Book Description
Penetrating the murkiest corners of glittering New Orleans society, Benjamin January brought murderers to justice in
A Free Man of Color,
Fever Season, and
Graveyard Dust. Now, in Barbara Hambly's haunting new novel, he risks his life in a violent plantation world darker than anything in the city....
When slave owner Simon Fourchet asks Benjamin January to investigate sabotage, arson, and murder on his plantation, January is reluctant to do any favors for the savage man who owned him until he was seven. But he knows too well that plantation justice means that if the true culprit is not found, every slave on Mon Triomphe will suffer.
Abandoning his Parisian French for the African patois of a field hand, cutting cane until his bones ache and his musician's hands bleed, Benjamin must use all his intelligence and cunning to find the killer ... or find himself sold down the river.
Customer Reviews:
Yes, five stars. .......2006-03-17
I set out to give this 5 stars, because it's one of the most affecting novels I've ever read.
Then I read the other reviews, and thought perhaps I should give it 4 stars because so many people seem to have found the number of characters confusing, and actually the whole plot does seem contrived in retrospect, although I didn't feel that way while I was reading it. It reads more like a pure historical novel than genre fiction, and since it's presented as genre fiction, it may not meet the reader's expectations.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that it's one of the most affecting novels I've ever read. The story isn't about the mystery, it's about the characters and the setting. If it were about the mystery, I wouldn't have read it because genre fiction usually bores me to tears.
The one concession I'll make is that you should not read this without reading "A Free Man of Color" first. If you've already got a handle on the backstory of Ben and his family and friends, it's easier to keep track of all the new characters.
Ben Janvier goes undercover as a slave..........2004-12-21
"Sold Down the River" is the fourth book in Barbara Hambly's series about Benjamin Janvier, a free man of color in 19th century New Orleans. Ben was born a slave, but his mother caught the eye of a white man, St. Denis Janvier, who purchased her along with her son and daughter. Educated in languages as well as becoming a surgeon, and classically trained as a pianist, Ben currently makes his living giving piano lessons and playing at various balls in New Orleans.
Things change suddenly when his mother's original owner, a despicable sugar plantation magnate, Simon Fourchet, comes calling and asks Ben to pose as a slave in order to find out who is sabotaging his sugar harvest and trying to kill him.
This is one of Hambly's most intense outing yet, and Ben is put into some considerable peril while trying to unravel the various threads to find out who caused the murders of several slaves as well as damaged some key equipment.
Posing as the slave of his friend, the consumptive violinist Hannibal Sefton, the two travel upriver to Fourchet's plantation, Mon Triomphe. There, Ben must adapt the language of a field hand and muster all of his strength of character to restrain himself as he witnessess the cruelty of overseers and Fourchet himself. Hambly does not use the delicate issue of slavery of window dressing, but addresses it head on, and there are some visceral and graphic scenes depicted here.
Meanwhile, Ben must get in with both the field hands and the house servants as well as gaining knowledge about the white family controlling the plantation. The plot is intricately woven, and there are several surprises awaiting Ben. Luckily, his friend, Abishag Shaw, has given him a way to communicate by tying colorful bandannas to a tree and changing them daily. If he fails to change the color, help will be on the way...he hopes.
There is voodoo, conspiracy, twisted family relationships and affairs within affairs that will keep the reader guessing as well as turning pages.
As usual, Hambly has crafted an detailed novel with vivid descriptions of places and people. I felt like I was there with Janvier. Her research is outstanding and I learned about how sugar cane was harvested at the time. There are many interesting historical nuggets here.
Some bumps...
She referred to the entrance to the sugar mill as a gateway to hell, which when first encountered was awesome, but this description was repeated multiple times, which diminished the impact.
A typical challenge of all books in the series is the sheer number of characters. We have the various slaves and families, as well as the plantation owners, neighbors and various side characters. Throw in the unusual names, complex relationships and it's hard to keep everyone straight.
