Customer Reviews:
Well-written; too many atrocities for me.......2007-08-06
I read the first two books in the trilogy; will not read the third. After awhile it palls to read a never-ending series of rapes, murders, and wholesale slaughters, including children thrown onto swordpoints or gang-raped to death in front of their parents. To be fair to the writer, I suspect he is using real-life descriptions from the crusades -- but in the end it was simply too sickening for me. Also: Every major character but one or possibly two (Achamian, maybe Esmenet) is a monster of one sort or another. In particular, the Prince-of-Nothing title character is technically human, but he is as vicious, manipulative, and alien as the "Consult" portrayed as the hidden enemy of humanity.
Patience..........2007-05-19
what can i say, i couldnt wait even to finish the first book, i already had ordered the second and third off amazon and am not dissapointed only in the fact taht theres only three. the second book the WARRIOR PROPHET, im afraid to finish it cause thatll be that, u know.
unconventional.......2007-05-07
I can't say I really liked R. Scott Baker's stories, I have read two and may read more. But I will say this, his writing is flawless and his stories are daring and original. To be able to say this about any fantasy novel written in the last twenty years is difficult. He deserves credit. The story is compelling and interesting.
Philosophical-conflict style matures with main characters all together........2007-01-30
As _The Warrior-Prophet_ opens, the great multi-national crusade marches into the territories of its heathen enemy, and the events of the previous novel have finally brought all the main characters into the stream of camp followers.
In the interactions of these disparate characters marching together, Bakker's prose comes alive. All the characters are beset with dire internal conflicts, and they each attack their quandaries in the most philosophical of ways. Bakker's unique talent lies in making these ethereal intellectual concepts real through vivid imagery. His internal monologues consistently lock onto the perfect visual analogy to illustrate exactly how these ideas make the characters feel, and how they should make the reader feel.
The characters' overall motives still seem weakly underpinned. Kellhus wants to find his father, but no concrete reasons are given why. Cnaiur also wants to find Kellhus's father, which feels both unmotivated and incredibly fortuitous. Achamian's goals are the most clear--to investigate his sorcery school's ages-old enemy who may cause an apocalypse--but it's never clear why he must follow the Holy War to do that. Yet if the reader can accept these motivations, every one of Bakker's philosophical conflicts makes perfect sense.
The one flaw in this philosophical, internal monologue-dominated approach is that the characters perhaps spend too much time in their own heads and not enough interacting with the world around them. Even with Bakker's command for rendering the vague into vividness, he still faces a huge challenge when so many of his scenes contain almost all internal thoughts or memories and only a few actual events. The more narrative time spent inside characters' heads rather than in their world, the less grounded the reader becomes in the setting. It is a testament to Bakker's skill that he can sustain a novel so dominated by internal monologue. But even deft portrayal of the ethereal cannot fully sate the reader's need for the tangible, the real.
_The Warrior-Prophet_ hones Bakker's unique style of internal philosophical conflict, and it leaves the characters seemingly poised to tackle their lingering external conflicts in the next book. Although, given Bakker's proclivity for internal philosophical struggle, their paths to conquer their external conflicts may lie within their own minds.
Dissapointing Sequel to an excellent start.......2006-09-02
Let me preface this review by saying - 1) I loved the first book in the series, gave it five stars and thought it was not only well written but quite original, with new and complex characters and themes and 2) I will be reading the next book in the series. That said, the best I can say of this installment is that it was inconsistent. Unfortunately I found a great deal of it repetitive and boring. I guess my best analogy is that Bakker is like the lawyer who cleverly forces the witness into a damning admission and instead of saying "Your honor the prosecution rests," continues questioning to the point where the jury is unimpressed and the witness has been able to repair his credibility. Bakker seems intent on beating us about the face and neck with the characters' flaws, gives them little in the way of redeeming qualities and does all this while dragging us slogging through a depressing and squalid environment. His writing skill is such that I felt at the end that I had been dragged through the desert with the characters, but unfortunately I was also fed up with them. How many times, in how many ways, do I need to be reminded of the characteristics of a character before he thinks I get it? I also believe that because so much was made of their negative characteristics, characters who in the first book were real and complex became simple and one-dimensional. Maybe it was poorly edited, but in my view this second installment was too long and although it had its moments, in the end it flattened out what was a complex world and a set of complex characters.
