Book Description
When an expert in the law asked Jesus for the greatest commandment, Jesus' reply changed the course of history. With one phrase, Jesus amended the fundamental creed of Judaism and laid the foundation for his life and ministry:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;" and, `Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27)
Discover how Jesus' revolutionary creed can transform your life.
Customer Reviews:
Completely Misses the Mark...........2007-08-30
What is billed as a book that will help you "discover how the Jesus Creed of love for God and others can transform your life" The Jesus Creed reveals more about the author's fascination with symbolic overtones and calls to a narcissistic faith, than the Gospel that proclaims the two Great Commandments of God. Built upon a call to living out the Shema (To love God with all and to love others as yourself, as affirmed and lived by Jesus Christ) The Jesus Creed seems promising at first. But that promise soon fades away as yet another surface driven effort to promote a kind of cobbled together, self-help gospel has been put to paper. Symbols and rituals become larger than life in The Jesus Creed and one wonders where the author believes that reliance on Christ in humble faith truly begins and the symbol that is supposed to point to it actually ends.
The Jesus Creed is a noble attempt by a sincere author to encapsulate the heart of the Christian faith, but it is an attempt that ends in utter failure. Absent is a serious discussion on sin and of the very reason we have need of a Savior and why, when we accept such a gracious Savior, we will spontaneously overflow with joy and love in response to what Jesus has done. There are a few sections (i.e. Restoring in Jesus) that quickly gloss over the great problem of sin, but soon the reader is shuffled off to view a confused explanation of restoration that seems little more than an elaborate "sinner's prayer" before any kind of needed depth is undertaken. Also absent is a serious discussion and call to the humility necessary to fully surrender to God (though the author devotes an entire chapter on surrender that falls hopelessly short) and to truly love one's neighbor. Again, a serious explanation and grappling with our sin and how the true Christian is driven to the feet of Christ is missing. What promises to be a call to a total surrender and the regeneration of a humble, meek and mournful spirit though obedience to the great commands turns out to be litany of sentimental stories and symbolic charms that are missing tangible, straight-forward and belivable examples that explains the magnitude, worth and need of an all glorious Christ.
One cannot surrender if one does not understand what they are surrendering from, and even if one comes to know, there is still the matter of our total helplessness. All of these central and critical issues are missing from The Jesus Creed. The Gospel is anything but man-centered or formulaic. The Gospel has God prominently on display from first to last as he displays his power, mercy and love towards a humanity that is completely undeserving. It is here where The Jesus Creed gets lost. The real "Jesus Creed" is found, of course, in the Scriptures themselves and sadly, very little of it is pointed to directly in the book. The ultimate message of The Jesus Creed seems to be a spirituality that is infatuated with anecdotes and symbols that almost invite the reader to just bend Jesus to every need, desire and whim, not an invitation to bow your knee to the Jesus who came and died and offers himself to all who believe. No doubt many of the book's anecdotes are weaved in interesting and colorful ways, but they often have little substance about the life of Christ, with what he calls us to do and what he asks of us tangibly. This of course is to love each other as he loved us, but not in some metaphorical or abstract way as this book advocates practically but in the gritty day-to-day ordinary life settings that requires real, painful sacrifice to produce real, authentic love for the poor, the sick, the needy, and the enemy. By doing so we thereby show our love for God as we are giving love to God (John 5:1-3) - the real Creed. Despite the painful irony, The Jesus Creed misses all of it.
JESUS CREED and A LETTER TO A CHRISTIAN NATION.......2007-02-16
Some say religion is like a sponge that soaks up every bias, prejudice, and sentimentalism- and there is much truth to that (see my forthcoming review of A LETTER TO A CHRISTIAN NATION). Scot McKnight has squeezed the sponge dry; his book THE JESUS CREED-LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS distills orthodox Christianity into the Jesus Creed which is Jesus' remarkable answer when asked "what is important." Jesus answered to love God and love others. This foundational creed is derived from the Jewish Shema, Deuteronomy 6.5-5, and from Leviticus 19:15 "Love your neighbor as yourself." McKnight writes, "It should shape everything we say about Christian spirituality. Everything."
