Like the books of John Straley, Tony Hillerman and Peter Bowen, I have enjoyed reading most of Jamie Harrison's books two or three times. This is not one of them. Some people will love this book. I was a little befuddled by all the art and food talk and I just don't think that the series should be judged by this one alone. If you're a Harrison fan, definitely read it. If you are new to her, get one of her others first.

Jamie Harrison's Blue Deer Thaw exemplifies what can be done when a major talent works to combine the elements of traditional literature and mystery. The characters in this novel are living and breathing - real people living real lives - entrancing us with their needs and desires. And yet we have a mystery. And beside the mystery, we have humor, love and romance. In addition, the quality of the writing is absolutely dazzling, with example after example of fresh, funny usage of the language. I found this book completely fascinating for ALL of the characters, for the tremendous writing, and the subtle, subtle plot. This book, and her last book (An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence), remind me of John LeCarre at his best (with Smiley), but with humor added. This is a tremendously interesting and wonderfully talented novel. Simply Outstanding fiction! It does, though, help to have read at least her most recent earlier work - An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence.

A Montana winter can be so brutal that only the hardiest of individuals survive the sub-freezing temperatures, icy cold winds, and blizzards. For instance, the residents of Blue Deer, a small town near Yellowstone, know how to cope with the adverse climate, though an outsider would classify the pioneer behavior as weird and eccentric.

March and April remain cruel months leading to people behaving like lunatics. A wealthy person places his entire estate up for grabs so he can observe his heirs cheat one another and him. A woman freezes to death within five feet of her home. A stranger drowned and another outsider was knifed to death. Sheriff Jules Clement believes there is more to the double deaths than the coroner's finding. As he struggles to persuade Deputy Caroline Fair into going out with him, Jules decides to conduct an investigation to at least satisfy his hunch.

Fans of the TV series "Northern Exposure" will fully enjoy BLUE DEER THAW, a satirical look at the quirky but charming inhabitants of a modern frontier town. Jamie Harrison renders a unique perspective on justice that concludes that satisfaction is not always attained even though justice is achieved. This tale is not a fast ride down the rapids, but rather a delightful, humorous look at the human condition.

Harriet Klausner

Kathryn Harrison is a lovely, compelling writer but someone should have helped her with this one. Plot points intriguingly dropped are never addressed again (a mysterious self-imolating nineteen year old girl is dangled in front of us, then abandoned; the protagonist's father has an affair with a highly unlikely woman for whom there is never an explanation). In addition, the self destructive 'heroine' herself is a frustration. Watching her downward spiral is wearing, she never comes to the slightest bit of self-knowledge and we are left with no hope for her or her marriage to her faithful, eminently more sympathetic husband. Yes, it's interesting to note that our culture is hyper-obsessed with voyeurism, that lives are sacrificed in the process and no one seems to care. But by the end, I was close to not caring myself, which I'm sure was not Ms. Harrison's intention. She's a very talented writer, and I read the first half with alacrity, sure there would be some break in the endless self-destruction that would make slogging through it worthwhile. For some, perhaps watching a train wreck is fascination enough in itself. As for myself, I wanted more.

You almost feel like you're driving down the road and are passing a car wreck. You know you shouldn't slow down and look, but you just can't resist. "Exposure" by Kathryn Harrison is just like that. You feel so guilty watching, but just can't tear yourself away. This alluring but, lurid book about a women's mental unraveling is brilliant and powerful. Ann Rogers grew up as the muse for her father's revealing photographs and when the museum plans on a show of his work, it opens up a whole world of issues she never knew would happen. It causes a tremendous amount of anguish and provocative reactions. This psychological thriller is simply fascinating and very worth of your time.

It's not an easy read. And, it contains very mature subject matter, but very powerful.

This was the first book by Kathryn Harrison that I read. It blew me away. She does things with words that most people can only do with paints. Reading her books is like being pulled into someone else's dream. I love the way she writes. I found the novel a little shaky toward the end, but it's definitely something I would recommend.

A pity that this book does not measure up to the rest of the series. Harrison gets obsessed with the "oppressiveness" of Christianity, and the story seems to end up more as a sermon, than a novel. The "Way", while an interesting read in alternate history, becomes increasingly unrealistic as the story progresses - and Shef's portrayal as a Christ figure increasingly obvious.

