This is a story about three friends aboard the Nautilus, a cantankerous submarine-like vessel that is commandeered by Captain Nemo, an elusive figure with a mind of steel and a impenetrable purpose in life. Captain Nemo has long ago turned his back on the world, building this vessel with the intent of making it his home, staffing it with the most loyal of crews, and arming it as though it were a fortress. And a fortress it is. Captain Nemo and his crew live beneath the sea in this fascinating underwater vehicle as solid as stone. They never touch land, and are prepared to spend the rest of their days living underwater. The world has learned of this vessel, but rumors of its nature abound. Most think it is a sea monster of sorts, and the great ship the Abraham Lincoln sets out on a voyage to find and destroy the Nautilus. On board are Professor Aronnax, underwater expert, his loyal subject Conseil, and a Canadian whale harpooner named Ned Land. These unfortunate characters are tossed into the sea while heavily engaged in a confrontation with the mighty Nautilus. Hours later, they are picked up by the Nautilus, having been clinging to it's topside for safety. They are held prisoner within, but never have prisoners of war had such luxury and freedom. What follows is Monsieur Aronnax' account of the adventures that abound as he travels around the world underwater, seeing sights never before seen, engaging in activities he once only dreamed of, and enjoying times never meant to be had by man. When his companion, Ned Land, becomes restless and wishes to escape the Nautilus, the story heats up. Throughout, Captain Nemo is a mystery you will wish revealed. The story has many dull parts too, and many unfamiliar words and expressions that may bore you. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating and marvelous classic - if you have not yet read this, you should.

This is Verne's classic novel about Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus. What really fascinated me when reading this story and other Verne novels was not only Verne's contributions to the science fiction genre, but his founding of a whole new genre, one that, as far as I know, he has never been given credit. I think Verne was the first to write the techno-novel, a work that is filled with technical details ala Tom Clancy. For this novel, Verne did considerable research to describe what was known as accurately as possible. Professor Arronax and his servant Conseil board a U. S. ship that is searching for a monster that has sunk a number of other ships. They discover that it isn't a monster at all but a submarine, captained by a mysterious man known only as Nemo (Verne will present readers with Nemo once again in "The Mysterious Island"). Arronax, Conseil, and an American harpooner named Ned Land travel with Nemo and see many wonderous things and have many adventures. Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" has gotten some very poor reviews over the decades since it first appeared in 1869. In many cases, it was because of the translation and not because of Verne. A number of the early translators inserted their own sections with their own ideas and opinions and deleted much of Verne's own words. So, readers should be aware of the translator. I read an excellent translation by Walter James Miller that was also annotated. Such an annotated volume can prove to be very helpful to teenagers getting acquainted with Nemo and his submarine.

This brilliantly crafted novel of epic proportions, tell of the adventures of Professor Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner, as they are held captive aboard a submarine by a mysterious man who goes under the name Captain Nemo. Although they are in a sense prisoners, they are allowed to use all the facilities aboard the submarine. This submarine, powered by nuclear energy and christened the Nautilus, is one of Verne's many brilliant predictions of modern life made throughout many of his works. This like may others was correct. Through out the book, the reader gains a vast knowledge of marine life, and the lives of people in distant lands.

The book begins when Professor Pierre Aronnax, the narrator of the story, boards an American frigate commissioned to investigate a rash of attacks on international shipping by what is thought to be an amphibious monster. The supposed sea creature, which is actually the submarine Nautilus, sinks Aronnax's vessel and imprisons him along with his devoted servant Conseil and Ned Land, a temperamental harpooner. When they are returned to their senses, the find themselves inside a dark, gloomy, desolate, endless, predicament. They are locked in a cell. However they soon meet Captain Nemo who agrees to let them move about the ship freely on one condition. They must remain aboard the Nautilus. So begins a great adventure of a truly fantastic voyage from the pearl-laden waters of Ceylon to the icy dangers of the South Pole, as Captain Nemo, one of the greatest villains ever created, takes his revenge on all society.

The detail that Verne pours into this book is amazing. This is one of the few books that are capable of making the readers feel that they are actually there. His descriptions of how the Nautilus operates, how Nemo's crew harvests food and his account of hunting on Hawaii are excellent, and the plot never falters. The characters are wonderfully scripted; each one having their own unique personality, and they are weaved flawlessly into the awe filled spectacle.

This is the book that predicted that there would be submarines, and that submarines would eventually go to the South Pole. It predicted the development of the SCUBA suit; it even predicted nuclear powered ships. The technology used in this book makes it easy to understand even today. This book is widely recognized as a classic- in my view, correctly.

This is a very high quality collegiate dictionary. I am a member of a word puzzle organization (puzzlers.org) and this is our standard reference, along with the unabridged version, "Webster's Third New International Dictionary". Many very obscure words show up in puzzles, but it is relatively rare I find I have to go to the unabridged dictionary to look them up.

