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Ascent to where the view's as stunning as the architecture, hit a glam rooftop nightclub with its own pool, get in the right place for spotting the stars, shop for TV-show castoffs in Burbank or go for a hike in the largest park in the country—Fodor's Los Angeles 2007 offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled throughout the city, plus Orange County and Catalina Island to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave for your trip be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.
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Average customer rating:
- A great , sharp page turner, and actually supsenseful and scary.
- Eureka! Original Concept AND Great Execution
- I'm hooked
- Expect more than you expect
- An Entertaining Work of Speculative Fiction
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Through Violet Eyes
Stephen Woodworth
Manufacturer: Dell
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0553803379
Release Date: 2004-08-31 |
Book Description
In a world where the dead can testify against the living, someone is getting away with murder. Because to every generation are born a select few souls with violet-colored eyes, and the ability to channel the dead. Both rare and precious—and rigidly controlled by a society that craves their services—these Violets perform a number of different duties. The most fortunate increase the world's cultural heritage by channeling the still-creative spirits of famous dead artists and musicians. The least fortunate aid the police and the law courts, catching criminals by interviewing the deceased victims of violent crime.
But now the Violets themselves have become the target of a brutal serial murderer—a murderer who had learned how to mask his or her identity even from the victims. Can the FBI, aided by a Violet so scared of death that she is afraid to live, uncover the criminal in time? Or must more of her race be dispatched to the realm that has haunted them all since childhood?
Download Description
Crouching behind the wooden tool shed along the back fence, the man watched the little strawberry-blond girl at play in the yard. Perspiration blotched the featureless weave of the black veil that obscured his face, and sweat oozed under the Latex of his gloves as he flexed his fingers.
It hadn't rained in Los Angeles for almost six months, and the haze of accumulated smog cast an amber pall over the pink bungalow house and its tiny back yard. The late September heat wave had dried the grass to brittle yellow needles, and patches of bare dirt mottled the lawn like mange. An inflatable wading pool decorated with Winnie the Pooh characters sagged in the center of the yard, and the girl squatted in its shallow water, wearing a one-piece bathing suit with Tigger on the front. Her wispy hair hung in horse-tail tangles about her freckled face as she made her naked Barbie doll swim in big circles around her.
The man's breath quickened, the air hot and stifling underneath his mask of crepe. The child's mother was at work, and the babysitter had gone into the house more than twenty minutes ago. It was the first time in three days that the man had seen the girl left unattended. Nevertheless, he hesitated.
Then he saw her begin to twitch.
She dropped the doll in the water and clapped her hands over her ears. "Somebody's knocking! Somebody's knocking!"
The man tensed, and mouthed words under his breath. He imagined that he could hear the soundless whispers now sifting into the girl's skull.
They had found her.
The girl stumbled out of the pool, still clutching her temples, jerking her head as if in the throes of a seizure. "Somebody's knocking! Somebody's knocking!"
The man shot a wary glance toward the back door of the house and lunged toward her.
Seeing him, the girl yelped and broke into a zigzagging run toward the house. He blocked her, but she dodged his grasping hands and
Customer Reviews:
A great , sharp page turner, and actually supsenseful and scary........2007-09-24
Fans of supernatural thrillers should love this one. The story completely delivers on the premise: that rare Violets, who are able to channel the dead, are being killed one by one despite being under constant watch by the government. A government which has "for the better good" virtually stolent the lives of the Violets away from them. Not as if they could have a normal life anyways, with the dead constantly "knocking" when the Violet physically comes into contact with a "touchstone" that was also touched by the deceased, be it a necklace, a shoe, even a doorknob.
What I especially appreciated about all the books in this series is the internal logic works. There are no huge plot holes and unexplained variances that don't make sense in the world in this book. What makes the books such suspenseful, creepy, and sometimes scary page turners is that the characters act exactly as you would expect. 'Through Violet Eyes' actually picks up the pace in the final act, with several twisty plot devices that completely work in context.