Amazon.com
What were the Americans thinking when they funneled weapons and money to the Afghan resistance during the Soviet occupation? Thanks to charismatic Muslim loyalists like Osama Bin Laden, Arabs began pouring into Afghanistan, which became, according to one "Afghan Arab," a 10-year university for jihad resistance. Long-time Middle East news correspondent Mark Huband tells the story, noting that when the Afghan Arabs were kicked out after the war, they returned to their respective homelands to contribute to radical Islamist movements. Hubard isn't sounding an alarm, though. His thesis is that so-called Islamic fundamentalists, whom he prefers to call Islamists, have less to do with religious imperialism than with local politics. Through first-hand accounts in the Muslim countries of North Africa and the Middle East, Huband sketches a world in which Islamism is a response to national conflict, not a gambit for global domination. In countries like Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt, where political repression and economic disadvantage persist long after colonialism and Cold War posturing, Hubard finds that Islamism is the only indigenous vehicle for change. Hubard puts it best, "The Islamist turns to his own country and hopes to reform it by using political pressure. When he fails he becomes frustrated. The consequences are multifarious." --Brian Bruya
Book Description
As the entire world reels from the horrors of the recent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, responsibility for the slaughter has been blamed on extremist Islamic militants. The world's one billion Muslims now face the prospect of military strikes against Arab and Muslim countries, to be launched by a coalition of Western powers determined to crush the terrorist network identified as responsible, as well its backers. Political Islam has once again been thrown into the spotlight, as the West seeks to understand and confront this phenomenon.
In Warriors of the Prophet: The Struggle for Islam, former Financial Times Middle East correspondent Mark Huband seeks to explain the history, politics, and reality of political Islam on the ground, in countries as diverse as Morocco and Afghanistan. Huband reports on the major upheavals of the past decade in the Islamic world and depicts them against a background of deep historical research and personal familiarity with the key figures in the wide array of Islamist movements in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
Warriors of the Prophet is an authoritative account of the history of political Islam, from its birth in Egypt in the late 19th century, to the violent clashes and political battles of the past decade. Combining reportage, political analysis, and vivid description, it provides a clear, unbiased analysis of political Islam and well-informed detail of the world in which it has become a political force.
Customer Reviews:
The rise of political Islam........2004-10-25
I believe the author to be a well versed authority on the subject he is writing about which is the rise of political Islam. This book gives a valid critique of many of the regimes of the Middle East, and the West's policy toward this vast region. Since this book was written before 9/11, it does not include any of the current developments in this region. Huband slants his writings against the West (and in particular the U.S.) and Israel. Therefore we get many criticisms of the U.S. in its policy against Iraq and as a occupying force in Saudi. We also get the comments of duplicity by the Israelis in their policy against the Palestinians. I think both comments are off the mark, and that is one reason I rated this book only a three star.
This is a short book, but the language used in the writing of this book makes it unnecessaryly difficult. The reader will learn of how the failures of the present Middle East regimes gave rise to political Islam. Failures in providing social services also gave rise to the Fundamentals. I also think the author panders to much to the Middle East audience. He blames the policies of the West and those of the elite which rule these countries of the Middle East. A difficult read and one not recommended for the beginning historian.
Islamists vs Isalm.......2001-11-07
A magnificent book, all 228 pages. Huband's documentation alone is enough to guarantee the high quality of this book to anyone interested in the Islamist movement.