In addition to being thorough (with excellent sections on abbreviations, foreign words and phrases (such as "en plein jour" or "inshallah") it includes compressed but informative etymological data. For example, the entry on "spacious" has this - ME, fr. MF spacieux, fr. L spatiosus, space, room -- more at SPEED (14c)"; in a little over a single line you get the lineage, with a reference to yet more information. You may have to learn some of the abbreviations (Middle English, Middle French, 14th century) but I found them generally intuitive and didn't need to look them up much at all.

In addition, there are excellent usage paragraphs scattered throughout. These are of two types. One type compares the usage of different words with very similar meanings. For example, the entry on "satiate" provides a usage paragraph that compares "satiate", "sate", "surfeit", "cloy", "pall", "glut" and "gorge", identifying the precise differences of usage between them. The paragraph is cross-referenced at each of the other six words, so you don't have to just stumble across satiate to find it.

The other kind of usage paragraph discusses correctness. A good example is "hopefully", which in its sense "I hope that" is controversial. The dictionary asserts the validity of this controversial use, which is sure to annoy some purists, but it does acknowledge the debate and cite grammatical arguments for its position.

The dictionary is available online, and I strongly recommend you take a look at it. There is a CD-ROM for sale too, which is worth getting as it adds some fancy search features, though if you're like me you'll want the paper version to keep by the bed.

The name "Webster's" long ago passed into the public domain, but three dictionaries--and the Merriam-Webster brand--survive as the lineal descendants of Noah Webster's original nineteenth-century dictionaries, the first dictionaries of American English, which have been in print continuously for almost two centuries. The 215,000-word "Collegiate Dictionary," now in its tenth edition, is the conveniently abridged harback version of the brand-name standard. The other versions are the 445,000-word "Webster's Third New International Dictionary Unabridged," which "Collegiate Dictionary" abridges; and the 70,000-word pocket-sized paperback, whose contents are a subset of this version.

If the unabridged version is too much, and the pocket-sized paperback is too little, this version is just right. I keep the paperback version handy on my desk for ready reference (along with a thesaurus, a style manual, and a usage dictionary). But on the shelf nearby, within easy reach, I keep a more extensive basic reference set, including the heftier hardbound "Collegiate Dictionary." When clear and simple communication is the goal, this version is a good check against writing that is getting too high and mighty; if a word does not appear here, I think twice about using it, keeping in mind the Fowler brothers' first "general principle" of good writing: "Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched."

If you are buying one and only one dictionary, go with this version: it is more complete than the paperback version, yet stays within the realm of familiar words. But if you can manage, I recommend also stocking the paperback version. Keep the hardbound version on the shelf, within reach, and consult it as necessary; and keep the paperback version at your fingertips for readier, more routine reference.

By updating Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary every
10-12 years, its publishers continue to provide wordsmiths, copy editors, students, teachers, and folks who simply love learning about the English language (American style) a great service and indispensable reference.

Though at heart, this certainly is a robust, up-to-date dictionary, the additional reference information proves valuable for a host of purposes. The histories, guides, and lists that span the opening section should not be regarded merely as the arcane turf of lexicographers and linguists. For the most part, these are great resources worth your attention. Likewise, there are appendices that delve into such varied subject matter as foreign words and phrases, chemical element, geographical names, and a style guide.

Do not be misled by the fact this volume is called a collegiate dictionary. It is also the dictionary favored by legions of copy editors charged with maintaining consistency and correctness in myriad publications of all sorts, from newspapers to newsletters. This dictionary has always been the most responsive to changes in the language, and each new edition swells by thousands of new entries. The standard features are all here of course: bold-face entries, pronunciation, economical but precise definitions and usage examples, and all the other details you need. In addition to the small, inset line drawings that grace every few pages, there are occasional half-page illustrations that expand certain terms.

Sure there are going to be some errors that pundits and nitpickers will gleefully cite, but it you consider the how much information is packed into this hardback edition (I would never buy a paperback dictionary)...you can do no better.

I was inspired to read The Man in the Iron Mask after seeing the movie (the one with DiCaprio). I hadn't realized that the Musketeers were part of the story and was very intrigued. Which plot lines were in the original and which were developed by Hollywood? Wow! Was I in for a surprise! The movie and the book tell different stories, but both are excellent, entertaining, and thought-provoking.

I appreciate books/series which show how the characters have aged and developed. Dumas does this with the musketeer series. D'Artagnan is no longer the wide-eyed "Gee, what could happen to me next?" hero of The Three Musketeers. He has to deal with questions of loyalty vs. friendship, support for the king vs. honor vs. love of his friends. There are still adventures and swordfights, but also more character conflicts. There is no simple nasty villain for the "good guys" to fight.