It's the ending that spoils the story, though. The wrap-up is short - and frankly, quite unrealistic. Harrison gets carried away by his vision of a different dark-ages world, and turns it utopian. Read it, if you read and liked the previous two novels - but don't expect it to measure up to the others.

I loved the first two books in this trilogy (as well as many other books by this author), but there's something about this book that bugs me. While respecting Mr. Harrison's creative license with his characters, I thought this was a conclusion unworthy of the other two books. The characters were mostly well done, as always, but the plot was flawed. The excessive Christ metaphors and intellectual leaps and bounds (especially towards the end) took attention away from the main point of the story-- THERE'S A WAR ON, REMEMBER??? and futhermore it leaves the reader hanging more than it should, since the overly-neat wrap-up at the end is too fake to be realistic. I was left with a sense of "is that all there is?" after reading this. The technical aspects of the book-- catapult artillery and so on-- are both interesting and amusing, and the battle scenes ought to have been more involved. All in all, it was a poor ending to a great story. Mr. Harrison, if you read this, I suggest some sort of post-Shef account of events up north.

I love this trilogy, from the start of book one to the end of book three, the historical aspects are pointed out in a way that fits as part of the story and they don't overthrow the plot, lending the books a very authoritative tone. The Characters are great, (Brand is one of my favorites) and there's plenty of action. What I like best about these books is that Harrison really makes you feel inside the story, the way he handles the characters attitudes towards each other and their surroundings really makes you feel like you're right with them weather it's Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, The Frankish Empire, Muslum Spain or what's left of Rome. As for character development, Harrison has a great way of using the third-person point of view in a way that can convey things unknown to the characters yet at the same time the tone of the narrative is flavored with the particular character's personality, culture and view of their surroundings, helping the reader understand more fully the motives and inhibitions of the people he describes. I read these back in high school and loved them then as much I still do now.

This book is concerned with how men see themselves, and how media plays into making us more insecure and unhappy with our bodies. It's an interesting dilemma, if only because it is something society has done to women for centuries. It is a light read, and yes there are quizes...but be warned, unless you know your body fat percentage and are very adept with a calculator you may never figure out your results. And I did figure out my results, and little was given to explain exactly what it all means. But it is a fascinating topic! And the authors keep the tone breezey and fun. They even talk about how GI JOE has gotten more buff over the years (sort of like how Barbie has dimensions that are unreal). There is a section that also tells you how to recognize if a man is on steroids. Great stuff to combat those images thrust at us daily by muscle magazines and fashion editors! You could file this under MEN'S STUDIES, but it's an important topic that needs to be brought to light. It seems as if we are approaching equality for men and women, but rather than stopping making women objects...we have just extended the same discourtesy to men.

The authors of this book have been doing a lot of research over the years. The chapter notes contain at least 50 research papers that they have published in various scientific journals. Some of their findings are pretty stunning. For example, in a study of college men, they found that the average man would like to have a body with about 30 pounds more muscle than he actually has, and that he believes that women actually WANT him to look that muscular! In fact, when the authors studied actual women, they found that women preferred a male body that looks like an ordinary college student with no extra muscle. The authors also quote a street corner survey in which women were asked to rate the attractiveness of big bodybuilders on a scale where 0 was most attractive and 5 was the most repulsive. More than 90% of the women rated the bodybuilders as a 5.

As a woman, I'm not surprised to learn this, but I think it's a revelation to see some of these studies about how men feel about their bodies. It makes it more understandable to me why men do dumb things like taking steroids. I'd particularly recommend this book to other women.

Anybody who works out should definitly take the time to read this book. It basically makes a claim that most people are not happy with their physique. Skinny people want to gain weight, fat people want to lose weight, and muscleheads want to gain even more muscle. Nobody is content.

To illustrate their point, the authors provide several quizzes, using both questions and illustrations as guides. The book also mentions when the Adonis complex begins, what triggers it, and how society's ideals dictate who should/should not be happy with their physique.

I encourage fellow bodybuilders everywhere to read this book. It is describing most of us, and it is important to know that we are not alone.