I also found it interesting that the slaves had so much apparent freedom of movement to go between plantations for various liaisons, etc.
I will continue with the series, and look forward to "Die Upon a Kiss."
Back into Bondage........2004-09-07
Benjamin January has solved his share of mysteries. It has always been difficult for him to turn away anyone in need. As a Black man in 1830s New Orleans January understands all too well the concept of injustice. However, the man who has recently come to him for help is the last person in the entire world he wants to help. The man who needs January's assistance this time is none other than his heartless former owner, Simon Fourchet. Although it has been decades since he was in bondage, January can neither forget nor forgive the man who used, abused and treated him and his family like animals. Fourchet is growing older and even more bitter. The last thing he wants to do is ask for help from his former property. Yet, January is the only person he can trust to go undercover and find the culprit who is hell bent on destroying him.
Reluctant to help Fourchet, January must reconsider for the sake of all those still in bondage on Fourchet's plantation. Fourchet and others believe that the arson, sabotage and murders are being done by the hands of a slave. January knows that if he doesn't help find the killer every slave will suffer. And plantation justice is the most brutal of all. In order to save innocents, January will have to leave his comfortable life and return to the slave quarters on the plantation Mon Triumphe, and discover the deadly secrets that reside there as well as in the "Big House".
SOLD DOWN THE RIVER by Barbara Hambly is another superb outing for the heroic Benjamin January. Hambly brings to life the sights, smells, and indignities of the Louisiana plantations. She paints a glorious picture of a cast of characters who all have secrets and hidden agendas. Hambly does not write her characters in just black and white. All of the characters are three dimensional. Although the issue of slavery is still a sore spot for this country, Hambly tackles it with intelligence, reality and sensitivity. SOLD DOWN THE RIVER will have the reader rooting for Benjamin January to find the culprit and put his painful past to rest once and for all.
Reviewed by L. Raven James
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
This is a Terribly Real Period Piece!.......2003-12-02
It is very difficult to read this book of Ms. Hambly's because her portrayal of slavery and the slave's lot in 19th century America is so real. The book is filled with horror from cover to cover, but there is warmth, fellowship and love there too. When people are together in misery very lasting and strong bonds and friendships are forged, and Benjamin January rediscovers this when he goes undercover on a cane plantation to try to determine who is behind all the accidents and deaths occuring on his old master's plantation. January certainly has no love for Simon Fourtier, but he can't help going to help because if tragedy occurs to the white folks on a plantation, it can't help but be felt by the slaves, and they usually end up suffering the more for it. January goes to help, and goes to work as a field hand with the threat of being plunged back into the slave's life very real to him. He makes some lasting friendships, but at the same time uncovers an evil so grotesque that he can hardly take it in. Luckily for Ben, his old friend Hannibal and Abishag Shaw come to his rescue before he is actually "sold down the river". Ms. Hambly's research is very extensive, and she captures this era better than anyone I've read.
Haunting, and very, very good........2003-08-28
I think I should begin by saying that Barbara Hambly may be my favorite author. I keep the Darwath books by my bed, to read again and again on nights I can't sleep--Gil Patterson is a soul sister. Hambly wrote the Darwath books many years ago, and of course I have read everything else she's written, the good ones and the terrific ones. The Benjamin January books fulfill the promise of her earlier work, and they are splendid stories and engrossing mysteries, but beyond that, they stand alone as literary works of art and mood. You feel the fears, the heat and the miseries, the joys and the sorrows of this Free Man of Color, but more than that, you begin--only begin, of course--to understand the true horror of slavery and the shining glory inherent in the ability of some men and women to maintain their essential goodness when faced with the stark, uncaring inhumanity of their fellow men. No, these books won't ever help me into calm and dreamless sleep--they have a value far beyond that. Benjamin January, like Gil Patterson, is a person to me--a friend I would know immediately if I met him in real life.
