Book Description
4 Books on 10 Cassettes: • The Shadow Rising • The Fires of Heaven • Lord of Chaos • A Crown of Swords
Robert Jordan: The Wheel of Time Series compiles four books by this New York Times bestselling author into one magnificent box set. Follow the adventures and trials of Rand as he learns about his destiny to become the Dragon Reborn, the prophesized leader who will save the world, but at a heavy cost that drives him to reject his given fate. Dark forces surround the characters with an inevitable confrontation between good and evil that captivates every audience. Sparkled with continuous action, adventure, and fantasy, this box set is a sure winner for epic fantasy fans guaranteed!
Over 15 Hours of listening time!
The Shadow Rising The Dark One is inflicting evil on to the hero, Rand, who must enter the Aiel Waste and the forbidden city of RhuideanÛwhere he may perish. Perrin must confront the Whitecloaks who are sworn to assassinate him while Elayne and Nynaeve must battle the Black Ajah. Listen to find out what develops.
The Fires of Heaven Rand is at the forbidden city of Rhuidean where he must keep his current mission a secret. Simultaneously, the Forsaken Rahvin is plotting a victory over Rand. Morgase becomes captivated with the handsome Lord Gaebril, and in the White Tower, Amyrlin, Flaida do Avriny a ÎRoihan, is concocting new plans. There is no doubt why The Fires of Heaven became a New York Times bestseller!
Lord of Chaos Rand struggles as he attempts to unite the nations for the Last Battle while The White Tower, under the Amyrlin Elaida, decides that he must be controlled. In addition, a search for the fabled terÌangreal is conducted by Nynaeve alÌMeara and Elayne to restore the incongruous weather conditions. Book six of this series is sure to satisfy.
A Crown of Swords Listen as Rand faces the dead Forsaken Sammael in Shadae Logoth! The struggle with the worldÌs brutal and endless heat wave rages on, and Engeu calls together all women who are able to channel including Sea Folk Windfinders and Wise Ones. DonÌt miss this seventh book of non-stop epic adventure!
Customer Reviews:
shadow rising.......2002-02-27
this is one of the best series of books Ive read in a long time. the events happen at a pace that makes it hard to put down. I'm a commercial fisherman,Iread alot on my down time they are enchanting enough to take me away to a different world even 125 miles out in the ocean. I highly reccomend this series to all sci-fi readers. My one and only regret is that Mr.jordan cannot produce them fast enough.then again if he did they would not be as engrosing. My eyes and mind await the tenth installment of the series "the wheel of time"
Best of RJ Review.......2001-01-18
Having already read these four books and enjoyed them all, the tapes were also very good. The books were fantastic but, i could not read while i drove or did certain other tasks that required my eyes and hands now that is taken care of. I can now do just about anything and enjoy these great books. So, i do recommend reading the books but, if your a person on the go then this collection on tape is a fantastic substitute.
Book Description
Joshua Wolfe: Bounty hunter. Federation Intelligence agent. Former friend, then prisoner, of the horrific alien race called the Al'ar. Master of the arcane Al'ar killing arts. And now Federation renegade, searching for Al'ar secrets in the rubble of an old war and the detritus of human lives.
No one wanted him to learn those secrets. Not the Federation, which had hired him, then made him a wanted man. Not the deadly Chitet cult, who had their own interests in the Al'ar. And not the Al'ar themselves, whose shadows remained in the form of technological wonders of mystery and violence.
His search led him from a mothballed fleet to a private moonlet, to the capital world of the very cult bent on destroying him, to a lethal world of robot protectors . . . and, finally, to an enemy more terrible than anything mankind had yet dreamed of.
Wolfe's only friend was Taen, the last Al'ar.
Or was he the last?
Product Description
5 Titles By Robert Jordan Wheel of Time Series (1-5) : 1. The Eye of the World 2. The Great Hunt 3. The Dragon Reborn 4. The Shadow Rising 5. The Fires of Heaven. Five mmpb books.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2007-05-18
Just check out my review of Book 1 of the series, the same applies.