My only criticism has to do with the topic of sterioids. The authors seem to think that it is impossible to attain a certain level of physique without the use of steroids, when this is not the case. The level that they claim is unattainable without the use of steroids is far, far too low. Some people do take the shortcut, but lots of us use hard work and determination, something that the authors don't believe in.

I don't want to trash this book. It's cute and kind. I think it would make a good gift for a certain kind of father-to-be. But I agree with the reviewer from Philadelphia. We also need stronger, deeper books that speak of the true challenge and meaning of fatherhood. Would you rather read a chapter telling you to teach your son how to eat an Oreo or a chapter about helping your son shape his own spiritual journey? If you believe the latter is more important, you should get Nerburn's Letters to My Son. I read this book years ago and I still give it to fathers who are searching for ways to bring their sons to a meaningful manhood -- and to women whose sons have no fathers in their lives. So, give Father to Son to parents as a kind gift of the "oh, isn't this cute" sort. Give Letters to My Son to parents who are deeply concerned about raising good sons. Both kinds of books have their place. Just don't confuse the cute with the profound.

I gave this book to my husband the day our son was born. I think he enjoyed the inscription inside the front cover that I wrote the most, but he did enjoy the book also. It is humorous as well as touching. It also gives great advice for the harder situations to deal with. I think this is a must read for a mother who is having her first son. I got a lot out of this book that is probably second nature to my husband.

Great Book- This book is what you will want to keep on hand or preserve in a treasure box to give to your son for guidance through his years of parenting. Simple, one-liners that touch the heart.

"High Treason" is a document written in blood about how government really works. Every American interested in their rights and in our system, should read this book with care. "High Treason" is a magnificent work because it understands the structure of power and how powerful men work. I have not read a more convincing book on the conspiracy to kill JFK. Posner and Livingston present an enormous amount of convincing evidence. I would place this book by Oliver Stone's masterpiece, "JFK." "High Treason" is an important book that I think should be read in schools. Not so much as to educate on the Kennedy assassination, but on the workings of our government and how power really works. I'm glad it has been republished with new information. I was so enfuriated by Gerald Posner's load of shit, "Case Closed." "High Treason" REALLY looks for the truth. And in the end, is disturbing.

This book took me by surprise after reading the 26 volumes of the Warren Report. This book shows you a concise, detailed account of all the evidence ignored by the Warren Commision and the House Select Committee on Assassinations. I highly recommend this book to anybody who believes that JFK's Assassination issue is closed.

This was the book that introduced me to the mysteries surrounding the JFK Assassination. Recently, I revisited this book and read it again. I am glad I did.

I found this book to be an interesting read. I also found it to be very direct and to the point about what the authors think happened. I appreciated how they lined the information out step by step by step to back up their beliefs.

I was particularly interested in the unusual deaths of those people who are associated with the JFK murder. The large number of deaths in the unusual manners indicate a conspiracy if nothing else does. I like that this was covered in this book because many books tend to miss this point.

There are many conspiracy theories out there. I found that this one had proof and evidence that seemed to back up what might have happened. This is a good book and can be a good introduction to the JFK mystery.

This book definitely tries to be too much: A bit of Thriller, some Psychologoy, Philosophy, Literature, etc. And this is unfortunate, as Harrison definitely is a good writer: Porter Wren, Hobbs and Cynthia are good characters and the description of New York is great.

The plot is a bit a mess, but sometimes the narrative is strong enough to cover it up and it has enough drive to keep you going.

If the editor had done a better job and shortened this book by 80 to 100 pages - very often Porter Wren is just rambling on about stuff, nothing to do with the story and not very insightful -, it could have been a slick yuppie thriller!

If it's sitting in your bookcase (as in my case), read it. If not, don't bother to hunt it down.

Colin Harrison is an enigma. He writes some of the best thrillers out there, but he has a real tendency to frustrate me as a reader even while I'm marveling over the brilliance of his work. Harrison is an absolutely spectacular writer, and his gifts are especially well suited to his particular niche: the thriller in which the ordinary man finds himself in dangerous and threatening situations. One of the things I like about Harrison's thrillers (with the exception of his most recent and most disappointing book, "Afterburn,") is that his heroes tend to find themselves dragged down into desperate struggles because of their own human frailty than because of some madman terrorist bent on revenge or a serial killer in the process of "becoming."

