Something Wicked This Way Comes

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A masterpiece of modern Gothic literature, Something Wicked This Way Comes is the memorable story of two boys, James Nightshade and William Halloway, and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a "dark carnival" one Autumn midnight. How these two innocents, both age 13, save the souls of the town (as well as their own), makes for compelling reading on timeless themes. What would you do if your secret wishes could be granted by the mysterious ringmaster Mr. Dark? Bradbury excels in revealing the dark side that exists in us all, teaching us ultimately to celebrate the shadows rather than fear them. In many ways, this is a companion piece to his joyful, nostalgia-drenched Dandelion Wine, in which Bradbury presented us with one perfect summer as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old. In Something Wicked This Way Comes, he deftly explores the fearsome delights of one perfectly terrifying, unforgettable autumn. --Stanley Wiater

Book Description

The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

Few American novels written this century have endured in the heart and memory as has Ray Bradbury's unparalleled literary classic SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin.The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

A good old creepy carny type story.

The wicked in the title refers to the travelling sideshow/fun fair/show or whatever you want to call it attraction that rolls into a nowheresville USA town. Bad things start happening because of this creepy joint, and two boys end up in the thick of the action trying to work out what they can do to stop all the dastardly goings-on.

An American Classic huh? .......2007-05-17

I will get directly to the point, which is something the author found difficult to do in this book.

This is one of the most disjointed, incomprehensible novels I have ever tried to read. I think this book is the most clear case of an author's vanity that I have ever seen. Do you ever get the feeling (when you're reading a novel) that the author is so very proud of the colorful language he has just scattered across the page that he can scarcely help himself from trying to top his last success at articulation? That is the way this book reads, like a perfect example of an author's vanity getting away from him.
I grew up with this movie (and loved it!). This is one instance where I can honestly say that the movie was way better than the book. The book took too long to get anywhere, tried to introduce motives for characters' actions that never seemed to make any sense (to any normal person anyway), and was generally boring.
So, whatever you do, stay clear of this book. Jump, skip, skidattle-crack your way on down the road to another book (yes this is my attempt to imitate Bradbury's annoying descriptive style in this book). You will not find anything that you liked about Farenheit 451 (another book by this author) in here.

Great Condition and perfect!.......2007-03-08

This was an awesome book and in great condition. Got it fast.

Amazing book...incredibly poetic, fantastically vivid imagery.......2007-03-05

I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury about a year ago, and was amazed by it. I loved how painfully true the story was becoming...I also was enchanted by the beautiful writing. So obviously, I had to check out more works by this wonderful author. I purchased Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes.

This book far exceeded my expectations. Though a few parts of the book are drawn out and uninteresting, the majority of it is fantastically written, with lots of beautiful imagery. The ending was very unexpected, but cute and thoughtful.

Is it as good as Fahrenheit 451? I wouldn't compare the two, but I enjoyed this book slightly more, though Fahrenheit 451's message is more true. Five big fat shiny stars for Something Wicked This Way Comes.

The Wicked is pretty Wicked.......2007-01-28

I read Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. I give this book a 3 star rating. The author takes a long time to get to the point, so it's a little boring. If you don't understand metaphors then you probably wouldn't want to read this book.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is mainly about two thirteen-year-old boys, who are best friends, experiencing the wrath of evil. It all starts with a flyer that says "Crooger and Dark's Pandemonium Side Show". Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, the best friends, find this flyer. At three o'clock in the morning, they see the carnival roll in. Once they visit the carnival they quickly find out that there is something not right. The main attraction is the "Freak" show and the Mirror Maze will suck you in and you will never come out. Will and Jim visited the carnival one night and the "Freaks" caught them. The boys' got away but the "Freaks" hunted them down. Once the boys' and Charles Halloway were caught all it took was a little love for the "Freaks" and the carnival to go away.
Will Halloway is one of the main characters in the book. He thinks about danger much more than Jim. Will was afraid to go to the Mirror Maze because he saw evil in it. Although, as the story unfolds, he becomes more confident. He shows this by cutting the witches balloon. Jim Nightshade is a main character also. He is the exact opposite of Will. Jim is a daredevil and carefree. He wanted to experience the wrath of the carnival and fight the evil. Jim shows that he is afraid of nothing by wondering the streets at night and going to the carnival a couple times alone before Will went with him.
If you think or know that you enjoyed Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury then you would enjoy A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury, and The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. I am a seventh grade student in North Carolina.

