Book Description
The science behind the gadgets, exploits, and enemies of the world's greatest spy
From the sleek Aston Martin that spits out bullets, nails, and passengers at the push of a button to the microjet that makes hairpin turns to avoid a heat-seeking missile, the science and technology of James Bond films have kept millions of movie fans guessing for decades. Are these amazing feats and gadgets truly possible?
The Science of James Bond takes you on a fascinating excursion through the true science that underlies Bond's most fantastic and off-the-wall accoutrements. The acclaimed science-fiction authors Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg provide a highly entertaining, informative look at the real-world achievements and brilliant imaginations behind such singular Bond gadgets as the buzz-saw Rolex, the car that turns into a submarine, and the ever-popular rocket-firing cigarette. They examine hundreds of Q Division's ingenious inventions; analyze Bond's astonishing battles beneath the earth and sea, in the skies, and even in outer space; and ask intriguing questions that lead to enlightening discussions about the limits of science, the laws of nature, and the future of technology.
Filled with entertaining anecdotes from Bond movie shoots and supplemented with "tech" ratings for all of the Bond movies, The Science of James Bond separates scientific fact from film fantasy--with some very surprising results.
Customer Reviews:
Errors and Plugs.......2006-12-23
Please do not waste your time reading this book. It is soon obvious that the authors have done very little research into their topic. Some of the obvious errors are: Ian Fleming did not write the screenplay for "A View to a Kill" as the authors claim, the wristwatch garrote appeared in the film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" which the authors fail to mention, and the authors must have gone into the kitchen for a snack while watching "Goldeneye" since they seemed to have missed a Russian fighter crashing into the Russian facility. Since the authors base some of their reasoning on some of these errors, their final conclusions fall a bit flat.
My other complaint is how often the authors plug another one of their books. Several times in "The Science of James Bond," when the authors have introduced a field of science, they drop the topic, explaining that the reader will have to find more information on the particular field by referencing another title by the authors. To me, this reeks of laziness and commercialism.
Unfortunately, a bit of false advertising.......2006-12-13
I just finished reading this book, and while it has its amusing and informative bits, it is apparent that the publisher and/or editor did not bother to read the book before making the covers shots, and even the subtitle. This books is titled, "The Science of James Bond", with the subtitle of "From Bullets to Bowler Hats to Boat Jumps, the Real Technology Behind 007's Fabulous Films". The cover shot on the book shows a wristwatch, a bowler hat, and a boat jump scene from "Live and Let Die". The wristwatch appears to be too cheap to be a 'genuine Bond' item, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Despite the blurb and the photo, there is absolutely no mention of the bowler hat in the book, and only two (throwaway - no pun intended) mentions of Oddjob in the book. I was expecting a discussion of the derby, such as what could it have been made of, how heavy would it have to be, and even (as the Booklist review seems to indicate, showing that the writer ALSO didn't read the book) if it could decapitate a man.
Moving on to the subject of boat jumps, let me describe, in sum total, how much the authors have to say about them (and let me be the first to admit that the "Live and Let Die" boat chase scenes were among my favorites): Nothing.
That's right, not a single word, phrase, or discussion about any of this -- not the technology needed to film them, the stunt men, nothing.
There's quite a bit more wrong with the book, even if taken as 'tongue in cheek', because it's obvious that the authors (who claim to be science-aware) don't understand even basic facts. For example, they go on and on (over several pages) about how Blofeld's spaceship in "You Only Live Twice" is unrealistic because, after all, it wouldn't be able to 'stop' in space, as it needs to go 17,000 MPH to be in orbit, etc. They completely ignore relative speeds -- the Blofeld spaceship only needs to go slightly faster/slower than the target ship, not thousands of miles per hour different. I won't go into the whole 'orbital mechanics' that happen with rendezvous in space (most of which are counter-intuitive), because the authors don't touch on it at all. The authors go on and on about how they can't understand how (at the time the movie was released, in the sixties) NASA wouldn't have 'seen' the spaceship on radar, without understanding how much work had gone into being able to track vehicles that we KNEW about (let alone unknown ones). And there is only a passing reference, several chapters later, about the most 'incredible' aspect of this spaceship -- that it's able to land vertically, under power, on land.