In "Manhattan Nocturne," the protagonist, struggling under the prodigious name Porter Wren, is a newspaper columnist who falls for a seductive beauty, who wants his help in recovering a lost videotape made by her dead film director husband. Meanwhile, a powerful media magnate wants the same tape, and threatens to expose Wren if he doesn't find the tape for his (the magnate's) purposes. The plot leans a bit toward the needlessly rococo at times, and I felt the ending piled it on a bit too thick, but it still gripping, page-turning, and utterly pleasurable to read.

This is a novel with tension, drama, interesting and three-dimensional characters, and genuine energy. But like Harrison's inexplicably out-of-print masterpiece "Bodies Electric" (very possibly the best thriller I've ever read), "Manhattan Nocturne" gets bogged down a bit under the weight of the author's detailed sexual ruminations. I am not a prude, but I find myself thinking "enough already" pretty quickly. However, I will say in defense of these protracted sex scenes that they are relevant to the plot and to the nature of his protagonist(s). Harrison seems genuinely interested in how identity is linked to sexuality, a worthwhile subject, and because his protagonists tend to fall down their slippery slopes owning to their sexual desire short-circuiting their common sense, the pornographic fantasias always come across as guiltily relevant. Do we need to know the details of every position Harrison's mind can conjure? Probably not. From an over-heard bit of conversation in one of the first scenes, we get the sense that this is a novel fueled by the fear of impotence (indeed, the protagonist confesses, at one point, that a familial history of prostate problems leaves him feeling that his sexual days are always numbered), so we must remember at all times that this is a pre-Viagra thriller.

One of the other reviewers complains that Harrison goes on and on about things that have nothing to do with the plot, but Harrison's writing is strong enough that I'd read a novel he wrote about taking out the garbage. His dissertations on moral issues, poverty, New York culture, sexuality, etc. are all at the heart of what makes Harrison a superior writer. "Manhattan Nocturne" is not a flawless novel, but it is without doubt a superior novel and a must-read for anyone who expects more from their thrillers than the paper-thin characters, the by-the-numbers plotting and the clunky writing that we find scattered all over the best-seller lists.

I have to agree with much of what Mr. Brenner said in his review of this novel. Yes, it does start out very well, and continues to hold interest, but the end sort of peters out, almost as if Mr. Harrison was either rushed or just got bored with what he was writing. The end of a mystery should be the most intense part, in my opinion, and the beginning and middle seemed to hold more intensity than the conclusion.

But, there are a great many things I enjoyed about this book. The "devil may care" attitude of narration was one of them. Porter seems to know he's not a "good" person in others eyes, but it doesn't seem to affect his storytelling. He doesn't apologize to the reader, but is trying to work things out for himself.

I also enjoyed the character of Caroline. Her personality wasn't immediately shown as the typical girl of noir novels who comes into the detective's (in this case journalist's) office with a hat pulled over one eye, wanting him to find out who killed her late husband. She subtley changes as the relationship between her and Porter becomes more familiar. Even in the end, although much is revealed, she remains not quite mysterious, just not understood.

This isn't a bad read, but it is disappointing. I'd like to see Harrison avoid the realm of mystery and perhaps try something more general. The writing is good, even though the story is somewhat lacking.

That Area-51 may be the most secure airfield (or whatever field) on Earth, but it gets visited routinely in novels like "Forbidden Summit". Not since the 1970's with shows like "In Search Of..." has the link between native americans and ufo's gotten any real fleshing. And it doesn't here either unfortunately. Author Harrison is working on a smaller scale than he had with "Thunder of Erebus" and his story doesn't get much farther than an elaborate chase story as a grizzled USAF officer nearing retirement and his impromptu girlfirend get swept up into a cross-country chase.

Unfortunately, Harrison never fleshes out the story of the UFO conspiracy besides taking it very seriously. That's a mistake - even the X-files knew to set their funniest episode inside Area-51. Harrison, on the other hand takes it seriously, but allows a few gaffes that require serious belief suspension - like the security force for this government cabal being unable to nab our heroes, or even realize that their top-secret base isn't as secure as they imagine (a crazy old hermit knows just how to get in and out). Worse, the author's sense of gullible readers spill onto his own charachters, and it takes very little for suspicions to turn towards UFOs. Finding rectangular indentations on the desert floor may mean a great many different things to different people, but Harrison's hero can come to one conclusion (we're not alone! ) with the gravity that's supposed to equal that of the apes at the monolith in the opening of 2001. There actually is an ironic twist in this book, only it's a shame that it relies on our being distracted by trite plot ideas and contrived coincidences (the hero's nemesis is the same officer who's been making his career a hell for years) and gullible charachters.

