of magic in the often incomprehensible world of reality makes negotiating everyday life much easier. Anyone interested in reading one other book of McCammon's (the only other one, as far as I know) that departs from the horror genre, read Gone South. This, too, is a very good book with memorable characters, situations and themes. I would love to see Robert McCammon write more straight fiction that is not in the horror category. I enjoyed both Boy's Life and Gone South very much. He is an author worth knowing.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. I bought it a year before I applied to graduate school and followed its advice on how to improve your chances of getting into a good school. I refered to it while taking classes, putting together my application--everything. And I got into my first choice masters program, which only accepts 5% of its applicants! After such success, I know I'll look at it constantly as I work towards my degree. I only wish I'd found it sooner, I think it would have helped a lot even at the undergraduate level.

I must admit that Robert L. Peters' book was my first read about "Getting What You Came For..." and that is the Ph.D in my case. I found the 366 page text informative, interesting and useful. The book is full of reference material with citations in the bibliography sections. I highlighted other useful books for future reads. The reader is taken step by step through a process from consideration of whether a graduate degree is for you, choosing a school, application and admission, financial aid, choosing between a master or Ph.d degree, the returning older student (such as myself), etc. Attention to details is apparent throughout the book and it seemed to have a very thorough treatment of each topic. I think there is something for anyone considering an advanced degree. The book though appears to be directed towards those who are pursuing graduate degrees at top 10 universities. It is not to say that all of us should not aspire to such lofty highs, however some of us just want to get the darn degree as quick and as close as possible. If the state university close by will accept us and it is within a reasonable commute distance between work and home then top 10 school or not, that is our shcool if, they accept us. In noting this aspect of the book it is not intended to deter you from reading it. You will find, I believe helpful information in your decision making process as well as a useful guide through your graduate program. I would say that this book is a must read for anyone considering a graduate degree.

Thanks Robert for writing this book that dramatically changes my life -
Before read this book, graduate life is very vague to me and I do not really know what I want from graduate school. My college life was not very happy. I do not like professors either because I thought they were weird or just too busy to care about students. However, this book gives a very clear picture of what is going on in the mysterious graduate school. It teaches you to get ready of various troubles and challenges, such as dealing with your advisors, developing thesis, and most important at all, having a positive and happy life in graduate school and getting a good job after the degree. I read this book repeatedly right before I went to graduate school. Everything is just like what the book described and I planned everything according to the book. I get on the right track early and am progressing faster than my peers are, and graduate life becomes so enjoyable. I bought six copies of these books and gave to my best friends and sisters. No matter you want to go to graduate school or not, read this book first and keep it on your desk! I heartily recommend this book!

John Howard Griffin's Black Like Me, contrasts the lives of Blacks and Whites in the 1950's. I was mesmerized by the hateful encounters that the Black people went through just because of their skin color. I was also amazed about how my ancestors, the white man, never gave the Black people one iota of respect.
Another angle of the story showed how far a journalist of the fifties would go for a story. Through the book, I saw Griffin go against all morals of his time for a story. I saw him become an outcast of his society. On top of that he put his life on the line, with the skin change and the crazy white men, for a story. This seemed to me to be a dumb mistake that eventually cost him his life.
I enjoyed the book and will read it again. I think this book could give you a different perspective on a lot of issues not only of Griffin's time, but on ours as well.

This gripping book helps whites to experience life from the other side of the racial divide. In 1959, author John Howard Griffin (1920-80) used special medication to darken his skin, and then traveled the Deep South as a black man in the latter days of legal segregation. The "Negro" Griffin encountered separate facilities, hate-filled stares, assumptions that he was over-sexed, and job options limited to menial labor. He found conditions slightly better in big cities like New Orleans and Atlanta, but never free of rudeness or indignities. Griffin also met a small number of whites that apologized for racism. When Griffin switched his skin color back to white, blacks became surly, and whites became friendly. Unfortunately, Griffin never ventured outside the Deep South, depriving us of a chance to compare racism between regions. In this sense, his stirring book is too short.

BLACK LIKE ME angered white southerners when published in 1960. Griffin (who'd once recovered from blindness) received anonymous death threats, and soon developed health problems associated with his special medication. Too bad we cannot step into each other's race the way Griffin did - it might make for a better society.