Customer Reviews:
120 pages of whining from someone who's not even from Wyoming........2007-05-02
I live in Wyoming and I had to read this book for my American Government class. Not only is it extremely boring, but all the guy does is trash Wyoming and its people. His entire book relies on the point that the Wyoming people maintin a "cowboy" state of mind and think that big business and money are evil. Though many wear cowboy boots around here, nobody thinks they are still a genuine "cowboy". He also, for some reason, suggests that the solution to our problems is to build another University (appearently so that we'll have twice as many graduates leaving the state). Good job on that one Sam Western. Next time take the time to learn [...]a state.
In conclusion, go ahead and read this book if you want to know some out-of-state whiner's opinion on something he has no idea about.
Flawed, but still useful.......2006-06-01
This book gives a lot of useful background and information about Wyoming; however it is presented from the point of view of a leftist academic.
If you are a leftist, or a mainstream Keynsian, or of a similar ilk, then you will find nothing to argue with in this book. If you are more conservative or libertarian, or follow the Austrian or Chicago schools of economics, you will be grateful for the background information while irritated at the sometimes absurd interpretation Western puts on things. For example, he constantly snipes at the ideal of independence that he says Wyomingites generally have. Only a collectivist would look at independence as a vice.
Also, there are some errors here and there, such as the comparison of states using a measure that is not a per-capita one, or a really strange idea of what the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause is about.
One gets the overall impression that Western secretly thinks, "If only Wyoming were more like California," that deep down he doesn't really like Wyoming very much (exemplified by his absurd irritation about the Wyoming Stub-on-Steamboat license plates). Well, Wyoming is not California, and never could be, because it does not have the productive soil or great seaports or huge population or substantial wartime-built economy and technology or the great Congressional clout. The Wyoming economy is the way it is because of the physical situation of the state, not because of character "defects" in the people such as too much independence (in fact the citizenry, not the scenery, is the best thing about this state, if you ask this newcomer). Wyoming has its own set of vices and virtues, lucky breaks and unfortunate realities, just like any other state does. People should live in the states that suit them, not try to make them into something they are not and can never be (and shouldn't be).
Read it for the backgrounder aspect, and even for some of the critiques of the good-old-boy network; but if you are like me you will be scribbling irritated notes in the margins through the book.
Prescription for Growth.......2003-09-03
Samuel Western, in identifying the myths of Wyoming's past, has laid out excellent ideas for how to change the future of the state. While many residents of Wyoming might feel that the small population is one of the greatest benefits of living in the state, the fact of the matter is, Wyoming suffers greatly not only from brain drain, but also from youth drain as well.
The ideas that Western presents are excellent ideas that would enable the state to develop appopriately while preserving its rich wilderness and public lands. In order for these ideas to take a foothold in the state, it is critical that people reeducate themselves and that the teachers of Wyoming history accept that we have some deep rooted myths that are now accepted as facts. Until this occurs, the ideas the Western presents, while excellent, will remain in this book, rather than in the actual development of the state.
Things That Need to Be Said, But Many Don't Want to Hear.......2003-01-08
Sam Western's book addresses the ecomomic stagnation and the loss of the young people that have constantly plagued Wyoming. He traces the origins of myths that have influenced the development or lack of development in the state from the area's territorial days to the present. He uses facts and figures, but he also uses anecdotal information and profiles of important people. His style reads well. He is concise. Western says that he wanted to write something that was the size of "Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. He has succeeded in packing a lot of information into a small space, while at the same time keeping it interesting. He has made decisions to leave out some information that might have been helpful because of his goal. I have used this book in college composition classes at a Wyoming Community College and have found that students respond well and that it provides great material for discussion.