Book Description
Shortlisted for the 2002 National Book Award in Poetry: Following her stringent and much-acclaimed Kyrie, finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Ellen Bryant Voigt now examines more intimately the ordeals and exaltations of everyday life. Nature, both fierce and benign, infuses this collection, furthering "an art at once ravishing and stern and deeply human" (American Academy of Arts and Letters).
Book Description
An imbalance of dark matter has placed two realities in jeopardy, causing the separate universes to merge and threatening the stability of both realms. To preserve reality as it is known, the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager ™ must defy a cosmic conspiracy and wrestle with shadows of the darkest degree!
"Rescued" by strangers who may prove to be more dangerous than his original captors, Chakotay struggles to convince his new hosts of the danger posed by the mutated dark matter -- and the killer, or killers, still hunting the villages where Tom Paris has been left behind. In their own reality, as Harry Kim loses his heart to an enigmatic visitor from the shadow universe, Captain Janeway and the rest of her crew continue their search for the hidden dark matter that could cause the entire cosmos to contract in a fatal convulsion. But whose side are the Romulans really on? And what surprising ?gure from Voyager's past holds the ultimate key to the fate of both universes?
Download Description
As our universe and the Shadow universe both rapidly unravel, the Voyager crew must gather every piece of deadly "dark matter" they have been unknowingly trailing in their wake. At the eleventh hour, only one final piece remains out of reach -- and only one person from their past has the power to save all....
Customer Reviews:
STV #21 Shadow of Heaven Dark Matters III - A great trilogy!.......2004-03-27
"Shadow of Heaven" is the wonderfully well told conclusion of Christie Golden's Dark Matter trilogy! Of the several Star Trek Voyager books I've read to date, I would definitely have to put this particular trilogy at the top of any list of Voyager novels and well into the top ten of any list of top Trek novels in any series!
Where "Cloak and Dagger" and "Ghost Dance" established the trilogy and furthered it along, "Shadow of Heaven" quickly takes shape in the beautiful "Trek" fashion of wrapping up the many strands that make up a great story! Christie Golden's skills as a writer, in setting up a very plausible premise, carrying an exceptional pace and imbedding a highly intriguing twist or two all shine through brilliantly in this trilogy, making this third novel one that is hard to put down until you've reached the last page.
One extremely minor note of caution in this third novel is that there are some fairly glaring mistakes in where people are but I would highly recommend dismissing those editorial misses as I did, all in favor of the overall excellence of this exemplary tale!
The cover art for this third and final novel in the Dark Matters trilogy is in keeping with the other two in that they're a cut above the rest of the novels published in the same time frame.
The Premise:
Where the first novels established the premise and furthered the story, Christie Golden does an exceptional job of wrapping up the many threads of this wonderful Trek tale where we finally become privy to the rogue Shepherds plot and the good Shepherds role; the exceptional character of the Romulan chairman of the Tal Shiar, Jekri Kaleh and the conclusion of her intriguing tale; the troubles that Chakotay and Paris go through in the Shadow universe and ultimately, the trials that Captain Janeway and her remaining crew aboard Voyager must go through to conclude this extraordinary chapter in their journey home...
Overall, I highly recommend this entire trilogy to any and all who are fans of great Star Trek fiction that more than capably makes up for the lack of these series airing on a weekly basis for our viewing enjoyment. Additionally, I'd highly recommend any other novels written by Christie Golden as she is an exceptional author whose work "must" be acknowledged as among the best in the world of Trek fiction! {ssintrepid}
ST-Voyager Dark Matters: Shadow of Heaven.......2002-03-21
This is the third installment of the three part series, Dark Matters: Shadow of Heaven written by Christie Golden.
What a wrap-up! All along you were hopeful that things would turn for the better... with the Voyager characters and the universe... the Romulans, the Shepards... even the deceitful rogue... as if I should doubt.
Christie Golden pulled it off in her unique way... I was riveted to the whole series, not only were they fast reading, but captivating till the end. And, yes, I too had a chuckle when Paris was not on the bridge... ahh just a little brain flatulence nothing more... something a good proof reader should have caught.
