A helpful book to find one's own voice and style in writing based on personality preferences. It also has some practical suggestions for finding the right words regardless of the assignment and your workplace position.

I am in awe of George Eliot. She has constructed a narrative that is uncommonly perceptive and literate about both the subtle and quirky level of individual motivation and the larger forces of society which form the arena in which human lives play themselves out. Middlemarch is a provincial English town during Victorian times and Eliot selects a broad range of characters from every level of society to illustrate her themes. Prominent among these themes are the way in which the ambitions of potentially extraordinary achievers can be constrained by a poor choice of affiliation, most notably bad marraiges. She also addresses the role of women, the way that wealthy landowners determine the quality of life for the poor, and presents insightful portraits of a number of personality types. It is often a very funny book as well, as she exposes the foibles of the pompous and self-deluded which subtle and unerring accuracy.

This is not a light read. This is a long, dense novel, but I found something fascinating on nearly every page.

It's comparatively easy to describe things as we wish them to be than to describe them as they really are. With "Middlemarch", George Eliot has accomplished one of the truly difficult tasks in literature: to describe things as they really are and still hold the reader's interest with less than exceptional characters.

"Middlemarch" was Eliot's attempt to describe a pre-reform English country town. Within the novel we run across the typical characters like the wealthy land owners, clergymen, polticians, etc. The book primarily revolves around the actions of two families, the Brookes and the Vincys.

The main characters are Dorothea Brooke and Tertius Lydgate, a newcomer to Middlemarch. Dorothea has an independent mind at a time when women were supposed to be openly subservient to men. She intends to do much good in the world and is constantly drawing up 'plans'. Lydgate is a physician who wants to make improvements in the medical field. He has a solid idea of what he wants to do with his life and how to accomplish it.

Through these two characters, Eliot presents the frustrations and joys to which we can be driven because of an idealistic mind. Both Dorothea and Lydgate are idealists. Both encounter many trials because of their idealism, trials that they overcome in their own ways.

In "Middlemarch" Eliot also makes a statement about marriage. Dorothea and Lydgate's problems stem almost entirely from bad marriages. They each go into their own marriages with distinct impressions of how married life will be and both are very disappointed when the reality of the situation becomes obvious.

"Middlemarch" is one of those novels that it is difficult to explain why one likes it. The plot is predictable, the characters are unexceptional, and the time period isn't particularly interesting. However, Eliot has constructed a masterpiece with this novel that few have matched. Perhaps the genius of George Eliot is that she could do so much with so little.

Middlemarch is probably the best example of nineteenth century British literature. I felt the first book called "Miss Brooke" was long and laborious to read, however after the setting was established and the characters were thoroughly introduced, I had trouble putting the book down! I am a graduate student and I was able to read the novel in 4 nights. George Eliot shows all degrees of human nature and circumstances in this tale. Love does not always beget love and vice versa. Love does not always conquer all. This book will keep you interested from cover to cover with a vast array of characters and situations and you will swear you know some of the people involved! I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves nineteenth century literature!

Chernow is one of the few biographers who can take an enormous amount of information on a subject and create a book that is even-handed and interesting. Since this is a figure that is both reviled and lionized, I think the author's purpose was to present all sides to this complex person and let the reader come to his own conclusions. Chernow's research of Rockefeller's childhood reveals a lot about the way he turned out as an adult, and the author's writing style points out both his strengths and shortcomings as well as showing how Standard Oil's rise to the top came about and the ruthless actions Rockefeller took to get it there. In the latter part of the book, as Rockefeller retires and ages, the book concentrates mostly on John Jr. as well as his daughters and heirs. While this was necessary for a complete story, I felt some of this could have been edited better. This is still a first-rate, detailed biography.

