Fiction Literature Books

I loved F451 by Bradbury and wanted to read more of his work. Being a huge sci-fi buff, I figured "The Martian Chronicles" would be a great place to start. The book is definitely well worth the read, and its effects are surprising.

I have to admit that I had trouble with the story at first. Because of the lack of knowledge on the "Red Planet" when the story was written, I had to forget quite a bit of facts (I'm 25). Luckily enough, the story grabs you and keeps you turning pages so that facts don't matter. The book also has an almost romantic quality in its depiction of the future. For example, in 2030+ there are malt shops, soda fountain shops and people still use wired telephones (no cell phones or wireless homephones).

The dialogue is also what you'd expect from a 40's and 50's movie. Again, its sort of romantic. I have to admit tho, this book brought with it an amazing array of emotions... Bradbury is one of the few who was actually able to make me laugh out loud (a spectacle to my co-workers). The authors talent also inspires other emotions in the reader.

Like F451, "The Martian Chronicles" has a message for and about humanity, albeit a different message. I'll never regret reading this book, and I bet you won't either.

I read the Martian Chronicles growing up in the early 70's. Bradbury was on of my favorite authors. The book does not disappoint if you love Sci Fi. I purchased this book for my 18 yr old son. He couldnt put the book down and read it through in 3 days. Very unsual for him to stick with a book like that. He raved about the book and is asking for Bradbury's other works.

Not sure how this qualifies as sci-fi. A collection of short stories, criticism of the government, wars, racism, relation with foreign creatures. Ghost stories, horror, and everything but science. Of course, I'm writing this on the 50th anniversary of NASA, and some of the stories in this book outdate that by 10 years. Worth looking into, but not for everyone. If there is any science, it's the ugly side (atom bombs, etc).

I think I must agree with the reviews in the section that refuse to simply lable this book as "Science Fiction." Truly, this is one of the most fantastic books connected with science fiction ideas I have ever read and is indeed, or should be, classic literature. Ray Bradbury is an amazing writer who uses typical elements of sci-fi to discuss timeless human themes--While at first glance this book may seem to be nothing but a collection of vaguely related stories it is really about the humans who leave their home world in order to escape its pending distruction and yet can never really separate themselves. It is also about the nature of humans to crave adventure and a new, untamed world. Instead of the Old West, we have Mars.

Every single story can stand well enough in its own right, and that is part of the appeal for me. It is a loose chronology of the colonization of Mars, from a few unsuccessful original missions to the humans completely devoted to making Mars their and their posterity's true home. Some are sad, some are hilariously funny, some are terrifying, but each one makes you think and that is the genius of Ray Bradbury.

However, the real magic came when the stories were bound together in the volume known as "The Martian Chronicles." Through reoccuring characters and places and those that maybe only pop up once we see a multi-century journey of humans in a new world just as we have seen this journey on our own planet for eons.

Ray Bradbury is a timeless author. His storytelling borders on poetic. The Martian Chronicles was the first book of his I had ever read. After 15 years I just completed my second reading and am no less moved by his work.

A lot is accomplished in this short work of science fiction and fantasy. Its opening chapters center around Earthmen attempting to land on Mars and communicate with its not so welcoming inhabitants. As the book progresses war on Earth makes Mars either a refuge or an asylum, depending upon one's point of view. The final chapter of this book is particularly moving. The final page, the final few paragraphs send shivers down my spine and cause me to pause in wonder.

As an added side note, there is one chapter titled Usher II and involves a man who constructs a house replete with images and scenes from Edgar Alan Poe's stories. This is just an added bonus to us Poe fans.

I do recommend this to anyone, especially as an introduction to Bradbury's work. While not hardcore science fiction, it definitely has many similar elements that make the genre so compelling.

Once again, I didn't want to put this book down. These writers are EXCELLENT!!!