The blurb on the back cover of the book even talks about the "ever-popular rocket-firing cigarette." Of course, if you're anticipating reading anything about that in the book, rest assured -- you won't. It isn't there. And while they spend pages and pages explaining bullet calibers, and why Bond has a Walther PPK, there is nary a mention of one of the most fascinating 'gadget guns' in any of the movies, the 'golden gun' used by Scaramanga in "The Man with the Golden Gun".
In short, this seems to be a somewhat rambling discourse on logical flaws in the Bond movies, with a bit of 'science' thrown in, but it doesn't hold together well, and I can't help but feel cheated by the comparison of the book cover blurbs and the actual content. It doesn't make me feel good to realize that I spent more time reading this book than the publisher did...
Informative and Great Fun!.......2006-11-29
Reading a book like this can give one the urge to watch the Bond movies yet again. Although the authors review the James Bond movies with a critical scientific eye, it is obvious that they are genuine 007 fans. Some of the technology, big and small, portrayed in the Bond movies are discussed in very accessible and engaging prose. Some scientific ideas are discussed form basic principles, but in a clear and completely painless way. Thus readers can learn a bit of science along the way. However, I did stumble upon an error. On pages 99-100, Geiger counter readings are discussed with the intention of establishing the total radiation dose received by Bond due to radioactive contamination on the surface of his body. The one essential element that is missing from this otherwise quite accurate and illuminating discussion is the time factor. A Geiger counter measures a count rate which is a measure of the number of radiation particles impinging upon it per unit time. If the Geiger indicates a reading of 72.8 (no dimensions given in the movie), it is clear that this reading must include time in its units. Thus, in keeping with the units given in the book, the reading could have been 72.8 mSv/hour. Consequently, assuming that this figure also represents the rate at which Bond's whole body is absorbing the radiation dose (which, by the way, is not usually the same as the Geiger counter reading), the total dose received by Bond would be the dose rate multiplied by the time during which he was contaminated. So, for example, if his body surface was contaminated for, say, 10 minutes, then his total dose would only be about 12 mSv. This minor point aside, this is a wonderful book that could be enjoyed by anyone - especially Bond fans.
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Spyscreen: Espionage on Film and TV from the 1930s to the 1960s
Toby Miller
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0198159528 |
Book Description
Spyscreen is a genre study of English-language spy fiction film and television between the 1930s and 1960s. Taking as his focus many well-known films and television series, Toby Miller uses a wide range of critical approaches - from textual interpretation, audience studies, and cultural history, through auteurism, imperial history, class, and governmentality, to genre, cultural imperialism, and gender. Beginning with an overview of the social and political background to the history, production, and analysis of spy fiction, topics discussed include the first canonical espionage movie, The 39 Steps, key film noir texts such as Gilda and The Third Man, the figure of popular spies, including James Bond, and the importance of women to the genre. The result is not just an insightful new study of key texts in this popular genre; it is an important intervention in the methodology and practice of Screen Studies.
Book Description
The adventures and antics of James Bond have provided the world with many of the most gripping story lines of the last half-century. Fleming’s novels were bestsellers in their day, and the Bond films have been even more popular, becoming the most enduring and successful film franchise in history. By some estimates, half of the world’s population has seen a James Bond movie. A fascinating and accessible account of this global phenomenon, The Politics of James Bond uses the plots and characterizations in the novels and the blockbuster films to place Bond in a historical, cultural, and political context.
Jeremy Black charts and explores how the settings and the dynamics of the Bond adventures have changed over time in response to shifts in the real-world environment in which the fictional Bond operates. Sex, race, class, and violence are each important factors, as Agent 007 evolves from Cold War warrior to foe of SPECTRE and eventually to world defender pitted against megalomaniacal foes. The development of Bond, his leading ladies, and the major plots all shed light on world political attitudes and reflect elements of the real espionage history of the period. This analysis of Bond’s world and his lasting legacy offers an insightful look at both cultural history and popular entertainment.