There are only a few books that have really given me a deeper understanding into the issues of the world around us. This book is one of them. John Howard Griffin penetrates into a world that seems almost beyond belief and yet is undeniably and startlingly real. Realizations await on every page to show that the generally sheltered cultural perspective of the typical white (like myself) could not conceive the situation which confronted blacks in the south every day just a very few years ago -- as experienced by a white man who changed his skin color and dealt with the consequences. The book is made even better by a series of stories about his experiences after returning to the world of caucausions and going on the lecture circuit about the plight of blacks in the south. He demonstrates the rationalization and close mindedness that characterizes even those who consider themselves "good people". This book would probably be too much to accept if not for the authors remarkably unassuming and explanatory style. Rarely has such a sore subject been confronted so directly and yet so plainly. Highly recommended. I keep having to buy new copies because people will read a few pages and want a copy.

"I'll try and do anything and be anything you want if only you'll keep me." This is how "Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery begins.
Anne Shirley is a twelve-year-old girl who is brought to Green Gables only to find they were expecting a boy. The Cuthberts however, are one over by this queer, imaginative girl with bright, red hair and decide to allow her to stay.
Green Gables is a lovely, little farm just outside of a small town on Prince Edward Island called Avonlea. It is surrounded by fields and forests, which hold many surprises for adventurous Anne.
Throughout this book Anne's fierce temper and wild imagination often get the better of her, but she usually manages to squeeze out of these scrapes.
Anne's melodramatic nature and fiery temper keeps you interested as you read this marvelous book.
Montgomery's humorous writing style gives life to the characters so that you feel like you are meeting them in person.
I think that this was a wonderful book filled with humor, drama and tears. I would recommend this book to anyone that has ever had a dream and loves a good book.

first of all, let me begin with I LOVE THIS BOOK! I have read this book more times than I can remember...easily more than a dozen...thus, I am going to set my mind to write a glowing review of it.

This book portrays a stunning sketch of Canadian History and Culture in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The character personalities are so real and so amazingly "human" that one cannot help but fall in love with them. You really get a taste of PEI in its glory.

This story is set in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island (Canada), a fictional settlement which is really Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, the place where Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author grew up.

The main character is Anne Shirley...and eleven year old, enigmatic, imaginative, sparkling, highly intelligent orphan who is sent to Green Gables, a farmhouse in Avonlea, under the impression that she was to be adopted by a pair of elderly siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthburt. But, apon arrival to Green Gables, Anne discovers that there had been a horrible mistake...the Cuthburts never wanted a girl...they wanted a boy who could do the chores and help Matthew with the farm. Anne was was in the "depths of dispair". Matthew, on the drive home from the train station had taken a great shine to Anne and had his heart set on keeping her, regardless of any mistake. Marilla, however, was not so easily enchanted. She agreed to let Anne stay at Green Gables on trial, to see if she would behave herself and lend a helpful hand to Marilla. After the trial, Anne is welcomed to Green Gables and flourishes under the love of the Cuthburts and all Avonlea folk. Anne, however, has one big problem. Her Hair. It is a hopeless shade of carrotty red and Anne felt that it was the ugliest hair anyone could imagine. She was extremely sensitive about it and she was horribly embarrassed about it. On her first day of school, Anne's hair was made fun of by Gilbert Blythe, the smartest and handsomest boy in school. "Carrots! Carrots!" he said. Anne's temper got the better of her and she was so angry she broke a slate over his head. After that, for many years, she snubbed Gilbert every time he spoke to her and he developed a boyhood crush on her.

Ah, but to keep this review interesting and the book mysterious, I will stop telling you the story and begin reviewing. The characters in the book are so well-defined that it seems to you that you know every character personally, like an old friend or neighbour.

And by all means, don't let the age recommendation fool you either...this book can be read by all ages alike...and I have no doubt that this book will still be my avid favorite at the age of 85.

The book is not boring, contrary to many opinions of those who read the first chapter of small print and historical settings. The discriptions will place you right into the heart of the story and you find you will laugh and cry while reading this story. Every time I read it I cry at a certain part which I'm not sure if I should reveal to you for fear of spoiling the good parts in the story, but it is dreadfully sad. If you read the book, then you will know what part I am talking about. The one saddest part in the whole story.

Although this book has some old ideas and ways of expressing them, you will learn a great deal of Canadian history through them and there's no doubt in my mind that this book will still be popular decades and most likely even centuries to come.