When I first read The Man in the Iron Mask (the movie tie-in edition), I was confused about who many of the characters were. The beginning didn't make much sense since it came in part-way through the story. The first line of the first chapter in particular confused me since it referred to events which I as the reader knew nothing about. The book makes a lot more sense when read as part of the whole series (The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valliere, The Man in the Iron Mask).

I STRONGLY suggest reading the Oxford World Classics edition, which starts with earlier chapters than other published versions and includes scenes that make the story more understandable: Athos confronts the King, Aramis reveals himself as a Jesuit and scopes out the Bastille, D'Artagnan confronts the King... These are some of the best scenes in the book, and it is a shame that other publishers don't include them.

Alexandre Dumas is my favorite story teller. He pieces together a story better than any other writer I have ever read and he makes tales of swashbuckling men and fair maidens completely engaging even two hundred years after that lifestyle died out. He writes romantic novels, where all the characters embody both virtue and vice and are people you wish you knew. I have not seen The Man in the Iron Mask movie, but from what I hear the book and movie are not very similar. The book, however, is an incredible creation, you will learn a lot about the history of the French monarchy, you will fall in love with the characters, and you will want to go out and read the rest of Dumas's books. I can not say enough how much I liked this book.

This book only marginally resembles the recent movie. The last of The D'Artagnan Romances, a series of six romances spanning forty years and written by Alexandre Dumas in the mid-1800s, The Man in the Iron Mask presents Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan aligned against each other politically, but always joined together in spirit and friendship. The series vividly recreates the courts of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, as seen from the perspective of the four Musketeers. The intrigue and adventures of these four men carries the reader into their lives, loves, and tragedies. In The Man in the Iron Mask, Philippe's struggle with his identity and his attempt to rule France serves only as a backdrop to the complex relations of the characters. Dumas' flamboyant writing style enhances the intricate splendor he describes. A master wordsmith, Dumas was extremely successful in France during his life. The Man in the Iron Mask and the other D'Artagnan Romances are based on the Memoirs of Monsieur D'Artagnan, written by Courtils de Sandras. Dumas' other great success was The Count of Monte Cristo. ...The D'Artagnan Romances are: The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Ten Years Later, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask.

With the end of the Cold War, and most of all, of old Soviet nation, the spy-thriller writers had to modify their story-style, or ajust it to the new world order. Most writers did it very well, like John LeCarré and Frederick Forsyth. So that's what this last book by Forsyth is all about: the new era, mostly for Russia. The action is passed in yhe near future, 1999, in the world's biggest country. Without the support of the state, the country is now owned by the underground mafia, and is a paradise to prostituition, killing and poverty. In this scenario, what everybody is willing to do is ascend to the presidency. The UPF an ultra-right party and his foreman, the widely known and liked Mr. Igor Komarov, are a certain name to win the elections to be held soon. But, by accident, the English embassy at Moscow puts hand in an interesting document which is called "Black Manifesto", containing the ral intentions of UPF and Komarov. So the most powerful people in th! ! e world divises a plan to finish Komarov ascension, calling for the job ex-CIA, Russia-expert Jason Monk, retired from work and spending his life running a fisherboat in the Caribbean. The book can be divided in two parts. The first one is mostly about Jason Monk and what he accomplished during his time at Langley. It's like a briefing on the main character, and Forsyth writes it so well that you actually fell intimate with Monk. I read in a review below that it's got nothing to do with the rest of the book, but I don't think like that. In fact, I liked this part better. The second part, about half the book, is ICON properly. It tells how Monk struggles to prevent Russia of having a Nazi-like dictatorship, with all the Forsyth-ian usual twists, bullet-dodging and games of interest. I think this book was written when everybody thought Russia as a lost country, and indeed it seemed that would happen. But now I think Russia has got into the right tracks again. Anyway, "I! ! con is a great exercise of imagination, one like Forsyth ga! ves so many times, like the Odessa File. I won't even talk about the Jackal. It stands on a very higher ground.

Not as good as "Day of the Jackal" or "The Fist of God", but a well-constructed story full of excitement. After a period of difficulty in letting go of the Cold War (see "The Deceiver") Forsyth -- in my opinion the best author of the genre -- has adapted to the post-Cold War world. It's debatable how plausible the Kamarov character is, but once you get past that, the story is brilliantly written. The jumping back and forth between past and present works very well (although I suspect it also serves as a crutch to allow the author to do yet some more Cold War writing). Also, Forsyth has a great knack for portraying things very realistically, so that characters you come to really admire are often dealt with in very harsh ways. The Aldrich Ames angle was a nice touch as well. My only gripes are i) the ease with which Monk/Irvine are able to convince certain high-powered Russians to back their anti-Kamarov plot, and ii) the "Council of Elders" of which Irvine is a member, which reeks of over-the-top Ludlum or Fleming's SPECTRE. Other than that, I loved this book.