TOTALLY based upon the success of 'Storming Intrepid' & 'Thunder of Erebus' I picked up a copy of 'Forbidden Summit' even though I immediately had reservations because it was a dramatic departure from what Harrison had done before (and done well, I might add). This wasn't a techno-thriller...it was more of a combination of Robert Doherty's 'Area 51' books and very serious episodes of the 'X-Files'. Since Harrison is such a good author I gave him the benefit of the doubt and decided to give it a go.

I have to say that while being very good, and giving us a great 'what if' story regarding the Governments 'possible' involvement with alien technology it had its moments which made me go, 'C'mon! You don't REALLY expect me to swallow THIS do you??' Like a few other readers, the so-called defense of America's most Ultra-Secret base is simply ludicrous. I can suspend my belief quite easily while reading almost ANYTHING, but considering how 'realistic' Mr Harrisons works in the past had been, he seemed to have made my expectations a bit too high in his previous works only to have it dashed with a few descriptions here. However this notwithstanding, 'Forbidden Summit' is STILL an entertaining look at a very popular and oft-written subject of the so-called, 'Area 51' base. If you are a fan of Harrisons earlier stuff (far superior in MY opinion) this will still grant you some hours of fun reading, but don't expect it to be nearly as realistic as his first two novels.

An interesting interpretation of Bob Lazar's revelations concerning the truth behind Area 51! A NORAD officer spots four unidentified aircraft on his radar, but why is he told to keep quiet? He sets out to find that in true X-FILES tradition, the truth is out there! Excuse the cliche, but who needs Mulder and Scully?! Suspenseful action scenes, great military research and flashes of imagination are abound in this one. Read it for yourself and enjoy!

I picked this one up at a second hand book shop -- Harry Harrison and Marvin Minsky? Wow, how could I go wrong!

Unfortunately, the ideas are not backed up by very solid storywriting here. Very little characterization is used, and the interaction comes across as somewhat dull and empty. None of the characters seem much to act realistically to what happens to them, except possibly Shelly, and Brian's personality never seems consistent.

As for the ideas, most are predictable and very straightforward extrapolations. The mecahnics of the AI is interesting, but comes across at times almost as textbook lecture, and many of the other more interesting ideas are left undeveloped.

Well folks, this is just my comments. Personally, I was disappointed somewhat by the book, but didn't consider it a collossal waste, either.

Your Mileage May Vary

As far as I know this novel is the only collaboration between Harry Harrison and Marvin Minsky. And given the quality of this book I find that truly sad. Harrison is of course one of the most prolific writers in the field of Science fiction and Minsky is a scientist with MIT, working in the area of A.I., who is more used to writing scientific articles than fiction. The two together bring a great story to life in an extremely believable way.

The "Turing Option" is set in the near future and concentrates on the experiences of a brilliant scientist who has just suffered a major brain trauma. His own cybernetic researches help doctors to bring him back to life and allow him to pursue his murderers. This pursuit leads him back to his research into artificial intelligence which it seems was the motivation behind the first attack.

The plot and story telling, whilst top notch, are not what prompted me to include the book on this page. No, it was the A.I. or M.I. (Machine Intelligence), that I became fascinated with. As far as I am concerned, the concept of a robotic entity has never been explored so well as in this novel. (yes I have read all of Asimov's robot stories). If you are at all interested in this area of science, then this book must be read.

I was not really interested in reading a Sci-Fi book but when I turned to an arbitary page and read a few lines I was snared. This presented ideas and complex material in a manor that most anyone could enjoy. Being a Computer Science student working on my M.S. I found this to be interesting, exciting and not very predictable. I recommend this to anyone in computer related field that enjoys Sci-Fi writings. I like Clancy, but I loved Marvin Minsky. I am recomending this reading to all that I come in contact with. I obtained this book at the public library and must have it for my personal library.