Underated:...........2001-09-20
More than ever, it has become imperative for the West to understand the Arab world. Warriors of the Prophet chronicles Osama bin Laden's ascent to power during the Islamic Afghan resistance to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Author Mark Huband reveals the important role bin Laden played in uniting the Arab Muslims with their Afghan compatriots and spreading the ideology of the jihad, or holy war, to protect Islam, to all the various Islamic factions that took part in the war in Afghanistan. Although a number of recent books address the rise of fundamentalist movements in the Islamic world, none attempt to explain to general readers the emergence, character, and significance of that revival, nor do they bring together the many voices dividing both conservative and liberal currents in the region. I found this book extremely useful and quite compelling - a surefire way to get at the Middle East "problem" and ways in which we can do something about it. The tone is fluid yet serious, just the kind of perspective I needed. I recommended this with great confidence.
Huband Offers Incredible Insight.......2001-09-14
...I turned to this book with the hope that author Mark Huband could shed some light upon the enigma known as the fundamentalist Islamic phenomenon. From a layperson's standpoint, this book was an invaluable resource for understanding the complexities of the Middle East factions, including their history, motives, religious beliefs, and political alliances. Fortunately, the book takes specific notice of Osama bin Laden and the Islamic movements in Afghanistan, an eerie predilection of their role in future world events. With the author's journalistic style and personal anecdotes, the book held my interest as well as its significance to present circumstances. Educating ourselves is the only way we can begin to make sense of the motives behind the terrorist acts, and I found no better resource than Warriors of the Prophet. It has my highest recommendation.
Book Description
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.
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The Poet, the Warrior, the Prophet: The Edward Cadbury Lectures 1990 (The Edward Cadbury Lectures)
Rubem A. Alves
Manufacturer: Trinity Pr Intl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0334024757 |
Customer Reviews:
Literary as well as genre fiction.......2007-08-04
This is the first of the three Nick Stefanos novels, and it is a good introduction to a man who makes no excuses for what he is and takes responsibility for his life. His downward spiral begins in this book, and it continues in the next two, ending with his hitting bottom. Although Pelecanos set out to write a crime novel, he ended up with more.
In this first of the trilogy, I didn't like Nick very much and wanted him to take control of his life, quit drinking and doing drugs, and become a success. However, by the end of the third book, I got it. Nick's fatalism is not the message--his recognition of human value and what makes a family is.
He finds family at The Spot, the bar where he works in the second and third book, among the lonely and the lost. He moves among the invisible segment of society that most of us never see in the DC that tourists avoid.
The third book is the darkest of the three, but it is a necessary progression for Nick. I really like this tragic character who hurts only himself, and I would love to see another Nick Stefanos book.
The three books in order are A FIRING OFFENSE, NICK'S TRIP, and DOWN BY THE RIVER WHERE THE DEAD MEN GO. If you haven't read them, put them on your TBR list.
characterizations and setting save this Pelecanos novel.........2003-11-06
'A Firing Offense', as judged by many amazon.com reviewers, is not the most thrilling of crime novels by Pelecanos. In fact the criminal aspect of this story, which only comes to light towards the end (..no spoilers), is somewhat thin. However this book simply oozes with atmosphere. 1980s wasted youth, drug culture, with the lead character (Nick Stephanos) definitely in a "desperately seeking something" mode. I felt transported back in time to a different place. There is something also of a Jack Kerouac feel to it also as much of the book takes place on the road.
Bottom line: perhaps not a stellar Pelecanos novel but I enjoyed the ride. Recommended.
Macho Mania.......2003-06-08
This first book in the "Nick Stefanos" series is definately a guy book: lots of drinking and drugs, fistfights, all-night drives, hamburgers, and sex on the couch. Excellent descriptions and some fine writing, to be sure, but a little more author's energy spent on character development would have helped me relate to Nick and his buddies, and actually invest some energy in caring what happened to them.
"A Firing Offense" is a good story, however, and one well worth reading if you like action and plot.