A Sound of Thunder And Something Wicked This Way Comes

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A Sound of Thunder And Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0786176261

Product Description

In Something Wicked This Way Comes, two teenaged boys try to save the souls of the town when a "dark carnival" sets up its frightening attractions. In A Sound of Thunder, a safari company transports adventurers back in time to hunt animals, but one foolish hunter upsets the plan, and with it, the course of the future.

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Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J0MZUO

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Something Wicked This Way Comes

Manufacturer: Bookspan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0965020452

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SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQEU90

CINEFEX #12 [SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES]

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CINEFEX #12 [SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES]
Don, Ed Shay
Manufacturer: Cinefex
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOU3CC

Classic X-Men #45 : Something Wicked This Way Comes (Marvel Comic Book 1989)

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Classic X-Men #45 : Something Wicked This Way Comes (Marvel Comic Book 1989)
Chris Claremont
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Dandelion Wine / Something Wicked This Way Comes

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Dandelion Wine / Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
Manufacturer: Bantam, 1981/ 1976
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KLKRD4

The Novels of Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451, Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes

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The Novels of Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451, Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
Manufacturer: Grafton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Power Company, #3 (Comic Book): SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES...

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The Power Company, #3 (Comic Book): SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES...
BUSIEK
Manufacturer: DC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RETJL0

Amazon.com

Captain Bligh (yes, the guy from the Bounty) needs to be rescued, and the Royal Navy has the perfect man for the job: Captain Jack Aubrey. With his friend and cloak-and-dagger expert Stephen Maturin in tow, Aubrey sets off for Australia. Several factors, including an attractive spy and a small-scale epidemic, conspire to change his plans, and before long his frigate is being pursued into Antarctic waters by a Dutch man-of-war. Five installments into the series, the Aubrey-Maturin story remains (to quote The Observer) "the best thing afloat since Horatio Hornblower."

Book Description

Read by Tim Pigott-Smith
Three cassettes, Approx. 5 hours

The 5th novel in Patrick O'Brian's hugely successful Aubrey/Maturin Series

Commissioned to rescue Governor Bligh of Bounty fame, Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and surgeon Stephen Maturin sail the Leopard to Australia with a hold full of convicts. Among them is a beautiful and dangerous spy--and a treacherous disease that decimates the crew. With a Dutch man-of-war to windward, the under-manned, out-gunned Leopard sails for her life into the freezing waters of the Antarctic where, in mountainous seas, the Duthman closes...

Customer Reviews:

Is anyone READING it ?.......2007-08-08

Sorry but after reading this book and then seeing the reviews I have to ask if anyone is really READING it or just studying the words? Apart from Obrien's constant use of the old naval terminology which hardly anyone can understand (there were many whole paragraphs and chapters which made no sense whatsoever to the non-sailor) there was very little story at all? One review mentions Aubreys task is to rescue Captain Bligh in Australia. Apart from the mention of it at the start, it ends without them anywhere even close to Australia in a conclusion so abrupt I thought I'd lost half the book somewhere !!! Much as I enjoy these type of novels and will continue to consume them regardless of their quality(within reason),I have to say that reviews that class Obrien as one of the greatest historical fiction writer are pure fiction in themselves. How on earth these books can possibly be compared to Bernard Cornwell or C.S Forester is beyond my understanding(well I could be cynical and suspect that the critics have a conflict of interest somewhere) . I am begining to feel that the 20 odd books in the series could probably be condensed down into no more than 5 once the ramblings of old naval parlance and duplicated situations were dispensed with. I'm starting to feel I could even write one myself as long as I learned how to 'come up the fore and main topsail sheets half a fathom or ease my quoin for greater elevation' or maybe even learn what 'Royal and weather studding-sails' does? I really do hope that the quality improves over the next 15 I shall read. Yes I'll still read em but mainly due to lack of anything else new to me.