I am not normally a fan of supernatural horror but this book is a serious page turner and hard to put down. My ex-roommate who is a fan of horror and the occult LOVED this book and jokingly cursed me because in addition to the Harry Potter and Thursday Next books, now he had to wait on the new Natalie Lindstrom books. In future novels as her Violet daughter and her father become potential targets used to get at her, the tension keeps racheting up. If a bad (or good) person gets murdered, that does not eliminate them from the story nor their participation in the plots! I highly recommend all four books in the series.
Eureka! Original Concept AND Great Execution.......2007-04-17
How often have you read a book with what sounds like an intriguing concept -- only to find yourself amidst a bunch of characters you could care less about going to the same old places, and doing the same old things as in every other so-so book? Too often, I've been dissappointed with great concepts - gone amok in execution.
But this one FINALLY DELIVERS A GREAT STORY, GREAT CHARACTERS AND AN ORIGINAL PLOT! YEA! for Woodworth on his first novel.
His follow up novel With Red Hands doesn't quite live up to this one, but I fell so in love with the character and concept that it too, is worth a read.
I'm hooked.......2007-03-03
Ok, I am hooked. I'm going to follow this author!! My apologies to John Saul, but I think Stephen has taken over my #2 spot for favorite authors!!
Expect more than you expect.......2007-02-18
What we read influences what we read. If we find a good book by an author, we're likely to try that author again. If we've just read a standout in a particular genre, we might want to return to that genre right away, to extend the pleasure a bit.
What we read can influence our reviews, too, and not just in the most obvious way (we must, duh, read a book to review it). I recently read a crime novel called 18 Seconds. It was a fairly standard catch-the-killer book with a twist that would drive skeptics crazy. The heroine of the book can touch a corpse and experience the last 18 seconds that person experienced. There's a dusting of pseudoscience to justify this, but the author largely relies on our willingness to suspend belief.
As it happens, the next book I picked up was a suspense novel called Through Violet Eyes about a series of murders where--wait for it--the heroine cantalktothedead. All right, all right, I could probably slog through another mystical whodunit if the writing wasn't terrible. Early on, I envisioned three Idahos for this one, a solid, middle-of-the-road book, perhaps equivalent to something Dean Koontz could knock out over a long weekend.
The more I read, the more I began to realize that my assumptions were wrong. Although the book is a whodunit, that's just the armature on which the author sculpts a richly reimagined world. Through Violet Eyes, is solidly in the realm of speculative fiction. Once one of my favorite forms, speculative fiction began as sub-genre of science fiction, mostly because the weirdness did not necessarily arrive through the rigors of science. Think Harlan Ellison.
Those with the eye color of the title--and shaved, tattooed heads--are a special offshoot of our species who have always been around. Yes, they can talk to the recently dead, an important skill when it comes to solving murders. They can also solve lesser mysteries, such as where dead Uncle Walt left the dam car keys. But author Stephen Woodworth has thought through the multiple consequences of this talent. It can bring Mozart back not only from the dead, but from the deaf, to continue writing music. It can give archeologists a fabulous tool to explain what those inexplicable objects they just dug up were used for. It can bring redemption to a tortured soul.
Through Violet Eyes is a book about an FBI search for a serial killer. If you've read enough of those books that you could write one yourself while snoozing, do not write this one off. This one slipped by me three years back when it first came out. Woodworth has written three more in the series. I will probably read them all over the next year or two, and hope that he is even now working on a fifth. With a little help from Woodworth I might resurrect my love affair with this most imaginative of genres.
An Entertaining Work of Speculative Fiction.......2006-12-07
I read a lot, and I thought THROUGH VIOLET EYES was a very original work of speculative fiction.
This novel takes place in an alternate universe where there are a limited number of human beings who can communicate with the dead. All of these people, who are called "Violets" due to their violet eyes, are trained by the government to assist law enforcement agencies track down murderers. In this novel, a serial killer is stalking Violets and the FBI is trying to catch him.
THROUGH VIOLET EYES is enjoyable, mainly because of the highly inventive plot. Woodworth's writing, however, is rather uneven. I found most of the characters rather wooden and a lot of the dialogue to be kind of flat and cliched. This blandness prevented the novel from fully coming to life for me. There is also a romantic subplot in this novel that is pretty clumsy and forced, although I found it quite touching at the end. Indeed, the ending of this novel is very well done in my opinion.