Jesus' imperative to love God and love others was radical when Jesus taught and remains radical today or at least muffled under the cacophony of Christian credal contentiousness. McKnight, a professor and Christian biblical scholar, draws on his intimate knowledge of the Bible, holy land history and sociology to highlight, using stories from the Bible and his own life, Jesus' essential and uncompromising command to love God and others.
"What a concept," my high school students might say sardonically without knowing knowing what sardonic means! But McKnight is serious and insists that love God and love others must inform every interpretation of every Biblical verse and every understanding of Christian tradition. McKnight's teaching is gentle with fewer "rough edges" than Jesus' own, and the book is even humorous at times with stories and quotes from friends and contemporary entertainment media. Ironically, McKnight is teaching a not always well received message (MERE CHRISTIANITY by C.S. Lewis comes to mind as another distillation of Jesus' message that threatens the verse-interpretation obsessions of so many denominations). Jesus' simple command that McKnight names the "Jesus Creed" challenges contemporary (and past) Christian perspectives, caught up, as so many are, with worldly and political agendas.
McKnight combines historic settings and metaphor to beautifully bring Jesus' message to life. The table metaphor is one such Biblical setting and metaphor. The Torah required obedience to 613 laws, laws which defined "clean" and "unclean" in ways that sometimes made love of others difficult or impossible. The Parable of the Good Samaritan, for instance, required ignoring the perhaps dead- and therefore impure- Jericho man lying on the side of the road. The Samaritan, however, was willing to violate the law in order to fulfill the greater command to love God and love others. Jesus, in ways that astounded and provoked the elites of his time, welcomed all to his table (and ministry): women, who were marginalized by the ethos of his day, sinners of every sort, lepers, and all the untouchables of that society. Loving god and others meant love god and ALL others.
If the Jesus Creed, love God and love all others, is often hard to hear in the pronouncements of Christians and Christianity, it is even harder to live, witness the history of the church. This book with its simple and difficult message is recommended to all Christians who may have lost the path by following the extraneous, and it is especially recommended to all Christians and non-Christians who have been hurt and angered by those who lost the path and failed to express love and welcome. Possibly like you, my life has been touched more by the path-fallen messages than by the Jesus Creed, a message anything but mean-spirited.
McKnight also hosts a Jesus Creed blog (use your search engine to find it) where daily blogs include the tame, the topical, and the terrifying. Time and time again McKnight and his contributors wrestle with Biblical verses and Christian tradition, sharing their journeys, their doubts, their hopes and fears in ways so moving that any Christian or non-Christian would walk the extra mile with them. These blog pilgrims are sometimes as stripped naked wanderers in the wilderness searching for sustenance and meaning. And that sustenance and meaning comes not from their voluminous knowledge- these blog contributors are mostly professors, students and pastors dizzy with their book knowledge and interpretations- but from six simple words: love God and love all others. From the book and from the blog, one is constantly reminded- all interpretation must be informed by the Jesus Creed. Also, there is general blog agreement that Biblical interpretation must be informed by established scientific facts and theories, but that is another story, outside the scope of McKnight's book.
Another recommended book is A LETTER TO A CHRISTIAN NATION by Sam Harris, an atheist who attempts "to demolish the intellectual and moral pretensions of Christianity in its most committed forms," and quite successfully, I might add, except for one proviso. Scot McKnight, his book, and his blog escape and are not demolished by Harris' just criticisms. I think McKnight would agree with very much of Harris' critique, and I can't help but think that Harris would find the Jesus creed among the highest expressions of religion. In fact, had Christians learned to love God and love all others there would have been very little basis for Harris' book. However, it must be admitted that, with very few exceptions, Christians and all others, share in this deficit of universal love.
McKnight teaches all to love God by following Jesus along that path of loving others, and his pilgrim bloggers are a testimony to its truth. Harris succinctly shows how Christian dogma and prejudice has continually blocked many from loving others, often creating rancor and sometimes war- another undeniable truth. Somehow, perhaps, love and truth will overcome our history's foreshadowing of tragedy: a world divided into angry factions with weapons on every side that can extinguish the human experiment. These two books, THE JESUS CREED- LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS and A LETTER TO A CHRISTIAN NATION inform each other and give some hope that love and reason, indeed the human experiment, might prevail.
the greatest command.......2007-01-18
First published in September 2004, The Jesus Creed is already in its third printing, and the recipient of Christianity Today's Book Award for 2005 as one of the best books of the year to introduce people to evangelical Christianity. Clearly, McKnight, the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park College (Chicago), has struck a chord with a considerable reading audience.