Customer Reviews:
Pointyhead Primer To 007.......2005-04-23
Did you ever wonder whether the world of James Bond was more Manichean or Weberian in its outlook? Did it ever bother you that 007 represents a sort of dying totem for the imperialistic, chauvinistic British empire? Do you look at one of Q's gadgets and ponder the limits of technology, or see Barbara Bach in a silken nightie and wonder about the gender politics of the Bond corpus?
If so, Jeremy Black has written the book for you. "The Politics of James Bond" takes on the political as well as social constructs underlying both the original novels by Ian Fleming, as well as the subsequent films. Given the enormous impact of Bond on world culture for half a century, this seems a worthy enterprise. Black certainly knows his Bond, able to deftly move from plot point to plot point in particular stories and explain what was going on at that moment in the Grand Scheme of Things, either a Cuban missile crisis or a spy ring scandal or the advent of the Pill, to draw appropriate connections.
Black is especially on target, and amusing, when he notes the various ways Bond has been modernized over the years, as when the films, with Timothy Dalton by then playing Bond, took on a Jesuitical strain:
"It was acceptable to have an agent who blew up and shot people at will (and without the concerns of Fleming's Bond), but he was no longer allowed to smoke or have sex, a contrast that reveals much about the nature and impact of modern political correctness."
He takes a similar critical approach to Fleming's novels. It's clear Black admires Fleming's writing, and though he echoes the criticisms of Fleming's Old World snobbery, he is also careful not to attach modern sensibilities to Fleming's often-badly-dated views of racial and sexual differences. He calls attention to Fleming's "racialism" rather than "racism," and it's an important distinction, that Fleming could be patronizing about blacks, for example, and yet more willing than many of his time to see beyond stereotypes; certainly not be ruled by them.
For all his cross-indexing and learned discourse, I never got a sense of whether Black thought Bond was any good for society, whether his value extends beyond box-office proceeds. Also, he takes a second-hand approach to explaining the Bond stories, assuming everyone has the same familiarity he does with every novel and film. While he starts pulling out recondite quotes from "Octopussy" to glean insight in male-female relations, I'm trying to remember if that's the one where 007 tells the tiger to sit.
While the book is advertised as "How James Bond has changed the world - and how the world has changed James Bond," it's really more about the latter than the former. Maybe the premise of the book is off, maybe he didn't spend enough time working out the merits of the individual stories over their cultural impact. Does anyone care about what the film version of "The Man With The Golden Gun" has to say about the energy crisis anymore?
Black has written a smart book and done his homework. But he doesn't have much of a story to tell, and it shows.
needed an editor and a fact-checker!.......2003-07-13
Basically I liked this book, as it does a good job of laying out the political climates of the various times and places in the James Bond novels-not only those by Fleming, but also the many other sequels by Amis, Gardner, et al.-and short stories, as well as all the films up to the third Pierce Brosnan one. I have read all the Fleming stories at least twice each, and will probably do so all over again now that I will be able to keep Jeremy Black's input on the politics surrounding the plots in mind.
However, I am still reeling by the frequency of errors in the book, including wrong names-e.g., he mistakenly calls [Pierce] Brosnan "Bronson" (unless of course I missed a James Bond movie that starred Charles Bronson... I don't think so!)-and he renames the character Tatiana Romanova from the novel and film From Russia, with Love "Natalya"; and heaps of grammatical errors.
This book needed an editor and a fact-checker before it went to print. I sincerely hope the publisher has one of each overhaul this book before it issues the paperback edition!
The Politics Of James Bond.......2001-11-02
This was a very interesting book. I liked it a lot. The word "politics" might tend to steer some readers(especialy younger ones) away from this, but don't let that word scare you. A very good book, lots of information. A recomended read from a serious(sometimes refered to as "purist") Bond fan
Great insight of James Bond. 007!.......2001-06-07
This includes everything about 007! and I do mean everything. Buy it today and see for yourself.