I have just finished reading the Icon, and to me it was the master at his best again. I have read all of his books. Before writing my review, I had read some of the reviews that others had written; I had the feeling that some were disappointed that the Icon was not in the same class as The Fist of God or the Day of the Jackal. These people may have a point. Just remember that no-one can consistently deliver every time. For example, a very very good baseball player, or basketball player may once in a while, have an off day. I think Freddie did a great job. The research was tremendous and the plot was very interesting. The details and background to some of the events and the people was excellent. At some point, I was so scared as to whether Grishin was going to get his enemy, Jason Monk that I had to cheat and turn to the last pages to see what the outcome was. Only then, did I gather the courage to continue reading. To me, this is an excellent book. If it is true that this is Freddie's last novel, then I will truly miss him. Apart from him, I do not read any writers. Can anyone recommend any writer or two who is in the same class or even better than Frederick Forsyth?

The legend goes that when Abraham Lincoln met Harriett Beecher Stowe, he said to her, "So you're the little lady who started this great big war." The impact of this book cannot be overstated. By showing the kind and compassionate slaveholding families, as well as the horrors inflicted upon Uncle Tom by Simon Legree, Stowe illustrates that the institution, by its very nature, can never be kind or compassionate despite the actions of the individual slaveholders.
The book begins as Uncle Tom is sold to a slave trader. Though Mr. Shelby, his master, hates to sell him because he has been loyal and Christian, he recognizes that he has no choice based on large debts he has accumulated. Simultaneously, Mr. Shelby decides to sell a three-year-old boy, Harry. Learning this, Harry's mother, Eliza, escapes with this boy and heads north for Canada. Stowe continues to outline the diverging fates of Eliza and Tom throughout the novel.
Tom is sold to a kind family with a nearly divine daughter, named, aptly, Evangeline, who convinces her father to free his slaves. Before this can happen, her father is killed and Tom is sold to the brutal Simon Legree.
Stowe has been criticized for her racism, which does come through in her storytelling. She often refers to the steadfast faith common to people of African decent and makes other sweeping generalities. However, this story cannot be taken out of context and one cannot disregard the era during which it was written. Stowe was heroic to depict the gamut of possible treatments of slaves, and portray slavery as nearly equally cruel no matter how kind the master. The fact remains that no matter how kind an individual slave holder was, slaves were still subjected to having their families ripped apart when dictated by economic need or by death of their masters. By not depicting all masters as ogres, Stowe's abolitionist message rings more truthfully and convincingly. Lest we ever forget just what it meant to own another person, in all its various vestiges, every high school student in America should be required to read this novel.

This work of art evoked every emotion I have in me. From sympathy, to ire, to joy. This opened my naive eyes to what evils humans are capable of, but at the same time proved to me what spiritual and god-like creatures we have the potential to be. The plot follows several lives, all affected by slavery. The hero of the story is a simple minded Uncle Tom who sticks to his righteous christian ways through all the adversity he encounters as a slave. The symbolism and satire in this book make it all the more interesting and meaningful. I am only sorry I don't know more about the politics and characters at the time because Stowe makes reference to incidences in her time period. Stowe's views on the issue of slavery are excellently expressed. She doesn't come off as preaching, or arguing, merely objectively stating the facts.(Yeah right) By using sarcasm, satire, symbolism, and religious teachings, she kept the book interesting and to the point. Every word she wrote further supports her beliefs. In the end the overall mood gets a bit gloomy, but the finale is magnificent.

Uncle Tom's Cabin is about the evils of slavery from many different sides of the issue. The main character (Uncle Tom) is a good, always obedient, Christian slave that's master has to sell to pay off a debt. He has several masters, one very kind, one just normal, and one very brutal. It reallly shows how horrible slavery was. After reading it, it became obvious to me why there was a war to put an end to this terrible atrocity. Uncle Tom shows us how it is possible to do the right thing, face horrible punishments (being beaten almost to death), and still love everyone, including his evil master which he also forgave. It was one of the most memorable books I have read. I recommend it to everyone and I think it should be required reading for all schools. I think this book definitely deserves five out of five stars.

I would doubtlessly recommend Ivanhoe to read. History may be often dull but Sir Walter Scott makes history extremely exciting by romanticizing his novel. It directly deals with hatred between the Normans and the Saxons, the discrimination of the Jews, chivalry, and politics--but it is a unforgettable tale of heroism, honor, and love. I felt that the characters were so fascinating and fun to read about. I was enjoying and cheering on the good characters like Ivanhoe, King Richard, and Robin Hood to beat the hated and evil villains. I liked the idea of love added in the story, like how Rowena and Rebecca were both in love with Ivanhoe. I even felt a little sorry for Brian de Bois-Guilbert who would do anything for Rebecca's love but is constantly rejected. I thought how it was appealing how the author questions Ivanhoe and Rebecca's feelings for each other. Suspenseful and action sequences also added entertainment to the story. This book may be a little too detailed for some readers, but I didn't mind. I felt that the details were brilliantly used to decorate the story in an outstanding fashion. The old English wording made me feel like I was actually in the medieval England. I have to admit that it took a great deal of persistence for me to finish this book and it was a challenge for me to read. However, I found Ivanhoe to be a wonderful pleasure. It is no wonder that Ivanhoe is such a well-loved tale!