Anne of Green Gables is one of my all-time favorite books. Anne is a person almost everyone can relate to in some way or another. Anne is launched into the "depths of despair" as soon as she finds out the horrible truth that the Mathew and Marilla really sent for a boy from the orphanage. Her fiery temper gets the better of her at some of the worst possible times. Such as when she vows that she will never forgive Gilbert Blythe for calling her carrots, as if smashing a slate over his head is not enough. This is a wonderful book that L. M. Montgomery has really shown her skill as a writer and novelist in. I have read the entire Anne of Green Gables Series and am also, like another reader, saving them all for my daughter some day. If you want a book that you can thoroughly enjoy, this is the one, although I have one warning that you may have a hard time putting it down.

Graves writes with the sparse, absolutely precise prose of a Latin scholar. This alone makes it worthy of recommendation; the style 'classic' on its own. Claudius is an engaging figure. Born with a number of physical birth defects, he survives in the rarified and frequently lethal atmosphere of the imperial court. He lived in the time of the great Augustus, the brutal and lacivious Tiberius and the totally mad Caligula. The malicious thread of Livia, Augustus' consort and a woman who was surely an early incarnation of Lucretia Borgia, runs through the three reigns. With a host of engaging cameos, the book is essentially describing a tragedy, the slow descent of the first true superpower of the West into self-destruction. If you accept that the USA is the sole remaining superpower, then many of the horrors and follies of the recent past and present are illuminated through this book. For the desparate attempts to regain the Eagles of the Roman regiments lost in Germany, read the rebuilding of the US Armed Forces after Vietnam. Meditate on the real dangers to freedom when a state is perceived by its citizens as the best. Notice how the power of the chief executive is always increasing, and always more ill-used. And how an appetite for spectacle and violence can keep even an educated population subjugated and uncaring of the worst excesses of the ruling elite. This book is really, really important. It is probably the most accessible discussion of power and how a Republic can turn into an Empire. And how an Empire can tear itself apart.

I first found "I, Claudius" in my school library when I was 15, and 7 years later it is still my favorite book. This is Roman hstory from a unique yet accessible point of view. I believe Graves wrote it based on his translation of Suetonius's "Twelve Caesars" (which is quite an enjoyable read in itself,) and as Suetonius seemed to be the "National Enquirer" of Roman historians, 'I, Claudius" and its companion piece, "Claudius the God" are not only replete with fascinating trivial bits of the Roman Empire's history, but wonderfully full of human interest aspects. This book makes two-thousand-year-old history live and breath today. The 14 or so hour long television adaptation is also marvelous, although I was glad to have read both books beforehand because it made the intricate palace/power/family relationships easier to decipher. Overall, a perfect ten by which one can judge all other historical reality-fiction.

There isn't a single negative comment that can be raised against Robert Graves' magnum opus, the "I, Claudius" series. The work is sublime, transcendent, spectacularly well-written...and always engaging. Every page is dripping with humor and intrigue, kings and pretenders, savages and aesthetes. This is the quintessential work by an amazing classicist, scholar and man.

"I, Claudius" recounts Imperial Rome (from Augustus to Nero) from the perspective of a stuttering, half-lamed, studied dim-wit, the Emperor Claudius. Using Suetonius and Tacitus as his main sources, Graves constructs a marvelous narrative of the precocious and turbulent time that was Rome's imperial birth, childhood and adolescence. Certainly, Octavian (later Augustus) was the father of Imperial Rome, but it is with plots and debauches of subsequent rulers that Graves' story really comes alive.

At the close of the first book, we're presented with the death of the completely deranged, self-styled god, Caligula, and the rise to power, as long prophesied, of Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus (Claudius), the "fool" of the ancient Claudian family, the stammerer...and, at long last, the Emperor of Rome!

Reading Tacitus and Suetonius, it's easy to see why Graves would be inspired to fictionalize such a history. The pages...these so-called histories read like tabloid sensations, military annals and superstitious prayer books all rolled into one. Graves does a marvelous job of capturing the essence of one of the most famous periods in Western history.

Livy, Tacitus, Suetonius, Pollio: eat your heart out. Graves wins the day!

When I finished this book, I got up and left the room in search of a tissue...and I'm not often moved to tears by a book! While Sybill is initially a difficult character to warm up to, in the end -- and thanks to Nora Roberts skill -- we not only understand her, we've come to care for her, just as we have all the wonderful characters in this series. INNER HARBOR is moving, quite funny in parts (Anna is in rare form again), full of surprises, and altogether too excellent to miss. But be sure to read its predecessors first!