AWESOME!.......2001-06-03
This book is really good! I reccomend it to every Bond fan. !!!!
Book Description
At a time when the methods and purposes of intelligence agencies are under a great deal of scrutiny, author Wesley Britton offers an unprecedented look at their fictional counterparts. In Beyond Bond: Spies in Film and Fiction, Britton traces the history of espionage in literature, film, and other media, demonstrating how the spy stories of the 1840s began cementing our popular conceptions of what spies do and how they do it. Considering sources from Graham Greene to Ian Fleming, Alfred Hitchcock to Tom Clancy, Beyond Bond looks at the tales that have intrigued readers and viewers over the decades. Included here are the propaganda films of World War II, the James Bond phenomenon, anti-communist spies of the Cold War era, and military espionage in the eighties and nineties. No previous book has considered this subject with such breadth, and Britton intertwines reality and fantasy in ways that illuminate both. He reveals how most themes and devices in the genre were established in the first years of the twentieth century, and also how they have been used quite differently from decade to decade, depending on the political concerns of the time. And he delves into such aspects of the genre as gadgetry, technology, and sexuality-aspects that have changed with the times as much as the politics have. In all, Beyond Bond offers a timely and penetrating look at an intriguing world of fiction, one that sometimes, and in ever-fascinating ways, can seem all too real.
Customer Reviews:
Bond: Beyond Bond - Great Britton's Heroes.......2006-03-20
Just finished Wes Britton's Beyond Bond. What a fantastic compendium of spy-detective related knowledge! A veritable reference book of interconnected facts about the espionage genre and a great read. Included in the tome is a chronological outline of spy fiction through out the past 100 years. Anyone who thinks James Bond was the first; but wonders where he came from needs to read this book. The best part of the book for me was understanding how life imitates art and vice versa. The actual historical events of the times many times informs art and it's great to see how that happens in this book.
Recommended to anyone who wants a greater understanding of the espionage genre; while specific enough to pique anyone's interest enough to dig further. Enjoy.
Tom Pervanje, www.spy-fi.com. Guitarist for Spy-Fi, spy-detective band.
This Is A Must-Have Book About Spies & Spying.......2006-03-10
What an amazing and compelling book about spies and spying throughout history--in literature, entertainment , and fact. This is a must-have treasure especially for all spy movie fans, and anyone else interested or fascinated by why spy?, what makes a spy, how to be a spy, and who has created the spies you know and love.
Beyond Bond is better than best........2006-02-03
Wes Britton's 'Beyond Bond' is a must buy for any spy aficionado worth the
radio in his shoe. (Get Smart, for those youngsters amongst us.) Wes
manages to cram more interesting detail about spies into a book than one
would think possible. I have been closely associated musically with the
film spy movement, James Bond Theme, The Prisoner and others, for more than
40 years and this book proves how little I knew. Buy it and enjoy. Vic
Flick
www.vicflick.com
Guitarist on productions of James Bond, The Prisoner, Pink Panther and
others, and for many composers including John Barry, Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith and
Michel LeGrand.
Dr. Britton has a keen spy's eye..........2006-02-03
Wesley Britton has written an original. In "Beyond Bond," he offers pithy insights on both fictional and real espionage, seamlessly blending discussions of movies, literature, and television. Britton has a fine spy eye, as he shows how few "degrees of separation" there are between fact and fiction. Lucid and intelligent, this is a must-read.
I get many spy books across my desk but Dr. Britton's is outstanding in the field and he has brought exhaustive research to a blend of the real and fictional. Fascinating reading!
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The Great Spy Pictures
Manufacturer: Scarecrow Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 081080655X |
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The Great Spy Films
Leonard Rubenstein
Manufacturer: Citadel Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0806507756 |
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The Great Spy Films
Manufacturer: Citadel Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000DCOBMS |
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The Great Spy Pictures II (Great Pictures)
Parish James Robert
Manufacturer: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0810819139 |
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This book is a must for spy film buffs and the serious students of this genre. --MOVIE COLLECTOR'S WORLD
Book Description
Two works — one of imaginative and decadent horror, the other lyrical and introspective — comprise these books by one of the pioneers of supernatural fiction. The Great God Pan scandalized Victorian London with its suggestive visions of sexuality and paganism. The Hill of Dreams is a semi-autobiographical work about Machen's battles with his inner demons.