A College Educational Tool.......2002-11-18
My class At Sheridan Comm. College was assigned his book to read. It is a different look into the growth of Wyoming. He gives several examples of the crises and images that Wyoming has substained over the years. I would say that if you enjoy finding out how states have come to be or how they overcame situtions of ecomonic growth and false images this would be a good reading material. There are a few typing errors and he tends to use big words. I would advise having a dictionary near by, but overall the material flows from one chapter to the next very easily. Thanks for the extra reading material. Enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2000-04-11
The book describes the city, her quarters, habitants, history, gods, dangers and "stars" in a soberb way. The adventure with happens in a market chash is very good too. The ONLY drawback of the book in my oppinion are the pictures who are inferior to Warhammer FRP standards. Anyway the book surely worth the price.
Average customer rating:
- "Fool Me Twice...You're Dead..."
- silver queen
- silver queen
- The best in the series!
|
Fool Me Twice: A Jake Lassiter Novel
Paul Levine
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Levine, Paul | ( L ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0688143040 |
Customer Reviews:
"Fool Me Twice...You're Dead...".......2005-07-27
As FOOL ME TWICE opens we see Paul Levine's ex-Miami Dolphin now Attorney Jake Lassiter in a new role as uncle to his half-sister's abandoned teenage son, Kip, who has been delivered into his hands by the Juvenile Justice system after an indiscretion involving spray-paint.
Jake struggles with parenting Kip, who is a kind of walking "Leonard Maltin's Guide To The Movies." As he adjusts to having a teenager in the house he is also defending the grifter Luis "Blinky" Baroso against a fraud charge. When a grateful Baroso is found Not Guilty he pays Jake in stock certificates from Rocky Mountain Treasures, Inc. Figuring that the stocks are so much worthless paper, Jake puts them aside, and turns his attention to Jo Jo Baroso, Luis' sister, and one of the most dynamic prosecutors in Dade County.
Strange things begin to happen. Kyle Hornbeck, one of the partners in Rocky Mountain Treasures is found dangling from Jake's ceiling fan, and Blinky Baroso vanishes, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood in Jake's vicinity.
Indicted for the dual murders of Hornbeck and (Sr.) Baroso, Jake discovers that Blinky Baroso conned him---and that he is the remaining Florida shareholder of Rocky Mountain Treasures, apparently very much a liquid company. Motive is everything.
Deciding that a strong offense is the best defense, Jake loads Kip into his 1968 442 canary yellow Olds and roars off to Aspen to confront one Mr. K.C. Cimarron, the brains behind Rocky Mountain Treasures, a self-proclaimed scion of the Old West who settles his disputes with a nail gun. Suffice it to say that Jake soon finds himself on trial for murder in Colorado as well.
FOOL ME TWICE is a humorous fast-paced story that has some creative plot twists and a classically O. Henry ending. As with MORTAL SIN, Levine has finally defined the essential Jake Lassiter in these pages. The sixth of thus far seven novels in the series, FOOL ME TWICE comes very highly recommended.
silver queen.......2000-08-27
like scottoline and martini, levine has a reoccurring character who is wise cracking, irreverant and wryly self-deprecating. well plotted and paced. exotic settings. spiced with quirky facts, aphorisms and bon mots. above average entertainment.
silver queen.......2000-08-27
like scottoline and martini, levine has a reoccurring character who is wise cracking, irreverant and wryly self-deprecating. well plotted and paced. exotic settings. spiced with quirky facts, aphorisms and bon mots. above average entertainment.
The best in the series!.......1998-09-24
This is the best in the Jake Lassiter series! A clever plot, great characters, and lots of suspense. Once I got to the murder trial I couldn't put it down! Just one little quibble: Where did Charlie go? Other than that-happy reading!
Amazon.com
Set in an exotic and strange far future, Matthew Hughes's Fool Me Twice is the entertaining sequel to his fine debut novel, Fools Errant. The witty, satirical Fool novels should please most science fiction and fantasy readers, especially fans of Jack Vance, Douglas Adams, or Jonathan Swift.
