Three Novels: The Soft Machine, Nova Express, the Wild Boys

Book Description

CRYSTAL SINGER
Young and beautiful, Killashandra Ree was a trained musician with no prospects . . . until she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild on the planet Ballybran, where the fabled Black Crystal was found. For those qualified, the Guild was said to provide careers, security, and the chance for unimaginable wealth. But once you'd sung crystal, there was no going back . . .
KILLASHANDRA
Killashandra's first season on Ballybran was everything she had hoped for: She had sung Black Crystal, grown wealthy, and met a man who could make her forget her own sorrowful past. But then, a year later, everything had changed. She was broke, she had crystal sickness so bad she thought she'd die, and the only way she could be true to the man she loved was to leave him. . . .
CRYSTAL LINE
Crystal singing changed the singer forever, bringing ecstasy and pain, near-eternal life . . . and gradual loss of memory. Killashandra had a lot of painful memories she could afford to lose. What she hadn't counted on was the loneliness she felt when her heart still remembered what her mind had forgotten. Then she found she might have a chance to salvage what was left of her mind. But to do that, she would have to learn to open herself--to another person, and to her own unhappy past . . .
THRILL TO THE SONG OF CRYSTAL ALONG WITH KILLASHANDRA REE!
AT LAST, ALL THREE CRYSTAL SINGER NOVELS COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME!

Customer Reviews:

What Oprah should have picked instead of Anna K........2004-06-14

This is one of the best science fiction books i've read not just because of how realistic the characters are but because of the sexuality incorperated in this book. It's not the classic princess being chased by a knight but modern relationships built on lust and the need for companionship. Addmittedly, it is quite long but if you can get past the first 200 pages you'll love it. It took me about a week to get past 200 pages and then a day and night to finish it. The first book is the best while the second build on Killa's relationship with Lars. The last book doesn;t really continue the story but act more like an epilogue detailing Killa's loss of memory and the effects being a Crystal Singer has on her memory. It's quite sad at times but worth a read it you are in love with Killa as much as I am.

Pretty awful.......2002-07-11

There's a lot wrong with Crystal Line. Anne McCaffrey would have done better to have left the Crystal Singer series at two books and not written this at all.
I enjoyed the first two books in this series despite Killashandra, not because of her. She's her usual unpleasant self in this book, only more so. But the problems in this book go far beyond an unsympathetic heroine.
The plot is disjointed. Killashandra and her lover/professional partner Lars travel to an alien planet in a brain&brawn ship to investigate "jewel junk" - a substance that may or may not be a life-form, and may or may not be intelligent. Having successfully completed that assignment, Killashandra and Lars return to Ballybran to resume their crystal-cutting career. It is here that the plot takes a ninety-degree turn. On Ballybran, tragedy strikes when Lanzecki, Guildmaster of the Heptite Guild, dies. Lars takes over the position - and Killashandra can't handle the change in circumstances. The lovers split, both personally and professionally. Killashandra goes off on her own, while Lars struggles to turn around the stuggling Guild. Eventually, they are reconciled - and then help with the "jewel junk" is requested from them once more. Tragedy in a couple of different forms strikes, and then everything is resolved happily. By this time it is clear than the "jewel junk" storyline, which took up so much space initially and promised a different kind of book, is nothing more than a deus ex machina device to manipulate a happy ending.
Characterisation is also a problem. The supposed depth of the supposed love between Killashandra and Lars does not shine through; and given how unpleasant Killashandra is, it's hard to believe that she cares for Lars, or that he could care about her at all. There's no real depth to any of the characters, and the "crises" that each of them face do not come across to the reader with the force with which they are meant to have struck the suffering characters. Then there's McCaffrey's usual propensity for cheap titillation.
McCaffrey seems to have been struck with a disease that is becoming more and more common amongst authors: the desire to control your imaginary world from beginning to end. All the problems of Killashandra, Lars, and the Heptite Guild and all its members are solved by the end of this book, or as good as - no room for more stories, everything closed off with a happy-ever-after ending. If she felt it absolutely necessary to close out this series, rather than leave it open-ended, she could have given us something better than this contrived, shallow effort.
Crystal Line is not up to the standard of The Crystal Singer and Killashandra. Read them instead, and remember how much better this series used to be.

Will there ever be a sequel....?.......2000-03-04

I have read these 3 books many times over a span of several years, and I still enjoy them thoroughly. Killashandra is a strong character and the Crystal League provide the Sci'Fi part, but I must admit that there is a very strong romance line to the plots, so be ready to be swept away by more than just a new and future "world". The stories are fun, the plot line thickens and the final solutions develop the stories in the most convincing terms. I want more... please Anne? Do some more on Killa!

THOUGHT PROVOKING SCIENCE FICTION.......1997-11-22

ANNE HAS THIS WAY OF BRINGING THE MOST OUT OF A CHARATER. KILLISHANDRA REE IS THE MOST THAT THE UPWARD WOMAN OF THE 90'S WANTS TO BECOME. THE TRILOGY GIVES A PERSPECTIVE TO THE READER THAT IT IS OK TO STEP OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. THAT IS DEFINETLY NOT WHERE THE READER IS GOING. THE READER OF THIS TRILOGY WILL FIND THEMSELVES "THRALLED" BY THE EVER POWERFUL ANNE McCAFFERY. YOU WON'T LEAVE HOME UNTIL YOU'VE FINISHED!