I enjoyed this adventure yarn on many levels.

I was glad to learn about the Knights of Templer and that they were crusaders. I always wondered how Sam Spade in the Maltese Falcon knew that and it is because of this classic.

I was surprised that it talked so much about Robin of Lockesley. The story of Ivanhoe seemed to be the same only told by Ivanhoe's friends and not Robin's.

I thought that the DeBracyn and the Knight of Templer Brian de Bois Guilbert were pretty evil guys which made the story interesting. They were weasels when they had their backs to the wall but did preform with honor when required like when Richard gets DeBracy.

I guess I did not understand the prejudice of the time because they treated the Jews like dirt and they were so sterotypical. I really thought that the Jewish girl Rebecca was going to end up with Ivanhoe instead of that Saxon Lady Roweana. I guess you have to appreciate the times that they lived in.

It was a different look the Richard/Prince John history.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but this book, by Sir Walter Scott, was the progenitor of what was to become a venerable tradition in English letters (and in other European literatures as well): the historical romance. There have been many after IVANHOE, and frequently with a finer eye to the period in which the tale is set (for IVANHOE contains quite a number of anachronisms -- even Scott acknowledged it), but few have done it quite as well as Scott. He uses an archaic English to give voice to his characters, but one which is readily absorbed because of the speed & quality of the tale. So, though these people certainly wouldn't really have spoken as he has them speaking, they yet sound as though they should have. Peopled by many 'stock' characters and situations, this tale was fresh in its time & still reads well today -- a testament to Scott's skills as a teller of tales and a sketcher of marvelously wrought characters. In this tale of the 'disinherited knight' returning home to find the world he left turned upside down, young Ivanhoe, after a stint with King Richard in the Holy Land, must fight the enemies of his king and kinsmen anew. Yet the hero is oddly sidelined for much of the tale as events swirl around him and the brilliantly evoked villain, Sir Brian de Bois Gilbert, in the pay of Prince John, struggles to win treasure and the beautiful Rebeccah, who yet has eyes only for Ivanhoe, a knight she can never hope to win herself. There's lots of action and coincidences galore here and Robin Hood makes more than a cameo appearance, as does the noble Richard. In sum, this one's great fun, a great tale, and the progenitor of a whole genre. All those which came after owe their form to it. Worth the price and the read.

Forster writes about the ruling British and their tentative relationship with India in the early part of the 20th Century. While Kipling wrote of an India of intrigue and adventure, Forster's India is one of mistrust and racism between the British and the natives.

The main charcter is a Moslem Indian, Dr. Aziz,who is abused by his British superior and learns to mistrust all British. Aziz meets Mrs. Moore , a new arrival, by chance at a mosque. After first ridiculing her, Aziz develops a deep respect for Mrs. Moore who he believes possesses more Oriental qualities than European qualities. Through Mrs. Moore, Aziz develops a frienship with Fielding, an educator, very interested in discovering what India is all about.

Mrs. Moore's is accompanied to India by her future daughter-in-law, Adela Quested. Although extremely naive, Adela has the same inquisitiveness as does Fielding. Aziz desperately wants to impress his new British friends and he invites Adela, Mrs. Moore, and Fielding to be his guest as he shows them the Marbar caves, a local landmark.

On the fateful day all parties realize that the tour is not a good idea but each is reluctant to cancel the event. The mystery of what occurred within the caves and the aftermath is the crux of the story.

The incident at the cave does irrevocable harm to each of the main characters but particularly Mrs. Moore whose spirit totally disintegrates and Adeala who is rediculed and villified by the British.

Finally at the end, Aziz and Fielding repair their friendship as best they can, each realizing that Indians and Brits will enjoy a suspicious friendship at best.

What makes A Passage to India so different from other Orientalist works (and Orientalist it is) is that Forster, being a homosexual, understood the oppression that the colonized Indians had to live with. This understanding permeates throughout the book. From his piercing insights into the nature of Anglo-Indian women (why were they more racist? They were threatened to be replaced by Indian men in the minds of the colonizers). The relationship between Fielding and Aziz is startlingly sharp; people from the time must have been delusional not to see the homoerotic message that Forster was trying to portray. It's such a shame that the politics of the book (which Forster really wanted to downplay -- notice that neither Aziz nor Fielding care about them) so often overshadow the message of male-male relationships that Forster cared so much about. It's sad though that he still fell into the trap of thinking that no Englishman or woman could completely remove themselves from the racism that dominated the culture. What does he do the one's who try? Adela has an nervous breakdown, Mrs. Moore dies after realizes the futlity of love, and Fielding is not only a repressed homosexual, and therefore a social outcast, but sacrifices his ideals in the end to marry an English country woman. The ending perfectly sums up how Forster himself must have felt -- remember that when you want to cry at the unfairness of it all.

