Colin Dobie Book Read

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe s Book of the New Sun

Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe s Book of the New Sun

Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe s Book of the New Sun

Gene Wolfe's BOOK OF THE NEW SUN has been hailed by both critics and readers as quite possibly the best science fiction novel ever written. And yet at the same time, like another masterpiece of fiction, James Joyce's Ulysses, it's been deemed endlessly complex and filled with impenetrable mysteries. Now, however, in the first book-length investigation of Wolfe's literary puzzlebox, Robert Borski takes you inside the twisting corridors of the tetralogy and along the way reveals his solutions to many of the novel's conundrums and riddles, such as who really is Severian's lost twin sister (almost certainly not who you think) and why he believes the novel's main character may not even be the torturer Severian. Furthermore, and in essay after essay, Borski demonstrates how a single master key will unlock many of the book's secret relationships--all in the attempt to guide you through the labyrinth that is Gene Wolfe's BOOK OF THE NEW SUN.

ISBN: 0595317294

Author: Robert Borski

Publisher: iUniverse

Rating: 3.64

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Eye of the Labyrinth (Second Sons Trilogy, #2)

Eye of the Labyrinth (Second Sons Trilogy, #2)

Eye of the Labyrinth (Second Sons Trilogy, #2)

Since the Age of Shadows ended, the people of Ranadon have lived under the merciless heat of two suns and the tyranny of Antonov, the Lion of Senet. Consumed by his lust for power and his unshakable belief in the capricious, almighty Goddess, Antonov's rule is absolute. Only one man has the intelligence and will to break that hold... a man who could be King.
Suddenly widowed, Morna Provin, Duchess of Elcast, has lost her only protector. With her son banished for an unspeakable crime, she faces a horrifying fate at the hands of the Lion of Senet as retribution for her relationship with the heretic Johan Thorn. But it is only part of a cunning scheme to lure her son, Dirk Provin, back into the fold so Antonov can consolidate his power once and for all.
With his mother's life at stake, Dirk Provin must emerge from hiding in the Baenlands and return to Elcast-- setting in motion a rebellion that will expose long-buried secrets and ignite festering hatreds. For a ruler's fears and a madman's prophecy will start Dirk on a quest for truth that will spark a fierce battle between two very different men: one who believes only what his five senses tell him, the other obsessed by his faith in the divine. It is a clash that will bring to light a revelation that may shatter them all.

ISBN: 0553586696

Author: Jennifer Fallon

Publisher: Spectra Books

Rating: 4.15

Thursday, April 1, 2004

A Perfect Love: Understanding John Wesley s "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection"

A Perfect Love: Understanding John Wesley s

A Perfect Love: Understanding John Wesley s "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection"

A Perfect Love is the full text of Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection edited and updated for the contemporary reader. It also includes in-text definitions and notes that explain names and terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader, as well as hymns by Charles Wesley that describe the work of grace in human lives that leads to perfection in love. The term Christian perfection, as Wesley used and understood it, may be translated as Christian maturity; it is the outcome of a life lived with and for God in Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

ISBN: 088177426X

Author: Steven W. Manskar

Publisher: Discipleship Resources

Rating: 4.27

Monday, March 1, 2004

Manhunt: The Dramatic Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist

Manhunt: The Dramatic Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist

Manhunt: The Dramatic Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist

Edwin P. Wilson was the Great Gatsby of the spook world, the rogue CIA agent who had already begun to amass a fortune while still in U.S. intelligence. His lavish estate outside Washington, D.C. was a favored gathering place for senators and congressman, admirals and generals, for key intelligence officers. In addition, Wilson was also raking in millions in the service of the godfather of worldwide terrorism. Wilson seemed above the law. Both the ICA and the FBI were aware of what he was doing, but they had done nothing to stop him. Then, U.S. attorney Larry Barcella discovered Wilson's sinister machinations, and began a manhunt that he vowed would not end until he saw Wilson behind bars.

ISBN: 0743479327

Author: Peter Maas

Publisher: iBooks

Rating: 3.77

Thursday, January 1, 2004

The Diary of Sam Watkins, a Confederate Soldier

The Diary of Sam Watkins, a Confederate Soldier

The Diary of Sam Watkins, a Confederate Soldier

Early in May 1861, twenty-one-year-old Sam R. Watkins of Columbia, Tennessee, joined the First Tennessee Regiment, Company H, to fight for the Confederacy. Of the 120 original recruits in his company, Watkins was one of only seven to survive every one of its battles, from Shiloh to Nashville.

Twenty years later, with a "house full of young 'rebels' clustering around my knees and bumping about my elbows," he wrote this remarkable account of "Co. Aytch" -- its common foot soldiers, its commanders, its Yankee enemies, its victories and defeats, and its ultimate surrender on April 26, 1865.

Co. Aytch is the work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of war with an irrepressible sense of humor and a sharp eye for the lighter side of battle. Among Civil War memoirs, it is considered a classic -- a living testament to one man's enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction.

