"Sir Gawain" is one of a number of stories that have come down to us from the Medieval period that one cannot help feeling has a wealth of hidden meaning behind it. The figure of the "Green Man" is a common although wispy character in western mythology, and his face often stares out at us from cathedral walls in Europe. The figure of Khidr in Islamic folklore, supposedly the prophet Enoch and whose very name means "green" in Arabic, makes one wish to find a Middle Eastern connection with this story, as there are in so much Medieval literature, such as Dante and Chaucer.

The story is obviously related to the ancient myths of death and regeneration in Celtic thought as well, and fits in well with the rest of the Arthurian legends. All in all, a bit of an enigma as regards its source, and worth being aware of if you're in to that kind of thing.

I have read at least four translations of Gawain, including Tolkein's, and the Brian Stone version is my favorite. It is written in understandable English. As another reviewer has pointed out, Stone's version is most like the medieval one in its structure, its use of alliteration, and the rhyme scheme of the bob and wheel. Tolkein, in an appendix to his version, gives a clear and enlightening explanation of the principles of this kind of poetry. Once you've read Tolkein's explanation, your appreciation of the poem will be greatly enhanced. Nowadays, many poets and others turn up their noses at alliteration, but I love it. So the language is one of the things that make the poem such a pleasure to read.

Another thing that makes Gawain a great read is that it is just a darn good story. When a green man riding a green horse and carrying his own green-haired head gallops into Arthur's dining hall, you know there's going to be some drama in this tale. And there is! There's some hunting and killing of animals for the sportsperson and the bloodthirsty. There's romantic temptation, and there's suspense.

One reviewer speculated on possible symbolism in the novel. The search for deeper meanings might interest some readers. For me to "get" a symbol, it has to jump out of the book and bite me on the nose.

I know that the Marie Borroff translation is much praised, but this one is far better for the undergraduate classroom. While both translations share some characteristics (both are in poetry, both try to maintain the alliteration), you need only compare/contrast the "bob and wheel" (last 5 lines of each stanza) to see that Stone has managed to maintain "the sting in the tail" so typical of the original Middle English version--wherein a significant or surprising part of the stanza often appears in the bob and wheel--start with Fitt I, stanzas 4 and 7. Stone also maintains the "alliterative signaling" oral tradition: when possible he tries to alliterate only key words (Boroff seems happy when she can alliterate anything in the line, regardless of its significance to theme or motif!). As a medievalist, I am truly sorry to see so many of my colleagues jumping on the Borroff bandwagon when this superior, alternative translation is so readily available.

Published in 1982, Aftel's book does a good job of providing narrative and photos of Brian's life and death. Aftel is/was a psychotherapist in Berkeley and she does a very credible job of presenting the details (with lots of very good photos). She does not get into the stories about the possible murder, although she does report on the thefts that occurred at Cotchford Farm immediately after he died. If you would like to hear the murder story, get the CD from Geoffrey Guiliano "Brian Jones: The Lost Stone" which is sometimes part of the 3 CD set "The Rolling Stones Interviews" on LaserLight.

What an incredible first entry for such a young writer. Brian Moses posesses a command of the English language comparable to bestselling authors over twice his age. He has composed an intriguing story that never ceases to keep the reader involved. His character developments are devoid of cliches. The premise seems like any other "Knight in King Author's Court" sort of story, but the inner-turmoil created within each of the main characters as their bodies become host to both them and their roll-playing characters spins a unique twist which truly makes this story three-dimensional. Easily the best thing about the book is that he is so young, and we have so many more books to look forward to.

This King Arthur's Death book contains two versions of the story. The first is Morte Arthure which is an alliterative version, while the second, Le Morte Arthur is stanzaic (rhymed). Neither are Malory's Morte D'Arthure, although he used these as his sources. And especially good fare for fans of the round table.