It isn't often that I read a novel by a respected and admired author that I find so little to like and undeserving of any kind of literary merit or praise.

Lily Tuck's "Siam" tells the story of a young, twenty-five year old woman named Claire, who impulsively marries an American, who helps build airfields for the army and is living in Thailand on the eve of the Vietnam War.

Claire joins her husband in Thailand, and the novel describes her experiences living in a country which is exotic and strangely beautiful on the surface, but also extremely "ugly" and even "sinister" beneath the country's seemingly beautiful facade.

Despite this short novel's well depicted, exotic locale (realistic and well done), the book isn't really about much of anything. Claire's marriage is shown to be falling apart:no reasons or motivations given, other than the fact that James doesn't seem to be in love with her (if, in fact he ever was) and seems to enjoy being away, working. Claire and James are sketchily described at best and never rise above being shown as more than just "types"--rather than interesting "individuals" in their own right.

What small amount of plot there is, concerns itself with the mysterious disappearance of a Silk enprenneur, named Jim Thompson, and Claire's obsessive attempt to find out the reason for his disappearance while he was flying somewhere else in Thairland supposedly while vacationing.

Claire's interest in Bill Thompson, (an actual, historical figure who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, is never plausibly spelled out for the reader, other than just to be told that the object of her search was an exceedingly polite and well bred man, who had exquisite artistic tastes)and seemed altogether different from her husband, whom Claire is obviously no longer in love with anymore than her husband is with her.

Lily Tuck's unwillingness to describe any of her characters in any depth made it impossible for this reader to care in any way what happens to them---which isn't much of anything, except that Claire never finds out what happened to Jim Thompson and an unexpected act of violence occurs in the swimming pool of the house where she is living, at the close of the novel.

Besides the dearth of an interesting plot and the lack of interesting characterization, there is a seemingly endless attempt on the part of the author to explain the intricacies of the Thai language as Claire struggles to familiarize herself with with Thailand's customs and traditions.

Page after page is filled with ITALICIZED Thai words and expressions--as though Lily Tuck is trying to compensate for her lack of plotting and poor attempts at characterization, by illustrating how much she knows about the Thai language.

Perhaps other readers will find virtues in the book which I have somehow missed seeing. But as far as I'm concerned--except for the lush descriptions of Thailand's fauna and plant life--there is little reason to read "Siam."

Don't waste your time!

This is a novel that obviously promoted strong pro and con sentiments. I found that many of the reasons that the readers were disturbed by the novel was what I liked best about it. This is certainly not a book for those that must have all their questions answered. This novel is a suggestion of Thai history, allusive, mysterious and provocative.

This is a story of a rather naive young American woman, Claire, who marries impulsively to a military contractor working out of Thailand during the Vietnam war. She must cope with a new culture, servants she distrusts and a husband that she becomes suspicious of. Yet, there is a tone of mystery, a friend they met at a dinner party disappears. Based on a real event, Jim Thompson, an American silk buisnessman disappears during a vacation. Claire becomes obsessed with his absence, along with other issues of her life that begin to unravel.

At first, her arrival prompted her to take Thai language lessons, research Thai history and culture in the local library and join a military wives weekly tour group. The plunge into Thai culture begins to take it's toll on Claire. She mistrusts the servants, and later finds items missing that she treasures. Worst, she doubts her debonair husband and fears he is having affairs with friend's wives. She takes to examining his dirty laundry for evidence of infidelity. She can't sleep and begins to drink more. She misses her home and her family. She finds the Thai food disgusting and the outside town filthy. There is a palpable tension that the author alludes to, a crisis in the making and a constant referral to the violence of the Thai past intersecting with this woman's life.

I guarantee all your questions will not be answered. The ending is allusive and disturbing. While accepting the novel as it is would be my advice, I would relish the opportunity to review this book in a book club setting. I am sure the interpretations would be various and vast. Don't let the originality put you off to an incredible unique novel.

A friend gave me Siam and I really liked it. I have never been to Thailand but I felt like I was visiting while reading this book (through the eyes of Claire). If you're wondering if Siam is for you read the Editorial reviews by Amazon.com, Booklist, and the Publisher. I think all three reviews describe the book very well.