Nonetheless, a good story told well. To get the whole story reading all three volumes is a must. The Romulans were excellently portrayed, true to the essence of their character... even some redemption.
As only Christie Golden can..........2002-03-12
This is a fantastic trilogy! The third book was as engaging as the first two, I simply could not put it down. Not only were the Voyager regulars beautifully written, but the Romulan characters were excellent. Jekri Kaleh was absolutely captivating, and I came to really care what became of her.
I've heard several comments from various Star Trek fans who feel there were flaws with technobabble. And I also noticed the slip up where someone speaks to Paris on the bridge, when he had been missing since early on in the story. But to be completely honest, I don't see the big deal. When I saw Tom being addressed in that scene, I simply smiled to myself and went on. It didn't distract me from the story. Why? Because the story isn't really ABOUT the technobabble. It's about the hearts of these characters that I have come to love and adore so much.
Christie Golden has a way of capturing the essence of the Voyager characters that seems to elude most authors. She gives them depth and a realism that many Voyager novels lack. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Voyager not only for the space battles and futuristic technology, but for the heart and the character interaction.
Shadow of Heaven is a wonderful conclusion to a brilliant story. If you love Janeway's wry humor mixed with her deep devotion to her crew, or B'Elanna's Klingon temper toned down by her newly found sense of belonging and acceptance, and all the things that make each character unique ... if you love action, humor, and emotion all rolled up neatly into one story - this trilogy is for you.
Kudos to Christie Golden! Once again, she wrote a book that touched my heart, and took my mind off of reality for a short while. What a gift. Thank you, Christie!
' Efficient' yet not quite Voyager.......2001-08-04
I believe some have extremely over rated this book. Sure, it was good over all. Finally the plot lines come together and Jerki finds Telek and everyone else comes together. Yet, there were certain things that really bothered me about this novel that others have failed to mention. First of all, it took me a while at least to really get into it. I had to literally put the book down, read about eight other novels ( including the DS9 post-finale books, pick them up ) and then come back to it. After a few months away from the book, it appeared better. Just as Golden did in ' Seven of Nine' and the previous books of this series alone, the majority of the plot is given to Paris and Chakotay's alien friends. Total bore. FINALLY around mid way through, Golden realizes its a Voyager novel and Janeway and crew are given their moment to shine before the plot snaps back to the rather wasteful Kim and alien relationship and the Paris/Chakotay issue.
Another problem I had was that it appeared Golden simply started throwing things together near the end. She even slips up at one point when Voyager is faced with danger, Janeway tells Paris to take the ship back. Well duh, PARIS is not even on Voyager and clearly it was meant to be Tom Paris. The whole emotional part added to all the characters, including Seven of Nine, R'Mor, Jerki and every other character in the novel was just out of character. I'm sorry, I can't see Seven near tears over not saying good bye to a Romulan she worked with for around a week. Janeway goes wimp at the end, Kim has an emotional break down, its simply something that ruined the novel near the end. Another BORE factor was the near ten page summary of Dark Matter. I'm no Data or Spock or Janeway in that I know little about Dark Matter itself and a full report within a ruined ending was not that pleasing. In all, as Seven would say, its an ' efficient' book. The best part about it is the Entity HERSELF, how troubled she is following ' Fury.' I thought this novel took place during 5th season Voyager... yet Kes' involvement would sorta say it took place following Fury which would put it in season 6 I believe. Ack, buy Dark Passions, DS9's The Avatar, the New Earth series or Double Helix if you haven't hit them up yet. Gateways appears to be promising, yet I think Golden is set to write the Voyager novel so :: rolls eyes :: We'll pray for it.
The coolest Trilogy Closes.......2001-07-30
Ive only started this book , but it greatly continues the previous two in the trilogy with great detail. Not one area isnt covered in this action packed story of survival , hope , and mission. Join the crew of the u.s.s. Voyager in its final battle against the trecherous "Dark Matter".