I started reading the Thoene's books several years ago and enjoy them with my heart and mind. They bring history to life. I started out with the Zion Legacy & went on to A.D. Chronicles. I couldn't get enough so I began the Zion Covenant and only need to read the last two of the Zion Chronicles. I have a total of 22 of their books. I just can't get enough of their writing. Their books bring out so many emotions - they are all about God and His son, Jesus, and how they intervene in our lives. Their books are about hope - don't we need that in these days, too?

This book is faithful to the Biblical message, but "fleshes out" the biblical narrative with fictional characters and events. It is very exciting, very inspiring, and very Biblical.

Loved the book -- continuing the fictionalized (but historically accurate) story of Jesus' time on earth.

I love Bodie Thoene's books...all of them and have read most everything she has written and recommended them to others. Brock does the research and it is super! The insight into the Scriptures is beautiful and very informative. This book gives you a lot to think about and has gotten me to not only think about what she has written, but has had me check out the Scriptures again. I have shared her books with friends and now they too are fans. I never start a series of her books until she has quite a few of them out as I hate to wait for the next one. 8th Shepherd doesn't disappoint and the C.D. Chronicles will be rated as among her best.

Mr. Andric wrote a masterpiece. I purchased and read this little gem during the Balkan crisis of the 90's and quickly purchased and read The Bosnian Chronicles. Of the two, this book is far superior. For a translation, the language is persuasive and compelling. Many peoples have suffered to be sure, and Mr. Andric's thought-provoking review of the Bosnian peoples and their struggles will never be far from public consciousness.
Very highly recommended.

The masterpiece that won the author a Noble prize for fiction. If he was Russian, his name would follow in the same breath as Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky, and he'd barely need introducing. But the literary landscape doesn't always offer the same kind of literary stage to all its masters. Some of them are almost buried in the wreckage of European history. At the epicentre of the Continent's eruptions, Andric set out an epic (this word so often overstated, here is an understatement), on the crossroads between divisive Christianity and relentless Islam, modern Imperial powers and those that began to dissolve after hundreds of years of desperate control. Written in Belgrade, during the worst of the Nazi bombing, demolishing the city as the author wrote, Andric looks back across the histories that have been written across his home-land. A substantial book that does not drag with weighty history or become mired in tearful sentimentality; does not proclaim battle inspiring philosophies or declaim political war cries. Andric finds his focus on an elegant bridge spanning a coursing river, and is mesmerized by the confluence of human destinies passing over it. His genius lies in his perception of unique human character and the ability to reveal it in all its complexity with the clear light of god-like wisdom. Third person narrative brought to its ultimate resolution, and the epic novel to its most complete expression. It deserves to be read, and perhaps, celebrated.

A refine story telling about the five centuries of occupation in the Balkans by the Ottoman Muslims.

PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT AND STUNNING BACKGROUND FOR THE SERBIAN AND MUSLIM DIFFICULTIES BY WAY OF A TITILLATING FICTION DURING A PERIOD OF TURKISH EMPIRE DOMINANCE OF THE REGION. THIS IS A TIMELESS READ AND VERY MUCH APPLIES TO ENHANCING WESTERN UNDERSTANDING THE UNDERLYING HISTORY BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE TURKISH EMPIRE TO THE NEVER ENDING CONFLICT IN THE BALKANS--NOW BEING FURTHER EXEMPLIFIED BY THE SERBIAN RESPONSE TO THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE BY KOSOVO THIS MONTH.

