Average customer rating:
- Connect/disconnect
- American Dream
- Brilliant! You won't be disappointed...
- A Revealing Dark Vision of America by an Irish Writer
- Disappointed
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The Keepers of Truth: A Novel
Michael Collins
Manufacturer: Scribner
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0743218035
Release Date: 2001-09-25 |
Book Description
The last of a manufacturing dynasty in a dying industrial town, Bill lives alone in the family mansion and works for the Truth, the moribund local paper. He yearns to write long philosophical pieces about the American dream gone sour, not the flaccid write-ups of bake-off contests demanded by the Truth. Then, old man Lawton goes missing, and suspicion fixes on his son, Ronny. Paradoxically, the specter of violent death breathes new life into the town. For Bill, a deeper and more disturbing involvement with the Lawtons ensues. The Lawton murder and the obsessions it awakes in the town come to symbolize the mood of a nation on the edge. Compulsively readable, The Keepers of Truth startles both with its insights and with Collins's powerful, incisive writing.
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The last of a manufacturing dynasty in a dying industrial town, Bill lives alone in the family mansion and works for the Truth, the moribund local paper. He yearns to write long philosophical pieces about the American dream gone sour, not the flaccid write-ups of bake-off contests demanded by the Truth. Then, old man Lawton goes missing, and suspicion fixes on his son, Ronny. Paradoxically, the specter of violent death breathes new life into the town. For Bill, a deeper and more disturbing involvement with the Lawtons ensues. The Lawton murder and the obsessions it awakes in the town come to symbolize the mood of a nation on the edge. Compulsively readable, The Keepers of Truth startles both with its insights and with Collins's powerful, incisive writing.
Customer Reviews:
Connect/disconnect.......2004-10-10
Bill is a washed-up reporter trapped in a place that he doesn't want to be. His inheritance from his father left him wealthy, but only on the condition that he stay put in the dying mid-Western town where he was born. He has no motivation beyond finding things to make his life there bearable. He is permanently inside, but by virtue of his money, permanently outside.
The murder that occurs gives Bill an at least temporary reason to get up in the morning, and provides the reader with an excuse to examine the details of small town life with clues that do not fit together and a crime which is, after all, a crime just like any other.
The qualities that earned this book a Booker nomination were obvious yoon reading. Collins is a skilled writer who manages to provide a smart, outsider look at small town life in the US. The tone and the plot work well together in the a palette of claustrophobia and surreality that never indulges in self-conscious tricks or far-fetched coincidences.
A fine book-- a read that made me want to find more by Collins.
American Dream.......2004-05-04
Michael Collins gives an intriguing look into the mid-west America, offering an absorbing crime story/ dark comedy/ character study. Phil is a reporter from a local newspaper named "The Truth" who starts working on a murder case that happened in his town. The main suspect of the crime is Ronny Lawton, the victim`s son. Along with his newspaper mates Sam and Ed, Phil begins a complex investigation where he tries to prove Ronny`s innocence, since he thinks that he wasn`t the murderer. In the process, Phil develops a strange and unexpected relationship with Ronny`s ex-wife Teri.
Michael Collins manages to deliver a somewhat interesting crime story here, focusing the peculiar envoironment of an american little town as well. As the story evolves, the investigation scenario turns more confuse and complex, presenting intriguing new elements. Collins takes this situation as an example of the fall of modern civilization, using it as a starting point to deliver some thoughts and ideas about post-industrial systems. Although he raises some food for thought at parts, most of his observations soon become repetitive and tiresome, creating a couple of uninteresting and boring chapters that damage the flow of the book. The resolution of the murder investigation is also a weak element to the story, providing a disappointing and anticlimatic finale.
Despite its flaws, "The Keepers of Truth" is a gripping and relevant effort nonetheless, delivering a clever analysis of today`s societies and entering the shadow zone of the "americann way of life". As a whole, this novel is a witty and well-written work that drags in some moments and is a tad too long, but it suceeds in presenting the strenght of one of the best Irish writers around.
A keeper, indeed.
