A Better Man

Amazon.com

At the heart of Anita Nair's first novel, The Better Man, there's a haunted house--with ghosts lurching around dark hallways and pushing the living down staircases. The cursed construction is in Kaikurussi in central India, and our protagonist, Mukundan, grew up there with his tyrant father and meek, apologetic mother. As the story opens, this frustrated middle-aged writer finds himself returning home, once again taking up residence in his dull, oppressive childhood village. He doesn't want to be there. He drinks rum and fears the dark.

Enter One-Screw-Loose Bhasi, a painter of houses and self-proclaimed healer who sees in Mukundan an opportunity for redemption and friendship. In much of the book Bhasi directly addresses his newfound companion:

Tell me, Mukundan. Tell me what it is that haunts you so. Tell me of the darkness that clouds your life. Tell me why you fold your handkerchief in eight precise squares. Tell me why it is that every strand of coconut fibre has to be heaped in one place when I finish with it. Tell me how it is that you have chained yourself to the clock.

Anita Nair has a great gift for suspense; from the beginning of The Better Man, she hints at profound losses in her characters' pasts, losses that are gradually revealed as the novel progresses. Class antagonisms crop up throughout, threatening to destabilize the village's quiet existence. A warning for language-minded readers: the book's metaphors can be clumsy and strained to bursting ("the sun took a deep breath and began its morning chores"). But fans of fiction from India, who crave passage into that exotic world, will find it highly rewarding. --Ellen Williams

Book Description

In Anita Nair's warm and imaginative first novel, middle-aged Acuthan Nair returns home to restore his childhood house and to confront old ghosts.When he begins the project, he hires the town painter, One-Screw-Loose Bhasi, to oversee the renovation, and the two men quickly develop a close friendship.Bhasi, who has a special talent for healing the wounded, helps Acuthan come to terms with his mother's violent death and teaches him how to stand up to his overbearing, manipulative father.But when members of the town elite tempt Acuthan with a chance at gaining the status he's always craved, his loyalty to Bhasi is tested.The Better Man is a playful and moving account of the redemptive power of friendship.AUTHORBIO: Anita Nair was born in India and spent a portion of her adult life in the United States before returning to her native country.This is her first novel.

Customer Reviews:

High-school drama in disguise.......2004-06-01

I enjoyed the descriptions of daily life in an Indian village. Other than that, this book had a lot to dislike. For starters, the language was too contrived: "...she let him grope the curves of her breasts and tease the nubs into nibbly nuts..." "Then in Bhasi's eyes, Mukundan saw the star he had sought in the heavens shine and burn". The storyline was equally aggravating. This could have easily been the plot of a high-school movie: newcomer (Mukundan) is scared and wants nothing more than belong. He makes friends with a dweeb (Bhasi), who is genuinely concerned about him. He finds true love (Anjana). But when the "in" clique starts paying attention to the newcomer, he mistreats those who care about him. Through a series of events, he eventually realizes what a rat he's been and makes ammends.

Honestly, i'd rather watch or read the high-school version!

Who is this for?.......2001-11-19

With many a fiction being released with exotic corners of the world in the backdrop, `The Better Man' has the entire recipe for a potential blockbuster in that category, but for some reason fails to emulate even a `God of Small Things'. The reason, I believe lies in the basics of writing: the author failed to identify the audience of the book. With the globalization taking the literary world on stride, it is hard, but still important for the producer (author) to clearly identify the consumer (reader) for success (effective communication).

The story of Kaikkurussi has all the ingredients for an interesting netherworld tale. There is the curious Bhasi who can look into the minds and cure them with the help of exotic herbs and pure commonsense. There is the protagonist Mukundan, who discovers and rediscovers himself with the help of Bhasi. There are the images of death, tyranny, submission, defiance and ultimate tragedy of the various other characters with the Kerala social setup in the background. But the author fails to build the necessary background for a person unfamiliar with the society to digest all this. At the same time, for a native, the book does not provide anything new or exciting as there have been similar books written before, albeit in the local vernacular. It appears Anita Nair had the former category of readers in mind.

I would point to Marquez's Macondo (One Hundred Years of Solitude) as the epitome of the stories of other lands, factual or fictitious. It is amazing how skillfully and seamlessly Marquez weaves the strands of the land, people, society, culture and times of Macondo with a strong story line in the foreground. May be that is a little unfair a benchmark to new writers like Nair.