Apparently, THROUGH VIOLET EYES is the first in a paperback series; this book is strong enough to make the others worth checking out. If you like speculative fiction, you may want to give this series a try.
Three and a half stars.
Amazon.com
A travelogue of Nepal is by its very nature an intriguing piece because Nepal is such an exotic locale with such a wealth of material to write about--its scenery, wildlife, people, and customs. But Barbara Scot's account of her Nepalese adventure shines above the ordinary travel yarn. She has a flair for description, understands the language, and shows a genuine respect for Nepalese culture that infuses every scene and anecdote. More than just a travel-jaunt memoir, The Violet Shyness of Their Eyes is a feminist's view of the women of Nepal. Whether trekking in the Himalayas or exploring Katmandu, Scot watches and contemplates the Nepalese treatment of little girls, mothers, and old women, and her observations offer both a perceptive work of cultural anthropology and a riveting travel tale. Her prose features lurching buses jam-packed with humanity; morning fog lifting from terraced fields; the stale-sweet smell of too many bodies; naked, shivering children gathered at the village tap, lathered and scrubbed by industrious elders; and women bent to the task of scouring black soot from pots with handfuls of sandy mud. Scot's eye is attuned to the smallest details. She thoughtfully ponders the large questions, and she wields her pen with finesse, creating a travel book that transcends the genre with a rare sensitivity and skill. --Stephanie Gold
Book Description
women's studies, travel writings
Customer Reviews:
A real treat ..........2007-09-04
I really enjoyed this book. Barbara Scot does seem like a woman it would be interesting to know. I appreciated her heartfelt, thoughtful, introspective approach to her teaching experience in Nepal. As someone with a strong family connection to Nepal, I really appreciated the respect and humility she communicates through her writing.
I was especially interested in her reservations about the wisdom of the effort to teach English to Nepali children. It seems so many western efforts to "help" in Nepal and elsewhere go awry. I hope accounts such as this one will encourage more mindful involvement.
Ms. Scot has written with an eloquent, touching, respectful voice about a country that an acquaintance recently described as "beguiling". If you have been to Nepal and have been beguiled, or are dreaming of going for whatever reason, or even just curious about a western perspective on an enchanting and very different culture you would probably enjoy this book.
An aggravatingly sanctimonius look at Nepal.......2005-12-29
I've been around the world a few times and lived and worked overseas (mostly in Asia) for about 12 years. I have run into many versions of the author, most of whom hold an almost pious, self-righteous attitude about their short term experiences - who almost unfailingly dress in what my fellow ex-pats termed "Asian travelers'disease" style - for example, a Cambodian peasant shirt paired with Japanese farmer pants and an upcountry tribal hat from Chang Mai. These are generally the types of people who in normal life back home wear purple, brown and blue as if it's part of their religion.
The problem is that it's not a bad book, and it is very well written - it just could have been so much better had the author:
1. Had even a modicum of humor
2. Wasn't afraid to criticize a culture because of looking "culturally insensitive".
3. Realized that Nepalis are people just like anyone else, not to be put on a pedestal, with a somewhat different mentality, history and geography. In other words, they're not that hard to understand -
Treating a foreign country as if its inhabitants are some sort of exotic butterfly that will go extinct if you disturb it is really out of date. Mass media has made many more inroads and changed more countries from the inside out than have scores of Peace Corps workers, and it's not going to stop anytime soon.
One almost feels as if everyone the author runs into is so holy as to be destined for sainthood. This is an unbalanced point of view, but unfortunately, it's become very popular in the PC States of America. Frankly, I feel more at home with books like "Holidays in Hell".
Narrow-minded.......2004-07-07
Like too many Americans, Scot approaches Nepal as a mysterious secret land. Her book is full of wonderful theories and ideas to help this backward nation, but her notions are little more than jabs at the West and progress. In a country where only 45% of the population is literate I don't think any nation with resources should sit by and let them "figure it out for themselves." I have spent a few years living in differing regions of Nepal and did not come away with this mystical notion of a people that Scot so dearly clings to her heart. Perhaps she should have scrutinized a little more and wore the rose coloured glasses a little less. I don't recommend this book.