Exciting, provacative; I dare anyone to put it down........1997-10-09

This book is beyond words. Read it over and over again and you will still find new things. The imagery is exqusite, and the feelings are overwhelming. In depth and full of details, this book is a must read for anyone who has ever dreamed of adventure, no matter the interest.

Killashandra Ree Trilogy: The Crystal Singer, Killashandra, Crystal Line (Set of 3 Sci-Fi Novels)

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Killashandra Ree Trilogy: The Crystal Singer, Killashandra, Crystal Line (Set of 3 Sci-Fi Novels)
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Del-Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000VSBGPY

Average customer rating:

Fondue gone Wrong

Fondu book

The 125 BEST Fondue Recipes for beginner to pro

Don't know how to Fondue? Now you do!!

Fantastic - the best of the fondue cookbooks

The 125 Best Fondue Recipes
Ilana Simon
Manufacturer: Robert Rose
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Sauces, Salsa & Garnishes | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Special Appliances | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Fondue: Great Food To Dip, Dunk, Savor, And Swirl

Fondues from Around the World

ASIN: 0778800377

Book Description

Think of food that s made for enjoying in the company of family and friends. Food that offers a limitless variety of ingredients, flavors and cooking styles - and, best of all, is amazingly easy to prepare. What have you got? Fondue, of course!

Now, with The 125 Best Fondue Recipes, you can explore a whole new world beyond the familiar cheese and chocolate fondues. Discover the possibilities of hot oil fondues with tantalizing recipes such as Ginger Beef Fondue, Zesty Lime Chicken and Tempura Cauliflower. Experience savory broth fondues such as Mongolian Hot Pot, Honey Garlic Chicken Fondue and Thai Pork Fondue in Lemongrass Broth. These fondues not only taste great, but are kind to your waistline!

Of course, no fondue book can ignore the traditional favorites. And here cheese fondue gets an innovative spin with recipes such as Emmentaler Fondue with Caramelized Shallots and Cheddar Cheese and Beer Fondue. Similarly, no true fondue meal is complete without a chocolate-, fruit- or liqueur-based dessert. So you'll want to sample such decadent finishes as Bittersweet Chocolate Fondue, White Chocolate and Toffee or Cherries Jubilee Fondue.

And because fondues are all about dipping (and tasting!), it only makes sense that The 125 Best Fondue Recipes features some 20 dips and sauces that are specially designed to complement the recipes in the book. Also included are menu planning suggestions, a guide to using and maintaining different types of fondue pots, as well as tips and techniques for making your next fondue meal an event to remember.

For the new or experienced fondue maker, The 125 Best Fondue Recipes is the complete resource.

Customer Reviews:

Fondue gone Wrong.......2007-03-14

I was looking for good classical fondue receipes but found this book full of off the wall asian receipies and other things one wouldn't normally associate with fondue. I'm sure they are all very nice but for a basic fondue book it would not be my choice and it is expensive for what it is.

Fondu book.......2007-01-11

When I purchased my LeCruset fondu pot, there was a wonderful paperback
recipe book beside it. Sadly, I thought the price was too high...and
based on the reviews at Amazon I purchased this book. Its paper is
not as nice, its presentations (pictures) are not as nice...and it
won't lie flat. With this type of cooking, I think it is nice to have
the better pictures and presentations...and the more expensive book.

The 125 BEST Fondue Recipes for beginner to pro.......2007-01-10

This fondue book is so great! It gives simple and plain instructions and ingredients along with a great choice of all types of fondue's. I love it so much that I have purchased three as gifts for other fondue lovers.

Don't know how to Fondue? Now you do!!.......2007-01-06

This book is the best! my sister bought it for me along with a Cuisinart fondue pot for Christmas (all purchased on Amazon) and wow did it save me. I have always been a fan of fondue,but never had the pot or the sense to actually learn what I was going to do once I got the pot. WELL, this book is my little fondue for dummies! It has EVERYTHING you need to know about meat,cheese,and desert fondues. It also has a great section in the back on condiments that go with each recipe, or heck go with anything! This book is a great addition to anyone looking to get in to fondues or as an addition to the gift of a fondue pot.

Fantastic - the best of the fondue cookbooks.......2006-06-26

I am an avid chef, and I LOVE fondue. I researched LOTS of fondue cookbooks, and this one has fantastic recipes. I think the reason I particularly love it is because we like to make fondue in a more healthful style (i.e., not cooking meat in boiling oil) and this book has an entire chapter just on fantastic broth recipes. In the end, if you cook shrimp, lamb, and flank steak in chicken broth, red wine, mushrooms, and garlic, you have yourself a very healthy meal! You'll love this book...it also gives GREAT fondue cooking tips in the whole first section.

Average customer rating:

A taste of the past.