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The Great God Pan: The Survival of an Image (Walter Neurath Memorial Lectures)
John Boardman
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0500550301 |
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Among the gods of classical antiquity, Pan--that distinctive figure combining the physical characteristics of man and goat--is one of the few to have retained a special place in the imaginations of writers and artists, even into modern times. In this, the twenty-ninth Walter Neurath Memorial Lecture, classical scholar Sir John Boardman describes how the concept of Pan--originally a rustic deity associated with herdsmen in southern Greece--and his familiar pipes developed and was adapted in later times. Whether viewed as a personification of country ways, equated with the excesses of Bacchic revels, or treated as a demon figure, the presence of Pan was felt in the literature and art of antiquity, of the medieval period, and notably in Renaissance and later paintings. Although the ideals that Pan represented in ancient Greece and Rome may have passed into history, the image associated with his name remains as vivid as ever in the minds of modern man.
Book Description
"An incoherent nightmare of sex..." That was The Westminster Gazette's description of Arthur Machen's first book, The Great God Pan, upon its publication in 1894.
An unwittingly complimentary description for one of the greatest works of weird horror and decadence, in which Machen unfurls with his singular eye for the bizarre and macabre the tale of a young girl cursed by her unnatural parentage to become a creature of shape-shifting polysexual demi-human evil. Illustrated by Austin Osman Spare.
Download Description
It was otherwise, however, when within three weeks, three more gentlemen, one of them a nobleman, and the two others men of good position and ample means, perished miserably in the almost precisely the same manner. Lord Swanleigh was found one morning in his dressing-room, hanging from a peg affixed to the wall, and Mr. Collier-Stuart and Mr. Herries had chosen to die as Lord Argentine.
Customer Reviews:
Gothic Horror.......2005-12-02
I got this because the author was at one time affiliated with the Golden Dawn. It is horror that was an influence of H.P. Lovecraft. I liked it because the author maintains an aura of darkness that could be disturbing. This is neo pagan horror that you usually don't see any more. Stehpen King commercialized horror but this is more obscure. A few pages in I already thought highly of it. I thought it was cool that he was such an icon back at the turn of the last century.
The Great God Pan........2005-11-14
"An incoherent nightmare of sex . . . " - The Westminster Gazette.
_The Great God Pan_ is the first book of the Welsh writer of weird tales and mystic Arthur Machen, published first in 1894. This book was regarded as a form of decadent literature and was panned by critics of the Victorian era. Arthur Machen was a fascinating character and antiquarian whose weird writings reveal his learning in the occult and his mystical inclinations. Machen was an Anglo-Catholic opposed to modernism in all its forms who was to join the secret society of the Golden Dawn, though he would reject the nefarious doings of such individuals as Aleister Crowley. Machen had an enormous influence on later writers of weird tales including especially H. P. Lovecraft who mentions him in his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature" as an important influence. This book, republished by Creation Classics, is complimented by automatic drawings of Austin Osman Spare, a friend of Machen and a fellow occultist and mystic. In addition, this book contains Machen's introduction to the story proper.
_The Great God Pan_ begins with a scientist/doctor and his friend attempting to perform a surgical operation on the brain of a seventeen year old girl, Mary, so that she may "see the Great God Pan". The doctor discusses his theories of "transcendental medicine", in which he believes he can control her through this operation. The operation fails and Mary is rendered an "idiot". The story then skips to the memoirs of Mr. Clarke, the friend of Dr. Raymond from the experiment on Mary. Mr. Clarke recounts a tale involving a young girl named Helen Vaughan, who encounters a pagan idol from Roman times in a field. The story involves murder and intrigue as well as a demonic sex change, which occur later in the tale. Machen's mystical inclinations can be seen as he presents the reader with an alchemical transformation.