A brilliant work.......2001-03-28

A simple tale told in a very beautiful manner. With the use of simple language, but still not losing the charm, Anitha Nair has done a wonderful job. Simplicity, detailing of characters and environment, and a good story are the trade marks of this book. Picturized in the malabar region of kerala, in a village called kaikurussi, the novel tells the story of a man,Mukundan who returns to his village to settle down after retirement. But he realizes that his life is still in the clutches of his tyrant father, whom he was always afraid of. He starts believing that he's indirectly responsible for his mothers death. He even starts hallucinating of his mother's ghosts. It takes the help of a painter by name Bhasi (who is known as one screw loose bhasi) to help him out of his misery and realize that his fears are baseless. Mukundan is made to be reborn out of a clay urn, shaped like a woman's womb. But soon mukundan dismisses bhasi and his love anjana for the sake of power and name in the village. Later at the end of the story mukundan regains his diginity and emerges as The Better Man free from his fears. Anitha nair has taken the finest care to portray the village ,the villagers, their beliefs and customs. Truly a brilliant work.

Entertaining account of village life in India.......2001-02-25

Set in the Malabar region of Kerala, this story shows how Nair can weave imagination with realism. Mukundan Nair, the protagonist returns to his village to be overshadowed by his tyrannical father. His fear of his father does eventually diminish with the end of the book as he emerges as the better man. But on the way, he enlists the help of One-screw-loose Bhasi who plies him with herbs and at one point has him sitting in a clay urn which is in the shape of a woman's womb, so that he can be born again without his emotional hangups! Mukundan is a man whose character is under attack. He can succumb to greed and flattery, but he doesn't. He wins the respect of the villagers without loosing his own self-esteem. Nair is a natural storyteller but what I like is that she doesn't turn India into exotica.

Marvel Tales #237 : Starring Spider-Man and the X-Men in "Tis Better To Give" (Marvel Comics)

Average customer rating:

Marvel Tales #237 : Starring Spider-Man and the X-Men in "Tis Better To Give" (Marvel Comics)
Louise Simpson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Spider-Man | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Antiquarian & Rare Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Books | The Simpsons | Amazon.com Stores | us-stores
ASIN: B000PTZCRC

Marvel Tales #238 : Starring Spider-Man and the X-Men in "Tis Better To Give Part II" (Marvel Comics)

Average customer rating:

Marvel Tales #238 : Starring Spider-Man and the X-Men in "Tis Better To Give Part II" (Marvel Comics)
Louise Simpson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Spider-Man | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Antiquarian & Rare Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Books | The Simpsons | Amazon.com Stores | us-stores
ASIN: B000PTRLEO

The West Coast Avengers #44 : Better a Widow (VisionQuest - Marvel Comics)

Average customer rating:

The West Coast Avengers #44 : Better a Widow (VisionQuest - Marvel Comics)
John Byrne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Antiquarian & Rare Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Book Description

It is the year 2093, and Whit, a bold woman warrior from an Amazon nation, rescues Amelia from a dismal world where females are either breeders or drones. During their arduous journey back to the shining all-women's world of Artemis, they are unexpectedly drawn to each other. This engaging first book in the series has it all, romance, mystery and adventure.

Customer Reviews:

She caught me by surprise.......2007-03-15

For a long time, I avoided reading Jean Stewart's Isis series. I was under the misconception that they were the stories of Amazon women in some past or alien society. Only recently did I learn that they are post-apocalyptic stories...and I LOVE post-apocalyptic stories. So, I started the series a couple of days ago.

Wow! When I finished "Return to Isis" I could say nothing but "wow!" It's so rare that a book catches me by surprise. It's difficult to explain without giving away spoilers, but I never saw that coming. Up to a sentence before I got "the name," I kept yelling inside my head "who is it? who's doing this?" Once I got "the name," almost at the end of the story, it all made perfect sense. All the clues were there, but I had missed them.

My partner and I discussed this after I finished the first book. Of all the many books I've read in the past few years, this is only the second or third time someone fooled me. I've been reading so long that generally halfway through a book I've figured out the entire storyline and all or almost all of the secrets. In many books, I've figured it out after the first couple of chapters.

Many kudos to Jean. My hat is off to anyone who can provide me with the clues and yet keep the story mysterious enough that I am surprised.