ISBN: 0761416463

Author: Samuel Rush Watkins

Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing

Rating: 4.12

Wednesday, October 1, 2003

Labyrinths Mazes: A Complete Guide to Magical Paths of the World

Labyrinths Mazes: A Complete Guide to Magical Paths of the World

Labyrinths Mazes: A Complete Guide to Magical Paths of the World

From the time of the ancient Greeks, labyrinths and mazes have had the power to mystify and fascinate. In this beautifully illustrated and unprecedented compendium, explore their beauty, enigmatic twists and turns, spiritual dimensions, and special historical path. From the Cretan labyrinth where the timeless myth of Theseus and the Minotaur played out, to the awe-inspiring Casa Grande, a Saguaro cactus forest in Arizona, see just why people of all cultures, throughout the centuries, in all continents and countries, find these complex and manificent mazes so irresistibly compelling. Hundreds of breathtaking color photos, many never before seen, reveal their ever-spectacular constructions, as well as the almost endless variety of existing mazes-which unlike labyrinths have intricate designs with choices of pathways and hidden goals. Discover their ancient origins, different classifications, and diverse uses, and look at magnificent examples made from turf and stone, as well as garden labyrinths and mazes, and their modern revival.

ISBN: 1579905390

Author: Jeff Saward

Publisher: Lark Books

Rating: 4.00

Pondering the Labyrinth: Questions to Pray on the Path

Pondering the Labyrinth: Questions to Pray on the Path

Pondering the Labyrinth: Questions to Pray on the Path

Beginning with answers to frequently asked questions about Labyrinths and ending with questions to ponder for special reasons including constructing a Labyrinth, the anchor provides thoughtful, transforming, questions such as where are my longing leading what is dying in much where am I most at home and what am I circling and what is encircling me. Each question opens fresh space and inspires not only answers, but one's own questions. Each chapter includes a reflection page with space to write your own questions. The book also contains black and white line drawings of fifteen labyrinth from around the world.

ISBN: 0829815759

Author: Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion

Publisher: Pilgrim Press

Rating: 3.67

Labyrinths: Ancient Paths Of Wisdom And Peace

Labyrinths: Ancient Paths Of Wisdom And Peace

Labyrinths: Ancient Paths Of Wisdom And Peace

A maze, a prison, a sacred precinct, a place of peace...for thousands of years the human mind has puzzled over the enigma of the labyrinth. At first glance, it strikes us as one of the stranger products of human imagining-a winding path leading through a series of seemingly endless twists and turns, into a center and out again. Where does it come from? What is its purpose? Today, the labyrinth's spiritual connotations are absorbing much of our attention in the West. In the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Australia it is being walked mainly for meditation and a sense of inner peace. This fascinating and beautifully illustrated book explores the history, the mysteries, and the locations of these "paths of peace." It provides first-hand accounts of walkers' experiences and shows why the labyrinth appears to have become a kind of "universal spiritual tool" once again. Virginia Westbury, journalist and award-winning documentary maker, has written the first global account of the modern labyrinth movement, complete with a guide to where the world's finest models can be found. She also provides a comprehensive account of labyrinth history and an intriguing look at the modern phenomenon of interest in the labyrinth.

Author Biography: Virginia Westbury is an Australian-born internationally published journalist, television producer, and lecturer who specializes in writing about new social, political and spiritual movements. Her work has appeared in leading magazines and newspapers around the world and she has taught courses in media and cultural studies at universities in Australia. For several years she has been teaching and facilitating workshops on the labyrinth in the U.S.A., New Zealand, and Australia.

Cindy A. Pavlinac is a fine art photographer specializing in images which convey the spirit of place. American born and California based, she works throughout Europe and North America photographing ancient sanctuaries and modern expressions of the sacred. An exhibiting artist with a Master's Degree in Arts and Consciousness Studies, her work has won many awards and has been published in more than a hundred books and magazines. Cindy runs Sacred Land Photography in San Rafael.

ISBN: 0306813106

Author: Virginia Westbury

Publisher: Da Capo Press

Rating: 3.91

Monday, September 1, 2003

Labyrinths: Walking Toward the Center

Labyrinths: Walking Toward the Center

Labyrinths: Walking Toward the Center

Part travelogue, part spiritual memoir, Candolini tells the story of packing his family into their car and heading out for a four-month tour of Europe's rich and diverse labyrinths. This book is the fruit of his travel, filled with history, reflection, and personal insight.

ISBN: 0824521021

Author: Gernot Candolini

Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company

Rating: 3.94

Labyrinths Mazes

Labyrinths Mazes

Labyrinths Mazes

Breathtaking aerial shots of ancient and modern labyrinths and mazes offer an exciting new perspective on an age-old phenomenon and an opportunity to better understand its meaning.

ISBN: 3791329227

Author: Jürgen Hohmuth

Publisher: Prestel Publishing

Rating: 3.42

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