The strength of his book is its focus on what is central to the faith rather than peripheral, and to present that central affirmation in a simple, which is not to say simplistic, manner. McKnight taught seminary students for eleven years before choosing to teach college-level students for the past ten years, and about half of these younger students are not Christian. I admired his ability to move from his capacity as a technical specialist who has written more weighty tomes to connect with people who know nothing at all about the faith. A number of other strengths commend this book. McKnight draws upon a wide fund of ecumenical sources--Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, Pentecostal, and evangelical. He uses story-telling to good effect by sharing real-life anecdotes from his personal, family, and professional life. His style is casual throughout, and for that reason entirely accessible. John the Baptist, for example, "was wired hot and a bit off his rocker, living in the wilderness, eating bugs, and calling the nation to repentance" (141). Being the scholar that he is, McKnight also roots his discussion in the Jewish context of the life and times of Jesus. Although his presentation is simple, at the same time it is comprehensive, guiding the reader through such issues as community, social justice, the sacraments, and so forth. Finally, I appreciated McKnight's book because he introduces his readers to sources from the ancient to the modern, and to points in between. You will learn about the early fathers, the medieval monastics, the Reformation Protestants, and modern-day writers from Dorothy Sayers to CS Lewis and Dallas Willard.
And just what is the Jesus Creed? It is Jesus's amended version of the Jewish Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the heart and soul, the sine qua non or quintessence of Judaism. When asked by an expert in the Law about the greatest commandment, Jesus answered with the Shema, adding to it Leviticus 19:18: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:28-33). In this short summary we have what Thomas à Kempis called "a whole dictionary in just one dictum" (8). In the rest of his book McKnight parses the grammar of Christian faith so clearly that few readers could misunderstand.
Loving your neighbor.......2007-01-02
The Jesus Creed - Loving God, Loving Others by Scot McKnight
Summary by G. Stephen Goode
From the Preface --
"A Jewish expert on the law once asked Jesus what was the most important thing for spiritual formation. Jesus' answer turned history upside down for those who followed him. This book is an invitation for you to explore Jesus' answer to that man. I call it the Jesus Creed, and what he said should shape everything we say about Christian spirituality. Everything."
Jesus knows what life is all about. He was born into a Jewish family and culture but he was more than Jewish. He took the Shema which was central to Judaism but he added to it to make it the Jesus Creed. It is simple, yet it will cost us our lives, living it out. Love God. Love others. It is central to who Jesus was and is the core of who we should/can become. Jesus gave us the Creed and a model to follow.
Dr. McKnight is a Old Testament scholar but he does not write like one. I have to admit that I sought out this book because of the loving others part. I think we in the church should be doing that better and more often in order to demonstrate the love of God to the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, animist, to the poor and other unreached worlds. It also has to be integrated. Loving God and Loving others is like a coin. You cannot have one side without the other and yet it seems like we continue to get pulled from one side or another. Either just loving God or loving one's neighbor. We cannot do one without the other. God help us to be more like Jesus.
This book helped me a great deal as I started reading it during our response to the Asian tsunami. Loving God and our neighbor has been there from the beginning. Listening to those who suffer, entering into their grief and bearing their burdens helps us to fulfill the love of Christ. Compassion in the Jesus Creed is on every page of this book just like it is in the four Gospels. I think we forget that sometimes but Jesus did not. That is why He made it the center.
From page 117
"Jesus doesn't act in compassion in order to dazzle people into adoring him. He acts out of love and to transform the life of the grieving person. The widow gets her son back and has an income again. The prostitute's life is transformed from impurity to purity. Each woman of Luke 8 - Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and others - has a special story to tell about what Jesus has done: one tells a story of spiritual cleansing, another of physical healing, and others(if I may guess) of learning that Roman money is to be distributed to the needy, including Jesus. Wealthy women at the time of Jesus-- and these women were evidently wealthy -- did not pay taxes. Instead, if they had good hearts, they distributed their funds to charities. The chosen charity of these women was Jesus, whom they support and follow his entire life. It is these same women who become witnesses of Jesus' death and resurrection......"