Brilliant! You won't be disappointed..........2004-03-14
Mr. Collins writes like a house on fire! It is rare for me to enjoy a book so much, but this author's use the language is scintillating. The storyline and characters are quirky; the locale is bleak and depressing, but the descriptions of both the setting and internal landscape of the main character are captivating. I also greatly appreciated the author's observations about the post-industrial despair that befell this fictional midwestern city; observations that are occasionally humorous, often poignant but always convincing. But again, the author's use of language is so exceptional that I almost didn't care who the characters were or where the story was leading. I just wanted to bathe in Mr. Collin's delicious prose. If you love fine writing, you won't be disappointed!
A Revealing Dark Vision of America by an Irish Writer.......2004-02-13
Bill, a law school dropout, is living in his home town because his cryogenically preserved grandfather has made it a condition of his will. Bill's father killed himself shortly before the he came home and he had a breakdown because of it and is slowly rebuilding his life, despite the break with his girl friend Diane.
He gets a job working for the dying town's dying newspaper, "The Daily Truth," which is run by two old men, Sam, the owner, and Ed, the paper's photographer. Sam and Ed believe Bill, who is somewhat of a wordsmith and given to fanciful prose, will someday turn out to be a good journalist.
Salvation for the newspaper comes when Ronny Lawton's father disappears. Lawton is a tattooed burger flipper at Denny's, who despite having reported his father's absence, becomes a suspect for the presumed murder. The case re-energizes the "Truth's" disillusioned staff, but the initial promise of a scoop for Bill gradually translates into an obsession with Lawton and his estranged wife. As the crime casts its shadow on the lives of his newspaper colleagues and on the nightmarish reverberations of his own father's suicide, it also begins to take on symbolic dimensions as many people in the town try to take advantage of the murder.
Michael Collins won the Irish Book of the Year Award for this book and it's easy to see why. It deserves the high esteem it has won in Ireland and I highly recommend it.
Karen Holtz, New Jersey Book Girl
Disappointed.......2004-01-27
Our book club read this and was disappointed. We thought the town that was the setting for this book was overdrawn -- too black and white. Many factual inaccuracies make the book seem very implausible. Some are on trivial matters but some go to the heart of the book. Specifically, the book assumes that the disappearance of a man in the midwest would be covered by the New York Times. Preposterous. There are many inaccuracies like that. Since the book revolves around a reporter for a small newspaper and his reporting of a crime story, these inaccuracies go to the heart of the book. Also, there does not seem to be any progression in the main character over the course of the book. He seems to be just as misdirected and rudderless at the end of the book as he is at the beginning. No character development at all. We noticed that the author is an Irish national. Perhaps the book perpetuates some European stereotypes about the midwest. We didn't think it really represented the real problems of small town America in any realistic way.
Customer Reviews:
This book and an alert doctor saved my life........1998-03-27
A wonderful resource describing the apnea experience from both the doctor's and patient's viewpoint. A must for anyone who snores!
Book Description
Sleep apnea disrupts the lives of millions of unsuspecting victims. Their struggle to breathe during sleep is a major cause of daytime sleepiness, accidents, poor health, lost years of productivity and happiness, and even death.
Experts in sleep medicine and a patient guide people with snoring and sleep apnea and their families to take advantage of dramatically effective medical treatment. Broughton, the medical director of the accredited University of Alabama Knollwood Sleep Disorders Center, updates current advances. Demko reviews oral appliance therapy. They explain sleep as well as sleep apnea, and show the person with apnea how to recognize it, obtain a diagnosis, treat it, and overcome social, physical, or emotional obstacles to recovery. Coverage of treatments including CPAP, bi-level, and automatic positive pressure treatment devices, surgery, and oral appliances. Travel, precautions for surgery, internet resources, directories of organizations, equipment and manufacturers.
Customer Reviews:
SLEEP APNEA: THE PHANTOM OF THE NIGHT.......2007-10-10
I was so happy when I found this book online, after many weeks of researching. However, the book was a real disappointment. I am an educator at the college level, and believe me, this is nothing more than a textbook.
For whom, I am not sure since the subject of sleep apnea is not taught in mainstream classes in colleges or universities. It is misrepresented in the synopsis/summary of what to expect. If I would have wanted a "textboook" I would have gone to the college bookstore. It was money wasted because any of the "medical" and "technical" info included in it can be easily accessed on the internet. It provided no alternative ideas, information or treatments. I wish I could send it back for a refund!