I don't think it's really necessary for me to comment on the brilliance of the prose, or the entertaining primary narrative since I'm sure that's been done to the upteenth time. However, the book holds so much that I couldn't not share some of my thoughts. Please read A Passage to India as soon as you can.

I wasn't particularly looking forward to reading A Passage to India. Forster, in my mind, seemed to suggest implausible romance, pretty scenery, and Helena Bonham Carter, and I'd never actually bothered to read one of his books.
Now I can hardly wait to read another. I absolutely loved this book, without quite knowing why it was so magical. I do know that I found the first chapter absolutely perfect, as it allows the reader to go into a "descriptive section" daze, and then jerks are attention suddenly back to the Marabar caves. And with the exception of one or two patches that dragged a little but were soon over, I found the rest of the book equally magnetic.
I enjoyed Fortster's deftness in portraying all the characters, not so much as individuals, but in terms of how they felt about each other. In particular I loved the relationship between Fielding and Aziz, while understanding completely the dislike each had for aspects of the others character.
The ending is marvelous. So often books that hold your interest like this just peter out, but it's refreshing to find an author like Forster who understands that what makes for an ideal conclusion is to give the readers a taste of what they want, and then hold back the last little bit.

If you are an Amazon-o-phile you probably read books avidly, write reviews discriminatingly, carefully choose your books and your words, come to your own conclusions, and then see the "other" reviews to determine if "others" saw things either as you did or perhaps saw things you did not.

Sometimes you're confused, sometime you're pleased, and then there are those times when you feel your desktop has jumped into another website. Reviewers are talking about the book, but they're not talking about the writing. Such is the case with Oliver North's prodigious effort, "Mission Compromised."

So this is an interesting tale in which if you knew the history of North's relationship with the Executive and Legislative branches of the Government you would have to conclude that it was semi-autobiographical. Major Pete Newman, ergo sum, is Colonel Ollie North. Don't be confused by the conversations and meetings between Colonel North, ret. and Newman

The other characters are fairly easy to understand after a few lines from North's pen . . . .errrr . . . .laptop. Fat, rude, nasty and obese people rarely turn out to be good guys. Multi billionaires who sell secret products to the bad guys are, well, bad guys themselves. There's an odd or peculiar presence of "the Christian message" in the book, which perhaps is overstated in a purportedly fictional novel. It's like sitting down with your kids to watch the NCAA playoffs, and the doorbell rings and it's two Church "witnesses." The message is good; you're just not sure why you're getting it now. It seems out of place.

Now I myself liked Colonel North. I served with him (although I did not know him personally) in Vietnam as a young Marine Lieutenant. So let me distance myself from those who call him a traitor and a quisling and a turncoat. This Marine doesn't think so.

But what seems to be unfortunate is that those reviews that are unsupportive of the book are fairly well outright dismissed. There's a 0 out of 7, a 1 out of 8, and I think a 1 or a 2 out of 32 on the votes "did this review help you?" They seem to take an unfortunate secret poll not on the efficacy of the book, but rather on whether or not you liked Colonel North.

I chuckle at this because liking Colonel North, I seriously believe there is at least one terminal error about the novel. This book is at least 300 pages too long.

I applaud those who say they got through all 600 pages in 4 or 5 days. Because I felt like a galley slave in an old Charlton Heston movie, working the oars for at least 325 pages. So I want to know WHERE WAS THE RED PEN? If Americans were asleep at the Iran Contra happenings, where was the editor that was supposed to say, "Ollie, this is a darn good story. Now go back to the hotel, drink some coffee and cut it in half."

I like this book. I like this story. I like Colonel North. But this book is a long, long, long way to go to get across the street.

I don't know what you think of Oliver North, but you really need to read his latest book: Mission: Compromised; about 500 pages in length but it's one of those great suspense stories that starts rolling slowly and then gets faster and faster until you are almost breathless at the end.

It takes place during the Clinton years: a top secret "non-existent" Special Ops force created by the UN to "Sanction" unwanted political leaders. The hero is Peter J Newman. There is great character development in the story, IMHO. Both Peter and his wife are built up and the villains are brought down.

What I appreciated most about it was the Christian message that North weaves through the story. It's not merely an international thriller but a story of redemption as well. More than once I jumped on Google and typed in some names to see if they really existed. Many did!