I really enjoyed this book and am starting to re-read it. But, first I had to read the first two books of this trilogy. For some reason, wasn't previously interested in these books, but decided to try this last one when it came out, and after I read it ran out and bought the others. I loved reading about all three adult Quinn brothers (and the women they met) - maybe some day there will be a book about Seth so we can find out how they all turned out. (I just wonder, tho, how children could really live the way the Quinns did when they were boys. I would hope such child abuse would be discovered.) But, still, thank you, Nora Roberts for writing these interesting books!

A superbly sensitive book full of love, hope, and humour. Phillip Quinn's reaction to his deceased father's ghost was perfect and gave him a chance for closure. The book accurately shows that money can not buy happiness or love. Dr. Sybill Griffin is wonderful as the latest of the Quinn women. She is perfect for Phillip. The revelation of Seth's true relationship to raymond Quinn was great. It would have been so easy to bungle it and make it look silly but Nora Roberts comes through again. With her talent for vivid characters and fabulous story, I eagerly await her next novel. Jennifer Thrower

This book, The Count of Monte Cristo, is an engrossing tale of loyalty, revenge, and obsession that can still teach lessons today. Edmond Dantes seems set for life: the young man is now the captain of a ship, his best friends are his father and his boss, Morrel, and he is set to be married to a beautiful girl named Mercedes. But two men, Danglars and Fernand, are jealous of him for different reasons (Danglars for his job, Fernand for his fiancee). This jealousy comes in the form of a conspiracy so that both will be benefited: a letter is written saying that Dantes is a Napoleonic agent (he is not). He is further crossed by the ambitious magistrate de Villefort, who destroys the only piece of evidence because it implicates his father and sends him to prison, using the Napoleonic phobia of the time. While there, he meets the brilliant yet enigmatic Abbe Faria, who teaches him several languages and they collaborate on how to escape. The Abbe has an attack, he tells Dantes to leave without him, so he does. But before the Abbe dies, he tells Dantes about the magnificent treasure of Monte Cristo, and then the adventure begins as Dantes gets the treasure and lives extravagantly for a while, then he comes to pay vengeance to his enemies and rewards to his friends. This book is quite long, but I could not imagine it being shorter: it is the perfect size for the story. This is one of the best books of all time for a reason, and I would highly recommend it to anybody interested in adventure.

The Count of Monte Cristo is the best book I've read in quite a long while. I wasn't expecting it to be. Frankly, I tend to have low expectations for 19th-century European novels in regard to sheer readability. Like vegetables and trips to the dentist, they tend to be more good for you than simply good. Add in the fact that the unabridged version is over 1000 pages, and I felt sure that the Count would be a somewhat difficult companion.

Nothing could be farther from the truth! Edmond Dantes' adventures kept me fully engrossed from beginning to end. I was disappointed to turn the final page, left longing for more.

If you've seen a movie version of Count of Monte Cristo, expect surprises. I had seen both the Richard Chamberlain and Jim Caviezel versions before reading the book (mmmm . . . Jim Caviezel), but neither were entirely true to the storyline or the mood of the original.

Edmond himself is a thoroughly satisfying and seductive hero. (The reader must take with a grain of salt the numerous references to his drug habit; at the time, opium was unfortunatly de rigeur for a Romantic hero.) The secondary characters are equally engrossing, from the admirable Maximilian Morrel to the villainous Danglars; and the ingenious machinations by which Edmond contrives to reward the deserving and doom the guilty make the chapters fly by.

I would encourage everyone to be sure and get the unabridged version of this masterpiece. It is by no means slow or ponderous, and the thought of what must be left on the cutting room floor to reduce this book to half its size makes me wince.

If you enjoy literature, then you must read The Count of Monte Cristo. In this book, a young sailor named Edmond Dantès is arrested on false charges of treason. He spends the next fourteen years in prison trying to figure out how to exact complete revenge on his enemies. Once he gets out of prison he begins his quest for vengeance. The author, Alexandre Dumas, portrays this struggle for vengeance by mixing action and serenity together. By using both, Dumas makes the character seem like a real person. Throughout the entire book I felt like I knew Edmond Dantès feelings. Dumas' writing style made Edmond Dantès come alive. Instead of being on the outside watching in, I felt like I was in the middle of all the action. By making the reader feel like a part of the book, Dumas gets the reader involved in the plot; this makes the reader not want to stop reading. The Count of Monte Cristo continually makes you think about the characters and the plot. As the reader, I observed a great battle of intellect between the main characters, and this strife makes the book enjoyable to read. You constantly wonder who will get the upper hand. This book, with its many levels, will make a reader lose him or her self in the book. I read the abridged edition, which sometimes made me feel like I had missed an important detail or event. Other than this small drawback, I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I recommend The Count of Monte Cristo to anyone who enjoys reading books with an entertaining story and believable plot.