Average customer rating:
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Shadow of Heaven
Manufacturer: Avon Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H0475C |
Average customer rating:
- To Each His Own Gurdjieff
- Merciless Destruction of Gurdjieff's Not-Too-Good-Image
- The Big Man & His Shadow
- Taylor's book an interesting account from two perspectives
- Portrait of a Con Artist
|
Shadows of Heaven: Gurdjieff and Toomer
Paul Beekman Taylor
Manufacturer: Red Wheel / Weiser
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1578630347
Release Date: 1998-05-01 |
Customer Reviews:
To Each His Own Gurdjieff.......2006-06-27
History, according to Sir George Clark, is a "hard core of fact" with a "surrounding pulp of disputable interpretation." So is biography. And this restless dialectic of fact and exegesis, obstinately irresoluble in a satisfying final chord, is full of interest for the curious student of human nature. Only look for example at the burgeoning literature touching the holistic philosopher, George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff.
In Peter Brook's memoir Threads of Time and Paul Taylor's study Shadows of Heaven Gurdjieff is the highest common factor. True enough, Brook, at 73, is reprising his entire artistic life, shared with his wife Natasha Parry; true enough, Taylor is concerned to celebrate the American writer Jean Toomer, who adopted him in childhood - yet it is Gurdjieff who bids to hijack both books.
Taylor - no cultural nonentity himself (he collaborated with W. H. Auden in Norse translations) - enjoyed from infancy up a privileged entrée to the innermost Gurdjieffian set. Indeed, his flightily attractive mother Edith Annesley Taylor was one of Gurdjieff's many conquests ("He was not a nice man," she mused in the afterglow) and in November 1928 bore him a daughter named Eve. Brook, by contrast, never met Gurdjieff but in early 1950, aged 25, came enthusiastically under his influence as refracted through two powerful individualities - Jane Heap, who with Margaret Anderson had serialised Joyce's Ulysses, and subsequently Jeanne de Salzmann one of Gurdjieff's senior and intimate pupils.
Each author is here an insérend - narrator, witness, and participant in his tale. Each, incidentally, is let down by his copy editor: thus Brook has Gurdjieff born in Kars (Alexandropol actually), while Taylor, more damagingly, has Gurdjieff vowing to remove from his sight all those retainers who make his life "uncomfortable" (comfortable actually.) Beyond these parallels, the stylistic and methodological contrast between the two books practically makes one's eyes start out of one's head. Here is Professor Taylor, the very model of a neo-Rankeian - up to his armpits in facts; sinking fast (cf. Natasha Parry in Oh Les Beaux Jours); and grappling to drag the reader down with him. And here is Brook, so intent on going the Full Monty in exposing his artistic and spiritual conscience that he flings away the decent loincloth of historicity. If, to the over-cynical eye, Brook's memoir suggests the Evening Standard's social diary raised an octave - happy unpunctual hours with Beckett, Brecht, Dali, Genet et al - then Taylor's reads like a report of a grouchy Tax Inspector: every solitary cheque from Toomer to Gurdjieff accusatorially totted up.
Taylor recklessly asserts that no-one of the post-war groups possessed the "authoritative knowledge, influence, and gift to carry things further." Brook would have none of this. He hymns - and far more persuasively - the "luminous presence" of his teacher Jeanne de Salzmann, whose death at 101 plunges him into "a long and ashen period of grief." Considering that the Virgin Mary, a minimalist figure in the Gospels and early patristic writings, now finds takers as the Mediatrix of All Graces and even Co-Redemptress, it is perhaps forgiveable that Madame de Salzmann's ascendancy in the Gurdjieffian pantheon has begun to intrigue university departments which address the morphology of so-called New Religious Movements.
To contemporary Gurdjieffians bloodied by the hard pounding of his recent neo-Enlightenment attackers (Peter Washington, Anthony Storr etc.) Brook's timely reinforcement could be as welcome as Blücher's arrival on the field of Waterloo. Unfortunately, Taylor's book drives a factual salient deep into the heartland of the Gurdjieffian Mythos. After Taylor, things can never be quite the same again. Goodbye soap-opera: hello deconstructionist scholarship. Goodbye romanticism: hello wie es eigentlich gewesen. It is nevertheless the disqualifying flaw of Taylor's study that the noumenal is so conspicuously lacking. Thrust by sheer accident of birth into a magic circle, he recognises no magic and canalises no magic. His Gurdjieff is a Prospero whose wand is phallic and whose books turn out to be private ledgers ignobly maintained on triple-entry accountancy principles. Surely there was much more to it than this.
