This is an incredibly well crafted novel. A brilliant, complex tale of complicated, twisted but plausible characters, fraught with tension. Savage masterfully employs foreshadowing and understatement throughout the novel; it clearly requires a re-reading to appreciate them all, as well as its many metaphors. This tale is so powerful that in the first read you are compelled to proceed reading rather than to slowly savor it. After having finished it, I found myself repeatedly rereading the impeccable last 15 pages -- the perfection of the novel's end literally takes your breath away.

It is rare that one comes across a novel as well written as this: impressive, satisfying, masterful.

Thomas Savage's "Power of the Dog" is a re-discovered treasure of a novel. Like Beryl Markham's "West With the Night," this book slipped into oblivion shortly after publication and never received literary accolades it deserved. When Annie Proulx wrote a new afterward for the book, contemporary readers took notice and Thomas Savage receives renewed recognition as an important American writer.
"The Power of the Dog," first published in 1967, contains seeds of a writing style that bears fruit in writers like Thomas McGuane, Annie Proulx, Jim Harrison and Mark Spragg.
While the book is a "western" in setting, it broaches misogyny, misogamy and homosexuality, subjects seldom touched in writings about the west.
Fascinating, darkly suspenseful and wholly satisfying.

Every once in a while you stumble across a book that stays on your mind long after you finish the last page. This is the type of book you want to recommend to everyone, but instead, you only tell your close friends. When people ask "Have you read anything good lately?" You respond without hesitating "The Power of the Dog," but don't bother to describe the book. It is just that good.

I rarely watch a movie twice, almost never read the same book over. This book is worthy of a second reading. I feel fortunate to stumble upon this incredible story by a genius author...

Guerrilla warfare is seldom spoken in Civil War circles or written about. Probably one of the more popular characters in this topic from that period is Bill Anderson. Authors Albert Castel and Thomas Goodrich have assembled quite a bit of useful information in regards to Anderson's ambitions, motivations, movements and operations throughout Kansas and Missouri. This dangerous, callous and revengeful individual is brought forth to show how rough and chaotic war can be, especially for a divided state such as Missouri. Anderson leads his small band of raiders throughout these states living like desperate pirates to plunder towns and more importantly hunt down enemies to the extreme.

Anderson's life is never short of violence as he is the ultimate and sadistic leader of a dangerous group of bandits that have borderline allegiances to the Confederate cause. Portraying to be Union Cavalry, Anderson and his band of murderers steal, burn, kill and ravage towns of Union sympathizers. Union Militia throughout the state of Missouri is quickly and badly organized to hunt down Anderson and his company that seems to constantly grow larger in membership. Anderson raids towns such as Fayette and Centralia leaving deadly results by killing many former Union soldiers, burning depots and various other buildings while looting stores. Anderson and his gang are always drinking and whiskey seems to elevate their need for murder and money that never ends.
Is he ever stopped?

Like many, I couldn't resist this book and wished for more though there is quite a bit of useful information for a short book of roughly 144 pages. It was descriptively well-written, concise, maps and pictures were included which gave the book a great rhythmic flow as far as content. 5 STARS!!

This is a very interesting and well written book about the atrocities that Bill Anderson and his bushwhackers committed, within the background of the Civil War. The authors have done a tremendous amount of research and it pays off.

The only problem I has with it is that at 150 pages, it was a bit too short. Then again, the subtitle does say Short and Savage life.

Well recommended for Civil War or military history buffs.

I found this book to be an easy to read history of not only Anderson but the circumstances that helped create him. The authors have done an excellent job turning up new information and sifting old information to write a helpful new view of Anderson. The book is well footnoted and contains several never before printed photos including a photo of Anderson's wife, Bush Smith and one of the cord he used to keep track of his kills. This book is a must for anyone interested in the Civil War on the Kansas-Missouri border.

After having read this book, it was the perfect introduction the Southern Architecture and Decorative arts prior to actually seeing Charleston face-to-face. Mr. Savage gave lecturers on this very topic in my classes as well as site, which had been complimented by his book. It is artfully written and with care describes the details often ignored by many travel writers, art historians and even restorers! One almost feels as if they can hear the author reading it aloud. Bravo.