I won't give anything away about the plot but you have to read to the very last paragraph to get the full impact.

Though I have read many books in this genre - military/goverment- I must say that this is one of the best novels I have ever read. Oliver North is a vibrant story-teller, full of talent for making you feel like you know the characters and places and are there.
I was a bit unsure at first with the glossary of acronyms and assumed that I would be flipping back and forth between them and what I was reading, just to decipher each paragraph. But, I quickly found that I was learning and enjoying at the same time. It is full of intrigue, mystery, action, truth, and the occasional comedic flare. "I laughed, I cried, it moved me Bob."
I believe that this novel is more historical fiction than pure fiction. And maybe a bit of an autobiography as well. It showed a side of Oliver North that many like to discount - his humanity and Christianity. I recommend this book for everyone.

I have read four of Hardy's novels and loved them but I didn't like this one and didn't even finish it. For one it is not an engaging novel. Usually I can't put Hardy's novels down but I was reluctant to pick this one up. Second Hardy seems to blame "society" for everything that goes wrong in Jude's life. This is a huge departure for Hardy who normally writes about flawed characters that create their own misery and troubles. Blaming social pressure not Jude's personal acts is a departure from his other books such as The Mayor of Casterbridge.

I personally had no sympathy for Jude or the other characters in the book. I also found the anti-marriage theme troubling. Jude chose to enter a relationship with Arabella who was completely wrong for him. People who knowingly enter relationships and then marriages with inappropriate people are completely responsible for the misery that results. Saying that social conformity is a bad thing because it asks men to take responsibility for the offspring they produce is troubling. Yes Arabella tricked him into marriage with a false pregnancy but he chose to become intimate with someone knowing pregnancy was a possibility. Hardy's theme of victimization is so annoying I don't plan to read anymore of his books.

Jude the Obscure, written by Thomas Hardy, is the story of Jude Fawley and Sue Bridehead. It follows the development of their love for each other and then their demise as lovers. I did not enjoy this book. I found its characters to be feeble and its theme twisted.
Jude Fawley is a penniless orphan raised by his aunt in a small English village. He is inspired by his schoolmaster Mr. Phillotson to pursue a goal of attending one of the great universities in the town of Christminster. His dream is crushed when the universities reject him because he was not properly educated, and more importantly because he is not of the upper class. While in Christminster Jude falls in love with his cousin Sue Bridehead who is a rogue in society. Sue is well read and opinionated. Before becoming acquainted with Jude, She had lived with a young scholar that loved her. The two were never married because Sue desired to live as comrades and not sweethearts because she did not love him. The entire novel follows the love affair of these two outcasts of society.
I found that I could not become emotionally attached to these characters. Jude and Sue constantly assumed the role of victim. For example, Sue promises to marry Jude's old school master Mr. Phillotson. She tells Jude that it is Mr. Phillotson's plan that Sue will complete a teacher training school, and then the two, as a married couple, will take a position at a double school (a school for both boys and girls). Sue acts like the victim of Mr. Phillotson's planning; she does not even consider that she could reject the plan just like she rejected the young scholar of her early days. After several of these incidents, I became desensitized to the suffering of the characters. Hardy lost his ability to manipulate my emotions by creating weak characters that never reacted to their surroundings, but were only acted upon by society.
Thomas Hardy must be given credit for building consistent characters. Both Jude and Sue remain predictable throughout the novel. This quality leant credibility to the characters, because everything they did fit with their personality. I could believe that the characters were truly spineless human beings. They never surprised me by doing anything bold or courageous.
I also found this novel to be distasteful due to the fact that I was left in a quandary as to the theme of the book after I had completed my reading. It appears Hardy was writing a criticism of the institution of marriage, but that can be debated. For example, Hardy pens the following statement by Sue as she and Jude attempt to marry in the Superintendent Registrar's office: "Jude-I don't like it here! I wish we hadn't come! The place gives me the horrors: it seems so unnatural as the climax of our love! I wish it had been at church, if it had to be at all. It is not so vulgar there!" (284) From this statement I would assume that Hardy is against marriage. But at the point in the novel that this statement is made, Jude and Sue had been living together for some time. It can thus be argued that this sentiment arose from not performing the marriage ceremony at the proper time. The theme of the novel would then be that marriage is necessary and must be done properly. I must confess that Hardy forces the reader to think and ponder in order to derive the themes from the novel. But I prefer a theme that is not so debatable.
I rate this novel as deserving two stars. Thomas Hardy creates consistent and credible characters. He also provokes the mind of the reader to ponder his novel. But his characters were cowardly and his theme unresolved, which is unsuited to my taste in literature.

Prior to reading Jude the Obscure, I had a smattering of knowledge about the religious uproar it caused upon publication, which led Hardy to abandon novels and focus merely on poetry. His work being denounced and burned by the churches, Hardy felt that if that was to be the treatment of his work, he would no longer produce the work.