Where Brook (a pulp of meaning man if ever there was one) arguably meshes too snugly with his text, Taylor (the fact man) betrays an almost endearing alienation from his chosen subject matter. He finds Gurdjieff and his magnum opus Beelzebub's Tales to his Grandson equally "unreadable"; he conveniently disavows competence to address Gurdjieff's teaching; and he manages only a lame and misleading description of his Sacred Dances i.e. that they "resemble the dances of the Whirling Dervishes." So much for the uniqueness and complexity of Gurdjieff's extraordinary oeuvre; for Madame de Salzmann's lifelong effort to serve and nourish it; and for Brook's high risk strategy in placing a fraction of it before the public.
One fine day, I propose introducing these two authors to each other. I have in mind a short collaborative postscript called Threads of Heaven or Shadows of Time. Meanwhile, does Brook conceive what he owes to Taylor's mother? After all, it was Edith who in July 1926 thwarted Jessie Orage (wife of A. R. Orage, former editor of the New Age) from actually shooting Gurdjieff with a pearl-handled revolver. Brook should be very grateful. I know I am.
James Moore, Gurdjieff's biographer,
undertook the Gurdjieff module in the
Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism.
Merciless Destruction of Gurdjieff's Not-Too-Good-Image.......2003-05-13
I suppose the motivation for writing this book in the words of Gurdjieff in Beelzebub's Tales would be: 'to destroy, mercilessly, without any compromises whatsoever, in the mentation and feelings of the reader, the beliefs and views, rooted in him, about Gurdjieff himself".
I always thought that Gurdjieff took care that his own image was not without tarnish; this has been explained as his way of getting his followers not to identify the man with the teaching. Paul Beekman Taylor completes this work and achieves a clear separation, without leaving us any shadow of doubt.
Gurdjieff according to Mr. Taylor was a womanizer, father of his sister Eve and about half a dozen (if not more) of other children, who Gurdjieff left to their mothers to raise shunning all resposibility like plague (at least he did so with Eve). His Gurdjieff wrote appallingly childish letters in bad taste to Mr. Taylor's mother, Edith Annesly Taylor, who said of Gurdjieff: "He is not a nice man", and kept coming back to him like a jojo for about 25 years.
Jean Toomer, one of the many lovers of Edith Taylor, comes out much cleaner. As Gurdjieff would say: "very handy, no children, just handkerchief".
Nobody is a prophet in his own country; only very few of Gurdjieff's relatives, official or unofficial, seem to have learned from him about the things he taught. Mr. Taylor is almost family, but he learned at least one thing. His book has a one page record of the conversation he had with Gurdjieff in 1949, in which he said: "Come see me in New York, you pay me for summer here with story there, at Child's. Story is breath, life. Without story man have no self." Gurdjieff died before Paul Beekman Taylor told his story to him.
Now 50 years later he achieves with his story a good increase of the distance between Gurdjieff the man and his teaching.
The Big Man & His Shadow.......2002-01-07
Account of how the fearless leader hoodwinks yet another pidgeon. Too bad Toomer & the rest of them couldn't honor & respect those who truly deserved it...their wives & mothers.
Taylor's book an interesting account from two perspectives.......1999-05-26
Paul Taylor's book has two perspectives. One is that of an insider who grew up within the Gurdjieff movement. His mother was Gurdjieff and Jean Toomer's lover. His own father remains an unsolved mystery. He tells many stories of the rather Bohemian love affairs the various members of the entourage "enjoyed" -- although they mostly sound miserable and crazy.
Taylor, an English professor at the University of Geneva, also manages to put Jean Toomer and Gurdjieff into a larger academic perspective -- commenting on Toomer's race, and Gurdjieff's proximity to other philosophers and writers of his period.