The Armchair James Beard
John Ferrone
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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The James Beard Cookbook 3 Ed

ASIN: 1592285589

Book Description

Selected writings on food and drink by America's best-loved culinary master, with 130 recipes.

Customer Reviews:

A taste of the past........2000-04-24

After reading this charming collection of James Beards experiences with food and important people in his life - I now know why James Beard is so revered and honored for his amazing talents.

His inspiration continues to flow through his books and this is a must read for the cookbook collector or anyone who wants a taste of the past.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Average customer rating:

Turning Lathes

Turning Lathes: A Guide to Turning, Screw Cutting, Metal Spinning and Ornamental Turning

Manufacturer: Astragal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Power Tools | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Reference | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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Ornamental Turning: A Work of Practical Instruction in the Above Art ; With Numerous Engravings and Autotype Plates

Holtzapffel's Turning and Mechanical Manipulation Volume I - Materials, Their Choice, Preparation and Various Modes of Working Them

The Art of Metal Spinning: A Step-By-Step Guide to Hand-Spinning

Hand or Simple Turning: Principles and Practice

Home Machinists Handbook

ASIN: 1879335492

Book Description

Frank Knox referred to James Lukin (1827-1917) as one of the outstanding ornamental turners of the modern period, and considered his books second only to those of Holtzapffel in usefulness, clarifying much of what Holtzapffel left unclear. This reprint contains both the 1894 expanded edition of Turning Lathes and the 200 page 1896 Britannia Company Catalog that lists and illustrates all types of lathes and lathe equipment, as well as other quality machine tools. Lukin, in the over 200 page narrative section, covers turning tools, hardwood turning, metal turning with hand tools, slide test work in metal, the self-acting lathe, chuck-making, turning square sections, screw cutting, metal spinning, a description of BeddowUs (combined) epicycloidal, rose cutting, eccentric cutting, drilling, fluting and vertical cutting, the eccentric chuck, the dome or spherical chuck, the goniostat, the oval or ellipse chuck, and much other fascinating information. 432 pages. 6" x 91/4". Fully illustrated. Soft cover.

Customer Reviews:

Turning Lathes.......2006-08-10

I was very disappointed in this book.
It was written in 1894 with hand drawn illustrations.
It is so old that the information is practically useless.

TURNING LATHES: A GUIDE TO TURNING, SCREW CUTTING, METAL SPINNING AND ORNAMENTAL TURNING, &C., AND INCLUDING THE 1896 BRITANNIA COMPANY CATALOGUE.

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TURNING LATHES: A GUIDE TO TURNING, SCREW CUTTING, METAL SPINNING AND ORNAMENTAL TURNING, &C., AND INCLUDING THE 1896 BRITANNIA COMPANY CATALOGUE.
James (editor). Lukin
Manufacturer: Astragal Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7EF7E

Book Description

From an internationally renowned professional designer, here is a decorating guide that's as stylish and beautiful as the rooms it showcases. Lush color photographs magnificently reproduced on oversized pages reveal how Tricia Guild pays exquisite attention to the details that make any home a designer masterpiece. It's a veritable gold mine of ideas for creating an elegant look. Learn where to find inspiration and how to translate it into practice, and what are the important elements that are always present in good design. Tour Guild's Victorian house, find out how she chose to decorate each room, and take advantage of practical tips, from arranging objects and hanging pictures effectively in the living room to displaying cookware and lighting work areas successfully in the kitchen. Then enhance your home by fashioning piped cushions, padded furniture, Roman blinds, fabric-covered boxes, and bed curtains. A sumptuous feast for the eyes and a design ideas treasure chest! 96 pages (all in color), 9 1/4 x 12 1/2.

Tricia Guild's Design and Detail: A Practical Guide to Styling a House

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Tricia Guild's Design and Detail: A Practical Guide to Styling a House
Tricia Guild
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0671666363

Tricia Guild's Design and Detail The Practical Guide to Styling a House

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Tricia Guild's Design and Detail The Practical Guide to Styling a House
Guild Tricia & Wilhide Elizabeth
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Tricia Guild | Expert Advice | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000LCM7R6

Book Description

Since Enoch Brater's essential study of Samuel Beckett's life and works was originally published before Beckett died, the author has taken the opportunity of this paperback reprint to bring his subject up to date. Beckett was undoubtedly a difficult writer, and one of the virtues of this biography is to give the general reader easier access to all aspects of his work, particularly the more elliptic theater and prose pieces of his later years. Brater follows Beckett's career from the early days in Ireland to the efflorescence in his chosen expatriate home in France just after the Second World War, and beyond that to his success in the rest of the world as a result of the universal appeal of his cryptic, moving play Waiting for Godot.

Brater emphasizes the Irish rhythms in Beckett's writing and examines, at all stages, the intriguing relationship between his fiction and his compositions for theater, film, and television. Supported by a generous selection of photographs, including many examples of Beckett productions in all parts of the world, this is the indispensable guide to understanding one of the literary geniuses of the twentieth century. 122 b/w illustrations. The first edition was published under the title Why Beckett?.

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