Now that I have read the novel, and having attempted to place myself in the mindset of the later 19th century morals and ideals, I can begin to understand why such an uproar was raised.

First, the story...Jude Fawley, of poor and meager birth, aspires to academic greatness. When it is recommended to him that he stay on the 'blue collar' course he has begun, and not wish for more, he decides to educate himself, one day hoping that it will position him for greater things.

Jude enters into a hasty marriage, which by later standards would be described as a 'shotgun' wedding, which he eventually comes to regret, and ends. Enter his cousin Sue, who becomes the love of his life. Sue also ends an unsatisfactory first marriage, freeing herself to be with Jude, whom she loves as well.

What follows is a descent into tragedy and despair, with numerous twists and turns along the way. Not wanting to spoil them, I will not divulge.

However, the remainder of the novel touches upon many, many themes that amounted to raising of the ire of the church in response. Divorce; childbirth out of wedlock; loss of faith in God; questioning religious ideals and teachings; all these and more are present in the latter half of the novel, and so much more.

Upon finishing the book, I was left to question were these really Hardy's own feelings illustrated in his work, or simply a realization of a course of events for the characters, and not a reflection on the author's beliefs. That, however, bears further reading on the life of Thomas Hardy.

Where I find fault with the novel is in the characters, and it is merely a distaste with their actions. Sue, the heroine, spends far too much time vacillating about her love for Jude and her desire to marry him. When Jude tries to do the right thing by Sue, and respect her wishes, she claims he has 'given up too easily, and doesn't seem at all disappointed'. Jude's first wife, Arabella, displays an utterly selfish, self-absorbed personality, and was, for me, unlikeble, and unsympathetic. Jude, a character capable of learning Latin and Greek and engaging in other scholarly pursuits, seems completely naive in the ways of the world, and further seems blinded by a sense of duty over a sense of the rights and wrongs of others. His actions make him appear to have no regard for himself, until the very end.

Perhaps this is exactly as Hardy meant the characters to be seen, perhaps not. I did enjoy the book more than I expected to, and apparently more than others who have said to me "What on earth are you reading THAT for???". Hardy is not a comedy writer, and one should not expect a glamorous, cheerful, tidy ending, it does not exist here.

While not the greatest of classic novels I have read, I can certainly see why this one has been discussed for over 100 years. While Dickens peppered his stories with levity to break up the gloom, Hardy continues on a downward spiral, leaving his characters in despair within and without. I recommend it to readers who enjoy a good characterization of later 19th century life in England. But if you are looking for something to put a smile on your face, Hardy might not be for you.

If you are looking for an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, or any real form of Buddhism, this is not a book for you. Expose yourself to the Buddhist system of thought somewhere else. If you are expecting some insight into snowboarding and care whether Lenz is a "world-class" snowboarder, stay even farther away.

While I enjoyed the book, I was somewhat disturbed by the inclusion of some mystical allegory (or whatever) being thrown in and made to appear to be integral to Tibetan Buddhism.

Like so many things... read the book and take with you what makes sense for you. There are a LOT of really good concepts laid out in understandable terms for the Western mind. This always carries the problem of losing something in the translation. Read it and don't worry that it ALL does not make sense... or even remain logically consistent.

I must tell this story. I had to buy three copies of this book before I could finish it! Either the cover is just too good to pass up, or the text is such an easy read - I don't know WHAT it is, but I've had my first three copies lifted (as in taken, stolen, borrowed (?), whatever) before I could finish reading it! I tend to think that's an odd sort of compliment to the book and its author. One was lifted directly from my hotel room in Seattle; it sat on the bed next to my expensive camera and my favorite "travel tape" collection. JUST the book went to a new home. It gets frustrating. So off I went to buy yet another copy of Surfing! Oh well, I finally sat and read my fourth copy in one afternoon, jealously guarding the danged thing. I highly recommend reading this book. It's fun and enlightening, light and inspirational. Just read your book entirely before you set it down - it has legs.

"Charged with energy, humor, and insight, this is the engaging story of a young American snowboarder who travels to the Himalayas seeking the ultimate high - but surfs into an experience more transcendent than he could ever imaged. In an accident of karmic destiny, the young man plows into a Tantric Buddhist monk named Master Fwap who takes him on as a spiritual apprentice. Using snowboarding as a path to enlightenment, the charming and learned Master Fwap shows how, by freeing the mind and challenging the soul, one can master any mountain - and master himself."

Surfing the Himalayas is one of the greatest spiritual adventures ever written. It can be easy compared to The Celestine Prophesy, or any book by Carlos Castaneda. Master Fwap's enlightening humor takes your mind into a higher level of awareness at the turn of each page. This is an adventure that should be enjoyed by all.