So may we continue to love God and others and fulfill the same creed that Jesus did.
A Creed in the most literal sense..........2006-12-13
Scot McKnight does a fantastic job of showing what living the life Jesus calls us to live is all about. Using intense historical, religious, and personality background, Scot shows that Jesus central concern was for his disciples to live the kingdom life of loving God and loving others daily. He doesn't skirt around the fact that this kind of life is messy, and complicated. But he shows that Jesus lived that life for us, that it wasn't just his death, but his very life that was a sacrifice for us.
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CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!
Dr. W. Harry Plantinga
Manufacturer: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
 Mariology
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General
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Luther, Martin
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Augustine, Saint
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ASIN: 1931848076
Release Date: 2006-12-15 |
Product Description
The most important spiritual writings of Christian history are available on this Classics CD by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at Calvin College. It contains 118 Christian classics, including three versions of the Bible, several commentaries, Bible dictionaries, readings, spiritual guides, sermons, poems and journals -- all in a convenient, searchable form. Books are available in HTML and PDF formats. The easy-to-use CCEL Desktop software powering the CD enables users to browse and print books and install additional books from the Web. The top-of-class search engine can search for words or phrases in books, in authors works or in the whole library. In addition, it can search for dictionary definitions of words and commentary or references to scripture passages. The interface is a Web browser. The CD is compatible with Windows 2000+, Macintosh 10.3+, and most Linux versions.
Customer Reviews:
Profound Look at the Creed.......2005-07-19
With his uniquely profound insights, Pope John Paul II dives into the first part of the Creed in this collection of Wednesday Audiences. As with so many of his writings, the work reflects not only deep knowledge, but a deep spirituality. He speaks of each Persons of the Trinity not as mere intellectual ideas, but as truly living Persons who have a role in our lives.
This is not necessarily a work for beginners, but it is something that can benefit all Catholics who desire a deeper knowledge of the Faith.
Customer Reviews:
An intro to the Articles of Faith for little ones.......2005-08-31
This is a basic overview of the 13 Articles of Faith and what they mean to us as Latter Day Saints. Each Article of Faith is included plus illustrations and explanations of each concept, such as revelations like the Word of Wisdom, putting the 13th Article of Faith into simpler concepts like being kind, doing service, and being honest, as well as a short intro about the background of the Articles of Faith. All my children (ages 2 through 9) love this book as well as the other in the series. I plan on buying the others as we can.
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The Real Jesus : Christ in the Creeds and Councils
Scott Hahn
Manufacturer: Saint Joseph Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
History
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Christology
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ASIN: 1570582556 |
Book Description
Dr. Scott Hahn becomes your private tutor in Christology as he unpacks the councils that defeated early heresies and developed the Church's doctrine of who Jesus Christ really is.
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Jesus as a scientist;: A business man's creed
Roger Ward Babson
Manufacturer: REVELL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0007E1VH0 |
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40 Days Living the Jesus Creed
Scot McKnight
Manufacturer: Paraclete Press (MA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1557255776 |
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Chaos and a creed,
Winifred Margaretta Kirkland
Manufacturer: Harper & Brothers
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ASIN: B00086FHI6 |
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- A MUST READ
- A Ghost Story That's Long, Tedious, & Not Very Scary
- Nice horror
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Dark Lullaby
Palmer
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0671703099 |
Customer Reviews:
A MUST READ.......2004-07-18
I read this book one summer after picking it up in a used book store. And, with the many less-than-entertaining books I have read, this was a long awaited change. This book is definitely one of the best books I have ever read! I strongly urge you to read this book, as long as you don't mind a rather complicated storyline.
A Ghost Story That's Long, Tedious, & Not Very Scary.......2002-10-21
"Dark Lullaby" revolves primarily around 8-year-old Sara Graves, who is trying to cope with her older sister's sudden death, which occurred in the fire that also destroyed their home. The book begins shortly thereafter, before Christmastime, with Sara and her family having just moved across town and into a house with a troubled past. Here 11-year-old Shelley Graves' spirit awakens to haunt her family and manipulate young Sara to do her bidding, which includes seeking revenge against their abusive, alcoholic parents and comatose grandmother. The plans against Jane and Elliot Graves I could understand (after all, they were horrible, worthless parents), but the mental torture done to the old woman was uncalled for. I'm still not sure why Shelley/Sara wanted to hurt her.