The book is well-written -- maintaining at one time a personal perspective, and a wider, more objective, academic perspective. For Gurdjieffians and Toomer fans alike -- the book is highly readable and informative.
-- Kirby Olson
Portrait of a Con Artist.......1999-05-23
Anyone interested in the psychology of religious fanaticism will find this book instructive, both through the author's nondeserved reverential attitude toward Gurdjieff, as well as the disgusting truths he reveals about this "great teacher." Taylor thus displays his own hypnosis by not even recognizing much of Gurdjieff's behavior (e.g. impregnating women & leaving them in the lurch) as atrocious.
Book Description
Maylea is a young noblewoman in the city of Yane, whose future was mapped out on the day she was born—how she would live, what she would do, who she would marry… But Maylea is not content to blindly consign herself to destiny. And when Swan, a freelance diplomat who is supposed to be dead, arrives at her father's estate, Maylea begins to realize that her true destiny might be writ larger across the stars than anyone ever suspected.
Customer Reviews:
Not great.......2005-08-20
I'm always a fan of Exalted's setting, and Waggoner's pacing is solid. But the writing is lousy. The dialogue reads like something out of my 6th grade D&D game and the plot is kinda goofy. A good editor would have improved this book enormously.
Product Description
3 Book Set By Curt Benjamin; the Prince of Shadow; Prince of Dreams; the Gates of Heaven
Amazon.com
If G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy: The Romance of Faith is, as he called it, a "slovenly autobiography," then we need more slobs in the world. This quirky, slender book describes how Chesterton came to view orthodox Catholic Christianity as the way to satisfy his personal emotional needs, in a way that would also allow him to live happily in society. Chesterton argues that people in western society need a life of "practical romance, the combination of something that is strange with something that is secure. We need so to view the world as to combine an idea of wonder and an idea of welcome." Drawing on such figures as Fra Angelico, George Bernard Shaw, and St. Paul to make his points, Chesterton argues that submission to ecclesiastical authority is the way to achieve a good and balanced life. The whole book is written in a style that is as majestic and down-to-earth as C.S. Lewis at his best. The final chapter, called "Authority and the Adventurer," is especially persuasive. It's hard to imagine a reader who will not close the book believing, at least for the moment, that the Church will make you free. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
A Timeless Argument for Traditional Christianity
If you think orthodoxy is boring and predictable, think again. In this timeless classic, G. K. Chesterton, one of the literary giants of the twentieth century, presents a logical and personal reasoning for Christianity in model apologetic form. Gilbert Keith Chesterton was a self-described pagan at age 12 and totally agnostic by age 16. Yet, his spiritual journey ultimately led to a personal philosophy of orthodox, biblical Christianity. The account of his experiences, Orthodoxy bridges the centuries and appeals to today's readers who face the same challenges of materialism, self-centeredness, and progress.
"Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. And faith mean believing the incredible, or it is no virtue at all."
--G.K. Chesterton
A unique book, Orthodoxy addresses our faith struggles and how we communicate our faith to others. Through philosophy, poetry, reason and humor Chesterton leads us on a literary journey toward truth.
This edition includes a foreword by
Philip Yancey who, like C. S. Lewis and other leading Christian writers, found this book to be pivotal his Christian experience. Yancey credits Chesterton with helping to revive and define his faith.
Download Description
This book is meant to be a companion to "Heretics," and to put the positive side in addition to the negative. Many critics complained of the book called "Heretics" because it merely criticised current philosophies without offering any alternative philosophy. This book is an attempt to answer the challenge. It is unavoidably affirmative and therefore unavoidably autobiographical. The writer has been driven back upon somewhat the same difficulty as that which beset Newman in writing his Apologia; he has been forced to be egotistical only in order to be sincere. While everything else may be different the motive in both cases is the same. It is the purpose of the writer to attempt an explanation, not of whether the Christian Faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it. The book is therefore arranged upon the positive principle of a riddle and its answer. It deals first with all the writer's own solitary and sincere speculations and then with all the startling style in which they were all suddenly satisfied by the Christian Theology. The writer regards it as amounting to a convincing creed. But if it is not that it is at least a repeated and surprising coincidence. --G. K. Chesterton.