Slow to Boil, But Still Makes a Satisfying Cup of Tea.......2007-01-01

A devoted fan of the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin series from book one, MASTER AND COMMANDER, I've been slowly savoring these novels. This one, the fifth in the series, takes a little while to really get started.

The uninitiated reader should not begin with DESOLATION ISLAND which, try as the author might to provide a modicum of amplifying information about events that occurred in earlier volumes, doesn't entirely succeed in helping the reader of the previous books recall all of the earlier events alluded to let alone, I would venture to say, assist the new reader navigate through them.

But never mind. Except for the especially well versed, or the extremely diligent, reader, there are always aspects of the Aubrey-Maturin books that one just lets slide: not knowing a spritsail from a foresail isn't going to detract from your enjoyment; in fact, it might help you better relate to the resident lubber, Dr. Stephen Maturin. I relish these books because of O'Brian's wonderful mastery of language that seems to capture so well the world of the early eighteenth century British Royal Navy. One can afford to let a thorough understanding slip a bit to stay immersed in O'Brian's intoxicating love of words.

O'Brian's novels revolve around the friendship between the captain, Lucky Jack Aubrey, and the ship's doctor, Maturin. (If this makes you think of Star Trek, you're not far off.) The way they interact is one of the joys of reading O'Brian. Of course, one also reads these books for the enthralling depictions of life at sea and the gripping sea battles. In addition, O'Brian throws in bit of the espionage genre to enjoy, insofar as that in addition to his day job as a surgeon, and his avocation as a naturalist, Dr. Maturin is an agent of the British government. Finally, there's a thread of humor that runs throughout the novels. (In DESOLATION ISLAND, for instance, Maturin is listening to the captain's orders being repeated, and "licking a piece of ice--it was quite fresh--once again meditated upon the enormous amount of repetition in the service" (p. 250).)

The significant problem with DESOLATION ISLAND is that the things that one enjoys about the O'Brian novels are in somewhat short supply for the first couple of hundred pages: the relationship between Jack and Stephen is not that much further developed; there's little battle action (though what there is is intense); with much of the book taking place on an isolated vessel, the espionage theme is constrained; and the humor is somewhat a pale echo of the earlier books. Fascinated by Chinese culture, I was at first delighted to see that a character introduced here, Herapath, is an American translator of classical Chinese poetry. Unfortunately, I had to suffer along with Maturin when the doctor found that circumstances made it difficult for him to learn much more about Herapath's interests.

Like the Monty Python peasant who said a witch turned him into a newt, the book does get much better. The last hundred and fifty pages or so are quite marvelous, in fact. O'Brian takes us to a place we weren't expecting, and the journey there is engrossing. These final sections really do redeem the entire work. And so, not put off by DESOLATION ISLAND, I look forward to further voyages with Lucky Jack Aubrey and Dr. Maturin.

Simon Vance just doesn't get it.......2006-11-14

I have loved this series since discovering them in the late 80's. I think that O'Brian ranks with Austen, Twain, Forster, etc. regardless of 'genre'. However, Simon Vance just does not do justice to this book. I have not heard his renditions of others in this series, but if his Aubrey voice is consistent, they must all be disasters. Aubrey sounds like one of Monty Python's Twits. Vance also rushes descriptions that deserve much better pacing. He also seems to miss much of the wit hidden in O'Brian's circumlocations -- or is much too subtle at conveying it. I hate to diss working actors but.... Mr. Vance should try Wodehouse. Bring back Tull.

"Desolation Island" does this thrilling series proud.......2006-09-20

Patrick O'Brian must have sailed the high seas of the Napoleonic Era in a past life. There is no other explanation of how he could create such a vibrant, expansive, perfectly tailored world as he did in his stellar Aubrey-Maturin series.