Domestic violence, incest, and child abuse do come into play a lot in this novel, which is obvious by the dedication and opening quote alone: "For the children of violence and abuse, the survivors and especially those who did not . . . Sorrow's song for you" and "Every child has the right to protection and . . . to a life free from violence, exploitation, and abuse", from The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children in 1989. However, very little seems to be done throughout the book to save Sara; she is a constant punching bag by her hotheaded father, and her tragic ending is no major surprise. So, don't expect a lot of vindication by the end of this book.
At first, I thought "Dark Lullaby" was interesting--or at least the idea for it was, but then I'm a sucker for pretty much any kind of horror story, especially ones where the heroine shares my first name--; however, this book really dragged nearly from the beginning. It took me a couple of months to get halfway through it, and then another few to pick it up again and finish it. For the most part, it was uneventful, tedious, and not very scary at all. There's not much meat to it either, and I've pretty much forgotten most of what happened just a few days after reading it. In summary: I wouldn't recommend this novel unless you're really into supernatural horror novels.
Nice horror.......2001-03-20
This was the authors first book I believe. It was very good. It's about a little 11 year old girl, her sister, parents and grandmother. One night one of the careless, drunk parents cause a fire and burns the house down. Shelly, the 11 year old dies in the fire. They move to their new house for christmas, and try to settle in. They won't be able to though, Shelly has found them (her spirit) and possesses her little sister, Sara, and does all kinds of terrible things to avenge her death, because it was her parents fault by being drunks. I won't ruin it for readers but its a very good book.
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- You Won't Be Lulled to Sleep with this Dark Lullaby filled with Nonstop Suspense and Action
- More human than human ...
- A fascinating vampire tale
- Love, music and --voodoo?
- Music, Drugs, Sex and... Vampires?
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Dark Lullaby
Manufacturer: Amber Quill Press, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1592798896
Release Date: 2003-10-15 |
Book Description
. . .lust. . .blood. . .voodoo. . .music. . .murder
The year is 1971. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison are dead, all within a year of each other. Some of the greatest, most promising musicians snatched up by the dark specter of death. But, it was no accident of fate-they were taken.
Ashara Konrad, a rock music photojournalist, thinks she knows who the killer is: Her own twin sister, Zariaz. She's seen it happen before. . .days the music died. It began with Ashara's first love, her mentor, Ludwig Von Beethoven. Ashara was his "immortal beloved." His vampire lover.
Ashara fled from her sister in 1827, but a psychic connection between the two kept them together through the decades. Ashara knew of the curse-that 1,000 musicians had to be sacrificed for the one Zariaz could never have. Zariaz would drink in their talent, one and all, until she could play the song that would make the collective soul hers. In clusters over time, the curse was fed.
And in the Age of Aquarius, it is happening again.
Customer Reviews:
You Won't Be Lulled to Sleep with this Dark Lullaby filled with Nonstop Suspense and Action.......2007-06-28
Staci Layne Wilson's Dark Lullaby really fits into several genres. It's a paranormal romance (with the steamy love story between two different types of vampires: Ashara and Liam), a Dark Fantasy, a Mystery Novel and what I call a Uchronie (Utopian Chronology...meaning that the historical timeline is accurate with the added dimension of speculative fiction thrown in). Furthermore, the novel is richly textured with Wilson's obvious knowledge of rock and roll history and musical history as a whole, even bringing in Beethoven and skillfully fitting him into her storyline. Wilson also blends in humor...many times in the form of riddles to lighten the mood. Moreover, Wilson has created her own vampire mythology complete with clever Christian and Voodoo tie-ins. Lastly, the novel leaves one wanting more in the Epilogue, with several new situations arising, and it's clearly open to a sequel with the emergence of a vampire offspring, France, between Liam and Ashara.