Customer Reviews:
Theology with pub cosiness.......2007-09-24
A nice, quick read with convincing arguments about the inevitable dead end of the "progessive" nature of Evolution contrasted with the "conservative" values of Christianity. Plenty of wit on display and a barbed pen to take on GB Shaw, HG Wells, and Oscar Wilde among other notables. Here's to fairy tales.
Orthodoxy.......2007-09-21
Chesterton no doubt was a brilliant man! In Orthodoxy he does not write for the common person, but for philosophers and intellectuals who enjoy such semantics. I had wished he had expressed his ideas more simply: i.e. in parables and analogies, like his Lord did, but such is very hard to do! As a preacher of the gospel I was disappointed with much of the book for this reason.
Comparing two classics.......2007-09-11
Chesterton's "Orthodoxy" and Lewis' "Mere Christianity" are classics of contemporary Christian apologetics. Both write to a similar audience, namely, secular academics. Lewis' appeal was broader, however, for he was reaching out to those people influenced or educated by these academics. Consequently, these books are full of reason and logic but are devoid of Bible quotes. This might dismay some fundamentalists, but this type of apologetic is absolutely necessary. Just as a Muslim will not convince a Christian regarding Islam by quoting the Qu'ran, so, in most cases, a Christian will not convert a secular academic by quoting the Bible. The appeal must be made on common ground, in this case, reason and logic. In this regard, Chesterton succeeds.
That being said, I give the book only 3 stars because of his rambling, time-sensitive style. It is easy for an American reading in the 21st century to become completely lost in Chesterton's quips and references to late-modernity intellectuals.
Lewis' broader appeal makes him more accessible to Chesterton, so I recommend "Mere Christianity" over "Orthodoxy" to the average 21st century American, whereas I recommend "Orthodoxy" to those who are educated in late 19th and early 20th-century intellectualism.
Both books are useful for Christians in developing apologetic skills and for non-Christians, especially seculars, in understanding a traditional, intellectual, and non-fundamentalist brand of Christianity.
Extensively referenced thinker revealed.......2007-09-06
GK is one of the most referenced apologetics in our current literature. I was curious to see first hand why.
GK writes with an unusual personal bravado. He doesn't hesitate to call out peers for special ignominious recognition. Political incorrectness is rampant.
The book was penned in the 1920's. Several chapters dissect emerging worldview philosophies of the pre-WWII period. You'll recognize some with others seemingly so obscure that they must have dropped out of common debate since the writing.
Several chapters and snippets are superb. Others, because of the 1920 setting amidst the debates of the time, were not salient or topically interesting. Of the great stuff, a couple of specifics:
1. I found GK's discussion of suicide to be brilliant. I never thought of the nasty topic in this way. It is highly effective on many levels for suicidals and life-lovers.
2. GK has a killer anti-Darwin argument that's not an argument all. It rises above the debate. I've not seen this position argued before.
This is a very interesting precursor text to current Bible based apologetic theology. I thoroughly enjoyed learning the origin of medieval gargoyle's in cathedral architecture too.
It Delights Me No End.......2007-08-13
What an excellent book! Oh, what an excellent book! G.K. can do no wrong. Every Christian ought to read this book - 5 times, maybe.
Books:
- Between Darkness and Light (Norman, Lisanne. Sholan Alliance.)
- Blood of Heaven (Fire of Heaven Trilogy, Book 1)
- Bones, Rocks and Stars: The Science of When Things Happened
- Brooklyn Dreams
- Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
- Callahan's Lady
- Colors of the Mountain
- Dear Lillian: A Letter about the End of Life's Journey and the Beginning of Eternity
- Deluxe Player Character Sheets (Dungeon & Dragons Roleplaying Game: RPG Accessories)
- Desert to Dream: A Decade of Burning Man Photography
Books Index
Books Home
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The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time, Book 2)
New Spring (A Wheel of Time Prequel Novel)
The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, Book 3)
Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, Book 10)
The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1)