JIM KOZIAK
02/23/2008

The Turks built it, but many of the "Turks" were Balkan converts descended from the Slavic people of Bosnia, Serbia, and other regions. The eleven-arched bridge stood there, over the green Drina, for centuries, as the human parade passed over it. This wonderful novel tells the story of the people who lived nearby, of those who came to dominate the town from outside, and ultimately, who, in 1914, destroyed the stone span. As a novel that covers nearly 350 years, THE BRIDGE ON THE DRINA can have no continuous cast of characters. Instead, there are sharply drawn portraits of the inhabitants of Visegrad---Muslims, Serbs, Gypsies, and Jews---and the people who came from all over the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the days when that state occupied Bosnia (1878-1914). Just as Canadian novelist Hugh MacLennan's "Barometer Rising" has an explosion as the main character, so Andric has made a bridge the main character here. We meet the Turkish builders of the bridge and the local opposition to it. Accidents happen, an awful punitive impalement is described in gruesome detail. The townsmen meet on the kapia---a wide section of the bridge in its midsection--for centuries: it provides a place to talk and drink coffee, for youth to sing. A Turkish blockhouse is built in one period, to catch rebels, who fight for the end to Turkish rule. The bridge is decorated with the heads of luckless captives. The stone inn, built as a free lodging for travellers, declines and eventually collapses. A girl refuses the love of a young man who has seen her crossing the bridge, but the parents decide on a marriage. She jumps off the bridge to her death, but remains forever in the songs of townspeople. Resistance and rebellion swirl around the bridge during the 19th century before the Austro-Hungarian takeover in 1878. Gamblers appear, and maybe the Devil as well. A soldier is seduced by a Serbian woman who plans to smuggle a guerrilla leader across--he is jailed for his troubles and kills himself. Galician Jews come to run hotels and businesses, but lead sad lives. Early 20th century students argue and fight over clashing ideals---nationalism, communism, socialism. And at last the Great War empties the town and destroys the bridge. The world that so many generations had known came to an end. A vast panorama of history, philosophy, and romance fill this novel, which led to a Nobel Prize for its author in 1961. I read it over 40 years ago, but recently took it up again, having forgotten most of it. It blew me away again.

The bridge is a real one. It suffered more damages during World War II in the vicious multi-sided fighting that wracked Yugoslavia. Then, during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, thousands of Muslims were murdered and pushed from that very bridge. The bloody history continued. On page 118, Andric writes, "moments of social upset and great inevitable change usually throw up just such men, unbalanced and incomplete, to turn things inside out or lead [men] astray. This is one of the signs of times of disorder." These words, written so long before, describe Milosevic to a tee. As I read Andric's novel again---these thoughts added an extra tragic note to it.

Yugoslavia is no more. It was an idea of a certain time. Perhaps it was a good one, perhaps not: I am in no position to judge. But no doubt a cultural flowering took place. When I read this marvelous book back in my twenties, it stimulated me to look into Yugoslav literature in general. I was not disappointed. I found the novels of Krleza, Djilas, Bulatovic, Vuco, and Oljaca, all of which enriched my life. But Andric was certainly the best. He is one of the great writers of the twentieth century. If you have never read him, you have missed something.

I ordered this book for my 8 year old niece. She really likes it, especially the tornado page at the beginning. She is just discovering the world of books and is always thrilled when she can actually keep one versus having to return it to the library!

This book was recommended by a friend who has it and reads it to her granddaughter. I bought it to give as a gift to my granddaughter, but was so thrilled at the charming and spectacular content, I have kept it for myself. The pop ups have such amazing color and are on heavy enough paper that it should last a long time. I have been a great fan of all the Oz books (which I Have, some printed in the early 1900's) and believe this will be a great addition to my collection.
Sincerely, Lise Jones

My father got my sister and I some beautiful fairy tale popup books from Europe when we were children. We have never seen a popup book come even close to the details in those books. I took a chance after reading the reviews and ordered the Wizard of Oz popup for my sister for Christmas. Well, it comes very close to the books we had as children. Its very entertaining, even for us "older" kids.

Purchased item for my niece who adores the wizard of oz. The item was as described. Shipped promptly and she LOVED it.

I BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR A 2 MONTH OLD BABY FOR WHEN SHE GETS OLDER.I OPENED THE BOOK WHEN IT CAME IN THE MAIL AND I FELT LIKE A LITTLE KID IT WAS SO AWESOME. EACH PAGE IS FILLED WITH AMAZING DETAIL. IT WILL REALLY PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE

I am very pleased with this book. I purchased it for an English class am taking and could not be happier with the content of the stories. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Player Piano provides us with a window into the mind of Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors. He was a veteran of World War II and had seen up close and personal the dangers of totalitarian regimes, and he was forever changed by his experiences. His fears are very clearly expressed in this, his first novel, and it is clear that seven years after the end of the war he was vitally concerned for the future of America which was in the throws of internal struggles by fearful parties on both sides of the political spectrum.

In Player Piano we see the early development of a man destined to become one of the great novelists of the second half of the twentieth century. His plot line is wonderful, and one can hardly put the book down as it grabs the reader and will not let him or stop for food or sleep.

But there are significant problems with the writing that Vonnegut overcame in his later works. In this book, he tells us what is happening far more than he shows by the actions of his characters. His experiences in the war, especially as a prisoner of war in Dresden - an experience that would warp anyone - rendered him unable to examine totalitarianism with a cold and analytical eye at that stage of his development. He did not foresee the future of computation much beyond that of the early post war period, and, while his views of those running totalitarian states are undoubtedly very true, he did not foresee that related technology would set other people free.

Vonnegut's vision of the future when he wrote the novel did not encompass personal computation and the development of transistors and the miniaturization that is still revolutionizing our lives. He was greatly influenced by Orwell's dark vision in 1984 and could not see at that time that individuals - while still threatened by the loss of liberty by tyrants with powerful computers - would also be empowered to challenge authority by the very same technology that gave government its oversight power.

As Kurt aged, his vision of the future was challenged by the lightning fast technological developments that took place over his career. He also grew as a writer and his technique led him to the front rank of novelists of his time.

Player Piano provides a starting point that lets us follow Vonnegut's development from neophyte to literary master. It is a wonderful read that while not a great work gives us hope and insight into what was to come.

This an easy read, and the underlying message must still be heeded. We must always be on guard against those who would rob us of our freedom by promising us bread and security. Kurt had experienced life as few had and had seen the worst in people. But we should more faith in the human spirit than Kurt quite understandably had at that point in his life.

I had the pleasure of reading this book while I was studying Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic. This book is very well written and the story is fantastic. One of my favorite parts of the book is when the engineer engineers himself out of his own job. Classic! kind of remind me of my last IT project.

Very funny. Not quite as good as Cat's Cradle or Slaughterhouse-Five but hilarious just the same.

This book is a 5-star book for engineers and technologists, particularly those working for big corporations, but probably only a 3-star book for anybody else. (You can guess from my rating what I do.) Vonnegut creates hybrid eu/dystopia brought about by the ultimate success of American ingenuity and capitalism. Dr. Proteus is brilliantly and complexly written as a successful technologist desperately aware of his relationship to his corporation and of the corporate's relationship to the world. Feels more like Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" than Orwell's "1984," but is more humane and sad and beautiful both in its hope and despair in humanity than either of them.

Vonnegut's debut novel, published in 1952, is a little constrained. There are hints of Vonnegut's sardonic wit, wild imagination, and unconventional writing style, but only hints. Unlike virtually all of Vonnegut's other novels, Player Piano tells its story in a linier fashion. It starts at the beginning and ends at the end. There's nothing really wrong with that, but for fans of the author, accustomed to Vonnegut's eccentric voice, it feels a little too conventional.

Vonnegut is a humanitarian and the message of Player Piano is that people need to have a sense of purpose, and that if you take that away from them - their lives will be empty. Throughout the novel, a leader from another country tours the cities of the United States and having no similar word in his own language, confuses `civilians' for `slaves'. The message of course, is that the civilians, in this machine dominated world, are in-fact slaves.