^V^
G.L. Giles, Author of V2:B4 (The Vampire Vignettes Prequel) and V3: The Vampire Vignettes ReVamped
More human than human ..........2007-04-25
Ashara is beyond the typical brooding regretful vampires of many stories we see out there today. Yes, she has her moments of regret, but not in a way that consumes the entire storyline. Ashara makes the very best of good and bad fortune, lessons learned along the way are taken to heart as she makes her way in the world of human's, choosing a career she loves and making a rather successful life for herself, one many actual human's would envy.
Although not over-indulgent, Ashara embraces her feminine sensual side, taking risks, falling in love ... and bedding down the man to whom she becomes intensely attracted and mysteriously connected. She is the embodiment of the erotic mysterious woman that many women long to be, if only in their most private fantasies.
Ms. Wilson takes us on whirlwind journey through Ashara's disturbing and life changing past ... into the adventures of her present-day life ... and leaves us tantalized at the future possibilities.
I certainly was left aroused and wanting more.
A fascinating vampire tale.......2005-09-01
Courtesy of Love Romances Reviews
Ashara Konrad has been around a long time. She was immortal, a vampire, converted two centuries previous, by her evil twin sister, Zariaz. Presently, Ash is a photographer, well known for her photos of popular musicians. Her latest job is with the up and coming band, Darkside. Little does she know fate's plans for her brought on by this job.
Liam Archer is the lead singer for Darkside. He is extremely talented, with looks most men would envy. He and Ash hit it off immediately, finding they are mutually attracted. A relationship takes off immediately, leading up to Ash traveling with the band on their tour of the US. The only thing in their way is her secret... for how can she tell him she is immortal, requiring blood to survive, and dying every morning as the sun comes up?
Just when things seem to be going so well, trouble appears. It turns out Zariaz, whom was thought to be destroyed a very long time ago by the Dark Council, is in fact very much alive and tracking Ash. She wants revenge, but she also needs Ash's help to complete the curse that will make Zar the strongest vampire in existence. Zar must drink from 1000 musicians to gain the abilities to write the song which will ensure her power forever. And it looks like Liam and Darkside have been marked for death. Can Liam and Ash's love overpower the evil insanity of Zar? Will she be defeated before her plans are fulfilled?
Ms. Wilson has quite an intriguing story here. One will find everything from voodoo curses and "zombies" to love and adventure... and don't forget the vampire cat! Who else would have thought of working music into a vampire legend? The story flows effortlessly, with a surprising plot twist at the end, and the reader will not be able to put it down. This reviewer had to force herself not to read it while supposedly working, so engrossed was she. The romance between Ash and Liam is fantastic, made more complex by the secrets she must keep, and the very real threat Zar poses. The vampire rules present in this story are slightly different from the traditional, made original by the author's imagination.
Ashara and Liam are very real people, with strengths and weaknesses like everyone. They are portrayed so vividly that one will be able to imagine meeting them on a dark street some night, or in a loud night club. Zar is wickedly malevolent, feared by her enemies, and her sister, while respected and possibly even loved by her henchmen. There are plenty of secondary characters as well, also beautifully depicted, right down to Lovecraft, Ash's Siamese cat.
If one wants to read a refreshingly original vampire romance, this is the book to read. There is plenty to keep one interested and dying for the resolution. Also of note, the story ends in such a way to keep this reviewer gasping in surprise, eager to read the next chapter in the story, which hopefully Ms. Wilson will provide. Be sure to run to the computer and order a copy today, it will not disappoint.
© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2004. All rights reserved.
Love, music and --voodoo?.......2004-01-15
One hot Los Angeles night Ashara Konrad was introduced to Liam Archer. Lead singer of Darkside, Liam is as exquisite as a god, stirring in Ashara feelings that she had thought were long dead. To her surprise she found herself falling in love again. Happily it seemed as though Liam returned her feelings. Could their newly born love survive the resurrection an ancient Voodoo curse authored by Ashara's own twin?
Dark Lullaby is yet another winner from cross-genre specialist Staci Layne Wilson. Her primary characters as well as her secondary ones are believable, their goals sympathetic. Additionally, Ms. Wilson's knowledge of 60s and 70s music is incredible. She weaves music history and myth through her story with enviable ease. Her work in 2003 has been fabulous. One can only hope to see more of this talented author in 2004.