I really wanted to like this book. I saw A.E Hotchner on TV talking about Doris Day, and he just struck me as a likeable, earnest sort of guy. Unfortunately he didn't live up to his Tv-self in print. Most of the book is comprised of large chunks of interview material, both from Hotchner's own research and Rolling Stone magazine interviews you've probably already read. The rest is made up of highly subjective meanderings and vain attempts to link two ideas together.
It's hard to make this story dull, and some of the Marianne Faithfull stuff is good, but there are better books with less academic-sounding titles about the same subject. Or you could just watch "Gimme Shelter" for the condensed version.

This is an outstanding book that provides excellently written information on the world's greatest rock and roll band. Although i question some of the accuracy of the information, it is one of my favorite books.
Mick jagger ROX!!!!!

Marvel's the Hood is a new character showcased under the MAX line of comics. This line is set for itsmature content, be it violence, explicit language and sex. In the Hood's case, however, being the bad guy. There are a number of books that come out from time to time that only have a bad guy as the major character. Those books, however, don't consider the character bad, but at fault. Of course, you risk people lashing out at you, having your character lie and steal in comics, a medium wrongfully thought of as impressionable to young kids much more than MTV or cable televisions for instance.

Brian Vaughn and Kyle Hotz introduce a character that steals and kills not because of anything else, but his for his own survival. They made a character who has a pregnant girlfriend, but still managed to have sex with his mistress from time to time. This carried the theme EXCELLENT all the way until the very end, when the character finds salvation or something or the other and wants to redeem himself. After reading Preacher books back to back before this one, I was seriously hoping that Marvel can top that series with something original, unfortunately this book is not the thing.

Vaughn's work is believeable, but you can see that he's being told not to lash out too much. As if his creativity is caged or something. I was never a fan of Hotz, but I have to admit his work here is astounding. I don't want him drawing naked women thogh. You have to stop the pain somewhere along the line and that's that.

Perhaps Marvel should let the creators have more fun. I mean look what happened when DC gave Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon unlimited restrictions in their books. I'm optimistic this will happen. Let's hope the wild imagination of Brian Vaughn is ready when that time comes.

The Hood is something different. It's kind of about family (the main character, Parker, cheats on his pregnant girlfriend and finds refuge in a Russian hooker. He often visits his mom [who's a patient in a mental hospital] and his criminal cousin is his best friend. Sounds like a good HBO miniseries), it's kind of about property (if Parker hadn't stolen the items he did from that demon-like creature he wouldn't have gotten into that whole mess, and if he hadn't stolen the bloodstones his life would have been less hectic), but mostly it's about entertaining the reader. It's an extremely fun read.

I would say that it's a charming book, but it drops so "F-bombs" and other "vulgarities" that I'm not sure I'd be able to say that.

But I do know what I am able to say, and it is that this book is unique and fun, hands down -- nothing more, nothing less. It's not meant for you to question your lifestyle. It's funny and smart in its own way and I've become a big fan of it. If you're looking for lighter reading than, say, Sandman, or for something different but also cool like, say, Fury, buy this whenever you can. Just enjoy it for what it is, not what it isn't.

i want know the review thing...^^

Merryll of the Stones is too long and dragged out. The bits in Welsh dont help either. Boring!

Brian Caswell has done an excellent job in this book of his. I first read the book when i was 13, and 4 years on, it's still my all time favourite book to read. ive read it countless times, and every time i do, its like reading it for the very first time.
The characters are splendid, and even though it's difficult to understand the welsh text through-out, it certainly doesnt make it less of a masterpiece!!
The whole book just blows me away, i couldnt pick anything 'favourite' about it.
its all just absolutely brilliant!!

read it for yourself, because whoever hasnt, is certainly missing out on a book that's sure to make you look at life a little differently!!

Nicholas Fitzgerald's biography about the founder and musical genius of The Rolling Stones was certainly a page turner but one has to question the truth to his story. Fitzgerald, a Guiness heir, claimed to have been close friends to Brian Jones during height of Stonesmania in the mid 60's, to his accidental drowning, or should I say murder, in July 1969. For a person who was as close to Brian Jones as Fitzgerald claims, one has to wonder why his name is mentioned in no other books written about the star or books about The Rolling Stones. People who were close to Brian Jones and the Stones during this time such as former lovers Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg and close personal friends have never mentioned or heard of Fitzgerald. The book was cleverly written but not true.