Similarities between this novel and Brave New World are inevitable, as both novels explore the relationship between technology and happiness, and the role class structure plays in our society. In both Player Piano and Brave New World, the protagonist is unfulfilled by the trappings of the privileged class and longs for something `real'. Player Piano is arguably more hopeful than Brave New World (and certainly 1984) suggesting that people will band together to fight for their freedom, however futile, even if it means that they are doomed to repeat the same mistakes again.

Player Piano is admittedly dated. It is evident from this novel, and others of the era, that people were wary of the advent of computers and the proliferation of machines and technology. As for predicting the future, neither Brave New World nor Player Piano (nor 1984 for that matter) proved to be a reliable crystal ball. These novels are far more reflective of the times they were written and the author's commentary on those times, than of any actual or likely future.

Player Piano is far from Vonnegut's best. Cat's Cradle and Slaughter House Five are two of the best novels ever written and there are close to a half dozen other Vonnegut novels (he wrote 14) I would recommend before Player Piano, but it's still worth reading.

3 ½ stars (almost four).

Not only is the book small, somewhere between a pack of smokes and a wallet only thinner, it really doesn't capture the wordsmithing Twain was noted for. Damn shame attempt at revenue generation.

This book of quotations contains many observations dressed with great wit, humor and smarts that perhaps many can relate, but very few can put into words as only Twain can.

Great for a coffee table book. It is full of the character of Mark Twain.

A nice, slim volume that you may read a few lines from, put it down, and come back later and read a few more. Mostly fun, all are thoughful; Huck Finn is a good philospher for all time.

The book contains Mark Twain's wit.

It was much smaller than I expected.

The Pokemon Guide Book is really being enjoyed by my 6-year-old grandson. He loves it! It's perfect for him.

I was impressed by how well my 6-year-old was able to draw using this book as a guide.

Bought the Pokemon Guide Book for my Grandson's 8 year birthday. He loved it. The book is a nice size for a child. It is colorful. It is at a child's reading level and has quite a lot of information on the Pokemon cards. Grandma is learning quite a bit about the Pokemon characters.

I was hesitant to buy it because of some reviews. Yes, the activities are a little easy and yes the book is very thin, however, for an airplane ride or nice restaurant visit, it was simply fantastic. My kids love Pokemon and would love any product really, but even though the book is filled up, they use it to learn how to draw still so it definitely wasnt a waste....on the contrary.

If your child loves Pokemon they will love this book. Very useful to read information on or see pictures of Pokemon.

John Steinbeck is recognized as a literary genius and he won the nobel prize for literature and rightly so. This book is the literary equivalent of a nuclear detonation. It is brilliant beyond belief. It makes the works of many other authors pale in comparison. If your a reader of the
great classics of 20th Century Literature then you must read this book.

John

once i got the shippment from amazon, i open the book to check it, and i start read the first page, by the time i recognise that i should contenue what i was busy with, i found that i reach to page 50, and i am still reading, very reach with variables and .... what can i say here, "Drawing With Words"

On first picking up East of Eden, I wondered if I would or could like such a book. After having read Steinbeck's other work, The Pearl, I thought that East of Eden might end up being a long, overly drawn-out description of some vines running along a white wall. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this masterpiece, a great retelling of two classic biblical tales. The characters, if anything else, make this a fantastic read.

Like a good 90% or more of Steinbeck works, East of Eden takes place primarily in the Salinas Valley of northern California. It details the lives of the Trask and Hamilton families, particularly of Adam and Charles Trask--the first generation, and Aron and Cal Trask--the second. Between each set of brothers stands the unequal love of a father, a darkness within a man's heart, and the recurring scar which comes to mark those who are "darker." From Adam and Charles to Aron and Cal, both sets of brothers face trials in their relationships, between the dichotomy of love and hate. This varying dynamic, polar in its nature, is touching in its realism. The depth of the characters, from their good sides to their bad, their joys and sorrows and triumphs and jealousies, make each pitiable and sympathetic in their own way. Cal, who is somewhat of a protagonist in the second half, strives to find a balance between the good he wants to see in himself and the bad he knows is there. This battle, in his soul, is easily relatable to--a young boy who wants to be loved, doesn't know who he is, and wants to be more.