Poignant images and no rose-colored glasses.......2004-01-16
I was really surprised by the quality of this book. Many people who have lived or worked abroad try to write about their experiences, but few actually have the talent to create something worthwhile and lasting. Barbara Scot, however, has managed to capture some moments of incredible poignancy and beauty. A few passages even approach the level of poetry.
The book is a bit uneven in places, but nevertheless I consider it an excellent effort for a first-time author. You come away with a deep respect for both Nepal and her people, and for Barbara, who as an adventurous woman in her late 40s, will be a an inspiration for many. She's the kind of woman you'd like to know.
On another note--When I saw this book came from a feminist publishing house I was afraid I might be subjected to preachy diatribes about the evils patriarchy, but mercifully that was not the case. Scot does have a special concern for the women of Nepal, but she doesn't preach about it. In fact a sense of evenhandedness is one of the many virtues of the book. She poses many good questions without claiming to have the answers.
a truly lovely and insightful read!.......2000-02-04
Unlike many travel narratives that deal with conquering the Himalayas or giving a traveler's view of the Nepalese people, Barbara J. Scot's THE VIOLET SHYNESS OF THEIR EYES, shows an insight into the region that few experience. She is a teacher living and working in a small village in Nepal. As a teacher, she works at a small, overcrowded school and sees how western education is hurting, not helping the Nepalese. Frankly, when Scot comes to the realization that people like herself are making things worse for the Nepalese, I was overwhelmed with her honesty and her plight. However, she says it far better than I can: "I think the main trouble with motivation for teachers in Nepal is that they have no self-esteem. They are told they must learn from westerners how to do things the right way . . . You ought to get rid of all westerners. You are an ingenious people. Let the Nepalis figure out what works for education for Nepal."
As a professor, I was stunned to read this statement. After all, I had bought the text because it was marketed as a travel narrative of Nepal, and I am a climber and hiker who has wanted to go this area for ages. So, when I started reading this book, I was surprised to see that, yes, it is a travel account of living in another land that happens to be smack up against the most beautiful scenery in the world, but I was more intrigued by Scot's voice in the book. It has an earnest and sincere quality. It made me think. And, it made me agree with her view on the situation. Scott is not against western education, but western eduators who ardently believe that their viewpoint on universal education is the only one of worth. These educators go to other countries and inform the local educators that their view on educating is wrong or, at least, misguided. Scott wants us to realize that what western education has to offer is valuable to non-western people, but these people must be able to pick and choose what they need from western education methodology and mix it with their own cultural values and beliefs.
An insightful and well written book. I hated to see the narrative end.
Book Description
"I'm the Idea Girl, the one who can always think of something to do."
Angel Eastland knows she's different. It's not just her violet eyes that set her apart. She's smarter than her classmates and more athletically gifted. Her only real competition is Michael Vallant, who also has violet eyes -- eyes that tell her they're connected, in a way she can't figure out.
Michael understands Angel. He knows her dreams, her nightmares, and her most secret fears. Together they begin to realize that nothing around them is what it seems. Someone is watching them, night and day. They have just one desperate chance to escape, one chance to find their true destiny, but their enemies are powerful -- and will do anything to stop them.
Download Description
Angel Eastland is set apart from her classmates not only by her violet eyes, but by her academic and athletic gifts. Her only real competition is Michael Vallant, who also has violet eyes -- eyes that tell Angel they are connected in a way she can't figure out. Michael understands Angel, and together, they begin to realize that nothing around them is what it seems . . . and that someone is watching them.
Customer Reviews:
The best book I've ever read........2007-09-21
I first read this book when I was in around 15 years old and I thought it was so great. I disagree with all the other reviews. The author doesn't revel Angles abilities to us at first because her style of writing this whole thing is laying down clues for us which makes the book really cool because once you've finely read the whole thing and understand the book, you'll want to go back and read it again and you'll see everything in a new perspective. I'm almost 20 now and I've read the book over and over again at least five or six times. I was board so I jut picked it up and decided to read it again. I'm still picking things up I'd never noticed before. Its amazing how normal things you don't think about when you first read the book are really clues. Anyone age 13 and up would enjoy this story, its romantic, full of action and suspenseful.