How would you like to be a rat living on a farm during harvest time, and on top of that you have a sick child. In the fictional adventure by Robert C. O'briens Newberry award winning novel, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. In this book Mrs. Frisby goes to desperate measures to get help and to move her house so it won't get hit by the trackter. If you like adventure and survival, you should read this book.

This book is full of adventure and witty humor. it is a fictional novel that is mostly about survival as Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mother, tries to find a way to move her house without having to make her son Timothy, who is very sick, come out of the house into the cold. So she goes out looking for help and finds it in a group of super-smart mice that escaped from a laboratory named the Rats of Nimh. This pack of lab rats devise a plan to move Mrs. Frisby's house.

This novel is for young adults from the age of 9 to 15 years. This is because the story talks about death, some humor kids might not understand. There is also one point of violence where the farmers cat, Dragon, attacks the rats. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, has some parts where teens will like, in some of the witty plans the rats come up with to move the Frisby household.

This book is written in third person. It has Mrs. Frisby whos husband died and was left to take care of her children. When moving day comes her son Timothy gets very sick and can't go outside or his condition might get worse and he could die. So she gets help in the Rats of Nimh and they come up with a plan.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, is a Newberry Medal award winner jam-packed full of adventureand survival. This book is definatly not for children under 8 or 9 years old.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm is one of the best books I ever read. Everything in this book is so specific. When you look in it you might think it looks hard, but it realy is not. I usualy hate reading chapter books, but this one is great. I realy recomend this book to you. In this book,Mrs.Frisby's son (Timothy) gets sick. Mrs.Frisby has to go to a doctor named Mr.Ages. Mr. Aages gives the medicin to Mrs. Frisby to make Timothy better. But when she gets home she finds out she has to move soon because Mr. Fitzgibbon (the ouner of the house) is going to plow their home. A lot of other exciting stuff happens in this book, but you have to find out yourself.

After some consideration, I decided this was my favorite book as a child. However, it can be enjoyed by people of any age. Through mice and other small personified animals, Robert C O'Brien built a tale that is impossible to put down or frown upon. When the youngest of a family of mice falls ill with pneumonia, he is forced to stay indoors. This presents a serious problem, since the family must soon move to their summer home or be plowed by the farmer's tractor who owns the field. The mother and head of the family, Mrs. Frisby, is forced to turn to a mysterious group of rats living under a rose bush for help. What Mrs. Frisby hadn't known, however, was the rats' connection with her late husband Jonathon Frisby...Hopefully, this short summary is intriguing enough to make you read this book. You won't regret it.

Swan Song is one of the more interesting and compelling contributions to horror fiction. The story takes place in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear holocaust. The world is little more than a wasteland. Freezing temperatures, a blackened sky, and murderous lunatics combine to paint a rather chilling picture. Indeed, the shattered land becomes the most effective "character" in the book. The plot is your rank-n-file good against evil: The good survivors must protect the child Swan. The bad ones must destroy her. Swan, of course, has a special power....Unfortunately, the evil in Swan Song is totally predictable: Colonel Macklin and his murderous army rises amongst the ashes of civilization to kill those who resist, an utterly laughable Satan who seems to have all the power of a school yard bully -- yeah, right. Naturally, Nazism and racism resonate amongst McCammon's villiany.

In a way, McCammon practically re-wrote Stephen King's The Stand. But McCammon paints a far more desparing and wicked picture. The apocalyptic world of Swan Song seems more effective, as it relies less on the supernatural than King's work. King should take a note from the psychotic presence of the "Shadow Soldier". This is an excruciatingly plotted book, as it falls short of 1,000 pages. In the end, I found the books best element not in its silly commentary on "hope", but in its depiction of man's animal instinct to survive.

I absolutely LOVED this book and hated to see it end. It started off a little slow, but really cranked up after the introduction of the many players in this apocalyptic fairy tale.

A motley crew of WWIII survivors - a 7' pro-wrestler called Black Frankenstein, a NY baglady, a deranged Army colonel, a cruel teenage boy and a young girl who holds the key to life in her hands - all become players in an epic battle between good and evil.

I won't pull any punches - the violence and cruelty is horrific and hard to stomache, but the hope and beauty that manage to peak through the clouds outshine the ugliness.