Though this book was initially criticized harshly by the establishment in Victorian times, it has endured and set the place of Arthur Machen as an important writer of weird tales. Machen's stories are quite unique and his influence on subsequent writers of supernatural fiction continues to endure.
LOVE this little book - wish it never ended!!.......2005-09-24
Wow, I read this on a plane ride and didn't want to put it down. Machen did an amazing job of creating this atmosphere of terror and horror and dread and evil...without ever actually spilling blood and showing us what happened. The way he described what transpired with Helen was awesome. The way he led us along these different paths and then brought them all home so that everything made perfect sense was brilliant. I would have loved more of a backstory and more details into Pan...but that's minor. Can't say enough great things about this little book of "terror." Has something this short and this powerful been written in the last 20 or 30 or 40 years? Great stuff!
The power of suggestion...........2001-04-27
The REAL grandeur of this little gothic gem lies in the power of suggestion. Machen, much like a Nicholas Roeg film or the Lovecraft mythology, only hints at the unspeakable horrors in "Great God Pan" and therein lies the novel's strength, short and negligable as it may seem. It's up to the reader to "fill in the blanks", and make the right connections as to which abominations lurks beneath the sinister series of seemingly unconnected events, that are displayed in "Great God Pan."
Scattered around in the book are twisted images of the many abominable faces that the Great God Pan may take, drawn by the esoteric occultist Austin Osman Spare.
Dark Pagan Horror.......2000-12-03
I came to know about Arthur Machen and his work through the brilliant mastermind of H.P.Lovecraft; his references, both in fiction ("The Dunwich Horror" makes a very clear statement about Machen's influence in his body of work) and non-fiction ("Supernatural Horror in Literature"), ultimately inspired me to go search something about this author. Needless to say, I found virtually nothing in any bookstore. It was during a trip to Madrid, Spain, where I finally found a book by Machen containing "The Great God Pan" and many others. I was shocked.
"The Great God Pan" was the first story I read by Arthur Machen, and I only had to read the first few pages to know I was going to like it. Indeed, I did, although it was a little short for my taste.
The ideas Machen makes you travel through are some of the finest in horror literature, and the Cosmic view of Pan, is very near the likes of Lovecraft. One can easily see where the influence Machen exerted over Lovecraft is. The only difference is that Machen did believe in some supernatural force existing within the Universe, whereas Lovecraft was the complete opposite.
Dark Pagan Horror is what Machen delivers, and he does so with such a style, elegance (at least the Castilian translation, I still have to read the originals in English, but I am assuming the originals are much better) and wit, you just can't help but to stay with it until you are done.
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- "Never Fall in Love with a Mortal..."
- Amazing
- Napoli departs from classical literature
- Expected better but mildly interesting...
- Not her best, but sparkling with rich detail and new love!
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The Great God Pan
Donna Jo Napoli
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
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Zel
ASIN: 0440229251
Release Date: 2005-02-08 |
Book Description
Pan, both goat and god, is a curious being who roams nature searching, wondering, and frolicking with maenads and satyrs. He plays melodies on his reed flute, wooing animals to listen. He is a creature of mystery and delight. One day in his travels, Pan meets Iphigenia, a human raised as the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. Pan is captivated by the young princess. Set against a landscape of myth and legend, Napoli’s latest tale is a love story wrought with sincere emotion and all that is great about the Gods.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
"Never Fall in Love with a Mortal...".......2007-02-10
Donna Jo Napoli is famous for her retellings of fairytales; from Rapunzel ("Zel"), Rumplestiltskin ("Spinners") and Hansel and Gretel ("The Magic Circle"), but she's also done a couple of Greek myths as well: "Sirena", and this, "The Great God Pan". Taking inspiration from two mythological mysteries: the fate of Iphigenia (the king's daughter sacrificed in order to ensure safe passage to Troy) and the goat-legged god Pan (of whom Plutarch wrote: "the great god Pan is dead!") Napoli attempts to fill in the gaps in the stories.