"Desolation Island" is the fifth book in the series, and O'Brian in many ways is just hitting his stride . . . which is amazing considering the high quality of the first five books. "DI" bears the same style and action-packed plot as the first four novels, and yet brings completely new perils for the characters . . . and, most importantly, the characters continue to grow and evolve along with those perils.

In many series, by the fifth book, the characters have reached superhero status and the series begins to play out. At some point, the dangers of the next novel cannot hope to outweigh the cumulative heft of the dangers faced in the previous novels, so there is a sense of "well, if X lived through dangers 1, 2, 3, and 4, there is no way that this new danger 5 is going to get X." O'Brian neatly avoids this problem by having Aubrey and Maturin encounter completely new dangers at sea.

What is the worst threat posed in "DI"? Is it Aubrey's ability to maintain command of a ship while charged with delivering prisoners (murderers and cutthroats) to Botany Bay? Is it the lethal outbreak of plague while at sea, laying low prisoner and sailor alike and testing Dr. Maturin to his limits? Is it the brilliant, cunning Dutch captain in charge of a mighty Dutch 74-gun frigate that tries to track down Aubrey's new-old ship, the aged Leopard? Or is it the gutting of the Leopard's hull in icy seas, followed by a near mutiny as the Leopard nearly founders?

Or, perhaps worst of all (to Jack Aubrey, at any rate), the presence of women on board?

O'Brian continues to plumb the depths of his characters as they sail the Seven Seas, and both Aubrey and Maturin continue to evolve as wholly capable and wholly human figures. Warts and all, you cannot help but love them and thank O'Brian for introducing us to them and their wonderful seafaring world. Cheers, Mr. O'Brian!

One of the best of this series.......2006-08-28

I thought that this particular book in the series was one of the best-- fast paced, intriguing, with plenty of drama and suspense. I highly recommend reading the whole series.

Desolation Sound & the Discovery Islands (Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide)

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Desolation Sound & the Discovery Islands (Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide)
Anne Yeadon-Jones , and Laurence Yeadon-Jones
Manufacturer: Sasquatch Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570613540

Book Description

The Pacific Northwest is well known for its spectacular world-class cruising grounds. Authors Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones have combed every nautical mile of this area in their 36-foot sailboat, Dreamspeaker, to sketch and write about the true gems in this watery region. Key features include the best anchorages and marinas in each region, unique hand-drawn shoreline plans for each destination, detailed sketch charts, and color photographs. There are also details on approach, hazards and cautions, where to anchor, marina contacts, and US/Canadian customs. In addition, you can find out where to drop a crab pot, pick huckleberries, find a freshwater lake, discover a hidden beach, watch otters at play, or simply take a hike.

Exploring the South Coast of British Columiba: Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound to Broughton Archipelago and Blunden Harbour

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The Difinitive Cruising Guide for the Area

Exploring the South Coast of British Columiba: Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound to Broughton Archipelago and Blunden Harbour
Don Douglass , and Reanne Hemingway-Douglass
Manufacturer: Fine Edge Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0938665626

Customer Reviews:

The Difinitive Cruising Guide for the Area.......2007-03-08

If you are planning a cruise South Coast BC (Gulf Islands, Desolation, Broughtons and Blundon Harbour) this book is a must. For frame of reference: My husband and I cruise on a small sailboat, anchor every evening (meaning we do not pull to dock) and go ashore to reprovision, sightsee, launder and take warm showers. Our trips are usually 2 months or less in length.