Encyclopedia of sleep apnea.......2007-09-25
I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and use CPAP. In order to be more involved with my own treatment I purchased four books on the subject to gain as much insight as possible. This is without a doubt the most informative. It describes the condition, compares it to normal sleep patterns and gives nearly encyclopedic information on treatments and what you can do to help yourself. I highly recommend this book.
VERY useful book.......2007-06-26
Lots of good information, presented in clear language. One of the authors is a patient, and I found his comments particularly helpful - especially his notes about how we ALL hate the CPAP equipment, but there are good reasons to continue to struggle with it, to explore better options, etc.... because the tradeoff for better sleep, better quality of life, and better prognosis for longterm wellness, make it worth while. Lots of pictures, excellent explanations throughout. Highly recommended.
"An excellent book that was very informative".......2007-04-29
I was just recently diagnosed with having sleep apnea and wanted to know everything about it. This book had alot of information on the subject and helped me to realize that I was not alone.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn what sleep apnea is and how it can be treated because this book has it all.
Valuable Information for Sleep Apnea.......2006-11-10
I recently started using CPap for my sleep apnea and found this book very helpful and informative. I continue to use this book as a refernce tool and think it is well worth reading!
Average customer rating:
- A new discovery...
- A Gifted Storyteller and his BEST in years....
- John Farris should outsell us all
- Excellent Book Could Make a Memorable Film
- A tour de force from a literary master...
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Phantom Nights
John Farris
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0765346885 |
Book Description
The year is 1952. Fourteen-year-old Alex Gambier is rebellious by nature and scarred by childhood tragedy in the southern community of Evening Shade. An outcast in his own family, mute from a bout with diptheria at an early age, Alex expresses himself by writing imaginative stories and by conceiving daredevil stunts that test all of his physical rescources while putting his life in extreme danger.The aftermath of one of his hair-raising stunts finds Alex in the care of a young black nurse named Mally Shaw. An unlikely friendship results, which is ended by an unspeakable crime that costs Mally her life.Or not quite ended, for Mally finds herself trapped in a nether world by the force of Alex's will and his need to exact a terrifying revenge on the man responsible for Mally's death.But the revenge he seeks is a two-edged sword, the price Alex's own soul as he recklessly pursues his quarry in a chilling double twist climax that surpasses anything John Farris has written before.
Customer Reviews:
A new discovery..........2006-10-29
The number one question I ask myself when I started this book is why haven't I heard of John Farris before now? My local bookseller at the time recommended the book after Mr. Farris had a booksigning at the store last year. I bought the book but it's sat on my TBR stack all this time. After reading this book, I have to admit that Farris is definitely a diamond buried beneath a ton of black coals of other less talented bestselling writers. This was the first time in a long while where I took the day off and read a book cover to cover. No skimming. Every word...every turn of phrase is literally an artistic masterpiece. I tried to research the author on the web, but he seems to be as much a phantom as the Dixie Traveler. Majority of the characters are multilayered and you do come to care for a great deal of them-none more so than Alex. Highly, highly recommended.
A Gifted Storyteller and his BEST in years...........2005-07-20
John Farris pulls out a classic....
I've read many of John Farris's novels and stories over the years but I was not prepared for how this left me, days after in fact. Stories rarely come this well written anymore. The bestsellers you see in the stores rarely come close to this
storytelling greatness yet John Farris remains obscure? I just love to sink into a period story(this one from the 50's)with such detail and with a touch beyond the grave. Excellent story. Reminds me how I felt when I read the great Joe R. Lansdale's classic tales 'THE BOTTOMS' and 'A FINE DARK LINE' which both have similar themes and terrific storytelling magic. This is sure to be one of the best of the 2005.