Backed by an impressive research effort, Chernow presents the long life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. in lucid and gripping prose. Presenting an objective, balanced portrait of the "Titan," the author convincingly refutes older biographical works that characterized Rockefeller as either wholly just (Allan Nevins) or evil incarnate (Ida Tarbell). Here is a man who exemplified the American "can-do" spirit through his creation of the modern oil industry from an initial $1800 investment. Rockefeller's Standard Oil trust produced a cheap and reliable illuminant used by tens of millions in America, Europe and Asia, providing many with what quickly became a necessity of life. His University of Chicago went from virtual nothingness to a world-class learning institute within a decade; his medical charities saved tens of thousands of lives by eliminating hookworm in the American South and yellow fever throughout the world. Chernow, however, does not gloss o! ver Rockefeller's use of political corruption and predatory business tactics to achieve these ends. Chernow concludes that Rockefeller's approach did not arise from a Jeckyl and Hyde complex, nor from a desire to use his charities as a balm to soothe his conscience. Instead, Chernow convincingly argues that Rockefeller's misdeeds and acts of kindness arose from the same peculiar source: his firm belief that both his business and his charities performed the work of God. "Titan" is an amazing work, which details not only Rockefeller's rise to power but the intricacies of his complex personality as well. A must for any fan of American history.

I think that Ron Chernow faced a difficult task in the writing of 'Titan'; taking one of the most controversial figures of American business and cultural history and delivering a profile that is relatively balanced and insightful. Although it was fairly apparent that Chernow resides in the "JDR was a benevolent robber baron" camp, he was successful. 'Titan' delivers a fascinating portrait of a complex individual. The contrast between Rockefeller's strict Baptist principles, as well as nearly monastic physical habits, and his aggressive pursuit of wealth through ruthless business practices was well illustrated. The two constants in his life revolved around wealth: its creation and its distribution. From his youth, Rockefeller expressed a desire to make money, and once he earned it, to distribute it charitably.

I think that what should be taken away from 'Titan' is that John D. Rockefeller was neither an angel nor a demon, but like most people, had a complex personality that included self-directed rationalizations for his actions. Granted, the scope of his accomplishments was wildly different from most peoples', but in the end he was like any other person: eager for success, concerned with the well-being of his family, and full of his own personality quirks and contradictions.

This is the best spy novel - and one the best books - I have ever read. Le Carre gives a very real look at the world of espionage during the Cold War. A real novel of suspense, deceit, and intrigue. He holds you on the edge of your seat as Leamas tries, for one last time, to "come in from the cold". If you're looking for a fast-paced book, don't look here. You won't find it. And if you can't handle hard-to-follow plots, you won't like this one much either. Reading this novel makes me want to read even more of Le Carre. A must for a "real" spy enthusiast.

The book that I read is called "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold". It was written by John Le Carre and first published in 1969. The book is a very good but a complicated spy story. It focuses on the espionage back in the 1960s when Berlin was divided into West and East Berlin. The main character of the book is Leamas, a clever English spy. After finishing his job of spying in East Berlin for London, he started to drink and deteriorate. Leamas had done a good job while he was working for London, but when he retired he appeared to have no savings and no income. Being extremely poor, he resented the Organization for which he had been employed. However, one day he met other spies who worked for East Berlin and who took him to a man named Fiendler who was interested in obtaining information that Leamas had. They offered Leamas money and he accepted. The story is an astonishing one. It is mostly about the rough times a man goes through while spying and how he is left out at the end by the Organization he worked for. Trying hard to avoid poverty, he falls into a very dangerous business. The book is good because it has a lot of mystery and suspense. At the same time it is very hard to understand because it has a lot of information that makes your head spin. I don't like the characters that much. I don't agree with the desicions they make, because of their selfishness and greediness. I think that "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" is a good story. It is full of suspense and adventure. It is the story of a man who had to make a hard decision after being let down by the ones he trusted. It is a story about betrayal, hatred and jealousy. At the same time it can be very confusing because of too much mystery.

This is it - the best spy novel ever written, so good that not even Le Carre has ever been able to match it. If your image of espionage is formed by the cheesy gadgetry and high adventure of James Bond, then get ready for one very rude awakening. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is a heartbreaking story, full of lonely people sadly making their way through a cold world - the Cold War was never more chilly than it is here. It's a sad and depressing book, but a smashingly good one, too. Read it.

I'll agree with the many other reviews that rate this book as an extremely knowledgeable reference on ASP, perhaps the definitive reference.

However, there are several points that make this book somewhat unappealing from a practical perspective.