Enjoyable Read..........2005-03-26

I took a segue from my usual fare to try this sci-fi series of books and am glad I did. From the first page of 'Return to Isis' I was hooked. Freeland is a mixture of all races, but mainly homosexuals, women in particular. They live by the good ole US Constitution, have protogenesis (in this case, reproduction without sperm), and a cure for a mutated form of AIDS called AGH. Elysia is what is left of the white, Christian, heterosexual society of America. The region is dominated by men, women are kept as breeders or drones, and they are over-run by AGH.

Whit is a warrior from Freeland who is doing an undercover operation in Elysia. When trying to return home, she accidentally saves Amelia from from her horrible life in Elysia. This book is about their struggle to gain acceptance for Amelia and about Amelia regaining lost memories. It is well-written and edited, and kept this reader's attention. Although the setting is in the future, the science fiction theme only enhanced the story.

I'm glad I took the time to read this story and am looking forward to the remaining four books in the series.

Excellent for the laughs........2004-04-16

The best I could say for this book (and the others in the series) is that I can get a good chuckle out of the deplorable writing. I am really quite amazed that these were published at all, as the writing is reminiscent of poor fan fiction sites, but in the interests of nothing more than lesbian solidarity and a good laugh, you should buy them.

Amazon Sci-Fi.......2001-10-01

What a delightful novel. I found this book to be both entertaining and thought provoking. In ýReturn To Isisý Jean Stewart has given the reader a stirring tale of love found in a world where women have carved out a splendid society for themselves. Called Freeland it is a land of modern amazons. They live, they love, they work together to create the kind of civilization that we can only dream about here in the real world. It is a society built on love and freedom. It is idyllic. And yet it does have its problems for right next door to Freeland can be found Elysium, a land still ruled by men. Elysium is the hell to Freelandýs heaven. ýReturn To Isisý tells the story of one womanýs escape from Elysium and her struggle to find a home in Freeland where she is thought to be a spy at best and at worst a traitor. Unaccustomed to the freedom of her new home Amelia must look deep into her self and her soul, she must dig through long buried memories, she must find allies and defeat enemies, and she must come to grips with the truth of who she really is on her quest to find peace. Guiding her on this quest is the hardened warrior woman Whit whose own troubled soul paradoxically gives Amelia just the foundation she needs to succeed in this new land she has come to. Toss in to the mix a jilted ex-lover, a wise and motherly matriarch, and a plotting and suspicious captain and ýReturn To Isisý becomes a fully rounded and well thought out novel of a future that very well may be better than any we can realistically hope for. I for one would love to live in such a world.

Nothing special........2001-08-20

The writing is bad, the plot is old, and the whole idea of a little utopian community in the post-Apocalyptic US has been done so many times, it has to at least have an interesting twist to hold my attention.

I could have ignored all that if I cared about the characters at all. But each of them was a walking stereotype, from the wise older woman to the warrior to the innocent outsider. The only character who showed even the slightest spark of life was the healer who kept hitting on every woman who walked by.

The secrets from the past that kept coming up weren't at all believable for the characters. I was reminded of the end to Scooby-Doo cartoons, or Hardy Boys books. ("Ha ha, I was the traitor all along! And you never suspected anything! Now let me tell you all about my plan while I lower you into a vat of acid!")

I like mindless entertainment as much as the next person, but it has to actually be entertaining, and this isn't.

Average customer rating:

I had expected more, I suppose...

Can be used as a reference book

I really wanted to like this book

A Gentile Point of View

Get the "4ll" on the Hard Core Jewish People
What's Up with the Hard Core Jewish People? A Guide for Coping with Newly Observant Jews
Margery, Isis Schwartz
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Jewish Life | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Reform | Movements | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

What Do You Mean, You Can't Eat in My Home?: A Guide to How Newly Observant Jews and Their Less Observant Relatives Can Still Get Along

Off the Derech: Why Observant Jews Leave Judaism; How to Respond to the Challenge

Sliding to the Right: The Contest for the Future of American Jewish Orthodoxy (S. Mark Taper Foundation Book in Jewish Studies)

Forgive Us, Father-in-Law, For We Know Not What To Think: Letter To A Philosophical Dropout From Orthodoxy

Real Jews: Secular Versus Ultra-Orthodox: The Struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel

ASIN: 1591139066

Book Description

The true story of a casually Jewish family's struggle to cope with divisiveness caused when one son becomes an Orthodox Jew. Also an excellent reference source for people who want an easy and humorous way to learn about Judaism.