Fool Me Twice continues the adventures and misadventures of Filidor Vesh, heir to "Dezendah Vesh, ninety-eighth (or possibly ninety-ninth) Archon of those regions of old Earth still inhabited by human beings." When Filidor is knocked off his feet, literally and emotionally, by a beautiful stranger who steals the plaque and sigil of his office, he pursues the woman (and the proof of his inheritance) across the sea. Filidor's search for Emmlyn Podarke takes him into increasingly peculiar and precarious situations, until he finds himself captured, along with his beloved Emmlyn, by a powerful and possibly insane enemy who has excavated an ancient and dangerous artifact. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
Set in an exotic and strange far future, Matthew Hughes's Fool Me Twice is the entertaining sequel to his fine debut novel, Fools Errant. The witty, satirical Fool novels should please most science fiction and fantasy readers, especially fans of Jack Vance, Douglas Adams, or Jonathan Swift.Fool Me Twice continues the adventures and misadventures of Filidor Vesh, heir to "Dezendah Vesh, ninety-eighth (or possibly ninety-ninth) Archon of those regions of old Earth still inhabited by human beings." When Filidor is knocked off his feet, literally and emotionally, by a beautiful stranger who steals the plaque and sigil of his office, he pursues the woman (and the proof of his inheritance) across the sea. Filidor's search for Emmlyn Podarke takes him into increasingly peculiar and precarious situations, until he finds himself captured, along with his beloved Emmlyn, by a powerful and possibly insane enemy who has excavated an ancient and dangerous artifact. --Cynthia Ward
Customer Reviews:
Very diverting read in the mode of Jack Vance.......2006-06-28
Matthew Hughes's novels Fools Errant, Fool Me Twice, and Black Brillion are set in the far future of Earth, just prior to the era of Jack Vance's Dying Earth. Hughes has captured Vance's style pretty well, and has done a pretty good job of imagining odd societies in the Vancean manner as well. His first novel, while quite enjoyable, was probably a bit too overtly a Vance pastiche. However his own voice has become increasingly developed in his more recent work.
Fool Me Twice is a direct sequel to Fools Errant. In the first novel, the hero, Filidor Vesh, nephew to the Archon of Old Earth, was brought to some understanding of his potential responsibilities, and his capabilities. In this novel, he has become the Archon's apprentice, but despite some additional duties, he does not really seem to have fully taken up his role. Indeed, he seems all to willing to let his aide direct his actions, saving all the more time for his favored pursuits: eating, drinking, chasing women.
As the novel opens, he more or less simultaneously makes a careless decision to allow exploitation of a remote rural area by some local nobles (named, transparently, Maguffyne); and falls in love with a girl he sees out his window. Not at all surprisingly, upon tracking down the girl he learns that she had come to petition him to protect her land from exploitation by the very nobles he has just supported. Soon he find himself stripped of his seal of office and effectively without an identity.
He ends up chasing the girl in an attempt to make amends (and recover his sigil). He falls in with a travelling acting troupe, and later ends up thrown off a ship in the middle of an ocean. Luckily -- to an extent -- he is rescued by a sea creature -- unluckily the creature tows him to slavery on a remote island. Filidor is once again forced to take real responsibility for his life, and for the good of others as well ...
The end is never in real doubt, but the journey is very enjoyable. The influence of Vance is very much in view -- fortunately Vance is an author well worth being influenced by. Fool Me Twice isn't a great book, but it's a very diverting read.
Beautifully insane........2001-11-21
This book was amazing. I had a slight bit of difficulty picking up on the verbose style, but once i'd picked it up, the book was incredible. The book's charm is the author's manner of saying very simple things in a ridiculously complicated way, marking it all the while with nearly slapstick comedy. It's a little bit like the result of the Three Stooges as written by Shakespeare while he was drunk. It's an epic plot, run through with events made funny by how they're presented, along with some parts that are just STRANGE. All in all, a great story, but not for you if you don't like this sort of thing. If you like Douglas Adams, you'll probably like this.