DEFINITELY A "GUY'S" AUTHOR.......2003-05-23
When I started reading Pelecanos, it began with "Right As Rain" after seeing him at a book signing in Philadelphia a few years ago. After that reading experience, I knew I had to read some more of his books so I turned to his Nick Stefanos' series. Someone suggested I read them in chronological order as opposed to the order in which he wrote them. Based on that recommendation, I began with The Big Blowdown, which takes place in the 1930's and 1940's. I thought this book was phenomenal. Chronologically, the next three books were King Suckerman, which takes place in 1976, The Sweet Forever, which takes place in 1986 and A Firing Offense which takes place in the early 1990's -- all of which I've now read.
But here is my problem...does Pelecanos write these books only to attract a male audience? I've gotten this feeling with each of these books since there's always some inside male jokes, references to sport's figures and trivia that only guys would know, gratuitous and gritty sex and over the top drinking and drug binges. All of the characters are trying to be so cooler than cool. They don't just leave a tip....they "drop a twenty on a fifteen dollar tab." The first time Pelecanos writes this, it's clever...by the fifth or sixth time, it's old already.
I'm sure this will incite Pelecanos' fans but I mean this sincerely when I say that "I am a fan." I just wish he wouldn't be so exclusive of the opposite sex when he writes. I can understand that he's probably a real man's man -- the kind of guy other guys want to hang out with. But I want to join the party and I get the feeling with these last three books I've read that it's an "all boy's club" and I'm not invited.
Other reviewers have said that The Firing Offense is one of the weaker books in the series. I thought the story was strong and definitely sets the scene for Nick Stefanos' entry into the private eye industry. He gets the bug after he's asked by a young man's grandfather to help him find his grandson who is missing. Since the boy, Jimmy Pence, was just canned by Nutty Nathan's, it seems like a good match that the grandfather has asked for Nick's help as Nick is the advertising director at the same company.
This book will find Nick going back to one of the stores and selling TV's and microwaves from the sales floor with his old friend Johnny McGinnes. They will then travel south together in search of Jimmy until a light goes off in Nick's head leading him to figure out what's been going on behind the scenes at this electronics' company.
So I'm not giving up on Pelecanos....I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Next up for me is Nick's Trip, which takes place in the later 1990's, until I finally get to Shame The Devil, taking place in 1998. A book friend of mine, who's a huge Pelecanos fan (a guy of course), says that this one will bring me to tears. I'd like to see Pelecanos be able to do that to me. It would prove that there's not all hardness behind that pen of his.
Not bad but ultimately dull.......2003-05-16
As a lover of the crime genre I was keen to read this having had Pelecanos recommended to me by more than one person. I bought an omnibus edition with A firing Offence, Nick's Trip and Down By The River Where The Dead Men Go in one book. I finished A Firing Offence on the first day and I'm about three quarters of the way through Nick's Trip. In a nushell I found this book to be quick and easy to read, interesting in that I have not read anything set in Washington DC before and it certainly had a good plot with a well paced story. The characters did nothing for me. I thought Stefanos was boring and dull. On the one hand he is meant to be exciting with a bit of drug taking in his past (who hasn't?) and the ability to have a bit of a scuffle, in reality he is a single alcoholic with few if any friends who spends most of his time driving around in a drunken stupor. The gunfight scene in the warehouse is not particularly believable and Stefanos' demeanour directly afterwards is far too composed.... the whole thing is a little to unbelievable for me as well as being somewhat trite. I won't bother with the third book in the series. Not bad but hardly great.
Amazon.com
Here's a thriller that provides plenty of exercise for the brain as well as the viscera, as Ignatius ingeniously explores what happens when a reporter crosses the line between information and covert action. Looking into the secret life of a respected colleague, hotshot journalist Eric Truell finds a much better story than he expected--and a huge moral dilemma, which gets bigger the more he digs. Ignatius's equally smart and exciting The Bank of Fear is available in paperback.
Book Description
While in Paris, New York Mirror reporter Eric Truell lands the scoop of a lifetime. But when a maverick CIA agent starts leaking explosive, highly sensitive secrets to the savvy journalist, his career skyrockets.
As his ties to the CIA deepen, Truell becomes tangled in a dark web of espionage and murder that spans from Washington to Beijing.