First, note that it was written by 15 different authors. This incorporates many different writing styles, making it unwieldy. The previous edition was written by 8 people. Do not attempt to use either book as a cover-to-cover tutorial.

Second, the code examples are written almost exclusively in VBScript, although the book acknowledges that Javascript (also known as JScript) would work just as effectively. From a real-world perspective, I have found that many ASP programmers prefer to use Javascript for both server-side and client-side development.

The use of 2 scripting languages in one application is simply impractical. VBScript persists mainly because it is a Microsoft invention, as is ASP itself. However, Javascript (or ECMA Script) has become the industry-standard scripting language for web-based applications.

Another issue with the code examples is that they are not line-numbered. For short examples, this is not an issue. But for larger code modules (as one would encounter in the real world), line-numbering is considered part of best practices in explaining and debugging code before it is deployed.

For readers with any ASP background, this book would be a useful desktop reference. Carrying it around in your briefcase may cause lower back strain.

Professional Active Server Pages 3.0, by Alex Homer, is
a book on developing web applications using Active
Server Pages 3.0. This book goes in depth into
developing web applications with discussions and
examples on advanced topics such as, CDO/Microsoft
Exchange Server, ADO/Microsoft SQL Server, and
ADSI/Active Directory. Homer presents the reader with a
wealth of information on advanced enterprise level
topics based on Microsoft technologies. This book is
excellent for intermediate/advanced users who wish to
learn about Active Server Pages using Microsoft
technologies, however due to the fact Homer does not
goes in depth with fundamentals of programming Visual
Basic Script, this book should not be recommended to
novice developers.

Throughout the book, Homer discusses the importance of
COM/COM+ and what that technology can do for your web
application. He writes examples of a COM+ component in
Visual Basic and shows the user how to register/load
the component into memory along with utilizing the
functionality of them in an Active Server Page. Homer
further explores the features of Windows 2000 by
introducing the features of Active Directory and
explaining/demonstrating how ADSI can connect an Active
Server Page to the Active Directory. The book goes into
further detail on enterprise level topics by discussing
how CDO interfaces with Microsoft Exchange Server.
Using CDO, a developer can access all of users Exchange
account information including mail, contacts, calendar,
etc. The book ends with performance and security issues
for web applications running on a Windows 2000 Server
and how an administrator should configure a Windows
2000 Server for maximum performance and security.

The software/technologies the book uses are based on
products/technologies developed by Microsoft. Since
Active Server Pages is a Microsoft technology, it would
be reasonable to use only Microsoft
products/technologies. However, in the real world, many
businesses have heterogeneous environments with Oracle
database servers and JavaScript web developers. The
fact that this book only exposes the reader to vendor-
specific technologies could be a down fall, however
creates a centralized focus for the reader.

This book covers a wide spectrum of advanced knowledge
with Active Server Pages, however is completely based
around Microsoft technologies. Several other authors
composed this book, which helps the reader get a
dynamic flavor of knowledge from chapter to chapter as
one can see. Any intermediate/advanced web developer,
interested in enterprise web application development,
should purchase a copy of this book for reference
purposes.

Being an enterprise web developer, I found this book to be the absolute best in its field. It covers a very wide spectrum of fields any web developer working with Microsoft web technology should know, including ADO, ADSI, ASP, CDO, COM+, error handling, MSMQ, Windows DNA, XML, and a whole lot more (note that this book is primarily oriented at web developers who's target platform is Windows 2000 and IIS 5.0, but I also found it to be extremely useful for use on Windows NT 4.0 and IIS 4.0, since the authors clearly indicate features that are new to Windows 2000 and IIS 5.0). The writing style is absolutely excellent and gives clear tips on code optimization and performance. I have read literally dozens of different books on these subjects, and none has come close to this one. Although this book is not for beginners, it is, in my opinion, good for anyone who wants to advance their career on the web or become an web developer. This is definitely a book you will want to read from cover to cover, and use as a reference. At just about any price, it's a steal.