I'd like my money back, thanks........2001-11-14
This book wasn't interesting enough to keep me reading after the first (and I just checked where I left the bookmark) 23 pages, and, in fact, the writing style itself was stilted and uncomfortable. Ick. Sorry, Matthew Hughes, but this stuff isn't for me.
An irreverent book.......2001-07-29
In the very distant future, Earthýs sun has become orange signifying the aging of the solar system. In fact, the remaining inhabitants of the planet refer to it as Old Earth, which is governed by one man, The Archon Dezendah VII and his heir Filidor Vesh. Last Year (See FOOLS ERRANT) Filidor saved his uncleýs life and rescued the world from an ancient evil that slithered in from another dimension.
Since then Filidor has reverted to his dandified ways because he feels like heýs not understanding anything that an Archon needs to do. When a pretty woman who had a temper tantrum steals two valuable objects of his, he is sent by his uncle to fetch them back. Accompanying him is his tutor Bassariot who tries to kill him at the first opportunity. Although he fails to do the job, Filidor winds up at the mercy of pirates and it takes all his intelligence (along with the uses of his ear) to get him and his fellow prisoners out of their predicament. The adventures arenýt over for Filidor who must remain in hiding from his would be killer who had declared him an outlaw. While all this is going on the Archon has mysteriously vanished.
FOOL ME Twice is an irreverent book that doesnýt take itself seriously yet is nevertheless is very entertaining. MATTHEW HUGHES has a distinctive comedic voice that blends well with the action packed story line. The social structure of Earth in the far distant future is very interesting and is one of the reasons this fantasy novel is going to be as successful as its predecessor was.
Harriet Klausner
Product Description
Science Fiction Book Club release, containing the full and unabridged text of "Fools Errant" and "Fool Me Twice".
Customer Reviews:
Fans of Vance will rejoice..........2007-06-09
...of course, I'm not a big Vance fan, and I'm rejoicing too. Matthew Hughe's has set his far future tales in a milieu very similar to Vance's dying earth stories. In the "penultimate age" of the earth, science is slowly losing power to the rise of magic.
A young urban decadent who spends his days drinking, eating, and scheming his way in and out of the smallclothes of young ladies, Filidor Vesh is the nephew of the vaguely all powerful Archon, but he'd rather you didn't mention it.
Vesh is sent, in the first book collected here, on a world spanning adventure through the odd countries of the dying earth. Each new encounter seems a little more unlikely than the last, with Vesh clumsily encountering sentient, giant beavers, cheerful revolutionaries and their guilt-ridden oppressors, giant, sentient ants, and a society of ultimate narcissists. Vesh gains a little from each encounter, and with the help of an ill-tempered midget sent along by the Archon, transforms himself into a hero worthy of his uncle's respect.
By the beginning of the second book, Fool Me Twice, Vesh has fallen back rather considerably. Now an employee of his uncle, Vesh eats breakfast at expensive restaurants, sleeps late, parties late, and tries very hard to avoid making any decisions that might lead to having to make more decisions down the road. (which is why he keeps an adventure book handy for times when he can't leave he office.) Little does he know he's about to suffer through an attempted assassination, be captured by aliens in league with existential pirates, join a traveling show with a penchant for petty thievery, and, in the ultimate test of his committal to noncommittal behaviour, fall in love. Did I mention he also gets a super-intelligent computer with a rather low opinion of his skills, intelligence, and outlook on life lodged in his ear?
Filled with witty, at times laugh-out-loud wordplay, ridiculous situations, and entertaining characters, these books are more than just a pastiche of Vance's works. They are entertaining, well written and enjoyable to even those who have read little Vance, such as myself.
Too Short or Too Pleasurable.......2007-03-19
I've already read this book twice. The writing is crisp, the story unique. The author's style is very easy to read and he uses humor effectively. The story might seem like science fiction at first, but it also incorporates some adventure elements and a bit of fantasy. Imagine a world where you can have dwarves, futuristic devices, and a life or death struggle all at the same time. The bumbling fool that is the focus of the story turns out to be smarter than he looks, or perhaps just luckier. By the end of the story, you get a glimpse of the convoluted logic the author used to lead you through a twisting path of intrigue laced with humor. I almost hoped the book would never end, but it did. If you read this book, you'll quickly become hooked and read it again.