OK, so we have used several different books to cruise this area and have found ourselves referring to and trusting this one the most. If I had cruise with one book only, this would be it. The book's chapters are organized by logical, small area cruising grounds. The author gives an overview of the area and then segments out the waterways, coves, anchorages, etc. He tells you where they are (referring to other land, water points, charts and waypoints) and will also give waypoints for important things like entrances and anchoring. From there the author talks about the area in general, protection from winds, the bottom, what is there and how to best explore it, how the regulars anchor, on and on. He also provides VERY detailed maps for each area including, but not limited to fathoms, ground characteristics, anchoring notations... he also provides wonderfully detailed maps/information on marinas (piers, fuel dock, offices and their phone and monitored VHF numbers, dink dock restrooms, garbage, the pub!...), town info., boat/engine services, and the like. Each section also includes information on special things to note like rapids (characteristics and how to deal with them), traversing difficult waterways, tidal issues (like drying entrances to anchorages), and where his reader might likely spy a pod of orcas. The book is extremely accurate. If he does not know something (like what the holding is in an anchorage) he will tell you. I have only found one relatively minor mistake in the book and that was on a map for Broughton Island.

Back of the book items cover the usual info. on border crossing, VHF radio channel info. (Also found this a little outdated - but to be fair there are changes ongoing), fishing regs., and how they document local knowledge (made us confident that their onfo. was reliable - and it was).

Somewhere in the book there is a notation of a website you can go to with any updates or corrections.

So, lots of useful information, lots of historical and quirk information, easy book to use, well thought out and thorough. The ONLY negatives I can come up with is the lovely pictures could be in color, it could be spiral bound (which is easier to deal with when you are glancing at it from the helm and making last minute anchorage changes), and it could be fitted to deal with moist and downright wet conditions. That is merely a nit-picky little wish list!

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Captain Aubrey, Dr. Maturin at your service

Desolation Island [UNABRIDGED]
Patrick O'Brian
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 078618227X

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Commissioned to rescue Governor Bligh of Bounty fame, Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend, surgeon Stephen Maturin, sail the Leopard to Australia with a hold full of convicts. Among them is a beautiful and dangerous spyand a treacherous disease that decimates the crew. With a Dutch man-of-war to windward, the undermanned, outgunned Leopard sails for her life into the freezing waters of the Antarctic, where, in mountainous seas, the Dutchman closes in.

Customer Reviews:

Captain Aubrey, Dr. Maturin at your service.......2007-06-10

This time the plot involves more than sea, battle, and the natural world. The ship has taken on prisoners consigned to Australia. This feature adds pathos, indigation, and other emotional factors to the usual naval war beteen Britain and France.

The Arch of Kerguelen: Voyage to the Islands of Desolation

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Islands of Desolation
Mysteries, mysteries
A cloudy window on a fascinating land
Strangely dispassionate and haunted work
Explores the islands, their wildlife, and their history

The Arch of Kerguelen: Voyage to the Islands of Desolation
Jean-Paul Kauffmann
Manufacturer: Four Walls Eight Windows
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1568581688

Book Description

The Kerguelens - isolated French islands in the southern Indian Ocean - were the home of the Arch of Kerguelen, a 1,000-foot-tall stone vault that had confounded navigators for centuries. Jean-Paul Kauffmann finds poetry in the isolation and strangely serene beauty of this land far from the hustle of "civilized" life, where the vast ocean dominates, where the wind reigns and solitude is interrupted only by animals scrambling in the windswept fields by the graves of those who journeyed there before.

Customer Reviews:

Islands of Desolation .......2004-09-18

This book coupled with viewing the photos on this website, http://ile.kerguelen.free.fr/accueil.htm, paint a tale of how lonely a place can be. I have not seen many books on the Kerguelen and this book just whetted my interest in reading more about this place. If there had been more illustrations and maps I would have added another star.