-Brenda Thatcher, All About Murder
Music, Drugs, Sex and... Vampires?.......2003-11-28
It's the year 1971, and famous rocks stars are dying within only short months of each other. Death can't naturally be claiming such stars as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin in such a short time span - can it?
Ashara Konrad thinks she may know the identity of the killer. She and her identical twin sisters are both vampires, but that's where the similarities between the two of them end. Ashara is kind, vulnerable, loving and picky when it comes to her meals (preferring to only kill the old and the corrupt). Her sister, Zariaz, on the other hand delights in torturing the innocent. Her cold and dangerous nature cost her the love of one remarkable man - Ludwig Van Beethoven, in 1811. When he chose Ashara over her sister, Zariaz was devastated, and set into motion her "one thousand musicians" curse. Her plan was to kill one thousand musicians, which would take the place of the one she couldn't have.
With this one book, Staci Layne Wilson has catapulted herself to the top of my favorite vampire authors list. Her characters are extremely realistic. They're each given depth, and believable motivations, and there isn't a stereotypical one among them! The relationship that develops between Ashara and Liam, the lead singer for a new band called "Darkside" is exquisite. It follows the patterns of every relationship I've ever been in (of course, culminating in that happily-ever-after ending which is the trademark of romance novels).
The setting was another aspect of the novel that both impressed and surprised me. I wasn't around in the 70s, so I didn't expect to be too interested in the time period being depicted here. And yet, Staci Layne Wilson's ability to describe the setting captivated me. Everything from the tie-died sweaters to the bellbottom jeans and the marijuana which was so prevalent in the bloodstreams of Ashara's victims served to take me away to another time and place.
A beautifully written, fresh vampire novel - don't miss this one!
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- Dark Lullaby - A Review
- Gripping, atmospheric paranormal set in exotic Turkey
- Mesmerizing Turkish Horror/Romance Tale
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Dark Lullaby
Mayra Calvani
Manufacturer: Whiskey Creek Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1593749074 |
Customer Reviews:
Dark Lullaby - A Review.......2007-09-16
Premise: Gabriel Diaz is an idealist. He loves debating about good and evil, justice versus murder. His relationship with his ex-girlfriend Liz is friendly, though he knows she would let it be more again if he wanted. But he doesn't think he loves her. Yet more fodder for moral discussions in his own mind. His childhood in Puerto Rico was not a happy one. Though he and his twin sister survived, it has colored his perceptions. The unusual bond he and his twin share hasn't failed to impart to him her fears of her current pregnancy, having lost a daughter hours after birth three years ago. Yet all these hanging issues and more get put on hold when he meets Kamilah. Foreign and beautiful, she drives him to distraction. And she seems as fascinated by the moral issues of justice and darkness as he is himself. Then little things start happening the closer the time for his trip to visit his sister for the impending birth comes. Is there a form of darkness at work here or is he only letting his imagination and worries run away with him?
Review: Filled with several exotic locals, Dark Lullaby makes for a plethora of the unusual and foreign. The Middle Eastern mythology used is also not one seen often, so it made for a very refreshing change and caused the horror aspects to be even more poignant. Gabriel has to face the very moral issues he's been battling in his mind, pushed and prodded toward an end that will affect the lives of more than just himself. While who the evil persona is was never in question, the goals and resolution weren't clear until the end, making the read much more exciting. If you like chills, foreign settings, and moral dilemmas, this book is for you!
Gripping, atmospheric paranormal set in exotic Turkey.......2007-09-11
Even though astrophysicist Gabriel has promised to visit his pregnant sister in Belgium in time for the birth, he agrees to accompany the young, mysterious and very attractive Kamilah on a trip to her family cottage in Rize in the mountains on the Black Sea. There, amidst the splendour of the Turkish countryside, strange things begin to happen. First he loses his cell-phone, his one link to the outside world. Then he begins to feel physically ill. With terrifying nightmares, hellish hallucinations and threatening encounters assailing him from all sides, Gabriel is plunged into a maelstrom of inexplicable supernatural events that threaten not only his very sanity but his integrity, not to mention the peace of mind of his twin sister far away in Belgium.
For Kamilah is not the young innocent she appears to be, and she has an agenda that is both shocking and bizarre. It will take all Gabriel's strength of mind to resist being corrupted by her, as well as courage and ingenuity for him to escape from her clutches. And even then it might be too late...if not for him, then perhaps for his niece yet unborn and therefore highly vulnerable.