This book is one of a number of Professor Challenger adventures of Sir A. C. Doyle. A noted zoologist (Challenger) has come across evidence that there is a plateau in South America that can be reached from deep in the Amazon rain forest in which prehistoric animals still exist. An expedition of four (Challenger, a sceptical zoologist named Summerlee, a noted hunter (Lord John Roxton), and Edward Malone, a journalist) sets out to verify this report. The arguing and interactions between the academics is interesting in that little seems to have changed in the last 87 years! It should be noted that Doyle isolates the plateau so that there is minimal interaction with the rest of the rain forest (thus, the dinosaurs can't escape). But, why couldn't the ptereodactyls spread out? This story was one of the earliest "Lost World" tales and has been made into a film a number of times. Other stories in this sub-genre owe much to Doyle and Challenger.

Professor George E. Challenger, noted scientist, says dinosaurs are still alive, and he knows where to find them. The scientific community says he's a madman or a fraud, or both. Challenger's only evidence is a bunch of blurry photographs. Fellow scientists say the photos are obviously doctored and the newspapers call it a fantasy. Boiling with rage, Challenger goes into seclusion. Anyone foolish enough to bring up the tender subject around him is liable to end up in the gutter outside his house, with a few extra lumps for the gutter press.

The only reporter brave, or stupid, enough to face the professor's wrath and get the story is Edward Malone, young, intrepid journalist for the Daily Gazette. At a boisterous scientific meeting, Professor Summerlee, a rival scientist, calls Challenger's bluff. Summerlee will return to South America and prove Challenger wrong. The young journalist volunteers to go along. Lord John Roxton, the famous hunter, can't miss an opportunity to return to the jungle and adds his name to expedition. Professor Challenger is happy they are taking him seriously, even if they don't all believe him. But what will they find in South America? A strange, living time capsule from the Jurassic period filled with pterodactyls and stegosaurs? Or will they only find vast tracks of endless jungles and Challenger's daydreams? Either way there will be danger and adventure for all.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote "The Lost World" in 1912 for the Strand magazine, the same magazine that published his Sherlock Holmes stories. It's a great Edwardian science-fiction adventure, although some may not like the British Imperialism and Darwinian racism. Still, in "The Lost World" Conan Doyle lets his hair down a little. Changing narrators from the earnest Doctor John Watson to the rash reporter Edward Malone makes for a big change. There is a good deal more humor. The students in the scientific meetings are forever yelling out jokes at the expense of nutty Professor Challenger. Affairs of the heart play a big role in Malone's life. He matures from a young swain out to impress his girlfriend to more of a wistful man-of-the-world by the end. It is a very different Conan Doyle than some are used to reading. Different, but just as good, maybe, dare I say it, even better.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a classic dinosaur adventure story when he wrote The Lost World in 1912. The tale's narrator, Ned Malone is a newspaper reporter who joins an expedition to the wilds of the Amazon to impress his girlfriend. However, he scarcely anticipates the dangers he will confront when the expedition's leader, zoology professor George Challenger takes them to a plateau filled with dinosaurs and ape men.
Doyle's human characters are described much more richly than Michael Crichton's minimally interesting protagonists in Jurassic Park (1990), so the story hinges as much on Challenger's eccentricities as it does on dinosaur attacks or Ned Malone's quest for validation of his masculine bravado. A weakness is the lack of female characters worthy of more than passing note. Ned's fickle and heartless girlfriend makes only brief and displeasing appearances at the beginning and end of the tale. Crichton does no better with females.
Hopp's Dinosaur Wars, published in 2000, does a much better take on genders, giving equal weight to a young male/female pair who brave the dangers of dinosaurs loose in modern-day Montana. It seems that even dinosaur fiction has evolved over the years.

John Dunning, Booked to Die (Pocket, 1992)

This book's probably got a niche market in the same way that Christopher Morley's wonderful turn-of-the-century bookstore-themed mysteries did. You're going to get a lot more out of this book if you've ever trod the bibliophile's path yourself, or at least have some other kind of collecting bug in your bonnet. Otherwise, you might do well to avoid this one.