Here Pan is presented as an innocent and carefree young god, who adores his father Hermes but whose mother is a mystery. He is happy roaming the countryside and sporadically spending time with the gods, till his life changes forever. He meets the young princess Iphigenia and cannot seem to get her out of his mind - especially when he begins to hear foreboding prophesies about her.
Napoli weaves in other myths, giving them her own personal touch: the story of the nymph Syrinx and the origins of the syrinx instrument, the death of the healer Asclepius and of Orion, and the musical tournament between Pan and Apollo. Told in rich descriptive language, Napoli tells a bittersweet tale about these two individuals, which fits in well with her established canon of retold tales. To be honest, it's a little forgettable, and quite nearly as good as some of her other books, but is an interesting enough read for a rainy day and a particularly good book for those wanting to read up on their Greek mythology. Napoli tells a sympathetic story without taking away the inherent darkness and mischievousness found in many of the tales (something that other authors often do), and - as was her goal - fleshes out the lives of both Pan and Iphigenia.
Amazing.......2006-12-02
i have to admit, like all of Donna Jo Nappoli's books, she takes my breath away. on some of the latest comments i cannot agree.
honestly, this is one of the top three (in my opinion the other two are Sirena and Beast) As someone who has had a passion for disney, fantasy, mythology and fairy tales, i am at a shortage of words to describe what this small book did to me. I am 17 yrs old; and i can honestly say if you are a fan of this authors work, this book must be read despite other comments. I find The Great God Pan entrancing, magical and absolutely incredible. I cried halfway through it and continued till hours afterward.
I highly recommend it for those who like stories with plots and intelligent details with stomach butterflies.
PLEASE READ IT!!!!
Napoli departs from classical literature.......2005-06-10
It is said that the gods and goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology mimic some of the best and worst faults of humans. Donna Jo Napoli liberally illustrates this idea in this riveting tale which takes us back to a time when gods and goddesses ruled the earth.
Donna Jo Napoli has given a three dimensional quality to this charming story in which Pan, the god of the forest plays the central role. The story is written in first person and Napoli peppers her narrative with clever dialog and tirelessly records Pan's thoughts and emotions as she tells her story.
The major stories of Pan from classical literature are incorporated into this book, although Napoli uses literary license to to weave those stories together to form the story of the life of Pan. The story of Pan's interaction with Psyche in Apuleius's The Golden Ass is here, as well as the story of King Midas and Pan, and Syrinx and Pan, both from Ovid's Metamorpheses. The stories are altered, however. For instance, we see Pan weep over Syrinx's transformation into a tree, and Napoli describes Pan's thoughts of Psyche in less than sympathetic terms.
Napoli incorporates Pan into the story of Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, who appears in Homer's Iliad as a sacrifice to Artemis at the beginning of the Trojan War. The incorporation is clever, but students of the classics may find fault with this rearrangement, as well as the startling final conclusion since it is not reflected in classical literature. Still, it's a fun book for anyone whether they're interested in classical mythology or not.
The story is readable and the print is fairly large, but I would recommend this book for high school students and above since these stories reflect some mature situations that are inherent in the retelling of many classical myths.
Expected better but mildly interesting..........2004-08-15
I've read some of the author's other retellings and was a bit disappointed with this one. We meet Pan, the half goat/half god who basically flits around the woods with other mythical creatures all day. It isn't until he meets Iphigenia and falls in love with her that his life really seems to have a purpose. People with any background in Greek mythology know that Pan had a curse placed on him upon birth that he will never be loved in return. His quest to find Iphigenia again then seems a bit fruitless to the reader, but what we don't realize is that he may be able to save her from her father's mission to sacrifice her. This book needed more detail. I felt it was lacking in some other areas as well, as the plot meandered quite a bit. I did like how the author included a family tree at the beginning so we understood how everyone was related however.