This really is a beautiful book, especially for someone who's not familiar with Charleston. Most of the photographs are wonderful, with a lot of detail not seen in other books about Charleston. I'm probably spoiled, but I could have used about 40 more pages...but when you're talking about Charleston, a 5000 page book wouldn't be enough. Really a wonderful book to add to any Charleston collection.

Excellent information for the person just starting to study ballet. Be it child or grown up, this book is filled with facts from ballet technique to history, and even includes a dictionary of ballet terms. A must for any child starting ballet.....although one must realize that the ballet studio described in the book is not what one will ALWAYS find... studios' set up and rules do vary... Especially informative is the section about famous ballet dancers and choreographers, as well as the sketches showing how to do the basic positions and steps. You will not be dissatisfied with this one.

I went to the library and tried every book they have on the topic... we keep renewing this one, so now I'm going to buy it. This is like all the other books combined... it has everything!

The diagrams of steps and positions, in adition to the basic first five, are extensive and well-organized into chapters on Exercises at the Barre, Centre Work, Jumps and Travelling Steps... rounding off with A Simple Dance (combining various steps, etc.), and ending with a short (1-page) discussion of steps for two people (no diagrams here, just a few illustrations of people in costume).

My daughter is barely 3 and loves it... first thing in the morning we do some of the excersizes together and practice some of the basic positions. Before nap time, we read the story of how ballet began, look at the pictures of the costumes and the pictures of clothes people wear to a ballet class, talk about which ones she wants to wear someday when she is old enough to take a ballet class, and how you make up your own ballet. (She has made up her own silly ones, too.) And before bed at night, we read (and re-read ad infinitum!) the Stories of Ballets (though you do have to ad-lib to soften them a bit for kids this young, because most of them end in tragedy) and of Famous Dancers.

Our day does not revolve around ballet so much as it does around books and playing... but for over 2 months now, this book has not been out of the lineup one single afternoon or night.

And I'll never give up our morning exercise routine, so this book's big collection of diagrammed positions is something we will be able to grow into over time.

My daughter isn't interested in the sections on The Structure of a Ballet Company, Ballet As A Career, or Life At A Ballet School, but I thought they were great, and I can see how they can put some reality into the fantasies of parents or pre-teens.

On top of all that, there's a glossary at the end and a full index... it's just a very well-written book, appropriate for ALL ages.

I really wanted to like PRECIPICE, but no matter how hard I tried I just did not like it. Most of the characters are not whom or what they claim to be and we know that the protagonist is portraying someone she is not. All it did was confuse me more and more and made it hard for me to enjoy it.

The only other book written by Savage that I have read is VALENTINE. That novel really kept me guessing and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. (I, however, am not interested in seeing the 'movie'). I have SCAVENGER in my pile of books to read and hopefully I will like that one better.

Having already read Tom Savage's previous books, Valentine & The Inheritance, I picked this up recently and from the first page was capitivated by this mystery that takes place in St. Thomas, VI. Tom Savage develops his characters very well and this is the kind of book you have a hard time putting down for long. If you like intriguing, fast moving suspense, Precipice is the book for you. Why this was never turned into a movie is beyond me, it has all the right ingredients. Very highly recommended.

Once again Tom Savage has got me hooked. Even though this was his first book written I read it last. I was hooked after I read Iheritance, then Valentine. Which led me to this book. My next adventure will be reading Dance of the Moongoose that I just found out about and I am still waiting for his fourth book to come out. Tom Keep up the great work. You never have to get of the Thrill Seeking Ride when your with Tom.

This book is a verry good book ,it tells about Thurman's football start in High school and in college. When he was in college he beat out the best running back Barry Sanders. It also talks about how the Bills went to the super bowl four times.

If you are interested in this book because you loved "The Power of the Dog," you might be disappointed. Although the two books were written 20+ years apart, there is an abundance of similarities. The characters, setting, relationships and insecurities will sound very familiar. Yet this book isn't as dark, intense, or satisfying as "Power of the Dog." It is worth reading if you are intrigued with Thomas Savage. I definately am.