Okay, now that we've got rid of the riffraff, let's get down to brass tacks. This is a great little mystery that introduces us to Cliff Janeway, a Colorado cop who dreams of retiring from the force and opening his own rare bookstore. It doesn't matter that every other shop on the street where he wants to open his is a rare bookstore; competition doesn't apply to the types of folks who frequent rare bookstores. After all, most every copy of a rare book is different, and this gang is usually looking for that one specific typo that sets edition A apart from edition B and wants printing X; so many variables everyone's bound to hve different stock. But Janeway's bookstore dreams are a background to the novel, which is above all a mystery. There are two plotlines here. The first concerns the murder of a bookscout, onje of that class just up from the homeless who make their living buying books at Goodwill and selling them to people who know what they're worth. The second concerns a rather nasty person that Janeway's been trying to nab for years. Due to the American system of justice, the guy keeps evading capture. Everyone else in the novel wants to combine the two; they're convinced the nasty type did in the bookscout, and everyone's happy. Everyone, that is, except our fearless narrator. Things get out of hand. Complications ensue. If they didn't, it wouldn't be a mystery novel.

Where Dunning excels here is in the balance ebtween the book talk and the mystery talk. Separating the two out would make for a passable novel about the book trade (think Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop as told by Mike Hammer) and a passable mystery novel (think My Gun Is Quick as told by Penelope Fitzgerald). Neither side suffers from the inclusion of the other, something which is rare indeed among novels that attempt to blend two such disparate streams of thought. Add to this Dunning's eye for detail-- the only stones that remain unturned are those necessary to set up the idea that these characters will continue on into other novels (a second Janeway novel, The Bookman's Wake, has already been published)-- and you've got a fun little read. It's not earthshaking, it doesn't break any new ground, and it's a niche. More people remember Agatha Christie than Christopher Morley, too, but that doesn't make Morley's books any less wonderful. As Morley, so Dunning. Highly recommended for those who find themselves in the first paragraph of this review. *** 1/2

In this story we are introduced to a tough homicide detective named Cliff Janeway. Cliff also has a soft side -- the side of him that has a passion for the printed word and collectible books. The story opens with an investigation of the murder of a Denver bookscout (a person who finds treasure at resale shops and Salvation Army stores, among other places, & sells it to used collectible book dealers). Cliff suspects a vicious criminal that he has been after for years, Jackie Newton. Cliff and Jackie enter a spiral that changes their lives forever. However, nothing in this book is quite as it seems .... one important part of the mystery isn't solved until the very last page!

The author made his characters thoroughly believable & thoroughly likeable. Mixed into this well written mystery are details about collectible books woven skillfully into the story.

A friend loaned me the paperback and I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I ordered the hardcover available on Amazon -- the book is that good! Buy it, if you love books as much as I do, you'll really enjoy and treasure this book!

First of all, this is just a good old-fashioned, hard-boiled detective story. Cliff Janeway starts out as a Denver homicide detective, but Dunning wisely contrives to get him out on his own. Even when he's with the police though, he's none to powerful. He does not have an amoral partner backing him up. He's unlucky at love and he's not an epicure. He's tough, but he has sense enough to be scared of the folks who are truly dangerous. In short, Janeway is a throwback to the lone wolf investigators of yore.

But then there's the unique twist that makes what could have been merely a good series into a fascinating one : Cliff Janeway is a bookman. He collects first editions of American Literature, with a particular interest in Faulkner, and in recent years has given increasing thought to becoming a book dealer himself. Ultimately, when circumstances force him to leave the police department, he does indeed open his own store, Twice Told Books.

Without taking anything away from the book as a mystery, it really derives it's energy from the world of book collecting. The book is set in 1986, so the prices cited must be hopelessly outdated, but when he talks about first editions of Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot going from $10 to $100 in the space of just ten years, that's an attention grabber. It's especially interesting that the books of horror authors like King and popular authors, like Anne Tyler, have already increased so much in value. I recognize that normal people don't spend the amount of time that I do looking for good, cheap books, but I guarantee that as you read about the details of book collecting, you'll be glancing up at your own bookshelves to see if your's are first editions (with the dust jacket, and not Book of the Month Club editions.)

Thanks to this unique angle and the character filled bookman's subculture in which it's set, this is one of the better mysteries series of recent years.