Customer Reviews:

I had expected more, I suppose..........2007-10-08

I had hoped to read a more extensive account of what the writer went through when her son became "frum ". It is a kind of overview ,which is rather superficial and doesn't give me much insight into the mind of any of both parties .Of course , I agree , it is private - but nobody forced the writer to write this book , I think ?
I also could have done without half of the -slim- book being dedicated to explanation of basic Jewish words.
In short , there are ( when too few, I agree) better books on the subject.

Can be used as a reference book.......2006-11-06

I loved the author's wit as she told of her experiences with her son. I will keep this book to help me be prepared for more religious guests.

I really wanted to like this book.......2006-10-04

As a Jew who "went hard core" close to 20 years ago, I really wanted to like this book. I wanted to be able to recommend it to my adult students who are in various stages of "going hard core" so they could share it with their families. While the author clearly loves her son, and she writes with a light touch, she often comes across as condescending, as with her frequent use of the dismissive phrase, "Whatever!" Although there are a few factual errors in the book, she clearly knows more about Judaism than the average American Jew. It's a shame her portrayal wasn't more sympathetic, even if an observant lifestyle isn't her cup of tea.

A Gentile Point of View.......2006-06-22

What a delightful book! I only wish I'd been able to read something like this years ago. It would have helped me so much in understanding more about my Orthodox Jewish friends. It would have even been helpful in understanding more about my Reform Jewish friends. Now that I HAVE read it, I will be much more cognizant of the traditions and laws of Judaism. A great book for anyone interested in learning more about Judaism, without getting bogged down in a heavy, complicated learning process. Just a purely enjoyable and informative book.

Get the "4ll" on the Hard Core Jewish People.......2006-04-24

As the mother of a Hard Core Jewish son who started this journey 8 years ago, I am so glad Margery Schwartz has written this book. It is so needed and would have made my education of this world so much simpler if it would have been available earlier, but thankfully it has arrived. Not only is it a resource book to guide you through this new and foreign landscape if you are not a "hardcore" but it is an amusing and sassy story that is so right on and keeps you entertained from beginning to end. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning about this slice of life, or is actually living it and needs a helpful guide to make it through the day.

Hale-Bopp: A return to Isis and the pagan myth

Average customer rating:

Hale-Bopp: A return to Isis and the pagan myth
Joanne Saphio
Manufacturer: Paedusis Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0968255205

Jewish religious extremism: A threat to the future of the Jewish people

Average customer rating:

Jewish religious extremism: A threat to the future of the Jewish people
Isi Leibler
Manufacturer: Australian Institute of Jewish Affairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0646028480

Average customer rating:

The Son of Little Big Man?
the continued travels of a western legend
Not sure why this was necessary
A belated fanale for matched pair
I Waited 35 Years for This?

The Return of Little Big Man (Isis)
Thomas Berger
Manufacturer: ISIS Audio Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 075310864X

Amazon.com

Jack Crabb, supposedly the only white man to survive Custer's Last Stand, first disclosed the brimful and dubious chronicle of his life in Thomas Berger's 1964 charmer, Little Big Man. There the 111-year-old, a shade of history who strutted unnoticed through the mythic West, recounted his acquaintances with notables such as George Custer and Wild Bill Hickok, as well as his shuttling between the worlds of whites and Indians. In The Return of Little Big Man, ostensibly a long-lost addendum to these memoirs, we get more of the tale--or more hot air, perhaps. "Just listen to what I tell you, and then check it against the facts if you can," our hero invites.

Return has much in common with its predecessor. Once again, Crabb seems to have known everyone and been nearly everywhere, and his many associates--both notorious and anonymous--reappear as if by miracle. Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Annie Oakley all check in; while Crabb himself wanders the globe as Buffalo Bill Cody's right-hand man, witnesses both Hickok's and Sitting Bull's murders, and crouches behind a wagon during the O.K. Corral shootout. Berger's Twain-esque ruminations lend an air of purposefulness to Crabb's meanderings, a sense that separation is merely provisional, that existence only appears haphazard.