Mysteries, mysteries.......2003-08-14

I liked the book in French, and French friends who read it enjoyed it. OK, there's some of that lyricism the French enjoy and English-speakers are a little allergic to, but the tone, overall, is not that different from the Kerguelen articles Matthew Parris wrote for the (London) Times a couple of years ago (you can read them on the Net). The sense Kauffmann gives us of the Kerguelen landscape is probably accurate - his descriptions strikingly agree with mountaineer/doctor André Migot's 1956 account, The Lonely South. Unfortunately this English edition is a little bit couldn't-care-less. A big black mark is someone's decision not to bother tracking down various material that was originally in English. So instead of genuine extracts from Rallier du Baty's 1908 book, 15,000 Miles in a Ketch, what we have here is passages translated back into English from the French translation of 15,000 Miles, and similarly an English translation of a French translation of the wonderfully obsequious dedication (p71) that Captain Robert Rhodes put on his chart of Kerguelen, and an English translation of a French translation of the allegedly unfindable epitaph (p197) on Captain Matley's gravestone. A pity because, although Kerguelen is now French, its past was largely Anglo-American and there was a chance here to give us some authentic voices from those days. Peculiarities and implausibilities also keep jumping out of the page at you. For instance, randomly and by no means exhaustively, why has Major Couesnon turned into a captain by page 103? If you want to check on where Port-aux-Français and Christmas Harbour are located, be prepared to use your powers of deduction, because the map provided calls them something else. Minus 41 Fahrenheit, we are told, isn't harsh as temperatures go (p42) (the arithmetically challenged really should double-check their centigrade-Fahrenheit conversions). The sun 'shined' for an hour (p42). The blurb drastically relocates the Kerguelens to SE of Australia. Would soldiers march through the wilds in 'raincoats', what kind of fog makes a raincoat flake, and how 'brand new' would a flaking raincoat look (p129)? In the Williams engraving of J.C. Ross's ship Terror - it was used as the cover illustration for one of the French editions of the book - those sailors supposedly hauling on the sails (p.166) are keeping a very low profile. What are Decauville tracks (p105)? (For the answer to this, look no further than the big Harraps French-English dictionary - though maybe someone could have saved us the trouble.) Emperor penguins (p196) are Antarctic birds - the tall penguin species found on Kerguelen is the king penguin. A ship, the Lozère, 'comes in contact with a raised part of the sea bed' (p190). (Or did it maybe just run aground?) What are 'modified makeshift repairs' (p162)? Do trains do 'fast switches' (p80), and if so, what are they? Do loaves have 'soft, damp interiors' (p46) (as opposed to being, say, moist and pleasantly chewy inside)? Isn't it a little odd to talk about an islet being 1,650 feet from the shore (p197), as if someone had been out there with a very long tape measure? Frankly, does it make any sense to talk about earth mounds 'adapting themselves to the ground' (p157) (ie gradually settling or subsiding)? You might get the wrong idea about Captain Peretti's wife, who apparently spent a lot of time 'thinking up' underwear (p179). If you wanted to catch a cross-section of the local insect population, would you position your traps inside a hut (p72) or outside? Doesn't having numerous Lake Josettes and Danièle Valleys (p58) in the one small island confuse people? If Christmas Harbour is so difficult to enter (p.165), why didn't Captain Cook tell us? In heavy rain, would cardboard boxes 'regain some of the shape they used to have' (p110)? Mysterious place, Kerguelen - but maybe not quite as mysterious as some of this would suggest.

A cloudy window on a fascinating land.......2002-01-08

This book is neither a travelogue (in the usual sense), a natural history treatise, nor a serious historical overview of the French islands of Kerguelen (also called Desolation Island.) Although there are some evocative phrases that approach description (for example, "it's the land of 'the eternal late autumn.'"), author Jean-Paul Kauffmann never seems to get around to actually describing much more than the ever present wind.

Why travel to Kerguelen? Well, there's a rock arch. And a failed explorer. And it's difficult to get to. But overwhelmingly, one gets the feeling that the author made this journey because he couldn't think of anything better to do.

Not that that's a bad idea, mind you. But once he's arrived, he doesn't seem particularly interested in either noticing details or passing them on. His historical snippets of earlier explorers are truncated and flimsy. And he seems completely uninterested in the other human beings whom he encounters. Perhaps it's because most of them are scientists.