Aside from the male figures, one of the other main characters, Cathy Ames, is considered the Eve of the story. While conventionally seen as a figure of pure evil, the bringer of sin into the world and upon men, I find her the most intriguing--and the most inspiring, of all. While she is depicted to commit evil after evil, senselessly drawing men into their dooms, feeling no remorse whatsoever, there lies the greatest hope in Cathy, who like Cal, seems aligned to the dark side in her nature. But for all of her evil, for every terrible act she makes, the hope of something good within her stirred more hope than any other element of the story. Cal, while inspiring in his struggles, is different from the tragically alone Cathy, whose seeming fall into the darkness draws me in more than anyone else. For her, I truly hoped some light would shed.

All in all, I am delighted to have been able to read this novel. Though it was a rather long read, and for academic purposes, it was so enthralling that it drew me in from the get-go. A good two days into it and I was possessed, unable to put it down until I had finished. I would truly have to recommend this novel to anyone who has the time to sit down and plow through 600 pages--it's well worth it.

When it comes to human's struggle against evil, John Steinbeck has it all. Through the coexistence of Cathy and Sam Hamilton, the two main opposite forces in East of Eden, Steinbeck immediately foreshadows that a moral fight would be the essence of the novel. The book centers on two brothers' struggle to please their father, who then favors one and scorns the other by accepting the gift of only one son. Sounds familiar? Yes, it is the famous story of Cain and Abel. (Reading the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis would greatly help in understanding the plot and its foreshadowing.)

One might wonder: so why base a book on such story? The answer is straight and simple: it is part of us and we tend to deny it. The story of Cain and Abel is the second story accounted in the Bible after that of the Creation, therefore making it one of the most important, original ones. Although being one of the primitive stories, the account of Cain and Abel holds numerous themes found in quotidian life. The opposing characters of Cain and Abel represent the forces of evil and good, respectively, in human nature. While Abel represents the love and innocence in our nature, Cain represents the jealousy and hatred. Abel, as described in Genesis, is a young, innocent shepherd who offered to God "the firstborn of his flock and of their fat," which demonstrates his unfailing love for his Creator (NKJV, Gen. 4.4). Because God chose Abel's gift over Cain's, the latter became jealous of his brother and a feeling of hatred started to foment inside of him, resulting in the tragic death of Abel and the unbearable punishment of Cain.

One of the highlights of this novel centers on the discussion of knowledgeable Lee about the meaning of timshel. According to the original Hebrew translation, the word means "thou mayest," a translation that illustrates a human being's ability to choose between Good and Evil. In order to make such a decision, one must first know the difference between each choice. The character of Adam evolves from an obscure, ignorant follower of Cathy's evilness and cajolery, to a potent, dependent man, able to overcome his trepidations and Cathy's temptations. Adam succeeds only after realizing Cathy's genuine persona. Adam's evolution parallels Genesis, which says, "Then the Lord God said, `Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil'" (NKJV, Gen. 3.22).

The struggle that Adam faces and finally overcomes is a reflection of humanity's ability to overcome any trepidation that it might face daily. In a sense, it gives hope to the hopeless, happiness to the sad, destination to the adventurer, goal to the living, life to all.

When I bought this book, Steinbeck could not have been further off my radar. I suppose I expected a solid, picaresque novel that was good in a musty "literature" sort of way. I could not have been more wrong. I don't think that I have ever been punched in the gut more times by a work of art. The mixture of mythology and gritty realism never felt forced, in fact it made the story even more fluid and vicious. It is a wonderfully sad, dark, violent and oddly hopeful chronical of human frailty, loyalty and weakness. It is one of the supreme achievements of the art (all forms, not just literary) of the 20th century. After I read this, I bought everything by Steinbeck that I could get my hands on and buried myself in eleven more of his works before coming up for air.