Terrific Homage To Jack Vance.......2004-09-17
Matt Hughes, Canadian author, has written a loving homage to Jack Vance's dying earth tales (naturally dedicated to Vance). Here are the two full length novels set in Earth's penultimate days when science is turning to magic while the landscape and creatures of Vance's dying earth are coming to life.
Although Hughes breaks no new ground in writing this dualogy prequel to _The Dying Earth_, _Rhialto The Marvellous_, _The Eyes Of The Overworld_ and _Cugel's Saga_, Vance fans have every right to expect an honorable aquittal for an author who's task it is to do what Vance can no longer do. Other authors have tried and succeeded to greater or lesser extents - Michael Shea who wrote the official sequel to _The Eyes Of The Overworld_, namely _The Quest for Simbilis_, a good effort but incompletely realized. L. Warren Douglas attempts a couple novels in the direction of Vance's Alastor Cluster sci-fi tales perhaps less well than Shea's attempts. Does Hughes succeed in his recreation of Vance? You bet your boots!
Filidor Vesh, who begins the first story, _Fools Errant_ only slightly ahead of Vance's Cugel in earnestness, poverty and honesty, and his uncle Desnehdah Vesh, the 98th Archon (of earth one presumes) are the main characters of both stories.
The second novel included in this edition, _Fool Me Twice_, takes Filidor and the Archon on even more astounding journeys and the whiz-bang ending is a joy of writing, very, very close to the grand master of sci-fi, Jack Vance.
Filidor is a hero in training but his education takes two books filled with humor, adventure and odd meetings with fantastic characters to save earth for the latter days upon which Vance's finest prose is lavished. The homage is complete, well rounded, done with a keen ear to Vance prose, character and setting. Well worth reading for those who savor Vance as well as those fantasy fans who have been living under a rock for their entire lives. Check out Vance AND Hughes.
=TD
Book Description
In this anthology of four novellas,(three proven favorites and one new delight), "animal attraction" gains a whole new meaning! Four couples discover love thanks to unexpected, sometimes hilarious, and always entertaining assistance. In Cupid's Chase, Reid and Carina try to sabotage the ridiculous romance between her father and his mother -- but Carina's grandmother and her insightful cat have other ideas. A rescued greyhound helps a sociology professor decide if love deserves a second chance in Fool Me Twice. Two bird-watching retirees take on more than they bargained for to save a historic park in Birds of a Feather. And in A Season for Love, an orphaned young woman reluctantly returns to her childhood home to find, with the help of a playful mare, a surprising love.
Customer Reviews:
Light reading.......2003-03-14
Four Inspirational Romance novellas by four talented Romance writers! All four stories have an animal of some sort to help bring the couples together and find love. I cannot choose which of the four I enjoyed the best. You will find humor scattered in this blend along with intense emotions. Suitable for teens and young adults to read as well.
Sweet.......2000-01-01
Four Inspirational Romance novellas by four talented Romance writers! All four stories have an animal of some sort to help bring the couples together and find love. I cannot choose which of the four I enjoyed the best. You will find humor scattered in this blend along with intense emotions. Suitable for teens and young adults to read as well.
Customer Reviews:
A delightful historical romance -- Highly recommended.......2002-11-16
A disastrous engagement leaves Jack Ryerson determined to never again avail himself of the professional matchmaking services of Russell Braddock. Now Braddock seeks to match him with a different sort of proposal. Trinity Standish must find a businessman to save her inheritance and a husband to fulfill her grandfather's will or she will loose her ranch. With a household of women, sisters and a cousin he is raising, Jack has no desire to add another woman to the collection. However, the businessman side of him cannot help but be intrigued by the challenge of saving Trinity's ranch.