Crabb, however, seems more than occasionally dispirited--friends pass, younger men ascend. Midway through, though, the book gets its real charge, as Crabb confronts a fading world and a future both bright and bewildering. Sustained by an enormous heart, an affinity for exaggeration, and a conscience both weary and sentimental, he acknowledges the best--and worst--in everyone he meets. It's a story you'd like to believe. --Ben Guterson

Book Description

"One of the very best novels of the decade and the very best ever about the American West." - New York Times Book Review, on LITTLE BIG MAN

In 1964, LITTLE BIG MAN gave us the reminiscences of Jack Crabb - a white orphan raised among the Cheyenne - who returns to "civilized" society, where (among other things) he tangles with Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok, and ends up as only white survivor of Custer's Last Stand. Now in THE RETURN OF LITTLE BIG MAN, the sequel to that bestselling literary classic, Jack Crabb, the foremost chronicler of the American West, continues his fabulous adventures.

At the end of LITTLE BIG MAN, Jack's supposed death at age 111 cut short his tale. A newly discovered manuscript, however, reveals that Jack had faked his death to get out of his publishing contract, and he now picks up the story of his extraordinary action-packed life.

Back in the saddle again, Jack gives a blow-by-blow eyewitness account of the assassination of Wild Bill Hickok, and reveals what really happened at the O.K. Corral. He meets, shoots, drinks, and rides with Bat Masterson, Annie Oakley, Doc Holliday, and dozens of ordinary Western folk: teachers, bargirls, saloon owners, cowboys, trappers, and gunslingers. Jack even travels to Europe with Buffalo Bill Cody in his Wild West show, where he is embraced by Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales. And in a gut-wrenching finale, Jack witnesses the murder of one of one of America's greatest heroes - Sitting Bull.

As in LITTLE BIG MAN, Thomas Berger's meticulous research enriches his story with authenticity and historical accuracy. THE RETURN OF LITTLE BIG MAN is an astonishing literary achievement and a rollicking good read.

Customer Reviews:

The Son of Little Big Man?.......2007-05-05

I was surprised to learn that Little Big Man, in fact, returned. So I dove into this book, after rereading the original, naturally. I was disappointed, only due to the relative brilliance embodied within the covers Little Big Man itself. It may be the change in the fictional editor, but the new, older Jack Crabbe is far more judgmental of his compadres and enemies than the Jack Crabbe who had dictated for us his life experiences just one year earlier. Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull, and Buffalo Bill, both of whom Crabbe gets to know quite well, are far shallower characters than were Old Lodge Skins and Wild Bill Hickok. Indeed, Jack seems to have disengaged himself from his social contacts and become less interesting himself...having settled into the white lifestyle and rejected that of the Native American with the death of Old Lodge Skins.

In summary, while the book is interesting in its own right, it lacks the depth of its predecessor and is at best merely an average read, rather than the superb wonder Little Big man was.

the continued travels of a western legend.......2006-03-09

Thomas Berger, the author is able to use his comic charactoer Jack Crabb, the 112 year old man to desribel more of western history. The beauty of this book is that, Mr. Berger is able to take away all of the hype to a lot of the most famous historical events and describe, realistically what happened. The OK Corral is one of the best examples. The actual fight was less dramic than described elsewhere.

Not sure why this was necessary.......2005-02-24

A bit of a let down after the classic "Little Big Man," the further adventures of Jack Crabb are, as is true of any Berger novel, so well written you'll be drawn into it. Yet I found the plot curiously lackluster. If you are a Berger fan, you'll pick this one up, but don't dive into it if you've never read anything of his. You'd be better off with nearly any of his others.

A belated fanale for matched pair.......2005-01-27

Those who read and re-read Little Big Man every decade or so over 40 years were probably as delighted as I was when Return of Little Big Man appeared in 1999. Jack Crabbe, the geriatric home resident of the original novel who'd told of his experiences in the West, always peripheral to the events we all know of, returns in this sequel to tell of his life after the Little Big Horn fight.

As the only white survivor of Little Big Horn, Jack wanders broke and almost naked into Deadwood, SD, to encounter his old acquaintance from Dodge, City, KS, Wild Bill Hickock, in time to be present for the Aces and Eights scenario. Naturally, Crabbe gives the eye-witness account of the even a bit differently than you've heard before.

Thereafter, Crabbe wanders back to Dodge, Tombstone, elsewhere, in time to be present for the OK Corral fight, offering up another side of the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, the Clantons and Bat Masterson. Then eastward to the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, Queen Victoria, Bertie, Sitting Bull and Elizabeth Custer.

As a grand finale he manages to be with Sitting Bull for the assassination of the great chief of the Souix.

A great follow-up book to Little Big Man. Too bad it took so many decades to appear.