Robert McCammon does an extraordinary job of character development considering he has an enormous cast of characters to work with. I will certainly read more of his books. I can only hope that they are half as good as this one!

Now I think he needs to start work on a screenplay of Swan Song - Hollywood could sure use a movie or miniseries like this!

McCammon has a body of classic horror fiction works. This one most people compare to Stephen King's "The Stand." They are similar in two respects: 1) They're both very big books; 2) They both are about the end of the world, or what happens after a major cataclysm changes the world as we know it.

Personally, I couldn't stand "The Stand." But McCammon's book is a page-turner. Despite the various plot threads and the complexity at which he weaves them together, I found it nearly impossible to stop reading. The main characters are all compelling and emotionally involving; the pace is cinematically scripted (a lot of action, suspense and movement); growing climactic tension keeps building making you want to see how it ends.

This was the fastest 1000 page read I've ever had, and really was quite a ride. If you're new to reading McCammon's work, or have found his earlier novels exciting, you MUST read this book!

"The Godfather" is one of the VERY rare examples of a movie (and sequel) that are actually better than the book they are based on. Upon first release, the book was a massive bestseller, more because it is an easy read than because it is great literature. What it is primarily useful for now is as a means of filling in details that the first two Godfather films didn't have time to cover even with their considerable length. Such detail includes the background story of Johnny Fontaine, the Frank Sinatra-esque entertainer who is a loyal Godson. Also fleshed out are the characters of the loyal hitman Luca Brazzi and of Sonny's mistress, who would become the mother of Michael's eventual successor as Don in "Godfather Part 3." There is also more information about Moe Green and the feud over the Corleone move to Nevada.

Puzo is an effective storyteller and he keeps things moving along at a snappy pace. The Don of the book doesn't seem larger than life the way Marlon Brando does in the movie. "The Godfather" is often described as a "trash" novel, but reading would be a lot more fun if all such novels were as good as this one.

In Mario Puzo's The Godfather, he uses the crimes of a family and their Italian heritage to show how it affects a large loving family. I thought this was an excellent book, because the plot sequence was amazing with constant twists and suspense. The irony of this book comes through the crime boss Vito Corleone who is a kind-hearted and loyal friend of all who come to him with a request. However, he makes his living off of corruption and death which really doesn't affect the reader's attitude towards this loving character. The vicious side of the mafia comes through Vito's son Sonny. Sonny's rage leads to the death of many mob-related characters as well as to the his own death which is another irony evident in this novel. The Godfather uses masterful description of each member's life and how mob-life affected them. Another example of irony in The Godfather is the youngest son Michael's situation. At the beginning of the novel, Michael is returning from World War II and has no part in the family business. However, when his father nears death after gunshot wounds, Michael is drawn into the family business and chooses to pay back the antagonist Solozzo by spilling his blood for the sake of the family. Michael becomes the leader of the family after his father and Sonny die and he returns from Italy after things die down about his assasination of Solozzo. This transformation from an upstanding servant of the country to a crime boss looking out for the wellbeing of his family alone is the ulimate irony in this novel. Women and children are not major characters in the novel, because Puzo uses them to show how the mobs goal was to keep the innocent free from encountering their violent troubles. Puzo incorporates the lives of everyone involved in this crime family to show how much love and loyalty lead to their success and rage and deceit lead to their downfall. After reading the novel, I gained a greater appreciation for the movie which I had seen earlier and an understanding of how loyalty leads to power in the world.

The 1970's novel and hit motion picture The Godfather by Mario Puzo was quite possibly the best piece of literature in America as of today. It's thorough description of how a Sicilian mafia operates leads one to realize just how organized "organized crime" is. Puzo showed ohw much family is worth through his book an movie by his skillful use of the third person objective point of view. In every paragraph Puzo gives the reader a chance to feel like they are a, Don Corleone, Luca Brasi or a Tom Hagen. The plot was exceptionally good because after every page turn the plot thickens. One page could be describing a wedding reception and the next would portray two adulturers in lust. Puzo modeled the book to have a series of climaxes before the major plot line climax. This was done to pump the reader up and stretch one's mind so one could comprehend the situtaion. The conflicts also were many. Michael Corleone's internal conflict with himself was the biggest in the book. When he went off to college and then to World War II it was planted by society that his family's business was the most immoral work one could do. Besides Michael's internal conflict there is a big conflict with the Corleones and the Tatalias. After the Corleone's Don was shot the plots conflict thickened from water to syrup. Overall Mario Puzo worte an American Classic, which was true in the 1970's and will remain true always and forever.