John Farris should outsell us all.......2005-04-17
Phantom Nights is a masterpiece of a novel, which deserves to be read far more widely than it has been to this point. John Farris, long a master of the literary thriller, brings all of his many novelistic gifts to this latest effort, resulting in a read that is always engaging and ultimately deeply satisfying. Mally Shaw and her father, Dr. Ramses ValJean, people of color in a sleepy southern town of the 1950s, are complex and moving characters, rendered by a consummate artist who sees deeply into the human heart. Bobby Gambier, acting sheriff of the town, is equally complex and appealing, and his mute brother Alex is as powerful and sympathetic a portrait of a tormented young teenager as you will find in any novel, commercial or literary. The evil in this novel is made larger, more real and menacing, by its very smallness. No mustache twisting cardboard villains here. No flat character of any kind. There is not a soul in this novel who does not live and breathe and move us in some way. Farris has that ultimate gift from which all else in a great novel flows: we care about the people he brings to us. The prose itself is so fine, so polished, that we effortlessly fall through it into the beating heart of the novel, where the heat makes us sweat, and we taste the grease at the local diner. The phantom train, a motif which appears in other memorable Farris novels, becomes a vividly chilling device in this one. Among his fellow novelists, John Farris has long been known as the master. I've been published fourteen times without ever writing half so well, try as I might. If life were fair, John Farris would be a perennial best selling author. With his many other talents, we are lucky he's still bringing us these stunningly good novels. You're in the right place to order "Phantom Nights" right this minute. Do it! Then read it slowly if you can, for it is too soon over. And when you are done, spread the good word.
Excellent Book Could Make a Memorable Film.......2005-03-28
John Farris does such a good job of drawing his characters in this novel that I had no trouble picturing them in my mind as I read. From villainous Leland Howard, to deputy sheriff Bobby Gambier and his mute brother Alex, to Mally Shaw and her father, Dr. Ramses Valjean, these are some of the more memorable and three-dimensional characters I've encountered lately. In the hands of the right person, this could make a great movie, with a very meaty role in Dr. Valjean and his forensics expertise. The story is a mixture of mystery and the supernatural and is handled with great expertise. It's nice to see Mr. Farris taking a break from the all-out horror pyrotechnics of his Fury sequels and turning his great talent to a quieter, though no less masterly tale. Very highly recommended!
A tour de force from a literary master..........2005-03-28
John Farris returns with Phantom Nights, a Southern Gothic told with the patience of Hemingway and the character insight of Cormac McCarthy. Phantom Nights might fall into genre fiction, but fans of Southern Lit, Horror, Mystery, and Literary Fiction (whatever that may be) will be hard pressed to deny Farris' talent for narrative, pacing, characterization, and wordplay. John Farris has been criminally underrated in recent years, and I challenge anyone to pick up Phantom Nights for themselves and not wonder why he's not competing with the Grisham's and Dan Brown's and Dean Koontz's atop the NY Times Bestseller list. Those writers can't hold a candle to Farris' immense talent. Find out for yourself.
Customer Reviews:
Shaman of Oberstdorf.......2001-03-27
Chonrad Stoeckhlin, a stall boy (and the main character of this book), made an agreement with his good friend, the oxherd Jacob Walch, in 1578. According to this agreement, he who died first would return to tell about life in the hereafter. And no more than a few days after the pact was agreed upon, Jacob suddenly died. He kept to his word with his friend though and appeared before Chonrad five whole times. Since I have no intentions to ruin the reader's experience, I will not divulge what Jacob had to tell about life in the hereafter or how Chonrad reacted to what he heard. But after some years the judicial authorities took notice of the stall boy's strange and suspicious tales about contacts with the other world. And in 1587 the stall boy from the Bavarian alpine town of Oberstdorf was executed for witchcraft. Stoeckhlin had to answer 146 various questions during the legal proceedings. Based upon the profuse 1586 sources, the German historian expands his story to delve into topics such as fortune telling, shamanism, witch sabbaths, and the interplay between popular and learned culture. This is a fascinating book, even though Behringer occasionally has a tendency to waver some distance from Chonrad's story. But, certainly, the stall boy story from Oberstdorf is fascinating reading and a work of eminent scholarship.
Interesting glimpse of 16th century life.......1999-03-26
The horse wrangler Chonrad Stoeckhlin was burned after accusations of witchcraft in 1587. Taking this as his starting point, the author discusses withcraft, local history, pre-christian religion and more. Much more! And that may be my main objection to this book: The reader gets intriguing bits of information that merrits books on their own.
Customer Reviews:
Good story.......2007-10-03
I was running out of books about the Phantom Of the Opera then found this one. I was very enjoyable. Read it in one day.