I betray my interest in natural history by pointing out that every time Jean-Paul Kauffman gets to an interesting fact or description of this most remote of all places on earth, he punts it by either declaring that science has taken the poetry out of nature-- the man has obviously never read Loren Eiseley-- or adds it as an unexplained addendum ("...the meteorite lying amid the ruins is like the dead soul of Port Jeanne d'Arc..." Hey, wait a minute, what meteorite?)

Despite its flaws, or possibly because of them, this book entices you to learn more. One hopes that the next adventurer to Kerguelen arrives with an actual sense of adventure and the descriptive power to pass it on.

Strangely dispassionate and haunted work.......2001-06-27

I read this book after hearing it recommended on NPR. It was hard when coming to the book to disassociate Kauffmann's incredible and horrible experiences as a hostage in Beirut from my appreciation of the book itself. Every piece of ennui, every flat, sad phrase seemed to take me back to the chair in which he was blindfolded and chained for three years. I think it would be impossible not to attribute some significance to his past, but it is something Kauffmann fails to address in any way at all. (It is mentioned only in passing on the book jacket.)

What we find instead is a troubled man coming to terms with a troubled place. But here his insights aren't very deep. He seems utterly amazed that this place, so far away from anywhere, is still France. This is an glimpse into the Gallic mindset that perhaps only an Englishman could appreciate. He also feels very impressed with being there. He seems to pinch himself a lot. Wow, I am in Kerguelen! Apparently, it's windy.

His attempts at a back story -- his attempts to show why this place has haunted him for so long are unconvincing and rather dull. He includes what history he could find about the place, but, sadly, there isn't so much. For an example of this type of writing at its finest, I would check out Bruce Chatwin's In Patagonia and Kevin Patterson's excellent The Water Inbetween. Both of these books come from similar emotional places, but engage the reader in more interesting and varied ways.

Explores the islands, their wildlife, and their history.......2001-02-27

The author makes a pilgrimage to the islands in the southern Indian Ocean which have been called the most desolate on earth since their discovery in 1772. His travelogue, The Arch Of Kerguelen, explores the islands, their wildlife, and their history in an intriguing study.

Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands (Pacific Yachting's Cruising Guide to British Columbia, Vol. II)

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Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands (Pacific Yachting's Cruising Guide to British Columbia, Vol. II)

Manufacturer: Evergreen Press Ltd., Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0969057415

Product Description

Hardcover book with gold lettering on blue cloth, inside dust jacket. Includes index. Maps inside front and back cover. From the preface: We are pleased to have this opportunity to reintroduce Bill Wolferstan's "Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands", and gratified that it has been so well received that it requires reprinting for the third time. First published in October, 1980, this book has done much to lead the yachtsmen of B.C. to venture further afield in pursuit of the cruising dream: quiet, protected and secluded anchorage in a wilderness setting with spectacular secenery, not so very far from civilization, yet somewhar far removed. Whether it is your first or twenty-first exploration of the area, this book will prove to be an invaluable companion, rich with the sort of information yachtsmen need to take full advantage of the cruising experience.

Charlie's charts : north to Alaska (Victoria, B.C. to Glacier Bay, AK) : includes Gulf Islands & Desolation Sound

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Charlie's charts : north to Alaska (Victoria, B.C. to Glacier Bay, AK) : includes Gulf Islands & Desolation Sound
Wilson Ltd , Imray L. Norie , and Charles E. Wood
Manufacturer: Hyperion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0969726546

Book Description

Cruising guide for cruising yachts covering the coast from Victoria, BC to Glacier Bay, Alaska

Current & Tide Tables (1996): Columbia River to Desolation Sound; Including Puget Sound, the San Juans, Gulf Islands & Seymour Narrows

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Current & Tide Tables (1996): Columbia River to Desolation Sound; Including Puget Sound, the San Juans, Gulf Islands & Seymour Narrows
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis
Manufacturer: Island Canoe, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0918439205

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Desolation Island
Patrick O'Brian
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J2RP9S

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Desolation Island
Patrick O'Brian
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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