I Waited 35 Years for This?.......2004-04-08

"Little Big Man" is easily one of my top ten all time favorite books. I also enjoyed the movie with Dustin Hoffman. Without a moments hesitation, I scooped up this book and settled down for what I hoped was another wild adventure with Jack Crabb. Sadly, I think I would have been better off having left the book in the remainder bin where I found it and watched the original on DVD instead.

Without rehashing the plot that other reviewers have already gone over, I would describe RoLBM as "more of less". More of the Old West stories without the compelling drama. Famous names wander into view from stage left and exit stage right without giving the reader any sense of awe. "Oh look, here comes Sitting Bull. There he goes. How nice."

Book Description

In the third volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy the good and evil forces join battle, and we see that the triumph of good is not absolute. The Third Age of Middle-earth ends, and the age of the dominion of Men begins.

Customer Reviews:

Inglis' Narration is the perfect complement to the perfect trilogy.......2007-10-01

I listen to a lot of books on tape. Every once in a while I come across a narrator who is perfectly suited to the work. I don't mean a narrarator who has a good voice, I mean a narrator whose voice brings the story alive. Rob Inglis is such a narrator in all three books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each character is clearly identifiable by his uncanny ability produce dozens of distinct voices. I've listened to other audio versions of Tolkien's works. Those narrarated by Rob Inglis are the only ones that I've found worth the purchase.

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

While Tolkien's epic has its obvious flaws : the blatant racism,
simplistic politics and superiority of Westerners he beats you over the
head with, the wonderful setting is not to be denied.

Pitched battle as decoy is not too bad a stunt either, as they try and given Sam and Frodo more time to destroy the One Ring.

After this, the repercussions of this war for Middle-Earth are felt closer to home for the four fuzzy short guys.

SUPERB!!!!!!.......2007-08-31

I have bought the lord of the rings in all it's form since becoming interested in all things tolkien 25 years ago and the trilogy in this form is absolutely superb. Rob inglis's voice and narration really complement the book brilliantly. Excellent stuff.

Gold.......2007-07-23

I just finished reading the book, and now I am listening to it starting with the hobbit straight through the return of the king because I read them that way and I think the hobbit is in a way a part of the lord of the rings. its 60+ hours total but its worth it the narrator is great, I would of course recommend actually reading it before listening to it because as the story is a big journey, so is reading the book, its a very long story and part of appreciating it is working your way through it and for those that say "Oh I saw the movies", There is ALOT that the movies left out and gives the story a new feel. Since I read it long after seeing the movies I was not prepared for what I read, there are so many small parts that either were left out or changed slightly that its like reading a story you don't know entirely. I have to say that I love the movies and if not for them I would never have wanted to read the books. If the only way you are willing to experience the book is audiobook only then I still recommend it because they are wonderful books, my favorite actually. If you do read them first, finishing them does feel great, like a journey complete.

The Greatest Climax and Longest Falling Action of All Time.......2007-07-17

At the school where I teach, I've got a very nice little model of Tolkien's city of Minas Tirith on my desk. I'll always love the first several chapters of The Return of the King for its focus on that city-on-the-brink, and for the apocalyptic battle against the witch king of Angmar and his minions. And the great news is, that's just the beginning of the book!

Book V, the first part of Return of the King, picks up with the fate of all Middle Earth teetering on the very doorstep of destruction at the hands of Lord Sauron's most powerful ringwraith servant. Aragorn and company forge a last alliance between the human kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor that serve to stem the Dark Lord's tide while Frodo and Sam inch ever closer to their final destiny ... and the ring's (chronicled in the first three chapters of Book VI).

Just as The Fellowship of the Ring lovingly spent several chapters establishing a world that needs to be saved, this final installment of Tolkien's master trilogy spends several chapters wrapping it up when the major danger has passed. It seems old J.R.R. was reluctant to leave, but don't be fooled (or over-spoiled by Peter Jackson's abridged movie ending). The uprising in the Shire, which serves as falling action and conclusion, does what so few stories of this scope ever do: wraps up every loose end and shuts the door on the story in a way that made it virtually impossible to sequelize. And Tolkien is to be credited for that.

(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire fantasy, "Teeth.")

Average customer rating:

Return to Isis

Manufacturer: Rising Tide Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I2Z82K

Average customer rating:

Return to Isis

Manufacturer: Rising Tide Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I35PZY

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books