The Start of Stuart's Dark Erotic Period.......2007-04-01
This book was somewhat controversial when it was first published. First, I should note that the Romance landscape for the individual reader was a lot different when this book was published. There were some BBS romance groups, Genie and Prodigy and that was about it for trading opinions electronically. However, there were book stores and some readers groups, where people commented on the book. I found it through the UBS I frequented which luckily had a very clever and interesting clerk as a clearinghouse for opinions. She recommended this book to me, knowing I had an Anne Stuart jones, and commented that a lot of her customers had been talking about it and many of them hadn't liked it.
It's quite clear that Stuart in this book was doing her usual homage stuff-- her books often echo specific genres, well known movies, and/or television shows. In this case it is a bit of Phantom of the Opera and a bit of Beauty and the Beast and a bit of the British 1960's cult tv-series The Prisoner.
The manipulation of her heroine is more direct and physical than in her more recent books but if the reader is willing climb aboard and cling on for the duration it is wild ride. I've seen Stuart quoted as saying that she wrote this book in no mood to play by the rules and it shows.
However, check your brain before reading, you won't need it. Stuart makes no more than a token effort at explaining things. The hero is an early effort at her current dark and borderline psychotic male leads. The heroine is far too passive to fit my taste but not quite as neurotic as her more recent female characters. But is very clear that what is playing out here is an erotic fantasy without the explicit sex.
I think if anyone ever writes a study of Stuart's writing this book will be seen at the watershed moment when she tilted away from her quirky and interesting category romance heroes and began her slide into a very dark hole indeed.
If you like Stuart's recent books you must give this one a shot.
Phantom of the Opera with a twist.......2006-05-15
This is my absolute favorite Anne Stuart by far with poignant story and very well developed characters (expecially the tortured hero). It's simply perfect!
loved it.......2005-03-16
I just loved it, one of my favorites by Stuart. The hero is just superbly well written and his physical description is great, even the deformity lends to his attractiveness. A modern day gothic in my opinion. wonderful.
An Unforgettable Love Story.......2000-01-21
Such an unforgettable book that I also bought 2 copies! THE best romance, Anne Stuart is at her finest here. It is one of my all-time favorites along with Victoria Holt's "Mistress of Mellyn" and Mary Higgins Clark's "A Cry in The Night". The ending actually made me cry!
Product Description
Set of 6 Books.
Book Description
Thirteen-year-old Erin Landers is thrilled to continue her scientific research with her genetically altered plants on Zata III, a moon in the Corelian System. However, the garbled transmission from the Sector C base camp concerning mysterious disappearances and a creature that stalks the camp may jeopardize her experiments. The base-camp area is in a barren and hostile region with frequent severe ionized storms. Erin and her friends journey with a security team to discover the fate of the technicians and track the phantom creature. What they discover is the enslaving of a native race and the quarrying for the deep natural mineral deposits and core materials. The environmental exploiters intend to strip Zata III of its natural resources and leave the moon to break apart. Erin must find a way to stop the environmental criminals and save Zata III from destruction while bringing freedom to a peaceful native race.
Average customer rating:
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Gentlemen of the Night - Captain Phantom
Paul, Feval
Manufacturer: Hollywood Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Screenplays | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Historical | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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The Black Coats: The Invisible Weapon
ASIN: 1932983813 |
Book Description
They're everywhere. Their name is like a talisman that opens all doors and bends all wills. The man who can pronounce that name is master everywhere -- Gentlemen of the night! In 1830 London, the Marquis de Rio Santo, leader of the criminal empire known as the Gentlemen of the Night, schemes to free Ireland by plunging England into chaos. Our soldiers believe in the existence of a supernatural being, a fantastic cavalier, dressed in the uniform of a French dragoon, who hides his face behind a black mask. In Spain during the Peninsular War of 1808, Don Cesar de Cabanil becomes the mysterious Captain Phantom to fight for justice and protect the innocents in his war-torn country. Paul Féval's greatest claim to fame is, undoubtedly, having been one of the founding fathers of modern heroic fiction. He developed the concepts of criminal masterminds in The Black Coats and its predecessor, Gentlemen of the Night (1843) and anticipated masked swashbucklers like Zorro with The White Wolf and Captain Phantom (1862).
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