Dark Lullaby is an atmospheric paranormal horror that grips you from page one and refuses to let go until you've raced, breathless, to the end. The prose is so smooth there are no speed bumps as you devour the entire novel in one or two sittings. The exotic setting of the Turkish countryside is detailed and enjoyable, and characterization is superbly handled, making all the main characters come to life. The subject matter is chilling and spooky, and the suspension of disbelief is constant.
Highly recommended for fans of paranormal fiction, especially horror aficionados, though there is nothing to stop other readers from enjoying this too. Only make sure the more faint-hearted among you do not read this alone at night. You have been warned.
Mesmerizing Turkish Horror/Romance Tale .......2007-09-10
Dark Lullaby is the story of Gabriel Diaz, an astrophysicist with a passion for intellectual discussions and Belgium beer. When Dark Lullaby begins, the ending of a tepid 3-year-relationship has left Gabriel wondering if he is even capable of love. And then, he meets a hauntingly beautiful woman called Kamilah, who profoundly affects him on all kinds of levels.
Gabriel's joy is quickly tempered by fear, as he starts to wonder what is really going on with Kamilah. When he travels to her homeland in the dark forests surrounding the Black Sea, it becomes clear Kamilah has an evil design on Gabriel's beloved sister Elena, who is about to deliver her first child.
The author of Dark Lullaby is Puerto Rican born Mayra Calvani, who has published fiction in a variety of genres--horror, paranormal, satire, mystery, literary fantasy, and children's. Her stories and articles have appeared in publications such as Enigmatic Tales, Twilight Times Ezine, New Mystery Reader, Long Story Short, Musings: A Magazine of Words, Writer Gazette, Scribe & Quill, Absolute Write, The Bloomsbury Review, Mosaic Magazine, and El Nuevo Dia newspaper
Calvani's writing style is strong, powerful and direct; qualities that make her stories and characters come alive. Dark Lullaby uses the fascination of both Turkish folklore and powerfully imagined sensory detail to draw in the reader. It is the kind of story that is complex and compelling and just pulls you along, to the point that you won't want to put it down.
You don't have to be a fan of horror or paranormal romance to like this book. I'm not and I found it both entertaining and mesmerizing.
Reviewed by Cheryl Swanson, Gotta Read reviewer and author of Death Game [...]
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Dark Lullaby
Jackie Dalton
Manufacturer: Lynx Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Regency | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1558020977 |
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Dark Lullaby: The Winning Poems Of The 2000 Sandburg-livesay Anthology Contest
Manufacturer: Unmon America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
20th Century | Poetry | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Poetry | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
20th Century | Poetry | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Poetry | Canadian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
United States | Single Authors | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1884206107 |
Average customer rating:
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Lullaby: A Night Light Book (Care Bears)
Ran Flasterstein
Manufacturer: Brighter Child Interactive
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
Bedtime & Dreaming | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Care Bears | Favorite Characters | Series | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1577913035 |
Average customer rating:
- My Favorite Childhood Book
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When Dark Comes Dance
Nancy Larrick
Manufacturer: Philomel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General | Poetry | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Short Story Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Multilingual | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0399208070 |
Customer Reviews:
My Favorite Childhood Book.......2004-02-05
I can't remember when I have not had a copy of When the Dark Comes Dancing; my parents started reading to me from it before I can remember. I love almost all of the poems and most of the illustrations (the only reason that I took off one star is that there are one or two illustrations that scared me when I was very young). I am now in college and keep it on my bookshelf here to bring out when I am homesick. This is really a wonderful book for most children.
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Dark Lullaby
Jessica Palmer
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000QFL1IY |
Books:
- The Mask of Apollo: A Novel
- The MindBody Workbook
- The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (Portfolio Edition)
- The Novice's Tale (Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries)
- The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin Mysteries)
- The Right Attitude to Rain: The Sunday Philosophy Club (Random House Large Print (Hardcover))
- The Shaman's Bones (Shaman Mysteries)
- The Shaman's Handbook (d20 System) (Master Classes)
- The Sugar House: A Tess Monaghan Mystery
- The Thin Woman
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