GRADE : A

I am 40 years old and just read this book for the first time. I found this story to be a page-turner and very absorbing. Excellent local color and superb character development. You know, I think today's younger generation could take a few lessons from this story - the stocism these people demonstrated throughout their ordeal was fascinating. The simply did what they had to do and only complained periodically (with exception of Rosasharn - who bitched and whined all the time). This is also a great review of a bleak period in American history.

My advice to people who haven't read it is: by all means, read it, learn something about history and the human spirit.

Now for the oddities:

1. Maybe this was symbolic and I just glossed over it, but several times in the book, drivers (including the protagonists) are squashing with their vehicles animals who have the misfortune of using or crossing the road they use. Well, that was kind of strange I thought.

2. Why Connie left Rosasharn is sort of a mystery. She was pregnant for crying out loud. Was her constant carping about her wanting a house and nice things just driving him bug-s---?

3. Noah left and was never heard from again. I suppose you could argue that this was symbolic of a family disintegrating and how they dealt with it.

4. Now the really odd thing. It ended at a weird spot. Not much closure. I had to check to make sure pages weren't torn out of this old paperback. Wonder if other reviewers thought that was kind of dissatisfying....?

Quite simply, The Grapes of Wrath is THE Great American Novel.

This is the powerful story of the Joad family, "Okies" who are forced from their bank-foreclosed farm during the depression.

John Steinbeck's writing is sheer literary art. There is beautiful description, incredibly realistic dialogue, and a compelling story that captures the heart and seeks out the very core of one's conscious. And the beauty of it is that it's thoroughly understandable. The eloquent writing and flawless story can be savored by anyone from a junior high school student to a PhD.

The book is also innovative, intertwining short chapters that capture the plight of the dispossessed with longer chapters that follow the long road traveled by the Joad family to California. This is accomplished without at all disrupting the flow of the story.

No wonder that this book won the Pulitzer Prize and was the key work cited for Mr. Steinbeck's Nobel Prize.

It's a mighty piece of literature.

This book cannot but be considered one of the greatest works of American literature. Its plot is simple, almost literally pedestrian, but it magically conveys the feelings not just of its characters, but of an entire social movement and era.

The device of alternating chapters between the tale of the Joad family and descriptive narratives of the society around them only strengthens things. This is no academic, dusty view of history; this is reality, as people lived and thought and experienced.

The human attachment to the soil, the desire for home and community, the struggle for social justice, the tyranny of property, the myth of the Promised Land, the hope and dreams of a new life - there is something here on every level, the social, the spiritual, and the emotional.

The beginning of the novel is a bit slow, but it slowly picks up momentum as it travels west. By its end, one cannot but be riveted by the Joads and the struggles they endure. And one can feel the grapes of wrath building, the knowledge that some way, somehow, the human will to survive can never be defeated.

But, despite its clear social messages, this is not a political tract. The novel's ending takes one of the most intimate of human actions into a bare, stark necessity. Eroticism, motherhood, generosity, desperation - what is it? We cannot tell for sure, but we know only that it is human. The most horrific of our trials only serve to bring out our humanity. A haunting and unforgettable message.

This novel is a retelling of Beowulf from the monster Grendel's point of view. In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel is seen only as the evil monster and not the feeling and sensitive individual that he really is. We learn from John Gardner's novel that Grendel starts out as a relatively innocent being who just wants to fit in with the humans. He makes many attempts to do this, but he gets rejected every time. The humans do not even think of allowing Grendel a chance to explain himself. Grendel starts to become depressed by all these fruitless efforts and begins to believe life is pointless. Grendel doesn't want to be the monster and doesn't understand why the humans are afraid of him. He wants meaning and purpose to his life. However, he begins to feel hatred towards the humans because of all these negative emotions they are causing him to feel. This is when Grendel takes a trip to the evil dragon's lair where he receives some advice that sends him even farther in the wrong direction. The dragon tells Grendel that he should be the humans' representative of evil because he says if Grendel wasn't, then someone else would be. At this point, Grendel is very vulnerable and therefore believes the dragon's wayward advice. The dragon also puts a charm on Grendel, without Grendels knowing, that protects him from weapons. Grendel begins attacking the humans' mead halls more frequently and soon discovers the charm. He begins to feel invincible and powerful, which in turn cause his death. Gredel begins to feel as though he is better than the humans and is not afraid to take on any of them in battle. So when the legendary Beowulf crosses the sea to help defend the Danes, Grendel thinks nothing of fighting him...However, Grendel then discovers a flaw in the dragon's charm, which is that he is only invincible against weapons and not in hand to hand combat. Grendel discovers this flaw too late and is completely overpowered by the potent soldier. Grendel's death is a sad and gruesome one, and it seems as though Grendel too has mixed feelings on his departure from the world. This last scene of the book also sums up the whole novel, which is full of uncertainties on Grendel's behalf. He is never quite sure of his role or what he wants his role to be.