Trinity expects an squinty-eyed accountant, not a bold cowboy covered in dust. She only wants to save her inheritance, and then earn enough profit to trace her father's footsteps the world over, seeing exotic locations described so many years ago in her father's letters. In contrast to Jack, she has no interest raising children, though she finds he acceptance of such responsibility admirable. Yet she suddenly finds the idea of temporary marriage exciting when she meets Jack. Too bad Jack seems incredibly determined to find a loophole out of marriage while still retaining possession of the ranch.
Author Kate Donovan pens a lighthearted romp that conceals a surprising dark side in FOOL ME TWICE. With her characteristic flair, she creates a heroine with spirit and sass, and a hero who deserves such style. Trinity cannot help feeling intrigued by Jack despite his determination to maintain his distance. Jack does not realize that she slowly wears away his resistance with her undeniable passion. Their shared sensuality underlies every encounter, and their repartee and the intrinsic charm of the entire story will win reader's hearts. The secondary plot concerning Russell's cousin proves a powerful counterpoint to the novel. Indeed, Donovan's tale personifies the greatest strengths of the Zebra Ballad line with her marvelous characterizations and surprising plot. Readers will truly miss such talent next year with the demise of the Ballad line, and can only hope such talent finds a voice in the Zebra Historical Romance line. FOOL ME TWICE comes highly recommended.
Average customer rating:
- Fourth of the Series, Gripping Tale of Suspense
- David O'Neal Writes An Explosive Thriller
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Fool Me Twice : A Novel of Betrayal, Denial and Renewal
David O'Neal
Manufacturer: Pacific Coast Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0966085132 |
Book Description
The fourth novel of the Doug Carlson series is a novel of betrayal, denial and renewal. Readers are asked, "Will Doug kill again?"
Doug Carlson learns that something has gone terribly wrong after one of his prior missions. Although relinquishing his role as an assassin, he must now choose between letting an innocent person die or pick up his .45 again and make things right.
This thriller finds Doug hunting someone who has committed unspeakable crimes. Their final clash becomes a race against time, challenging Doug's inherrent respect for life, in order to save the life of someone he has learned to both love and hate.
Also in this thriller, O'Neal explores the shadowy issue of America's missing children. He discovered that from 1982 to 1993 more than 50,000 kids were kidnapped and never found. Since then, another 25,000 have been added to the list. This novel details the fictional search to find one of those stolen children.
Customer Reviews:
Fourth of the Series, Gripping Tale of Suspense.......2005-10-21
"Fool Me Twice," David O'Neal's brilliant conclusion to his "Dying Game" series touches on the concepts of betrayal, denial and renewal. Faced with his decision to never murder again, protagonist Doug Carlson's resolve is sorely tested by the knowledge of a crime that forces him to become involved, once more. The three previous books in this series, "What Goes Around," "The Pact With Bruno" and "Choosing to Kill" all lead up to this finale that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping. A fast-paced, tightly-written, exciting series that will leave you wondering "what's next?"
David O'Neal Writes An Explosive Thriller.......2000-09-24
Fool Me Twice is not just a novel, it is an exceptional read that cannot be missed! Once you pick it up, absorb the first word, you can't put it down until you have read the last word, and then, you are left wishing it continued.
Doug Carlson is a character that is exceptional in his own right. His mind, his actions, his thoughts, leap and bound off the pages right into your heart, mind, and soul! He takes you with him on a roller coaster ride of suspense and thrills that leave you sitting on the edge of your seat.
David O'Neal not only writes a masterful thriller, he hooks the reader from page one and never lets go, giving his readers the sense that they are right there with Carlson every step of the way.
Fool Me twice is a novel you will remember for a lifetime.
Average customer rating:
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Fool Me Twice: Intelligence Failure and Mass Casualty Terrorism
Thomas E. Copeland
Manufacturer: MNP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Social Services & Welfare | Poverty | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 9004158456 |
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