Not her best, but sparkling with rich detail and new love!.......2003-07-03
If you have read anything by Donna Jo Napoli, you would already know how she takes old legends and faerie tales and makes them sparking with new life and love. This is definitely an example of her ability to do so, although not one of my most favorite works by her, it is a very absorbing tale, rich with detail, lust, and the suspicion of unrequited love. Here, the heart-breaking tale of the half-goat, half-god, Pan is brought to life. Pan has always been happy. He is loved by both the gods and the goddesses, satisfied with frolicking about with the myaids of the wood which he lives in. His father is Hermes, of the winged slippers, Hermes, who guides the dead to Hades, his mother, a nymph whom he has never met, who abandoned him with his father at birth. Pan is joy. Pan is playful. "Perfect Pan" say the maiyads. "Pan of panic" says his father. Pan is happy, yes. Until he meets Igphenia. Igphenia is daughter of a king and queen, only she is really the daughter of Helen, of Troy. Igphenia, who knows as much about herbs and plants, if not more, than Pan himself. Igphenia, who is a mortal. "Never fall in love with a mortal," the goddesses tell him. "There is too much pain." Yes, Pan's story is one of pain. He meets her in a field, where they talk about herbs, sharing new remedies with each other. And then she goes, back to her mother and father, and he cannot stop thinking about her. And later, after another accidental meeting, he is even more infuatuated with her. In his mind he denies that he is in love with her, in his mind and his mouth, yet he is. Pan of Pain. In the end, he proves his love, his deep love, more than a simple infuatuation, when he makes his ultimate sacrifice for her. This is a lovely book with a horribly sad ending, an ending that will stay with you long after you read the last words.
Book Description
Vast expanses of Utah — its entire northwest quadrant, specifically - are barren, waterless, windblown, salt-caked, too hot or too cold, God-forsaken and just generally unfit for human habitation. If not for the advent of rocket bombs, toxic waste, and casinos, this desert of Deseret might still be left to the coyotes.
It's a land so vast, unpopulated and far-removed that the most you'll hear about it is from a book like this one.
Customer Reviews:
Salt Desert Tales of Genius.......2001-08-24
"Great God Pan - Salt Desert Tales" sandblasts off layers of smog and grime that have been clotting up the West for the past hundred years. This is a history that has been abandoned or neglected, and when one delves into these tales a clear appreciation of this idiosyncratic region takes hold. These stories are not mere anecdotal tales, but stories with unlikely heroes, impossible eccentrics, and visionary madmen. The best part is that all of this is true. The writers of this book have gone to considerable lengths to find histories of the West that step outside of the traditional homage to the individualist, Western Expansionist prototype.
Salty as a Desert in Deseret!.......2001-04-06
Salt Desert Tales is a bang-up collection of white hot adventure tales, history and culture. This time the Pan-Men have chosen the dusty burgs of Mormon Country to do their research, and friend the result is truiumphant! I read it cover to cover in one sitting. They capture the feel of the Western USA from the perspective of Western Americans. Reading the story about Nevada made me think of growing up in Yakima, Washington where high schools gyms are just as likely to have a quincinera happening, as they are a basketball game.
Now that Bob Ludlum's passed on you'll never have to look further than the Bluhm/Sundeen braintrust for highest quality, page-turnin' wild times.
Other recommendations include: Car Camping, all the back issues of Great God Pan, Cometbus, the WPA State books.. and any music by Oxes and Lightning Bolt you can find.
Customer Reviews:
A life-changing book for Wiccans - New ways to work with Pan.......2004-04-26
This is a revelutionary book showing you new ways to work with Pan and his friends in your circle work. Shows you how to get to know the God and his friends better and how they can help you in your daily life. Can work daily at your altar or when needed, but is a workbook on how to build your connection and get fast results from your casting work. This book covers everything from gaining Pan's Armor of Protection, Working your own Personal Money Mine with the help of Gnomes and Trolls, learning how to use your Positive Sexuality to help you attain your goals, and how to have Pan help you in your Healing work. Also introduces you to the female side of Pan and how to work with her. Very interesting viewpoint since most of the wiccan books only use his male form. Shows you how to become a Pan-Magician through a series of exercises to build your connection and to start a Pan Coven if desired.
Average customer rating:
|
Great God Pan
Arthur Machen
Manufacturer: SHROUD PUBLISHERS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TXI36Q |
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