The main reason I liked this novel is because of the way the character Grendel relates to people in today's society. He is very life-like and because of his compassionate views, he is easy to relate to. There is a well-developed theme that is implied to show us how powerful human emotions can be and what they can cause individuals to do. Grendel is a very original novel, and I highly recommend it.

Marvelous. Written almost 30 years ago, Grendel by John Gardner has lost none of its nihilistic punch. Exposed to the novel half of those 30 years ago I had to experience it again after reading the critically lauded Seamus Heaney version of Beowulf. Greeting me once more were meditations on the dark existential void, religion, politics, and science by a creature, not too unlike us in our fears and hopes, who continued to strive to make sense of the universe and his place in it. Alternating between the sublime Orwellian double-talk of the minstrel Shaper and the cold, condescendingly bleak philosophy of the Dragon, Grendel struggles for meaning. Told that his life and energies exist only for man to define himself against, he finds small consolation. Still, Grendel throws himself on the mercy of the men in a Frankenstein's monster effort to be accepted... to no avail, deciding after that 'why should I not' destroy them . At times darkly humourous, and touching, the creature muses on the beauty of Hrothgar's placid, sacrificing wife before attempting to kill her, and plays with the fallen hero Unferth before Beowulf's arrival. As those familiar with the epic know, Beowulf in the original poem arrives from across the sea to save Hrothgar's hall by doing battle with Grendel, his mother, and eventually the Dragon. Grendel senses Beowulf's arrival and marvels at the concept of fear. Familiarity with the story makes the inevitability of the conflict all the more delicious when Grendel finally realizes his purpose and observes 'I cannot believe such monstrous energy of grief would lead to nothing' the reader is left to answer that it did not lead to nothing, it was a necessary component in an incredible story, told from the historical antagonist's point of view. Highly recommended to be read along with Beowulf.

What if you could see into the mind of Grendel, the terrifying creature of the night from Beowulf? Well, with this book by John Gardner, you can. Brutal at times, irreverent at others, and very cynical at others, Grendel wanders around for many years watching the development of the various human tribes and the emergence of Hrothgar as a sort of king among them. He spends twelve years in a unique relationship with the king, trying first to make friends with the Danes (he is attacked) and later making raids and killing the most drunken of Hrothgar's thanes. The notorious coward Unferth (the one who later insults Beowulf) is also developed here--Grendel has such contempt and pity for Unferth that he will not kill him (thus giving him a hero's death) despite Unferth's repeated attempts to fight him.

In the poem Beowulf, Grendel is a very flat character. He is, in fact, the epitome of evil, unfeeling and cruel. He comes, he kills and eats people, he leaves. Then he comes back. This book gives Grendel a personality. He knows he is a member of the fallen (Cain's) race, and accepts that fact. He is lonely, and cannot even get companionship from his mother, who has long ceased to communicate. In fact, his only real 'friends' are the Danes he kills. Still, he knows he is dependent on Hrothgar's survival. 'If I murdered the last of the Scyldings,' he muses, 'what would I live for?'

This book gives excellent insight into the character of Grendel, and will definitely change the way you look at the poem Beowulf. Gardner's Grendel is a creature who determines to kill Beowulf for the honor of Hrothgar, so that his thanes will not have been outdone by a newcomer. I highly recommend this short work for anyone interested in the great old English epic.