Yet another great read........2007-07-27
This is a great page turner. You get attached to the characters, and find yourself not being able to turn the page soon enough! I love a page turner, and so I've re-read this one a few times now! I bought it's sequel as soon as it came out, and loved it the same. Read this for a fun read.
My Favorite book!!!.......2007-04-15
Violet eyes is my favorite book of all time! What I love about it is it makes up future technology and makes it sound so real. Nicole Luiken has made [to me] A masterpeice! What I suggest is that you get it and read it today!!!
Landen
U.S.A.
Violet Eyes.......2005-07-21
I thought it was a very good book. I read it all night til about three o'clock reading it. I couldn't put it down. It was really good.
WOW!!!.......2005-07-08
I really enjoyed this book it was a breath of fresh air. Angel and Michael know from the moment that they met something was different. The fact that they fall in love is enevitable. The only reason i did not give this book a five is the ending was not the best. But i would recommend this book to anyone who wants a romance/sci-fi read.
Product Description
This spellbinding debut tells the tale of genetic rarities known as Violetsthe handful of violet-eyed individuals whose psychic power can blur the line between the living and the dead. Serving as channelers to the other side, the Violets provide testimony to the government from murder victims about their own killings. But now the Violets themselves are the target of a brutal serial killer, and one of them, beautiful Natalie Lindstrom, has been assigned to FBI agent Dan Atwater for protection. The killers terrible method of murder becomes apparent when the most recent victim, a little girl named Laurie, tells Natalie the horrible story of her own death at the hands of the Faceless Man. As other Violets suffer dreadful fates, Natalie and Dan search frantically for the demented maniac, hoping to find him wherever he may beamong the living...or the dead.
Customer Reviews:
An Adequate First Novel, With a Few Good Twists.......2006-07-16
In an alternative present-day world, certain particularly gifted psychics -- who are known by the unusual violet tint of their eyes -- are conscripted into service by the justice system to bring forth the souls of murder victims to testify against their killers. Now, someone is trying to destroy both the school that trains the young Violets and the older Violets -- a killer clever enough not to be have his/her face seen, nor provide any other clues that surviving Violets could use to track him down. Natalie, a Violet terrified of her own death, teams with Dan, and FBI agent with a deep guilt over having killed an innocent man in a raid gone wrong, to stop "The Violet Killer" before there are none left... including Natalie.
Mr. Woodworth is tauted as the winner of prestigious awards and schooling with which I am not familiar. He has produced a reasonably well-constructed first novel, bringing in a plot that is not truly original (what plot is?) but that has some well-crafted red herrings in the mix. The action flows reasonably well, the characters have the chance to be more than two-dimensional, and there are some interesting twists to the tale.
I find that the story promises a great deal more than the book itself delivers. For a tale of psychics who are, to some degree, vitims of the dead (the Violets "hear [the dead] knocking" almost constantly), there isn't nearly as much variety of (if you'll pardon the pun) spirit in the various characters. Most are cartoonish in nature, including the leads who, although given many chances to give themselves good avenues to change and grow, generally avoid them at all cost. If you, Constant Reader, are familiar with the visual genre of Japanese anime, you will find a great deal of similarity in the delivery of this novel and most currently popular anime. This is not a bad thing, but it's certainly not worth the accolades heaped upon the book.
The book suffers from an overabundance of similes stretched to the breaking point. It's one thing to avoid tired cliches; it's something else entirely to invent new combinations of words in an attempt to look impressive. Something similar to "shrugging [something off his shoulders] like Atlas" was almost enough to make me stop reading. I did make it through to the end, which I found to be little more than satisfying.
Overall, the book is a decent read, although not something to be overly excited over. Being both a reader and writer of this genre, I've come to expect more from authors who tackle this field. I have not read what appear to be three sequels (I was only aware of one until today). The author appears to be doing well, so perhaps my views are a bit jaded.
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multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.
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The Man with Tiger Eyes (Lady Violet's Casebook series)
Karen Wallace
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster UK
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1416900993 |
Book Description
At a lavish reception in New York, Lady Violet meets a brilliant young painter whose new portrait is the talk of the town. But who is the mysterious man with tiger eyes who won't leave his side? When both portrait and painter disappear, Violet and Garth investigate, and find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into the dangerous New York underworld.
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