Uncovering shattering truths in a realm of deceivers, and even more shocking lies in the world of journalism, Truell will make a perfect spy. And an even better victim . . .
From the Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
...Should Get You Thinking.......2006-01-23
The Bob Novak/Judith Miller debacle has returned the public's attention to media ethics. With Al-jazeera having a franchise on Al-qaeda news releases, and several TV shows nothing more than Administration apologists, we have rediscovered that in the news not only is the messenger suspect, now the source and the message cannot be trusted.
David Ignatius's "A Firing Offense" fleshes up these abstractions which never appear on the Evening News (except when it involves the US military paying Iraqi journalists). A drained reporter, Eric Truell, is looking for a story to break his ennui as head of the Paris bureau of the New York Mirror. When a blockbuster story involving corrupt business practices in China falls in his lap, Truell makes a Faustian bargain with an undercover operative, disregarding the ethical implications. He has just committed a firing offense.
Ignatius, a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has his finger on the pulse of his material. He has a perfect grasp of the small details that build a story. Yet, it is in the larger picture he excels: the corrupt business practices of corporations; the recruitment of journalists for espionage; the inaneness of roundtable TV and event-driven news; and the extraordinary power of the newspaper columnist. A few of the issues captured in this appealing story about a hunted newshound.
In a world increasingly fragmented by a digital divide where any uncorroborated rubbish can be printed at the click of a button, a world defined by Nielsen ratings, where deep background briefings determine cachet, the lessons of the Firing Offense need to be taken to heart.
A very readable, intelligent thriller.......2004-12-27
This book was listed a few years ago on a respected reviewers "best bets" and although I recorded the title for reading at some future time it was only recently that I remembered the title again while browsing and decided to give it a try. In the book, Ignatius has captured the essence of a young reporter's conflict between writing a good and important story and compromising his beliefs. The development of the central character, Eric Truell, is masterful and the inside look at the workings of the intelligence community is fascinating. The plot moves quickly and keeps you interested. I particularly like the way in which the chapters and the scenes flow which makes the reader want to continue reading even beyond bedtime! I recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and adventure but is looking for something a little bit different than your typical international espionage fiction. It's very readable and worth a try!
A journalist's novel of high-wire journalism and espionage.......2004-08-18
I am an admirer of David Ignatius's journalistic work, so when I saw a favorable review of his then-new book, I rushed to buy it. Then, I put it on a shelf, where it languished until I rediscovered it a few weeks ago. A story by a journalist about a journalist cum CIA operative, it's a great read. I am not a fan of most thrillers, but Ignatius manages to keep tightening the screw without splattering blood all over the page. The "novelistic" aspects of the book were of a little lower level of craft than the descriptions of high-wire espionage and journalism. The ex-girlfriend and his almost unrequited relationship with her were a little too perfect, his career was a little too successful, and at the end of the book, he wrapped up the loose ends a little too neatly. So he's not John Updike yet, I still give this book high marks and a strong recommendation and I am looking forward to his newest book.
Great story, very well-writen........2001-08-13
A fantastic merging of the espionage and media worlds, something easier said than done. The plot was clever, the ideas fresh, and the characters well-developed. I look forward to reading more of Ignatius' work.
Slow going ..........2001-02-25
Slow going and slow ending. The plot was fair, but I wasn't impressed. There were too many schemes going on at one time. I couldn't keep up with it. The confusion lessened toward the end, but by that time I had already lost interest.
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A FIRING OFFENSE
Manufacturer: Mackays of Chatham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H3V5E0 |
Books:
- The Wife Of Reilly
- The Wolf and the Dove
- To Green Angel Tower, Part 1 (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Book 3)
- Typical American (Contemporary Fiction, Plume)
- What Dreams May Come: A Novel
- Where the Red Fern Grows
- Widdershins (Newford)
- A Box of Treats: Five Little Picture Books about Lilly and Her Friends
- A Deal With the Devil
- A Fan's Notes
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